Bula! Fiji!

Well I'm drawing near my last week in Kiwiland and it's really freaking me out... I am SO excited to get home, see my friends and family, and be in warm weather, but I'm definitely going to miss it here. We realize that more and more every day.

So last week was my much-anticipated trip to FIJI! I went with an AUT friend, Brianna, and we met my friend Katie from USC (who's studying in Sydney this semester) there. It was really just an ideal trip for us on a budget. We were there for 5 days, stayed in 3 different hostels, all on the main island. People recommend seeing the other islands, but it's expensive to get around and all we really cared about was lying on the beach! The hostels and resorts we stayed at were all pretty nice, with free kayaking and cheap massages and other activities. We spent most of our time lying by the pool, reading, and listening to music.

As I said, we were on an EXTREME budget. Our first full day there, we walked to a "shopping center" - which was really a little convenience store, Fiji-style, and bought a loaf of bread and peanut butter that we thought would get us through the trip.... but as soon as we got home, Brianna opened the bread to find little ants crawling all over it. GROSS, and sad realization that we'd stooped that far. Food at the hostels was relatively expensive, for Fiji prices, but we shared a lot of meals and made it work. Bree also sat down with a crafty guy at the hostel who showed her how to make a hat, purse, fan, and other random items out of palm leaves - all of which she got to keep for free!

Overall it was just a really relaxing week, and we got some nice tans :) Then back to Auckland where it was 40s and raining to start studying for finals! I had my international business exam this morning, and my nutrition exam is tomorrow. Today's went fairly well, and I feel better about nutrition... then this semester of SCHOOL will be over! We're going down to Wellington on Friday for the week to see an All Blacks rugby game, celebrate Brianna's birthday, visit a winery, and say goodbye to this beautiful country... be home soon!

Aussie aussie aussie, and the Waikato

Hey everyone!
Well my days left on the Southern Hemisphere are dwindling.... I leave here in about 3 weeks, which is both exciting and really scary! I miss my friends, my home, and everything from the States, but I will also miss the friends I've made here, traveling, and being constantly surrounded by BEAUTY!

I've had two great weekends the last two weeks. First I went to Australia to visit my best friend Luika in Melbourne. She absolutely loves it there, so I was excited to see her city. We stayed in Melbourne the whole time, but I got a VERY thorough tour. She took me to a huge fancy mall that reminded me of Dallas, all her favorite sushi and coffee shops, and we did tons of walking. I got to see botanic gardens, the Yarra river, and get a great tour of the Melbourne public transportation system. We went to a footy game, saw Wicked, and had a really good time together. I definitely understand what she's been talking about with Melbourne - it's a really big city, but has a lot of suburbs and smaller neighborhoods with alleyways of coffee shops and restaurants (we don't know how they all stay in business!), and fresh fruit and flowers everywhere. Very different from Auckland, but of course it was good to be home afterwards.

The next weekend, 8 of us girls piled into two cars and drove down to the Waikato region (just an hour or so away). Our friend Frances is from a small town near Hamilton, and had invited all of us to her house for the weekend. It was SO NICE to be out of the city, in the countryside, and just relax.
Her mom greeted us with soup and muffins, and we watched movies and napped all day. We did some walking, cooking, playing charades, and a lot of just enjoying each other's company and de-stressing. Her house was so nice and I loved the area. We drove into Hamilton to see the town, and Fran showed us her high school (a Catholic school that reminded me of Ursuline). We had Monday off from school for the Queen's birthday, so after the long weekend we drove back into Auckland for our LAST WEEK OF CLASSES!

I am now DONE with classes at AUT. I have a group presentation next week, and a couple of finals after that, but it's pretty much over - crazy. I leave in about an hour to head to Fiji for 5 days, where it is supposed to be 80 degrees the whole time (it's 37 here), and am soo excited! After that we're in Auckland for a week or so, then headed down to Wellington for a last hurrah and to see an All Blacks rugby game. Then I'll finally be home! Missing you all - Mer

in between times...

