Lauren in New Zealand

If you didn’t know, then here it is… I made it home safely. The goodbyes were sad but visits were promised, the flight was long and LA was a pain in the butt… but I got here eventually and ran into the arms of my very excited mom.

The drama of my return trip was missing my flight from LA connecting to Dallas and ultimatley to Raleigh, crying at the airport because NOBODY would help me with my 150lbs of luggage and then being told to wait in the ticketing line because I simply missed my flight. Ticketing then could only put me on standby which definitley would not guarantee me on overbooked flights and there I was overwhelmed in the middle of LAX. Lucky for me my dad travels a lot and got on the phone ASAP to get his little girl home, upgraded me to first class and got me home on the first flight he could… unfortunatley that meant I had a 12 hour wait in the LA airport. BUT i eventually made it, moral of the story… make sure you have plenty of time for connections and if you fly through LA, be warnedLAX is big and horrible.

Being home has been way better than I thought… I couldn’t find a job because I really only have 1 month until I move back to SC so I’ve basically been bumming around between Raleigh and our beach house in Emerald Isle. A couple of the friends I made in NZ live in my area so last week I had a cookout at my house with them and we also had NZ friends visiting from out of state. One of my best friends from NZ, Todd, stayed with me and went to the beach with me for about a week…. it’s strange seeing them outside of New Zealand but really great that we’re missing eachother already. Skype has come in handy for calling state-to-state and having our american cell phones back has me in constant communication with most of the people I met abroad.. oh and facebook, what would we do without it?

I wish I could begin to explain how amazing my whole experience in New Zealand was but I wouldn’t even know where to start. If you’ve kept up with my blog I think you have a good idea but it truely was an experience I will NEVER forget.

For now the adventure is over but I will NOT say the end… I will simply say “it’s to be continued.”

Miss you New Zealand. Glad to be home though

Map of Samoa just so you can place where I was...

Last week I went to Samoa in the Pacific Islands. My girlfriends and I stayed on the Island of Upolu at Lalomanu. We had an amazing experience and stayed in a beach hut or ‘fale’ right on the beach. The weather was gorgeous, especially in comparison to Auckland lately, and we got to snorkel in some of the best reefs in the Pacific Islands, sunbathe and learn a lot about the Samoan culture. The lifestyle in Samoa is so cool and for the most part they life in open houses or fales as well. I have a few Samoan friends at school in Auckland and I have to admit it was very hard to imagine them living in there! On the last day I took a bus to Apia, the capital, so I got to see a lot of the island and the city. If you ever get the chance I highly reccomend you go! It is soooo beautiful! Oh, and fun fact- the next season of Survivor is taking place in Samoa!

The beach at Lalomanu where we stayed!

Our beach fale, right on the water!

Snorkelingg..

Beryl and I went on a hike up to a cliffside at Lalomanu and the view was gorgeous!

I came back with a nice tan that my friends in Auckland were very jealous of and it made me very excited to come home to summer…

A Samoan performance..

Since I’ve been back I’ve been hard at work studying for exams. I had my first one yesterday and I came out feeling pretty good about it. The idea of pass/fail helps ease stress a lot! I keep looking at the calendar and from today I only have 15 days until I come home… it seems like yesterday I was saying to my parents “I can’t believe I’ll be in New Zealand in 15 days!”. Time has flown by. I have to admit though, if I have to leave (which sadly I do), I am pretty ready to come home. Can’t wait to see everyone!

Having dinner with my family in NZ!

Justine, Aaron, Me & Dave- Just before skydiving!

One of the hotspas we relaxed in!! We even had our own waterfall!

Aaron and I warming up in the hotspring on night

The Aratiatia Dam

After the dam gates opened the Waikato river would go from basically dry to this...

Huka Falls

OK, and now what you’re really interested in… Skydiving and Bungy Jumping!

