Bondi Beach, Cairns, Tablelands, Great Barrier Reef

On Tuesday, Kavitha and I took the bus out to Bondi Beach, one of the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Bondi is the closest beach to the city center and also the most popular and beautiful. My friend Christine from volunteering in Thailand lives at Bondi so we went to stay at her apartment. We had such a great time with her and her friends. It was great to be staying at an apartment rather than a hostel for a few days. We spent all of Wednesday at the beach. It was a perfect sunny day to spend at the gorgeous Bondi Beach. Between the pristine white sand and the deep blue ocean, it couldn't have gotten much better. There were tons of people surfing and even more people relaxing on the beach.


On Thursday the 25th we flew to Cairns in Far North Queensland. Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, so we planned on staying there for about a week as we do all kinds of fun activities in the area. Our hostel, the Northern Greenhouse, is awesome. They offer all kinds of free activities like trips to different places and BBQs. We've met tons of cool people at the hostel from Germany, France, Canada and the US. When we first got to Cairns it was Thanksgiving day so Kavitha and I went out to eat at a fancy Mexican restaurant to celebrate. The next day we went on a trip organized by the hostel to Ellis Beach, north of Cairns. Because it is jellyfish season here we were only allowed to get in the water in a special spot that was protected by nets so the jellyfish couldn't get in.


When Kelisha arrived in Cairns the next day we started on all our exciting tours. On Saturday we went on a trip to the rainforest and Atherton Tablelands. Our tourguide was very eccentric, asking us to call him Cousin Brad, and referring to the group as his "family". It made for a very interesting and funny day. We drove from Cairns to the rainforest where we went on walks and saw tons of wildlife. It turns out that most of the wildlife in Australia is dangerous, unlike the wildlife in New Zealand. Throughout the day we saw dragon lizards, poisonous frogs, leeches, a python, turtles, and man-eating cassowaries. On the upside, we got to swim at the magnificent Millaa Millaa waterfall, which was definitely the highlight of the day. Overall, it was a great day exploring the rainforest in Far North Queensland.



I was most looking forward to Sunday which was when we were going snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef! We got to the wharf at 7:30AM to check into our boat and pick up our underwater digital camera for the day. Our tour was going to take us to two different reefs to snorkel throughout the day. The boat was pretty big with about 3 different floors and giant areas to relax on the deck. There were abour 150 people on the boat, so it was pretty chaotic. We arrived at our first snorkeling location, Saxon Reef, at about 9:45AM and it was a mad rush to put on your lycra suit (to protect against the jellyfish), snorkel mask and flippers. Everyone was so excited to finally get in the water! I was a bit nervous at first since I had no idea what it would be like, but it was more amazing than anything I could ever imagine. When I finally put my head under the water, everything got quiet and I could just look and admire all the beautiful fish and coral. It was incredible! I saw all kinds of colorful and unique fish as well as stingrays, giant clams, sea slugs, and even a shark! It was also really cool to see hundreds of schools of fish swimming around us.


After a big BBQ lunch we headed to our second location, North Hastings reef. While we were there we were able to go in a submarine to see the reef. The guide was explaining about different kinds of fish and coral. It was so interesting! Over the course of the day, the weather got a lot better and by lunchtime it was blue skies and perfectly sunny! It was so cool that we were snorkeling in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by gorgeous coral reefs. We snorkeled for several hours and I was exhausted by the end of the day. It was an amazing day at the Great Barrier Reef! I am definitely looking forward to my last week in Australia!

Welcome to Australia!

So far I have been in Australia for about a week now and it is absolutely amazing! We arrived on Wednesday and have not stopped since. On our first day we explored the entire city and spent time at the Harbor and Circular Quay Wharf. We also ate an amazing lunch in one of the many Chinatown food courts. The harbor is so beautiful and the Sydney Opera House is gorgeous! It is just what I imagined it would look like. I couldn't believe I was actually in Sydney, Australia!


On a whim we decided to see what was playing at the Opera House that night and it turned out that the Australian Ballet had a performance called the Edge of Night. Atfer much trouble and running halfway across the city and back to our hostel to change into nice clothes, we bought extremely cheap student rush tickets an hour before the show. We had the most amazing seats that normally cost $165 that we got for $29!!! It was an incredible performance and even more meaningful inside the famous Opera House. I was so glad we did it. On Thursday Kavitha and I took a free walking tour of the city and learned all kinds of interesting things about the history of Sydney. We walked around the main sections of town and ended up at the Rocks, the historic area in Sydney. In the evening we went to the premiere of Harry Potter 7! It was such a great day!

