Travel
After 3 flights (Fukuoka <-> Kansai <-> Auckland <-> Nelson) we arrived on a beautiful sunny day in Nelson. Gertrud and Leyna from NMIT were there to meet us, as well as all the homestay parents. The students all went to their homes from there to get to know their families and catch up some [...]
Finally it was time to say goodbye to Nelson. At the airport there were lots of tears, hugs, and tissues before we finally left. We had a smooth flight home, and arrived to be met by family and friends…
Thanks Nelson for having us! We all miss it, and want to return again! Especially to everyone [...]
Wellington was a chance for the students to explore, shop, eat, and meet people on their own. For 2 days, they explored New Zealand’s capital city.
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Our Backpackers Hotel
Hotel
On the streets
Abbey Road?
Nice statue
At Te Papa Museum
Marae in the museum
Mural
New Zealand’s [...]
Last Friday after classes we travelled to Wellington. This involved a 2 hour 30 minute bus ride, then a 3 hour ferry ride across Cook Strait. Unfortunately, that day the wind was REALLY strong, so the crossing was very rough… most of the girls became sick. However, after we arrived and got to the hotel, [...]
As we are going to New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington 3/12-3/14, there will be no blog until Sunday night or Monday morning.
We will be traveling by bus to Picton, then sailing by Interislander ferry [website] to Wellington, and staying at the Downtown Backpackers [website]. While in Wellington, we will visit New Zealand’s national museum, Te [...]
After another morning of hard study, we again headed out for afternoon activities. This time we had a chance to finally see some of New Zealand’s famous countryside – sheep, cows, sheep, ducks, and more sheep! We started out with a visit to a berry farm where we had a chance to pick beautiful strawberries [...]
Today was a busy day for the girls as they began their studies at NMIT. Today included:
Meeting with staff
Placement test for classes
Welcome picnic in nearby Queens Gardens
Orientation session and campus tour
One-to-one interviews about homestay issues
Tour of the downtown area, explanation of banking, shopping, etc
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Finally it was time to say goodbye… lots of tears and hugs before we boarded the ferry to Vancouver. Theresa had a surprise for us… two stretch limousines waiting to carry us to the airport in luxury! The girls were delighted!!
Once at the airport, there were a few hold-ups as some of the girls had [...]
Victoria is the capital city of the British Columbia province, and is about a 2-hour drive south of Nanaimo. It’s a very beautiful city of around 300,000 people, and has a very British atmosphere. We spent a few hours downtown, particularly in the Government Street area which has lots of souvenir shops. As this weekend [...]
Today we visited Victoria, starting with a visit to the Butchart Gardens. These gardens were developed by the Butchart family, and now cover 22ha. They are gorgeous, and the few hours we spent there just weren’t enough to appreciate them. Of special note were the Sunken Garden and the Japanese Garden.
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After our time at Capilano, we went to Grouse Mountain… a large mountain that overlooks Vancouver City. The cable-car ride was amazing! It’s very steep, and the views are fantastic. After that, the girls had a few hours to go shopping in Vancouver City (on famous Robson Street) before catching the ferry back to Nanaimo.
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Capilano Suspension Bridge (their blog) is a wonderful nature park just north of Vancouver. From the entrance, you take a suspension bridge acroos to the park area. The bridge is 136 metres long, and 70 metres high, and it moves a LOT! Some of the students were shaking by the time they got across! Very [...]
Today was our day trip to Vancouver City – a 2-hour ferry trip from Nanaimo by ferry. We traveled in one of Vancouver Island University’s 14-seater buses, and Emily was our guide for the day. Here are some pictures from the trip.
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After a good flight, we arrived in Canada and were driven to the ferry terminal by “Beaton’s Meet and Greet.’ The ferry ride is about 2 hours, and it was a beautiful day here – around 22 degrees and blue school. However, we were all SO tired that we soon fell asleep. When we arrived [...]
We all got to Fukuoka Airport ok and have checked in, ready to fly to Narita.
