I am currently sitting on the airplane going from Houston to Newark. What a ride it has been and I am so upset having to leave, but excited about my incredible experience abroad. I have been traveling for over 26 hours and I am exhausted. Yesterday morning, I caught a shuttle to the Dunedin Airport and flew to Auckland International which was a little over two hours long. After a 2-hour layover and an entire pizza, we boarded the next flight which was Auckland to Houston. Originally, I was supposed to fly to San Francisco, but because of the wildfires New Zealand Air rerouted my flight to avoid delays. I was very appreciative of this because I couldn’t image my 26-hour travel time being any longer. After I arrived in Houston and rechecked my bags, I went a grabbed a sandwich and boarded my next flight to Newark where I am meeting my parents then driving 2 hours home.
Looking back on my semester abroad, I feel like I grew so much as a person. Experiencing a culture that is so different from mine is remarkable. I have met the coolest people during this experience that taught me so much about myself and the world. That may sound cheesy, but it is 100% true. I saw so many amazing places and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be back to New Zealand. Here is a list of my favorite places and things I did!
- Ski the Remarkable mountain range
- Auckland
- Wellington
- Road trip to the Catlins
- Camping at Long Beach
- Dunedin Botanical Gardens
- Beach Trip to Devonport
- Queenstown Weekends
- Snorkeling in Fiji
- Skydiving
- Milford Sound
Those are just a few of my favorite things and I will be back to experience everything I didn’t have time for this trip. So with that being said, I’ll see you soon New Zealand.