Category: New Zealand

Kia ora!

I am writing from day 27 in lockdown. Originally, the lockdown was scheduled to end on day 28, April 23rd, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decided to extend the lockdown to 11:59 PM on Monday, April 27th. This weekend is an important holiday, Anzac Day. This holiday is celebrated on the 25th of April and it is a day of remembrance for New Zealanders and Australians who have served and died in wars and all of the commitment and contribution of those who served. The holiday is celebrated in a similar way to our Memorial Day in the United States. There are barbeque parties, gatherings, and celebrations. It makes a lot of sense that Jacinda Ardern decided to extend the lockdown through this holiday weekend to prevent people from gathering and ruining all of the progress that the lockdown has made! After the lockdown ends, we are moving to level 3 for at least two weeks. After the two weeks, the government will evaluate the situation and see if we can move to level 2 or if we need to stay at level 3. 

Level 3 is going to be really similar to level 4, at least for me. Some people can go back to work, like construction and forestry workers. However, the government is encouraging us all to work from home if we can, and stay in our “bubbles.” We can extend our bubbles a bit, but we have to be exclusive with those who we let into our bubbles! Meaning, we have to only extend to each other and then stick to that! We can get take out food, which we are all excited for! We can also travel in our regions, but are being urged to stay close to home and stay away from activities that could lead to emergency services being called. Schools are being opened for young children whose parents have to go back to work, but, if children can be kept at home, they should be. 

Yesterday, I celebrated my 21st birthday in lockdown! This was truly a birthday that I will never forget. We had homemade pizza for dinner, my favorite, and delicious pudding for dessert. I got to talk with my family in the United States, which was very nice! It is hard being so far away from family and friends who are familiar and comforting during this uncertain and overwhelming time, but I am really thankful for technology so that we can talk, especially because mail is not really being delivered during this time.

Overall, it was a nice birthday and I feel very thankful. I was supposed to be in Australia during my birthday, so I am definitely still dealing with some disappointment with the way that things have turned out, as we all are to some degree, but I am doing my best to just be thankful and positive. 

A few days ago, I got to try a delicious, classic Māori meal! The meal is called a boil up, and it consists mainly of a green that grows wild here, called puha. There are also bacon bones, delicious little dumplings, potatoes, and pumpkin, all in a delicious broth. It is not a soup though, and is eaten on a plate with a fork. I loved it!! I really enjoy trying new foods and I am glad that I have had that opportunity during the lockdown. 

I am hoping for good news from the University of Waikato that I will be able to return to campus during level 3 to see my friends again. I really want to be able to finish the semester and enjoy New Zealand as much as I possibly can. I hope that you are all staying healthy and safe and keep washing your hands!

Emmaline

Kia ora!

I am coming to you from day 20 of lockdown in New Zealand! Due to being in lockdown, I have not gotten to have any big adventures, but I have gotten to have a sort of “host family” experience here. Many of the study abroad programs that Linfield offers have a host family component, but New Zealand is one of the locations for study that does not have host families. Because there is no language component of study in New Zealand (but believe me that at times, I feel like New Zealand English is a foreign language), there is not an immersive language aspect of studying here. This has its pros and cons of course. I did not have to learn a language in order to study abroad here and living on campus in the dorms makes it easy to make friends and feel integrated on campus.

However, living on campus means that I miss out on the chance to have the immersive cultural experience of living with a Kiwi family and being a part of the home life. Well, thanks to Covid19, I have been able to have this experience! It is important to look at the positives during this time, and I am so thankful that I have been able to stay with such kind people! During this scary and overwhelming time, it feels so much better to be staying in a comfortable home.

I have gotten to learn new card games and try new foods. We watch movies, make desserts, and work on projects together. I am getting a host family experience, staying with a kiwi family and learning about New Zealand in ways that can only happen living in a home.

