#udabroad

February 6, 2020

I know nobody wants to talk about going home, after this amazing journey I’m still not ready to leave. All good things come to an end and this trip, like everything else, has come to a close. Our last full day in Auckland started out stressful and ended on a high note.

First thing in the morning at 9 am we had our final for Transportation engineering. It lasted 2 hours and was nerve racking the whole time, I was just hoping all my cram studying for the exam the night before would pay off during the final. After the final was over, we were free from any more classwork. The rest of the day was free for whatever we wanted to do.

After a long test everyone was starving so people went their separate ways to find some lunch. Emily, Ilana, and I headed to a Korean BBQ place called, Bansang, and got Beef Bulgogi and dumplings. The food was amazing, and we had a good time struggling to use the chopsticks given. After lunch we were fueled and ready to go on a full day of shopping.

Exchanging NZD currency for USD means losing money in the transfer, so we decided to have a shopping spree to spend most of our New Zealand dollars. We walked down Queen Street looking at all the souvenir shops we could find. We went down the street going through side alley ways walking into clothing stores, bookshops, and other knick knack stores. After a couple hours our bags were full, and we were tired, so we stopped shopping and went to a park to sit and relax in some bean bags.

Time really does fly when you are having fun. Before I knew it, it was time for the group dinner at Sail’s Restaurant for our final goodbye. The restaurant was a 30 min walk from our University of Auckland dorm, so Emily and I decided to take the bus, since we still had money on our metro cards. We made it to the bus stop on time for the bus, but the bus never arrived. We had to pick up a later bus that only brought us part of the way to the restaurant. We saw some scooters on the street and decided to try them out. In heels in and dresses we rode scooters down rolling hills to get to the marina that housed Sails. We arrived a couple minutes late after getting a little lost in the marina. It is hard to scooter and look at Google Maps at the same time. We joined the rest of the group at a few large round tables. The three-course meal was amazing, but the time talking with everyone trading stories of all our adventures in the city was truly priceless. Enjoying food and talking with everyone at dinner made me realize how close we have come together as a group and how much I will miss everyone after we leave.

After dinner we took our last group photo with the flag and had a big group hug in the middle of the restaurant. I will forever remember this group of amazing people and the experiences we have had here together.

February 6, 2020

I decided to write my blog post about something I had wanted to do since I heard about this trip. One of the top items on my bucket list was to see the city of Auckland from the top of the Sky Tower. After Monday’s group pizza dinner, a group of us decided to check out the Sky Tower. We purchased our tickets online before leaving the dorms. Tickets were $23 for students, and we found a promo code that gave us an additional 20% off. After a short walk from University Hall through downtown Auckland, we arrived at the Sky Tower about 30 minutes before sunset. We took the elevator up to the 186-meter-high Main Observation Level and took in stunning views of the city. I could see all the spectacular places I had visited in Auckland. Rangitoto, Devonport, and Waiheke Island were all within view. After doing a few laps around the observation level, we took the elevator up a few more floors to the 220-meter-high Sky Deck. We staked our claim on the west side of the Sky Deck to capture the view of the sunset. Once the sun started setting, the sky transitioned into a spectacular orange color. There were also traces of pink in the sky like I’d never seen before! We stayed on the observation level for over 30 minutes until the sky went completely dark. I am extremely thankful that I was able to experience the Sky Tower and take in the incredible views at sunset. After leaving the Sky Tower, I stopped for some frozen yogurt before heading back to University Hall to finish the sustainability project.

February 3, 2020

Since I was tasked with the last blog post, and nobody wants to read about everyone coming home, I decided to write about what may be my very favorite day on the trip, the day at Lake Tekapo. 

This was our first move of many from Christchurch, and we packed into a hostel for a quick one-night stay.  Our dinner was delicious, and afterward we walked over to the hot springs to wander around different temperature hot pools.  While this was cool, this wasn't what made this my favorite day, it was actually the walk back to the hostel.  Alex, Nicole, Harry and I stopped next to the Lake to take in the colors that the lake and mountains behind them were turning as the sun began to set.  Once we saw people on their jet skis going around the lake we decided we HAD to dive into the freezing water. We stayed in as long as we could while Chajes snapped some pics, and Ben hopped in too. 

