First Week in Dunedin

Kia Ora!
That’s Maori for “Hi” or when translated literally, it means “be well or healthy”.
I arrived in Dunedin, New Zealand exactly 1 week ago, on the 14th of February. So, I “celebrated” my Valentine’s Day solo, onboard the 10-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch and subsequently at the Christchurch airport while waiting for my transit flight to Dunedin.

This post will be a brief but concise account of how I spent my first week in Dunedin (pronounced as: Duh-nee-din), I will spare the mundane stuff for another day.
Well, I arrived at Christchurch at around 3pm NZ time (11am Malaysia time). Upon disembarking the plane, I was greeted by the icy cold wind and a slight drizzle. The security check at the airport went smoothly without a glitch. To those who are not aware of this, the security inspection at NZ is one of the strictest airport inspections around. They are particularly fussy about biological items such as food which are transported through international tourists because the NZ authorities wish to prevent the contamination of biological items from other countries which might bring harm to the local produce. We had to fill in a form which was distributed onboard the flight from KL to Christchurch regarding the items that we carried along in our luggage. The entire aircraft was even ‘disinfected’ before landing. Well, you get the idea...

The airports in NZ are different from the airports in Malaysia. You need to print a copy of the ticket which you purchased online and scan the barcode on the upper right-hand side at the check-in kiosks. Then, the machine will print a copy of your boarding pass and a bag tag for your checked-in luggage. You have to attach the tag to your luggage before placing it at the checked-in baggage counter.

By the time I arrived in Dunedin, it was almost 8pm NZ time but it was not dark yet. Apparently, nightfall is around 8.30pm during summer. Well, the weather is quite extreme for me, it’s summer and the daily temperature can range from 10-22 degrees. My sister and her bf took me out for Indian food which was quite good and the portion was big. We could not finish our food so we packed the leftovers.

Something unexpected happened after I have moved in to my flat that night, there was a blackout while I was blow-drying my hair. The electricity supply in NZ operates though prepaid credits so once you have used up your credit, the power will be cut off automatically. My flatmate and I had to fumble in the dark to read the instructions posted on the bulletin board in the living room and we went out searching high and low for the electric meter box to key in the pin number we received upon purchasing the prepaid credit using a credit card.

I went to the university on the 16th to settle course approval and registration. I applaud the university for their efficiency. It was not a tedious and long-winded process. I settled everything within an hour including obtaining my student ID card. On the 17th, I went to the International Office with my flatmates to sign up for the Taeiri train ride cum BBQ party which is a part of the orientation programme for new international students. I will provide more details about the orientation which is popularly referred to as “O week” in the University of Otago.

On Sunday, I went to the Holy Name Church for Sunday service and went shopping for groceries thereafter. In the evening, I met up with Rachel, an American friend and we explored the campus and made our way to the new gym UNIPOL. The gym is massive and well-equipped. I reckon that I will be spending a bulk of my time working up a sweat there.
Well, I think that’s all for now. I will post snapshots of the city and the university campus soon, stay tune!

The campus map

The welcome pack I found on my desk when I moved into my flat. Chocolates!

The goodie bag