Hello, I’m Kentaro Takano, a 3rd year student. About one month has passed since I arrived in New Zealand.

I found a food that I like in New Zealand: meat pies. When I heard the word “pie,” I could only imagine pies with fruit, which I don’t like. Therefore, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy pies here. But when I went to a store, I saw pies with meat being sold, and they were very tasty. After that, I talked to my mother about it, and she told me that I had eaten a pie with sausages in Japan before.

I have spent too much money since I came to New Zealand, probably because of the delicious meat pies. I thought the price was high, and I didn’t feel like I was spending money because I used a card when paying. I realized that this wasn’t good for me, so I started using cash as much as possible to feel the money decreasing.

Next, I will introduce some sightseeing places. On Thursday, April 24, 2025, we went to Saint Clair Beach. I had walked around the area several times before, but it was my first time going onto the beach. The funniest thing was that when I walked on the beach, the waves came crashing many times, and my shoes almost got wet. However, walking on the beach in shoes is quite difficult, so next time I’ll wear sandals instead.

On the same day, we headed to Tunnel Beach, but we stopped halfway and gave up. Walking was fun because I like walking, and I was with my friends. What I remember most was climbing the stairs—there were 285 steps. Next time, I will plan better, and I’m looking forward to going to Tunnel Beach again.

On Friday, April 25, we went to Baldwin Street, which is the steepest street in the world. I had been there before with my host family, but we only looked at it from the bottom. Thus, this was my first time going up and down the street. The view from the top was beautiful, and I felt a sense of accomplishment when we reached the top. I had wanted to visit Baldwin Street since I was in Japan, and it’s the best sightseeing place I’ve been to since I started living here.

On the same day, we also went to Signal Hill Lookout. I had been there before with my host family by car, but this time I went on foot for the first time. I felt good because the weather was nice and the view was great. On the way there, we walked on a road with a narrow footpath, so I was a bit scared. On the way back, we took a hiking track. Although the path was slippery, I liked the return route more than the way there. I will use the track next time.

I will find new sightseeing places, and I want to enjoy sightseeing for the remaining 10 months or so.

Kentaro Takano