I learned that I have eating habits that are distinctly American, like eating cake with a fork instead of a spoon and holding my fork in my dominant hand, which is backwards from how they use their fork here! I also learned to make a pudding, which is actually a steamed cake, not at all like American pudding that we make from a box and then chill. I love to cook, so it was a lot of fun to make a new recipe, and it was DELICIOUS! 

I am still getting used to online school, but all of my professors are doing their best to make learning online as easy and interactive as possible. The Prime Minister has said that she will make a decision on April 20 about the future of New Zealand after the lockdown. The lockdown will either continue or move to a Level 3, which still has restrictions, but we will be able to move more freely through the country. I still have hope that I will be able to finish the semester here in New Zealand and perhaps do a bit of traveling and sightseeing around the country!

The people of New Zealand have been so cooperative with the lockdown. During the Easter weekend, there were police checkpoints around the country to look out for people potentially breaking the lockdown and trying to travel for the long weekend. There were a few people who tried to break the rules and the police did have to give some charges and fines, but it seemed that people behaved themselves for the most part. It is incredible how much the number of cases has gone down in New Zealand and how the lockdown is working. I am so thankful to be here during this time and have the Prime Minister working to protect the country and help New Zealand heal and overcome. 

I hope that all of you are safe and healthy! Please stay in and protect those around you. Thank you for reading!

Emmaline

Kia ora!

 

I wish that I had a story of a big adventure, travel around New Zealand, or a fun day out with friends, but unfortunately, I am writing to you from a country wide lockdown. We are currently 6 days into a four-week-long lockdown. The whole lockdown happened pretty quickly. Two weeks ago, we found out that we would have a week off from school while the university transitioned to online classes to avoid the spread of Covid19.

Then, out of nowhere, international students started to leave. The lockdown was announced, domestic students from New Zealand were all asked to move out of the dorms, and within just a few days of the lockdown being announced, it had begun. The entire country has closed, domestic flights and many international flights have been cancelled, and we are all stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Only grocery stores and pharmacies remain open. Only essential workers like health care workers and grocery store employees can go out. Law enforcement officers are out during all hours, patrolling, stopping people walking and driving, questioning them, following them to make sure they were being truthful about their destination, and giving out fines and even criminal charges to people that are out without a reason.

I am staying with one of my mom’s friends, who lives in Thames, a town about an hour and a half from Hamilton. I know that I am right by the ocean, but I cannot even go out to see it! It is really nice to be staying in a house, but I had to pack up all of my belongings and move out of my dorm room, which was very sad. I am being cared for and I know that I am much safer and better off here, rather than being shuffled around at the university as they try to adjust to the situation or trying to return to the United States and getting stuck in an airport somewhere without a flight. 

People seem to be taking the lockdown very seriously here, which makes me hopeful that the lockdown may end within four weeks and life might return to some sort of normalcy. However, I know that a true return to “normal” will not happen for many months. This is so overwhelming and it is hard to deal with the uncertainty that comes with a global pandemic.

I find that I am experiencing a wide range of emotions, which change throughout the day. I will wake up in the morning feeling one way, and by the time I have breakfast, my emotions have completely changed. This is truly exhausting and overwhelming, but I know that I am not the only person feeling this way, and I need to make sure that I keep feeling and processing through this experience.

I am experiencing disappointment, which is natural and makes a lot of sense. I had such high hopes and big dreams for my semester abroad in New Zealand and I feel crushed by how many trips I had to cancel and opportunities I won’t have the chance to take. I am also scared. I do not know what the future holds, how or when I will get back to the United States, and how long New Zealand will be in lock down.  Everything seems to be so uncertain, even how long we will be in lock down.  It is overwhelming, and no matter where you are in the world, I am sure you can relate to this feeling.  

