Car!

Sophie stumbled across this 97' Mazda 626 Station Wagon. so we decided to check it out!

240,000km (~150,000miles), inspection is due soon but the only problems we saw failing inspection were the two rear tires. I noticed in the records there was a radiator replacement. So noticing the engine I could see some oil build-up around the heads, seems like it overheated at one time and slightly warped the heads. It's been driven almost 20,000 km with no problems, and if we keep checking on the heater gauge, oil and radiator we could get away with the problem.

Barry met up with us to check out the car downtown. He had started at 2,000 NZD, and after a week decided 1600 may sell it faster. I pointed out the head leakage, and said I'll take it for 1500. Not bad, with Sophie and I splitting the cost i came to 525 American dollars each! It's a gamble with the engine, but worst comes to worst, we lose 525 each.


It also came with a lot of stuff! a tent, sleeping bag, 2 Frisbees, cooking equipment, bedding, and air mattress and yes, that weird wooden duck. All of these things Sophie needed anyway, so it only made the purchase more reasonable.

I met up with Barry downtown, treated him to a beer at a bar downtown and sorted out all the paperwork. Pfft paperwork? I gave him 1500, I made a bill of sale (even though i didn't have to, just precautionary) walked to the local post shop, and in less than 10 minutes we had waited in line, paid 9.20 for change of ownership and i officially owned a car in New Zealand. This is not the nys dmv.

Barry and I walked to the car, Barry gave me a few tricks he's learned for working and traveling from many trips around the world (main tip: be open for any job, he worked skinning sheep when he first got here) and I jumped in the car and left.

The Life

Currently I'm resting because I feel good about my fluid mechanics test I just took, just finished my homework for the week and I am about to start studying for the rest of the day for my test tomorrow in Classical Mechanics.

After tomorrow's test I will pick up sophie and my car, and this weekend i'm going to the ENSOC BBQ (one of UC's biggest parties, typically over 2,000 people) and Seafest, a musical festival on the shores of Kaikora.


It's about 70 degrees out, sun shining, and a cool breeze. For me I'm calling this the official start of spring. I'm taking a walk through the gardens across the street enjoying a Corona.

This is the life.

The rate of studying is inversely proportional to the temperature outside

It's Sunday, the 26th of September, and I've woken up rather early, knowing I have some things to do, no, a lot of things to do. I drive off into the city looking at cars for sale and return back with my head set at "Luke study away". I come back to my flat, run into my friend Tom who asks me to come with him to the Vegetarian Expo.

Tom: "Wanna come to the vegetarian expo with us"

Luke: "I should do some studying"

Tom: "Aww, that's too bad ,it's really nice out"

Luke: "Yea, it is really beautiful out"

Luke's Head: "It is REALLY beautiful out, and this is another excuse to ride your motorcycle"

Luke: "Yea I'm in"

We go to the expo, and thinking I could get my veggies there, turns out to be just over-priced tofu and strange power bars so thickly packed with fiber, you could taste it, no you could feel it, it was so hard to swallow.

So we leave shortly, It's still nice out. The gorgeous botanical gardens are right across the street.

Tom & Brian: "You wanna walk around the gardens with us?"

Luke: "I Should do some studying"

Tom: "Aww, that's too bad, it's really nice out"

Luke: "Yea it is really nice out"

Luke's Head: "It is REALLY nice out, and all the flowers are in bloom in the garden"

Luke: "Yea let's go"

I'm glad I did, the botanical gardens are absolutely beautiful. All the flowers are out, there are fields of Daffodils and the each tree is a testament to natures beauty. The Avon river runs through the center, where people are kayaking or couples are having picnics on the shore. Christchurch is the "Garden city".

I did take photos, but for some reason I cannot find them on my computer. Bummer!

We reach the end, and a bar is nearby the flea market were headed to:

Brian: "anybody want a beer"

**follow same suit as above**

Luke: "Yea I'm in.

I'm very glad, but guilty at the same time I went to the bar. Its 2:30pm , sun shining in this beautiful patio outside of the bar "Dux de Lux" and I am enjoying a very good beer. It's called a "Ginger Tom" and is an alcoholic Ginger Beer. If you like Ginger Beer, this is even better. We discuss how it doesn't get much better than this, and they only reinforce my correct decision to stay in New Zealand for twice as long as they are.

I feel sorry for a lot of international students, many are leaving as soon as finals end, which means they will have been in New Zealand for about 4-5 months. They can only travel during weekends and spring break, unless they skip Monday and Friday classes. I highly recommend taking two semesters abroad. You get the feel for things, discover a lot of different activities to do the first semester, and then continue your favorite activities the next semester. You also get a feel for the country as a whole better, by experiencing all four seasons, which radically changes the experience. You also have three months off in between semesters to do whatever you want.

Keeping Busy

I've been rather busy, with two tests this week and four homework due right before the two tests, I haven't had much time to relax. But, when I have relaxed this week I've been enjoying every minute. When Friday rolled around last week, it was 70 degrees (F). classes were out for the week, and I have a newly licensed motorcycle. And that's all I needed.

I started just driving, around, and settled on checking out Sumner, a small sea-side village right outside Christchurch. A beautiful little town, with lots of gardens scattered between cliffs and the sandy beaches. A highly recommended place to go for a nice afternoon in the sun walking around.

But I wasn't walking around, I was on the search for twisty, sea-side roads through rolling hills. I found a large hill with a road going right through the middle of it. Just the thing I was looking for. I was a little nervous trying out my motorcycle for the first time on major twisty climbs, after recently dismantling the rear wheel and the brake systems. Did I put that bolt back on, is it tight enough? Well mom, there's only one way to find out! Speeding up twisty roads with cliffs to my right, I started to worry a little less once the fun of motorcycling overwhelmed my fears of a motorcycle I've barely used falling apart while going around a hairpin turn.

At the top of the road, it was closed due to earthquake destruction, but luckily for me there was the Godley Head Nature Preserve trail to the left of me. This is where I had some of the greatest fun in New Zealand so far, my first real motorcycle adventure. About 2 meters wide, rising along the cliffs(no guard rails!) I shared with the sheep around me the view overlooking all of Christchurch, Sumner, Lyttleton,Taylor's Mistake, New Brighton and the rest of the Canterbury Plains.

Godley Head was absolutely beautiful, and I would highly recommend someone starting in Sumner and walking (or better biking, (or even better motorcycling!)) and heading to Taylor's mistake, a very tiny village on the beach which is supposedly a great surfing hangout. Then proceed to Godley's head, and check out the surrounding views along the coast line.

I'll hopefully update more on my visit to the botanical gardens, and hopefully finish up my spring break road trip. But after my two tests I'm off to Kaikoura to Seafest 2010, come back Sunday, Do my Presentation on the Fluid Mechanics of Carburetors (mainly Amal Carbs) and then Ellie comes later that week! And it turns out I have finals starting in 1 month. AND THEN!? Summer begins, which means a whole lot of different things, but for another post, another day

-Luke Stover

-Tell me, have I done anything of worth? -Leonardo Da Vinci