On the Road Again

So everyone we interview seems really, really intrigued by our project, and they want to know what we come up with when we finish, because they think they’ll be able to use it. Which is really encouraging, to know that we’re working on something that’s relevant and potentially useful. And also kind of infuriating, because it usually comes along with an admission that they don’t have much helpful information to give us.

We’re interviewing a variety of people, basically anyone connected to Te Papa’s social media. So that includes the marketing people who run the Facebook and Twitter, the curators who contribute content to the blog, the person in charge of the Collections Twitter (which is separate from the normal Twitter, less about marketing and more about education), the person in charge of the website… you get the idea. We want to know why they post what they do, what kinds of responses they’re looking for, what kinds of responses they get… often the answer is ‘huh, I’ve never really thought about it like that before.’ Which reiterates the importance of our project, and… really isn’t all that helpful beyond that.

But I’m done thinking about the project for the weekend. A whole bunch of us are going on a field trip this weekend to Rotorua and Taupo, which are some of the biggest tourist towns in New Zealand. Rotorua is home to some hot springs and a variety of different adventure experiences, from sky diving to bungee jumping to zorbing. It’s also a starting location for a tour of Hobbiton. Taupo is right on a lake and surrounded by mountains, and there are a lot of nature trails and the like.

So we got on the bus at around 8pm. It was a double-decker coach bus, larger by far than any I’ve ever been on, and we rode on the second level. It was strange being that far from the ground, but I was pleased to realize that I didn’t feel any apprehension. Good to know I’ve finally gotten over that. (If you haven’t heard the story about the bus I was in once that fell over, let me know, and I’ll fill you in.)

It was about a seven-hour bus ride, with a few stops along the way for food and restrooms (as the one on the bus was broken). I found myself at one point in my first New Zealand McDonald’s. There were some distinct differences in the menu, not only price-wise, but also with the names of items. There were some things entirely unique to New Zealand; they have one called the Kiwi, which is a burger with a fried egg, beetroot, avocado maybe? And a bunch of other things. They also serve a lamb burger. And instead of a dollar menu there is a loose change menu, with prices ranging from $1-$2.50. And they served frozen coke, which I wanted to try but wasn’t able to, as the machine was broken or something. But the fries are exactly the same.

We finally arrived in Rotorua at around 3am. Most of us had booked a hostel for the night; the owners were kind enough to get up at that late hour to take our money and let us in. By 4am, I’m finally ready for sleep. Just in time to get up in three and a half hours to go to Hobbiton. Because Hobbiton, obviously, is worth more than sleep.

Note: I have so much planned tomorrow that it doesn't make sense to include it all in one post. So I'll be dividing it up according to activity. You have been warned.