Day 19 - Day 3 @ Lady Elliot Island and a Final Night

Today was the last full day together as a group, and we were determined to make the most of it. Since our flight off of LEI wasn't until two we were able to enjoy the entire morning by doing even more snorkeling and playing even more volleyball. My volleyball skills weren't as good as yesterday's, but still much better than the beginning of the trip. Even though we've been snorkeling for three days now, I still never got sick of looking at the same reefs. The variety of coral and fish is incredible, and I felt like wherever I swam I would find something new.

After flying back to the mainland in LEI's tiny planes we began our drive back down to Brisbane where we would spend the night. It was about a four hour drive, and by the time we got there it was already seven o' clock. We enjoyed a nice last dinner together followed by devotions and some group discussion.

Being our last night together as a group we wanted to head downtown for a taste of the Brisbane nightlife. Since it was already pretty late by the time we actually left our hostel, we only made it to one local place where we enjoyed good times and good conversation. I loved walking downtown as a big group, especially when we showed up at a place and completely took it over. There's nothing like walking in with twenty people and being surrounded by a bunch of your friends. After hanging out for a while it was time for us to head back to our hostel. When we got back a bunch of us ended up staying up pretty late just talking about the trip and all the fun times that we've had.

I feel like I've been ending the last few entries by talking about how our trip is almost over. Well, tomorrow morning the group officially leaves. Our time together as a group has been unforgettable, and I am so thankful for each and every person on this trip. We all get along real well and I wouldn't change a thing.

A view of LEI while flying in

Day 18 - Day 2 @ Lady Elliot Island

Today brought tons of more fun here at LEI. With the sun rising around 5am, it was tough to stay asleep in our small cabin that wasn't too good at blocking out light. I decided to get up around 6 and headed to the beach. I whipped up yesterday's blog and worked on my tan. Pretty soon others were beginning to get up so I joined some mates for breakfast.

Breakfast was delicious, as is all the food here, and eating while looking at the ocean was a real nice feeling. After breakfast some of us went snorkeling and we were able to see a manta ray and some more sharks. The visibility was great and provided for some sweet views.

When we were done snorkeling it was time for our group to go on a glass bottom boat and do some more viewing of the reefs. We also traveled out to a shipwreck that crashed in '99, and it was cool to see how the ocean and reefs just completely took over it. Our group then all jumped in and did some more snorkeling for a while.

Following a quick lunch, we spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming in the pool, and playing volleyball. Thanks to the help of a couple of all-star vball players, namely Jen Pluymert and Kim Start, my skills have been dramatically increasing. I've developed a new platform, and am setting like a pro.

The weather today was beautiful, and we all made sure to get as much time in the sun as possible. I might have gotten a little burnt, but hopefully the after tan will be worth it.

We spent the night playing cards and enjoying a couple of drinks, and then went out on the beach for another great session of star gazing. LEI has been a great place to see God's handiwork, whether it's in all the intricate details of the reefs and thousands of species of fish, or the clear night sky full of stars you'd never be able to see at home. I am truly amazed at all that's surrounding me here.

Tomorrow we fly out around 2, so we'll still have some time to enjoy a little more of the island. We then head back to Brisbane for our final night together as a group.

Day 17 - Day 1 @ Lady Elliot Island

Today we enjoyed our first day on the beautiful Lady Elliot Island. The island is situated at the very bottom of the great barrier reef and has the capacity for 65 guests. Theres an airstrip the length of the island that is accessible only by small planes. Our group was split into four separate flights with two leaving really early and two leaving at a more reasonable time. I was in the later group so we had some time in the morning to stop by the little shopping district at Hervey Bay and pick up some souvenirs and check out the amazing bay and water that is there. From there we went to the airport to start our trip to the island. Flying in was amazing, as we were in small planes that hold 12 people. I had never flown in a small plane before so that was a cool new experience for me. The views of flying in to the island were incredible and I was able to get lots of good pics.

After safely making it to the island we went through a bit of orientation and then were on our own to explore. The snorkeling is amazing here so the first thing we did was hit the water. We were swimming with sea turtles, sharks, manta rays, and thousands of beautiful fish. It felt like I was in a scene from "Finding Nemo" and made me never want to leave the water.

After snorkeling for a while on the west side of the island we took a break and headed to the east side. A bunch of us laid out on the beach and then decided to do some more snorkeling where we hadn't been yet.

