Sarah Hewitt didn’t know what to expect when she applied for a place at Te Puni Village.
The first-year student says she had seen other hostel rooms so imagined she’d be in for something similar.
“I was a bit hesitant to be one of the first Te Puni residents because I didn’t know what it would be like. But the reality has turned out so much better than I’d expected! I thought I’d be getting a cupboard, but my room is really nice,” she says.
So too are Te Puni’s facilities, which include common rooms on every floor, SKY TV lounges and a large deck.
“The facilities are amazing and everything is brand new, which is a bonus.”
It’s the first time the 17-year-old has lived away from her Carterton home, but she says homesickness has been kept at bay by the fact that 10 of her fellow students from Wairarapa College are also Te Puni residents.
“It’s also been good to meet people from all over the country, and the world. There’s a great bunch of people here.” She says friends are jealous of the view she enjoys from her bedroom window.
“I must have the best view in Wellington, right across the city. I’m so glad I chose to come to Te Puni and I’m already working out how I can stay here for another year!”