The Bog and beyond

It was absolutely lovely having my parents in New Zealand for a little visit. They began their trip in Auckland, then flew down to Dunedin on Thursday, March 17, which happened to be St. Patty's Day. The plan was that I would go to my classes on Thursday then meet up with them in the afternoon. However, I began the day by dressing in shamrocks and heading to an Irish pub, The Bog, with my flatmates for breakfast and beer. As we were preparing to leave The Bog, however, I walked right into my parents as they were coming in! It was only about 11 am, but they too were in search of a beer and some breakfast, and they happened to choose the right place to go. My flatmates and I ended up staying and having another drink and basking in all of the drunk and green-clad people in the bar. Needless to say, it was a fantastic first encounter with them.

After leaving The Bog, my Kiwi host convinced me to skip all of my classes and spend time with my parents since we had a limited time together. So I did exactly that, and took them on a short trip to some of the noteworthy sites in Dunedin. First we went to Tunnel Beach, where the intense waves on the peninsula have eroded the sandstone to form large and picturesque tunnels. I also took them to Baldwin Street, and then we went to St. Clair Beach for dinner.

On Friday we headed to Queenstown, where we spent two nights, enjoyed some delicious meals, and even rode a gondola up to the top of a tall hill where the view was spectacular. As we were about to leave to go back down, my dad and I decided that we had to do the luge ride, which is similar to a go-cart track that goes about 800 meters downhill. Quite a silly little ride, but well worth it. We met up with my flatmate Sam and her parents for dinner at the Speight's Ale House, as they happened to be in Queenstown for the weekend too. Good food and great company, and a perfect end to our time in Queenstown.

On Sunday we headed out to Milford Sound for a cruise, which was absolutely beautiful. I've heard that Milford is typically quite rainy, but we lucked out and had a beautiful clear day. We then drove back to Te Anau for the night, which was a sleepy little town, but perfect for the time we spent there.

We got back into Dunedin yesterday, and my parents came over to dinner at my flat. My Kiwi host Abby had cooked some Silverside meat that her parents had given her, and we had roasted veggies, salad, and wine. It was a perfectly relaxed dinner, and it provided an opportunity for my parents to get to know my flatmates and friends better. It was the perfect end to our great weekend together.

I have my first assignments due this week, so time to get back into the student mindset. It was great to get away from Dunedin for a few days and explore other parts of the South Island with my parents, but I'm also glad to be back in my little flat!