The end of orientation is here, and parting is such sweet sorrow. Corny I know, but I really enjoyed getting to know everyone from EAP. It felt like such a quick time we had to meet each other before we all separate to our various universities. While I believe all us South Island students will have a chance to see each other, I hope that I will also be able to see people on the North Island before heading back to California.
On Saturday night, the whole gang left to go out together. Of course, it didn't really last long and quickly broke up into two groups. My group went to a club we went to the previous night which was fairly large. However, Saturday night is the night to go out and the place was packed. None the less, we had an amazing time just being all together and dancing the night away. The other group went to a colorful gay bar and experienced kabobs (more like falafels than food on a stick). We all returned much earlier than the locals seeing that the streets were still packed as we walked back at 2 am.
Sunday was our first day of sleeping in and most people took advantage of it. We had a few lectures about EAP information and a Q&A session. After afternoon tea, Cayla and I got our NZed cellphones and had to rush down to the harbor to catch a ferry to Devonport. We had an excellent dinner at Duders and left in style in a double decker bus to drive back over to Auckland. After a few days of late nights, early breakfasts, and some serious walking/tramping (hiking) it was finally time for me to have an early night in.
This morning was the official end of EAP orientation and everyone began their adventures before school starts in a week. A lot of people are backpacking around the north island, some rented cars and are driving to the south island, and there are also people doing bus tours. We successfully bought an 8 seater van and a 5 seater sedan to fit our crew of 10 people. Our general plan is to head to Coromandel Peninsula (east of Auckland) and then move south from there. We hope to reach Wellington on the 13 and arrive in Christchurch on the 15th. From there, us Lincoln kids have orientation beginning on the 16 which I've been told most likely will include paintballing. Anyway, until then, I can't guarantee any updates. I will try to keep the pictures on facebook updated so check those out!
Showing posts with label Auckland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Auckland. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Things are starting to get crazy...
So as the title states, its starting to get crazy. I don't know what I was expecting from orientation. I certainly didn't think I was going to be doing things every day, all day. We have had a lectures every day about the differences between the New Zealand english and the American english. Another lecture was about the politics of New Zealand, which was long but definitely useful information. Some time between all these lectures, we managed to go to a Maori cultural show at the Auckland museum, went to a botanical garden, and played capture the flag. That doesn't even include going out every night. I will admit, being that most of us are not 21, this is our first experience with being able to go out and we are taking full advantage of that. Its exhausting, but really, how many opportunities like this will I have?
Today was one of the most exciting days. It began early after a very late night out with a couple of friends, kiwis (what people from New Zealand are called), and an Australian. We traveled to the island of Tiritiri Matangi known for having a unique amount of endangered birds. It also is one of the homes of the blue penguin, which is one of the smallest penguin species. We took a ferry from Auckland for an hour and a half and arrived at a beautiful, tropical island. The ocean was the perfect blue and so clear you could even see the algae at the bottom. We then took a guided tour of the island, had lunch at the top by the lighthouse, and then headed for the beach. The beach consisted of smooth black stones and a huge variety of seashells. Since it was a nature reserve, nobody could remove the shells so it had built up quite a collection. It was really nice to just be in the water and have a second summer knowing back home it was pouring rain. Theres something unbelievably amazing about floating among sailboats and looking up at a cliffside filled with so much green that the paths are completely hidden. There's trees hanging off the side shading the beach and looking like any second they may release their hold of the mountainside. It is a scene I will forever treasure and be so thankful for the opportunity to experience a place out of another world. Since tonight is Saturday night and we don't have a morning session tomorrow, I think all us EAP kids are going out. It's going to be a long night.
Heres a link for the Facebook pics Ive been taking. These are the beginning of the trip so far.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=154153&id=665896295&l=bcc3a9c1d8
And this is the link to the album for Tiritiri Matangi.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=154708&id=665896295&l=c36068f98c
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A day on our own
Kia Ora!
So on our first night in Auckland, Cayla and I ordered our first beers in a restaurant. Being that we are not 21, it was kinda a big deal and we were very excited about it. And for once, I didn't get carded! Apparently here I don't look like I'm younger than 18, which is a change for once. We had really great pizza at the Turkish Cafe, open 24 hours before heading back to the hostel. We attempted to go out that night but unfortunately failed miserably in our search for a bar or club.
The next day was our last day before our orientation began on the 4th. While we originally picked the hostel thinking we could walk to Grafton Hall where we were staying for orientation, we ended up getting a cab. It was worth it in the end since we then had enough energy to go on an adventure. We did a walking tour out of my Lonely Planet New Zealand guide and walked down the very popular Queen St. It had a mixture of old european architecture with some really crazy geometric modern buildings. As we travelled downhill towards the ocean, I began to think of Auckland as a mix between NYC (because of all the little stores lining the street) and SF (because it is quite hilly). Our escapade finally led us to the harbor which reminded me a lot of Long Beach harbor because of the many sail boats and yachts. It even had restaurants set up in a similar way as Shoreline Village.
