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By Jamie Vischer Hey Parents! We have had an unbelievable week exploring the coast of the North Island. We started in Raglan, a cool surfing town on the West Coast. Our time was mainly spent at the Marae, a Maori community gathering space. We learned tons of stuff about Maori history, ceremonies, and language. We had the pleasure of experiencing a pōwhiri, a traditional welcoming ceremony in the Maori culture.… Read More

By Olive Hey guys! I wanted to go a little more in-depth about student-directed travel. We drove from Wellington to a town north of Raglan and we stayed there for four days. We worked on getting into a groove with cooking and our group roles. There was also a lot of free time with opportunities to go kayaking, laying out in the sun, playing in the waves and exploring the… Read More

Wes working the grill at our spot just outside Raglan. First evening walking the beach in Ki Whaingaroa at sunset.… Read More

The Crew outside of Te Papa. Getting into mermaid mode before hopping in the Waka-Māori canoe (Abel Tasman). Lunch break snooze while backpacking the Abel Tasman. Exploring Ocean Waves-Motueka. Taking a moment to breathe at the beach. Hiking to a hidden cave during our time with Whenua Iti. Rachel gather seashells down by the seashore. Making markings in the sand. Preparing for the adventure ahead in Christchurch. Taking a break … Read More

By Bella & Rachel Kia Ora! It’s been a rollercoaster ride since we landed in Christchurch New Zealand. We had our first few days of orientation while exploring the city. After losing a few group members and enduring the cyclone we hiked to an 80 million year old cave, went to the beach and met many awesome locals along the way. We stayed a few days near Nelson at Whenua… Read More

By Overseas Educators Matt & Katie Matt and Katie here at Carpe Diem headquarters! For the past week we have been diligently preparing for our three-month journey to the South Pacific. It has been exciting, busy, playful, and overall dynamic; much like the adventure that awaits us! We are so excited to meet the crew that we’ll be traveling with for the next three months and hope that you are… Read More

By Nico and Ricky Dearest friends and family of Carpe Diem students, Nico and Ricky are here to deliver the final blog of the 2017 South Pacific Hongi Group trip. While our weathered faces, tan skin, and nauseatingly-smelling clothes reflect the three months that have come and gone, our reminiscent memories of New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia remind us of how relative time is. It is difficult to comprehend how… Read More

0 Sleeps left. Well, that went quick. At the time of writing this, our students are well on their way to reuniting with their loved ones. Sue and Jon are reminiscing about all the memories made these last three months and offer up some highlights and reminders of our time together. Juan’s blue jeans Nightinggale “Cyphering” Girls nights Bro time Lucas’ walking stick(RIP) Elliot’s incense “Mana” “Drink water.” “Take a… Read More

By Nico and Oliver For those of you who emailed headquarters, yes we are still alive! After a challenging two weeks in Fiji, we arrived in the beautiful city of Newcastle. The change in pace was dramatic but offered the opportunity to recover from illness. Much needed. Our evenings were spent eating familiar foods, watching movies, and relaxing. Many of us admired Australia’s strikingly beautiful landscapes and were excited to… Read More

By Ashton Saltz Bula! Elliot and Ashton here to tell all of you about our Fijian adventures and homestay experiences. It has been a hot, humid, and hectic past couple weeks full of both good and bad. Some of the people in the group hadn’t experienced a third world country before this, and it became overwhelming at times for most. On October 25, we all woke up at 3am to… Read More

By Jake and Nico Ciao and Hola from Jake and Nico to all Hongi 2017 fans. We are here to recount this past week’s adventures and experiences. Unfortunately, Jake and I were both out of commission with illness, which meant that a therapeutic Harry Potter movie marathon was called for. We arrived at the Mangarara Farm after spending the night in Napier and were blown away by the beauty of… Read More

By Greg Hart, Owner of The Family Farm The crew checking out the hut in the native forest on the farm. Mulching fruit trees in our “fields of food.” Checking out the Carpe Diem trees planted this winter which are off to a great start.… Read More

By Shai, Sophie, Nico, and Elliot Hi Hongi fans!! Shai, Sophie, Nico and Elliot here giving you the deets of our latest adventures in New Zealand. Our week started off spending two nights at Manu-Wairua Retreat, a Marae in Raglan. Here we endured an intensive healing process that utilized a sweat lodge. A sweat lodge is a small enclosed dome used in many indigenous purification ceremonies. Inside, there is someone… Read More

By Shaiyena and Juan Hello fans of group HONGI 2017! We’re here to bring you the latest updates of our past week in New Zealand. This past week was filled to the brim with adventures consisting of hot water beaches, hiking Mount Doom (kind of), and visiting Cathedral Cove. We started our STD (Student Travel Directed) in Wellington, a big city filled with museums, street art, and Tim Tams. After… Read More

By Elliot Brebner Photos of our journey in Abel Tasman National Park.… Read More

By Lucas and Nicolas After leaving the Maori, we continued on to the city of Nelson where we wandered and explored. Eventually, we came across our next adventure, Whenua Iti Outdoors. We were led by our courageous, cunning, and more-than-slightly crazy guides, Joe and Callum. They had us crawling like spiders through caves, paddling our waka through the treacherous surf, and hiking through dense forests and mountains of the Abel… Read More

By Rickey Matherne III Well, as we head into our second week of travel and adventure with Carpe Diem, let’s recap what happened over the first week. With brand-new faces and green bellies, we oriented ourselves in Christchurch where we formed bonds and started to get to know one another. Having been a complete success, we then moved to our next location: a 103-year-old school building on the South Island… Read More

By Elsa and Ricky Hello friends and family! All 14 of us have arrived safely in Christchurch, New Zealand, where we’ve been for a few days orienting ourselves to the program and each other. We meet in what is called a “circle.” The name originates from the shape in which we gather. Many of us have been surprised by how quickly we’ve come to feel comfortable with one another. Without … Read More

Hey everyone! Jon and Suzannah here, writing to you from Carpe Diem HQ in Portland. Wow, it is hard to believe we’ll finally be meeting you all on September 13th. We hope you’ve had plenty of time to prep, see loved ones, and get yourselves in the mindset to travel the next 3 months with us. We have been training here and in the wilderness of Oregon for the past… Read More