During the spring of my junior year at the University of Washington, I was fortunate enough to be accepted onto an exchange program with the University of Auckland. For six months, when I wasn’t studying, I traveled both islands in New Zealand from north to south and met some incredible people.
With one last weekend to travel, Brian, Sarah, Ellie, and I go on one last roadtrip to Northland, New Zealand to sandsurf the famed Te Paki sand dunes.
With final exams around the corner, the squad and I pile into Ellie's old Rubynator and head down to the Bay of Plenty and Mount Maunganui for one of the last roadtrip weekends.
Living my childhood Lord of the Rings dreams, one step at a time in The Shire (aka Hobbiton).
Fresh off of South Island, the roadtrips continue. Destination this time? Ellie's relatives' place in Putaruru.
"Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the incredible, Screamin' Eagle of Soul: Charles Bradley."
Unfamiliar with sports such as rugby, I venture into my first experience with cricket.
Wasting no time, the gang and I roll out to our next roadtrip destination: Cathedral Cove.
With the first week of school in New Zealand under my belt, Brian and I hop out of Auckland with the tramping club to hike in the Waitakere Ranges.
Beautiful. Stunning. Captivating. Enchanting. Magical. No one word can fully capture the beauty that is the South Island of New Zealand.