Last Day of Classes, and Surfing!

It amazes me that we have already completed classes for the semester, I am now 4 exams away from graduation! I cannot believe how much this semester has flown by, but it has been incredible. I have learned many things about myself and others and I could not have asked for a better experience. On Friday the university hosted "End of Daze", which was a concert during the day where we were able to drink and hang out. It was a perfect springtime day, and I was excited to finally get to relax after handing in my final paper.

On Saturday, we drove to Muriwei beach on the west coast with a big group to attempt some surfing! It was a fun, but exhausting day. I couldn't believe how hard it was to balance enough to actually stand on a board while riding a wave. Needless to say, I didn't get all the way up, but I am definitely looking forward to trying again soon. The waves were fantastic though, even laying on the board and rising them to shore was a blast. They were very strong, and I found myself getting pushed around by them very often. The beach was beautiful, it was a black sand beach and the waves were enormous!

And I am now facing a full week off to explore Auckland before two weeks of final exams. Once I finish them, it is off to South Island, and finally, Boston! It will be a bittersweet departure, but also very exciting.

Spring in Auckland

It is FINALLY springtime in Auckland. Not that the weather has improved too much. We had a really cold week last week, it seemed to be the joke that we're having a colder spring than winter. But there are definite signs of warmth in the air, and we've had a few really nice days. Its so hard to believe that this is our second to last week of class. The months that I have spent in New Zealand are flying by. After our last week of class, I have a week off, followed by two weeks of finals. Then I am flying into Christchurch for a two week vacation on the South Island! I am so excited to be able to explore another side of New Zealand. In my last weeks in Auckland, I am really hoping to do some more exploring on the outskirts of the city. I have been so focused on school in Auckland, as well as taking trips to places all over North Island, it seems that I have not done much exploring in and around the Auckland region.

Last Sunday was beautiful out, so three friends and I went to Mission Bay, which is a beach in Auckland. It was a great trip to get out of the inner city for a few hours. We just got ice cream and lunch and relaxed a bit.

For the entire past week, all Auckland buses have been on lock out due to some type of pay negotiation related strike. Luckily, I don't depend on public transport to get to classes, but it was stated that 80,000 people are dependent on these buses. It is an insane situation to have all public transport in New Zealand's largest city cease for an entire week. I wonder how that would work on in Boston...