After coming back from the Hollyford, I crashed in Noah’s apartment at Sonoda and left most of my stuff with him before leaving again the next day. Fiona and I were going on a trip with the University of Canterbury physics club to Mount John Observatory, which is at Lake Tekapo. Fiona studies physics and… Continue reading North Island Road Trip – Part 1
Blog Posts
The Hollyford
The Hollyford is a tramping track in Fiordland National Park. From the road end to the ocean it is 57 kilometers (about 35 miles) long – you can do a loop but it is difficult because it gets very swampy. There are 6 huts on that section you can stay in: Hidden Falls Hut, Lake… Continue reading The Hollyford
June – The Weird In-Between
New Zealand Universities take their time when it comes to exams – it’s a whole season, not just a week (and by season I mean 3 weeks). My classes ended on June 1st, and I had one exam on the 16th and a couple essays to write before then. This made me quite busy with… Continue reading June – The Weird In-Between
Term 2 Shenanigans
Term two – the second six week chunk of classes, was packed full of adventures and learning. I continued my Te Reo learning, and ended the semester being able to build a variety of different sentences. I was also hard at work practicing for the Kapa Haka performance at the end of the semester with… Continue reading Term 2 Shenanigans
South Island Road Trip
I’m playing catch up now with my blog posts, but I finally can because I am done with all my finals! Now let’s rewind to the third week of the mid-semester break… After Fiona and I got back from Abel Tasman, we had a day to reset and to buy food for our next road… Continue reading South Island Road Trip
Wellington and Abel Tasman
After 6 weeks of classes, the University of Canterbury has a 3 week “reading break”. During this time, students are supposed to work on their assignments and get caught up and prepared for the next term. If you’re an exchange student, those three weeks are a great opportunity to travel, and that’s what I did… Continue reading Wellington and Abel Tasman
Beach, Botanic Garden, and Eating Eels
These last couple weeks have been pretty busy! I’ve been learning a lot in my classes, and have also been exploring the area. In this blog post I’ll focus on some of the smaller trips I’ve taken in the past couple weeks. An hour bus ride away is Sumner Beach. When I first got here,… Continue reading Beach, Botanic Garden, and Eating Eels
Orientation Week and Classes
I’m already in my 3rd week of classes here! I’m really enjoying everything so far – I feel very happy and fulfilled here. The first week after I returned from tramping was orientation week. On Monday, there was an orientation for international students in the morning, which was mostly information I already knew. In the… Continue reading Orientation Week and Classes
Tramping the South Island
After a long but uneventful flight from Los Angeles to Christchurch (with a short layover in Fiji), Anja and I landed in New Zealand on January 31st. New Zealand biosecurity laws are very strict and it was a little nerve-wracking to have to fill out a form stating whether we had plant or animal products… Continue reading Tramping the South Island
New Zealand, here I come!
It’s been a while since my last update, but expect more coming frequently from now on! I’m writing this in the train – the first leg of my journey to Christchurch, New Zealand. After months and months of planning, applications for study programs, scholarships, and a visa, I’m on my way to study abroad at… Continue reading New Zealand, here I come!