Both were equally amazing but 2 totally different experiences. Honestly, with skydiving I had no fear- although watching your friends fall out of a plane is hard to wrap your head around- but with bungy jumping it was hard for me to make the leap knowing you had nothing but velcro strapped to your feet. I’ve included the link to my video for bungy jumping so you’ll get to see every second, I tried to upload it on here but its too big :(!

BUNGY JUMPING!

Click the blue link to see it. Lauren’s Bungy Jump Video!

Taupo Bungy Site

Just Before Jumping!

Whooooo!

AMAZING!

SKYDIVING!

The 4 of us, suited up and ready to go!

The landing field on the shores of Lake Taupo

My skydiving partner Phil... praying for a sweet landing.

Parachute open! So beautiful!

I think I had enough adrenaline rushes for the weekend but I would do either again in a heartbeat!

On the way home we stopped through Rotorua to show Dave where our study abroad experience first began at Kiwi Paka, walked around the hot springs and mud pits and Aaron and Dave both had their first New Zealand “fush and chups” while watching The All Blacks play on tv.

Return to Kiwi Paka where it all began...

Going back to Kiwi Paka was totally surreal because it seems like just yesterday we arrived- and today, I booked my flight home for June 28th and freaked out just a little bit. Next week is the last week of classes and friday I turn in my very last essay before exams. I can’t believe how fast time is flying. In a week and a half I am heading off to Samoa for a beach trip in the Pacific Islands with some girlfriends… can’t wait.

Hope you are all well! See you in a month! Ahh!

Aside from all the travelling, a lot of other things have been going on. On Tuesday night my flatmates and I hosted a Cinco de Mayo party… apparently nobody else in the world parties like the Americans do on this day so we had to show our kiwi friends how its done, although they did enjoy correcting our misconception that Cinco de Mayo is not in fact Mexico’s Independence Day… oops. Anyway, we had a great time and I adorned red lipstick and a green dress just for the occassion. Not sure, but I may have looked more like Christmas than the Mexican flag!

My flatmates (minus 1) celebrating Cinco de Mayo!

 Academically, things are going really well. I have gotten results from my last 3 essays that I totally stressed about and have made As and Bs. School is slowly winding down with only a month left of classes and then a 3 week exam period- but its down to the wire as I have a test next week and 2 essays due close to the end of May. Not bad overall though! Its really strange now though that everyone at home as finished and is heading home for summer, not to mention I have friends graduating this weekend!!

I’m still having tons of fun but there have been some moments where I have just wanted to break down. I’ve taken up walking/running at a park near my apartment and its sort of become my peaceful place. I got to the point where I needed a change and decided to cut my hair pretty short, which I have to admit was much scarier than even getting my tattoo. Its always strange though when you reach the realization that physical changes don’t change anything about you emotionally. Good lesson learned though. The other day I was talking to a friend on skype and I realized that this whole experience is teaching me so much and I am definitley changing, if I could put it into words I would but right now I can’t quite figure it out. My brother also recently got in a car accident and I had one of those “OMG why aren’t I home moments” but I know he understands. I really miss him though, and he’s leaving for Scotland for the summer so I won’t see him until August

My best attempt at showing you my haircut...

Anyway, hope you are all well! Congrats on graduating and have a great summer!!! Miss you!

Me with Chris and Don, who we stayed with, and one of their sons, Josh

Brisbane... or part of it.

Last weekend my flatmate and friend, Beryl, and I went to Brisbane, Australia to visit with family friends, Chris and Don. It was gorgeous and we were so welcomed into Chris and Don’s home. We had 3 fabulous days of shopping and exploring Brisbane, cuddling with koalas and hand feeding kangaroos at Lone Pine, sunbathing at Surfer’s Paradise on the gold coast and being treated to lots of great meals, as well as an Aussie Bar-b-que! By monday morning we did not want to leave and were not looking forward to the cooler weather and rain Auckland was promising. Definitley one of my favorite places I have seen, and would love to return to! Thanks Chris and Don for having us!