This place is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and it feels like I'm in the Caribbean rather than Australia. In addition, the island is a paradise for bird lovers. They are literally everywhere and the staff estimate there are upwards of one million birds that call the island their home. I've already been pooped on once, while playing volleyball, as have several others in our group. While they certainly get annoying sometimes it's kind of cool to be in a place with so many birds flying all around you.

Later today we were given a presentation on the great barrier reef and how the island does its part to preserve it. In the middle of the presentation a bird flew in the room through one of the windows and would not leave and could not be caught. Unfortunately it flew into one of the ceiling fans and came down. It did however manage to get back up, where it was then caught and brought outside.

After the presentation it was already dark outside so a smaller group of us spent the remainder of the night just chilling on the beach talking and looking at the stars. With virtually no light pollution the stars out here are amazing and awesome to look at. I spent a lot of time just pondering and thinking about my life and the universe, and found it really relaxing to be able to just sit there and look to the sky for answers. The conversation with the group was great, and I can say that the night spent with each other was one of the best of the trip.

I can't get over the feeling of this place and I have absolutely no problems with that. I'm in a great mood twenty four seven and never want to leave. I feel truly blessed to be able to experience places like this at such a young stage in my life and hope to travel for the years to come.

Tomorrow we're headed out on a glass bottom boat where we'll look at some coral reefs and be able to do some more snorkeling. At night we'll be looking at some turtles nesting and I'm sure it will be another great night like today.

Day 16 - The Australian Zoo

We woke up early today to the bright Australian sun. Our plan for the day was to visit the Australian Zoo and then drive to Hervey Bay where we would spend the night. The closer we got to the zoo the more cloudy the sky got and by the time we got there it was raining. Nonetheless, we weren't going to let a little rain stop our animal adventures.

The first thing we did was visit the crocoseum where Steve Irwin's wife and two kids put on a show featuring birds and crocodiles. It was pretty crazy to see the size of a croc up close and to see how powerful and quick they are. The trainers swam in the pool with the croc so it made for an entertaining show. When asked where everyone in the audience was from, our group clearly put up the best cheer for the states.

After the show we hit up Roo Heaven, where we were able to get up close and personal with a bunch of kangaroos and wallabies. At Roo Heaven all the animals just roam around and chill, so you are able to get right up to them to feed and pet them. Some of us became masters of the "fake feed" - which is essentially faking that you have food so the Roo is interested in you. Us poor college kids are too cheap to actually buy food, so we work with what we got.

We then spent some time viewing crocs, tigers, koalas, and dingos. From there we visited the Africa exhibit to see some rhinos, giraffes, and zebras. It was a pretty cool setup and a good time.

From Africa we took part in feeding the elephants. The elephants come right to you and grab the food from your hand. It was a unique experience and I definitely enjoyed it.

After the zoo we began our trip up north to Hervey Bay, where we are spending the night before heading to Lady Elliot Island tomorrow. We went down towards the bay for dinner and enjoyed unlimited pasta. Following dinner we had some discussion time as a group and reflected on our travels thus far. We talked about where we've seen God in the trip, how we want to incorporate what we've learned into our own lives, and just overall funny memories that have happened so far.

When we were done with our discussion we had the night to ourselves. We played some wii tennis and I took part in teaching euchre to a couple people from the group. I love euchre and wish more people knew how to play it so I could play more than a couple times a year. Tomorrow we fly to Lady Elliot island where we will spend some time snorkeling and relaxing - I'm so pumped!

Day 15 - Tanks and Travel

We started off today by visiting The Lost Springs, a local spa that had multiple thermal pools that felt like giant hot tubs. It was a cool morning so the pools were a real nice way to get warm and relax. The owner of the place talked to us about how his trips to America inspired him to make a place where adults can come and be adults. He spent over twenty years making the place and it turned out beautiful.

From the thermal pools we began our trek back to Auckland so that we could fly to Brisbane at night. On the way we stopped at a mall for lunch and to do some last minute NZ shopping. A bunch of the guys scored some deals on some tank tops which have become quite the popular choice of attire for the trip. The freedom and style that tanks provide is just hard to beat. I also snagged a good deal on a new fleece that I will add to my collection of jackets.

We finally arrived at the airport a couple of hours before our flight and everyone got checked in and through security with no issues. I like flying with a group of people despite certain complications and delays that sometime happen. It was fun to be sitting next to your friends and people you knew. I tried to do some blogging on the plane but instead fell asleep for most of the trip. The flight was a little over three hours and before we knew it we were back on another bus traveling to our nights accommodation. With a three hour time change most of the group was pretty tired so we all just hung out and went to bed early.