After an exhausting walk back uphill to Grafton Hall, we had a delicious dinner and began to meet some of our fellow EAP people. EAP is for all the UC kids that are studying abroad in New Zealand. We planned on going out after dinner, but the sun doesn't set until a bit before 9, so it ended up being extremely late when we finally began to head out. We were out till 1:30 before we finally headed back in.
Today we started orientation with a breakfast early in the morning. We then had an introduction and split up based on our university locations. After chatting up all the fellow Lincoln University and Canterbury people, we had tea time. Tea time is quickly becoming one of my favorite new zealand things, though I feel like it could be more useful in the afternoon. Its around 10-10:30 and there are scones, fruit, and of course tea. Basically, we do a lot of eating, and I'm enjoying it a lot. After tea time, we heard some information about the outdoors of New Zealand. A lot of it consisted of various tramping (hiking) locations and other similar outtings. We heard a bit about various sports in New Zealand, (xc was not mentioned) and it made me wish I had enough room in my suitcase for my soccer cleats. We currently have freetime before a lecture on "Do we speak the same language" about the slang of New Zealand, and then we are having a BBQ, which are fairly common in the summer (southern hemisphere is in summer right now). Soon, Cayla and I are leaving to hike to Mt. Eden to have a view over all of Auckland. Can't wait for the BBQ after that.
So on our first night in Auckland, Cayla and I ordered our first beers in a restaurant. Being that we are not 21, it was kinda a big deal and we were very excited about it. And for once, I didn't get carded! Apparently here I don't look like I'm younger than 18, which is a change for once. We had really great pizza at the Turkish Cafe, open 24 hours before heading back to the hostel. We attempted to go out that night but unfortunately failed miserably in our search for a bar or club.
The next day was our last day before our orientation began on the 4th. While we originally picked the hostel thinking we could walk to Grafton Hall where we were staying for orientation, we ended up getting a cab. It was worth it in the end since we then had enough energy to go on an adventure. We did a walking tour out of my Lonely Planet New Zealand guide and walked down the very popular Queen St. It had a mixture of old european architecture with some really crazy geometric modern buildings. As we travelled downhill towards the ocean, I began to think of Auckland as a mix between NYC (because of all the little stores lining the street) and SF (because it is quite hilly). Our escapade finally led us to the harbor which reminded me a lot of Long Beach harbor because of the many sail boats and yachts. It even had restaurants set up in a similar way as Shoreline Village.
After an exhausting walk back uphill to Grafton Hall, we had a delicious dinner and began to meet some of our fellow EAP people. EAP is for all the UC kids that are studying abroad in New Zealand. We planned on going out after dinner, but the sun doesn't set until a bit before 9, so it ended up being extremely late when we finally began to head out. We were out till 1:30 before we finally headed back in.
Today we started orientation with a breakfast early in the morning. We then had an introduction and split up based on our university locations. After chatting up all the fellow Lincoln University and Canterbury people, we had tea time. Tea time is quickly becoming one of my favorite new zealand things, though I feel like it could be more useful in the afternoon. Its around 10-10:30 and there are scones, fruit, and of course tea. Basically, we do a lot of eating, and I'm enjoying it a lot. After tea time, we heard some information about the outdoors of New Zealand. A lot of it consisted of various tramping (hiking) locations and other similar outtings. We heard a bit about various sports in New Zealand, (xc was not mentioned) and it made me wish I had enough room in my suitcase for my soccer cleats. We currently have freetime before a lecture on "Do we speak the same language" about the slang of New Zealand, and then we are having a BBQ, which are fairly common in the summer (southern hemisphere is in summer right now). Soon, Cayla and I are leaving to hike to Mt. Eden to have a view over all of Auckland. Can't wait for the BBQ after that.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Journey Begins...
So this journey begins at LAX where I met up with Cayla who had fortunately gotten the same flight as me. As all airport procedures go, it was full of long lines before we got to our gate. Fortunately, Cayla and I were able to get seated together for the very long 12 hour flight. Of course, I had been dreading this flight for a while now, considering the unbelievably long time I was expected to sit in one place. However, I am easily swayed by one thing, food. Despite leaving at 11:30 pm, we had a delicious dinner on the plane complete with dessert, tea, and cadbury hot chocolate. Then followed a goody bag with snacks. After dinner and watching Julie and Julia, Cayla and I both had some tylenol pm and ended up waking up 6 hours later for breakfast. Not nearly as good as dinner, but all the same, best plane meals I've ever had. An hour later, we had landed. Overall it was one of the best flying experiences I've ever had.
After landing, there was another series of ridiculously long lines for customs and the biosecurity check. They take invasive species seriously in New Zealand. We had Piper the beagle getting into all of our bags to make sure no one brought in fresh fruit or plants. Finally we got out of the airport and into the humid and overcast land of Auckland, New Zealand.
