New Zealand - Day 10 and 11 - Maori Experience and Full On!!

What a couple of days we have had!!

Yesterday we started the day off by going to the Historical Rotorua Museum of Art and History.  The building that houses the museum has had several different uses over the years including a hospital for people with rheumatalogic disorders and arthritis as the local waters supposedly had healing powers.  It also was a nightclub and now a the museum.  They learned about how the building was built  - using a combination of cement and pumice and that the stairs used no nails.  There was also a wing in the building that was devoted to the Mauri people and their legends.

From there it was off to the Polynesian Spa for a soak in the hot mineral waters, which the kids seemed to enjoy.  They had 3 different pools to choose from ranging from 32 C to 40 C.  Then it was off to high tea and a bit of shopping followed by a hike in the Redwood forest - that was started with trees donated from California.

After our walk we headed to the Whakarewarewa Living Village where we were led by our Chief, Travis, and greeted by the local Maori.  They welcomed us with a performance which was amazing along with Poi Dance for the girls and the Haka for the boys.  We also had a Hangi (traditional Maori cookout).  Everyone enjoyed the evening and were ready for bed.

This morning we were up early and headed toward Tui Ridge and our day with Full On.  We spent the morning talking about goals and how we can attain them and what is holding us back.  This included several different team building type activities intermixed with discussions.  They day concluded with time on the high rope course, breaking boards and glass walking!  They kids were very impressed with what they learned today.  

All the kids are now winding down for the evening and getting ready for our day in Hobbiton tomorrow.

New Zealand - Day 9 - Riding, Racing, and Roaming...oh my!

Before reading, put on your best Kiwi accent and ENJOY!

'Twas a sad day in Orewa as the students said goodbye to their host families and boarded our bus headed towards Rotorua. On the way we got to stop at BP to experience the Wild Bean Cafe and supposedly the best coffee in the world. Unfortunately, all the kids went to McDonald's while the leaders enjoyed the coffee.

Once back on the bus we continued our journey to Rotorua. We watched a documentary on New Zealand containing the foliage, wildlife, volcanic activity, and geography; which helped us learn more about New Zealand on our 2 hour bus ride.

We made our way to Skyline through Hobbiton where we will be visiting in a few days time. As soon as we arrived we hopped on a gondola and rode to the top of the mountain. At the end of our ride we jumped off and scurried to lunch.

After lunch the students got to luge down the mountain either on the scenic or intermediate route. Upon reaching the bottom you got to ride a ski type lift up to the top. This ride was most enjoyable as the view was spectacular. Once off the lift we meandered over to Tip Top and devoured some hokey pokey ice cream which is sweet as!

We made our way back down the mountain via the gondola and boarded our bus and continued our journey to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. This valley is the newest geothermic area. Our guide Blake explained about how the valley was formed and how it is ever-changing. He taught us about the rarest plant in the world that is only found in this area and how it is a fern ally. Our last stop along our trail was an inferno crater lake. This is a steaming and typically blue jewel of Waimangu. The lake level follows complicated rhythmic cycles with shallow recessions occurring every few days and/or deeper recessions at longer intervals. The top of the white silica deposit marks overflow level. The lake is highly acidic with a pH around 2.1. The inferno crater is the largest geyser-like feature in the world although the geyser itself cannot be seen since it plays at the bottom of the lake.

After our walk we made our way through the gift shop and onto the bus as we headed towards our accommodations for the night where many of the kids partook in the laundry facilities.  We are looking forward to the hot springs and Mauri experience that tomorrow holds.

Fiji - Day 6 - Moce Fiji, Kia Ora New Zealand

After a leisurely morning, we checked out of our last Fijian resort and headed back to the port for lunch and some shopping.

We had lunch at Bone Fish and the kids were all excited about real hamburgers and fish and chips.

After lunch the students had a couple of hours of shopping and then it was back on the bus to head to the airport to check into our flight to New Zealand.

We are now waiting to board and will arrive in New Zealand around 11 p.m. and then head for our home stays tomorrow.

Fiji - Day 5 - Sailing Away

This morning started off with a ride to Port Denarau to meet our yacht for a 1-hour cruise to Tivua Island - or Mystery Island.  On the cruise over, we had a morning tea and were serenaded by some of the crew members on the ship.

