Cultural Exploration: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji 2011

The group reunited after parting ways for the homestay portion of the trip and headed northwest from Oamaru to Methven, a small town near the base of Mount Hutt. The plan was to spend two days on the mountain for skiing, snowboarding, and hot chocolates in the lodge, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. Luckily, the bad weather was only at the top of the mountain. We instead elected to go paintballing, a first for many in the group, and relax back at the secluded lodge. At night, many in the group could be found relaxing by the wood burning stove.

We headed to Christchurch a day before our flight. While there we visited a New Zealand nature and cultural center. We were introduced to a number of local inhabitants including eels, fish, birds, bugs, and plants. Perhaps most important and memorable, however, was our encounter with the famous kiwi bird. The kiwi is a peculiar bird; it has virtually no wings and instead has fur-like feathers and nostrils on the end of its beak. Nocturnal and endangered, they are very difficult to see in the wild. The nature center also serves as a kiwi breeding and rehabilitation center and is one of just a few places you can see a kiwi. We had to walk very quietly through the dark kiwi center while our guide searched for them in their pens with flashlights until we found them scouting the ground for worms.

After the kiwi encounter we took part in a reenactment of a traditional Maori ceremony. The Maori were the first people to settle in New Zealand, and many aspects of the Maori culture have been preserved on both the North and South islands. Many of the Maori traditions are rooted in war, including the Haka, a performance by Maori warriors originally intended to demonstrate strength. The New Zealand national rugby team performs a Haka before each match to intimidate their enemies. The Maori women demonstrated how to use a poi, which is a ball on a string. The poi was originally used by men to improve dexterity and forearm strength, but now Maori women incorporate the poi into their dances. Members of our group were called on stage to learn some of the basic moves of a haka and how to whirl a poi. We also were treated to a number of traditional songs. The kiwi bird and the Maori are both unique to New Zealand and a great source of pride to New Zealanders. The group was glad to have the opportunity to learn about them before leaving New Zealand.

On Friday, we stowed away our winter gear and headed to Fiji. Since our arrival here, we’ve been basking in the sun, cooling off in the ocean and in the pool, picking up where we left off in Australia with some amazing snorkeling and SCUBA diving, and drinking delicious fruit smoothies. We participated in a kava kava  drinking sevu sevu ceremony with some locals. Kava kava is a drink made from the root of a plant found in Fiji. Fijians have been drinking kava kava for hundreds of years and have developed an etiquette and a set of formal procedures for the making and drinking of kava kava. Most of us agree it did not taste particularly good but we were all intrigued by the tingling effects of the murky drink on our tongues.

Tomorrow some of us will wake up early to go fishing. We hope to catch enough tuna and red snapper to feed everyone! We’ll also be heading to a nearby village to meet some of the local kids and play a friendly game of rugby. We’ll also try to find time to practice our parts for a dramatic reenactment of our entire trip; the Joeys, Boomers, Kiwi Fruits, Croc Hunters, and Dingos will be reuniting to recreate the many highlights from Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji!

Signing off,
Hannah and Russell

July 26, 2011

We have now wrapped up our homestay experience and moved on to the next adventure – skiing at Mt. Hutt. We will try to fill you in on what has been a busy couple of days!

It seems like ages ago that we left Wanaka and set out east to Oamaru. On our way out of town we stopped at Wanaka’s famous Puzzling World – a house of optical illusions, mazes, and all kinds of wacky stuff. I don’t think that anyone finished the maze – it’s tough! – but we had a lot of fun in the different rooms and trying to figure out the many illusions.

We then hopped back in the car and continued to make our way east. We arrived in Oamaru a little after lunchtime. Oamaru is a small but well-known town on New Zealand’s eastern coast. It is surrounded on three sides by farmland and by the ocean on the fourth side. The town itself is small with a movie theater, grocery store, and a smattering of little shops and boutiques. What really makes Oamaru unique, though, is its Victorian District – a network of streets that have been restored to reflect what Oamaru looked like during the Victorian era. Here you can meet bookbinders binding books in the traditional way, artists working in textiles, and even bakers making bread as they would have done during the Victorian period. It is a pretty neat place.

