Auckland

As the mid-semester break arrived, I had the opportunity to travel outside of New Zealand for a few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about Auckland…but the IES Abroad program’s trip to Rarotonga (an island in the Cook Islands) had left me dreaming of sunshine and warm weather for weeks.

Landing on an island where dark green vegetation crept to the vibrant blue of the coral reefs was my first introduction to this island paradise. I settled into a beachside room for the evening and spent one of many nights with the sounds of ocean waves in the back of my head.

The first day, I made my own sarong (a colorful wrap you can tie around your waist like a skirt), playing with paint rollers and long, rectangular pieces of cloth. I puzzled over weaving coconut leaves into ei katu (a Cook Island head crown with flowers) and tried to dance like the locals (a lot of hip shaking!). I also learned everything about climbing coconut trees and husking coconuts. Little did I know I would be addicted to the sweet taste of a nu (or young coconut, perfect for drinking) by the end of the trip.

Our group was later welcomed at the local community center with music and singing. I immediately knew I would love this break from school as I danced with local kids who giggled at my lacking moves—though they were much younger than me, they were incredible dancers. I ate from a bountiful table full of bowls of food I’d never seen before, dishes like taro (a starchy root vegetable), ika mata (a raw fish dish), papaya, and rukau (cooked taro leaves). I officially felt less like an outsider and more like a visitor on this friendly island.

Rarotonga is a paradise for those who never get tired of sand in their toes, sun-kissed skin, and living on “Island Time.” The coral reefs are within wading distance of the beach, where hours can be spent staring at fish, sea cucumber, or even a lucky octopus or moray eel. With afternoons of napping on the beach and evenings hanging out on the sandy shores a few steps from my bed, I enjoyed every day and night on the island. 

The night sky of Rarotonga (one of the best I've ever seen), lacking backlight from buildings or cars, was lit merely with stars and the Milky Way. Under these twinkling lights, I felt incredibly small, just one person on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.

Later, at the highest point on a cross-island hike, I could see 360-degrees around Rarotonga. Every coastal village, boat on the ocean, and person walking on the shore was a small dot from up high but I realized that though Rarotonga was small, the size of the island didn't matter. It was really the people I met, the new things I explored, and how happy I was while I was there that made Rarotonga take up a much bigger place in my heart.

Before coming to Auckland, I’d never heard of Rarotonga, or any of the other fifteen islands in the Cooks. Settled in the middle of the Pacific—almost halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii—my home for a week introduced me to a new culture and tons of new friends. I had so much fun with my IES Abroad group and couldn’t wait for my second week of mid-semester break, when I would be exploring more new places!

The ultimate tramping experiences in New Zealand are the Great Walks. These treks are famous for their length, the beautiful scenery, and the diversity in tracks. As several of my Auckland friends and I love to hike and camp, we traveled down to the South Island this weekend to do the Heaphy Track. Along the west coast of the South Island, we planned to take four days to hike the 78 km across mountains, plains, and beaches.

Day One: Equipped with tents, sleeping bags, warm clothes, and enough food for all four days, we started the trek in the late morning. This was one of the shorter days of about 17.5 km climbing up into the bush. It was quite foggy out and the clouds were quite low-hanging as we trekked to the first hut. As we arrived, it started raining quite hard and we decided to stay in the hut that night instead of pitching tents. A much warmer choice!

Day Two: Our longest and toughest day on the track! It drizzled most of the day as we left the forest and crossed the plains to the next camping site. It was still quite foggy, and we had several high creek crossings from the rain. We completed the 24 km of the day before sunset and ate a warm dinner. Several Kia (native birds that were very curious about our gear!) accompanied us at the camp sites as we settled in for the night.

Day Three: After a super cold night (we woke up with frost on our tents), we started the downhill part of the trek, down through the forest and out to the beaches of the west coast. The weather was beautiful and sunny, which made it much warmer for us. As our group was quite quick with hiking and took few breaks, we made it to the Heaphy Hut around mid-afternoon and pitched tents on the sloping grass that led down to the expansive beaches along the coast. We played cards and explored the beach before eating a warm dinner and getting a good night's sleep before our last day.

Day Four: Another beautiful day walking along the coast. Surrounded by palm trees and beaches, we felt like we were on a tropical island. We took a few breaks to sit in the sand, eat trail mix, and take a dip in the ocean! We reached the end of the track a few hours later and finally put our packs down after four days of trekking. Thankfully, it was our last and easiest day of hiking before heading back to Auckland. We spent the night in Westport, ate a lot of pizza, and flew back to Auckland the next morning.

The Heaphy Track was a fun and sometimes challenging adventure, but I’m excited to say I’ve completed my first Great Walk! We hiked outside of the tramping season in New Zealand, so there were very few other people on the track, and it was very cold some nights but definitely worth it. While I’m in New Zealand, I hope to complete as many of the Great Walks as possible. 

Happy hiking!

Isabelle