In a bit of good news, I got to try a delicious new fruit yesterday. It is called a feijoa and it is a well loved treat here in New Zealand. They are originally Brazillian but grow really well here in New Zealand. The outside looks a bit like a small avocado, and you cut it in half and scoop out the delicious fruit with a spoon. It is absolutely delicious! The flavor is sweet and sour, a bit like a pineapple, a guava, and a little bit of strawberry and kiwi. It is unlike anything I have ever tasted before! It was so tasty!! I am glad I got to at least try some new fruit, despite being in lockdown. At this point, it is so important to be thankful for the little things in life. 

Please take this global pandemic seriously. Wash your hands, do not go out unless you absolutely must, and please check in on the people around you, especially if you can do it virtually. We all need to do our part to flatten the curve and save lives and help the world move forward. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you are staying healthy!

Emmaline 

Kia ora!

Classes are underway and I am exploring New Zealand more and more! I am really enjoying all of my classes so far. I am taking an Anthropology of the Polynesians course, an Introduction to Māori Culture course, and a Food Writing course. Here, classes are called papers, and what we might call a paper in the US is an essay assignment here. I have had to figure out when to schedule tutorials for all of my classes, because there are two lectures for each class every week, and then a one hour long tutorial, which is where discussion happens, questions are asked, and assignments are addressed. All of my classes are much bigger than I am used to at Linfield, my Introduction to Māori Culture class has 113 students in it! In tutorial, there are only about 10-20 students, so this is where students have the chance to talk and ask questions.

There are several options for tutorials each week but they filled up fast! I had to figure out how to schedule the tutorials around my classes and other tutorials. At Linfield, I am used to classes being at the same time every day, such as a 9:00 AM-10:40 AM on Tuesday and Thursday, however, here, one of my Maori Culture lectures is from 9:00-11:00 AM on Tuesday, and the other is from 2:00-3:00 PM on Thursday, in completely different buildings! I am really thankful I am not trying to organize my classes around a work schedule here, because it feels almost impossible! 

I have also been working on obtaining my Kiwi Access Card. This is an ID card that proves your birthdate and your residence in New Zealand, either as a foreigner or a New Zealand citizen. I visited one of the local shops that carried the application, brought my visa, proof of enrollment, passport, and a passport photo, filled out the application, and the shop verified my application and sent it off for me. The card is $55.00 NZ dollars, and essentially eliminates the need for me to carry my passport to prove my identification and age.

I think this is a wonderful alternative to carrying my passport, and keeps that priceless document safe, while still allowing me to prove my identity in whatever situation asks that I do. My card should arrive within two weeks, and I would recommend that all students studying in New Zealand work on obtaining the Kiwi Access card as soon as you can! 

I also visited a club fair on campus, where I had hoped to find some clubs to sign up for. I did not have much luck signing up for clubs, and I am still looking for some groups to join, however, I was able to sign up for a group focused on being environmentally friendly, and they are running sessions with eco-friendly DIYs, and educational information each week. This week, we made beeswax wraps! It was a ton of fun, and I brought home my own beeswax wrap, as well as the knowledge to make them again.

Last weekend, I went to visit Waitomo Glow Worm Caves with the International Office, which was amazing! We toured the Waitomo Caves and learned about the processes which formed the limestone caves. Then, we took a boat through the dark, and gazed up at the millions of tiny blue glow worms. It was absolutely magical to see all of the glow worms, they looked like beautiful little stars. They were on the walls and ceilings of the cave, and it was like constellations in the night sky. We all had to remain very quiet and we could not take photos because the noise and light could disrupt the glow worms and they might stop lighting up if they are disturbed. With only the sound of the water lapping at the boat in the dark, the whole experience was unlike anything else. I had such a wonderful time there! 

Then, we visited an area in the Waitomo region where we went on short hikes, and then enjoyed lunch. Afterwards, we went to Marokopa Falls, a beautiful waterfall in the Waitomo region. We hiked down to the waterfall and looked up at the spray coming down from the falls and dipped our feet in the cold water! Then, we visited a natural limestone bridge, which was very interesting and a unique natural phenomenon! I really enjoyed the trip and I am looking forward to more adventures with the International Office!

