Exploring a Summery Week in Dunedin

Kia Ora!

This is my first entry, and I already have much to share. I flew into the south island of Dunedin, New Zealand (Aotearoa) on February 17th. Until then, I spent a week exploring the North Island of Aotearoa. I am attending the University of Otago for the semester. Last week was our orientation week, and the school offered many activities. In the span of 7 days, I have gone on 10+ adventures already.

1. The Octagon is in the center of the city. It is a 30-minute walk from my flat. It just so happened that an annual bagpipe festival was going on the day we explored the Octagon. Dunedin has a rich Scottish history and is a place for many Scottish buildings and events.
2. A 15-minute walk from campus, I happened to stumble upon the botanical gardens. With 26 hectares to explore, I will be going multiple times to be able to see it. I do plan on visiting the tropical nursery once winter sets in.

   

3. Growing up in Hawaiʻi, New Zealand feels so familiar to me. I think of New Zealand as a bigger Hawaiʻi. The Māori and Hawaiian cultures are so similar, I can easily pick up on some of the Māori words and customs. Another refreshing similarity is the kind-hearted people I met during my travels. It has been so easy to strike up conversations. Finally, an added bonus is the beaches. Although the water is cold, I know it’s been a great summer day when we spend hours at the beach.

   

4. In my flat, I live with 5 other international students and a Kiwi host. Every night around 7 pm, we have group dinners. We each reflect on our day or strike up an exciting topic. Learning how some of our cultures overlap or are completely different is fascinating. I am teaching one of my flatmates Hawaiian as she teaches me Spanish. For my shared dinner, I cooked one of my favorite Hawaiian dishes – shoyu chicken. I can gladly say that they all LOVED it!

   

5. Rugby is my new favorite sport. During O-week, a professional rugby game was taking place in Dunedin. The enclosed stadium is a 10-minute walk from my flat. The student section is called “The Zoo,” and it was filled with blue and yellow students on Saturday. Dunedin’s team is the Highlanders.

   

   Thanks to the great friends I have made in 1 week, I’ve got to see some spectacular places. The natural wonders surrounding Dunedin amaze me (go to #10). 

6. Signal Hill to see Dunedin’s cityscape

   

7. Bike Thrifting at the Otago University thrift store. All I had to do was fix up the tire treads myself then I got the bike for $20.

   

8. Otago International Food Festival and Saturday Farmers Market
9. A steep 1.5 mile hike to Tunnel Beach

   

   

   

   

10. Chasing the Aurora Australis – Southern Lights at midnight. This was a bucket list item of mine, and seeing these lights amazed me.

    

    Faith