
My New Zealand Top 10
Returning home from my year in New Zealand and sharing photos of all of the amazing things I got up to with my family has given my the chance to reflect on all the amazing places I visited during the year and come up with a list of my favourites. In no particular order, here […]

Goodbye New Zealand
Last week I arrived home from New Zealand meaning that my year abroad experience has come to an end. I’ve left UC, Christchurch and New Zealand behind and flown halfway round the globe back home. The past year has been incredible and I’m so glad that I made the decision to study abroad. I’ve thoroughly […]

Whales and Seals
Last weekend I visited Kaikoura, which is somewhere I’ve been planning to visit for a while. However, getting there is a bit tricky at the moment thanks to the earthquake last November. Part of Kaikoura’s charm is its position on a thin strip of land between the Southern Alps and the Pacific Ocean but this […]

Learning to Kayak in a Week
This semester I decided to try something new and push myself out of my comfort zone a bit, so I joined the University of Canterbury Canoe Club (UCCC or U Triple C for short). Despite the name the club mainly does whitewater kayaking. I’ve kayaked on calm lakes and the sea before, but until last […]

The Home Straight
Last week was the start of my final term at Canterbury, which means it’s now less than 2 months until I fly home. I’m finding it hard to believe that I’ve been here for over 9 months and that my time here is almost over, the year has gone by incredibly quickly. My feelings about nearing […]

Why New Zealand?
When choosing a country to study in, it’s important to make sure you make the right decision as you’ll be spending a significant part of your degree there. There were a few reasons which contributed to New Zealand being my choice of study abroad destination, which I’d like to share with you in this post. […]

The Student Volunteer Army
One thing I’ve noticed about Kiwis (the people, not the birds or the fruit!) is that they all have a great community spirit. This is demonstrated well be the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) here at the University of Canterbury. The group was established in the aftermath of the 2010 Christchurch earthquake and played an important […]

More Fieldwork Fun
It’s a common belief that geology students are only in it for the field trips. Whilst this isn’t entirely true, one of the reasons I love geology is the opportunities which it provides to go out and visit new places whilst being able to see what you’ve been learning about in the classroom. Whilst I’m […]

A Shaky Week
Last Saturday morning I was on a coach heading up the east coast of South Island north of Christchurch and stopped for a coffee in the small coastal town of Kaikoura, a popular tourist destination for whale watching trips. Little did I know that just over 36 hours later the town would be completely cut off […]

It’s Summer Time
This week I had my last exam which officially marks the end of my first semester here. I’ve no idea where the past 4 months have gone but I don’t have any work to do for a while so I’m not complaining! Because the academic year in New Zealand runs from February to November, I […]
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