The Module Rectification and the Society Overdose

Kia Ora!

My first semester is well and truly on the way. In to week two and so the routine of University begins.

It started with a bit of a hiccup. Although I collaborated with my international adviser to pick all of my intended modules it appeared we were deceived somewhat by the course descriptions. It turned out however that two (out of four) of the modules I was enrolled on were duplicates of modules I had already taken in Nottingham. I was definitely a little more than concerned about this- I had always come with the intention and expectation not to lose out academically in New Zealand. To resit very similar modules as I had last year would not have been ideal.

Thankfully I have a very approachable tutor back at my home university. Throughout my first week he was quick to help me where he could, mainly in providing feedback to the course content in Nottingham and whether other modules may be appropriate. To get all this information I attended quite a few different lectures in week one as a trial. We prevailed and cemented some new appropriate modules. Thank you for all your help, Steve!

Action shot- the best my camera could manage

So week one was all about the modules. Well, that's a lie. Week one was dominated by sorting my modules, but I did a couple of other things too. On Wednesday night we went to Winterfest. Me and Adele were the first in to the venue #truefans. It was an outside setup at the university campus. The center piece was a small snowboarding course which hosted a small (I really mean small) competition for us to watch. I've just watched the video back and it looks incredibly slow, but still it was alright.

I also swung by the society fair to join a few clubs. The event wasn't as big as the fresher fair in Nottingham, nor as vibe tingling. But they had a few gems which I found.

1. Kayaking: I thought I'd check this stall out not really expecting to join. But I couldn't believe how cheap all the gear hire was for a weekend. I guess living in New Zealand it is only right to engage in some sort of water sport. It looks good!
2. Tramping: No I won't be giving up my roof for a night or two for the streets. Tramping is the NZ equivalent to hiking. So every weekend the club is able they organise tramping trips away from Auckland and explore the area. This is a club I knew I wanted to join before I got on the plane!
3. International Society: A chance to meet other internationals at socials and go on some trips which will be organised in the near future. One of which is a Skiing trip. If the price is right, it could be a good weekend!
4. Meat club: Right up my street this one. I've just paid $10 (£5) for the semester and every second Tuesday they hold a free BBQ, all you can eat. What's not to love? Tuesday night meals from now on are sorted!
5. Vegan Club: I don't know why. It was $1 to sign up and my love of food just took over. If someone else has any ideas why I did this let me know.
6. The Gym: I'm yet to join in all honesty. But I will. I have quite a few gaps between lectures I can utilise quite well- especially as the gym is right in the center of the campus.

So that appears to be me for the next semester and in between some little trips with friends and some work. I think there's a healthy balance in all of this!

Kia Ora,

Ben

Maori Dancing and a New Home

Kia Ora!

So last week international students of Auckland were invited to a welcome week put on by the university. I would like to share part of the Maori welcome we received. The video is the last act they performed (of about five) and perhaps a little tamer then the others, but still pretty nice to watch.

The rest of the orientation week was just something of a formality really. Talks on the library, how to use computers, what's on the university website. Standard stuff. There was a talk which stood out though, which of course was about traveling around New Zealand. As well as just being an entertaining couple of hour I also got some good idea's about places to see and how to get there. This is where my budgeting skills really come in to play because I just wanted to do everything! Of course not possible, but there's a lot of planning to do yet!

Zorb-sumo!

On Friday night we went to Globe, a bar in the city. This was great for one reason- Zorb sumo! I had to give this a go (though it's not me in the picture I'm afraid). For those who have never heard of Zorb sumo, the basics involve two people putting on a big inflatable ball and then charging at each other. Last man standing wins! I beat Scott (a UK friend from my home university) which was a lot of fun haha. I came undone in the semi-finals though against a beast of an American. I lasted a while and I got knocked in just about every direction and to be honest that was a lot of fun!

On to Saturday- moving in day. As you know I was looking for somewhere to live and after the hard searching I was really excited to have my own place! I've been here for four nights now and I'm really happy with my choice. My flatmates are all nice and I can see we'll have a good time! My room very nearly has a homely feel- yesterday I collected the rest of my stuff from Janet and John which I've now unpacked and yesterday I finally bought some more bedding. Looking good!