I am doing my best to soak up as much as I possibly can while I am here in beautiful New Zealand. I have been having such a wonderful time here and I love the University of Waikato, Hamilton, and New Zealand! I am monitoring the Coronavirus situation, and really hoping that nothing escalates here so that the University stays open and continues in-person classes.

New Zealand has closed their borders, which means that both others and I have had to adjust travel plans. A festival for Pacific culture that I wanted to visit was cancelled in order to try to eliminate large gatherings, so I hope that this does not continue for the rest of the time that I am here! I will just continue to participate in as many events as I possibly can! 

Thank you for reading! I can’t wait to share more of my adventures!

Emmaline 

Kia ora!

My name is Emmaline and I am a junior at Linfield. I am studying Anthropology, with a minor in Literature. I am spending the semester studying abroad at University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. Hamilton is about an hour and forty five minutes south of Auckland and is full of life! I have been in Hamilton for a little over a week now. I left my home in Oregon, full of anxiety and worry about my upcoming journey. I even considered changing my ticket last minute, after I realized that I would be arriving in New Zealand a day later than all of the new students. However, I ended up choosing to stick with my original ticket because I had too much to do before leaving to leave a whole day earlier. I flew from Portland to Vancouver, BC, and then to Auckland, a fifteen hour flight, where I lost a whole day! As soon as I landed in Auckland and got off the plane, the outfit I had left home in, a sweatshirt and warm clothes, had become severely impractical. It was already humid at 5:30 in the morning and much hotter than Oregon. I waited for hours in passport control lines, because due to the Coronavirus outbreak, people coming from anywhere but Australia had to meet with an agent face to face. Afterwards, I was able to catch my shuttle to the university.

When I arrived at the university, I was able to check into my housing and get changed into some more weather appropriate clothes. I went from below freezing to 84 degree weather! Immediately upon arriving, I had to confirm my enrollment at the university with my passport, student visa, and insurance paperwork. The insurance that I had brought from Linfield did not satisfy the New Zealand requirements, so I had to purchase new insurance through the university here. When you’re fresh off of a fifteen hour flight, a LONG way from home, in hot weather, and alone, this can feel really overwhelming. However, I am glad that I budgeted for unforeseen costs like this one, and I would suggest to any student studying abroad that they too prepare for these sorts of costs. The insurance was $310.00 NZ dollars, which is about $192.00 US dollars. I would absolutely recommend preparing for unplanned fees like this one. 

On the day that I arrived, I also attended an outdoor games competition with my hall. We competed in a variety of games, from capture the flag, to water polo, to a slip n slide, to an egg and spoon race. In the end, my hall won the overall prize! The games were a lot of fun and a good way to get to know some of the faces in my hall. 

The entire first week that I was here was O Week, or Orientation Week. There were informational sessions, tabling about campus resources, free lunches, giveaways, and every night there was a different party at local clubs. The university provided transportation and water and sandwiches to the students attending the clubs, because so many students go out! I went out with some people from my hall and had a ton of fun!

I also attended international student orientation, which was very helpful. At Linfield, I am a work-study student at the International Programs Office, so it was interesting to be on the receiving end of the information that I usually prepare for international students! 

I also went to Hamilton Lake with my hall mates and walked around the lake and visited an ice cream shop that is supposedly the best in Hamilton! They had a huge assortment of dairy free ice cream, so I was really happy! I took the bus for the first time with them, and then a few days later, I took the bus by myself to the Town Centre to get some new clothes. I don’t have phone service yet, so I took photos of the bus routes that I needed to take and then my route to walk to the mall. I also bought a bus card so that I can get the student discount of $1.70 per ride. I made it to the mall, bought some new clothes, and then made it back to campus without any major issues! I felt really proud of myself for figuring out how to ride the bus from campus to the Town Centre! 