On Friday all four of us took the train out of town to the Featherdale Wildlife Sanctuary where we were able to pet and play with kangaroos and koalas. It was amazing!! I was afraid at times that the kangaroos would come after me, but they were very tame. I had to watch out for the emus though, they would peck at you. We also saw tasmanian devils, dingoes, crocodiles, echidnas, wallabies, and lots more. Twice now I have been able to try kangaroo steak and it is surprisingly delicious!



We spent two days at Manly Beach, a northern suburb of Sydney. We took the ferry from Sydney and really enjoyed the ferry trip where we could see all of Sydney harbor. Manly is a gorgeous beach and a really cute small town. It just so happens that the Manly Festival of Surfing was taking place the weekend we were there. There was so many people there and so much going on. The weather was gorgeous and we all enjoyed spending some time on the beach.


We spent another day in Sydney before taking the train out to Katoomba, two hours west of Sydney, to visit the Blue Mountains! When we got to Katoomba we walked to Echo Point and the Three Sisters, two famous look out spots in the Blue Mountains. We also walked along a trail that gave us wonderful views of the vast mountains. It was so nice to be out of the city and see some of the gorgeous Australian nature.


In the evening, Kavitha and I hung out at our hostel, the Flying Fox, watched movies and met all kinds of cool people. So far, we are absolutely loving Australia!

The Final Blog Post from New Zealand

I'm sitting now in my empty apartment in my empty room writing this blog post. It's weird that my study abroad semester in New Zealand is basically over. Even so, we took advantage of our last day in Auckland before going to Australia to something extremely fun and touristy. Kavitha and I went to the top of the SkyTower, which is the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand! It was a very spontaneous decision, but it ended up being such a great thing to do on our last day. We went up to the highest observation deck and were able to see a panoramic view of Auckland. It was absolutely stunning. We could see the beautiful harbor, all the surrounding islands, the port, our universities, UniLodge....It was also a wonderful sunny day, so we couldn't have chosen a better day to go. Here are some photos from the top of the SkyTower.





I have had so many new and exciting experiences over the last four months with a group of people that have become good friends. I have also learned a great deal about New Zealand, a country I knew nothing about four months ago. Overall, it was an incredible semester spent living, working, studying and traveling in New Zealand. Throughout my time here I have compiled a list of things I love about New Zealand:

1. It’s acceptable to walk around in public barefoot—everyone does it.
2. Maori culture is a big part of the New Zealand culture.
3. There are way more sheep than people (9 sheep to 1 person)!
4. Local New Zealand wine is absolutely wonderful!
5. The fact that morning and afternoon teatime exist.
6. It’s so easy to just rent a car and drive somewhere beautiful.
7. The Maori accent.
8. You can buy a kilogram of kiwifruit for 0.09 cents!
9. Fish and chip shops are everywhere.
10. Glaciers, mountains, beaches, volcanoes, lakes, fiords…..enough said.
11. The strong Asian and Pacific Island influence.
12. New Zealanders are called kiwi's!
13. You can experience every kind of Asian cuisine nearly everywhere in Auckland.
14. Kahurangi Tibble.
15. You can do crazy things like bungee jumping and skydiving everywhere.
16. There are rainbows almost daily.
17. Kiwi slang like “Sweet as, bro!”

I will definitely miss you New Zealand. Now on to my Australian adventure!

Love, Dafna

Lake Taupo, Tongariro National Park, Gisborne

This past weekend, Rachel, Chrissie, Kelisha and I went on our final weekend trip in New Zealand! There were a few spots in the North Island that we have been wanting to visit, and now since classes are over we had some time for a short road trip in the North Island. We left Auckland on Thursday morning after picking up our rental car, El Cheapo, from Jucy Rentals. Our car was a top of the line Nissan Sunny straight from the 90's that only had a cassette player. We only ride in style. Our first stop was Lake Taupo, about four hours south of Auckland. After checking into our hostel, the Tiki Lodge, we drove out to Huka Falls, one of the main attractions in the Taupo region. Huka Falls are massive waterfalls in the Waikato River that drains into Lake Taupo. It was beautiful! Afterwards, we explored the city and walked around the different shops. We were also able to relax beside the lake before sunset.



