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Lucky

Lucky

(Guest correspondent Eliza) What were the chances of me being in French Polynesia in 2011 at the exact same time the 6explorers were going to be here? And able to have some time off from work? One in millions probably. Call it destiny, coincidence, luck… And now, all I know is I couldn’t be more […]

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School’s Out!!

School’s Out!!

(Alex) After sort of falling off of the school-everyday-train at the beginning of the trip due to more exciting activities, we had to pick up the pace in the second half. I guess school was not the most exciting thing to do when we had the option of playing lacrosse with new friends while trekking […]

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Jaws

Jaws

(Dana) I have always hated sharks. Watching Jaws in Junior High School probably had a lot to do with that. (thanks Steven Spielberg.) If you have never seen the movie, please don’t; it will damage your love of the ocean forever. That is, unless you are fortunate, like I have been, to dive in French […]

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Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire

(Dana) The volcanic region running straight through the center of the North Island of New Zealand is part of the great Pacific Ring of Fire — where massive tectonic plates meet and shift, causing natural wonders and disasters like this year’s horrific Japanese earthquake.  Although these geological forces can wreak havoc and devastation, the great […]

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Footy

Footy

(Dana) Other lands, other cultures, other sports. Our newest athletic experience… footy, or rugby. Yes, rugby is played in some schools across the US, but it holds a completely different level of exultation in New Zealand. New Zealand hosts the World Cup this fall. Kiwi professional teams play in a SuperLeague against teams from Australia […]

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Living La Vida Hamster

Living La Vida Hamster

(Andrew) Zorbing: the activity of rolling down a hill while strapped inside an extremely large plastic ball. That is the definition of zorbing from the PC dictionary. We zorbed today. What the dictionary doesn’t describe is that it is REALLY FUN! What the dictionary also doesn’t describe is that you can also zorb not strapped […]

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Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity

(Alex) Okay — so my brothers call me an adrenaline junky, and I admit it, I love the feeling of adrenaline rushing through my veins. After gorge swinging in Zimbabwe, I really wanted to do something that would outdo myself. My first idea was bungee jumping, but Mom and Dad quickly talked me out of […]

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Back In Time

Back In Time

(Dana) During our adventure-filled time in New Zealand, I have been reflecting on our time in Papua New Guinea, which was like traveling back in time. The entire Highlands of the country – home to a million people – was only discovered by the Australians in the 1930s…less than 80 years ago! The vast majority […]

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Dude, Turn Off Your Butt

Dude, Turn Off Your Butt

(Andrew) Our first major activity in New Zealand was going on the Spellbound Cave tour which includes seeing the spectacular luminous glowworms. The cave that we went to was the place that BBC Planet Earth filmed the segment on glowworms. This place was the best place to go. We drove to the pickup place from […]

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PNG Poetry

PNG Poetry

These two poems were written and read to us by our fantastic guide on two successive mornings in the Mount Hagen area of PNG. By MW = Michael Moge Agilca Kundumb Keping Wandau (Or Michael of the Moge tribe, Agilca clan, Kundumb sub-clan, Wandau Keping family) Day (1) in Kange Country White clouds of fog […]

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