There and Back Again: A College Tale

This weekend, a small group of us took a bus to New Plymouth, a smallish city on the west coast of the North Island. It was a four hour bus trip one way, but getting to see the ocean was worth the long, winding drive. We stayed in a nice hostel about a 25 minute walk from town, and the whole weekend cost me next to nothing! (Hostel hopping is the way to travel!) This weekend was incredible, and I can't believe how gorgeous this area of New Zealand is! But then again, I haven't seen anything but beauty since I've been here. I'm definitely planning on going back to New Plymouth when it gets a little warmer; it's by far my favorite place I've travelled thus far. (Plus, it was a still a little bit chilly to do some of the things I wanted to do.) Here are some pictures from my weekend! Haley took this picture without me knowing it, and I love it! I think it really captures the adventurous spirit of this journey. These boots were NOT made for walking. The

This weekend, some friends and I went on a bus trip to the Manawatu Gorge. It was kinda rainy and cold, but since we only paid $4 NZD to go, we really didn't mind. Even with the dreary weather, the scenery was beautiful, and we had a great time! The Manawatu River. Although I've heard a few different translations, "Manawatu"means "heart standing still" because Hau, the Māori explorer who discovered this region, was afraid that he wouldn't be able to cross the great river. Landslides happen fairly often here, and you can see the aftermath of the last one in this picture. This lookout was called "The Big Slip." The Manawatu rapids from above. On a clear day, you can see for miles from this point. Even though it was foggy, the green landscape was gorgeous. At the end of our trip, we visited the Te Apiti wind farm on the hills outside Palmerston North. Combining the fog and the windmills made for some pretty aweso

I wasn't planning on writing anything today, but something happened today that I think y'all would like to hear about. It ties in nicely with something that happened on a hike I went on last weekend! Last weekend , I went on a trip with some other Americans, and we hiked Rainbow Mountain on Saturday. On that hike, we met dozens of groups of people coming down the mountain as we were going up. It was obvious when the people we met were from the States, and Chandler and I got really excited when a group of people greeted us with, "Hey y'all!" About halfway up the mountain, we came upon a group of people that looked a lot like us: American study abroad students. A girl in their group said something like "Go Cats" or some mascot, and as they passed by, I responded with "Go Vols," without thinking anything about it. (I'm a Tennessee Volunteer. It's just what we do!) Almost instantly, I heard a familiar voice say, "Wait. Who's f

This weekend, I embarked on an amazing adventure on the North Island, along with eleven other Americans. On this trip, I stayed in a hostel for the first time (and had an amazing experience with it, by the way), hiked miles and miles of beautiful trails, and formed some pretty awesome friendships with the girls in our group. I saw some of the most gorgeous scenery I have ever scene, from misty mountains, to crystal clear waters, to majestic redwood forests. The pictures speak for themselves, although there's nothing like seeing New Zealand in person. I had to keep pinching myself, making sure that I wasn't dreaming! I believe God spent a little extra time creating the beauty that is New Zealand, and I'm so glad He did. :) Here are some pictures from our weekend adventure! Put twelve Americans in one minibus on the "wrong side" of the road, add some traffic jams, snowball fights, and old-school navigation and you get unforgettable memories and some frien