Week 1

Kia Ora!
We finally arrived to the University of Waikato late Sunday after a vigorous and fantastic couple of days in the Northern point of the North Island. Immediately when we arrived in Auckland, we saw two different volcanos and tons of hardened lava rock. That was the relaxing day to get settled into our new environment. The following days consisted of hours or travelling. We visited the Waipoua Kauri Forest and saw the Kauri trees, which are the second largest trees in the world. We spend two nights at the Bay Adventurer hostel in the Bay or Island. On out second day in the Bay of Islands we took a coach bus to Cape Reinga which is the most northern point of New Zealand. Here we saw where the Tasman Sea met the Pacific Ocean. The sites are unbelievable. We had a great lunch on the Taputapuka beach where we also had our first swim in New Zealand. The water was a little cold, but very clear and beautiful. After lunch we went to the HUGE sand dune and went sand boarding. It was one of the greatest things that I’ve ever done. I flew down the dune three times. It was an incredible rush. After sand boarding we drove down 90-Mile beach in our coach bus. The beach is actually only 64 Miles long, but they call in 90 Mile to attract tourist. We took sand sample from every beach to compare them in a lab at the university. The weather had been sunny the whole time we have been here. The landscapes are beautiful and change all the time. We would be in the middle of no where and all of sudden where at a beach. It’s crazy. The trip has been very educational having been exposed to tons of stuff that we are about to learn about. Classes start on Wednesday!!!!!!
Cheers Mates
~Michael J. C.