This week we had our LU Orientation! The lectures were extremely long and tiresome, but we also learned a lot of interesting things about New Zealand, especially about the native Māori culture. Throughout the orientation, one of the presenters, Ekara Lewis, taught us various phrases and words such as: Kia ora — "Hello" Ko ____ taku ingoa — "My name is ____" Ko ____ ahau — "I am from ____" Along with general orientation, we were given the opportunity to go on three different bus trips offered by the school. The first trip was to Christchurch and the surrounding areas. We stopped in Hornby, where we went to The Warehouse to buy some essentials for our houses. Then we drove around Christchurch and saw some of the main landmarks of the city. About six years ago, a huge earthquake devastated much of the city, so many of the buildings and businesses are still closed or under construction. However, for the most part, the city is up are running normally again. We also stopped at New Brighton Pier and at Sumner Scarborough Beach along the coast to do some sight seeing. The second bus trip was to Hanmer Springs, about an hour and a half north of Christchurch. We spent the day hiking, sliding down waterslides, and soaking in hot springs. It was wonderful to say the least. We hiked Conical Hill, and the view from the top was absolutely stunning. After the hike, we went to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa. The hot springs were very relaxing, and they helped to ease the knots that had formed in my muscles from sitting on planes and in airports for 24 hours. Our third trip was to Akaroa, a harbor town on the southern tip of Banks Peninsula. We spent the day exploring the town, and we went to a restaurant that, according to one of the Conor (one of the RAs), serves the best fish and chips on the South Island. I finally also got to try Lemon & Paeroa, which is a sweet, lemon flavored soft drink that is made in New Zealand. I think the highlight of going to Akaroa was sitting on the pier and fishing with a hand-line. Conor drove separately than the rest of us and brought some of his fishing gear so that we could fish for a while in Akaroa. I was not expecting to catch anything, but I ended up catching a rig shark! It was only about 10 inches long, but it was a lot of fun to see! Sadly, it flipped off the line before I could get a picture. Overall, Akaroa is my favorite place in New Zealand so far. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we all really enjoyed our time exploring the town. Well, that is my first week in New Zealand in a nutshell. It was packed full of stuff to do and places to explore, and we didn’t even scratch the surface of what this beautiful country has to offer. I am looking forward to more adventures and meeting more wonderful people!
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