InterPacific Exchange Report 1
April 23, 2001

Hello all you Canadian pony clubbers out there.

Our first week in New Zealand has been very exciting! We have done lots of travelling and seen lots of beautiful countryside. There are many beautiful beaches here and mountains as far as the eye can see.

Although the scenery is beautiful, the car sickness can be a bit overwhelming! We spend a lot of time on a bus travelling from one place to another so everyone got to know each other very quickly! All of us have been having a great time meeting the other team members and have already made some good friends.

Some of the highlights so far have included white water rafting and going to Bencarri farm. I think that everyone loved the rafting! The river was wild but the Canadians were up to the challenge! We flew throught the rapids and jumped off a 10 meter cliff into the cold glacier water at the end of the adventure. Most of us got water up our noses but no one is the worse for wear.

A few days after our rafting trip we ventured to the Bencarri farm. We fed many different types of animals, including eels. Some of the eels are over 80 years old and seemed fairly tame. We fed them raw meat off a stick and stroked their slimy skin. Overall, we are getting to experience a little bit of everything.

Up to this point we haven't done much riding so everyone is itching to start competing. We don't ride for another week so we'll have to contain our urge to ride, and show everyone what Canada is made of, for a little while longer. So far everyone seems to be enjoying themselves very much and really looking forward to what the rest of the trip has in store for us! Another update will be coming your way soon!

All the best to everyone!

Katie Shipley
Canadian Inter Pacific Exchange Team Member 2001