I cannot believe that I am at the halfway point of my time in New Zealand already. In the past 4 weeks I feel as though I have done so much yet I still have many of my most anticipated things still yet to come. This week added to my surprise of how time has been passing here as it feels as though I just sat down to write my last blog.

The week itself was pretty similar to what I have become used to, though I was very productive and covered a large array of responsibilities. These ranged from writing blogs for a Samoa-based car rental company to creating social media posts for a local hotel. I also received a very insightful introduction to the Google Ads platform and now feel as though I would be able to use that tool if I found myself doing any small-scale personal projects related to digital marketing. As has been the case in previous weeks, I feel as though I am learning a great deal about digital marketing through my internship while also doing research on gorgeous destinations I hope to visit one day.

Outside of the internship, we celebrated Ryan’s birthday on Thursday night by going down by the harbor and enjoying the night out. Eventually we ended up finding one of the best cover bands that I have ever seen playing everything from the Strokes to the Rolling Stones. All of the songs came from a request box found next to the stage and a few of the songs that our group requested were played, making the night even more fun.

A photo of the band from while we were out

While I feel that I did not do much over the weekend, I made sure to spend a few hours each day seeing more that Auckland has to offer. On Saturday, Dom, Mary, and I went to the New Zealand War Museum and had an hour-long tour with a very sweet lady. The tour took us through much of New Zealand’s history: from dinosaurs to how the country is prepared for the possibility of volcanic activity under the ocean. My favorite exhibits from the museum revolved around the Māori population. The mix of artifacts and modern exhibits did a great job of painting the culture’s history and allowed me to gain an even deeper respect for New Zealand’s first settlers. I was also amazed by the major similarities and differences between how the British conquered New Zealand and Australia as it appeared that the Māori had more success defending their land for a period of time compared to the Aboriginal Australians.

Māori carvings from the museum

A map exhibit showing how the Māori people traveled the Pacific and settled the different islands

Sunday was my first great opportunity to go visit Rangitoto island, an adventure that I have been wanting to go on since Dom first told me about it his first weekend here. I packed my bag and waited for the 10:30 am ferry along with a large number of cruise-goers who had just docked about an hour beforehand. Nonetheless, the trails were not crowded and I enjoyed a little bit of alone time as I scaled the dormant volcano. I first went to walk through the lava caves, an amazing experience that I am so glad to have done. It was amazing how much cooler it was within the caves than it was outside and it was even more impressive to imagine how the tunnels were formed hundreds of years ago.

The entrance to the lava caves on Rangitoto

I then went for the summit. Peering over into the crater of the volcano was a very special experience that made me think about how interesting I found them as a child. This was complimented by both the exhibit on volcanos I had seen at the museum the day before and signs found along the hiking trail as I ascended the hike. I then walked around to a lookout facing Auckland and was amazed by the beauty of the bay water between Rangitoto and the city. I took in the view for a few minutes before walking the whole trail around the top of the volcano and slowly made my way back to the dock. This hike was one of my favorite things that I have done so far in New Zealand due to the stunning views and calm atmosphere of everything around.

Looking down into the crater

The view of Auckland from the top of Rangitoto

I looked today in my photos app and realized that 8 years ago to the date, a 12 year-old version of me had just landed and was about to experience this amazing country for the very first time. As a result, I am becoming increasingly excited to go back to Queenstown later this month. Unfortunately this week calls for rain nearly every day which may make it hard to enjoy Easter weekend. I am currently trying to make plans to travel to Rotorua but am still in the process of planning that. Additionally, this week is Sophie’s last meaning that I’ll be losing my internship and commute buddy but this may give me the opportunity to do some of the more creative projects that she has been working on and I have been super curious about. Nonetheless, I am excited for the next week and am sure I’ll feel as though I just sat down to write this blog again this time next week!