Blog

With the excitement of abseiling still fresh in our minds, the gang journeyed to Surfaris in Crescent Head for a week of work and play. Our hosts, Rosco and Shelly, cooked daily meals and even provided tea-tree oil for those of us who were sunburned (myself included). We met our local surf guides Benny and Angie and hit the waves. After many slips and minor injuries (nipple chaffing) we slowly got the hang of it. One highlight included Austin losing control of his surfbo… Read more

We had an incredible journey down the Whanganui River. We paddled for four days through endless beauty. The river made me feel small. We drove deep into the wild just to get to the river we would begin our paddle from. While on the river, I kept looking up, amazed by how many trees I could see, thinking about how we could paddle forever and always be surrounded by wilderness. Every person in every canoe looked so small among the huge hills surrounding us. The river seem… Read more

If you think you are not going to be challenged on a Pacific Discovery trip, think again. If you think your experience on this trip will be relatively similar to your past experiences at home, you are mistaken. I think I can speak for the entirety of my group when I say that week two of our New Zealand and Australia program proved to be just as challenging as it was educational and fun. Taking a break from the service oriented side of the program, week two was more focu… Read more

It's truly amazing how a group of 12 strangers can come together from all over the world, be taken out of their normal comfortable environment, and then thrive in it. The bonds that were made among the group and with the guides I think surprised everyone. I can honestly say that this group is full of genuine, good-hearted individuals who want to learn the culture, explore, adventure, and really soak up the time we have in this beautiful country. Week one was spent… Read more

As our journey on New Zealand’s North Island came to a conclusion, our group was faced with yet another series of adventures: the South Island. After a three-hour ferry ride, we drove to the small, yet lively city of Nelson. Here, we began to prepare for the much-awaited four-day tramping trip in the beautiful Kahurangi National Park - the second largest of all national parks in New Zealand. The next morning, we met up with our guide Mark. Mark’s knowledge, bush craft, a… Read more

Shakah brah! Surf camp was all that we needed and more. From waking up to a beautiful sunrise surf to afternoon naps on the hammock, everyone found peace and happiness in our stay here. Each person in our group was able to stand up and ride the gnarly waves regardless of prior experience. The surf instructors made us feel safe and comfortable while shredding the salty waves on the Australian East Coast in Crescent Head. An abundance of grins and excited yelps made … Read more

With a near-summer rain bucketing down outside my Noosa hostel-room, I finally found some time to share a few words about our adventures Down Under thus far. The lack of blogging only signifies that we have been out in the Australian air rather than soaking up screentime indoors - busy planting trees, surfing waves and whitewash, swimming in as many spots as possible, rapelling into dripping canyons and exploring towns and wild places along the East Coast. Here are some … Read more

Days 1: The Crew begin their 4 day canoe trip down the the legendary whanganui river on the north island of New Zealand. The first day starts out easy with Lindsay giving us a Canadian canoe lesson at Whakahoro then a short few hours of paddling to the first campsite - Mangapapa. (Warning: Beware of the sandflies). Day 2: The longest day, we paddle for about 7 hours over some small rapids to get to our second campsite named Mangawaiti (Which happened to be quite th… Read more

Hello friends! Our trip is off to a great start after meeting our incredible, equally jet-lagged groupmates in Auckland and then spending the next week volunteering at Mimiwhangata Coastal Park. Mimiwhangata: Maori for “the stench of urine.” The name of the coastal park sums up thousands of years of surprisingly dark Maori wars and history that took place on this land, but after seeing the incredible landscapes of Mimiwhangata, we could definitely see why people w… Read more

As someone who has always dreamed of going to New Zealand and Australia, this program by Pacific Discovery seemed perfect to me. I arrived early in Auckland to get used to the time and have time to settle in before setting off on our first volunteer expedition. I don’t think there is a better place we could have begun this journey other than Mimiwhangata. There is always apprehension when you fly across the world to join a group of strangers who you are going to b… Read more