Wow, I MAJORLY need to make an update!
The first term of school ended in mid-April, which was really hard for me because I had to say goodbye to many of my friends and boyfriend, who were all returning back home. Although it was hard to say goodbye, it was also quite bittersweet because I was about to depart for a trip to the South Island! Along with 60 other international students, I crossed the country by bus on a 16 day excursion through the most beautiful parts of New Zealand. We took a ferry from Wellington to the South Island, and made our way around by bus. We started off in Picton, then progressed through Kaikoura, Christchurch, Queenstown and Fox Glacier just to name a few! It was a long trip, and definitely really tiring- but I had a lot of fun. My favorite parts were parasailing in Queenstown and taking a helicopter up to Franz Josef glacier!
Eventually the holidays came to an end and it was time to start my second (and last) term of school. Since my trip I've spent the majority of time close to home, visiting Auckland city on the weekends and taking day-trips to nearby neighborhoods. May was mostly spent on school, as I had some online courses that needed attention and some catching up to do.
My social calendar picked up a bit more this month, in June. On the first weekend of the month my friend Reese flew up from Wellington to spend the weekend with me. We went to a concert on Friday, and spent Saturday and Sunday exploring Auckland. We went to an escape room, a cat cafe & tons of vegan restaurants. It was a really fun time, and I discovered some awesome op-shops too!
On the following weekend, which was just a few days ago, I made a trip down to Mount Maunganui to visit some friends I met on my trip to the South Island. The weather was perfect, and I spent the weekend hiking just about everywhere possible. I walked 10 miles on Saturday, and luckily got the chance to visit the hot pools and soothe my muscles. It was a great trip, and it's one of my favorite places I've visited in New Zealand so far.
I leave July 8th, which means I have a little less than 4 weeks left in New Zealand before I return home. I'm trying to make the most of my time here, so my next few weekends will be packed with activities. I'll definitely miss the life I have here, but I'm looking forward to returning home and being with my family again.
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