Final Blog

We’re sitting on the plane back to Philadelphia, and in a few hours our trip will be officially over. I can’t believe how fast it went by, it was definitely an amazing month.
Although the whole trip was awesome, there are a few memories that really stick out in my mind. I remember stepping off the plane in Auckland and as soon as we went outside I was in awe of how fresh the air smelled and how sunny and warm it was already at seven o’clock in the morning. Then, just a few minutes later, we were standing on top of a volcano overlooking Auckland and the harbor. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment on top of Mt. Eden when I realized that we were finally in New Zealand.
Thinking back, it seems that there were a lot of moments when I was filled with awe. The first time we saw a Kauri tree, standing on top of Cape Reinga looking out across the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean, floating through a cave watching the glow worms pass by, and probably every step of the Tongoriro crossing.
There were a lot of funny times too. Our twenty nine person sleepover at the marae was one of my favorite activities of the entire trip. I also loved our ultimate Frisbee and kickball games (“geocache this!”), finding playgrounds with zip lines, zorbing, karaoke, bungee jumping and other random funny moments that kept my laughing.
During our last dinner on Thursday night, Doug asked me what my favorite excursions were and at first I couldn’t decide. But I finally figured out that Cathedral Cove and the Tongoriro crossing were the most incredible places I have ever seen and I am so glad we were able to visit them.
I also faced a few challenges along the way. Getting used to Kiwi culture was a little challenging at first. I had to remember which way to look before crossing the street. There is not tipping at restaurants, and people seemed to be actually friendly to one another. Hiking the Tongoriro crossing was the greatest physical challenge ( along with staying awake on the bus) but in the end it was very rewarding knowing I had just walked 17 kilometers. Trying to learn geology terms was also a little difficult for me because it is a subject I don’t know a lot about, but I definitely learned a lot. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sit on the beach again without observing the profile of the beach, type of sand and type and energy of the waves.
I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this past month. I can’t wait to look through all my pictures again, and have our first reunion at Trembanoroo on Sunday!