Oamaru is also home to one of the largest colonies of the blue penguin, the smallest penguin species in the world. They can be viewed nightly as they come in to their nests from sea.

We arrived into Oamaru and stopped first at the farm of our homestay coordinator. We explored the farmyard for a bit before heading inside for hot cocoa, biscuits, and a newly discovered delight called pineapple lumps (chocolate covered pineapple). Then it was time to stay goodbye! A third of our students were staying by themselves  with their homestay family while the others were in pairs or trios. We all went off our separate ways with tentative plans to meet up in two days for a “trmp” or hike.

One of the things that is so fantastic about the homestays is that each person can have a very different experience. Some people spent their day working on the farm – feeding cows, sheering sheep, helping calve a calf, milking, and feeding chickens, while others went fishing out in the ocean, go-karting, to an All Blacks rugby game, or explored nearby towns and cities like Dunedin. When we did all meet up for the hike on Sunday afternoon everyone had plenty of stories to tell!

On Sunday, our afternoon hike took us through fields owned by one of our homestay families. The fields were actually the set of the Chronicles of Narnia movie and we got to see some of the remnants of the movie set as well as learn a bit about the history of the area. We visited – and climbed on – the Elephant Rocks and then headed back inside for some afternoon pies, rolls, and cocoa.

Sunday night brought snow – LOTS of it to southern Oamaru! Most families spent their mornings making snowmen before meeting up downtown as a group. We spent the morning at the old bike shop and then tried out a turn on the Penny Farthings – the old style bicycles. It was a chilly morning so we happily retreated into the warm and toasty Last Post for lunch. Last Post is the first post office in Oamaru that has been converted into a restaurant/pub of sorts. It is a neat place to get a meal! After lunch we had a bit of free time in downtown Oamaru with our homestay siblings. Some people opted to go see the latest Harry Potter movie – a highly anticipated event – while others went shopping for rugby shirts and others settled into a bakery/cafe to chat. A few went off to see the Moreki Boulders – these bizarre, round, natural formations found on the coast not far from Oamaru.

We ended the day – and our homestay experience – with a  potluck dinner at the home of one of our host families. All of the families and Putney kids attended and it was a great way to have one last hoorah before we took off. We were all sad to leave Oamaru but Mt Hutt and Fiji await!

Bye for now,
Hannah and Russ

We are back at the lodge after a full day on the slopes. We had perfect, sunny weather and fresh snow under our skis – we couldn’t have asked for anything more. The group has settled into the couches for a low-key evening at the lodge with some hot cocoa and a few favorite DVDs. We are heading back to Treble Cone early tomorrow morning for another full day exploring the trails.  We hope you enjoy the photos!

It is hard to believe that our time in Australia has come to an end! We managed to squeeze a lot into our three days here in Sydney but I think we all wish we could stay a bit longer. Sydney is a fantastic city and we certainly have made the most of what it has to offer.

Our first day started off with a ferry ride across the harbour to the Taronga Zoo. The ferry ride itself was a real treat, offering fantastic views of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. The world-famous zoo also did not disappoint – we visited the Australian mammal section and got to see some wombats and echindas up close. Many of us spent quite a bit of time at the gorilla and chimp exhibits, too. We had a bit of free time to explore in groups in the afternoon and a crew of our students was in charge of finding us a place to eat dinner.

On the second day we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House. It is an amazing place with a very interesting history. We visited both the concert and the opera halls and learned a bit about the Danish architect who designed the opera house. After the tour, we split up to do various activities. Some went to the Sydney Aquarium, some to Wildlife World, others to the Botanical Gardens, while others walked around and explored Sydney’s neighborhoods, looking for dinner places and activities for the evening. It was a fantastic day – blue skies, sunny and perfect for exploring a city on foot. Most of the group then took a ride up the Sky Tower, right in the heart of Sydney, for sunset. We got there a few minutes late, but the view of Sydney all lit up at night was pretty spectacular, too! That evening a couple of us went to see an Opera – La Boheme – at the Sydney Opera House while the rest of the group hopped on the city train and headed to a different part of town for dinner and dessert. Quite a treat!

