Hi Guys! With majority of my midterms being finished last week, I started off my two week mid-semester break by embarking to Queenstown (in the South Island) and Australia with Sam! It is crazy to think how time flew by so fast and I am still amazed over the places I've seen and the things I've done in both of these places. Here are a few snippets of my adventures so far!! Above here is Lake Wakatipu! Trust me, the view is way better in real life. But anyways, Queenstown is known for its natural views and is a quaint town. Coming here was so peaceful yet unnatural since I've always lived in an urban area all my life. If you ever go to Queenstown, make sure to stop by The Remarkable Sweet Shop! They are known for their fudge and they allow you to try many different flavors. My personal favorite was the birthday cake fudge! Cromwell is a town next to Queenstown which is known for their fresh fruits. There are many fresh fruit stalls here so be sure to try their pears, peaches and apples! If you do have time, I would recommend seeing Mt. Cook which is New Zealand's tallest mountain. However, it's a three hour drive to get there from Queenstown so we did a day trip tour through Queenstown Transfers. They did all the driving while we got to see spectacular views in Cromwell, Lake Pukaki and my favorite...the animals. In all my life, I have never seen so many sheeps and cows in one place! And then they even had deers and other critters roaming around! When we finally reached Mt. Cook, we hiked to get a better view of the mountain and visited the various monuments around the area. Sydney, AustraliaComing from Queenstown to Australia was a huge difference in weather. The weather currently in Australia reminds me of back home while Queenstown is super cold so be sure to pack a warm jacket if you are heading there. Sam and I were lucky enough to stay in the Bondai area so the beach was a five minute walk from us! In terms of the beach, the sand was softer than most beaches in Hawaii but other than that, this beach is pretty much the same! While at Bondai, there are also beautiful walking trails to take and everywhere you go, you will see someone walking their dog. I have never seen such a dog friendly city so it warms your heart seeing so many dogs around you. Above is the infamous Sydney Opera House. While we did not see a show here, it was still cool to check out the architecture of this amazing building. The picture above was taken at North Head which is the closest you can get to bush (greenery). It is a 30 minute drive from the Manly area and these trails have lots of military history to them. They have memorials, forts and posts along the trails so I highly recommend checking it out. However, just be careful when you're hiking in Australia. While Sydney doesn't have that much crazy wildlife like in the outback, you should be cautious wherever you hike. This hike fortunately was well maintained and had a map to guide you so we felt a little safer knowing where to go. Above are two pictures with the infamous Sydney Harbor Bridge. One interesting fact about this bridge is that you can actually climb it! However, it's much more fun just to walk through the bridge and stare out into the water in my opinion. And if you want a garden view with the bridge, I highly recommend stopping by Wendy's Secret Garden. It is no secret to the public that this is the perfect place to enjoy the plants and have a picnic there. But the sad part is that they have no signs that tell you what the plants are.
My adventures are not over yet though! I still have a few more days in Australia and its off to hitting the books yet again to tackle my last midterm. -Melissa
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July 2019
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