The second part of the night that made this my favorite day was going on the Dark Sky Project tour, where we went into a man-made crater, to look and learn about the stars.  To let our eyes adjust, we were not allowed on our phones, which meant no pictures.  This almost made the experience more special, because we just had to remember how cool the entire experience was.  The longer we looked up, the more layers of stars we could see, until the entire sky was covered.  We also saw at least 4 shooting stars.

This trip has had so many cool, new experiences for us, but this night was definitely my favorite.

February 3, 2020

As our trip winds to an end, I feel that a period of reflection is warranted. Over the past few days, while still enjoying trips such as Rangitoto and eagerly awaiting Rotorua, I have begun to reflect upon people we have met, experiences we have shared, and beautiful places we have been fortunate enough to visit. Of all the incredible and breathtaking location’s that we have seen, I have chosen to elaborate upon one my favorite experiences.

On a chilly Friday night two weeks ago, my peers and I donned thousand-dollar Canada Goose jackets and boarded busses that carried us 15 minutes south of Lake Tekapo into a cratered field to view the wonders of the New Zealand night sky. Two guides of the Dark Sky Project shared their knowledge of astronomy with us, encouraging us to look through their high-powered telescopes. This was nothing short of stunning, and many of us were left dumbfounded by facts such as how we were looking at light that probably left respective stars around the time the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. However, I found myself wandering off to lie alone and stare at the expanse of the Milky Way Galaxy. Beautiful shades of light yellow and vibrant purples combined to form a hazy band. There are no words that need to be shared, or existential discussions to be had, when looking at the southern hemisphere sky just south of Lake Tekapo. As we were herded together at the end of the tour, I felt humbled into silence having experienced our cosmic orientation. Perhaps it is fitting that I have no pictures to share, as it is something that one must relish in person in order to truly enjoy.

The next morning, I shook Langdon awake at around 7am to go for the run around the lake we had promised each other. A light jog in the brisk morning air startled us to our senses and we agreed this was probably the best morning we’ve ever had. After working up a light sweat before our bus departed to Queenstown, we jumped into Lake Tekapo, which is comprised of mind-numbing melted glacier water. The water was nothing short of freezing cold, but it was the beautiful turquoise that encouraged us to bask in it. After regulating our breathing with our chests under the water, we experienced an ecstasy that only freezing water can bring. As we boarded the bus to Queenstown, and I regained feeling in my toes, I reflected on the past 24 hours with gratitude. Lake Tekapo brought the understanding of our cosmic position to our journey through New Zealand.

Going home will be a melancholy experience as our trip has concluded, but I am content knowing that this is the beginning of a new journey.

“It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” - Carl Sagan

Harrison Chuma

Monday, February 3,

On Sunday we went on a fantastic adventure. After a nice two-hour nap on the bus in the morning we arrived at the glow worms cave site. When my group’s turn came, Alex, Emerson, Jamie, Jessi, Kristina, Madi, Nick, and I got fitted into wet suits in order to start our three-hour journey! On our wild adventure we got the opportunity to jump off waterfalls, drift down the underground stream watching the glowworms above, and learn about the wondrous stalagmites which grow just 1 cubic centimeter ever 100 years. In case you didn’t know, what we thought were glowing worms were actually their maggot form. We got lost a time or two but made it out safely in the end. At the end we were greeted with a hot shower, bagels, and some piping hot tomato soup. Shout out to our fantastic tour guides, Lucas and Aisha. Then after another three-hour nap we arrived back in Auckland where we will remain for the rest of our stay here in NZ. We checked in, grabbed dinner at BBQ duck, and got to work on our final sustainability projects which are due Tuesday!

Sunday, February 2

Friday morning was chaotic organizing our apartment and bringing our overstuffed bags downstairs.

After class we had some time to get lunch in Auckland. I ordered some awesome dumplings while others had cheesy pancakes. Then we all hopped on the bus to get to Hobbiton.

