AustraLearn Study Abroad Program

If you're a student from United States coming to New Zealand. I highly recommend going through AustraLearn. For real.

Things that AustraLearn did to not only get me to New Zealand but also, learning about, adjusting to, and living in here in New Zealand:

Attempt at Mount Taranaki *fail*

So here was the original plan: renting a car again for the weekend and driving to Egmont National Park (near New Plymouth) and tramping (hiking) Mount Taranaki aka the most dangerous of all mountains to climb in New Zealand. We were planning on getting there and doing some light hiking for the rest of the day then camping out for the night.

Then on Saturday flipping morning we would get up around 5 am and depart for the summit by 6 am. It says it is about a 8-10 hour return tramp, so we would be done by around 4 pm. Then we would just hike some other stuff or relax or find something cool to do. Then Sunday we would probably check out New Plymouth and maybe a beach and chill, until leaving to drive back around 4pm. We would be back in Hamilton around 7pm. It would be $60 for the car for the weekend and then gas money.

That was the plan.

We even bought beer with mountains on the can. Serious.

Bassnectar

Went to Bassnectar with friends on a Wednesday night. Drove up to Auckland with a fellow student and his friend that I had met the day before for about 15 minutes. We went to a pre-party that a large bit of my AustraLearn friends were putting on. Then we walked up to the concert. It was total madness.

Hitchhiking, Waihi, Lake Taupo, Raglan. All in one weekend

A friend and I decided to hitchhike 160 km (99.34 miles) from Hamilton (New Zealand) up to Cathedral Cove. At least that was the plan. This ended up being a wild turn of events... anyway we ended up not getting totally there, but found this really awesome tiny gold mining town called Waihi with tunnels and everything open to the public.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Mount Ngauruhoe a.k.a Mount DOOM

Let me start the post out like this:

The top of Mt. Doom also known as Mount Ngauruhoe. Boom.

We (AustraLearn students studying at Waikato University in Hamilton, New Zealand) took a Naked Bus into Whakapapa, which is on the north side of Mount Ruapehu. We stayed at the National Park Backpackers in the campsite. For the future, I am not keen (cool) on paying $14 for a "campsite" when the national park a.k.a free camping is right down the road. But I digress. 
We set up tents, drank some double browns and called it a night.

Don't go with the flow. Flow with the go.

I challenge you to Flow with the go

Everyone knows the saying "go with the flow" it means to let go of control and just go with what is happening. Urban dictionary is a pretty good definition. Go with the flow is also a pretty awesome song by Queens of the stone age... But in the context of life and social sense...

I can't stand this.

Manifesto

This was an adventure to create. It is what I want to live my life by. See if you can read it. Most of you won't give a flying crap.

PharynMed Update

WE JUST GOT A LICENSE DEAL WITH MIAMI UNIVERSITY!

Tauranga Weekend

Feb 26
A group of us AustraLearn students (14 total) headed to Tauranga for the weekend. While on the bus there (we took Intercity Coach for $45).
I was sitting next to a pacific island dude, with the full shorts tattoo called a moko. A moko is a series of tattoo patterns that represent the wearer's genealogy, social status, and history. This site is pretty solid to explain Maori tattoo's. The art form of the moko is still very much alive here in New Zealand, I see Maori and pacific island people everywhere with these beautiful tattoos. So much better looking then the flames and skulls and other white trash tattoos of the states.

Go give blood

So I just gave blood to help out with the earthquake that happened in on February 22, 2011 in Christchurch, New Zealand through NZBlood. This earthquake was a huge ass quake registering in at 6.3 on the Richter scale and left 166 confirmed dead.

Week two of New Zealand

February 20th
Went to the local art show at the Hamilton Gardens. Went and saw Luke Thompson, a Wintech student was playing, this was really cool. He was really good, awesome chill and wine music. After seeing Luke some of my American friends showed up and we jammed to Knights of the Dub Table, which is some good funky beach music.

"All the world's a stageAnd all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts."

 After Knights of the Dub Table, we walked up the lawn and saw "As you like it" a Shakespeare play.

 

Getting to New Zealand and Culture Week in Rotorua

Day one February 11th 2011:

Left Cleveland - excited but got super sad, especially when mom and dad were crying as I got on the plane. Super cool though, the ticket lady allowed them to go through security and to the gate with me. It was great to spend the extra 30 minutes with them.

 

Arrive in LA - Met my cousin Nicole (and shopping examiner for Examiner.com) and had a great dinner with her. Got on the Air New Zealand plane headed to New Zealand, sat in the very last row right next to the bathroom... For 13 hours. Slam flush slam. Plus the girl I was sitting next to was super