Kate Liggett, ISA Intern Abroad, New Zealand
The past week here has been a busy one. Last Saturday, I went with the group of interns I'm living with to Rangitoto Island, which is a dormant volcano just off the coast of Auckland. We took a short ferry ride to get there and spent the day hiking on the volcano and exploring old lava caves. The view from the top was absolutely stunning. It was great to spend the whole day outside, hiking and spending time with new friends. Below is a picture from near the top of the volcano and another taken from the ferry ride back to the city.
The past week here has been a busy one. Last Saturday, I went with the group of interns I'm living with to Rangitoto Island, which is a dormant volcano just off the coast of Auckland. We took a short ferry ride to get there and spent the day hiking on the volcano and exploring old lava caves. The view from the top was absolutely stunning. It was great to spend the whole day outside, hiking and spending time with new friends. Below is a picture from near the top of the volcano and another taken from the ferry ride back to the city.
Work has been great over the past few weeks! I've been learning a lot from the facilitators at Recreate, and I've been experiencing a lot on trips with them. It has been very cool to sit in on their meetings to learn a bit about how the business is run. I've really enjoyed getting to meet the participants at Recreate and learning how to work with an older population than I am used to. With Recreate I have gone to a rugby game, worked on Life Skills, explored Auckland for a weekend, and gone to Ohope Beach, which is supposedly (according to the signs there) New Zealand's favorite beach. This week I will be going on another trip to Mount Manganui for another Recreate getaway, and next week I am going to Recreate's National Camp where we will be doing whitewater rafting and other fun outdoor activities at the Blue Mountain Adventure Center.
As far as adjusting to living in Auckland goes, I am absolutely loving it here! Everything has been a huge change for me these past three weeks, but I haven't actually found it too challenging. The hardest part of living here has been figuring out the bus system. Other than that, I've been having an amazing time in New Zealand. I can't find anything to complain about. I could honestly see myself living here one day if I ever got the opportunity, but we'll see how the remaining 5 weeks go for me. I'm sure they'll be just as amazing as the first 3. I'm already getting a little sad about how short the time I have left in this beautiful country is, but I'm trying to cherish the time I do have and not dwell on it.
Check back in with the blog next week to hear about another getaway with Recreate and a weekend trip with the ISA interns!