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