The bus ride was about 2 hours. I slept most of the way and was very happy to wake up when we got to the Hobbiton Movie Set.

We got to tour the original movie set of the Hobbit. It’s one of the only movie sets to be preserved after filming. The set was built on a 1,250 acre sheep farm belonging to the Alexander family.

The second we got there Connor immediately went to the gift shop to buy a Lord of the Rings ring. He then put it on and kept telling our tour guide that he couldn’t give him his ticket because he was invisible. Our tour guide responded by saying it was going to be one of those tours.

I have to admit I have never watched the movies or read the books but I did find the tour fun. One thing I found interesting is that the mailboxes of the hobbit houses have a symbol that gives a hint as to what profession the hobbit who lives there has. Also, every tree is real except for one. I won’t tell you which one in case anyone goes. (Hint: look for a tree that doesn’t move with the wind)

After the tour ended, we hopped back on the bus and began our 1 hour journey to Rotorua, which again I mostly slept through. When we got to Rotorua we immediately checked into the hostel and set out for dinner.

Taira, Ilana, and I went to Wholly Smoked and then went to the Redwoods Treewalk. Everyone who visits should see the Redwoods especially at night. It is spectacular. We walked on suspension bridges through the Redwood Forest. The Redwoods are 118 years old and are 75 meters high. It was so beautiful to walk at night because they had the trees lit which gave the area a surreal vibe.

It was a really great day and I’m excited for what the rest of the weekend has in store!

January 30, 2020

When I had first told my grandfather that I was going to Auckland, he raved about the SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium and dubbed it a must see. The weather wasn’t great, so Harrison and I decided it would be the perfect day to go. We arrived feeling confused to find a random small building built into the side of a hill. Upon entering, we found that it was built under the road, allowing it to be much bigger than expected.

We started our journey by observing the penguins… not doing much. Even with stoic stances, these little guys were entertaining to watch. There were a few out of place, running around, play fighting with one another, and having a staring contest with me. We even got to see an animal keeper goofily chase one down to tag him. Once we got our fill of the penguins, we moved to the Turtle Bay where some very old sea turtles cruised around, unbothered by the fish brushing over them. They were quite mellow, but managed a wave at Harrison. We then got to see jellyfish, seahorses (my favorite sea animal), giant lobsters and eels. I was fascinated to find the strongest animal in the aquarium to be an octopus.

Up until this point, I didn’t think there was anything quite special about the aquarium and wondered why my grandfather loved it so much. We then walked into a tunnel, where fish, sharks, and stingrays swam over and around us. They were mesmerizing to watch and feel like we were in the water right there with them. A conveyor belt took us in a loop through the tube, which we couldn’t break away from until our 8th time around. After traveling in circles for so long, we headed to the gift shop in a straight line so that I could buy my best friend a souvenir. 

Harrison and I left the aquarium and agreed it was a great day! I am very excited to report back to my grandfather that I had just as great of an experience as he did. I am very grateful for his recommendation!

January 29, 2020

So far, New Zealand has been treating us well with sunny days and clear skies. But yesterday (January 28th), grey clouds rolled in and threw a wrench in our plans to take a trip to the beach. Bailey, Alex, and I decided to go to the sky tower and enjoyed the view of the city from above the skyline. The 360 observatory deck allowed us to overlook the whole city, the harbor, and beyond. We also learned some fun facts during our experience. Standing 1,067 feet tall, the Auckland Sky Tower is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and the 25th tallest building in the world. Kinda cool!

The sun did end up peeking out, so the rest of our day consisted of exploring the city, shopping on Queen Street, and getting some homework done in a nearby coffee shop. The three of us have been loving the whole NZ to US exchange rate, and it’s cool to find new shops that we don’t have back at home.

Although it was not an adventure-packed day like we’re used to, we made the best of it and ended up having a nice time. We did a lot of reflecting on the earlier parts of our trip, and are sad to see it start coming to an end. Hopefully the rest of our time here brings nice weather, adventurous days, and good times with friends!