Beryl and I at Lone Pine

Hand Feeding a Kangaroo! It was so amazing!

The Beach at Sufers Paradise... needless to say we did not want to leave!

Cuddling with a Koala... Can I bring it home, please?

I feel like always have excuses for my lack of/delayed updates but this time I feel I have a fairly legitimate excuse. The day I came back from break I realized that someone had been racking up charges in the US on my credit card, so I had to cancel it.. this cancellation led to a delay in purchasing my external hard drive, which meant I couldn’t upload Australia pics which ultimatley meant I couldn’t update.. because what is my blog without photos!? haha moral of the story, watch your credit cards. I finally got it worked out, received my new credit card (thanks mom!) and here I am again. Phew.

Sydney

ANYWAY… while mom and dad were here we also spent 5 days in Sydney Australia before they flew back to the states. Sydney is a great city and has so much to do so it was well worth the trip…

A few highlights:

Classic Sydney Portrait

Sydney Opera House at night

The Sydney Opera House- Absolutely amazing. I couldn’t stop staring… or taking photos, haha. If you haven’t seen it, it really is a fabulous piece of architecture, gigantic and timeless. My dad said that he thinks it is his favorite building he has ever seen (which says a lot considering he’s been to Paris and a million other places filled with great architecture) so that also had me convinced. During the bridge climb - I’ll talk about later- our guide was telling us that the man who designed the Opera House ended up leaving Sydney before it was completed and he died before ever returning to see the finished product. So sad.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Bridge Climb.. almost at the summit!

The Sydney Bridge Climb- My dad and I did this while we were in Sydney and did the newest climb called “The Discovery Climb” where you not only climb to the summit of the bridge but you get to take catwalks, ladders, stairs, etc. through the heart of the bridge… I think this was the highlight of my trip. Just getting ready to climb was tough as they require you to wear a special suit, harness, belt with various accessories attached and a headstead and walkie talkie but it was so worth it. After 1,337 stairs, you reach the very top of the harbour bridge, 134 meters above sea level, and you can see for miles. We let out a big scream to celebrate reaching the summit, checked out John Travlota’s harborview house and then descended down the other side. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Bondi Beach

Bondi- They had these amazing tiled mosaics all over town!

Bondi Beach- famous for surfing and… shark attacks. AND absolutely packed full of people. I wasn’t a huge fan of the actual beach and you would never catch me swimming, especially since I couldn’t see the shark nets they supposedly have set up, but overall it was a really cool town and place to see.

Manly Beach

Mom and Dad having breakfast on Easter in Manly

Manly- another beach town in Sydney famous for surfing although again, I saw no shark nets. The town was really nice though and we celebrated Easter here with breakfast and wandered around the market.

Koala!

Kangaroo!!

Sydney Wildlife Adventure- OMG… it basically had every animal/insect that you can find in Australia and it was fabulous. I think I was most excited about kangaroos and koalas but it was still a really cool place to visit.

We did a lot of other cool things and ate at some really great resteraunts. We had a drink in the oldest pub in Sydney and we found 5 Flinns listed in the registry of convicts in the old convict museum/house. Overall, it was a great trip and I was bittersweet say goodbye to mom and dad at the end of it and head back to Auckland.

This weekend my flatmate, Beryl, and I are going to Brisbane and the Gold Coast in Australia so I can’t wait to tell you guys about that!

Miss youuu!

Queenstown

Sunset over Lake Wanaka

We went to South Island for 5 days and, thanks to friends of my Uncle, stayed in a gorgeous house in Wanaka about 40 minutes from Queenstown. I have to tell you though, driving on the mountain roads of the Remarkables and the Southern Alps always made the drive exciting and there were plenty of gorgeous views! On our first day we went to Arrowtown, an old gold mining town, and also did a jetboat ride in the Shotover Canyon. The shotover jet was so much fun and even mom loved it! Only in New Zealand can you twist and speed through canyons in 4inches of water! On our way home we stopped in at the world’s first bungy jumping bridge, Kawarau Bridge. I was fully prepared to get booked and take the plunge but dad wouldn’t have it and refused to watch me. We got some great pics though, and hopefully now that he’s gone, I’ll get to do it off the Auckland Harbor Bridge!

