A trip well traveled...

The boys made a fort in the airport.

We had so much luggage,

we had to use a really big cart!



Addison here! I write this waiting to get on our return flight back to the states from Nadi to LA. The last couple days have been paradise. I really can't express how perfect everything has been. The weather, wildlife, and people all came together to give us a wonderful experience and many memories to share with our friends and loved ones upon our return.

Parasailing was a fun activity that

several students made sure to do on Castaway.

Everyone took turns going on a banana boat ride around the island.

Not everyone stayed on....

Scott Peterson shared his musical talent with everyone

by playing the guitar. Some kids joined in and were backup singers.

Upon arrival at Castaway most of us headed straight for the beach. The first day was a bit overcast but the water was beautiful - so blue - and the snorkeling was beyond amazing. I personally was out in the water for hours on both days taking in sights like eels, pufferfish, and even the incredibly venomous but peaceful sea snake. The food was spectacular and we were treated to many island favorites including lots of fish and fruit (such as quava AND pear.)

One of the nicest things of all was the hospitality shown by the native Fijians themselves. They invited us to spend time with them and treated us to some of their native Kava. Kava is a traditional fijian drink that plays a big part in their culture.


Sitting here and thinking about the whole trip I go back to all the amazing times we had in Australia and New Zealand before spending our last few days here. The caving, skyrail ride and sitting on the beach looking out at the water and surrounding islands have just been a few of the many amazing experiences we have had on this trip and I can guarantee that we all would take this class over again if it was possible!


Thanks for keeping up with our travels and in just a few short hours we will be back home!

Castaway Island!

Hello All! This is Katherine just writing to quickly say we are safe and sound on Castaway Island! This is officially the most beautiful place most of us have ever seen! We are participating in a variety of activities including kneeboarding in the ocean, snorkeling, para sailing, and riding the banana boat!

We will be getting back into Omaha tomorrow night sometime around 11pm. There will be photos and perhaps more information added once we return home, so please keep on checking out the blog!

Until then, Bula!

Day 12: Nadi, Fiji

Today was a travel day. We traveled from Auckland by plane to Nadi, Fiji. Just before leaving Auckland our bus driver took us up to Mount Eden, a dormant volcano in Auckland. This point offered spectacular views of the city and reminded us of home, as there were cows there to "mow" the grass down.

When we arrived in Nadi it was very humid and raining. We were met by representatives from our hotel, the Tanoa International Hotel, who took us to our accomodations. Before leaving the airport we all received a gift from them of a white shell necklace.

This evening everyone ate at the hotel restaurant and are just anxiously awaiting going to Castaway Island tomorrow! We will travel by boat at 9 am local time to Castaway and will be there through 11 am on Tuesday.

Sorry we have no photos really to add from today! :)

Day 11: Auckland

Today was a free day where students participated in a variety of activities. 22 students including Addison and myself went to the Auckland Harbor bridge and did a 40 meter bungy jump off of it. Others went golfing, shopping or on a vineyard tour.

This evening was the opening night of a weekend long time of festivities for Auckland as they are celebrating the city's birthday. There were fireworks and free concerts for people to attend.


Leslie was the first person
to get head-to-toe dunked
in the ocean during her jump.



















This is me (Kat) on the edge
preparing to leap from the bridge
with only a latex rubber band holding me up.






















Brian, Andy, Aaron and Bob S. went
golfing on their free day in Auckland.

Half Day Rainforest Waterfall Adventure

This morning we all loaded up the bus for a 45 minute drive
outside of Auckland to the Waitakere Range.

Once we arrived we divided into teams and headed through the rainforest to abseil down waterfalls. Abseiling is basically climbing down rocks with some water running over them and having people at the bottom to assist you in case you would slip. This was a good team work experience, where we had to trust that the people at the bottom would be there for us. There were three abseils with the largest being 30 meters high.

Tomorrow we have a free day in Auckland, where some of us will be going bungy jumping. Stay tuned!

We would also like to wish Billy Dunbar a happy 21st birthday! Celebrating in Auckland will be quite the experience!

Going Underground in Ruakuri Caves

Well, now we are in Auckland! After an early morning and a two hour drive we came to today's destination of the Ruakuri Caves. These caves, some of over 400 in the area, are an amazing geological feat performed by nature over hundreds of thousands of years.

All 42 students on the trip performed the descent and all 42 came out unscathed. Students were treated to an amazing star-like light display put on by glowworms. At points in the cave it was actually bright enough to see dimly by the bioluminescence they put off!

Through waterfalls and claustrophobic tunnels students crawled and rafted and enjoyed an amazing experience. On the busride here everyone was asleep, tired from the day. Now slightly more rested we are all going out to get dinner and see the sights.

Maori, The Agrodome and Whitewater rafting

We apologize for the lapse in bloggage (possibly a made up word). The internet is a very inconsistent thing when traveling abroad!

Yesterday, after departing our hotel in Sydney at 3 AM, we boarded our Qantas flight to Auckland in New Zealand, Land of the Long White Cloud. After our flight and three hour bus ride we arrived in our first Kiwi destination, Rotorua. Our hotel is right next to Lake Rotorua, which smells very strongly of sulfur due to the active geothermal area.

We didn't have much time to get unpacked before we went to a Maori village where we were treated to a lesson in their history and culture. We enjoyed a traditional Maori meal and dessert, which were sweet as! This is the first time many of us had pavlova (a cake like dessert with a fruit topping). It might seriously be the best thing on earth.

Bob Bredin was our chief while we were there. We had to have a chief, who would represent our group and ensure that we were friends and not enemies to the Maori and their village. Bob even participated in their traditional Maori greeting of pressing noses with the person (this would be equivalent to our hand shake).

Today we went to Te Puia, a geothermal area outside of Rotorua, that is home to many geysers and bubbling mud pits. There was even a building that housed two Kiwis. These birds are the official symbol of New Zealand.

From there we drove to the Agrodome where we saw a sheep show featuring 19 breeds of sheep. There were also a variety of extreme sports offered here that students took part in, including, zorbing, shweebing, and swooping.

The most adrenaline-pumping part of the trip happened in the afternoon when we went whitewater rafting! Once entering the water we spent 45 minutes bouncing around rocks and dropping off waterfalls. One waterfall, an astounding 7 meter drop(21 feet!) is the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. Luckily everyone survived and all in one piece!