Our last day we packed up and hopped on the bus bound for the Sydney Cricket Grounds to watch our first Australian-rules Football game. It was the Sydney Swans vs the Fremantle Dockers. We, of course, were cheering for the Swans and a few us donned Swan hats and scarves to show our support. Australian-rules Football is kind of like a cross between rugby, basketball, and soccer. We picked up on enough of the rules to be able to follow along with the play – it is definitely a game unlike any other! The weather held out for most of the game and the drizzling started right around the time that the Swans started losing – badly. We headed out to explore the neighborhood surrounding the Cricket Grounds. It was a fun little area with lots of neat shops, cafes, and galleries. At sunset we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower before dinner. For our last night in Australia we went out for a big, traditional Australian steakhouse dinner followed by decadent desserts. Yum!

It certainly has been a whirlwind couple of days here in Sydney and though we are sad to say goodbye to Australia we are looking forward to our next adventure – New Zealand! Word from the ground in New Zealand is that 2 meters of freshly fallen snow awaits us there. We can’t wait!

Cheers,
Hannah and Russell

Hello there! It has been a little while since our last blog post but boy have we been busy at sea! We have been back on land for a little over 24 hours and some of us are still now getting our land legs back.

We had a fantastic three nights/four days exploring the Whitsunday Islands aboard our boat, a retired racing yacht. Most of us did not know what to expect as we had never been at sea for that long but I think it is safe to say that the experience far exceeded all of our expectations. Our boat is a 22-person racing yacht equipped with two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a pretty spacious upper deck. It was close quarters but we didn’t mind at all – in fact, it made things more fun! The crew was great – teaching us a thing or two about sailing and everything they knew about the Islands.

On day one of the trip we visited the fantastic Blue Pearl Bay for some snorkeling. Blue Pearl Bay is so serene, clear, and calm that it is almost like snorkeling in a pool. We explored the reef for a little while before continuing on to a small beach to stretch our legs and snorkel some more. Here we saw turtles, rays, and even little tiger sharks! We dropped anchor in another small bay and settled in for our first night at sea. We were lucky to get perfect weather for the first few days and the stars at night where phenomenal. Some of us spent a few hours out on the deck watching for shooting stars – I think the record was 17 spotted!

Day two started off with an early morning snorkel. Our dive-certified participants headed off for a SCUBA trip while the rest of us put on our snorkels and masks and explored the coral shelf. We were visited by a giant male Maori-head fish, affectionately called “Elvis” by the crew. He hung around for a while, inspecting us and posing for pictures. We then hoisted anchor and raised the sails, setting off towards our next destination. For those of us who had not sailed before, this was a thrill! The boat tilted at nearly 45 degrees once we hit our stride and we enjoyed the view as we made our way over to Whitehaven beach. En route, we saw turtles and manatees. We anchored in a small bay and then made our way to the island for a short hike and visit to the beach. The sand on Whitehaven beach is pure white and incredibly fine – in fact, it is this very sand from Whitehaven beach that was used to make the glass on the hubble telescope! The crew cooked all of our meals, ranging from steak on the grill to pasta and salad, and we ate on the deck under the stars. On this night we had a special treat – s’mores!

We spent day three on Whitehaven beach – rated one of the best beaches in the world. The weather was spectacular and we busied ourselves with a variety of beach games and books. We all went for walks on the beach and Becca, Josh, and Paul even made it all the way to the end – a 10km walk roundtrip! Our crew even made it off the boat for a little while and taught us a new game, Rounders, that was a mish-mash of baseball and cricket. It was a great day and we all enjoyed the chance to relax in the sun. We headed out around 3pm and set sail once again. Just as the wind was filling our sails, we heard someone shout “whales!” and we saw a humpback whale cresting remarkably close to the boat. It was a spectacular sight! We anchored in a sheltered bay and settled in for our final night at sea.

On our final day at sea we awoke to gray skies. We decided to skip our planned snorkel and do a hike instead. We put on our shoes, got our land legs back, and started off on the 90 minute hike to the lookout. It was an easy hike and the view from the top was a fantastic reward. We then returned to our boat and set sail back to Airlie Beach. After three days at sea with no bathing, the hot showers felt fantastic! We all cleaned up, repacked our bags, and headed out to Beaches, a popular restaurant. It was also Aaron’s birthday and the crew had made a platter of cakes and cookies to celebrate while we were still on the boat. They came out to Beaches to help us continue the celebration and to say goodbye. It was a great night and we were sad to say goodbye to our new friends, but at the same time we were very excited for our next destination: Sydney!