While riding the Airbus to our hostel, I was looking around and taking it all in. One of the first things anyone will notice is, similar to England, everyone drives on the left side of the road. Next I was amazed with the amount of diversity New Zealand has. There was a surprising amount of Asians and Indians, and my Lonely Planet Guide said that 20% of Auckland is Asian. This of course equals a large amount of sushi restaurants. So far though, Auckland seems fairly similar to any other city. It's hilly like San Francisco, it has crisscrossing freeways like LA, and it has Victorian houses like Santa Cruz. Its not that I'm saying its not beautiful, we drove by a beautiful lake and everything is quite green, its just not exactly what I expected.
We finally got to our hostel which to my dismay was upstairs. I am already hating my giant blue suitcase that is filled to the brim. Thank god the guy who checked us in volunteered to help me get my two 50 lb suitcases upstairs. So far Cayla and I dont have roommates in our two bunk bed room. But the beds are extremely comfy (or perhaps I'm just so tired I dont care) and they have free Wifi.
We had lunch at a sushi restaurant across from the hostel, which knew about California rolls but didn't have any available. Then the exploring began. We walked up and down K road and saw some very interesting stores. The Cruelty Free store was definitely a favorite with really awesome environmentally friendly products. We then found Myer park in the middle of the city where I found a MYNAH BIRD! If you don't know, those are birds found all over Hawaii. I guess I should have figured that as they are both islands in the Pacific, they would probably have similar fauna. Anyway, we trekked back up the hill, and had smoothies under our hostel. So not too much exploring in the first day, but we still have all day tomorrow before orientation on the 4th.
Fun Facts
So while Cayla was waiting for me to get to the airport, she noticed some people checking a lot of band equipment. Turned out it was for Taylor Swift who was on our flight. We didn't get to see her (she was probably in first class upstairs...yes our plane had two floors) and probably boarded early. But Cayla did get a guitar pick!
Also, I completely missed out on February 1st. Because of the time change and leaving at 11:30 pm on the 31st,and the 12 hour flight, we arrived in New Zealand on February 2nd at 8:30 am. For those who don't know the time change, New Zealand is a day ahead of California minus 3 hours. So its currently 5:06 pm Feb, 2nd and its 8:03 Feb 1st in California.
After landing, there was another series of ridiculously long lines for customs and the biosecurity check. They take invasive species seriously in New Zealand. We had Piper the beagle getting into all of our bags to make sure no one brought in fresh fruit or plants. Finally we got out of the airport and into the humid and overcast land of Auckland, New Zealand.
While riding the Airbus to our hostel, I was looking around and taking it all in. One of the first things anyone will notice is, similar to England, everyone drives on the left side of the road. Next I was amazed with the amount of diversity New Zealand has. There was a surprising amount of Asians and Indians, and my Lonely Planet Guide said that 20% of Auckland is Asian. This of course equals a large amount of sushi restaurants. So far though, Auckland seems fairly similar to any other city. It's hilly like San Francisco, it has crisscrossing freeways like LA, and it has Victorian houses like Santa Cruz. Its not that I'm saying its not beautiful, we drove by a beautiful lake and everything is quite green, its just not exactly what I expected.
We finally got to our hostel which to my dismay was upstairs. I am already hating my giant blue suitcase that is filled to the brim. Thank god the guy who checked us in volunteered to help me get my two 50 lb suitcases upstairs. So far Cayla and I dont have roommates in our two bunk bed room. But the beds are extremely comfy (or perhaps I'm just so tired I dont care) and they have free Wifi.
We had lunch at a sushi restaurant across from the hostel, which knew about California rolls but didn't have any available. Then the exploring began. We walked up and down K road and saw some very interesting stores. The Cruelty Free store was definitely a favorite with really awesome environmentally friendly products. We then found Myer park in the middle of the city where I found a MYNAH BIRD! If you don't know, those are birds found all over Hawaii. I guess I should have figured that as they are both islands in the Pacific, they would probably have similar fauna. Anyway, we trekked back up the hill, and had smoothies under our hostel. So not too much exploring in the first day, but we still have all day tomorrow before orientation on the 4th.
Fun Facts
So while Cayla was waiting for me to get to the airport, she noticed some people checking a lot of band equipment. Turned out it was for Taylor Swift who was on our flight. We didn't get to see her (she was probably in first class upstairs...yes our plane had two floors) and probably boarded early. But Cayla did get a guitar pick!
Also, I completely missed out on February 1st. Because of the time change and leaving at 11:30 pm on the 31st,and the 12 hour flight, we arrived in New Zealand on February 2nd at 8:30 am. For those who don't know the time change, New Zealand is a day ahead of California minus 3 hours. So its currently 5:06 pm Feb, 2nd and its 8:03 Feb 1st in California.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
