New Zealand: Auckland

                        

Auckland
Auckland is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, surrounded by sea in virtually every direction. The City transportation system is excellent, and students will be able to take advantage of University lectures, museums, and cultural life in addition to enjoying restaurants, cafes, and contemporary urban life.

New Zealand presents American students with particularly unique issues. New Zealand is a small nation, deeply involved economically with the growing Asian economy. It is a nation with few direct economic and political links to the United States, and maintains a critical stance toward American military presence in the South Pacific. Any American vessels potentially bearing nuclear weapons are still not permitted to dock in New Zealand, which has declared itself a “Nuclear Free Zone”. The Labor Government of the Hon. Helen Clark, Prime Minister, maintains this position.

At the same time, New Zealand offers a study in contrasts. Most Americans are familiar with the British heritage of New Zealand’s first European colonists and their descendants. However, New Zealand’s indigenous population, the Maori, are a fascinating, active, and assertive population in New Zealand and particularly present in the cultural life of the Northern Island where New Zealand is located. Secondly, there is a substantial South Pacific population in New Zealand, particularly the Samoan, but also Tongan and other Pacific Islanders. Finally, there is also a growing Asian population in New Zealand. Thus, New Zealand has struggled with defining itself as a “multi-cultural” society in similar ways to the USA, Canada, and Australia.

University of Auckland, and University of Otago

The LMU program is based very near the The University of Auckland, which is New Zealand's pre-eminent research-led University. Established in 1883, it has grown into an international centre of learning and academic excellence and is New Zealand's largest university. Today, The University of Auckland is the largest university in New Zealand, hosting over 40,000 students on five Auckland campuses.  LMU conducts class, however, in the Auckland campus of the University of Otago, whose main campus is on the south Island, in the town of Dunedin.  We are centrally located to take advantage of all aspects of the city of Auckland and its academic, cultural, and entertainment life, as well as very near the main bus terminal for travel throughout the city.

 

Check out Auckland!

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/pacific/new-zealand/auckland/

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=auckland@16

http://www.vcarious.com/Travel-Guide/NewZealand/Auckland.html