Tomorrow we're headed to the Australian zoo where we're hoping to see some koalas and kangaroos. In a couple of days we'll be heading to Lady Elliot island which I absolutely cannot wait for.

Day 14 - Kayaks, Bones, and a Late Night

With today's activities not starting till the later part of the morning I was able to have some time video chatting with my family and some friends at school. It was nice to be able to communicate with them in a way other than this blog and started the day off in a great way.

Around 11 we headed to the beach to do some sea kayaking to NZ's infamous Cathedral Cove. The water was perfectly calm and the weather beautiful so conditions couldn't have been better. Upon our arrival to the cove our guides made us some gourmet coffees and we had time to swim and explore. A bunch of us swam out to rock where we were able to jump in and have a good swim. After our free time we started to paddle back to where we started exploring some reefs and a cave along the way.

Kyle and I were sharing a kayak and noticed some guys on a big yacht enjoying some beers. I jokingly asked if they had some for us and they told us to paddle over to the boat where we were greeted with two cold ones. Our group was jealous of our little refreshment and enjoying a brew while kayaking was a nice compliment to the trip. The water was crystal clear and we were able to see some sting rays along the bottom and several schools of fish.

After kayaking we went back into town where we took part in making our own bone carving necklaces. We were given a cutout shape and then had to use a Dremel to round the edges. After multiple stages of sanding and polishing we arrived at the final masterpiece. The process took a couple hours and while it was tedious work the end result was pretty cool. After completion of my necklace I put it on and am liking the "island" look that it gives me. With the combination of my necklace and accent I think I might be able to pull off to some people that I'm a local.

We were on our own for dinner tonight so we made some grilled cheese, tomato soup, and pasta. It was fun to cook together and have a "homemade" meal. Following dinner we decided to head downtown and get a taste of the areas nightlife. Being Monday night there wasn't too much going on but when you travel in a group you tend to bring the party where ever you go. We spent a couple hours at a local bar and enjoyed good conversation and some dancing.

The place closed pretty early so some of us headed to the beach to continue the fun. We ended up just talking the night away and before we knew it it was four o clock in the morning. It was certainly a great time and a night to remember.

Tomorrow is our last day in this great country of NZ and I can't believe how quickly time as passed. There's still plenty of exciting things coming up but it's sad to leave a place you've grown to love so much. Without a doubt will I someday make a trip back to continue my adventures in NZ.

Day 13 - Dolphins and Rapids

We started today bright and early to head on out to a dolphin boat with the high hopes of finding some dolphins to swim with. They took us all around the bay and out towards some small islands where there are usually huge pods of dolphins and sometimes orca whales. Unfortunately for us, we ended up spotting only 3 or 4 dolphins and no whales. They blamed the poor conditions on the shipwreck of the cargo ship Rena, which crashed mid November on a reef outside NZ. Just a few days ago the ship finally cracked in half leaving oil deposits and containers in the entire bay area. The local people are quite upset about the crash and the way the authorities are responding with poor cleanup efforts. With NZ being the way it is, it doesn't surprise me the way the community reacts when their beloved area becomes contaminated. Despite not seeing much wildlife, it was still a nice day to go on a boat cruise in the bay.

Following a brief lunch at McDonald's we headed to do some white water rafting. The river we went on is only open for rafting 26 days of the year, and the rest of the days is damned up for hydroelectricity. The river featured rapids from class 2 all the way to class 5, and provided for quite the thrill. At the bottom of one of the rapids known as "washing machine", we had the unique and somewhat scary experience of having our raft tip over. We were all dumped out and I was stuck under water for a little bit while I struggled to find an air pocket inside of the raft. Fortunately I was able to do so and we all recovered safely. Looking back on it tipping over didn't seem like too bad of an experience, but during the moment it was one of the scariest things of my life. Our guide was having a bit of bad luck that day, as he had never tipped a raft on that river in 10 years, and the day we did it he tipped twice - once with us and once with another group before us.

Although we tipped on one rapid we still were able to enjoy all of the others. There were several commands for rafting and it was quite the job remembering all that we had to do when given orders by our guide. On one rapid we were allowed to jump out of the raft and float down ourselves, which I of course did and had a blast doing so.

After an hour and half on the rapids we had finally reached our destination safely. We dragged the boats out of the water and prepared for our trip to the next hostel. The hostel we're staying at now is right on a bay, so it's pretty sweet to be able to walk right on to the beach. Being pretty tired from the days activities most of us went to bed fairly early.

