Hola a todos, Yet another country full of color, struggle and beauty. You may or may not know that I have been in Peru for one week with the intention to travel, hike and do some volunteer work for a month. My job is in its off season, and I could stand to refresh my spanish speaking skills. I am traveling with Erika and Amanda, who I have worked with at Hulbert recently. We arrived on January 5th, staying in the capital of Lima before traveling seven hours on a hot, sticky bus that climbed 4,818 meters over the Andes into the city of Huancayo. The intense altitude difference caused both headaches and nose-bleeds as we passed through small mountain towns of different varieties. Some contained many small farms and occasionally we´d see alpacas standing along ... read more

Hello all, As Eli's expression describes perfectly, home was very relaxed. ha-sorry E. Well, being home for 6 weeks was wonderful but crazy. I worked so much at Gusanoz that mom, dad and I had to 'schedule' nights to eat dinner together. But being back meant great Mexican food and mom's food every now and then. Spending time with my siblings was also special, although it would have been nice to see my grandparents. Most of you know that I arrived back to NZ over a month ago, after an extended flight that kept me in Fiji for a day. I wish I could say Fiji was exciting, but after 36 hours of travel no one wants to hear the intercom in the airport announce your plane is broken...literally. pff But arriving back in Hamilton ... read more

Hallo all- So it has been an incredible second week here traveling south in the south island. After the glaciers I cut inland driving past sharply cut snow tipped mountains which drop into glowing blue waters which are surrounded by bushes of pink, purple and yellow Lupins that have a beautifully pungent smell similar to that of Lilacs. This road leads to the most picturesque little town I have ever seen- Wanaka. I spent 3 days here but could have spent many more. The town sits right on Lake Wanaka which I mountain biked around. I was so involved in the scenery that I even got lost for a bit. But honestly, it was the best town to take your book and read all day under a willow along the lake. This is the town I ... read more

Kia Ora - Hello all, sorry it has been so long since I wrote last but finals at University weren't terribly exciting. However, I did finish a few weeks ago and have since traveled with Isabelle to the region above Auckland labeled the 'Northland'. We spent 10 days exploring, first traveling up the end coast of the peninsula and then back down the west. Orewa was our first stop where we camped for 2 nights in a tent where both our heads and feet touched each side. So I'll say we fit rather 'comfortably'. From this location we explored a couple islands. First Tiritiri Matanga where many near-extinct birds live and the island was designated a sanctuary back in the 70's. Then Kawau Island which holds some historical significance with an old copper mill and famous ... read more

Ah, the city of Wellington…an exciting change to the small farming town of Hamilton. The flight down to Wellington was beautiful with views of Ruapehu and adjacent mountains. The Capital is also the cultural and artistic center of New Zealand. It boasts a wide array of restaurants and pubs, lots of live music, gardens, and shops, and is home of Peter Jackson, Weta digital, the Embassy theater (which hosted the premier of the Return of the King), and the famous Te Papa museum which until recently housed the exhibition of the Lord of the Rings (I made it in time for the last day it was open:) The city sits in a bay that curves out to the open see towards the south island, which you can see on any clear day. Small picturesque towns ... read more