On Sunday a group of us explored a museum on the Domain. This place was huge and a fantastic insight in to all eras of New Zealand. Even better still it was free entry! Below are just a few photo's that I took throughout. We didn't have time to see all of it, but as it's not to far away I'm sure we'll be back!

Domain Museum- Maori hut

Domain Museum- Maori style carving

Domain Museum- The Moa, the worlds only wingless bird (now extinct)

Hall of names for all those who fell in WWII from New Zealand

Domain Museum- 1800's style town in NZ

The Domain Museum from afar

But for now, fun and activities will be a little less frequent. It turns out I have to do some work whilst here after all and I have just had three days of introductory lectures. And so the academic journey starts again. But there's still plenty coming up on this adventure! Just wait and see.

Kia Ora!

Auckland From Every Angle

Kia Ora!

This week I've had time to do a bit of sight-seeing around Auckland. The weathers been great for it! Last week the weather was intermittently rainy and always windy- a few people blamed my arrival for it as it had been a bit nicer before I arrived! But still, this week the mid-winter weather has bought us sun and more sun. If shade and the light breeze was avoided, it would have passed for a hot day in the UK.

So with new friends I climbed a few of the currently dormant volcanic scoria cones. The most recent eruption here was 550 years ago and another isn't expected for hundreds of years more. So they're pretty safe to explore. Coincidentally, the most recent eruption completed the land mass now known as Rangitoto Island.

One Tree Hill

Sorry for the dodgy camera work...

Formally the largest volcanic cone in Auckland, One Tree Hill is a few miles away from the city. I climbed it with Scott, Pauline, Marion, Daniel and Nora. The climb only took twenty minutes but it gave great views of the city.

And here is a photo of the first (live) sheep I have encountered since my arrival! I was nearly bought a book on sheep spotting in New Zealand by Febe and Adam- here's my first spotting guys. I may just resort to photographing every type of sheep I see and tick off my own made list haha.

Sheep- Breed Find Number 1

Mount Victoria and North Head

The ferry which took us across the sea

Unlike One Tree Hill, this was a day trip. Across the sea from Auckland is an are known as Devonport. Here are two more volcanic cones which provide great views of the city. We (this time Scott, Adele, Nora, Daniel and Timo) had to take a 20 minute ferry to get there. There is a little town street to greet you when leaving the ferry.

Me on mushrooms

Mario Bros. guys? No? Just me then :-)

Panoramic view on top of Mount Victoria

Mount Victoria is the highest of the two scoria cones and where we found ourselves first. Another angle, but another great view of Auckland City and a closer look at Rangitoto Island. There were also some strange mushrooms vents for the water station under the mount. Why mushrooms? I have no idea, but at last I could get the full Super Mario Bros. experience!

We then walked over to North Head via a beach and dock. Although North Head was not as high as Mount Victoria, I think this mount was the most stunning of the three visited. Rangitoto was even closer still and the city looked great with the harbor in the foreground. It felt like being on a small isolated island with points of interest in every direction.

The European adventurers

View of a beach from North Head

View of Auckland city from North Head

View of Rangitoto Island from North Head

I hope you enjoy the photos. In the near future I hope to climb Mount Eden to see Auckland from yet another angle.

And for the eagle eyed readers, the badges were with me all the way today...

Kia Ora,

Ben

Kia Ora!

Well here I am, New Zealand. I have started an adventure that only a year ago I would have thought impossible. I'm very lucky that I have been given opportunity to study abroad as an exchange student at The University of Auckland. One week in I have managed to explore a bit of Auckland and I'm looking forward to the year ahead.

So let me fill you in on the journey so far...

Before the trip

I spent my last few weeks seeing all my friends and family, bidding farewell but not goodbye. I know a lot of great people in the UK and I will really miss them.

