I am officially in Wellington! It took me a few days to get Internet access, but now I am ready and able to describe my first experiences in Wellington. All in all, the trip from Phoenix to Wellington was uneventful. My flight left Phoenix at 8:00 p.m. (although I don’t think we actually took off until about 8:35). Fortunately, I had a little more than two hours in LAX, so the delay didn’t cause any problems. I met my friend there since she is studying abroad in Christchurch, New Zealand. Near the end of the flight, we were able to catch a glimpse of New Zealand, and the landscape was gorgeous. Everything was green and alternated between rolling grass and clusters of trees. Having just watched the first Lord of the Rings movie the previous night, I was distinctly reminded of the Shire where the Hobbits live. I can’t wait to see other parts of the country throughout my time here.
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| Houses on a Hill |
We landed in Auckland a little after 8:00 a.m. and clearing immigration and customs went quickly. We used the outdoor pedestrian walkway to get to the domestic airport. The air was refreshingly cool but not cold enough to require a sweatshirt. My flight from Auckland to Wellington was uneventful. When I went down to baggage claim to meet a rep from the school, I found out that six other American students arrived at the same time. Close to the airport, there are hills and houses are built all over them. It was neat seeing them snuggled against the side.
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| My room |
After getting dropped off at my dorm, I tried accessing the Internet but was unable to because my account had not been set up yet, so I went into town. It is quite easy to get to one of the main streets of town from my dorm. The one downside of it is that Kelburn campus (dorm building included) is at the top of a hill. I did not anticipate how many hills there are in Wellington. The view while going into town is beautiful, but walking back to my room is a workout. I was able to find Briscoes to buy a few things.
Tuesday, July 5
Today I had orientation. While waiting to sign-in, I met another study abroad student, Andrea, who is from Germany. She and I stuck together during the two information sessions and lunch. During one of the sessions, the guy who was running it gave us a little quiz about New Zealand, during which I learned that the most popular pastime is gardening and that there are 10 sheep for every person. After lunch, we split up to take a Kelburn campus tour. Once that was finished, we attended an enrolment meeting.
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| Sushi to Go |
When orientation activities were done for the day, Andrea and I decided to walk through the city and see the harbour. She had been a couple days before with friends, and I was excited to see the water. I was amazed at how well Andrea knew her way around having only been there once before. We walked by the Te Papa museum and then down by Lambton Harbour. We searched for a place to eat and ended up finding a little sushi carryout place. It was popular; the line didn’t shorten the entire time we were there. The food was delicious and fairly cheap. I got my fill for under $5.
Wednesday, July 6
This morning, I went to enrol in my papers (courses). That took less than an hour, and then I went to buy a mobile phone and some other supplies for my room. I met Andrea in the afternoon, and we walked to the Botanic Garden. We spent a couple of hours there and also explored the cable car museum.
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| View from Cable Car Station |
I had my first meal in the dining hall at dinner that night. I met a group of students who live on the 10th floor of the building adjoining mine. They were kind enough to let me sit with them and hang out afterwards.
Thursday, July 7
This morning, I got up and met Andrea at the Parliament building to go on a tour. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures inside the building. I learned some interesting things during the tour.
- The Parliament building was never finished; the statue is supposed to be in the middle of the building
- The Beehive (next to Parliament) can be moved on rails when they are ready to finish the building
- The Beehive (exec wing) is connected to Parliament House by an underground tunnel
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The Beehive and Parliament I spent a quiet afternoon in my room, and that night, I went out to get hot chocolate with a couple of my friends. I am excited for my papers to start and see what they will be like. |
*Disclaimer: I changed the spellcheck on my computer now that I’m in New Zealand.
