As I prepared to board my 13-hour flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand I had no idea about all the excitement, spontaneous adventures, and personal growth that lay ahead. Preparing to travel halfway across the world for two months was both exciting and unnerving. It felt surreal to pack my life into suitcases and commit to living on the other side of the globe, away from the comfort of family, friends, and the routines I was used to.

Going into the experience alone, I had no idea if I would be able to make connections and how I would adjust to living and working in a completely new environment. Would I be able to form lasting friendships? How would I adjust to a new culture, workplace, and way of life? These questions circled in my mind, but beneath the nerves, there was still a sense of curiosity and excitement.

Exploring Auckland and making new friends

From the moment I touched down in Auckland, my worries began to fade. I was welcomed right away by my Program Managers and introduced to the group of fellow interns I would be living with over the next two months. It was reassuring to see that everyone else felt the same mix of nerves and excitement that I did.

We immediately kicked off Orientation weekend where we got to explore the city including food, shopping, beaches, and hikes. Some of my favorite memories from those first few days were our group dinners and wandering through Auckland’s many restaurants, cafes, and scenic lookouts. One highlight was the Mercer Bay Loop Trail, a short hike on the west coast with beautiful views of the coastline. Sharing these adventures allowed us to bond quickly and form connections I never could have imagined before arriving.

Internship at the University of Auckland

Once orientation ended, I officially started my internship at the University of Auckland’s School of Environment. The campus was just a short 5-7 minute walk down the street from my apartment. It was a cool experience walking onto a new campus and exploring everything they have to offer. The University of Auckland is a large university with students from all over the world. It was an incredibly welcoming and supportive environment, which eased my nerves about starting a new internship position.

As a Data Science Research Assistant, I had the chance to experience firsthand what conducting research at a university looks like. I worked closely with my supervisor, a PhD student in the School of Environment, on a project studying landslide behavior in New Zealand. My role involved helping to build machine learning models using satellite imagery to predict landslides and track vegetation changes over time. Beyond the technical aspects, I also learned a lot from observing how graduate students approached problems, asked questions, and collaborated as a team. I was also able to join meetings with PhD students and supervisors, where we shared updates on our projects, discussed challenges, and exchanged ideas. These experiences gave me a glimpse into what it is like to be a graduate student and researcher at the University of Auckland.

Overall, my eight weeks as an intern at the University of Auckland were a unique opportunity to advance my career in an international setting. I gained new knowledge, hands-on research experience, and insight into the environment of graduate-level research. All these experiences greatly shaped my academic and professional journey, and I will continue to draw upon them as I progress through my future career path.

Weekend Trips!

Outside of my day-to-day work life, I had the chance to travel and explore different parts of New Zealand and the South Pacific. Some of the highlights include trips to Queenstown, Milford Sound, Fiji, and Mt. Ruapehu.

Queenstown/Milford Sound

For our very first weekend trip, my roommates and I flew to the South Island and stayed in Queenstown, a town known for its outdoor adventures and beautiful scenery. We booked a hostel right in the center of town, which gave us access to all the activities, restaurants, and cafes. Some of my favorite moments were taking a jet boat ride across the lake, hiking the Queenstown Hill Walkway, and wandering through the shops in town.

One of the biggest highlights was our day excursion to Milford Sound. The drive took us through Fiordland National Park where we passed by incredible views of mountains, waterfalls, and valleys. Once we arrived, we boarded a cruise that took us through Milford Sound where we were immersed in even more beautiful scenery, waterfalls, and wildlife.

 

Fiji

My next, and probably most exciting trip, was to Fiji. My friends and I booked a weekend getaway to Fiji, as it is only a short flight from New Zealand and gave us a chance to escape the winter weather. We booked a group island hopping tour that took us to several islands and included many exciting activities. Our first night was spent on the main island in Nadi before setting out on our island-hopping adventure. The next morning, we woke up early and boarded an hour-long boat ride to our first island, South Sea Island. This was a tiny island, about 100 meters across, in the middle of the ocean with views all around. Here we met many other travelers, spent the day doing beach activities, enjoyed a traditional Fijian dinner, and finally spent the night outside on the beach laying under the stars and taking in the sounds of the ocean. One of my favorite parts of staying on the island was waking up early in the morning to the most stunning and colorful sunrises I’ve ever seen.

The next morning, we set out on our next boat ride to Barefoot Kuata Island. This was a slightly larger island, but still with a small and intimate feel. Here, we stayed in a “Bure” that had private access to the beach and lots of areas to lounge during the day. There were countless activities to do on this island including snorkeling, scuba diving, dance lessons, spa treatments, and much more.

One of the most memorable parts of this trip was scuba diving with bull sharks! I had never done scuba before, but the instructors on the island were welcoming of all experience levels. We met up early in the morning and got set up with our gear, followed by a land and pool lesson to prepare us for the dive. We also learned about Bull Shark behavior and how the island works to spread awareness, conserve the shark population, and reduce the common fear associated with sharks.

Once we were all prepared, we set out on a 15-minute boat ride out to the diving area. It was freeing being out on the ocean and preparing to encounter a new and exciting experience with all my friends. Upon entering the ocean, we immediately saw a group of 13 Bull Sharks circling around the feeding area. It was much less nerve-racking than I expected, as the instructors were all very gracious, understanding, and helpful. For about 25 minutes, we sat on the sea floor as the sharks all circled around and above us. It was a truly eye-opening experience, and something I never imagined I would have the chance to do in my life.

 

Mt. Ruapehu

My final weekend adventure was a ski trip to Mt. Ruapehu! The University of Auckland has a ton of clubs that students and community members can join, and through the Snowsports Club my friends and I signed up for their “Women’s Weekend” trip. The four-hour drive down was an adventure in itself since it was our first time driving on the left side of the road, but once we got the hang of it, it just added to the excitement of the weekend.

We stayed at Snowline Lodge, which was super cozy with bunk beds, a big living room, and a kitchen that everyone shared. The best part was how friendly and welcoming the environment was, and we met students and travelers from all over the world. One night, over 30 girls crammed into the University’s lodge for games and a pajama party.

The next morning, we all woke up early, made breakfast together, and headed straight to the slopes. Skiing in New Zealand in August, while it was the middle of the summer back home was surreal and such a memorable way to wrap up my time abroad!

 

Brooke England

Major: Data Science

Summer 2025

Auckland, New Zealand

International Internship