Hey everyone-
Thought I'd do a little update before life gets crazy again. We've been laying low here, trying to save money and savor our last 6 weeks in paradise! Last night the accommodation I live in hosted a ball, so it was fun for all of us to get dressed up and re-live high school formals. The ball was at a hotel downtown, and a cover band (featuring our academic advisor!) played. On Friday night I got to have dinner at the house of my room mate's family friend who lives in Auckland. We always love getting away from the CBD and seeing neighborhoods, and her house was so cute. They also made us a full, delicious dinner, complete with both meat and vegetables - a treat when you've been surviving on Easy Mac all semester.
The AUT gym just started a running club, so I think my friend Mandy and I are going to do some runs with the instructor, since we're both doing half-marathons when we get home. I really miss running distances and look forward to getting back into it, especially in such a beautiful place. It has started to turn to winter, which means at least a little bit of rain every day - no fun, but this weekend was surprisingly warm and beautiful.

I leave on Friday to go visit Luika in Australia, and am really excited to see this place she's been raving about all semester :) The following weekend, I think we're going to one of my Kiwi friend's homes in the Waikato region, and after that is my trip to FIJI! Pretty much every weekend is booked until I leave, which will make the time go by that much faster! Will update after these fabulous adventures. love-- m

Long-awaited SB 2K9 Post!

Hey everyone!
I am SORRY that it's been so long since I updated this... Nothing exciting happened before I left for break, and then I was in the South Island for two weeks, to come back to some major assignments -- needless to say, I haven't had a lot of spare time!
But I will try my best to recap all the best parts of my mid-semester break, which was VERY fun. Luika, one of my best friends at USC, is studying abroad in Melbourne, so she flew down to NZ to spend break here. She came in the night before Easter, so we got to enjoy a service Sunday morning at one of the churches I really like in Auckland. We then did our own Easter egg hunt in my apartment... but I missed the hunts my Grandmother still puts on for her 20+ aged grandchildren!
On Monday, my mom and Gayle Mckool (one of our longtime friends, and the mother of my lifelong best friend Raney) arrived in Auckland and we began our tour. I took them to One Tree Hill, one of my favorite places in Auckland - it's a huge park with walking paths, great views, and fields of sheep! My mom tried to help me herd the sheep, but shockingly they are even faster than we are. The next day I took the moms and Luika to Piha Beach, another place I love. It was a little chilly for swimming, but we hiked a little, and I took them to my favorite hidden spot at the beach, where there is a bunch of sea life (clams, giant starfish, and anemones) and a great view of the ocean from a cove. I did feel confident enough in my swimming abilities to skip the hike over the rocks and swim through the waves back... my mom doubted me though, and sent Luika in to "rescue" me. We both made it JUST FINE! We also got to check out the Auckland Zoo before we left, but as Gayle learned, having NO native mammals, NZ doesn't have a lot of unique wildlife to offer.




Wednesday we began our tour of the South Island - we flew into Christchurch for the night, where we had dinner and then met up with one of Luika's friends from Melbourne who also goes to USC. The next morning we took the train across the Southern Alps, where there were some great views even though it was raining. The fall colors were blooming like crazy, unlike Auckland, and it was picturesque pretty much everywhere we went. We had some roadblocks (literally) trying to get down the west coast to Fox and Frans Joseph Glaciers. After driving all day long through pouring rain and literal RIVERS running over the road, we learned that the rest of the road had washed out and we weren't going to make it to the glaciers. I'm sad I missed them, but I don't feel like many road conditions will ever intimidate me again! We backtracked and spent the night in Hokitika - to get up the next morning and drive about 9 hours to get back on track in Queenstown. That was definitely my favorite place we visited. The town is precious and quaint and reminded me a lot of Breckenridge - I wished it was winter, because the mountains around Queenstown were BEAUTIFUL, and I would have loved to see them snow-capped. There's also a huge lake that the town looks over. I could not get enough of the views there. Luika and I hiked up a mountain everyone else was wise enough to take the gondola up, but once we were up there it was worth it for the fabulous views. Barb and Gayle decided to make the most of the "adrenaline capital of the world" and took tandem parasails off the mountain! I was really proud of this adventurous spirit they both had, and they said they loved it. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but my mom has plenty too, so ask to see hers!

