Student Bloggers

Now that I am leaving New Zealand in just over a month, I am starting to worry I won’t have time to see everything I want to. Luckily I will be back for another semester to cross more things off my list. Here are some of my adventures from the past few weeks:

Hobbiton: Our unexpected, last minute journey up to Matamata to see the Hobbiton movie set was amazing. The group I went with all had different commitments, so we only stayed one night. We crammed 5 people into a two- person room, and woke up early the next morning to make it to our tour. I have seen all the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and Hobbit movies, so I was excited to see the shire. Hobbiton was amazing, and exceeded my expectations. I definitely recommend going there, and am planning on bringing my parents there when they visit. It was worth the trip!

Surfing: Arcadia planned a surfing trip for the Vic students, and we had a blast! It was a beautiful day, and with wetsuits the water wasn’t too cold. I had never been surfing before… and people watching from the beach could tell as I wiped out repeatedly. Professional surfing has been marked off my list for back up careers, and I think I will stick to boogie boarding from now on.

Mt. Holdsworth: Three friends and I decided we had not done enough tramping in New Zealand, so we rented a car and drove out to Masterton. We picked up our locator beacon, had our last large meal, and made our way to the beginning of the trail. The circuit we did was normally a 3-day hike of about 4 hours per day. Since we had to be back in Wellington by Sunday night, we did 8 hours of the hike Saturday and finished on Sunday. We stayed over night in the Jumbo Hut with about 25 other people. Everyone was so friendly and squeezed in since it was too cold to sleep outside. We met people from all over New Zealand, and a lot of Americans studying abroad like us. It was a difficult hike but definitely worth it for the views and experience.

WOW Cast and Crew party: Since I volunteered for the World of Wearable Arts show, I was invited to the cast and crew party. Everyone was dressed up, and some of the cast performed during the party. It was a wonderful time, and if you get the chance to volunteer for this event DO IT.

This weekend I am starting the Tongaririo Great walk with some friends. I have heard amazing things about it, so I will upload pictures and talk about it in my next post. It will be a 4 day hike of about 3-5 hours a day. This will be my first great walk, so I am very excited!

We are now in the last week of lectures, and my first final exam is next Friday. This semester has flown by, and I will be sad to leave… But I still have just over a month left! This includes my 10 day trip to Tonga, a trip to the Bay of Islands, and as much tramping as I can fit in. I will keep you updated in between trips and studying for exams. J

-Kenzie