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Today was our last day in New Zealand and it was filled with mixed emotions. In the morning, we all had breakfast together one last time. It was a really lovely final meal with laughter, memories and a few tears.
After breakfast, we went to the airport. It was very busy there, with long lines, tired faces, but also a lot of excitement. Everyone tried to take their last photos.
On the plane, high above the clouds, it became quiet. The view from the window – endless clouds and a hint of sunset – felt like the perfect farewell to a country that had given us so much.
Today is Wednesday, our last full day here in Auckland. As usual, I got up at 7, had breakfast with my host family, and then went to school.
At the start of school we met in front of the Upper Gym one of the school’s two sports halls, together with the Lower Gym. To our surprise, we actually had a German PE teacher. He first explained some handball basics and also told us why we were playing handball in the first place. The goal is to establish handball as a proper team sport in New Zealand. We warmed up with a few dribbling and throwing exercises and then got split into two teams. At first the game was a bit slow, but after a while everyone got into it and started working together really well. The players communicated nicely and everyone covered their part of the field so there weren’t any big gaps. I personally really enjoyed it because everyone was involved in the game.
After that everyone went to their Hui Mai classes and enjoyed the break.
At the beginning of the second block we met again in the Upper Gym for a K-pop workshop. The teacher was unfortunately sick, so we had a substitute, and the students helped organise the workshop themselves. We warmed up for dancing with some games, for example “red light, green light”, which most people found really fun. Then the New Zealand students showed us three K-pop dances that we were going to learn. We split into three groups and each group was taught one of the dances. It wasn’t just the German students, others joined as well, so we were a really big group. The dancing was a bit tricky but also really funny, and in the end everyone had learned something and gotten moving. Each group performed their dance in front of the others, and afterwards we voted on who did the best.
Everyone spent the lunch break however they wanted. I sat on a bench with my friends, ate, and chatted.
The last workshop of the day was a cooking class. First, everyone had to put their things away and put on an apron, then we split into groups of three or four. Our task was to bake two things: oat cookies and a New Zealand dessert called pavlova. Most of the groups divided the work to save ingredients two people made the cookies and the other two the pavlova. The only part most people struggled with was separating the egg yolk from the egg white, but other than that everything went really smoothly and without any problems. The teams worked well together and there were no accidents. One tray of cookies got a little burnt, but they still didn’t taste too bad. We got to decorate the pavlovas with sauces, fruit and edible flowers and of course everyone got to try them. In the end we cleaned up the kitchen, washed the dishes and hung up the aprons again which took a bit longer than expected.
That was the end of the school day, so everyone got picked up by their exchange partner and went home.
In the afternoon I went to the swimming pool and out to eat with my friends it was a really nice last afternoon in New Zealand. Back home, like most others, I still had to pack my suitcase and backpack, and I spent some time talking with my host family.
It really was a wonderful time here in Auckland.
Today, we met up at 9 o’clock at Lynfield College, where we got into the school-owned vans and were driven to the first stop of the day: the lighthouse on the Awhitu Peninsula. The so-called Manukau Heads Lighthouse was originally constructed in 1874 and was refurbished in 2006 to match ist original design. From the top of the lighthouse, there was a beautiful view across Manukau Harbour and the stunning turquoise ocean. After everyone had enjoyed the view, we got back into the vans and drove to the home of our two guides. The interesting thing about their house is that it is almost completely self-sufficient. They filter rainwater and use solar power, and they also have a large garden where they grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables. We were given a short tour of the house and the property before we got to enjoy our lunch and the astonishing view from the porch. Our final stop of the day was Brook’s Homestead, a historic building. It was built in 1878 by English settlers John and Sarah Brook and was used until 1971, when the land was sold to create a regional park. Today, you can look inside the original buildings to get a glimpse of how people lived in the early 20th century. The homestead was very interesting, but sadly it was the last stop of the day. Afterwards, we got back into the vans for the one-and-a-half-hour drive back to Lynfield College, where we were picked up by our host families.
The day started differently for each of us – some got up early, while others left the house at the very last minute. We met at 8:55 a.m. at New Lynn Station to take the 9:10 train together. After a short ride, we got off at Grafton Station and walked from there to the Auckland Museum.
In front of the museum, we first took a group photo before being led to our own room, where we received a short welcome and introduction. Afterwards, the large group was divided. In my group, we learned about the Mana Newspaper. Our guide explained very clearly how it was created and what importance it had. He answered all our questions in detail, which made the session really interesting.
Next, we took part in a workshop led by an archaeologist. He told us how the Māori came to New Zealand and showed us various ancient tools they used. The most impressive moment was when he played a nose flute at the end – the sound was unique and created a very special atmosphere.
After the workshop, we had a lunch break before we were allowed to explore the museum on our own. There were many exciting exhibitions, including a recreated volcanic eruption that felt very realistic. Some of us used the time to look at different parts of the museum – others found more creative ways to use the stairs.