A bus, ferry, and plane ride later, we made it to Sydney. Our hotel here is fantastic and the group is really excited to be in one place for four full nights. We are planning to hit the Taronga Zoo, Sydney Opera House, Sky Tower, Aquarium, and a rugby or Australian-rules football game. We’ll keep you posted!

Bye for now,
Hannah and Russell

July 8, 2011

Hello there! It has been a busy couple of days. We left Lake Tinnaroo, our home in the Australian Bush, and made our way to the coastal city of Cairns. Everyone was sad to say goodbye to Tinnaroo and the friends we had made there but they were excited for the adventures that awaited on the coast.

On our way to Cairns we stopped at the Big Peanut, a roadside shop that sells every kind of peanut you can imagine as well as gelato, dried fruits ,and bizarre drinks such as “ice cream flavored soda”. It was a bit hit and we bought up snacks for the rest of the trip. We spent the afternoon at Hartley’s Croc Farm, a working farm and educational wildlife park. While crocodiles are the top attraction, there are also dozens of species of native bird, snake, and mammal. The group took a “river cruise” to see some of the resident crocs and even got to witness a feeding! We learned more than we ever thought we would know about crocodiles and I think it is safe to say that we all have a newfound respect for them as well! Many members of the group challenged their fear of snakes and reptiles and took turns holding baby crocs or giant pythons. The highlight of the day for most, however, was  interacting with the mammal residents of Hartley’s Croc Farm. We visited the wallabies and kangaroos at dinner time and finally had a chance to see some of these guys up close and personal. We also were able to pet the koalas and learn a bit about them. Today’s group question was ‘what was your favorite ‘First of the day”’. Petting a koala made the top of the list for most!

After the Croc Farm we made our way to our residence in Cairns. We got take-out pizza and pasta and settled in for a movie night. The next day we woke up bright and early and headed out for our rafting trip on the Tully River! The rapids were class 3-4 and were a hit with experienced rafters and novices alike. We split the group into three groups – Team Powerhouse, Team Stupendous, and Team Terrific – and we each set out with an experienced guide. The rafting trip took up the entire day and included a stop for lunch. We had a fantastic time! We arrived back in Cairns around 6:30 pm, showered, and headed out to a restaurant on the esplanade for dinner.

The next morning was another early one as we set out to visit the Great Barrier Reef. The day was perfect for being out on the water – sunny with virtually no breeze. We traveled about 2 hours until we reached the outer reef which is where we put in for snorkeling and, for those who are certified, SCUBA diving. We saw clown fish, white-tipped reef shark, turtles, parrot fish, giant clams, sea slugs, and countless other species of marine life. After a quick lunch on boat we visited a second dive site where the coral was magnificent. Once we returned to land, we showered, did laundry, and stocked up on snacks and groceries for our next travel day before grabbing dinner at a local Italian eatery.

Tomorrow we head south to Airlie Beach – our jumping off point for the sailing trip in the Whitsunday Islands. We won’t have internet access while on the boat so this may be our last blog post until we reach Sydney on the 14^th. We’ll post pictures and updates once we are back on land!

Signing off for now,
Hannah and Russ

Today the group ventured back across Lake Tinaroo in their canoes for a lesson in abseiling.  To abseil is to lower yourself backwards down off a vertical drop while strapped into a harness and dangling from a rope.  Lou and our new friend Greg gave us a demonstration.  Most of the group had never attempted such a feat, but with everyone cheering each other on, we all overcame our fears and successfully made it down.  The bravest souls of the bunch also rapelled down the rock, which is similar to abseiling but you walk and hop down forwards instead of backwards so you are looking directly down at the ground. After a relaxing ride back to our home base in a canoe caravan behind Lou’s boat, we had an intense Ultimate Frisbee battle before dinner.