Tomorrow too looks to be another great day in paradise, with sea kayaking and bone carving in the agenda. I can't believe our time in NZ is almost up already - it's a terribly sad realization that I'm trying to fight off with the promise of more good times in Australia.

Day 12 - Preservation

After a fun night in the Maori long house with the group we enjoyed a final breakfast prepared by the tribe before heading out to enjoy today's beautiful weather.

Our first stop was a local beach where we had time to chill, swim, go on a walk, or do some shopping. A bunch of us had been itching to swim so the first thing we did was jump in the ocean. It was pretty cold and a bit shelly but it was nice to be swimming in January. We then wanted to check out the local scenery so we did a little hike by the mountain by the beach and then went out on a small point off of the beach. The weather was great and the beach area gorgeous so it provided for some good fun and photos. After the walk we laid out and continued to work on our tans.

After chillaxing on the beach we headed out to try our hand at blokarting, which is essentially a sailboat on land. You lay down in a three wheeled cart with a steering wheel and a sail and rely entirely on the wind in the area to navigate around the course they had set up. When a good gust of wind came you could get going pretty fast and ride on two wheels. A handful of our group managed to tip the carts over, but both the cart and driver took it like a champ and came out with no harm done. It was a fun experience and again related to the theme of sustainable adventure.

From blokarting we visited a local preserve where we lent a hand in working towards getting the preserve up and running. We were split up into three groups and rotated around different stations.

At the first station we worked together to measure the diameter of planted trees to provide data that the preserve would be able to observe and study.

At the second station we were each responsible for planting 5 new flaka trees, providing for a total of over 200 new trees in the area planted entirely by our group. Our objective of planting trees was not only to provide a new natural environment in the area but also to offset our carbon footprint of traveling around by bus and plane.

At the final station we took part in ridding the area of small walnut trees and other invasive species that were prohibiting the growth of native species that other volunteers had planted. The process is known as releasing and is extremely beneficial to the survival of the correct plants and trees.

After working at all three stations we enjoyed a nice kiwi fruit and juice snack and enjoyed the beautiful day that we were given. The preserve is well under way towards becoming a real nice place for visitors to come and take in the natural environment around them. Our guides had hoped that within 5 years the preserve would be completed.

We then traveled to our accommodation for night, which turned out to be a pretty nice hotel where five of us guys got the penthouse suite. It was nice to be out of a hostel for once but I missed being close to everyone else. The night was pretty low key - I stayed up late doing laundry and playing cards.

Tomorrow should be a fun day with dolphin watching and white water rafting on the to do list.

Day 11 - A Jetboat and a Sleepover

Today we were forced to change our plans of white water rafting due to unsafe conditions in the river that we were supposed to ride. So instead, we're going to a supposedly better river on Sunday and this morning went to Taupo Bungee where several people from our group experienced the thrill of bungeeing over a river, including Kyle.

After bungeeing we traveled back up to Rotorua for a Jetboat ride on a river. This boat was able to carry about 10 people so it was fun to blast through the tight river corners and do 360's with a group of people. I sat in the back of the boat and got soaked on the spins from water dumping in over the sides. It was, however, totally worth it.

From Rotorua we traveled to another Maori tribe for an authentic Maori experience. The welcome ceremony for them accepting us onto their land is quite elaborate and detailed, and included speech making, singing, and the touching of the forehead and nose between us and the tribe.

They prepared a traditional meal cooked underground like the last tribe and it was again quite tasty. After the meal we were entertained with singing and dancing and even had the opportunity for volunteers from our group to learn two songs.

Following the show we spent some time in small groups reflecting on the Maori culture and figuring out ways in which we could incorporate their lifestyle into ours back at home. I have officially decided I want to get more in touch with my Dutch roots and plan to make a detailed family tree on my arrival back to the States.

Tonight we are staying in the Maori's longhouse, with all 41 of us sleeping in the same room on mattresses on the floor that are all touching each other. It's a pretty fun experience and definitely adds to the whole community building thing. As I'm laying in bed right now I can count 5 different people snoring, including the guys on either side of me. Another guy was sleep talking before and some girls have a noise maker on to try and get themselves to sleep. It's quite the set up we got running here and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Day 10 - The Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Today's hike was the highest and farthest hike I have ever done, but it was for sure the best. At 6000ft high and 11 miles long, the hike winds itself through the area around Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings. All of the movies were filmed where we hiked so it was pretty sweet to feel like you were in the movie as you moved through the volcanic rocks. We even had some speakers playing the Lord of the Rings soundtrack so that certainly added to the experience.