We went from Queenstown to Te Anau, then on to Milford Sound for our overnight cruise. This was another great part, as the boat was fun and relaxing and the views were beautiful.
We took kayaks out, watched the sky change colors as the sun set and rose, and saw a whole school of dolphins - as well as some massive waterfalls. We also met up there with three of my good girlfriends from Auckland, and it was fun to compare trip stories halfway through.
The moms left the next day, so Luika, Kendall (her friend from Melbourne), and I headed back to Queenstown for a couple of days, where the two of them did the Nevis bungy jump - I chickened out, but check this picture of the view down. I convinced myself no sane person would voluntarily jump into that... and the bungy workers refused to give me my free t-shirt!

Luika and I did go skydiving the next day, and I loved my second time way more. No near-heart attack or wondering what might happen, I could just take in the great views of Lake Wanaka and enjoy the freefall!
We all flew out of Christchurch the next day. When I got back, after trying to catch up on sleep, I left for a volunteer weekend I'd signed up for back in January before I got here. About 10 other Australearners and I took a ferry out to Motiuhe Island, just a half hour from Auckland. The whole island is part of a conservation project, attempting to restore it to its pre-human conditions. We planted trees, pulled weeds, and collected seeds on an island where only TWO other people live full-time! The volunteer program did provide us with food for the weekend, and I think we ate better then than we have the rest of the semester! We all got together to make a great dinner, and then just sat around for literally hours playing card games and laughing until our abs were sore. It was a really sweet time to spend with friends, some I know well and some not so well, and get in a good place before starting school back again. This is a picture of the house (no bathroom- that required a trek to an outhouse) where we bunked while we were there - all solar-powered!

Now, SCHOOL. I think I'd been in denial, but the past week has definitely reminded me that I am a student here. I had one project due right before break for my computer science class - still my favorite class by far. I got the paper done, creating criteria and evaluating two e-commerce websites. When I got back, I had a paper for my International Business class, where I proposed investing in Singapore businesses to a hypothetical New Zealand businessperson.... and then finished up the week with a Nutrition project. I actually am liking all of my classes when I feel that they expect something from me and I"m able to apply my learning. I have a little bit of time to relax before end of the semester assignments and finals, but I think I've learned that waiting til the last minute is not working as well as it always has!!! I need to spread the rest of my work out a little better :)

This was a quiet weekend of catching up with friends and getting organized. We're all running out of money so we tend to eat at home and watch DVDs a lot more -which is good. I do have two trips coming up... I'm going to see my love Luika in Melbourne near the end of May, and am going to FIJI in June! (To all the Moms out there: despite the "coup" in Fiji, everyone who went over break had a great time and said they felt completely safe). We're hoping for a trip to Wellington to see an All Blacks' rugby game as one last hurrah before we all leave. I will be home at the end of June - it sounds far away, knowing that all my friends at USC are done with classes already, but I have less than 2 months left here!!! Sorry for the long post - love you all! xox, M

Amazing weekend! :)

This is my last bit of procrastination before getting back to the grind and preparing for a demanding week of school. Yes, I do actually go to school, and we DO actually have work... I might just now be realizing that.

This was one of the best weekends I've had so far in NZ, and I certainly wasn't expecting it to be. We'd all been getting kind of bogged down - homesick, tired of the same group of people and a little bit of drama. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons a little this weekend, and I'm so glad I did.


On Friday I went to an Auckland Blues rugby game with my friends Hunter and Dean. Dean's a Kiwi, and Hunter's an American - I met them both through a friend who studied here last semester. They go to University of Auckland, the "other" uni here. I hung out with the boys all day, bar-hopping, and then we met up with a group of backpackers and took the train to the game. I can't say I understand much about rugby, but it was fun to watch everyone else get into it, and nice to see the stadium. We ended the night at what's probably the nicest Denny's in the world... not an incredibly competitive field, but it was nice to get pancakes and hashbrowns and feel like an American.

Saturday, my friend Kacey (a fellow Trojan) rented a van, and 9 of us piled in for the drive to Piha beach, about 40 minutes away from Auckland. It was a beautiful beach, and one of the best (but also most dangerous) for surfers. We rented a few boards and took turns fighting the waves. There was a huge rock formation, called Lion Rock, that we climbed up for great views, and the sunset was really amazing. The sky was so blue, even after the sun went down, and looked great against the pink clouds. It was a relaxing and refreshing day, and no one wanted to come back to the city.

Today has been less productive than expected... but I have a long week or two of schoolwork ahead of me, before the 2-week midsemester break. I got a lovely care package from ADPi that warmed my heart. Miss you all!!!

