Follow the Journey

Hello Everybody, David Horwitz here.  We are all back in Adelaide after our group split in two to go and do separate CVA projects.  I am here reporting on behalf of my group which was, me, Gordon, Lucy, Dylan, Christine, Kelsey, and Cliff.  We traveled 8 hours in a little van/bus to Streaky Bay, where we set-up camp in a trailer park.  Our leader on the trip was Geoff a… Read More

Disclaimer Blogs are almost inherently dishonest as it is impossible for anyone to write the truth about himself without alteration  or a situation without bias. So it is with a humble undertaking in which I attempt to write a objective , and unbiased recording of Carpe Diems Fanz trip. I’m sorry as I’ve I already lied to all of you I’m not humbled to write this, and of Course I… Read More

Hey all,   Boy what a last few days we have had! Arriving in Queenstown on Wednesday afternoon was really nice. The flight in was quite fun as well. Aside from the scenery change going from the North to South Island, during our descent the plane went down at a much steeper angle than usual, and each time we would get close to the ground, it turned out to be more… Read More

Hey all,   After departing our unforgettable time at OPC (thank you again to Mark and Ken,) we returned to the Extreme Backpackers Hostel for the night. Many of us chose to do laundry, connect with family and friends on the internet, watch episodes of friends, roam around Turangi, play Bananagrams (a variation of scrabble,) and make dinner in the hostels kitchen. Not surprisingly, we were all fairly worn out from… Read More

Hello Family and Friends,   Hope everything back in the U.S. is thriving. We Kiwis have just returned from a life changing 5 days at the Sir Edmund Hilary Outdoor Pursuits Center.  To say tour time there was epic would be an understatement, to say our time there was tough would be an understatement, to say that we reached the summit of Mt.  Doom in 3 hours would be dead on.   … Read More

This is our group photo in front of the Maori house we stayed in all week and David and Ryan with their prom proposal… Read More

Here's the girls trying to spin the poi and some of us playing on a playground at a marae we stopped at along the Wanganui river drive… Read More

Kia Ora!   We left the marae (spelled it wrong before) this morning and are spending the night here in Tanganui at the Extreme Backpackers hostel, which includes a climbing wall that Cliff and Karen have been enjoying. Today has been nice down time for us all to do some laundry  or catch up on e-mail. Emily was very excited because she finally got her long lusted after Kinder egg. Tonight… Read More

Up close and personal of the captured eel… Read More

Here's a picture of the mountain ranges we hiked around on our first day! special shout out to dylan for lending me his memory card to upload pics… Read More

Hello again!   Lucy here, by the way, forgot to sign my name on my last blog. We have been enjoying our time on the Marai so far. We arrived late Monday night and met the members of the Marai who have been so welcoming and generous. On Tuesday we hiked through the magnificent mountain ranges surrounding our new home to go down to the river. We stopped among a forest… Read More

Hello All!   Writing to you from the beautiful lake town of Taupo. We have begun our journey to the Maori village and stopped here yesterday for one night. We're all very grateful for the immense amount of work Emily put in to set up our transportation. We've been taking responsibility in our roles and supporting each other to develop the skills of a traveler so major kudos for Emily's dedication… Read More

This is a shot of what Highfield Farm looks like from a distance but doesn't nearly do it justice. That white house way out there is the place where we've been staying.   Sorry about the delay of photos… and if this last one turns out sideways, but I hope you enjoy the few I've managed to get on here!   Sincerely,       Ryan Gasdia… Read More

Just a couple o' guys shooting pool at the Farm. Cliff and Dylan.… Read More

Auckland skyline from Kelly Tarlton's.… Read More

The natural waterfall/waterslide and some of the crew in Fiji.… Read More

The Victory Picture after completion of the footpath in Fiji!… Read More

Well, as you can see from the below blog post, there are no pictures. I have failed you! But i have not yet given up. It's pushing 2 am now, but I refuse to leave you – our family and friends – without a single picture! I will try to make sure that before we leave today at 515 am that you will have at least one solid picture!… Read More

Well hello there! The days have flown by since my last posting. I'm not sure if it's the work schedule or the regular hikes through the hills, but time here has certainly taken an agressive pace.   It seems like it was just earlier today when we were getting the stuff out of our bags but now, as I write even, we are all working on cleaning and packing our bags… Read More

Hello friends and family!   I'm writing you from a very pleasant cow farm a few hours drive north of Auckland, New Zealand. In fact, I'm writing this blog with the soothing voice of Willem in the background, reading off the prologue to Star Wars II (We are all jazzed about the plasma screen that this nice house is sporting).   We arrived just a few short days ago and have spent… Read More