This is the first installment of a (hopefully) weekly post from my semester abroad in New Zealand :D I have approximately 2 pairs of pants and 5 shirts so I will be wearing the same outfits often. Instead of bringing more clothes, I brought my knitting things and made a winter hood/hat on the beach in Hawaii. I’m almost done so you’ll have to tune in next week for a picture. The website is a bit janky at the moment but to be honest I don’t feel like fixing it right now, maybe sometime in the next four months. You might have to wait a second for the photos to render. I think my next posts will be more complete, but for now, enjoy these photos! I recommend listening to The Green (such as Love I, Ways and Means, or I’m Yours) while reading this.

I am happy and grateful to have spent this past week in Maui, Hawaii with some family: my grandma, sister, aunt, and uncle.


On the west side of the island, we went on a hike with lava flows and two blowholes where the swell shoots out of the hole and it sounds like thunder.

One of the most memorable adventures we had was the Road to Hana, which is a ridiculously winding, 75+ km road along the whole northern part of the island (the rainforest part!). Along the road there are over 620 curves, and you can bet that around every turn all four backseat drivers screamed as instantly the car was face-to-face with a local driver going in the opposite direction and twice as fast. Along the way there are waterfalls, and I saw a whale tail in the same spot on both the way there and back (the picture is not good, you just have to believe me).

Waterfall on the Road to Hana
The dark mark on the left is a whale

We eventually made it to a 7 km hike in Haleakala National Park (that’s the name of the volcano). The hike had these cool birds, beautiful waterfalls, and a bamboo forest.


Cool birds on Haleakala hike
Waterfalls on Haleakala hike
Bamboo forest in the rain

Speaking of Haleakala, my sister Hannah and I biked down the mountain, which was a little chilly but had some great views of the whole island and the ocean.

Yesterday, we went to Ho’okipa beach, which was amazing. There were 14 green sea turtles sunbathing on the beach! The turtles were being guided onto shore by the waves, and then they crawl up the rest of the way. Plus, there was a Hawaiian monk seal resting on the other side of the beach. The Hawaiian monk seal is endangered and there are only 1600 left in the world.

Below are some more photos for your enjoyment. I am about to board my flight leaving Maui, and will be on a 9 hour flight this afternoon. Next up is:

  1. Arrive in NZ & set-up
  2. Find an adventure to go on (maybe the Otago Peninsula)
  3. Make one (1) friend (or not)






My cute grandma :)