Follow the Journey

Hello from our third week in majestic-al New Zealand! We have been having an adventure filled week stuffed with hiking, biking, caving, rafting, and camping, so excuse our long break from the blog, as we would sooner have seen a centaur than found Wifi out in this wilderness. Through a mentally and physically challenging week, we got to know each other a lot better, both individually and as a team.… Read More

Greetings from Lake Taupo! Today marked a transition from the farming lifestyle we have grown accustomed to over the last week to a slightly busier environment. After a series of farewells to the Hart family and their farm, we traveled by bus to our next location en route to our upcoming weeklong stay at Blue Mountain Adventure Center. We have found the lake and surrounding town area to be stunning… Read More

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Hello from beautiful New Zealand!! This is our 5th day in the South Pacific living on the Hart Family Farm. We’re situated on the North Island in a stunning town called Napier. On the 15th, Caroline, Lucy, Molly, Olivia, George, Nora, JJ, Aislinn, Pierce, Miranda, and Tom met our leaders, Kate and Doug, in LAX to begin the first leg of the journey. After a lengthy flight, we arrived in… Read More

I just got word from the group that they made it to Napier and now the entire group, all 14 of them, are heading towards the Family Farm to begin their orientation. Keep checking the blog in the next few days for another update and hopefully some photos 🙂… Read More

The Walkabout group has all found each other (minus Nils who they will be meeting in Auckland) and they are off and heading towards the South Pacific! Everyone is feeling so excited for the journey that they are even dancing together already. Its going to be a great trip ahead 🙂… Read More

Kia Ora Team Walkabout, family and friends!! Greetings from staff training in Portland! We have been working hard to prepare for our adventure ahead and are sure that you all have been preparing in your own way for this trip that is right around the corner. The journey we are heading towards is sure to be filled with endless exploration as we wind our way through mountains, beaches, cultures, conversations,… Read More

“Travel leaves you speechless, and then turns you into a story teller,” said the famous Arab wanderer, Ibn Battuta. There’s a certain sense of quiet that fills you on those first steps back onto familiar ground, back home. It’s as if there’s a space opened up within you, and only silence and reflection can fill it. This is a good thing. For the past three months we’ve all grown together… Read More

The Walkabout group has departed! All safe and sound and on their way through security and towards HOME. What a wonderful journey this has been.… Read More

How ya goin’, Mate? This past week, we embarked on our long awaited scuba/snorkel adventure in the Great Barrier Reef. For those of you who don’t know, the Great Barrier Reef, located of the coast of Queensland is the largest coral system on Earth. It can even able to be seen from space! When it comes to scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef is widely regarded as one of the… Read More

Salutations! We just finished a great week in the Daintree Rainforest! We started off by staying at a local ice cream company, where we participated in a reforestation project while enjoying fresh exotic fruit ice cream. We planted over 100 trees in the course of two days! After the ice cream company, we traveled down the road to the Botanical Ark where we stayed for two days! Previously a cattle… Read More

For our student directed travel time in Fiji, we stayed in a house on the coral coast and relaxed after our village homestays. The house had an amazing view of the ocean and plenty of room for activities. After leaving the house we said “Moce” (goodbye) to Fiji and hopped on a plane to Brisbane! After a day in the city, we hopped on a train Chenrezig Institute for a… Read More

Bula Vinaka! We are very sad to be leaving the beautiful village of Nakuku tomorrow. Our group came to this small Fijian village with the goal of building a footpath, but we have learned and accomplished much more. Our first day we were welcomed into the village by means of a formal ceremony, and then were split up into groups of two to meet our host families. After settling in,… Read More

Bula! We have arrived safely in Fiji, after our unforgettable experience in New Zealand! The few days we spent at the marae with the Ngai Tahu iwi (tribe) was the perfect way to finish our journey in the South Island. Manaia, our host at the marae, taught us about a chemical free way to cultivate potatoes, the history and spirit of the land, and the future of the Ngai Tahu… Read More

Kia Ora! We are finally settling down here in a Marae outside of Christchurch nestled on the harbor banks following our four day experience with student directed travel! After leaving Family Farm, we bussed down to Wellington and spent two days exploring New Zealand’s city life. Wellington is the capital of NZ and reminds us of a small San Fran meets Seattle with endless coffee houses, bookstores and vintage shops.… Read More

Over the last week we’ve stepped into the shoes of a farmer spending mornings milking cows, feeding pigs, and collecting eggs. Greg and Rachel Hart welcomed us into their lakeside lodge showing us a glimpse into their daily lives on the farm. Rachel taught us new amazing recipes to take back home filled with fresh ingredients and love. We worked with Greg to create new trails through the rolling green… Read More

Upon arriving at Blue Mountain Adventure Center the group was challenged with team building activities that forced us to grow both independently and together. Our leaders for the week Paddy and Sally outfitted us in the best gear for our high mountain tramp through Mordor. We set out for five days and four nights in the wilderness with a backdrop of sweeping views of the snowcapped Mount Doom (for those… Read More

After we left the Kokiri Center, which is a communal living space for the Maori people, on the 23rd, we went to a small farm run by a couple named Rick and Liz. One of our group leaders, Lolly, had stayed with Rick and Liz before this trip so it was amazing to see them reunited. At the farm, we learned about permaculture and how they farm according to the… Read More

The end of our first week together is fast approaching and it has been filled with name games, intention setting and the start of new friendships! After meeting each other at LAX and enduring a twelve hour flight, we headed to Solscape, our first destination of many. Solscape is an eco-hostel set on the side of Karioi mountain over looking the sea in Whaingaroa. For our first three days we… Read More

I just heard from Simon and Lolly that the group has successfully made their way through customs and is currently en route to Raglan to being their orientation! They are sleepy but excited. More to come soon 🙂… Read More