If you google Wellington, in addition to the rather boring Wikipedia fuss about population and size, the computer first haunts you some pretty nice pictures that do a lot more justice to the city than the bare data, because in Wellington the atmosphere is the focus . The small capital has a lot to offer in this regard.
Whether a dramatic sunset over a wild bay or a young street musician singing a love song in a backyard, both are not uncommon here. As the capital, Wellington is more like a small, lively artist town , in which there is always something new to discover, also thanks to the very committed residents and the city itself. Whether performances, markets, charity or festivals, in Wellington there are not only wonderful ones Nature and the sea also enjoy a lot of culture.
If you then travel a little further, to the North or South Island of New Zealand , the breathtaking nature is the main attraction and, with its versatility, offers plenty of opportunities to be outdoors. Hiking, mountain biking, skiing or surfing can be experienced practically everything within a week and only then can you start with “Animal Sightseeing”! The division of the semester gives you enough time to travel and should definitely do so. Renting a campervan and just roaring is probably the best way to get a taste of freedom and really get to know New Zealand with its laid-back atmosphere. So during my stay from February to July I have Experienced everything from sailing holidays at 30 degrees to snow in the mountains and enjoying the simplicity and beauty of New Zealand with a few good friends.
According to TOPSCHOOLSOFLAW, the university itself offers a large campus that is spread across the city and with its architecture tries to cater to the respective field of study and faculty. My architecture courses took place at the Te Aro Campus for Architecture and Design in the middle of Wellington’s bohemian district. The campus offers plenty of space to work and conveys a creative and busy atmosphere, probably also because of the students who are scattered everywhere, doing handicrafts, drawing and designing. The courses at VUW are quite different from ours at home, as a lot of emphasis is placed on scientific work and essays with a corresponding structure and references are required in every course. In contrast to the very practical courses at home, this offers a welcome change and makes the actually pointless two-day memorization before each exam unnecessary. I even think that content is conveyed a lot better because you actually deal with the topic.
On the other hand, the course level in the practical areas is lower than in Austria or Germany and the support does not go much into your individual work. I can highly recommend the Sustainable and Regenerative Design course , as this topic is hardly dealt with here and is extremely part of the design work and enables some interesting perspectives. In general, you take 3 or, if you are diligent, 4 courses per semester, which give you enough time to travel, celebrate with other internationals or Kiwis and discover Wellington. If you walk a few steps from the design campus, you will find yourself on the bar and restaurant street again, which is quite good for the physical well-being but rather bad for the wallet. In New Zealand the price level is quite high, especially when it comes to alcohol, and it takes some getting used to. Otherwise there is everything from Asian to Italian food and the world’s best coffee, so an absolute must for coffee experts .
The student dormitories arranged by VUW are quite easy to organize and move into, but are more comparable to American dormitories, so they are very controlled and strict. For us Europeans, who usually start drinking at 16 or earlier, this is very unusual and restrictive. Sometimes you feel a little bit like being in the school camp when you were 15. So I would rather recommend other accommodations like shared boarding houses. However, you meet internationals everywhere and from day one and something to do and partying is definitely not neglected. You usually end up at house parties or on Courtney Place, where bars are lined up. So getting to know new people goes without saying and you come back with a large circle of friends scattered all over the world. All in all, I can only recommend the stay, which above all has a lot of adventures to offer and definitely doesn’t neglect the feeling of freedom , despite the actual study stay.
