#RECTREK15

The deed has been done y'all. The last study abroad post. Ever.

Lots of helmets and lots of animals. 

And if you want to travel down memory lane and have extra time to kill, feel free to check out last years study abroad video here.

xx, 

m.

P.S.
I recommend watching the video in HD on my Vimeo account

The End All

I hate writing this post.
But it must be done.
And if I put off writing it any longer then I will forget even more.
I don't want to forget. But I also don't want to accept its over.
What a dilemma...

So the South Pacific. Lets talk about it.

Sydney, Australia - Round Three

Sydney, Sydney, Sydney.

I thought I loved my time earlier spent in Sydney but this last day in Sydney was beyond perfect. For real guys I know I keep saying that but the trip just keeps getting better.

Okay so last day in Sydney. Originally we were suppose to have one last business visit however that fell through at the last moment which means we suddenly had a full free day to ourselves before boarding our plane to come home.

Cairns, Australia

Cairns. Oh. My. Goodness.

It is perfect there. And it is warm. And the people are nice. And the ice cream is phenomenal. And the water is warm. And I could go on forever!

Sydney, Australia - Part Two

Okay. Sydney round two.

Katoomba, Australia

A few times on this trip I've been a little trigger happy with the camera. I take a million photos and videos. But at Katoomba I don't think I pulled out my camera once. Not because it wasn't beautiful. But because it was so beautiful I couldn't peel my eyes off the scenery! (and it was raining which might play a small factor in me not using my camera...)

Sydney, Australia - Part One

Sydney is so great it deserves multiple blog posts so here we go.

To start our hostel in Sydney is so nice! It is absolutely the best hostel I have ever stayed at, even out of any hostel I stayed at in Europe! It is so clean, and modern, and sophisticated. It's the Ritz.

Sky Die

Here it is.

My sky diving video for all to see. So many "head yanks" from Sam.
You can read about my terrifying yet exhilarating experience in full here. But you can watch the real life recap in this blog post right here.

Enjoy!

xx,
m.

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, Auckland, Auckland.

Auckland is awesome to say the least! I love big cities and Auckland was just the change I had been needing! We started out in Auckland attending a Blues rugby game at Eden Park. We were running a little late and as the facilitator I was struggling a bit to solidify directions to the stadium at the last minute. Luckily the people of Auckland are so nice! I asked this college aged girl for directions to the stadium and she ended up walking us the entire way there just to help us out!

Guys really the people of Auckland are so sweet and kind, 10 out of 10s for sure.

Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Following our stay in Hamilton we traveled to the holiday park for a short trip to Hot Water beach located in the Coromandel Peninsula. The drive through Coromandel Peninsula was beautiful and I know I say this a lot but really, New Zealand is gorgeous. I can't get over it.

Waitomo & Hamilton, New Zealand

The night we arrived to the holiday park in Waitomo was the night I was finally able to wash my "Fiji clothes" that have been locked up in my backpack. Lets just say it took an entire bottle of detergent to get everything smelling somewhat okay. The best part? Jumping on the tramp while waiting for my clothes to dry.

The next morning in Waitomo I went running with the girls. We stumbled upon this beautiful lookout over the valley. It was gorgeous view looking over the hills and valley decorated with a stream and beautiful foliage. After the run Ning and I did a bit of yoga together. I'm no yoga instructor (yet) but it was great to stretch out again! A complete and total reminder that I need to get my butt to a dance class or yoga class asap. Following our morning workout the group got together to participate in a cave tour with the Black Water Rafting Co. at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

Rotorua, New Zealand

I grew up watching every single episode of Gilmore Girls. Dang, I loved that show! And I am happy to announce to all my Gilmore Girl fans here that I have found the real Stars Hollow and it just so happens to be Rotorua, New Zealand.

But for reals, Rotorua is absolutely perfect in every way possible. From the second I stepped off the plan from Fiji, New Zealand has had my heart. Granted I think one reason I have loved New Zealand so immediately is the fact it is Fall time here right now. And if you know anything about me you know I soak up Fall time. The air is so crisp, clean and brisk, the leaves are beautiful and crunchy, and everything is right in the world.

Suva, Fiji

Suva is the capital of Fiji. While in Suva we had the opportunity to do a couple of business visits, I mean we are here to study. The first business visit we did was at the U.S. Embassy. It was incredible to meet with a few of the foreign exchange officers and learn more about what their objectives are here in Fiji. Plus being at the U.S. Embassy felt a bit like home! After the U.S. Embassy visit we went to the University of the South Pacific where we learned more about the Fiji’s environmental concerns regarding fishing and mining.

Sinu-I-Wasa Ship

After a glorious two nights in Papageno Resort we traveled from Kadavu island back to the main land where Suva is located. Instead of taking the sketchy plane back we decided to have a new experience and take a ferry. Originally we signed up for a 5 hour ferry ride on a beautiful, newly remodeled boat that would take us all the way to Suva.

That is the farthest thing that happened.

Papageno Resort, Kadavu Island, FIJI

Papageno Resort was a mini slice of Heaven.

There was Diet Coke.

Daku Village, Kadavu Island, Fiji

After leaving early in the morning from Vacalea, we traveled to Daku Village. We traveled via sea-kayaking (once again) with occasionally snorkeling along the way. By the end of a full day of traveling we had sea-kayaked 20+ miles to the other side of Kadavu Island where Daku Village is located. Gotta admit that by the end of the day my arms were pretty beat from paddling so much in big ocean waves! But hey, Fiji is making me toned!

Daku Village was far different than Vacalea. This village is located on the beach and as a result has more traffic from visitors (bringing in television sets, etc.) and more bugs. Yikes. I counted 6 geckos on the ceiling of the room I was sleeping in one night – not comforting. It was fun to experience another native Fijian village and quite honestly it was very different!

Vacalea Village, Kadavu Island, Fiji

On Thursday, April 30th, we left Nadi, Fiji to travel to the Kadavu island. The Kadavu island is the fourth largest island in Fiji but receives the most traffic, next to the main land, due to its location. When we first pulled up to the Nadi airport, the airport was closed due to a bomb threat. My mom doesn't know this till now because I "accidentally" forgot to mention this piece of information in my phone call to her. Ya know, didn't want to worry the parents too much!

Once the airport was cleared we arrived in Kadavu island via the sketchiest plane ride I've ever taken in my life. Legit this plane had bolts and screws missing and the landing strip for the plane was the width of the entire Kadavu island. Plus on top of it all the plane was fishtailing into the landing strip as if it were sliding on black ice.

Needless to say this was my first taste of being scared for my life for the next seven days.

NADI, FIJI

Bula!

Today was my first day in Fiji! And after a long 13 hour flight, today has been the most perfect and relaxing introduction to this beautiful country. Upon arrival we were greeted by Anthony, our guide and owner of Tamarillo Active Travel. Anthony has worked with BYU in the past to created educational programs packed with extreme, adventurous activities.