Well it sure has been a while since I've last posted! I'm sorry about that! A lot has been going on here that has been keeping me quite busy! I'll now try to give a brief overview as to what I've been up to on my weekends, so that you're all fully updated on my outings and adventures!
This past weekend I was on a retreat with Student Life (NZ Cru) in Queenstown. It was nice to get off campus and get to see the adventure capital of New Zealand! In my free time I also got to go to this super quaint town called Arrowtown, where we found a a fudge shop and watched a pickup cricket game. As for the retreat itself, I really enjoyed getting to do worship and spend some time with the Lord, while in the lovely mountainous scenery that surrounds Queenstown.
The weekend before I was on a camping trip to Mount Cook! It was my first ever experience camping and it certainly was an experience! I'm pretty sure both nights I slept directly on top of a large pebble and it was probably the coldest I've been since arriving in New Zealand, but it was still really fun! There was one night were we got to lay on the beach under the stars and I have never seen them look more beautiful than they did on that night. There were no lights or clouds to impair our view and we got the bonus of having an awesome spiritual conversation with a new friend. All in all, a great night! (The below picture shows me at Mt. Cook)
The weekend before that one, I went to an absolutely BEAUTIFUL beach about 20 minutes from Dunedin called Tunnel Beach. In order to get there Alissa, a new friend named Brett and myself walked about a mile, took a bus, walked along a hilly path, climbed down a grassy cliff and arrived at this picturesque beach! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the warm weather was a welcome sight after the past couple of cold weeks. When we got down to the actual beach (there was a tunnel carved into the cliff that led to the beach) we saw a seal! We then enjoyed just playing in the waves (the water was VERY cold, but also refreshing after our walk!) and exploring. When we arrived home, we were all exhausted. Alissa looked it up on google maps and we realized we walked about 8 miles up and down cliffs and hills! We felt very fit indeed! (I promptly took a 2 hour nap when I got home. haha)
(Below is a picture of me at Tunnel Beach!)
(Above is a picture of Alissa and I again at Tunnel beach)Additionally that weekend, we went on a tour of the Dunedin Cadbury factory that weekend, which was quite enjoyable! Lots of free samples and discounted chocolate helped Alissa and I with the new chocolate diet we're trying. It's going very well.
(Below is a picture of me in an old fashioned Cadbury truck after the factory tour!)
As far as my time spent in Dunedin it has been pretty nice. I feel like I'm getting really used to the city and I definitely have some favorite places to eat, get coffee (which was high on my list of goals!) and great quiet time spaces. I have been loving going for walks in the Dunedin botanical gardens, which is basically in my backyard!
Besides those trips, I have just been keeping busy with my schoolwork and trying to keep myself out of trouble! If you have any questions, feel free to message me! Thanks for reading!