I have been walking around campus to familiarize myself with the layout and where all of my classes are. There are beautiful lakes and plants all over campus! I have really enjoyed walking around to de-stress and enjoy the nice weather. My classes start this week, and I am really excited! My classes look really interesting and I am so thankful that I got into all of the courses that I wanted to take. 

More to come soon about classes and adventures! Thank you for reading!

Emmaline 

Kia Ora everyone!

Wow, what a whirlwind travel day and first day in Dunedin for us Linfield students. I met McKenna and Grace at the Portland Airport with plenty of time before our 3:30 pm flight to get coffee, discuss our plans for the semester, and the travel plans of our fellow Linfield students, Connor, Zoe, and Jewel, who we would be meeting in Auckland. None of us expected what would happen in the next 24 hours.

Our first flight of three was to Vancouver and was short and bumpy, but we made it with enough time to sit down for maybe twenty minutes before boarding for our fourteen-hour flight to Auckland. In the meantime, Connor and Zoe had been enjoying their seven-hour layover in San Fransisco and would be landing in Auckland soon after we were scheduled to. Jewel, leaving from LA, was scheduled to land in Auckland an hour after us. The flight from Vancouver to Auckland was long and lacking in sleep but the three of us somehow had seats next to each other. Zoe and Connor got a minor upgrade so they could sit next to each other, as well as some free snacks for Connor’s non-existant 21st birthday which was skipped because they flew over the international dateline. We all ended up landing in Auckland within twenty minutes of each other including Jewel. We had a tight layover to be able to get to our next flight which would be with Connor and Zoe, but Jewel was scheduled for a later flight because she wasn’t expected to land at the same time as us. Grace, McKenna, and I found Jewel just before customs, but Connor and Zoe seemed to be five minutes ahead of us throughout the entire airport.

We picked up our checked bags and tried to get through customs and bio-security as quickly as possible. With only 45 minutes before our next flight, we were still in the international terminal waiting in line to recheck our bags, not knowing that we needed to check them in the domestic terminal. After the 15 minute outdoor jog with checked bags in tow to the domestic terminal we got in the wrong line, yet again, and had to cross the terminal to check our bags. We made it through security as they were calling the final boarding call for our flight, which luckily was right next to the security checkpoint. Zoe and Connor, who had been at the gate for almost an hour before the flight was scheduled to take off seemed very relieved to see us as we boarded the plane. We were a little confused about how they got so far ahead of us because it seemed as if we weren’t too far behind them at the start of our Auckland airport adventure.

After Grace told Connor about our adventures running through the airport and between terminals with our bags we figured out how they got there on time. Connor and Zoe never picked up their checked bags in Auckland because they were told in Medford they were checked all the way through. This made things faster through both biosecurity and not having to recheck their bags, but now that we are in Dunedin they only have the extra set of clothes they packed in their carry-ons. After all of this, we were picked up our keys to our flats and were dropped off at our flats by our shuttle driver. Except for Zoe, who was dropped off at the wrong flat and had to treck back to the Uni-Flats with all of her stuff (but not her checked bag because that is in Auckland), to find out where she actually lives. Through all of this Zoe, Connor, and I still decided to go to International Student Orientation, even though we were all physically and emotionally exhausted. Somehow we all managed to survive our first day in country, I didn’t even take a nap, although I was definitely in bed and asleep by 9 pm. The sunny weather and humid air will take some getting used to for this Alaskan but I can’t wait for what this semester will bring.

Wish us luck!

Becca

 

 

Kia Ora,

My last couple of weeks in New Zealand can only be described as bittersweet. Dunedin had become a second home to me and when it was time to leave, I realized how comfortable I had become living there. I knew my way around the city well, I was closer than ever with my flatmates and I was full of desire to keep exploring the country. As sad as I was to leave, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to study abroad in New Zealand and I will always treasure my time and memories there.

The hardest goodbyes were to my flatmates. We had become super close through the semester playing card games every night and bantering all the time. Two of them left on the same day and the other is still there since he’s staying for the second semester. We’ve been trying to talk every day but it’s difficult with the time change. However, we have made plans to try and meet up again in the future.