It was quite the climb to the top and involved tackling "devil's staircase". I was super proud of our entire group for making the steep ascent, and it was a great sense of community when we all stopped at the peak for a lunch break. Coming down the other side of the mountain we were surprised by the sight of some sulfuric ponds and lakes. Their waters were super aqua and clear and an awesome site to see.

Overall we completed the trek in just over 7 hours, and it was a great feeling of accomplishment to make it to our destination. We were blessed with perfect weather, as we had neither rain nor blaring sun. This hike reminded me of my love for the outdoors and makes me want to take more advantage of the hikes available to me at home this summer.

As if hiking the entire day wasn't enough entertainment for the day, a group of us decided to hit up the local town at night. We went to a cool burger place for dinner and then across the street to a bar where it was ladies night. We all had a good time and even got to fit in some more karaoke at another bar before calling to quits for the day.

Today was the perfect example of how much enjoyment one can get from merely exploring the world around you, and I wouldn't have rather done any other activity. It's almost been one week with the entire group, and while I'm shocked at how quickly time is going by, I am also surprised when I look at how much we've already done together. Stay tuned for all the adventures still to come!

Myself at the ponds at the top

Volcanic crater at the top

Day 9 - Black Water and Bright Sun

We woke up today to the bright shining of the sun - something that our whole group had been looking forward to for quite some time. Today's main activity involved going black water rafting in the Wiatomo caves, and it was just our luck that it would be sunny while we were underground.

Going rafting involved everyone getting outfitted with a spiffy wetsuit, a helmet and headlamp, and a small tube. We then walked through some fields where we came to the entrance of the cave and river. It was a pretty hilarious sight to see everyone walking through a field with wetsuits and helmets and it looked like we were lost explorers or were posing for some type of 80's photo shoot. Being in a pitch-black cave floating on a small tube was an awesome experience, and it allowed us to get up close and personal with the glow worms. Our guides were hilarious and we all had a real good time checking out the caves and glow worms by tube.

After the black water rafting it was still sunny so we all laid out and enjoyed some sunshine. Music was playing, frisbees were being thrown, and it was the first real time so far that the group was able to enjoy some nice weather.

After a break for lunch we took a trip to a local trail for a short nature walk. Aaron, our ecologist and nature guide for the trip, showed us around the walk and pointed out caves, limestone formations, and various species of wildlife. It was a perfect day to enjoy a nice little hike.

From the hike we traveled to our next destination, Taupo, where we would spend the next two nights. On the way we stopped at an old suspended bridge and made the wobbly cross to the other side. It was interesting to see how many people from our trip are afraid of heights. Thankfully everyone made it across and back safely and no one freaked out too bad.

At the night's accommodation we were on our own for dinner so some girls cooked us up a nice pasta meal. We spent the rest of the night just hanging out on the deck and telling funny stories. A night full of good conversation always seems to fly be, and before we knew it it was time to head to bed in preparation for tomorrows 11 mile hike at the crossing. Our leaders are making the trek out to seem like quite the challenge, and I'm excited for the opportunity to hike to some sweet views.

Day 8 - RAINforest and Glow Worms

Here at the hostel I'm staying in a room with Kyle and two other great guys from our group. We all get along real well and are having a blast. Our nightly ritual has become laying in bed and writing in our journals or in my case this blog. As lame as that might sound I actually really enjoy it as we're just joking around and talking about the days activities. We even went so far as to move two beds from upstairs to downstairs so we could all sleep in the same room. This type of stuff makes for good fun and I love the sense of community that we've already developed early on the trip.

This morning we traveled to the Maungatautari ecological sanctuary to do some hiking and exploring. Before Europeans traveled to NZ it was a rodent free island. When the Europeans did visit NZ and brought rodents with them NZ was instantly faced with a problem as they have no snakes or predators of rodents. The goal of the preserve was to create an area that is entirely rodent free so that birds and other native animals can live in an environment unaffected by rodents eating their eggs and destroying their nests. To accomplish this they built a rodent proof fence around the 8000 acre preserve and then used poison to entirely get rid of the rats. There are still some mice around but they estimate there are less than 200. The preserve itself was pretty sweet and felt like a rainforest with tropical trees hanging over the path. In addition, we experienced a fair share of rain while we were there so that also helped make it feel like a rainforest. Since everybody got pretty soaked we were forced to end our trek trough the preserve early.

From the preserve we traveled to Wiatomo, a small town built entirely on the tourism that they get for their caves. The caves feature really cool green and blue neon glow worms that hang out at the top of the cave. To visit these fascinating creatures, we boarded a small boat that took us around a river through the caves. The glow worms are awesome to look at when your paddling around in pitch blackness and we learned a lot about the worms and how the cave conditions are constantly monitored to ensure their survival.

