Here I am Auckland!

 Many of you may know that I have embarked on a journey to study abroad. What fabulous destination have I chosen? Not Europe, not Asia. Nope. I chose the great country of New Zealand! New Zealand is home to many wonders such as endangered animals and plants, a fierce rugby team, and let's not forget it's where they filmed the greatest movies of all time (that would be The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit if you couldn't guess).


Today was my first day in this great country. I left Philly International Airport at 1 pm on Wednesday (2/17/16) flew to Houston - a 3.5 hour flight - had a quick 4 hour layover and then departed on my grand journey of the 14 hour flight to New Zealand. To be honest, the flight wasn't bad at all. Friendly crew, and friendly company made for a smooth trip. I landed in Auckland around 6 am on February 19. It was nonstop from there.

I quickly met my ISA group (there's 25 of us!) and we soon departed from the airport to see the rest of Auckland. Just being on the bus you could see such wonderful views! The scenery is absolutely spectacular!!

After a quick stowing of our luggage at the hotel, and a quick orientation, we got to do a bit of exploring while out for lunch (I had pizza, nothing too exotic).

View as we walked through Myer's Park

A kindergarten near the park

The park!

The University of Otago building - Where I'll soon be studying! 

After exploring and finally being able to check into our hotels at 2 pm, I went to finally take a shower and prepare for the traditional hangi dinner with the Maori. A hangi dinner is traditionally meat and root vegetables cooked in earthen pots in the ground. Tonight's dinner was lamb with potatoes, squash, stuffing, and steamed pudding for dessert. Before dinner was served we learned and observed some Maori traditions. One tradition is the hongi - the Maori greeting. To perform the hongi, grab each others hands (like you're going to shake hands), put your other hand on the person's shoulder, and press noses. This is significant to their culture because it acts as a transference of life force between  the two people, and it is considered the highest honor of greeting for the Maori. During the hongi you also exchange the words "Kia Ora" to each other, which essentially means "Hello" and "Be Well". It can also mean thank you. 

The wharenui where dinner was held (wharenui translates to "big house"). The structure of the house holds a lot of symbolism for the Maori culture. 

After dinner we were free to explore yet again, so a small group and I took in the night views that Auckland had to offer. The best by far was the Sky Tower lit up! 

The Sky Tower! Some people are crazy enough to bungee jump off of this building

Now its time for rest! I'll need it for exploring Hobbiton tomorrow!