Attached to my bag were two badges bought for me by my good friends Feb and Adam. Now I get to tour New Zealand with Justin Bieber always at my side! Aren't my friends wonderful...? At least Joe and Laurie gave me a nice, sensible Yoda badge which I can tour with proudly. Haha, these were a great idea!

Yoda and Bieber on tour drinking tea!

On the day of departure (between some last minute organizing) I said goodbye to my brother and grandparents before traveling to Heathrow. Dannii (my wonderful fiancée), my mum and Ian then drove me to the airport. It was Dannii and mum who waved me off through the last gate they were able to. That moment was the hardest of my life, there's no doubt. I don't like thinking about it for too long.

Heathrow to Hong Kong

130 miles down, another 11400 to go over two flights and another 29 hours of travelling. My first flight took me from Heathrow to Hong Kong. I had never been to HK before. Actually, I had never been out of Europe before; a long haul flight was a brand new experience in itself. I don’t feel it’s too bad for a first effort!

I sat next to a young couple (Amelia and Luke) who were going to Vietnam sightseeing. They also turned out to be graduates from the University of Nottingham which was a nice coincidence. We had a bit of a chat but I also managed to watch the film "Divergence" and some Big Bang Theory. I even caught a couple hours of sleep.

The $89 meal

I arrived in HK at 15:00 local time (7 hours ahead of UK time). The airport was fairly large(not as big as I expected) and it was 35°C outside. Not that you could tell. The entire departure lounge was air conditioned! Being in HK gave me a chance to message friends and family back home and get a bite to eat. A casual $89 HKD later I had a sandwich and a drink.

Hong Kong to Auckland

After a six hour wait the final leg of my journey began, HK to Auckland, New Zealand. This time I was sat next to an enthusiastic Kiwi named Tony. He worked on ships that were sold and delivered to South Korea and China, then flew home to help deliver the next one. He loved to talk- I think we were talking non-stop for the first six hours of that flight. Interesting guy with some quirky ideas here and there. Fatigue then insisted I got another two hours sleep.

Auckland, New Zealand

Maori Gate at Auckland Airport

After a bit of sleep and an inflight breakfast later I set foot in Auckland. A Maori gate welcomed us all to the country. It took nearly an hour to leave the airport; New Zealand are very protective of their diverse wildlife and vegetation, so no food was allowed past the checks and all shoes were checked for foreign soil. No complaints there, they have some wonderful things to protect here.

I was very lucky to have a friend and former work colleague already living in Auckland- Janet and her partner John. They picked me up from the airport and took me to a popular cafe in one of many ports in Auckland. I stayed with them for my first week and they let me treat the house as my own whilst I did look for my own place to live. I am really thankful to them for their kindness and patience with me this past week.

Clock Tower, University of Auckland

I decided a while back that I wouldn’t move in to university accommodation due to the unfortunate and somewhat puzzling price. All options would have taken a huge chunk of my savings and potential traveling fund. Therefore I have been looking for flatting opportunities all week (auto correct nearly made me write "flashing" there- let's leave something to do next week haha). This was more challenging than I imagined and so has taken up most of my week. I had hoped to explore the city and act as the tourist a bit more, but now I have a second thing to do next week!

Sky Tower at night, Auckland

I found a shared flat in the city which is extremely close to everything. Incredibly convenient, I could wake up five minutes before my lecture and make it on time! And it looks like I’ll be living with some fun people. #ExctitingTimes



Thanks are needed to Dannii and my mum again who helped me in this first week with their advice and research. Maybe the invention of Skype needs an acknowledgement too!

Part of the Maori Studies building, University of Auckland

With a place to live and a new country to explore I'm feeling very excited for the year ahead. I can’t wait to get stuck in and see and experience all that New Zealand has to offer. I think someone mentioned I might have to do a little studying too :-\

My view as I wrote this blog

This has been quite a lengthy read I’m sure, but then there was a lot to say. It’s a brand new experience like nothing I have ever done before- it’s really exciting! Future blogs will be shorter and hopefully frequent. My orientation week begins on Tuesday so I hope to meet some new people and get to know Auckland better still.

Kia Ora,

Ben