Waitomo, Waitakere Ranges, Bethells Beach

This weekend was so great! It was the first weekend that everyone in the group left Auckland to explore other parts of New Zealand. I was so surprised at how beautiful the countryside is and the surrounding areas. Everywhere we went was more beautiful than the place before. I can tell this semester is going to be so amazing! We started our adventures on Saturday morning when a group of 10 of us ventured to Waitomo, a small town 3 hours south of Auckland. Waitomo is famous for its Glow worm caves. At Waitomo we went Black water rafting! Black water rafting is basically rafting in inner tubes along a river that is within a cave. It was pitch black inside the cave so we wore helmets equipped with headlamps to see our way around. We also wore full wetsuits to protect ourselves against the freezing temperatures. We got to float down the river and look up at all the glow worms on the cave's ceiling. At times, there were small waterfalls so we had to jump with our inner tubes down the waterfalls. It was so much fun! On the way back to Auckland, we stopped at Marakopa Falls, a giant beautiful waterfall.




On Sunday the entire group had an orientation bus trip around Auckland. Our first stop was Mission Bay Beach, the best beach near Auckland. It is only a short bus ride away so it would be nice to go there for an afternoon. Afterwards we drove to the top of Mt. Eden, which is the tallest volcano in Auckland. We had a panoramic 360 of Auckland and the surrounding suburbs. It was a beautiful view.


Our next stop was the Waitakere Ranges, a regional park west of the city. It is very mountainous and full of lush rainforest. We did a short hike through the forest and the guide taught us about common trees and plants. It was so green, even though its the middle of winter! Then we drove to Lake Wainamo, which is surrounded by giant black sand dunes. Everyone had a chance to jump down the massive sand dunes, then we walked back to the bus through a stream in the valley.



After that, we drove to Bethells Beach, which is on the west coast of the North Island. When we arrived it was raining pretty heavily, but once we got down to the beach the rain cleared and the it became the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. We stayed and walked around the beach for about an hour, but I could have stayed all day. The pictures basically speak for themselves. So overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I am ready for many more.


On Monday, I had the first day of my internship at the Oranga School. It was so much fun! There are 6 kids in my class, ages 8-11, with 1 main teacher and 3 other teacher aides. Already on the first day I was given things to do and I think my presence is greatly appreciated. They always need an extra hand. Everyone was really nice and the kids are great, so I think this will be a great experience. So I hope everyone is doing well and I hope to hear from you soon!

Love, Dafna