Student Bloggers

Cuisine:

Auckland and New Zealand in general are home to a diverse food scene. I have consumed many meals from around since I have been in New Zealand. The Indian food is my favorite here, but I have eaten unconventional dishes such as kidney. Trying new foods expands taste and also build immunity to bacteria; while a dish like kidney tastes earthy and may have bad connotations, it is incredibly healthy and does nothing but help one’s body. Back on my fourth day in Auckland, my body struggled to react to the healthy bacterias in a Malaysian dish (others ate the same dish and were fine) but that experience builds immunity in case I want to try it again. My advice is try new things, but also be smart about where you get it. You will discover so much about cultures and cities this way.

Uni, Weeks 4 & 5:

Fatigued from my exciting Dunedin trip, I once again begin the grind of class. We discuss an interesting play, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, in my English course! I decide to book another long weekend trip for May: three nights in Queenstown, day tripping to the jaw-dropping Milford Sound and also Mt. Cook! This will likely be the final airplane trip I take within New Zealand or the surrounding countries due to self-implemented budget restrictions. Making plans to accomplish my travel goals gives me motivation to work hard and do well in school; a carrot and a stick, so to speak. My post-break plans will give me a lot more weekend time in Auckland, and I am excited to acquire intimate knowledge of my beautiful home city. Auckland really does feel like a home to me, and I am blessed to have ended up somewhere so welcoming. I work on my history essay about 20th Century Violence and attend some club meet-ups, including a bar crawl; a pretty typical but also interesting week!

The week after is a short but dragged out 3-day-week takes me into mid-semester break. I am heavily anticipating Australia, which I travel to very soon. Until then, I have a movie night at the cat café coming up to hold me over until my holiday.

Piha Beach & Kitekite Falls:

The weather does not cooperate for my beach trip with Jannick; nevertheless it proves to be an enjoyable day trip, as we see two massive waterfalls and two black sand beaches west of Auckland. Piha Beach even has its own TV show, “Piha Rescue”, due to its numerous dangers such as Tasman Sea currents, rocks, and rogue waves. The waterfalls are massive and the beaches go on and on; my favourite part of the day was jumping into a freezing secluded pool under a waterfall! I would love to revisit these sites but would prefer to do so with the sun’s company.

Rangitoto:

There are 48 volcanic cones throughout the Auckland area, perhaps none more famous than Rangitoto. Included in the Arcadia program, trekking to the top makes for a nice half-day activity. The walk takes us through a minefield of igneous rock, rewarding us with a picturesque view of Auckland proper. We walk through some caves on the hike back down before taking the ferry back to the city; I get the much-needed chance to relax in my flat after a busy weekend.