Two of my other friends and I also got in another road trip before leaving. We went to Lake Tekapo, the Blue Pools in Wanaka, and the Wanaka tree. Lake Tekapo was amazing since the wild lupins had begun to bloom. It was one of my favorite things I saw! We also got lucky with really nice weather so the mountains were clearly visible from the lake. The blue pools in our opinion weren’t worth it unless you were already in the area or doing one of the hikes it’s connected to. The water was just as blue as other lakes and rivers so while it was beautiful, we thought it wasn’t one of the top things to see in New Zealand. We ate at Red Star one more time and then went to get pictures of the Wanaka tree during sunset. The day was very long but totally worth it for one last road trip to see the countryside.

My last day in Dunedin we took tourist pictures and went to Doctors Point beach. Doctors point ended up being beautiful and very tropical. We walked through tunnels to get there and as we walked out on the other side of the beach I felt like we were transported to the north island. I was disappointed when I didn’t get to see Cathedral Cove on the North Island, but Doctors Point almost had a similar look to it and the pictures looked similar. It was a perfect last beach day getting some sun and soaking in my last day in Dunedin. That night Santi, Madi I played games until we had to go to bed and say our goodbyes. I left the next morning at 6 am when my shuttle picked me up outside my flat, which I booked online for a student discount.

I was excited to go home and see my family but it was really hard to leave. I had a great time abroad and wasn’t ready to leave yet. I got lucky on the plane leaving Dunedin with great views of the peninsula one last time. My journey home was very long and I was grateful to see my parents when I landed in Spokane.

The next couple of weeks I spent trying to adjust back to my normal life. The time change was hard to get used to, especially since I felt no motivation to fix it. It was also much harder than I expected to adjust back to the right-hand side. For so long I was repeating “left-hand side” in my head that it became natural. In the San Francisco airport, I almost walked onto the wrong side of the moving walkway until I realized it was coming toward me! Also at the airport, I almost got into the driver’s side of the car instead of the passenger side. After that, I focused more on changing back to the right side but I still find myself walking on the left side sometimes. My brothers came home for Thanksgiving, also making it easier to adjust to being home.

I would recommend to anyone even thinking about it to study abroad in New Zealand! It was a breathtaking country with friendly people and a super safe environment. I made memories I will never forget and friends that I hope to keep forever. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity like everyone always says. I hope to help others wanting to study abroad there and I know I will be going back again someday as soon as I can!

Caitlyn

Kia Ora!

When I first got my finals schedule I thought there was no way it was accurate. Finals at Otago last an entire month! Most people have 3-4 finals within that time frame and have a decent amount of time in between. This allows for lots of last-minute traveling and hanging out with friends. I’ve fit in a trip to Milford Sound, another trip to the Catlins, and lots of beach days taking advantage of the warmth before I head home to another winter.

My favorite paper this semester was Pacific Health. We learned about Pacific cultures and customs and the history of their migration to New Zealand. The last lecture for this paper was bittersweet saying goodbye to the lecturers that I’ve come to know enjoy. We had a talanoa, a talk, about what we enjoyed through the paper and what we would recommend for next semester, we ate Sapa sui, a traditional Pacific meal, and created a facebook page for the class to stay in touch for the future.

Finals at Otago are very different than at Linfield! My first final was Environmental History of New Zealand, consisting of two essay questions. There was one overall question relating to the entire course objectives and the other question was more specific about one of the main learning outcomes. My exam started at 2:30 pm, so everyone was expected to show up at 2. At 2:15 the proctors opened the door and gave you a number indicating where you must sit. All bags had to be left at the front of the room and you weren’t allowed to wear a watch, have any electronics on you, or have anything at your place other than your student ID and two pencils. The front page of the exam had a place to bubble in your student ID and write your name and at 2:30 you were allowed to begin with two hours to complete the exam. No one could leave within the first hour and no one could leave within the last 15 minutes. After the 2 hours, the proctors picked up your exam, checked your student ID and were very strict about no talking. The atmosphere for the exams is much more stressful and formal than exams at Linfield, adding, I believe, more pressure on the situation.

