First sights of NZ |
I am loving this place. I feel like I have been here forever and it’s only the 5th day. So far we have been really busy getting to know our new home and introducing ourselves to each other. It seems like we have a really great group and we are all getting along really well.
Yesterday we went on our first hike! We drove to the Hunua falls in the Hunua ranges which was about 45 min away from campus. It was a 4 hour hike and we took it slow stopping and learning about the very different plants and animals in New Zealand. The biodiversity here is simply incredible and completely different from home. New Zealand forests have a lot of ferns and levels; I started making a species list and by the end of the hike I could identify about 10 plants.
Silver Ferns |
Campus is also really great. There are about 12 rooms with 2 – 4 people in them. There is also Granny’s which is like our lounge/study area/hangout room, the Whatakai which means “house of food” in Mauri so it’s our kitchen/dining room but it also acts as classroom, the office, and the bathrooms. We also have a huge garden where we grow most of our vegetables and citrus fruit the rest of the food here is grown locally which is awesome. We have the Hunua mountain range as a front yard and the Firth of Thames (a bay beach) for a backyard. Simply breathtaking.
View from my room |
We started to learn some Mauri language and I forgot how much I love learning a different language. I haven’t taken a Spanish class in over a year but learning some Mauri made me really miss it. I feel like learning Mauri is going to become a great hobby of mine in the coming weeks. We started to learn greetings and simple words as we are going to a Marae (Mauri meeting house) on Tuesday to meet the local Mauri which we are all really excited about.
Today we went to Tapapakanga beach and did some self reflection and sustainability activities. Tomorrow we are starting real classes. Should be another amazing week in New Zealand.
Tapapakanga Beach |
-Emily
Weekly? How am I supposed to live vicaroiusly with weekly updates? I think we can find the time for semi-weekly posts, if not daily.
ReplyDeletehaha I know I am trying for more posts but it seems like we are busy all day everyday! Plus the internet here is very shifty. Now that we are starting classes and a regular schedule I think I'll have more time! Tell the rest of the Sullivan clan I say hi!
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