Checking in from Down Under!!

 Hello all my lovely ephs!! I hope that you all have settled back in on campus and are enjoying the start of classes! Down here in New Zealand we are just wrapping up our mid semester break which seems crazy to say. 

But first let me catch you up on my short lived Minnesota summer! I spent the month spending lots of quality time with friends and family. Highlights include training with the MPLS ski club pro project, some camping, my sister Hanna's high school graduation and family time up north!

Then at the end of June, I packed up and headed down to Dunedin, New Zealand to study abroad for a semester at the University of Otago! Ann and Chip both did a great job sharing highlights from the first half of the semester so I'm going to pick up where they left off. 

At the end of August, Ann, Chip, Ben and I drove up to the Snow Farm in Wanaka to ski the Merino Muster race (with our friends Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern of course). It got shortened to an 8 lap 22.4k race which was perfect for us -- we're pretty good at skiing laps 😉. Ann and I got to ski the whole race together and Chip snagged a spot on the podium!

From there we dropped off Ann at the airport where she joined her parents in Australia, and the rest of us drove off in our trusty car (Princess Chateau or Chat for short) to join some friends on a week long road trip!

Maximizing every square inch of space in the car

Pancake Rocks! And some epic beach camping on our way up the West Coast of the South Island.

After some days of driving + exploring we reached Abel Tasman National Park where we embarked on a 2 day/1 night backpacking adventure on the Abel Tasman Coast Track. We lucked out with the weather and enjoyed sunny skies, beautiful shorelines, and lots of Weka (a chicken like bird) sightings!

Start of the track and one of many beautiful beaches in the park!

Shoes off at a tidal crossing!! And one of many sand dollars found on the beaches.

More beach views! And the curious and feisty Weka.

After a lovely one night stay in a hut (quite luxurious for backpacking!), we hiked out back to our hostel. The next day post sunrise viewing, we hit the road for our 10 hour drive back to Dunedin. Of course we made a few stops on the way back including Arthur's Pass where we spotted some Kea birds -- they are endemic to New Zealand but are endangered with only an estimated 3,000-7,000 individuals left. Pretty special to be able to see!

    

Sunrise in Abel Tasman, View of the Otira Viaduct, and Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall.

The Kea! Very interested in the cars and any food it might be able to snag from park visitors.

Now we are back in Dunedin and about to begin the second half of our semester! Then we'll head back to the states to reunite with the team at Thanksgiving camp! I miss you all and can't wait to be back together again. Until November!!

Love, Chloe 😘🫶

P.S. Here's a few random pics to finish off my update!