Our Journey Begins by Thea

This New Year’s Day, I traveled with a group from UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to New Zealand. Over the next four weeks, we will be studying sustainable farm management and international animal agriculture on the South island at Lincoln University. Just hours after celebrating the New Year, we began our long day of travel. We were ready to explore a new place, meet new people, eat new food, and learn the kiwi approach to life.

Our 34-hour travel day was one of the longest of my life, yet filled with so much anticipation. After meeting and talking with the people in our group, I became even more excited about the program ahead. We went through five airports, four flights, three layovers, two airlines, and one bus ride before reaching our final stop. During layovers, we explored new airports, played card games, and stocked up on airplane snacks. While in the air, people took naps, watched movies, read books, and played games.

We started our day at the Philadelphia airport before sunrise, saying goodbye to friends and family at check-in before moving through security and to our gate. Arriving in Denver treated us to views of flat fields and the snow capped Rocky Mountains in the distance. In Houston, we prepared for our fifteen-hour flight. Conversations turned to the best airplane movies and when to put on compression socks.

Sunrise over the North Island before landing in Auckland.

We flew overnight from Houston to Auckland, eating dinner on the plane and then waking up with the sunrise over the North island. From my window seat, I could see farmlands and natural spaces. We saw a preview of braided rivers, rolling hills, and flocks of grazing sheep. After touching down in Auckland, we cleared customs and biosecurity checks.

Boarding our domestic Air New Zealand flight.

Our very last flight was just a short hop between the two islands. Auckland to Christchurch only took one hour, just enough time for an in-air snack of 100% New Zealand fudge. A brief bus ride later, we finally reached Lincoln University and saw our home for the next four weeks. Our mid-morning arrival meant we still had a full day ahead including a driving tour of Lincoln and Christchurch, then a stop at the mall for necessities: shampoo and laundry detergent, or chocolate and chips and soda.

Living wall and mountain photograph at the Christchurch baggage claim.

It feels like the blink of an eye and also many days since the Philly Airport. In the building around me, people are settling in for the night, unpacking, talking to neighbors, and unwinding from a very long day. After all, we have class in the morning.