Weekly Blog #13

You want to leave a note for the next student who will stay with your host family/in your dorm room/in your apartment; What traditional aspects of your host city would you recommend experiencing? What one site should he/she visit? What one restaurant should he/she visit? What one food should he/she eat? What one piece of advice would you give to this student as he/she prepares to begin living in your host city?

Auckland, New Zealand is a city filled with a million different things to do, tons of different food to try, and tons of places to see.

One of my favorite places to visit was the downtown area, on the water. The best restaurants and bars are in the Viaduct Harbor, where all of the the sailboats are docked. The restaurants are right on the water, and you can watch the sun set over the harbor.

I would definitely recommend walking up and down Queen Street, it is the busiest street with the best shops. A lot of the best lunch places and little boutiques are located on streets directly off of Queen Street. I loved shopping at magichollow, a vintage store that sold cut off T-shirts and distressed jeans.

Just outside of Auckland is a suburb called Mount Eden. It is a small suburb with a few stores and restaurants, but the main attraction is a small inactive volcano. It is now a park that one can hike up and get a great view of downtown Auckland and the surrounded suburbs. Its easy to take the train to the station and its a easy walk to get some fresh air and great views of the harbor.

Another one of my favorite things to do in Auckland was hangout in the park. Auckland has a lot of green space, from Albert Park to the Domain. When the sun is out, hundreds of people will be in the park hanging out on blankets and drinking smoothies.

My favorite food to get in Auckland was a wrap from the smoothie place known as Tank. The wraps are cheap, healthy, and delicious. I would eat them for lunch if I didn't have time to cook, or anytime I was out on the town and wanted a cheap, healthy meal.

Another one of the best things to do is rent a car and drive. New Zealand has so much to offer, so many places to see. A lot of it is outside of the city. You can hike all day, explore national parks, visit hot water beaches, and so many more things. Driving itself is a treat, the rolling green hills and distant mountains are so beautiful.

Another great thing about New Zealand is the people. Auckland is filled with people from a lot of different countries and walks of life, and its great to get involved with the community and try to meet as many people as possible.

I loved my time in Auckland. New Zealand is an amazingly beautiful country with so much to offer. It is an amazing place to study abroad, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in visiting.