For my semester abroad I chose to study in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand, is composed of a series of volcanoes and islands. Auckland’s temperate climate year round and the fact that it’s surrounded by water makes it a popular destination for sailing fanatics.
I always knew I wanted to study abroad, but was pretty lost over where to go. Before I committed to studying abroad here I had considered going to practically every continent on earth. I finally decided upon New Zealand for a few reasons. First of all, I love being outdoors, however living in College Park, Md., doesn’t exactly give me plenty of opportunities to experience it. New Zealand is very well known for it’s natural environment, and even if you have no interest in hiking or camping you would most likely find the scenery here breathtaking.
Most people come to New Zealand for its hiking and camping opportunities, or maybe because they just really like Lord of the Rings. I personally love the natural aspect that New Zealand does so well. I joined the canoe club, which is a bit of a misnomer because we don’t canoe at all only white water raft and river kayak, at my university here. I had kayaked before, but only on lakes, never on rapids. I’ve already been on two canoe club trips since I’ve been here, and found that they’re an inexpensive way to travel the country, a great way to meet people and provide some of the most beautiful views of untouched rivers and countryside I could ever hope to see here.
During our orientation we went abseiling (rappelling down canyon walls and waterfalls), which was probably the most amazing outdoor adventure experience I’ve had since I’ve been here. If you like extreme activities and the outdoors, you will never get bored in this country.
The concept of going abroad to New Zealand seemed so foreign and far away to me initially, but now that I’m here I don’t know why I never considered it earlier. The overall culture here is pretty similar to the United States (and also has the element of the traditional Maori culture) and there is no language barrier, so if you’re interested in an experience where you can bond fully with the locals this is a good country to come to.
I initially wanted to go abroad somewhere with a different language, but when I realized I would have to take language courses at university I changed my mind, because I’d already fulfilled my language requirement. If you study abroad in a country with another language you are required to take a language course. When you study abroad you have a maximum number of class you can take (four at my university) so taking a language course would have meant that I couldn’t take another course that would help me graduate on time. Studying abroad is a great way to fulfill a language requirement if you have one though.
Another important thing to consider when deciding where to study abroad is the cost of the culture you’re going to. If you’re travelling on a strict budget, then countries like Thailand are a great choice. My best friend is currently studying abroad there and is actually saving more money by studying there then she would if she had stayed in Maryland for the semester. New Zealand unfortunately is on the other side of the scale: everything here is more expensive than I’m used to. Certain things, such as make-up, are way more expensive than in the U.S., because New Zealand is such a small country and is located pretty far away from all the places it imports from.
So far I’ve only travelled around the north island, (New Zealand is composed of a north and south island; Auckland is located in the north) but have been blown away by some of the sites I’ve seen. My favorites so far were Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula, a strip of beach dotted with amazing rock formations carved out from erosion, and Tongariro National Park. While in Tongariro we did the alpine crossing, considered to be the best day hike in New Zealand. The landscape of the hike was an unbelievable mix of grassy rolling plains, rock-covered mountains and volcanic craters. The highlight of the trek was seeing the emerald lakes: lakes that because of their mineral content are the most vivid hue of seafoam green I’ve ever seen. The best way to see New Zealand is by foot. Even if you’re not a hiker you’ll become one because you’ll fall in love with the scenery.
Due to expenses and the fact that New Zealand is pretty isolated there aren’t as many opportunities to travel here as there are in Europe. However, having said that, Fiji and Australia are extremely accessible. I stopped in Fiji for a few days on my way over here, and when I say I’ve never seen a more beautiful place in my life I’m not exaggerating. The water was bath water temperature, the skies were sunny every single day, the locals were incredibly welcoming and the island I stayed on literally had no other tourists on it besides my group. If that wasn’t paradise it was an extremely close runner-up. Also, there is so much to do in New Zealand itself that you don’t need to go anywhere else. I’m here for five months and I’m worried I won’t be able to see everything I want to see.
Personally, I love studying abroad here and despite any less-than-favorable factors that go along with being here, such as the expenses, wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I haven’t been to the south island of New Zealand yet, which is the significantly more wild part of the country that people typically come to New Zealand for, but I’ve already fallen in love with the regions of this country I have seen. If the south island is as beautiful and majestic as everyone says it is then coming home might become a problem.
And if you need any more convincing to come here then consider this: the seasons are reversed so when I got here in February it was the end of their summer. I’ve been enjoying clear, sunny skies and 75 degree weather ever since, while all my friends at home post pictures of their snow-covered backyards and my abroad friends in Europe are bundled up in their heavy parkas.
Cheers! (as the locals would say)