a week in New Zealand and now I'm home!

It feels good to be home after all my traveling. I left Australia on the 14th of June. It was so sad to leave but from there we went to New Zealand for a week to learn about the indigenous Maori culture and I was pretty excited for that. The culture and feel of New Zealand is very different from Australia and it helped with the transition back home to the states.

above: looking out over Davenport and the city of Auckland

below: a view of the countryside through the bus window

New Zealand is GORGEOUS!!! The countryside and beaches make you feel like you are in the middle of a movie set! Maori culture is also extremely interesting. We learned a lot about it in the short time we had on the island. All our time was spent on the north island, starting and ending in Auckland- NZ's biggest city. Auckland was kinda cool and I got to go bungee jumping off their harbour bridge, but I much preferred the country.

Our trip included staying one night with an actual Maori community, experiencing a traditional hangi meal, having a couple lectures, going to a Maori cultural show, visiting museums, touring villages, going to see geothermal geysers, hiking around ancient volcanoes that are now grassy mountains... you get the picture.

Well that was last week, and now this week I'm home and enjoying the warmth of summer once again! (It was getting really cold by the time I left Australia and New Zealand was absolutely freezing most of the week!). Culture shock hasn't been too bad (although I did have some issues walking along the wrong side of the sidewalk) and jet-lag is just starting to set in.

While I was in Australia I tried not to spend too much time at my computer so I really didn't do a very complete job of explaining all I did and learned. Now that I have more time, I plan on filling in a bit of the details and sharing more pictures and stories. So stay tuned- this isn't the last post!

It's my last day in Australia. The past week has been one of the best! Last weekend I went up to one of my friend's houses in Woy Woy (on the central coast). We went exploring caves by the ocean, whale watching, beach walking, and fishing in the ocean. It was so relaxing I didn't want to come back to Sydney.

I love Sydney too, though! This week was a tourist week for me. On Tuesday I climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge! It was so crazy! We got all harnessed in and suited up and climbed all the way to the top. We did the climb at night and the city lights were so beautiful from the top up there and the wind was soo cold! 

Last saturday I went surfing. Surfing at Manly Beach has become one of my favorite things! I love taking the ferry over there and feeling the breeze coming off the ocean and seeing the opera house across the water. It's all so beautiful! Surfing out in the ocean with the sun shining down on you and the waves crashing is so amazing!

I've been spending as much time as possible with my Australian friends. I have made some really great friends and I am going to miss them heaps! YesderWe had a goodbye party last night and it was so sad saying goodbye and realizing that I may never see them again. 

Well... I leave for New Zealand in the morning. My luggage got picked up this morning. I'm really excited about that! But in the meantime... I'm going to enjoy my last day down under!
I can't wait to see you all again! I'll post more pictures and things on here when I get home.