Rotorua (Part 2)

New Zealanders happen to be very fond of their sheep.

I mean, very fond of their sheep.

So fond in fact, that they even hold beauty contests for them. During our trip to Rotorua we went to one. I don't know if it was my hair that day . . . or if they just saw something special in me, something as special as their prized sheep, but they let me be apart of the contest! 

Look:

. . . ok, ok, just kidding. . . 

This post is about our experience at the Agrodome. Although not a beauty contest, it is a show about sheep. We got to learn a little about New Zealand farm life and play with the animals. They taught us about the many varieties of sheep that are raised in New Zealand and what they are used for. It was quite comical watching the sheep run up on stage to their spots (where food was waiting for them - some were sneaks and ate bites of the other sheep's food as they went).

We got to watch a sheep shearing:

And a few dogs do some tricks. One herded a group of ducks (they fit on stage better for herding purposes than a bunch of sheep). 

Then there was this character:

He was loud, spastic, and liked to run across the top of the sheep. 

The man running the stage asked for volunteers who hadn't ever milked a cow to come and try it. He tried to get me to come up, but I had already done this before so I let someone else go. Then I got a lot of teasing from him. . . 

. . . and he asked me to come on stage after they were done with the cow (see the first photo) and handed me a bottle of milk . . . 

"We are going to have a drinking contest!"

Try being on stage in front of a bunch of people, getting handed a bottle of something you are allergic to, then being told you have to drink it. 

AND THEN THESE GUYS RUNS ON STAGE (!!!!!) :

Baby pigs. I nearly died. They were so cute.

After the show was over I had to go play with them. They let me hold one :) Maybe they aren't all like this, but from my experience, pigs don't like to be held. They squirm and squeal as if they are being tortured. Don't worry, we got my facial expressions caught on camera. The black and white one was my favorite, and I happened to wear black and white that day, so it just felt right letting this moment be in black and white for everyone to see. 

Rotorua Part 3 Coming Soon!

Rotorua (Part 1)

Nathan and I were invited to visit some family friends staying in a town named Rotorua. So we took a little trip! Here are a few things we did:

This is The Ogo:

Yes, we rolled down a hill in a giant bubble. And yes, it was awesome.

(By the way, mom, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger)

After this you have a new perspective on life . . . maybe because when climbing out it gives one the sensation of being reborn . . . 

. . . if only child birth were that easy . . .

This is a Wharenui (meeting house), built on the Marae (cultural land):

The Maori have the most beautiful stone and wood carvings.

Here is the view from the rooftop of a museum:

It was a gorgeous building. The museum used to be a bath house. Which is pretty cool because Rotorua has natural hot pools.

To be continued . . .

But I will leave you with this photo that I finished painting today. It is of my little bro :) I wanted to post it in honor of him serving a mission for our church. He is my best bud and I am incredibly proud of him. I also feel completely blessed that God let him be my brother, because it takes a special soul to laugh at my jokes and he is my kind of special. I love Elder Munk!! Best wishes, good luck, and don't ever change.