Pointlife
Students have exciting adventures in New Zealand
Kelly FitzGerald
Pointlife Reporters
On the other side of the world, where summer is winter and winter is summer, our group of 11 students and one professor have been experiencing adventures we only dreamed of before this trip. The nickname of “Adventure Capital of the World” truly fits.
Everyone’s adventure has been their own including experiences from figuring out bus routes and hitchhiking to mountain climbing and bungee jumping.
In the week we spent touring the South Island before starting classes at Canterbury University, we saw the great diversity of possibilities New Zealand had to offer. In just that one week we went from the plains and farmlands of Canterbury up into the mountains of Arthur’s Pass to the beaches and rainforests of the West Coast and back again. Along the way, we visited a glacier, encountered the rare and endangered yellow- eyed penguins and were spectators to the toga parties representing the start of the semester for Otago University.
Our adventures didn’t stop once “real” classes started. We began our formal classes at the same time as the Kiwis and some of us took part in the beginning of semester orientation, or “O week,” activities, including music, food and of course lots of Kiwi students to get to know.
Every weekend was a new adventure with most of us leaving Christchurch to explore the country. We went back to some of our favorite spots from the tour and also explored new places. Some of us spent our weekends tramping through the mountains or surfing at the beach. Others relaxed in the thermal pools at Hamner Springs or went kayaking up a river in Punakaiki. Even our weekend field trips for classes added a new adventure. Kaikoura was almost everyone’s favorite, with the days spent swimming with the dolphins and researching intertidal species including starfish and sea anemones. We got to be in the water under the beautiful sun and look for cool animals. What could be better?
Everyone had their own adventure over spring break, known to us as our “fall hiatus." Some people went tramping in the Fiordlands or along the coast of Abel Tasman National Park, while others went bungee jumping in Queenstown. A few people spent the week in Golden Bay horse trekking on the beach and biking between the wineries. With only five days off, everyone packed their break full of plenty of exciting experiences.
With only a few days left in Christchurch, everyone is a little sad to go. But we are all excited for the North Island tour and the adventures that are yet to come.
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