Kia ora! New Zealand, the home of the Maori people, kiwi bird, and people with a wickedly sarcastic, yet cynically dry sense of humor has been a great home for the last few days. I arrived on June 5th exhausted and alone in Auckland. After some much needed coffee, wifi and delicious eggs benedict, I took the day to explore the city-center and Warf.
The next morning me, my friend from Rochester, and her friends from her Spring program in Sydney all embarked on a nine day journey around the North Island of New Zealand. The trip has been fantastic. We have done everything from sitting in natural hot baths on the beach, to observing glow worms (or maggots with glowing poo), to visiting the set of Hobbiton in the rolling New Zealand countryside.
Above all, the best part of the trip has been meeting the travelers and natives along the way. We have been traveling on a commercial bus tour for college aged backpackers, with a hop-on/hop-off mentality. Currently, we are the only Americans, which has made for a very engaging experience. In addition to meeting and learning about New Zealand culture and life-styles from the people we meet during different activities, we have made friends with amazing people from Germany, England, Finland, Canada, and more.
With a short stay in Sydney on the horizon, I am looking forward to arriving in Cape Town in another short nine days.
Christina Smiros
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<div><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Hi All! My name is Christina and I am thrilled to be in Cape Town. Originally from Long Island, I study Neuroscience and Studio Arts at the University of Rochester. With a life long passion for photography and medicine I am delighted to be documenting my experience in South Africa through a Public Health lens, but don't be surprised if there is also a lot of pictures of food, people and tourist-y things.</span></div>