At the end of the day, we could choose whether to go back to school or stay in the city for a while. My friends and I decided to stay a bit longer. We got something to eat and discovered a photobooth where we took some funny souvenir pictures.
Everyone spent the evening individually – a great ending to an exciting and educational day.
Family members:
New Zealand host families can vary greatly. Some families consist only of the parents and the child who is hosting you, while others have two or more siblings. It is also possible that another exchange student from a different country is staying with the same family at the same time.
Everyday life:
The day begins with breakfast, which everyone eats on their own. Then the students go to school while their parents go to work. At school, your exchange student will take you to your classroom, or you may even have lessons with them. During breaks, you can either stay with your exchange student or talk to the other New Zealand students. After school, you go home and do something with your family or meet up with friends. The students at Lynfield College either come with us, go home and do their homework, or go to work. Dinner is then eaten together. Afterwards, everyone retreats to their rooms and goes to bed at the appropriate time. Of course, we don’t have school at the weekend, and the host families often have an outing or something else planned for you. Otherwise, the daily routine is the same.
Personal experience:
My host family gave me a warm welcome and helped me settle in. We got to know each other well through lots of messages before I arrived in New Zealand, so we have no problems with each other and already know quite a bit about each other. Here’s an example of their hospitality: in the messages before my arrival, I learned that my exchange student’s father not only plays the guitar like me, but also builds guitars. When I arrived at my host family’s house, there was already an acoustic guitar he had built in my room, and he said I was welcome to play it. A few days later, I asked him if I could try one of his electric guitars. Not only did he agree, but he also allowed my friends, who had dropped by spontaneously and whom he didn’t know, to play his guitar.
Today was such a cool day! Our group visited the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and an rainforest with collapsed caves. We had to get up really early at six in the morning to pack our things and get ready. Everyone was still a bit tired, but you could already feel that everyone was in a good mood because we were all excited about the trip.
For breakfast, we had pancakes with syrup, so good! And it was Milos birthday today.
He turned 16, and of course, we all sang for him. It was really nice and made everyone smile, so we started the day with a good vibe.
After breakfast, we quickly packed our stuff and got on the bus. The ride took a while, but it didn’t feel that long. We talked, listened to music, laughed, and just chilled together. Some people even fell asleep because the bus was so comfortable. It was just such a relaxed and fun start to the day.
When we arrived, we first had some time to look around in the souvenir shop and the café. Some of us bought postcards or little souvenirs, and others got a cup of hot chocolate. After that, we went into the cave for our guided tour.
The tour guide told us to use our imagination and look for shapes in the rocks, like an organ, or even a kiwi bird doing bungee jumping. It was really fun trying to spot them. Then we got into a small boat, and suddenly everything was completely silent.
Above us were thousands of glowing blue lights, like a thousand liftle stars. It was so breathtaking, I’ll honestly never forget this moment.
Afterwards, we got back on the bus and drove a few minutes to our picnic spot. Soon we’ll continue our trip with a walk through the forest.
After our picnic, we went on a short walk through the forest, which took about 40 to 50 minutes. It was really relaxing, and the air was warm and a bit humid. On the way, we also walked through two small caves, which was pretty cool.
Our guide, Simon, showed us an edible plant and explained which leaves you could actually use as toilet paper in the wild, everyone thought that was super funny!
Afterwards, we got back on the bus and drove to Lynfield College, where our host students were already waiting for us. The rest of the afternoon everyone spent individually with their host families. It was the perfect way to end such an amazing week.
The day started with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. After that, we went on a hike to a waterfall. The path led over rocky ground and through low bushes, and the sound of the water could already be heard from a distance. At the bottom, fine mist rose into the air as the water crashed down onto the rocks. After the hike, we walked back and then drove up the mountain by car. From the top, there was a wide view over the landscape, with snow on the peak and a clear sky above. In the evening, we went bouldering. The climbing hall had many different routes, and everyone was focused on climbing. It was a full and varied day.
The morning of the 15.10.25 we had breakfast at 7:15 a.m. Simon made it for us like always. The food was really good
and everyone was happy but tired. But we were all excited for the trip!
At 8 a.m. we left our place to see Rotorua. First we went to the geothermal park. It was crazy to see the hot water and the steam everywhere! Then we went to the lake, the Government Gardens, the Redwood Forest and the Blue Lake. Everything looked so nice and we took a lot of pictures. And Simon toldus amazing new information.
Later we went to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Wow, it was so cool! The colors were amazing, green, yellow, orange and blue. It smelled a bit funky, but it was super interesting. After that we drove to Taupo. The big lake looked beautiful with the volcanoes around it. We also stopped at Huka Falls. The water was so strong and blue, it looked awesome!
At 5:00 p.m. we arrived at Waimarino Village. Everyone was tired but really happy. It was such a fun and exciting day! I
think it was one of the best days of our trip!
