Weekend in Wanganui

Once again, I've fallen a little bit behind on blogging... but here's another update! Last weekend (as in the last weekend in September) five of us took a little "girls weekend" road trip up to my friend Olivia's house in Wanganui, about 3 hours from Wellington. Bright and early Saturday morning, we all hopped in our rental car and headed north, passing through lots of picturesque small towns and green hills covered with countless numbers of sheep (typical north island scenery!) Once in Wanganui, Olivia took us to all of the "must see" spots for a visitor: Virginia Lake, Kai Iwi Beach (and the awesome playground that goes along with it) and a viewing tower which overlooks the town. It was great to see a more residential town, as opposed to most of the tourist-y places that we normally go, and of course staying in a real family home was a great change of pace. You also can't underestimate the simple fun that comes from staying in and making dinner with friends, followed by relaxing in the hot tub. The weekend overall was a great opportunity to be able to get away from the city for a bit with friends, as well as an opportunity to be able to see a little more of the north island.

There were so many ducks and swans to feed at the lake!

First hand experience of how mean swans really are

Kai Iwi Beach, known for its black sand

If there were an award for best playgrounds, New Zealand would for sure win. I've had the BEST playground experiences here! You're never too old for a playground :)

View of Wanganui

Its so hard to believe that its already October. Before going abroad, everyone tells you that time will fly, but its still so hard to accept that I only have a little over a month left. I finish classes on October 18th, and then I have two exams during that month long period before I go home, which will happen in between pending travel plans! With so little time left, I'm focusing even more on enjoying every moment and not wasting any time. I can't believe that I'll have to leave this amazing city and country and all of the amazing people I've met here. But, I can't dwell on that yet (in fact, I'm refusing to think about it too much) so that's enough for now! :)