Once docking at the island, it was time to either snorkel in the morning session or take a glass-bottom boat ride.  Those who snorkeled, saw Dory, Sharkbait, and Nemo, along with coral and lots of other fish.  We also had the experience of being stung by microscopic jellyfish, which felt like stinging mosquito bites.  While annoying, these types of stings are not dangerous, just a little irritating.

Back on land, we had a delicious lunch and then could either kayak, paddle-board, swim, nap, play sand volleyball, or just relax and enjoy the scenery.

Then it was back on the boat to make our way back to the resort for dinner and starting to part for our departure for New Zealand tomorrow afternoon. 

While it seems like a pretty mellow day, the kids are all exhausted from being out in the sun all day and taking in the last full day of Fiji Time.

Fiji - Day 4 - Getting our learning on!

It was an early start this morning with mother nature greeting us. There was a light drizzle that turned into a downpour with winds that made breakfast entertaining, as the hotel staff had to keep rearranging the breakfast buffet and omelet station to stay out of the rain.  

After breakfast, we boarded the bus to head toward the Ratu Navula College (high school) where we were going to spend the afternoon. Once arriving at the school, we met the assistant principal who gave a brief overview of the school, the students, and how their educational system works.  The students had an opportunity to ask questions before heading for a morning "tea" prepared by the culinary students at the school.

After our "tea," the students were then dropped off in age-appropriate classes to spend some time seeing firsthand how the classrooms work.  They all seemed to enjoy the time meeting the Fijian students and participating in classes.  Some even brought their classwork to us leaders to look over.  As leaders, we were very proud of our students today.  

One thing that struck us as unusual is that some teachers just do not show up to school if they have other things that need to be done, i.e. the rugby team was preparing for a match tomorrow, and another had some stuff to do in the community.  It seems they do not have a substitute teacher system in place for these occasions.  So, while the students were in classes, the leaders also had the opportunity to go into classrooms without teachers and work with students. 

After class, we had a nice lunch prepared for us again by the culinary students and then it was time to say our goodbyes to our new friends and head to our new home for the remainder of our time in Fiji.




Looking forward to our trip to Mystery Island tomorrow.  

Fiji - Day 3 - Sand Dunes

We had a relaxing start to our day - we actually were able to sleep in a bit - breakfast was not until 8 o'clock this morning.

After breakfast we headed off to Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, which was a short 45 minute drive from our resort.  We started our morning off with some stretching exercise to get ready for our hike.  Then off into the woods we went.

We stopped along the way to plant some trees to help with their reforestation project after many native plants and trees were wiped out of the area.  Everyone then named their tree and came up with some really good names.

Continuing on with our walk, we entered the Driodrio Forest, which in local Nadroga means darkness.  According to Fijian folklore, the ancestors of Boli Boli Village believed this forest to be a gateway to the spirit world and if a falling star was seen in this forest at night, they believed it foretold the death of an elder in the village.

At this point, the students had to make a decision on which hike they wished to do - the 2 hour 4.5 km hike or the 1 hour 1.5 km hike.  We continued hiking onward to our respective sand dunes where the kids were able to participate in the local fun of jumping off the sand dunes.  Lots of fun was had by all.

We then went down the other side of the dune for a beach walk - hiking in a local Fijian way - barefoot.  They students stopped along the beach to pick up driftwood to later make a tree-hugger.   However before that, they learned about teepees along the beach - which they used to protect the sand from blowing into the forest and also used as a resting place for local fisherman.

Back into the forest we went to make our tree-hugger,which is driftwood and vines made around a tree to save it from being cut down.  According to legend, 6 women formed a circle around a big tree to save it, only to have the machines come in and slice through the tree and the women together.  Now tree huggers are put up in honor of these women and to save the trees in the future.  After our tree-hugger was completed we continued our hike back to the starting point.

We washed off from our sandy adventure and had lunch.  After lunch we did some silk screening the traditional way with roots and nuts and also played some volleyball.

Then back to the resort to wash up and enjoy a little down time.  School visit tomorrow and moving on to our next resort in Fiji.   Kids are all doing great and having the time of their lives.