After our boat ride we traveled to the nights accommodation. They welcomed us with some nice pizza and we all enjoyed a good meal. The rest of the night was relatively low key as we played some cards and hung out in each others rooms.

Later that night our room decided to use an air horn app on my phone and some speakers to have some fun with the girls next door. We were able to open one of their windows and put the speakers inside their room to get a realistic and quite loud sound. As childish as this prank might sound it was hilarious to all of us and felt like we were on some sort of high school trip. It's stupid stuff like that that makes for good times and good laughs.

Day 7 - Great Heights and Speed

Today was one of the most adventure filled days I have ever experienced, and will for sure be one of the most memorable days of my life. The activities I took part in were all amazing and different in their own way, and I'm so glad for the opportunity to try them all out.

We started the morning by heading out to Skyline luge. Here we took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain where they had several tracks set up for you to ride down on a little three wheeled engineless go cart type thing. We got going pretty fast through the banked turns and steep straightaways and thankfully we all made it through with minimal injuries. It was fun to race down the tracks together and share the experience as a group. It was also raining the entire time we were doing it, so that added an interesting twist. Everyone got soaked but I can honestly say that if it wasn't raining it wouldn't have been as much fun.

For a bit of a break from fun we went downtown to do our own thing for lunch. A big group of us went to McDonald's where we struggled to connect to free wifi. Finding free wifi has been less frequent than I thought, but it's a good thing as it keeps me off my phone more and with others instead.

In the afternoon we went to Agroventure. This place is an adventure seekers paradise, with activities like a skydive simulator, bungee jumping, jet boating, and several others. We were allowed to do two activities, and one of them was required to be shweebing, which I'll describe later. The other activity I chose was the skydive simulator. I had always wanted to try that so I was excited when I saw they had one. It turned out to be way harder than it looks but was still a blast. The feeling of floating in the air by a giant fan was surreal and is hard to describe. Being caught up in the moment I forgot all the tips they told me and instead just tried my own techniques which pretty much failed. Nonetheless, it was still an experience that I would recommend and definitely try again.

The other activity we were required to do was shweebing. The shweeb is virtually an enclosed recumbent bicycle hanging from a monorail. The idea behind the shweeb is for it to become a way of public sustainable transportation around cities. It's a pretty cool idea that incorporates both fun and practicality. At Agroventures they have two tracks set up that allow you to race against each other and the clock. They keep track of the best times from countries all around the world and different age groups. I have the privilege of sharing with you all that I broke the American record for fastest time and am now the national record holder for the shweeb. This title earned me a free tshirt and a VIP pass to the park to go on all their rides - a $250 value!

Figuring that I probably wouldn't be visiting Agroventures anytime soon I decided to cash in on some of the activities that I hadn't done yet. The first was the agrojet, a 450 horsepower jet boat that whips you around a little lake. A professional driver and I went around doing sharp turns and fish tails which was something I had never experienced in a boat before so that was pretty cool.

The other activity I chose to do which was certainly the highlight of the day was bungee jumping. I couldn't think of many other opportunities to bungee for free so I decided to go for it. I had always wanted to do it and I'm so glad that I did. The rush was incredible and honestly the worst part of it was hanging upside down at the end waiting to be lowered to the ground. So much blood rushes to your head and sort of messes with your eyes, but it was worth it! I didn't hesitate one bit standing at the edge of the platform ready to jump, because I knew that if I did I probably never would have jumped. Check my Facebook for a video of my jump.

A big part of this trip deals with teaching us about sustainability, and you may have noticed that most of the activities I did today share a common characteristic of having little environmental impact. The shweeb for instance is both great fun and a challenge and uses absolutely no environmental energy other than what it took to build it. The luge and bungee both operate entirely on gravity and using the skydiving simulator is better for the environment than having to fly to jump. Seeing how much NZ incorporates sustainability into their everyday life and tourist attractions really challenges me to take a look at my life. I certainly try to partake in sustainable practices back home, but realize theres plenty more I can do to leave a better mark on this world.

The fun day ended with our entire group going downtown for dinner and entertainment. After dinner a bunch of us went to a bar called Mo's where we took advantage of NZ's incredibly overpriced drinks and sung some karaoke. From there we went to the Lava bar which was recommended to us by all the locals, and I even ran into the guy who took me bungee jumping. A night out on the town was a perfect ending to all of the days festivities.

