Kia Ora Everyone! Here is a recap of my first few days in
New Zealand (or Aotearoa in the Maori language) on the Arcadia Oreintation.
The Flight to Auckland:
13 hours in the plane, I slept for 2 of
them. The flight wasn’t too bad however,
as I was sitting next to two new friends from the same program and there were
many movies and television shows to choose from. I ended up watching Perks of Being a
Wallflower, Pitch Perfect, and Brave, as well as a couple episodes of the Big
Bang Theory. We arrived at 7:30am and
went on to customs. Going through
customs in New Zealand was not as difficult as I imagined and it went pretty
smoothly for me. However, New Zealand is
very particular about things brought into the country, especially produce and a
girl in the group forgot about an apple in her backpack and was detained for a
short period of time, luckily for her she was not charged the $400 fine.
Day 1: Exploring Auckland
We all checked into the hotel around 9am and were able to
shower and call home with our pre-paid cards. Of course a certain mother didn’t
answer the phone(s), but I left a message and called again the next
morning. We then went on a walk through
the city to a park and a shopping center where people could exchange money and
buy some lunch. After lunch we took a
trip to the beach, it was nice and sunny and in the upper 70s! (I’m sure many
people are envious of this) We hiked up a hill to get a beautiful view of the
Auckland skyline and then went swimming in the ocean (much warmer then the
beaches in MA). We went out for a pizza dinner and headed back to the hotel for
SLEEP!!!! It was a little before 8pm when we got back to the rooms, I was so
tired that I was feeling off balance. I
passed out in my room at 9pm and woke up at 4:30am, that nasty jet lag. I was excited for another day.
Day 2: SHEEP, KIWI AND HOBBITS OH MY!
Day 2 begun with a journey to Rotorua with a few stops on
the way. The first stop was in Matamata,
aka. HOBBITON!! Now unfortunately we did not travel into the actual Shire as it
is in an obscure piece of farmland some distance from the town center. We stopped here for some lunch. I got a butter chicken meat pie. Meat pies
are very common, very good, and very filling. YUM. Then it was off to a farm show. Before the show started we were able to go into the nursery. There were baby sheep, bunnies, pigs, and
even an alpaca! And yes, we were able to go and pet them. Then, the show started and I never knew how
many different kinds of sheep there were.
After the farm show we went to a place called Rainbow Springs where we
could go and see some wild life. After
the Rainbow Springs (where we temporarily left a student, oops) we checked into
the hotel where we would spend two nights.
We had a free night to explore Rotorua to get dinner, I went with a
small group to go and buy the cheapest cell phone possible. Later that night almost the entire group went
to the hot springs (Polynesian Spa) to soak and become incredibly wrinkly. We then called it a night at 11pm. I am surprised that I am adjusting to the
time fairly well.
P.S. All of
Rotorua smells like sulfur, but you get used to it.
Day 3: Some Maori Culture
We explored many of the geological wonders of New Zealand
today as well as zorbing and some Maori culture. First was the boiling mud bath and the Lady
Knox Geyser (where my camera died right before it erupted) and then we went on
a tour through the geothermal wonderland (such a strong sulfur smell). We went back to the hotel to get some lunch
and change into our togs (aka bathing suits) and then went ZORBING! Best thing
EVER. There is a zorbing place in Amesbury, MA so my friends at home better get
ready for it this summer because we are going!
After zorbing we had to fill out some papers to get an ID card so we
don’t have to carry our passports around when we want to go out to bars. And
then it was off to the Maori village for a night filled with amazing culture. I found the most interesting parts of the
night were the demonstration of the Haka or war dance and also how they prepare
food. The Maori make their food in the
ground, which is naturally heated and add coals to cook. At dinner there were many options of food
cooked in this manner: carrots, potatoes, fish, mussel, chicken and lamb. And my mother would be pleased to hear that I
tried lamb for the first time, it was good but I was not thrilled. When we got back to the hotel I tried to
organize my bag for tomorrow departure and then my friend/roommate for the late
couple days, Janessa, went to looks at the stars at the lake across the hotel
parking lot. We then went to the lounge
to learn a little rugby. GO ALL BLACKS!! Such a great day.
Tomorrow we are leaving for Dunedin, my home for the next 5 months! We are flying out of Rotorua to Wellington and then Wellington to Dunedin. I am so excited to meet my flat mates tomorrow, but also a little scared. They will all be international students from various countries, and I am hoping one will be from France so I can practice speaking French again. I am also a little scared to start and cook for myself, and maybe even all my flat mates, but I should be fine. Janessa is in the flat right next door so at least there is a friendly face close by.
Check Facebook soon for more pictures.
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