Our local man-on-the-ground, Lou, and his wife joined us for our last dinner at Lake  Tinaroo.  They brought a cake to top off a wonderful day. We are sad to say good-bye to Tinaroo and all the friends we made here but we are excited for the adventures ahead!

We’ll write again from Cairns!

Hannah and Russell

G’day!  Our group has already proved to be world-class world travelers.  We managed a 14 hour flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane on the eastern coast of Australia, a short bus ride to the domestic flight terminal, a two hour flight up the coast to Cairns, and a two hour bus ride to Lake Tinaroo without a hitch. Lake Tinaroo is set in a beautiful area and his home to hopping wallabies and squawking cockatoos.  We were greeted by Lou, our fair dinkum (Australian for “real deal”) guide for the next few days.  Lou showed us around, told us how to find wallabies, and told us to be ready for a big day.

The first night was our first opportunity for an official group orientation.  Everyone shared their hopes and fears for the trip.  We also split our 18 person group into split into 5 smaller groups that will take care of meals, clean ups, and other chores throughout the trip: the Dingos, the Boomers, the Joeys, the Croc Hunters, and the Kiwi Fruits!  After a delicious pasta and chicken dinner the group retired early to their sleeping mats for a well deserved night of sleep.

The next morning began early.  Because of the change of time zone and the early night many of the kids were up at 4:00 a.m.  The boys took advantage of the moment and started a Connect Four tournament!  Eventually the rest of the group made it down for a hearty breakfast.  Lou took a group to the supermarket for groceries, and the group came back with all sorts of interesting Australian delicacies.  A group of students took advantage of the break it the action to relax on the shore with some summer reading.  After a delicious lunch of grilled cheeses prepared by the Kiwi Fruit group, we grabbed oars and life vests for a canoe trip across Lake Tinaroo.

The winds were working in our favor and everybody made it across in teams of two.  But our journey had only just begun.  From there we hiked 40 minutes to our riverside campsite.  Lou demonstrated how to set up a tent and everyone followed suit (with mixed results).  For many students, this their first time camping– all in all the leaders were proud of the gang.  Dinner was hamburgers, hot dogs, and potatoes cooked over an open fire. The cooking crew did fantastic job of taking orders and working with special requests. After dinner we had our group meeting under the magnificent starlit sky.

We decided as a group that each day we would all keep our eyes peeled for something to share with the group at the nightly meeting. On this day, our topic was “Favorite smell of the day”. The smell of the fire was a very popular smell but other notable mentions were the smell of the canoe, the smell of the tent, smell of the burgers cooking and the smell of victory (so said the winners of the canoe ride across the lake – Hannah and Russell!). Our next topic is “Favorite non-human sound of the day”. It is fun to keep your ears peeled for new things each day! We turned in early as we are still adjusting to the time change. We all crawled into our sleeping bags at 9pm and let the sounds of the river soothe us to sleep.

We woke up at 5am to the sound of raindrops falling on our tents. It was a light drizzle but enough to make lighting a fire a bit tricky. We gathered all the dry wood we could find and managed to build a large enough fire to heat up hot cocoa and coffee to warm us up. We had a quick breakfast and got our gear together in preparation for our big hike – Lou was taking us to the top of Black Mountain. Our lunch crew – Team Joey – made sandwiches and packed lunches for everyone, we filled up our water bottles and set out on what Lou estimated to be a 5-6 hour hike. The drizzle persisted but it didn’t managed to drown our spirits! We hiked through tall grasslands, rainforest, rocky hillsides, and wallaby trails. Though it felt like we were always going uphill, there were no complaints, lots of words of encouragement and plenty of excitement as we approached the summit. We were rewarded with a brief break in the rain once we got to the top and ate our lunch overlooking the Australian landscape.

We hiked back to our campsite in high spirits, broke down our tents and made our way back to the canoes. The winds had picked up by this time and were definitely not working in our favor so Lou kindly offered to tow us back, to no objections by the gang!

Tomorrow we are off to go rapelling, canoeing and a have bit of downtime at the center before we leave for Cairns. We’re looking forward to white-water rafting, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and a visit to the famous Croc Farm in the next few days. Can’t wait!

Bye for now,
Hannah and Russell