Itinerary

Here we’ll try to keep you up-to-date on daily doings.

Dec 31, 2009:  Arrive in Christchurch, NZ. Began planning for program, especially Routeburn.
January 1, 2010: New Years Day dip in the Pacific Ocean in Sumner
January 4: Earlham students arrive! We stayed with them at the Sonoda Campus at the University of Canterbury until we left for Queenstown.
January 5: Orientation: city and campus tour; buying of group gear for Routeburn
January 6: Orientation: Chris and Jess lead talk on group expectations, goals, full-value contract. Christchurch scavenger hunt, pizza party on beach at Sumner
January 7: Orientation: Tour of around Christchurch, Hinewai Reserve on Banks Peninsula, meet with Hugh Wilson and intro to env. science course from professor Mattius
January 8: grocery shopping and pack-up for Routeburn, how to pack backpack, etc
January 9: depart for Queenstown, pick up Routeburn permits, stay at Pinewood Hostel
January 10: drive to Glenorchy,stay in cabins at Holiday Park
January 11-15: Routeburn tramp
January 15: Two brigades meet up at Kinloch Lodge for fancy meal and hot tub, Routeburn debrief
January 16: Drive back to Christchurch, stay at Manuka apartments in Ilam Village
January 17: repack for North Island, laundry, relax
January 18: train from Christchurch to Picton, explore Picton, stay at Tombstone Hostel (which was great)
January 19: ferry across Cooks Straight to the North Island, drive from Wellington to Whanganui Quaker settlement
January 20-22: settle in at Whanganui, lectures on local flora/fauna and the Treaty of Waitangi & related Maori issues
January 23: Whanganui Farmers Market, trip to Kowhai Park and Gordon Park, service work in the afternoon
January 24-26: Maori language workshop, trip to Bushy Park (to see saddlebacks!), prep for river trip
January 27-February 1, 2009: River trip down the Whanganui with local Maori
February 1-2, 2010: in Whanganui, service work clearing flax beds
February 3: Tangariro Alpine Crossing Hike (where they filmed Mt. Doom)
February 4: dinner with Mandy and Nigel, permaculture talk
February 5: Farewell Celebration!
February 6-8: Kapiti Island, night hike for finding kiwi bird
February 9-11: Wellington
February 12: ferry to Picton, train back to Christchurch, students meet host families
February 13: move into our Sumner apartment!
February 14-25: classes on Mondays and Wednesdays , observing students at their internships on Tuesday and Thursdays, Fridays field trips
February 26-28: studying marine biology at Kaikoura field station (tsunami on 28^th)
March 1-10, 2010: classes, internships in Christchurch
March 10: Marma arrives!
March 11: visit Orana Wildlife Park (big cats)
March 12: Arthur’s Pass, Castle Rocks, Devil’s Punchbowl
March 13: Wild Foods Festival in Hokatika- eat grubs, worms, escargot, venison, etc
March 14: Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers!
March 15: Haast and Jackson Bay, best fish & chips and whitebait at the CrayPot; camped at Pleasant Flats
March 16: hikes on the way to Wanaka
March 17: morning in Queenstown  (bento box lunch), drive the Southern Scenic Route to Te Anua
March 18: Milford Sound boat trip on Encounter Nature tour
March 19: through Invercargill to Curio Bay in the Catlins; camped in flax and saw a sea lion up-close and 2 yellow-eyed penguins returning to their nest
March 20: Curio Bay with its petrified Jurassic forest, Porpoise Bay, McLean Falls and other sites in the Catlins
March 21: Cathedral Cave, waterfall and estuary walks, saw a fernbird!
March 22: Dunedin- exploring the famous Railway Station, tour of Speight’s Brewery
March 23: Cadbury Chocolate Factory tour, out to the Otago Peninsula and the Royal Albatross Colony. Then, like crazy people we decided to drive home–stopping at the Moeraki Boulders, the Yellow-Eyed Penguin colony in Omaru, and the best Chinese takeout.  Home in Christchurch around midnight.
March 24: Godley head for a hike and to gather mussels for dinner
March 25: tour of Willowbank and Christchurch city center exploring

March 25-May13:  Still in NZ

May13-15:Sydney tour, visited Botanic Gardens, Sydney Opera House, took a ferry to Manly Beach, and did our first couch surfing!
May 16-22:Wwoofing on farm in Narooma, clearing veggie beds by digging out rocks, planting onions and shallots and rhubarb, riding 4wheelers, burning brush along driveway, getting woken up by a young dexter cow who is being weaned.  Eating way too much food!
May 23-29: Wwoofing on farm in Orange, picking herbs and tomatoes, weeding leeks, cleaning out the hen house, making soup, and staying warm despite cold temperatures! Talked lots with host about permaculture and our future farm.
May 30-June 6: Fly to Cairns, then to Maryfarms to Wwoof. Mowing orchards, harvesting galangal, ginger, turmeric, and kasava, constructing a roof, digging new outhouse hole, and going swimming in creeks to cool off!
June 7-13: Wwoofing at farm near Malanda, clearing grass around new small trees, mustering cattle, trying to convince them to observe fences, hearing every conspiracy theory under the sun, and wishing we could leave since host was rather unpleasant.
June 14-16: Hanging out in Atherton to relax before our next farm
June 16-25: Wwoofing at our favorite farm so far, learning tons about permaculture, enjoying the company and energy of two young kids, being chased by geese, making compost, making bamboo fences, and totally enjoying ourselves.
June 25-28: Relaxing in Cairns, going to Green Island and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Celebrated Jess’s half-birthday with a seafood dinner, went to our first Aussie BBQ (ate crocodile, kangaroo, emu, barramundi), watched some World Cup Games.
June 29: Fly back to cold Sydney
June 30-July 3: Staying with our previous couch-surfing hostess, relaxing, seeing museums, drinking tea and hot chocolate, planning upcoming week.
July 4-8: train to Melbourne, checking out city until we leave for Italy on the 8th!
July 9-14: Rome! Wandering cobblestone streets, trying to stay cool in 100 degree heat, the Colloseum, Roman statues and mueseums, red wine and pizza.
July 15-July 31: Farm near Forli, picking peaches and pruning apricots. Eating delicious fresh food-pasta, cheese, vegetables, cakes, bread, and fruit! Sıde trıps to Rimini, Ravenna, Ponte Messa, and a few other villages.
July 31- August 2:  Boat trip from Ancona, Italy to Çeşme, Turkey
August 3-5: Enjoyıng Çeşme, going to the lovely Aegean Sea beach, checkıng out a castle, and cooking at our lıttle Pensıon wıth everyone else (owners and guests) watching us, takıng over our cuttıng boards, and ınspectıng our fınal products.
August 6:  Bus rıde to Kuşadasi
August 6-10:  Euphesus, recoverıng from beıng sıck, boat trıp to local bays for swımmıng, hılarıous drınks wıth an older Irısh couple, wanderıng bazaars and goıng on nıghtly walks.