Eilidh’s Postcard from Auckland

Eilidh Rayfield had the opportunity to undertake an exchange at the University of Auckland in Semester 2, 2021 when Australia and New Zealand formed a travel bubble. Although New Zealand went into lockdown six weeks into her exchange, she was still able to make the most of her experience. Eilidh is studying a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Urban Planning and has a passion for transportation.

Why did you choose the institution and location of your overseas program?      

New Zealand was offered as an opportunity and I was actually really excited by that because I’d been to New Zealand in the past but not for long. I chose Auckland because the subjects offered were closer to my studies and it was a bit more connected to other parts of New Zealand.

What was your experience when you first arrived at your overseas study program?

When we first arrived, we got picked up at the airport and I met a couple of other Aussie exchange students there. We were all staying in the same accommodation, so it was quite nice that we could go to the shops together. The accommodation was really good, they provided linen and helped us get set up. It was a UniLodge accommodation, just down the road from campus.

When we started classes, we had an orientation with all the other exchange students and the Global team which was good to get tips on where to buy things, where to visit and upcoming events. There was a group called Study Abroad Students’ Society, we did an escape night with them and went to a bar afterwards. We were supposed to go on a ski trip but it was cancelled due to lockdown!

Starting classes, I went into Urban Planning which is quite a small program there so all the students have done their classes together, at first they were like “Who is this random new person?”. It was a bit weird for the first couple of classes, but it really pushed me out of my comfort zone to introduce myself, tell them I’m an exchange student and I met some really lovely people who said “Just message if you need anything”. It was really nice.

What was your biggest culture shock moment?

The cultures are very similar, but it was cool to find the little differences that you have to get your head around. They have Woolworths but it’s called Countdown. They call a skinny latte a trim latte.

A big difference was the representation of Māori culture and language in everything. Before class, they would start things in Māori and all the street signs are in both English and Māori. There was a lot more inclusion of Māori culture compared to what we are used in Australia. It gave me a lot of ideas about how I can incorporate that more into what I do.

What was the highlight of your overseas program?       

The first highlight was going to the Bledisloe Cup with a bunch of Aussie exchange students and some Kiwi friends. We watched Australia play New Zealand at Eden Park and that was really cool to be a part of the whole atmosphere. It was funny because majority of the audience were Kiwi, so whenever Australia scored a try we would get excited but then remember to sit down quickly to avoid getting glared at. I hadn’t been to a live rugby game in so long so it was really fun.

The second highlight was my heritage planning class. We got to go out to a Māori village and interact with the people that live there and learn about their story. They have stone fields there which are old historical sites that they’re trying to protect. We got to go and explore these and learn about the folklore behind them. We got to talk to the people about how a big development company wanted to buy their land and how they campaigned and got together and brought lots of people in to save their land. It was something I would never go to New Zealand and do, so I’m really glad I got to do it in a class.

What is one piece of advice you wish you knew before you went on your overseas program?

Do things. Join groups. Study is important but so is the experience. Do lots of research on how you can get places and see things. I didn’t get to travel as much due to lockdown, but I saw lots of the city centre and the beaches around there which was really nice. Auckland is very different to Melbourne, it’s a lot smaller. It’s a lot closer to nature, there’s so much green space. You can go for a walk through parks and still only be five minutes away from the city centre. We did lots of walks during lockdown.

What is next for you?

An exchange has confirmed to me that once I graduate I want to go and do my masters or travel and get some work experience overseas. It’s also guided me towards transport, community engagement and smaller scale planning.