I apologize about the minimal detail in this entry. We did so much, that I just wrote the bare bones of what I remembered, its more like a list of events than an actual blog. Friday we caught the naked bus to the Auckland airport and took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. We stayed at the Airport Garden Hotel in the executive suite for the night. It a bedroom and living room style area, decorated in a modern way. After getting settled i...

I wrote this review for my Food Writing class. Review of The Bank Bar and Brasserie Corner of Victoria and Hood St., Hamilton Ph (07) 839 4740 Rating out of 10 Food: 7 Value: 9 Service: 4 Ambience: 7 Our meal: Approximately $150 for six mains, six drinks (one free), and a dessert. (With the Two for Tuesday deal.) Verdict: Inconsistent service and food quality. Many things were delicious and done to high standards; others were uncooked or done unprof...

This is the article I wrote for Nexus, the campus magazine. An online version of the magazine can be found at nexusmag.co.nz Kiwis: The Original GCs After a 25 hour plane ride, I arrived in New Zealand. In my travels, I met a nice Kiwi flight attendant, a hospitable Kiwi shuttle driver, and a friendly Kiwi resident assistant; I was sure that no one with the New Zealand accent could sound mean even if they tried. With this mentality, I found mys...

I spent Friday night at a Marae, a traditional Maori village and meeting place. The visit was largely formal and we had to partake in rituals such as taking our shoes off before entering the Marae, multiple church services, and the hangi (touching noses). When we arrived, we had to be welcomed on to the Marae by the Wharae (elder woman). She sang out a calling as the group of 80 students slowly walked towards the building we would be spending the night in. ...

We headed to Taupo last Friday afternoon. Once we got there, we checked out all the brochures in the lobby of out hostel and decided what kinds of things we wanted to do while we were there. Then we went to the hostel bar for the night. I met some cool people including a guy from Tasmania who does deep sea diving for half the year and travels for the other half. Pretty cool life, eh? The next morning, we woke up early and went to Taste Cafe. It had a rea...