I made it!

It took  43 hours from the time I left home to the moment I got to the apartment in Auckland and boy did it take its toll. As I walked up to the front desk, checked in and got the key, I didn't understand why the manager was looking at me so strangely. I thanked him and brought my suitcase up to the 8th floor and into my new room. Only then did I see my reflection in the mirror.....eyes bloodshot, hair sticking every which way positively screaming at me and clothes entirely disheveled. The only saving grace was that my roommates were out at the moment and I had a little time to find a brush and fix my clothes.

My journey to New Zealand took me from Boston to LA, LA to Fiji and a final leg from Fiji to Auckland. Unfortunately the flight from LA to Fiji was delayed, so I didn't have much time between that flight and the one to Auckland, but even from the airport you can get a sense of how lush and green and tropical Fiji is. From the plane, the green mountains were beautiful and the tops of the houses were colorful. Here are a couple pictures the British man in the window seat of my row was nice enough to take for me.

It seems very untouched in areas where people live simply, surrounded by nature. Getting from the plane to the airport was an outdoor walkway so you could feel the humidity like a punch in the stomach. Needless to say, my Boston winter wear didn't last very long. When the plane descended into Auckland, we were provided (despite the light rain) with another gorgeous green landscape that reminded me of Ireland. It is much more hilly and rugged in some places and sparsely populated, until all of a sudden there were houses/buildings galore. You can see mountains from the airport which is completely decked out in Lord of the Rings fashion. I took a shuttle into the city and the bus driver was nice enough to drive me a few blocks past the bus stop closer to the apartment.

The apartment itself is very nice, there are four girls in two bedrooms with two bathrooms, laundry, a kitchen/common area and a balcony. Much nicer than I deserve! I do have limited internet so I won't be able to be online as much which I think is good, forcing me to go out and do more things outside!
I will put pictures of the apartment a little later once I get some decent shots.

The weather is perfect, a nice sunny 75 degrees with exotic trees and plant life lining the streets. There are palm trees and some really pretty trees with light purple flowers on them that are just breathtaking. I will have to find out what they are called.

Yesterday after arriving, I spent time getting to know my roommates and unpacking, then going out for Thai food with a group of 13 people from the program. Afterwards some people went to a bar, but most of us just headed back, completely beat from the day's travel. I read a little and looked through my New Zealand travel books, excited for the months to come.

Today I did a little grocery shopping, and the cost of everything is much higher here than at home. Oh dear! Afterwards, we went for an exploratory walk around the city, found a nice, slightly more inexpensive Asian market, traversed a big park called the Domain and over to a museum with a beautiful view. Here are a couple shots from the museum steps.

Then down a pathway called Lovers' Lane which felt like you were walking through a jungle. Kevin, the program director here in Auckland recognized some Maori medicinal plants and I tried one of the leaves which made half my mouth numb. "They use this for toothaches", Kevin declared as I chewed. Well that makes sense.

Then back to the apartment where I am now, resting from the day's exertions before our first class tonight at 5pm. Tomorrow we have an all day field trip around Auckland where I believe we are visiting some beaches, sand dunes and doing some hiking. I also noticed the local library is quite close. Good news for me; I plan to check that out very soon. I hope everyone is well at home! Missing you all already, and wishing you could see this with me. I promise to take more pictures in the future!

Until next time,

Malani