Life is so great right now. I'm really enjoying meeting new people and developing new friendships with people from Calvin. New Zealand is an amazing place and I can easily see myself coming back some day. Our days are jammed full of events that keep us busy and I'm happy with the slow speed at which the trip is passing by.

I'll end this entry by saying happy birthday mom! I miss you and hope you enjoy today and do something nice with dad!

The shweeb

Day 6 - Kiwis and the Maori People

Today was the first full day spent with the entire group and I'm super excited for how well we are all getting along and how much fun we're going to have. Our schedule for today was rearranged a bit to incorporate more inside learning activities due to the rain that we had most of the day.

Our first visit was to Kiwi 360, a local Kiwi farm that does tours and provides interesting information on NZ's Kiwi industry. It turns out that NZ is pretty much the perfect place to grow kiwi, and they take great pride in the quality of their crop. NZ is entirely GMO free, and we are constantly learning of ways in which NZ strives to keep themselves pure and green. Instead of making decisions based on short term results, NZ tends to look at the big picture and long term effect of decisions on their environment. Being a bit of a farm lover, I was pretty interested in all of the info that the kiwi farmer described about their crop and farming processes. After our tour we had a nice lunch that involved plenty of kiwi tasting, and much to my surprise, I wasn't allergic to the magical fruit.

From kiwi 360 we traveled to kiwi encounter and examined the kiwi bird rather than the fruit. The crew at kiwi encounter is working to restore the population of kiwi and the country by collecting eggs from the wild, hatching them, and then releasing them back in to the wild at an age where they can defend themselves. If kiwi were to hatch in the wild, they have a 5% survival rate, but when kiwi encounter releases their kiwi into the wild that survival rate goes up to 70%. It's funny that the kiwi is NZ's national symbol, as it's really kind of a mean and flightless bored. However, it's the uniqueness of the bird that they cling to and live by.

The evening involved the unique experience of visiting a local Maori tribe for a taste of their culture. They performed several dances and songs and explained their ancient ways of survival. The Maori are the native people of NZ, and are very open to incorporating their lives with those of their visitors. They are very proud of their deep culture, and it was real interesting to learn about their tribe. It makes me wish I knew more about my history and ancestors, and really makes me want to travel to the Netherlands to get in touch with my routes - maybe next interim. We enjoyed a very large and delicious traditional meal that had everything from lamb to chicken to sweet potatoes and mussels. Most of it was prepared in their "ground ovens" and had a very interesting smokey taste to it.

After returning back to the hostel, a bunch of us took another dip in the thermal pool to put a nice relaxing end to an informative day of the NZ lifestyle.

After days of traveling and having no real plans, Kyle and I are both really enjoying being with the group and having things planned out for us. Doug, our tour guide for this trip, is doing an excellent job of explaining NZ life and keeping things fun and organized for us.

A highlight of today's travels was when Kyle's metal water bottle fell from the overhead storage of the bus directly on to my nose while we were driving through some bumpy roads. It took me by great surprise and left two nice cuts that look like a snake bite, so I might stick with that story when people ask what happened. Also, my cold has progressed into me loosing my voice. While I feel fine and haven't been too affected by it, it's quite annoying to try and hold a conversation while you can barely speak and your voice is always cracking.

Tomorrow we're hoping to do some adventure type activities, and I'll write about that in my next entry. So far this trip has been great, and I can't wait for all the things still to come!

Days 3-5 - Journey Up North

Before traveling north to the Bay of Islands, Kyle and I wanted to make the most of our last morning in Piha. Kyle got up early to surf while I took the chance to sleep in a little bit. I then met up with Kyle at the beach and we took the challenge of climbing up Lion rock. Although it was a little cloudy in the morning the view of the coast and Piha was pretty sweet.

After a quick lunch we started the trek up north. Instead of taking the quicker route, we decided to travel the coast and visit a couple of notable spots on the way. These included Sandy Bay, a waterfall (that I'm currently forgetting the name of), and a couple of other beaches that I'm also forgetting the name of. Our route traveled via a bunch of small curvy roads that were carved through mountains and forests. The drive alone was worth the trip regardless of where we actually ended up. Around dinner time we finally arrived at the Bay of Islands where we enjoyed an authentic fish and chips dinner at a small place on the water. We then went to our hostel and spent the night enjoying a couple of drinks at the bar and talking with a girl we met from London. It was an interesting experience meeting other people our age who were traveling alone just like us, with some even being gone for an entire year.

