Spare time/ Dancing/ New Zealand

[TerokNor]

I think I just found another hobby. Today I was with a very nice group who does scottish country dancing. It was so fun, looked so elegant, but its also really complicated (especially if you´ve got a right/left weakness like I do)! Anyway, next week I will go there as well. Then pittifully I have an English course to the same time, but next year in March they take beginners again and than I will certainly join, even I only have 4.5 months left in this country by then, but better than nothing. Did anyone of you ever try that kind of dancing? I wonder how to ever keep all those steps and formations, when to do what, where to turn and what position to take in my head?

Oh my list of things I want to try and learn and do or want to do again is growing and growing.
Scottish dancing, Tin Whistle, English, I start with Yoga end of October, I would like to try Tai Chi, I want to get more into hiking, cayaking, I also would like to do western riding again, getting more into writing, painting, I would like to get to know more about photography, sewing, getting better at baking (my last cakes tasted nice but looked rather strange, my family fell over laughing when seeing them), doing more travelling (what you´d say are places I have to go to in NZ, but also Australia and there about?) etc. I could go on and on. One life is too short!

What do you fill your sparetime with or what is there, that you really want to try one day?

TerokNor

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I think I just found another hobby. Today I was with a very nice group who does scottish country dancing. It was so fun, looked so elegant, but its also really complicated (especially if you´ve got a right/left weakness like I do)! Anyway, next week I will go there as well. Then pittifully I have an English course to the same time, but next year in March they take beginners again and than I will certainly join, even I only have 4.5 months left in this country by then, but better than nothing. Did anyone of you ever try that kind of dancing? I wonder how to ever keep all those steps and formations, when to do what, where to turn and what position to take in my head?

Scottish Country Dancing was one of my hobbies when I was a child. I took it up on a whim (actually, I jokingly suggested it to my mum and she said "Go ahead! It'll be fun!" or words to that effect) and stuck with it until about halfway through secondary school. Our school entered us into various local and national competitions, and (possibly despite my dancing ) our dance team even won a few contests and trophies. We even appeared on local television a couple of times during the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

I also took up the RSCDS exams, eventually completing grade 3 - I still have the medals somewhere - and continued it for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, by including dancing as part of my Bronze award. (And yes, everyone laughed at the time when I added it to the DoE.)

Nowadays, I do less Scottish dancing and more in the way of Scottish fiddle music (which others end up dancing to in the SCD style). As well as the dances that everybody knows (Dashing White Sergeant, Strip the Willow, Eightsome Reel etc.) there are still one or two that I still recall fondly.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Hey TerokNor how is NZ treating you? Do you like it?

Places to go in Aus and NZ: I suggest asking around before you go anywhere listed in guide books. Having had OS relatives arrive and brightly announce they want to go to XYZ as recommended in some guide book I'm very leery of them as a lot of the places I was familiar with are awful wastes of time and sometimes not even the mildly interesting attraction they were 30 years ago when they first lodged themselves into guide book land.

If you have the money and the time go and see Uluru in Aus, completely unique and different from any other place on earth.

Otherwise come to Melbourne and I'll buy you a latte.

 

[TerokNor]

Zion: You can play the fiddle? Oh I love fiddle music! It is so full of life and just has something special.
Why are you not dancing anylonger?

Teacake: I like it really well so far (though I do miss my family and friends and my dog!). NZ is a beautiful country and the people are all so very friendly and hospitable.
Uluru looks pretty, but I not really have the money I guess. Have to find something that is not too expensive. I saw that the flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are quite cheap, so it will probably be one of these cities. Should it be Melbourne I certainly would love to drop by and have a tea with you! *L* Is Melbourne a nice city to visit?

TerokNor

 

[Candlelight]

Depends what you're interested in. Rotorua has the therma pools and geysers, Taupo has the lake, Napier has the art deco, Wellington has the wind (plus parliament buildings, the interisland ferry, etc), Kaikoura has the whales, central south island has the mountains, the West Coast have scenery, Christchurch has the shakes and Dunedin has the chocolate factory and steepest street in the world.

 

[TerokNor]

I have been to Rotorua.

Well... on the North Island I definitly want to do a weekendtrip to the Bay of Islands, one to Coromandel and one to Hawks Bay, then visit friends in Raglan, one trip to Waitomo, a trip to Wellington (also taking the ferry to the South Island), also some kayaking to the Islands out here in Auckland and some hiking in the area...like here is somewhere a black beach and some beautiful wood with big trees..Wetaki... Ranges or so.

On the South Island I want to go to Kaikoura, to Dunedin, to Invergargil and to Stewart Island, West Coast is a must too, I think there are 2 national parks there, so want to hike through there a bit... Milford Sound (?) and then maybe some places where they shoot LOTR, cause I like LOTR.
Christchurch was on my list too, but after the earthquake not so sure..hmm...

(In addition to that at least a longer weekendtrip to somewhere in Australia and to one Island in the Pacfic, right now I have the biggest one of the Cook Islands in mind, cause my hosts say they are beautiful and the biggest one is quite cheap to fly too....and when I am already on this side of the world I may as well use the opportunity.
And on my way back a stop in Hong Kong.)

You think that way I get a good impression of NZ or do I miss something vital?

TerokNor

 

[Candlelight]

You've pretty much got it covered. If you manage to do the Routeburn (the track between the tail end of Queenstown and the road to Milford) then you'll get to see stuff like this:

 

[StolenThunder]

Ceilidh dancing is one of the best things about Scotland. I genuinely don't understand how they do weddings in England.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Zion: You can play the fiddle? Oh I love fiddle music! It is so full of life and just has something special.
Why are you not dancing anylonger?

Scottish fiddle music is one of the great things about Scotland - something that melts the heart and gets the toes tapping, often at the same time.

As for the lack of dancing, I guess that I didn't have the time to continue it, plus our last SCD group was only really formed on a whim and didn't last very long.

Ceilidh dancing is one of the best things about Scotland. I genuinely don't understand how they do weddings in England.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4XQDAe9TDQ[/yt]