Traveling With the Fam

I am writing from Havelock North, a town very far from Dunedin on the North Island of New Zealand, and I am up here with the fam! (minus Peter who has a real life job in State College, PA and couldn't take 2 weeks off) and our good friend Jill. We have been travelling for about a week and a half now and have done SO many things, but I will try to recount as much as I can before I am kicked off the internet to go grab some breakfast.

Our journey started out in Dunedin, where I had one day to show my family where I've been living for the last 4 and a half months. We started out the day with Dunedin's historic Railway station, a beautiful old building built back in the early 1900's. From there I took them to my new flat (I have moved flats for the next semester, a common thing for students to do who are abroad for a year) and after that we headed to the central part of Otago's campus, where I showed them the infamous Clocktower building. Then we had to run to make our 11 30 tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory, located in central Dunedin. The best part of the tour was the Chocolate Drop, where we went in to a giant silo and watched 1 ton of melted chocolate fall from the ceiling. It was just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! From there we had to book it to make it to our next tour- the Speights Brewery Tour, one of New Zealand's oldest Beers. That tour concluded with 20 minutes of unlimited beer tasting, in which my parents even let wee 14 year old Kevin have a test of beer. I think they are getting a little more relaxed in their old(er) age...

After the Speights tour we had just a bit of time before the sun set, as it is winter time here and the sun goes down pretty early. We decided to use our last bit of sun light to climb Baldwin Street, which is allegedly the steepest street in the world! The brutal climb is worth it, once you get to the top and are able to see the rolling hills of Dunedin.

Here are some pictures from our day in Dunedin: They are the Railway Station, my dad and myself in my kitchen at my flat, Jill, Kevin, and I in front of the Clock Tower Building, Kevin and I at the Cadbury Factory, and finally us in front of the Speights Brewery.







Now I am off to breakfast so I will have to recount the rest of our trip later. Here's an idea of what's yet to come: Bungee Jumping off a bridge, climbing a glacier, and dinner with a South African Family!