My second exam was Maori Society and a different format than my first one. This exam had 40 multiple-choice questions about lecture content and then 30 multiple-choice questions about two provided readings. The first 40 questions were only .25 points each and the other questions were worth 1 point each. The readings were also given to us before the exam so we could read and interpret them. My final exam is a combination of the first two, consisting of multiple-choice questions and two essays. All of the exams are also worth a lot of your final grade. My first one was worth 60%, the second 40%, and my last 50%. This made me very stressed considering I don’t always test well and the exam score could make or break my final overall grade in the paper.

On a more exciting note, I finally got to see Milford Sound! We had tried to do a cruise on the sound before but it got canceled due to weather, and many other people also had their cruises canceled due to weather. We went to Te Anau the night before, stayed in a hostel, and left early the next morning for our 12 o’clock cruise. The cruise we did was 2 and a half hours long and described as the best one there is. It definitely didn’t disappoint! The weather wasn’t the best that day so there weren’t too many people on the boat making it more comfortable to move around and enjoy the scenery. As we were leaving the harbor a couple of dolphins came up and swam next to us for about 30 minutes. This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen while being here! The tour guide said there were one male and two females and they usually don’t come into the harbor as they did. They were much larger than I was expecting and I loved watching them play in the water doing jumps and just gliding along. They eventually swam off and I finally took in the scenery around me. I felt so tiny on the boat surrounded by huge snow-capped mountains on both sides of the sound that looked never-ending with the fog. Pictures don’t do justice to how big the mountains actually were! The cruise went along both edges of the sound going right up to the waterfalls. The first waterfall we stopped at was one of the “smaller” ones and the boat went right under it! We stayed on the upper level and got a little wet from the mist, but the people on the lower level got soaked. They also put out cups that got filled from the waterfall and we got to drink the water! It was some of the most refreshing water I’ve had! We then went to the end of the sound and the came back along the other edge. On this side, we saw baby seals and went under the biggest waterfall. We stayed on the upper edge again but we all got soaking wet! I wore jeans that got soaked through and all of our hair was dripping wet. It was so worth it though, it was so much fun! After the cruise, we stopped at Te Anau for dinner and dessert and then made our way back to Dunedin.

Another trip I’ve gotten in is to the Catlins with my flatmates. We left in the morning and made our way to Nugget Point. We hiked up the hill overlooking the lighthouse and took in the views. After Nugget Point we stopped at a cafe to eat lunch where I got fish and chips. Our next stop was Purakaunui Falls and after that, we went back to Matai and Horseshoe falls. During the car ride, we played games and listened to good music.

Another quick trip was to Queenstown. Victoria and I boarded the bus, which only cost 20 USD, at 8 am and got to Queenstown at 1 o’clock. We ate the best Mexican food I’ve had in New Zealand and then walked around looking for souvenirs and taking in the scenery. We also made a stop at Patagonia Ice Cream since the line wasn’t as long as it usually is. The next day we studied in our hostel and at a Cafe then boarded the bus back to Dunedin at 4 pm.

I really love Dunedin itself so I’ve also spent lots of time just walking around and trying to take it all in before I leave. One of the things I really enjoyed was renting bikes and riding around the peninsula. It cost 30 NZD for 4 hours, so we went at sunset and enjoyed the beauty of the city.

St. Clair Beach is the closest beach to Dunedin so we’ve spent lots of time there the past couple days with the nice weather. Some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had is from Patti’s and Cream ice cream truck! Their truck is usually at St. Clair and the best part of going to the beach. We also celebrated a couple of early birthdays at the beach the other night with all of our friends. Many of them are leaving soon so it was probably one of the last things we’ll get to do together. We brought burgers from ReBurger and ate it on the beach while watching the sunset, playing games, and hanging out with fun people!

