Day 12- February 2

This morning we woke up around 8 AM and drove over to the airport to wait for our flight back into Auckland, which was at 9:20 AM. None of us were particularly hungry which is very unusual considering we all normally wake up with raging appetites. We just decided to all buy little snacks, as we would eat later when we got back to Auckland.

The plane ride was short, and we arrived back at the Auckland Airport at 10:15 am. We drove back to the hotel and talked about what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. Rachel suggested that we drive around for a bit, and see if we can’t find something to do. By the time we leave, it’s around 11:30 AM. When we were driving around, we reflected on the community and culture we saw while on the South Island. We also reflected and om different the culture in the US is to the culture in New Zealand. It's very slow paced- no one is really in a rush like most people are in the United States. There weren't many densely populated areas, just small towns and mostly open land. The people are super nice to each other, as well as to tourists. The places we went were mostly made up of young thrill-seekers, so the atmosphere in certain parts, like Queenstown, which houses many "X-Treme" sports competitions throughout the year. We didn't get to go through Queenstown, but we spoke to a few locals who told us a lot about it.

It's during the summer (Weather) in New Zealand, but the temperatures ranged from 68 to 70 degrees the whole time we've been here so far. Even though the numbers were a little low, it felt very comfortable, and it was nice to catch a break from the freezing temperatures back in North Carolina

We stopped for lunch at a McDonald's, where we all bought a Chick'n McCheese Meal Deal. As we were pulling out of the McDonald's, we saw a bunch of people running around in a field, throwing around a ball. Jackson’s initial thought was that they were playing Football, but we son came to realize that they were playing Rugby (Sports). Rugby got its start in 1823, when a man named William Webb Ellis completely disregarded the rules of football, and just ran around the field with a football in his hands. The game developed from there, and has since been a very popular sport in the UK and European countries, as well as in New Zealand.

We watched the Rugby players for a while longer and then continued to drive around. Seeing all of the rolling hills and towering mountains off the horizon was incredible- I think we were all kind of sad that it was our last day here in New Zealand, and we're trying to take it all in while we can. Auckand isn't a very big city, so even though it's the largest city in New Zealand, it doesn't feel like we're trying to cram a ton of last minute sight seeing into one night.

Buta Niku Kinchi Gyoza

By the time we made it back around to the hotel, it was 5 PM. We went back up to our rooms and got packed up, so that we were ready to leave in the morning and didn't have to worry about packing up in a rush. We decided to eat out for dinner, so at 7 PM, we headed out to a restaurant called Masu. Masu is a contemporary Japanese robata restaurant and bar. The restaurant has a traditional vibe and is not too expensive. John ordered Miso Shriu, which is a soup and rice dish, and Alyssa got a Gohan, which is another soup and rice dish. Jillian ordered the Buta Niku Kimchi Gyoza, which is a pork dish, with kimchi gyoza, pickled cucumber, and soy vinegar. Rachel ordered the Akaza Ebi No Tenpura, which is a tempura dish with scampi and sour dashi. Jackson ordered Gindara No Saikyo-Yaki , which is a seafood dish. The food was amazing, and we all agree that it was worth all the money we spent on the meal.

After we left Masu it was around 9 PM, and we were ready to go home and relax for a while. We talked about how much we enjoyed the trip, and shared with each other our favorite memories made on the trip. We all wish it could be linger, but are grateful that we had this opportunity to go on the trip.