Submitted by Emily St. Pierre on the 2018 winter session program in Australia and New Zealand sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…
My first few days in Auckland, New Zealand have already been amazing! As soon as I stepped out of the airport, I could tell how beautiful New Zealand is. The warm air and palm trees were extremely welcoming, especially with the freezing temperatures and snow back home. Right off the bat, our group was on a bus tour of Auckland, learning about the history and familiarizing ourselves with the surrounding area. One of our first stops was to the tallest volcano in Auckland, Mount Eden. Don’t worry though, the volcano isn’t active and hasn’t erupted in hundreds of years. The volcano appeared to be more of a grassy hill, but the view from the top was breathtaking. We were given a 360 degree view of Auckland, looking down on the city and the surrounding water.
Although, I did not experience much culture shock, a few differences between the U.S. and New Zealand quickly jumped out at me. First, cars drive on the left side of the road. This was a crazy experience to me, as I kept thinking we were going to crash. Also, it was very difficult to find a simple iced coffee, since most people in New Zealand drink hot lattes or espresso. There is not much of a language barrier since a majority of the population speaks English, but the Kiwi accent could be difficult to decipher at times. Words like “rubbish” and “lift” are used instead of the American terms of garbage and elevator.
I cannot wait to explore the rest of this city and see more of beautiful New Zealand!