We started the next day bright and early and decided to travel even farther north to Cape Reinga - the most northern tip of NZ where the Pacific and Tasman seas meet. The trip took a few hours and once again consisted of curvy roads and great scenery. Trips like that literally feel like a half hour when there's so much around you to take in. When we finally got to Cape Reinga it was a little cloudy and raining on and off, but we were still able to see the "clashing of the seas" and sweet views of the coast.

From Cape Reinga we traveled back down south a bit to Shipwreck Bay, a world class surfing spot that Kyle had been dying to see. Unfortunately, the timing of when we arrived was off a bit, and the waves were virtually non existent. Kyle can assure you that when they are there however, they are magnificent. So instead of surfing we relaxed on the beach for a little while and hiked down the beach and some rocks. You're allowed to drive your car on the beach there so we were able to get our little car down to the water for a nice photo shoot.

Since we were still pretty far up north we had to decide whether or not to drive back down to Auckland at night or first thing in the morning. Ultimately we decided to make the 5 hour trip at night and arrived at a hostel in downtown Auckland around midnight. We were both pretty tired from all our driving so we called it a night and hit the sack.

This morning we were able to do some laundry and get some Dunkin Donuts breakfast downtown before having to return our car at the airport. Overall we traveled about 1200 kms in four days. Driving around was a blast, and for anyone looking to travel to NZ I would highly recommend just renting a car and exploring on your own.

We finally met up with the entire Calvin group around 2, who were all pretty tired from their string of flights. We then all hopped on a tour bus and traveled about 3 hours south to Rotorua - the adventure capital of NZ. We're staying at a pretty nice hostel that works with traveling groups. With everyone staying in rooms of four or three it feels like a school trip or that we're all at camp or something - it's pretty fun. We were greeted with a nice steak and chicken dinner of which Kyle and I both appreciated after surviving off of little for the past few days. After dinner a group of us took a dip in the hot thermal pool, which is heated naturally to about 98 degrees by a thermal hot spring below it.

Tomorrow's weather calls for rain, so they're switching around our itinerary a bit for things that aren't so reliant on weather. I'll try to keep cranking out the blog posts, but so far have had pretty limited access to wifi. Fortunately I'm able to draft them on my phone and then upload whenever I'm connected to the Internet. For now you all will just have to live with the suspense of not knowing what's next. So long and see you soon!

Days 1 & 2 - Piha, NZ

Kyle and I have created this blog not only to keep everyone informed on what we'll be up to, but also as a reminder of our trip that we will be able to look at for years to come. We hope you enjoy our posts and find our travels as enjoyable as we do.

After celebrating the New Year in style with my friends from NJ, I flew to LA to meet up with Kyle who had been there since the day before. From LA we had a 10 hour flight to Nadi, Fiji, where we had a three hour layover until the final three hour flight to Auckland, NZ. Arriving in Auckland was a great feeling, as both of us were pretty tired from all the flights.

Until we meet up with the group from Calvin on Saturday, we decided to rent a car and do some exploring on our own. We've rented a baby pink Toyota Vitz, which I'm pretty sure has no more than 80hp. Driving on the opposite side of the road has been a learning experience to say the least, but it's been pretty fun. Our first stop was Piha, a small town located on the west coast of the north island. All the locals know each other real well, and I love the easy going vibe that this place has. Besides getting settled in to our hostel, which btw, is one of the sweetest places I've ever stayed, we didn't do much else the first day besides stock up on some groceries and explore the beach and Piha's "lion rock" - a huge rock located on the shore that literally looks exactly like a lion.

We started off today by looking for a surfboard rental for Kyle. I caught some type of cold on the flights here, so I didn't think today would be a good day for me to tackle the 10' waves. While Kyle surfed, I did some exploring of my own around the beach, and checked out a spot where huge waves crash against the rocks. The landscape out here is beautiful, and reminds me of how much I dislike how flat Michigan is.

After a break for a ramen noodle lunch, we went on a hike up one of the huge rocks on the coast. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to capture the sweet view. We then got some tanning in and went for a dip in the ocean.

After dinner, Kyle did some more surfing while I did some reading on the beach. I'm enjoying having absolutely nothing to do and being able to read other things besides textbooks.

We ended the night by hanging out at our hostel and playing monopoly. So far this trip has been extremely laid back and relaxing, something that I think I've needed for a long time, and I'm loving every minute of it. We both wish that all of friends and family could be here to enjoy this awesome place.

Tomorrow we're headed up north to the bay of islands, where we'll be staying for at least a night or two. Stay tuned for an update on our journey north!

The backyard of our hostel

Water crashing on rocks