The week of the 9th-14th was set aside as a week of student directed travel during which the Overseas Educators stepped back and allowed the group to fully take the helm and take charge of our own trip.
As a group we were in charge of organizing everything that would go into the trip, from departure on the 9th from Riverside intentional community to arrival on the 15th in Raglan, NZ. That would entail coordinating transportation, accommodations, food and activities within a strict budget allocated to us by Jacky and Michelle.
Over the course of two days at Happy Apple Backpackers we furiously planned our travel and ended up with the itinerary as detailed by Zach in a previous blog post. Thanks to the hard work of the group (special shout-outs to Abby, Kate, Teddy, Giovanna, Melanie and Tara for going beyond the call of duty) we were able to execute the plan smoothly without any hiccups along the way.
We started off our journey with a set of car rides that took us from Riverside to Nelson and from there to the port town of Picton where a ferry awaited our arrival. The weather was gloomy and overcast as we boarded the Cook Strait Ferry, one of the most beautiful sea routes in the world. The ride was 3 hours long and took us from Picton, on the south island, to Wellington, on the north island, and was absolutely spectacular. Under a charcoal grey sky we were guided past fog shrouded peninsulas and islands as a chorus of sea birds heralded our arrival into Wellington, New Zealand’s second largest city.
After collecting our bags from the depot, we embarked on a hike through the city to our overnight halt at Zebra Backpackers. We woke early the next morning to pick up rental cars from Thrifty Rent-a-Car and quickly proceeded to Te Papa Museum, one of New Zealand’s biggest and well maintained museums. After spending around an hour there, we hopped in the vans and prepared for a five-hour road trip to our Air B-n-b in the town of Waimiha, located in the Tongariro region.
The next day the group split up into two groups, with 7 of us choosing to hike Mt. Tongariro and 5 electing to stay behind and spend a day in town. The hikers ascended the volcano (no longer active) in a cloud of fog, obscuring both the road ahead and behind. We climbed up past the south and red craters, reaching the Emerald lakes before heading back down the mountain. As we descended, the sky cleared, giving us a magical view of the surrounding hills and valley below.
We retreated back to the Farm Stay Air b-n-b and were welcomed by a freshly cooked meal prepared lovingly by those who chose to stay behind. Those who elected not to hike enjoyed a late morning and a trip into the nearby town as well as scenic walks around the rolling hills of the farm stay. The group enjoyed a late morning and prepared for a day trip to hot spring pools, heated by the same volcanic activity that produced Mt. Tongariro. Unfortunately we were unable to bathe in the natural pools as they were far too hot and needed to be mixed with fresh cold water to ensure that patrons are not scalded by the nearly boiling hot springs.
The next day we bid a fond farewell to the wondrous farm stay and piled into the cars once again for another road trip to the town of Hamilton, dropped off the hire cars and then boarded the Raglan shuttle for a short, hour-long, ride into the seaside surf town of Raglan, our final destination on our week of student directed travel. We arrived at our last set of accommodations, the funky train themed Solscape Lodge.
Each of us stayed in two or three person traincars circling an idyllic courtyard and well-equipped kitchen. A group of 8 of us woke early the next morning to prepare for a day of surfing on the beaches of Raglan while 4 group members enjoyed a much needed lie in accompanied by a late breakfast. While the waves were not up to the standards that the Californians of the trip are used to having, we all enjoyed a fun day learning to surf in the chilly waters of New Zealand.
Later in the afternoon we took a trip into the town of Raglan and enjoyed a slight splurge on a homey pub meal in the local tavern. Tomorrow we prepare for our last week in New Zealand which we will spend in another Marae, located in the town of Raglan. The student directed travel was a great experience which allowed us to flex our growing independence and group strength gave us a great opportunity to really come together as a group and produce something we can all be proud of. -Ethan