The Shotover Jet

Mom, dad and I on the Shotover

The First Bungy Bridge!

Although the next few days we had some rain, we took a drive to Glenorchy where a lot of Lord of the Rings was filmed. Most of the scenes are not accessible unless you do a guided tour but driving through was still beautiful. Later on in the trip we went to Deer Park which was also the location for a lot of Lord of the Rings filming.. they even had the camera location signs still up! I’ve included some pics for those interested so see what you recognize! Deer Park also had tons of animals on it that you could stop to feed so we got some great photos and I nearly kissed a llama!

Mom and Dad on the drive to Glenorchy

Lord of the Rings Camera Location

Deer Park.. almost kissed a llama!

Halfway through our trip my boyfriend and I broke up- I won’t say much and obviously its hard to handle while I am here but to keep my feelings in check and cheer me up my dad took me to… GET A TATTOO! I had my mind made up that I wanted to get a kiwi bird tattooed on my foot as a reminder of this amazing experience so my dad drove me all the way to Queenstown and not only watched me get it but also paid for it as part of my 21st birthday! He said it was much easier than watching me bungy… haha. Anyway, it wasn’t that painful and I am so happy with the results… what’s a better reminder than a permanent print on my body!?

Getting a tattoo!

The Final Product

I’m not sure how to top the tattoo story but on our very last day in Queenstown we woke up surrounded by snow-capped mountains and lucked out and after 4 days of calling and being told nothing but bad weather, we found one pilot who would fly us over the mountains to Milford Sound. Not only was the flight there spectacular but flying into Milford Sound itself was breathtaking. I think we were the only plane to make it over the mountains that day but I was so happy we did because I know it meant a lot to my parents that they got to see it and it was by far one of my favorite things I’ve done since I got here. On the way home I got to by co-pilot and Hank, our pilot, gave me a quick flying lesson and legit let me fly our plane until landing time… needless to say mom, dad and uncle pete were a little nervous but we all made it in one piece.

Flying to Milford Sound

Milford Sound!

Our pilot, Hank, and I

The tallest waterfall in NZ

Co-piloting

We arrived back in Auckland just in time for dad and I to grab a taxi and go to see The Killers in concert! Another amazing addition and finale to the first part of our trip. The next Saturday we flew to Sydney…

The Killers

The crowd at the Killers

Miss you guys! Thinking about you… Oh, and good news, I got a B+ on the first assignment I got back! Guess I’m balancing school/life better than I thought!

Just some of the viewsss...

After a hectic week full of essays, classes and catching up from last week it is FINALLY mid-semester break over here and I have 2 weeks off! Not that life is so hard over here that 2 weeks is much needed but nevertheless it’s time off from school. Mom and dad are still here AND…

WE JUST ARRIVED IN SOUTH ISLAND!!!

Flew into Queenstown today and passed over gorgeous views of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps. Arrived at about 3pm and took a gondola straight up to the top of  a mountain to see the views… unfortunatley, no photos in this post as I forgot my camera usb but ASAP on Wednesday.

Lots of exciting plans while we are here, weather permitting. Heading back to Auckland on Wednesday because dad and I have tickets to see The Killers!

Hope you are all well… Thinking of you down South!

I probably should have included this in the first post but better now than never and it might come in handy over the next few weeks when I’m explaining my adventures through South Island. You’ll find a lot of the places I’ve already been to on this map but obviously it’s not super detailed. I’m in Auckland which is on North Island… the name is in bold. Hope this helps!