Catching up...

Sorry Mom, that it's been so long since I updated... the school weeks fly by here, and we try to catch up on either traveling or resting throughout the weekends. Two weekends ago, 5 of us girls took a roadtrip to the Coromandel Peninsula, just a few hours from Auckland. It was our first experience driving in NZ - Beth handled the driving quite well - and our first attempt at beach-camping in NZ. The latter didn't work out as well. We met up with another group of Australearners who had staked out a camping spot (camping-prohibited, actually) on Cook's Beach, so we set up tents and thought it would be a beautiful place to wake up to. I'm sure it would have, if it hadn't been pouring down rain when we woke up! Our tents had puddles in them, and trying to take down and pack up in the rain just got everything sandy and soaking. Camping fail, but it was funny.


We drove around without much to do for a while, since our plan had been hiking and beaching for the weekend. At the visitors' center in Whitianga, we read about a spa called the Lost Spring, with warm-water pools outside. Three of us went to spoil ourselves at the pools, then spread out like homeless people inside the spa, using their showers and drying our clothes under the hand dryers. We felt pretty fabulous afterwards.

We decided we weren't hardcore enough to attempt camping again, what with all of our things still being wet, so we booked two rooms at a hostel, rented bikes, and explored the area some. The rain had let up and it was nice to explore the little beach town. We woke up the next day to some pretty clear weather, and hiked to Cathedral Cove (where Chronicles of Narnia was filmed). We went to Hot Water Beach after that, which is a really cool area with hot springs underneath the sand, just a few feet away from the ocean at low tide. You can rent spades and dig your own jacuzzi. We were less talented at this, and dug until a group left their pool, so we stole it. It was crazy - the water was either boiling hot, or cold. Nice to relax, but pretty muddy!



Last weekend was pretty chill - we went to the beach on Saturday, and watched Kenneth, our academic advisor, perform with his band at a pub that night. We've been to two of their shows and they're pretty good, although quite the odd mix of 30-something men. Sunday a big group of us went to One Tree Hill, which is about half an hour bus ride from downtown Auckland. It's a huge park, with fields of sheep, trees, areas for picnics and grilling, and a big hill in the middle, with an obelisk and amazing views. We hiked to the top --- conveniently my camera battery died when we got there, so I'll have to go back and take pictures, but it was nice to be able to just take everything in without trying to capture it on camera. It was a beautiful place, and really fun with bikers, runners, dogwalkers, all hanging out in the same convenient area. Definitely taking my mom there when she comes to visit.


Not up to much this weekend, besides thinking about the few projects I have coming up. Probably staying in to do HOMEWORK, which has been a pretty foreign concept so far in NZ. Getting excited for my mom, Luika, and Gayle to visit in two weeks! Planning a trip to the South Island, which should be amazing. Starting to miss a lot of things from home, but I know the time I'm here will fly by and soon enough I'll be back to the grind in LA. xoxo, m

Just some pictures of my life...

Bubbling hot springs in Rotorua














View of Auckland skyline















AUT Tower (part of my campus) with the Skytower on a foggy day
















Cathedral Cove, where Narnia was filmed

surf surf surf nom nom nom

My title basically sums up what we've been doing over the past couple of weeks: adventure (i.e. surfing) and EATING! Wayyy too much eating, but hey, we're on vacation :)
My friend Mandy and I have been on a sushi bender lately (my total was 7 times in 7 days, and the count should start again this week), and we've also discovered a favorite gelato spot with interesting flavors. Combine that with immersing ourselves in the culture of fish and chips, kabobs, White Lady (= Chano's in Auckland) late at night, and the pizza place right downstairs from our flat... well, it's good Auckland is hilly and we do a lot of walking!



In between eating, we do manage to get some exercise. On Saturday a big group of us went for a day-long surf school. It was at a beautiful beach with some pretty big waves. All I really learned is that I am NOT cut out to be a surfer... but I'll be in really great shape if I keep trying! We're still sore from the day of trying to fight against the waves. It was hard and exhausting but a lot of fun.



