{"id":6755,"date":"2025-06-16T15:01:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T03:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/?p=6755"},"modified":"2025-06-16T15:01:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T03:01:22","slug":"student-perspective-auckland-digital-lense-amina-williams-unc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/student-perspective-auckland-digital-lense-amina-williams-unc\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Perspective: Auckland Through My Digital Lens by Amina Williams, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amina reflects on her study abroad experience and how her digital camera helped her capture the unforgettable beauty of New Zealand. <\/span><\/span>S<\/span>he writes:<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Before leaving for New Zealand, I decided to gift myself a digital camera. I had been wanting one for a while, and the timing just felt right. Once I arrived in Auckland, I realized how perfect that decision was. The camera pushed me to slow down and really take in where I was. Whether I was on a hike, walking through the city, or just hanging out with my group, it gave me a way to capture everything I was experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the first places that really stood out to me was the Dome Forest Lookout Walk<\/strong>. After a few days in the city, this hike showed me a completely different side of New Zealand. Surrounded by thick trees and endless greenery, it felt peaceful and almost unreal. When we reached the top of the trail, I was able to photograph a wide view of the landscape below. I had never seen anything like it before, and I was excited to have a camera that could help me remember the view exactly how I saw it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dome Forest\u2019s views made for one of my favorite landscape shots from the trip.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Capturing steam and geothermal textures at Hell\u2019s Gate in Rotorua.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Later on, we visited Hell\u2019s Gate in Rotorua, which has one of the most unique landscapes I\u2019ve ever seen. The geothermal walk took us past bubbling mud pools and steaming vents, and the air even smelled different. It felt like stepping into another world. With my camera, I was able to focus on all the textures and details that made the area so unusual. The whole walk was something I never imagined I\u2019d get to see in person.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Not every photo I took was of nature, though. One of my favorite memories from the trip was attending my very first rugby game with our group. I knew very little about rugby going in, but the energy from the crowd, the cheers, the music, and the back-and-forth intensity of the game made the whole experience unforgettable. I brought my camera with me and ended up snapping candid shots of our group, the field, and even the fans around us. It was the kind of moment where you feel totally present \u2014 and I\u2019m so grateful I could capture that joy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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My first rugby match \u2014 a blur of excitement, cheers, and camaraderie.<\/strong><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Studying abroad in New Zealand gave me the chance to see and do things I never imagined, and having my camera with me made it all feel even more meaningful. I\u2019m so glad I was able to document the little moments as well as the big ones. Looking back at my photos now brings me right back to those hikes, that stadium, and the everyday details that made the trip so special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amina reflects on her study abroad experience and how her digital camera helped her capture the unforgettable beauty of New Zealand. She writes: Before leaving for New Zealand, I decided to gift myself a digital camera. I had been wanting one for a while, and the timing just felt right. Once I arrived in Auckland, I realized how perfect that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[250,19,260,273,7,16,25,34,15,262],"tags":[125,128,288,107,291,100,287,294,48,59,293],"class_list":["post-6755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customized-program","category-field-notes","category-inspiration","category-marketing-interns","category-new-zealand","category-postcard","category-snapshot","category-student-perspective","category-suitcase","category-travel","tag-auckland","tag-ecotourism","tag-education","tag-international-education","tag-maori-culture","tag-new-zealand","tag-rotorua","tag-rugby","tag-study-abroad","tag-travel","tag-university-of-north-carolina"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6755"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6760,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755\/revisions\/6760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}