In the spring of 2001 I attended the University of Auckland on the North Island of New Zealand. I went through Butler University, who organized my housing, orientation and class registration. The biggest advantage of going through a host university was that Butler booked the group flight, and planned out the first week, complete with meals and orientation activities, which made it much easier to adjust to the kiwi culture and to meet other students studying in Auckland. I took all humanities classes while there, including a History of New Zealand course, taught by a native Maori (the indigenous peoples of NZ). I recommend taking a NZ history or cultural class because it gives you a much greater appreciation of the people of the country and you will most likely be able to visit many of the areas discussed in class.

I can’t brag enough about the amazing country of New Zealand. I choose to study there because it looked gorgeous in pictures, it’s a very clean, “nuclear-free,” friendly country and, most importantly, no one I knew was going there. NZ is a stunning country, with rolling green hills, the brightest blue harbors, glaciers, fiordlands and plenty of adrenaline-rushing activities. I bought a car when I got there for the bargain price of $250 (far from a lemon!), so I was able to see the entire country very cheaply. Every weekend, I was road tripping somewhere with a group of friends (classes were obviously not that demanding). And in the two weeks we had off for Easter break I made it all way around the South Island. The highlights of the trip were: bungy jumping (where the sport was born and is claimed to be the safest place in the world to jump), canyoning, hang-gliding, zorbing (basically rolling down a hill in an inflatable ball), climbing up Franz Josef glacier, kayaking, and of course, “tramping in the bush”. There’s so much to do…all I can say is to try it all, you won’t regret any of it!

My study abroad semester is easily my most memorable college experience. I gained a unique view of the world and met a lot of both kiwi and international students. NZ was a good fit for me because it is a very active, outdoorsy culture with so many ways to explore and do some crazy stuff that would never be allowed in the US without first signing a stack of legal release forms!