We went on a free trip to the beach with our apartments on Sunday - Takapuna, a beach I hadn't been to yet. The water and scenery was beautiful, but the beach was full of seaweed. I was also EXTREMELY sunburned (yep, suffered my first NZ sunburn from surfing), so I hid under clothing for most of the day. It takes such a short time to get burned here... apparently there's a hole in the ozone layer over NZ. Skin cancer...my kind of country. We also went out to brunch when we got to Takapuna (we'd been talking about good breakfast food for weeks) and had probably the best meal I've had here so far. I had a smoked salmon scrambler on a croissant, and the other girls got eggs benedict, french toast, and a mediterranean breakfast...mmm...

Last week was sort of a joke of a first week of school. One of my classes (called papers, here) didn't start until this week, and my tutorial didn't meet. I only had class on Monday and Tuesday, then proceeded to have a five-day weekend. Which I could definitely get used to. We shopped some, slept a lot, and hoped school wouldn't get any harder. This week I definitely had more class, and although they're probably easier than classes in the US, I will have my work cut out for me. Most of the grading here is based on projects and a final exam, so you really have to keep up to avoid cramming at the end. All the teachers expect around 10 hours a week of studying from us outside of class - ahh!

I had my first computer science tutorial today, and to my surprise I LOVED it. The teacher is a jolly old man from Britain who is really more interested in our learning in general than the tech stuff we're supposed to know. I do already have 500 words due... but just about me and my learning style. He really engages us and likes participation, and I'm in a class full of first-years, so I think I'll be ok!

We're heading out to Coromandel Peninsula this weekend, so I will update and post pics after that! xoxo

We forgot we came here for school...

This may not come as a surprise to many of you, considering we often forget we're at school when we're at USC, but I've been out of school for so long, doing so many fun things, that it was a weird reality check when we woke up yesterday morning and had to go to CLASS!  Luckily the class schedule isn't too demanding -- I only had one class yesterday, a nutrition class that I think will be really interesting.  Today I don't start til 1.  I'm taking a Maori leadership class that comes highly recommended, and an International Business class this evening.  On Weds and Thurs I have the lecture and discussion section for my Computer Science class... ahh.  We'll see how that goes!  

So the actual time you're in class isn't a lot at all, but all of our teachers apparently expect TEN HOURS A WEEK of work outside of class.  For each class.  That's a lot.  My mom seems to think that's normal for college kids, but I certainly haven't done that throughout my educational career yet...

Some other exciting things that have happened since I've been here, that I didn't really mention before: the program introduction in Rotorua was really fun and a really nice way to enter the country.  There were about 50 of us together in Rotorua, and it felt like camp, with basically all of our time scheduled - it was a really quick intro to everything Kiwi.  My favorite, of course, was the sheep show, where we got to see basically a pageant of about 20 different breeds of sheep, got to see one sheared, and I got to go up onstage to feed a baby lamb!!!  Basically heaven.  I did some other brave (for me) things while we were there, like Zorbing, which is rolling down a hill in this big rubber ball, and caving.  We got to wear wetsuits and squeeze through really tiny openings in the Waitomo caves.  The caves are full of glowworms, which look like stars when we all turned off our lights and just looked up.

On our second night in Auckland, I went out to dinner with a few friends and we wound up RANDOMLY running into these guys in a band.  Sounds cliche, I know, we didn't even believe half of what they said at first.  But look up Midnight Youth - they're pretty legit!  We chatted with one of them, who told me they're playing at SXSW in Austin, and then the rest of the band showed up and we slowly figured out that they're #2 on the charts in NZ!  We've now seen their music vids on TV, and last night we went over to a bar on the University of Auckland campus to see them perform.  The bands who opened were questionable, but we all really enjoyed MY!  It was a really fun show, and fun to see guys we sort of "know" up there.

I'll try to post pics of my school or my apartment soon.  The apartments are pretty nice, and are literally a block away from the center of campus.  Each unit has 5 rooms.  I'm living with 4 Americans and 1 Kiwi.  Meaning we're going to have to work even harder to meet the natives!!!  But I like my room mates, and it's like dorm life, where we just run upstairs to find the rest of our friends.  

Need to get ready for class now... feel free to email me and update me about what's happening at home!  I really miss everyone a lot.. I can't believe I've only been here a little over 2 weeks!

My life is a postcard

Whew!  I've been through sooo much in the past two weeks, and one of the best might have to be that I FINALLY have internet in my apartment!  So now I can skype, and blog, and post pics, and respond to everyone who's been trying to get in touch with me!

