I'm living a dream: My first week in New Zealand!

I have been in New Zealand for about a week now!  Due to the fact that NZ’s internet comes from a wire connected in California, WiFi can be hard to come by.  Since I have been staying in a hotel and a hostel, it has been hard to find Internet.  So, here is a summary of my time in New Zealand thus far- sorry it’s such a long post! So much happened this week!

ARRIVAL

I arrived in Auckland, NZ in the north island on Wednesday morning at 7am.  Once getting through Customs and everyone from the program was accounted for, we loaded a bus and went to the hotel for our first night.  After dropping our things at the hotel, we walked through the city of Auckland for a lunch, introduction session, and a trip to Mount Eden, one of many volcanoes in Auckland and the highest point in the city!  It was beautiful to see the whole city from that perspective!  The township of Mount Eden was just “down the road” (a 10 minute walk), so we all went and walked around the town for a while.  I tried some Mars flavored gelato!  Dinner was pizza in a local Italian restaurant (which was next to a Denny’s).  The city of Auckland almost felt like we were still in the US because so many of the brands and stores were the same, but the city incorporated its natural history and the typical Kiwi adventure sites with the tall buildings.  There was even a bungee ride right across the street from the hotel! 

View of Auckland from Mt. Eden

The bungy ride in front of our hotel!

THURSDAY

            Thursday morning, we took the bus to Rotorua where we stayed in a Youth Hostel.  Later that day, we went to a Maori meetinghouse where we learned more about the native Maori culture, learned the Haka and how to use Poi balls.  The Maori people were so welcoming and willing to tell us all about their culture!  This group of Maori had religious history in both Maori spiritual beliefs and Anglican beliefs.  It was really interesting to listen to how the two systems of belief formed in this tribe and how their lives are impacted by it now. 

The Maori meeting house

FRIDAY

            Friday was my big day of adventure.  All I can say is WOW!  Here is a run down of my day:

I started my day by bungee jumping from a 46-meter platform.  Following that was a go at the Free Fall X-treme, a skydive simulator, where I floated in a giant wind tunnel for a few minutes.  We were then driven over to OGO to go Zorbing, which included rolling down a hill in a giant plastic ball with water and friends inside!  It was a whole minute and a half of falling over each other, sloshing around in water, and constant laughter!  Once our two rounds of zorbing were over, we were taken over to the Kaituna River to go whitewater sledging!  If you are unfamiliar with whitewater activities, sledging is river boarding where each person has a personal board and boogie boards down the river and through the rapids.  I survived with only a couple bruises and I managed not to loose my board at all during the trip!  

That's me bungee jumping!!

Zorbing!!

It was a day full of adrenaline and excitement, and I would definitely recommend these activities to anyone who has a heart for adventure and a bit of risk-taking!

SATURDAY

Saturday, we drove out to Waitomo Caves.  I went on a tour called Tumu Tumu Toobing, which included trekking through the caves in wet suits and gum boots, squeezing through tight spaces, and swimming through water.  We even floated on tubes down the river inside the cave for a bit!  What makes these caves extra special is that glow worms inhabit them!  Glow worms can only be found in New Zealand and in a couple places in Australia.  It was a fun experience!  Back at the hostel, a friend and I walked across the street to the park. 

A thermal pool at dusk

This park contains thermal pools, which are ponds that are naturally about 400º C, so they were bubbling and steaming- pretty cool!  Some of the pools release some mineral gas, which makes the town smell like sulfur.

and of course a “sweet as” jungle gym! Alecia and I had a good time playing on the jungle gym too!

Playing on the jungle gym!

SUNDAY

            Sunday was Community Day.  We went to a place called Sanctuary Park where we helped some plants and learned about kiwi fruit!  Then we went to the beach at Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty!!! It was gorgeous!

At the beach on the east coast of northern NZ!

For dinner, we went to a traditional Maori village where they prepared a traditional hangi dinner (steamed food in a hole in the ground).  It was delicious and fun to learn more about the culture in a touristy kind of way.

MONDAY

            On Monday, we left Rotorua and flew to Dunedin!  I moved into my flat (my apartment), met some of my flat mates, and walked around the town a bit.  The weather here in Dunedin is not as warm as it was in the north island.  I hope it warms up a little before fall and winter set in!

Oh, and there's a giant Gollum in the Wellington airport...

TUESDAY

            Today, we went on a tour of the campus, turned in some flat paper work, and took our first trip to the supermarket!  Two of my friends from my program and I walked around town.  We had coffee at a local coffee shop and figured out where the best places to go are.  It is really nice to be on campus now.  The flat I live in is at the top of a hill and the university campus and the rest of town is at the bottom of the hill.  I live with 4 other Americans and 1 kiwi.  Everyone here is so nice and interested in us and we have even had a few people tell us they like our accents! I am excited to get to know more people- especially more Kiwis!  Tonight, I’m staying in and relaxing.   The week of excitement and waking up at the crack of dawn is catching up with me, and it is time to do some laundry! 

Love and blessings to all! Send me emails!

Kelsey