Caitlyn

Kia Ora Everyone!

Last weekend my friends and I went to Brewster Hut and had the best time! Brewster Hut is located in Mt Aspiring Nation Park, the same park as my trip with the tramping club. I was so excited to go back because the area was so beautiful! This tramp, however, was very different than my one with the tramping club. The 6 of us squeezed into our friend’s van and Juliet had to sit in the back seat surrounded by all our packs. We were originally going to camp Friday night close to the trailhead but it was raining pretty hard so we instead stayed at a hostel in Wanaka.

When we got to Wanaka we went to Red Star Burger again and then to get groceries. At the grocery store, we ran into another group from Otago who was also going to Brewster Hut. However, their group alone consisted of 15 people and the hut only has 12 beds. They also rented crampons and we did not. We got a little worried even though the DOC said the conditions should be safe. The DOC is a great source to use, similar to the Forest Service. Their job is to know the tracks and advice you on the conditions. If you ever have any questions about safety and knowledge of the track, don’t hesitate to call the DOC! We tried to find a rental shop for crampons the next morning just in case, but when we couldn’t find any we decided we would just asses the situation when there and if it was dangerous we would turn around.

The next morning we left Wanaka and drove another hour to the trailhead car park. We parked, strapped our packs on, and headed out! The first part of the tramp entailed a river crossing past our knees. None of us wanted to hike 4 more hours with wet clothes so we took our pants off and crossed in our boots and underwear! It was definitely a bonding experience for all of us! After crossing the river, we put dry clothes on and climbed up this huge rock to actually get to the trail. We immediately realized this hike would be very difficult and a steep climb. For 2 1/2 hours, we were climbing up the beach forested mountain over tree roots and rocks. Many times we had to use roots and shrubs to help hoist ourselves up. The track was also slippery and very muddy. We had sunshine, rain, snow, and very strong winds in those couple hours. I was definitely losing motivation after a while and ready for a change of scenery when we finally broke through the tree line. The view was worth it as you realized you were tramping surrounded by mountain peaks! The track continued to climb up a ridge with lots of rocks and eventually got to the snow line. Luckily you could walk to the side of the snow and wasn’t dangerous at all. When I finally reached the top of the last hump I was so grateful to see the hut! It was a beautiful location, with this bright red hut surrounded by snowy mountain peaks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There ended up being 30 plus people trying to stay in the 12 bunk hut. It was very crowded! When we got to the hut we warmed up inside, played cards, and then explored around the hut outside. During the off-season, winter, there is no gas provided in the huts so we brought our own stove burner and gas can. During the off-season, there is still water provided outside the hut collected from the roof, an outhouse that doesn’t stock toilet paper, and a first-come-first-serve standard.  Since its first-come-first-serve, you do not have to book a bed but the DOC still suggests paying $10 NZD to help keep the facilities up to standard. To be safe the water should also be boiled before using. Some of the people at the hut used the water and were fine, but one of our members drank the water without boiling it and felt sick to her stomach when we got back.

For dinner, we boiled water and made gnocchi with tomato sauce. After dinner, everyone at the hut grabbed their sleeping bags and sat on the deck watching the sunset. It was so much fun to talk and laugh with everyone as we watched the sunset and the stars appear while being surrounded by native Kea Birds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning I woke up for sunrise, which wasn’t as good as sunset but still amazing!

In the morning, the outside water facet was frozen so we collected snow and boiled it to make oatmeal. The tramp down was much harder than the way up! It was really hard on our knees, hips, and muscles because it was so steep and uneven. It took a little less time to get down, but everyone’s legs were so tired at the bottom and we were so ready for lunch! We ate lunch in Wanaka and then made the long journey back to Dunedin. We all slept amazing that night and woke up the next morning barely able to move because of sore muscles!

Sincerely,

Caitlyn