First I'd like to give a shout out to my bestie LTF, in the hopes that she might actually read this.

So I just got back today from Paihia, in the Bay of Islands, which is in the most northern part of New Zealand.  It was just absolutely beautiful.  I don't have any better words than that!  I know looking at pictures of a place you haven't been gets repetitive, but I can't help taking and sharing pics because I want everyone to see how great it is!

On Tuesday, about 15 of us (all part of the Australearn orientation I did when I first got here) took a bus about 4 hours north to Paihia, which is a really cute beach town.  Wednesday was SKYDIVING DAY...which I thought might be the last day of my life.  As I told all my friends and the instructor, I don't like roller coasters, scary movies, the DARK -- so this was really amazing that I did it.  I just feel like I'm here for the semester to get out of my comfort zone and try new things, and I'm trying to do something that scares or challenges me as often as possible.  I wound up being so glad I did it.  They put you in a little prop plane for about 20 minutes that flies out over the Bay, so it's a really beautiful view.  I got a disc and DVD of the jump, so I'll try to upload some of that to give you an idea of what I jumped over.  I tried to calm myself during the flight by thinking about how beautiful everything was - when it's time, and I'm strapped to the instructor, all I had to do was put my feet out of the plane and he jumped!  My heart probably stopped for a second, and I had to force myself to open my eyes, but the freefall was really fast and then we just floated down, looking out over everything.  Ahhhh.... it was great!

The next day, we went on a dolphin boat (but didn't see any dolphins), but it was really nice to just be out on the boat, relax, and see even more awesome scenery.  We did see BABY HAMMERHEAD SHARKS, and little penguins that were the cutest thing ever.  Halfway through the day, they stopped on one of the little islands where we got to hang out for about an hour.  There was a big hill in the middle of the island, and when I hiked up to the top of it, I could see tons of islands and water out in every direction - the most beautiful view I've seen yet.  I just kept taking pictures, and reminding myself to thank God for his beautiful creation.  It was amazing.  We went swimming in the crystal clear water as well, and some people snorkeled, and we got to lay out for a while before heading back.  Also, I successfully did NOT get sunburned!  Which is a feat, for me, especially in New Zealand where there's apparently no ozone layer.

I'm still trying to figure out posting pics on this, and I will try to put up my skydiving video as well.  I look TERRIFIED.  School starts on Monday, so the adventures (and spending money) may stop for a while... 

Much love! --M

Kia Ora!

Hi everyone!!!
I decided to follow the trend of blogging abroad, mostly so I don't have to fill everyone's inboxes with my email updates - if you wonder what I'm up to, you can just check it out here!
Unfortunately we are still living in the dark ages, and I don't have internet in my apartment yet. So I'm going to save my long post and uploading pictures for next week.
The basics though - I got to New Zealand on Feb 15 (after conveniently skipping Valentine's Day over the international date line!), where we met up with the rest of the Australearn group and took a bus to Rotorua. We stayed at a really nice hostel there for 4 days, and went caving, Zorbing, to a SHEEP SHOW, and saw the hot springs in the town. It was a cool time to get to meet a bunch of other Americans who are all doing the same thing. We also got to learn a lot about the Maori culture - the indiginous people of NZ. We learned the "haka" which is their traditional war dance - the costumes they put the guys in were hilarious.
On Thursday we got back on a bus and drove into Auckland, where we moved into our apartments. Auckland is really amazing - a lot like New York City, but even MORE diverse, and right on a beautiful harbor. My university, AUT is right in the middle of the city, and we're just a couple of blocks away from it. There is so much to do and I know we've barely scratched the surface.
Today we're going to the beach, and tomorrow leave for a trip to the Bay of Islands, where we'll get to swim with dolphins, see sand dunes, and... SKY DIVE. I'm terrified. But I'm going to do it (hopefully.)

I can't wait to share my pictures and everything, so I will update again ASAP!

If you want to get in touch with me, my mailing address is:
Meredith Elkins
Apartment 3F/5
8 Mount Street
Auckland 1010
New Zealand

I have a NZ phone as well, that you can call with an international plan - +64 021 0309 365. I also have my bberry with me, so I can receive texts for free, but I may not text you back. Feel free to bbm me if you have a berry as well!!

Love to all,
Mer