Not a lot happened in the first week of actual studying and attending the University (Unitec). Almost everyone of us got sick at the beginning. I, for my part, managed to stay healthy but this did not last for long. So here is what we experienced:
Monday (02/18): On our first day at the campus, which is located about 15 minutes away from our Lodge (by foot), we had to do a scavenger hunt again to get to know all the buildings, since it is a huge campus. While we did this, Bruce and Megan got our student ID cards and all of us are studying “Animal Care” now. Afterwards, we had our first real lectures in Intercultural Communication, History and also a Biology unit with Dan. Turned out that we would have a lot of work to do in the last few weeks here in New Zealand!
Tuesday (02/19): We made an excursion to the Auckland Museum and got to discover new things about the Maori, the volcanoes surrounding Auckland and the role New Zealand played in the World Wars. Lucky us, we did not have to pay anything for the museum because students can enter for free! On our way back, my roomies and I got on the wrong train and realized it only a few stops later, so we had to go back to a station, where we could change to the right train which took some time. To cut it short: We were late for the afternoon class but fortunately it was not a problem. We came back just in time to get into groups for the biology presentations we have to do (of which I am absolutely not a fan of). Then, in the evening, some of us gathered together in a room and enjoyed a really fun night. It might have been too much fun though…
Wednesday (02/20): Our first field trip led us to: Parry Kauri park, where we had to observe some plants and tress, on to Goat Island, where we spent time at the Marine Institute, learning about underwater research. We were also able to touch some sea stars and sea urchins. Some of us even went snorkeling but since we only had half an hour to do so, I decided to eat something instead. The last stop was Tawharanui. There, we saw a lot of birds and I was so lucky to catch a quick glance on a Kiwi!!!! They are so cute but unfortunately nocturnal. I wonder if we get to see more on another day…
Thursday (02/21): It was another day of class, another biology lecture with Mel and the first day in New Zealand we watched a movie: Whale Rider. I can totally recommend that movie!! It is a heart-warming story about the Maori and the relationship between a girl and her grandfather.
Since we had a 3-days-weekend, this was the last day of class YAYY!! And while the majority of us went on Jenny’s trip to discover the North Island, I and some others stayed back and enjoyed our days off.
Friday (02/22): One of my roomie and I strolled up and down K-Road and visited Whaea Linda down at the Marae. On this day, there was a huge festival in Wellington in honor of the Maori people and Papa Ho had been there. We only saw it on the Maori Channel on TV, which was still fun. I also used the opportunity to interview Whaea Linda about Tattoos, since this will be the topic of my final essay for Communication class. When we got back, I felt tired and a little bit sick, so I went to bed early.
Saturday (02/23): I got more sick on that day and decided to stay in bed the whole day long, which was fine because there was a Cyclone coming over Auckland, bringing some rain showers and wind, so there really was not much to do outside. I only missed a trip to One Tree Hill, but maybe I can go there on the next weekend.
Sunday (02/24): There was a reason, I stayed in bed yesterday: I booked a tour to Hobbiton for today and I could not cancel it anymore and I also did not want to miss is. With “CheekyKiwi”, I and 10 other people, drove two and a half hour to Matamata, in order to see the movie set of Lord of the Rings. The only way you can get to that set is with a tour guide at specific times. So starting at Shire’s Rest, we jumped into a big bus with at least 30 other people and a tour guide, who was really funny and explored the world of the hobbits. The tour guide had a lot of jokes relating to LOTR in stock but at some point “all his jokes were aragorn”- LOL. At the end of the tour, we stopped at the Green Dragon and got a free drink. We could choose between beer (btw. in the movies they drank real beer with 1% alc. by vol. to make it look authentic), cider or normal juices. I have to admit, that I do not really like LOTR, but the tour was definitely worth it and I encourage everyone to go there. Also, most of the people on the bus did not even had a clue what LOTR was and joined the tour to middle Earth. Our guide told us, weeks ago, some people dressed up as Stormtroopers or Pikachu, which made absolutely no sense.
On our way back to Auckland, we saw some funny videos, including this about the flag of New Zealand.
Currently, what I am most excited for is the Travel Week. So we will see to which places I happen to go…Stay tuned!
Let the memories begin 