Orientation Album

Orientation

Car Craziness and Orientation Number One

On the fourth of February I got back into Auckland for a UC wide orientation. It lasted four days and hosted about 70 students… so yes it was crazy. Very fun, but crazy. They kept us on an extremely busy schedule, which was a huge change from traveling by myself. I loved staying in Raglan and was a little sad to leave, but I know that I will go back before this trip is over.
During the course of the orientation we attended numerous lectures that discussed things like differences between NZ and the US, academics, sports, and all sorts of things. We also did a bunch of fun activities like throwing a big BBQ, going to a museum to see a Maori (New Zealand Native) show, catching a ferry over to a bird sanctuary called Teriterimatengi and hiking around, going across the city to eat a nice dinner with the whole group, and we even found some time to check out the bars (especially karaoke). Somehow, during all this madness Billy, Tara, Ashley, and I found a good deal on a 95 Subaru legacy and bought it for 3000 NZ dollars (roughly 1600 US dollars). And yes Dad we got insurance, which made me feel better considering I was driving a car on the left side of the road for the first time in a big city. To say the least it was scary, but honestly it was also really fun.
Right now I am writing this from a hostel in the Coromandel peninsula. We are right on the beach and it is so beautiful here, even tho it is raining. We are leaving tomorrow for Lake Taupo to go skydiving and bungy jumping with some friends we met at orientation who are actually living in Raglan, and stopping on the way at a natural hot spring touristy spot. After a night or two there we are going to Gisborne to see Tara’s family friends and check the surf! We may possibly go wine tasting in Hawke’s Bay which is just south of Gisborne one day, but we eventually will head down through a town called Napier to Wellington. Once there I have to find some housing and then we are off to the South Island! So many adventures, so few days.