Dunedin

On my 22nd birthday I got on a plane in Rotorua and headed down to Wellington (NZ capital). The plane was much different than the first Air New Zealand flight I was on, much similar to something out of the Ironwood airport.

Our GlobaLinks group traveled together which was really nice. We weren't in Wellington for very long before our final flight into Dunedin. 

Everything went surprisingly smooth and we were each shuttled to our flats (where we live, similar to a town home). It was a strange experience being dropped off at this new place in a new country all by myself. No one was home so I gave myself a tour and started unpacking.

One issue I have is the location of our microwave. Let's remember that I'm 5'1". 

 I first met my kiwi host, someone from NZ that stays with international students. I have four other flatmates, 1 US girl, 1 US guy, 1 Canadian girl, and 1 Brazilian guy. I live pretty close to campus and right next to the river. The area where the students live reminds me of CMU's layout if I lived around Main Street. 

For my first night in Dunedin, a few of us hung out at a fellow GlobaLinkers flat. His kiwi host found out it was my birthday and made me a cake from scratch!! This was my first indication how friendly the kiwis are.

That next week is kind of a blur. There were so many new experiences. We had an orientation session with a quick tour around campus. 

I had my first experience at the grocery store. Needless to say, prices are much higher than I anticipated. I have been thinking of everything in USD so I am pleasantly surprised when I see that I didn't actually spend $8.99 on a box of Fruit Loops. I have actually been eating rolled oats with peanut butter for breakfast because it breaks my heart that cereal and milk are so expensive.

(Milk is around $4/2L which is about $8/gallon or $6.70 USD) ANYWAY, groceries are more than I anticipated as a result of gas being so much. The country is an island so everything needs to be imported. The main ports are in the North Island and I'm in the southern portion of the South Island. I can say however, you can buy the cheapest food here and the quality is much better than the cheap stuff back in the states. Pam's is New Zealand's  "Great Value" brand so she always hooks it up!

I also invested in a brand new phone! Now I can contact everyone in New Zealand with my $8/month call only plan! If anyone in the states would like to reach me and you haven't figured out how, install Viber on your smart phone. It has been working great and I'd recommend it to anyone traveling abroad who has access to wifi.

Dunedin is surrounded by beautiful day hikes. We went up to the reservoir one afternoon. and came across all of these  little gems...

The coast is only about a 20 minute bus ride from the university. These photos were taken at St. Claire Beach.

During O-week (orientation week before classes start) there are events going on everyday. This is of sports day where you can sign up and play touch rugby, soccer, volleyball, and netball. I got a free T-shirt out of it too :)

Dunedin is a beautiful place and mostly a university town. Similar to Mount Pleasant in more ways than I had expected. The people I have met so for are wonderful and the views are never less than breathtaking.(Knox church)

CHEERS!

CA