Rugby, Zealandia, Uni & Gelato

Rugby field.

Westpac Stadium

Rugby Madness!

A couple weeks ago I went to my first ever rugby match! I still don’t know exactly how it works, but I had one of the guys I know explain the basic rules to me. It seems that a lot of Kiwis don’t even know exactly how it is played. But I guess that’s how I feel about American football; I know the general idea, but I couldn’t explain all the penalties and rules. Anyway, the game was very exciting! It was the Wellington Hurricanes that were playing at Westpac stadium which is about a 20 minute walk from my flat. It was similar to being at a professional football game with lots middle-aged men yelling and getting really into it. It was exciting. J And “The Canes” won in the last second! I’m not 100% positive how they won, but they did! And it is always exciting when your team wins. In September, I will be going to an All Blacks rugby match which is the national NZ team and I am so excited! They are playing Argentina and it should be a very good game. I just need to learn a few more of the rules before going this time so I’m not as confused.



Free banners at the game. Go the Canes!

Zealandia: The Karori Sanctuary Experience

Last week my friend Isabella and I spent a few hours at Zealandia which is a huuuuge bird sanctuary that’s pretty close to where I live. It is inside this forest with different trails, bridges, and a dam to walk across. There are spots where you can see native birds to NZ which was actually really cool (even though I’m not a huge fan of birds). NZ has a lot of native birds and a lot are flightless (the Kiwi is their national bird which is also flightless and adorable). Fun fact: The only native mammal to NZ is a bat. Therefore, the ancient birds that once lived here had no predators they needed to fly away from and therefore, through evolution, lost their ability to fly. Fascinating! It was a beautiful day too! You have to take advantage of the days it doesn’t rain because when it does rain, you just want to stay in bed all day. Brrrr.

First couple weeks of Uni

I officially have 2 weeks of Uni (that’s what they call college here) in NZ under my belt. So exciting to be in a new place, but it definitely takes some adjusting. I originally didn’t sign up for any psychology courses, but after going to my first couple days of class I decided that I missed psychology. I guess that means I picked the right major… haha. So I ended up dropping a music course and picking up a psychology one called “Issues in Human Development.” So far it’s only been review from my previous courses, but I’m excited about the rest of the semester. I am also taking an Asian religions course and one called “Cinema of New Zealand.” I think both should be moderately interesting. Do-able. Ha.

University here and back home have some differences, but overall quite similar. I have lectures and discussions for each of my classes. There is a lot of reading to do and you are expected to keep up with it. Unlike some courses back home, there is often very few things that factor into your final grade in the class. For example, one of my courses only has 2 tests and a paper. So I don’t really have a lot of room to slack. However, the grading scale is much different here. 85% is an A and 50% is a C. There are even such things as “A+”!!! I hope to get my first ever A+ while I’m here. J Probably in my psych course.

Besides schoolwork, I have been spending more time getting to know the city and planning my semester break trip. Last night I went bowling at this fancy bowling alley (nothing like the smelly bowling alleys back home) and that was fun! I joined the campus “tramping club” which is hiking. They plan weekend trips to places around Wellington and teach us the ins and outs of tramping. There is also some opportunity to do rock climbing and bouldering which I might try to get in to.

Gelato worth getting pneumonia for...

I had thee most amazing gelato ever the other night. It was pouring rain outside, but me and few girls decided we were still going to make the hike down the hill into town to get some gelato. And boy, was it worth it! There were probably around 20 flavors. It was completely worth getting soaked on the way there. I chose mint-chip and biscotti (which was like cookies and cream) and it came on the most delicious waffle cone ever. I feel like I might stop by that place a lot… and that could be dangerous.

I am in the process of planning a weekend trip to the Waitomo caves. I want to go black water rafting and explore the glowworm caves. I can’t wait!