The next morning we drove south to Turangi, which is near the Tongariro National Park. Since it was pouring rain and we had planned on hiking we ended up checking into our next hostel and relaxing in a cafe for a while. Luckily, the storm cleared quickly and we headed to Whakapapa Village inside the national park. It was an awesome drive since we were able to see the huge volcanoes that make up Tongariro National Park. The main one is Mt. Ruapehu, which acts as Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings series. It turned out to be a surprisingly gorgeous day so we did a hike through the park to reach Taranaki Falls.





After a wonderful day spent outdoors, we headed back to Turangi to spend the evening at our very fun yet eccentric hostel. We spent the evening watching Lord of the Rings, doing puzzles, eating sushi with the hostel owner, lighting sparklers and fireworks for Guy Fawkes Day and roasting marshmallows over a bonfire. It was a random, but awesome day! The next morning we left early to drive to Gisborne, a town on the east coast of the North Island. Our good friend Kahu lives there so we decided to visit him before leaving New Zealand. I am continuously amazed by how gorgeous the New Zealand countryside is. The grass is almost an unnatural shade of beautiful bright green that is spotted with tons of sheep. Also, the color of the water is so pristinely blue it looks fake. So the drive to Gisborne was definitely enjoyable, especially since we made a stop at Osler's Bakery in a small town called Wairoa. Osler's is famous for having the best meat pies in all of New Zealand, so naturally we had to try it out. I had a steak and mushroom pie and absolutely loved it! Here is a photo from the drive to Gisborne...


We had the best time in Gisborne with Kahu. He showed us around the town and we took a nice walk along the river to the beach. Later, we had a huge delicious dinner and watched the New Zealand film "Boy". The next morning we drove north along the coast to Tolaga Bay, which is close to the beach where the movie "Whale Rider" was filmed. It was sad to say goodbye, but we had to make the long drive back to Auckland.


Once again, the drive to back to Auckland was absolutely gorgeous. We drove through the Waioeka Gorge Scenic Reserve and then along the Bay of Plenty beaches. I'll definitely miss the natural beauty that is so common in New Zealand. On the way home we stopped at a place Kahu recommended to us. It was a small shack on the side of the road called Ohiwa Oyster Farm that sold all kinds of fresh seafood. I ate a half dozen oysters that may have been the most delicious oysters I have ever eaten. That definitely says something since I grew up in New Orleans! It was a perfect way to end a wonderful trip!



Overall, it was an awesome weekend. I am definitely sad that I won't be able to explore New Zealand anymore, but I am definitely excited to spend my last week in Auckland and move on to Australia, the next adventure! I hope everyone is doing well!

Love, Dafna

End of the Internship and Diwali Festival

My last day of work at my internship was on Thursday, October 28th. I was sad to be ending my time working at Oranga, but also excited for the things that are coming up. During morning tea, we had a party to commemorate my time working in the classroom. The other Carlson classroom joined us as well. I made brownies and other teachers brought other snacks. Renu, the head teacher, gave a speech about my work in the classroom and thanked me for giving my time while I was in New Zealand. It felt really good that my work was appreciated. I was given several going away cards and a beautiful NZ jade necklace. Here are a few pictures of what I was given.



This past weekend Auckland hosted the festival of Diwali, one of the most important Hindu festivals. We didn't know much about it, except that there would be performances and food stalls. So naturally, we decided to check it out because we all love Indian food. I was so surprised at how big the festival was. They closed down the center of town and it was transformed into a massive street festival with several stages, tons of restaurant stalls, and thousands of people. It was so much fun! I got to try all kinds of Indian dishes that I never had before like masala dosa, dahi puri, samosa, thali, pakora, and chana masala. It was incredible! In the evening there were also fireworks! The following pictures are of one of the stalls, my delicious dinner, and the bhangra dance show.



Also, during the weekend we visited the Auckland City Market, which has all kinds of artists and jewelry sellers. I was able to find a really awesome piece of jade for Mia (hope she likes it!) and a small piece of art for myself. The weather is improving every day and getting so warm! We spend a lot of time outside by the pool relaxing and hanging out. Since it was Halloween weekend, we had to celebrate in some way, so we went to the local video store and rented a bunch of scary movies. We had a horror movie marathon in the Unilodge Movie Theater. We watched Friday the 13th, Boogeyman, Halloween 2, and of course the Disney classic Hocus Pocus. Overall, it was a great weekend. This coming week I am going on a four day trip through the North Island! I hope everyone is doing well!

Love, Dafna