Author: Eric

Today we walked to the Museum of New Zealand. The many exhibits found throughout the five extensive levels provided another point of view into the country which I hadn’t seen before. The exhibit which stood out to me the most and that I learned the most from was the war exhibit because I didn’t know…

We walked to the Sustainability Trust and listened to a presentation on the organization. We also took a tour of the facility. I learned how difficult it can be to work in a small trust because there is limited funding for what you are trying to accomplish. For example, the manager of the Trust talked…

This morning, we walked to the University of Wellington for talks on sustainability and architecture. We heard from a professor talking about reusing plastic bags, which was interesting because we often see plastic bags as very harmful to the environment. While it is, it should not be the primary focus of concern because the groceries…

This morning we met with Tourism Industry Aotearoa and learned about how the company works to be more sustainable and make tourism better for tourists and locals alike. What stood out to me were the company’s 12 efforts towards sustainable tourism. The efforts were broken into four sectors: economic, visitor, community, and environment. I thought…

Today we went to Victoria University of Wellington and toured the campus. Something I found interesting was that the institution was younger than Whittier. I guess in my head I just assumed that all these schools were much older due to the architecture. Many of the buildings we entered throughout the day were old, which…

Today we took a bus to the Waimangu Valley and explored the volcano and surrounding geothermal habitat. The Waimangu Volcanic valley created large craters which generated a flurry of bright colors. What stood out to me was how short a time period the volcano was actually active, only in a four year period. This was…

In the morning, before the group met up, I went to the Auckland Botanical Garden. It was a beautiful area with much to see. What was interesting to me was the garden was divided. There was a tropical room and a cool room in which the plants were housed. The tropical room was very humid…

Today our group took a ferry to Waiheke Island, a short ways from Auckland. Upon arrival, we met up with a member of the Waiheke Resources Trust, a sustainability organization focused on educating locals and tourists on the island’s practices and creating real positive change to the environment. Something interesting that I learned was most…

We started our day at the sky city hotel, listening to the presentation. The topics on sustainability which the presenter talked about seemed very pressing and important to the company, yet it was interesting how he was the only one working on these issues. It also stood out that with the goals and objectives of…

I am from Seattle, Washington. I am finishing up my sophomore year. I am 19 years old. I enjoy playing sports and exploring the outdoors. I am exciting to be going to New Zealand with you all! Here is a photo of me in my first year here at Whittier: