Ready, Set, New Zealand!

Time for a little change of scenery. After two years on the dusty plains of Senegal, I decided that the next stop on my international tour had to be GREEN! So far, New Zealand has proven to be a wise choice, with some of the most extraordinary flora I've ever seen, bursting at the seams. I've come to New Zealand to start a Masters program in Environmental Management, drink lots of good coffee and go on lots of great adventures(in no particular order, though NZ is the adventure sport capital of the world). After 28 hours of flight time on 4 different airplanes, I hopped off to beautiful weather and took to the city- a rolling, San-Francisco-esque place with hints of British colonialism, Pacific Island heritage, Chinese and Japanese food infusions and enough accents and languages walking through the streets to feel very international indeed.

Aotearoa, the Maori name of New Zealand. Art by Justin Campbell

I've only been here one week but it feels like much more. Each day has been packed with tours of different neighborhoods, incredibly varied weather(sunny and hot, windy and cold, gale-force winds, horizontal rain, etc.) and an assortment of cultural experiences from a weekend at the Horse Races to a tour of the national museum, to bouldering on the wharf and lazy afternoons sprawled out on various beaches. I've done a fair share of walking, but despite Wellington being the capital it can be traversed in about 45 minutes on foot, so I've started to get a pretty good handle on my surroundings.

I've also developed a penchant for good coffee shops in the last year that's a little difficult to explain, but whether or not it's a good thing it has become more than a trivial interest. Fortunately for me, Wellington has an amazing coffee culture, and there are literally dozens of interesting places each with its unique style and blends. A staple of my daily routine has been trying out new and interesting places, searching for the creme de la creme. Expect to see a fair share of coffee posts in these pages.

Coffee Craft at 'Mojo Coffee'

My first excursion out of the city was to the annual Horse Races north of the city, where about 20,000 people show up dressed to impress, some in period English clothing- there's even a hat competition for the ladies. A day full of unsuccessful betting ensued. We had to console ourselves with an abundant amount of wine- and thus I was introduced to New Zealand's favorite pass-time(drinking!). The summer months are full of activity, and the city is abuzz with foreigners on vacation and locals trying to soak up the pleasant weather.

We bet on the wrong horse, again and again and again...

Dressed for the Occasion

I'm planning on taking full advantage of the good weather myself, so I've decided to buy a motorcycle and head off on a mini-tour of the Islands to get out the urge to move before I settle into my studies. This weekend promises good rock climbing on Lake Taupo in the center of the North Island with a group of friends from the university, and then I'll jump on a ferry to the South Island to explore wine country, careen down winding mountain roads and hopefully throw myself off a cliff or two(bungee attached, of course). I've acquired an old bike with great character that I've lovingly dubbed 'The Grouch," and tomorrow we set off on our first adventure together. All of this may be the fault of my older brothers, who put the notion of NZ in my head to begin with, so Matthieu and Justin, THANK YOU.