Day 10: Good Bye New Zealand, Hello Australia and Mystery Solved!

They are on their way to Australia!

Part two of the trip officially begins today (which is Saturday for them) and they are flying to Sydney. I got a chance to talk with Katie quickly today (via wi-fi at the airport) and she said the adventure yesterday was a killer! It was hard, challenging and mostly COLD. While it didn't happen to her, some kids had frozen feet it was so cold. I hope they warmed up today so they could make their way to the plane.

They were participating in some amazing team and confidence building activities with the company, Full On. It appears they worked their way to the top of a mountain and repelled down.

Collen Estes, a leader from the Vacaville area, posted a fantastic shot of the delegates with huge, amazing smiles and all their gear (below). The girls look pretty psyched to me! There's a video from the company about People to People delegates below.


The other day, they got to go to the Christchurch Antarctic Center to learn about the animals and research happening down south.

I stole this pic (above) from KC's Instagram because I loved it! They are getting ready to go into an Antarctic Windstorm Simulator and their faces reflect the excitement and a little hesitation as they get ready to get their faces blown off!

Sheila also posted a pic (right) of Katie and her buddies at the center where my daughter is managing to hug the crap out of a fur seal while the other girls sit casually on his back.

Of course, the thing I noticed most (because I'm the mom), is most of Katie's crap is on the ground in front of her; all spread out, including her phone. My how I haven't missed THAT around the house!

The kids should have wi-fi tonight so I expect at least a few photos.

From the People to People Itinerary: [Note: so this is weird because they did this the other day! It must be a weird out of order mistake. But they did fly to Sydney.]

• Join in the fun at the Christchurch Antarctic Center, a showcase for the unique International cooperation that exists in Antarctica today.
• Meet with people that have worked in Antarctica and have an opportunity to call a base camp in Antarctica to speak with scientists there.
• Come face to face with adorable blue penguins that have been cared for and nursed since they were chicks. 

Then it's off to Australia! Known as the Harbour City, Sydney is the largest, oldest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia. Brimming with history, nature, culture, art, fashion, cuisine, design, it is set next to miles of ocean coastline and sandy surf beaches.

• G’day, mate! Welcome to Australia!
• Meet your Australian Delegation Manager upon arrival at Sydney Airport.
• Dine at a Sydney restaurant overlooking Darling Harbor, where you will have the opportunity to try kangaroo for dinner.
• Go beneath the sea at the Sydney Aquarium for a chance to discover fascinating marine life, including dugongs, turtles, and stingrays.

Sydney, Australia

Day 9: Mystery Day - Will Write More When the Mystery is Revealed!

I think they are in Christchurch today but I am not sure what they are doing.

The itinerary is annoyingly vague.

It could be they are doing some extreme sport activity or the service activity. We'll have to wait and see - the references to "physical fortitude" and "heart pounding" are intriguing.

The temperature got pretty low last night; I hope there were warm blankets on the beds because our California kids were in the negative numbers if you use Celsius. And as the day played out, it doesn't seem to be getting much warmer!

Nighttime temps got low!

In the meantime, for those of us at home or at work (for me, that's both), you can have some fun monitoring the near-steady earthquakes jiggling the Christchurch area. They have had two today but they are really small and chances are there are sneezes and laughing causing more motion that these little tremblers.

Speaking of quakes, if you have a minute, watch this video that shows how many earthquakes happened just prior to, during and then after the big quake in June 2011. It will start out slow, but if you watch, the big one will hit and then yowza - the map just comes to life. You can pause the action in the upper right.

We should hear from the kids tomorrow when they get free wi-fi at the airport as they make their way to Sydney. Can't wait to get the texts and see the pics from a very busy week. I mapped out their route in New Zealand and the covered a lot of territory in a week. There's a map below.

UPDATE: Sheila just posted a note!

Having a fantastic time;-) 

Destruction from earthquake in Christ Church was sad, but the people are such realists and SO VERY PRACTICAL. Businesses are being run out of shipping containers...they only took down the restraining fences two weeks ago.

We've have great memories of New Zealand. 

Ambassadors are off "Ab Sailing" (repelling) and I have stayed behind with Ann as there was no access for her to walk other than hiking in to rough slippery terrain and then fairly steep to repel down. [Note: Poor Ann tore her ACL two weeks before the trip but her Doc okay'd her to travel!] 

Here at Pudding Hill Lodge they have skydiving too, but not for us. Snow is on the ground...it is cold, but not so much on the ground...we are right at the base of the mountains. Off to Australia tomorrow and a bit warmer weather.

From the People to People Itinerary:

• Rise and prepare to sharpen your mental focus and challenge your physical fortitude as you participate in Full On, a day-long program specially designed for People to People delegates.
• Boost your confidence and self-awareness during Full On interactive workshops that promise to get your heart pounding. 

Christchurch from space in 2001.

Auckland to Rotorua to Wellington to Picton to Methvan to Christchurch (and everywhere in between).

Day 8: Kiwi Birds, Fur Seals, Penguins and Kids! On the way to Methven, NZ

Today they leave their homestay families. Sheila sent a note about the journey so far. I posted it midway down here.

They'll board a coach and head off down the coast where they will end up at the Pudding Hill Lodge (sounds so rough). That's in the town of Methven which is a snow extravaganza (and I'm thinking we didn't pack snow gloves. Gloves yes, but SNOW gloves?! I guess socks aren't her biggest problem now.)

I'm not sure, but there's a Kiwi Bird Sanctuary along the coast that appears to be on their way south to Methven and Christchurch (actually, it's on the other side of the island darn it!). You have to visit this site to hear how the Kiwi bird sounds. I had no idea! While on the subject of Kiwi's, I found a great little video of the poor flightless bird! You can see it below.

They also have to keep their eyes peeled for fur seals and penguins. They will be taking the coastal route and may see Penguins so I hope they get to stop! They did get to see some fur seals the other day (on their way to the homestays) and Sheila posted some photos (see below).

Apparently they go through Christchurch to get to the Lodge. There's a good map here to track their route.

I expect we'll hear from the kids tonight. The itinerary says they'll have access to the Internet. We should get some good photos! Here are a few photos from Sheila McKell:

The kids at an overlook spying on the fur seals.

The fur seals! The black dots.

From the People to People Itinerary:

It is believed that Christchurch was first settled in 1250 by Maori tribes hunting the now extinct moa, a large flightless bird that was common to New Zealand. More recently, Christchurch made headlines as residents experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake which heavily damaged the downtown area and some of the residential suburbs. Your travels will not pass through the quake-zone, however you will learn about the impact of this event on the local inhabitants as you explore the area.

• Say farewell to your homestay hosts and exchange addresses and contact information so you can keep in touch!
• Travel along the beautiful Kaikoura coastline to Christchurch, keeping your an eye out for seals and penguins.
• Enjoy the rare experience of viewing the New Zealand’s Kiwi national symbol, the Kiwi Bird, in its natural habitat.
• Arrive at the small rural community of Methven, located near the beautiful foothills of Mt. Hutt and the Southern Alps.

Mt Hutt in the Southern Alps of New Zealand  

For the Kiwi lovers and dreamers out there, a little video. Enjoy.