There and Back Again: 9/1/11

I’ve only been in New Zealand for a bit over 24 hours, and already feel like so much has happened. After arriving at the Los Angeles airport, I found the other EcoQuest students by keeping my eyes peeled for college kids in hiking boots. We played some Set (the card game) and got to know each other while waiting for our flight. Due to hurricane Irene, about half of the students can’t make it until Friday, so it was just 11 of us. Then we set off on the thirteen-hour journey to NZ. Surprisingly, the flight wasn’t as terrible as I expected. The food was actually really good (at least for airplane food) and there were myriad movies available on-demand. I watched a really disturbing Australian film called Snowtown, which is about Australia’s most well-known serial killer, John Bunting . I don’t recommend it if you’re looking for a feel-good film, but it did keep me glued to the screen and distracted for a good two hours.

Finally we arrived in NZ! I could already spot an absurd number a sheep from the plane window. After deliriously stumbling through customs, we met up with two members from the EcoQuest staff, loaded into vans, and took off for campus. Whakatewai (pronounced fuh-caw-tee-why), where campus is located, is about 1.5-2 hours southeast of Auckland. We took in the scenery on the drive: the rolling, hilly pastureland dotted with sheep after sheep, the jungle-like foliage that conjures up images of Jurassic Park, the water stretching out to reach for the foot of the mountains. If I could relate it to anything in the States, it’s like some weird combination between Vermont, northern California, and Hawaii.

When we got to campus, the whole staff was gathered to sing us a song (a common greeting in NZ), and we had to sing a song in return. We had a great lunch of sandwiches and salads and took a tour around campus. My favorite thing about EcoQuest is that it’s located on the beach. I mean literally on the beach. Pictures coming soon, don’t worry. I’m living in cabin number 7 with Cara and Katy. Last night was pretty relaxed. All 11 of us huddled in Granny’s—our little hangout room with a TV—and watched Jurassic Park. It’s quite chilly at night, so we all put on many many layers and sleeping bags. I’m wearing a lot of sweatpants and Chacos with socks, so basically looking super sexy 24/7.

Today we got up, had breakfast, did some more orientation stuff, and then went tramping—which is the NZ word for hiking. We learned about some common NZ tree species, which are BEAUTIFUL and prehistoric looking. My favorite is the silver fern, or Ponga trees. The underside of the leaves are actually silver! Later in the afternoon we took at swim test at a pool in nearby Thames, and then went to the grocery store. Obviously, we stocked up on alcohol, since we’re all legal here. We looked a little ridiculous walking out of the store—I alone had 2 bottles of red, NZ wine and a bunch of hard pear cider. Don’t worry, parentals, I won’t go too crazy, we’re not allowed to drink on weeknights.

Tonight for dessert we had a NZ delicacy called Hokey Pokey ice cream, which is vanilla ice cream with bits of honey-comb in it. Delicious! I’m really digging the food here thus far.

Check out pictures!