June 16

Day 11

What did we do today?

Today we got up and went to the rainforest!! First we took a train to Kuranda (beautiful scenery) and walked the town. We found a man selling didgeridoos and he let us try it out. Zach was really good at it and I started to get the hang of it. It’s really fun!! We ate lunch at a restaurant in town. I had kangaroo pie and it was delicious. We then took a gondola up to the rainforest. We got a tour of the rainforest. It was really neat! I especially liked the trees and plants that grew off of each other. The forest was beautiful. After our tour we went back down the gondola. We went to an aboriginal show and cultural area, where the men performed for us and showed us pieces of the aboriginal culture. I loved hearing them play the didgeridoos. They also let us try boomerangs and throwing spears. I was really bad at the boomerang, but pretty okay at the spear. I was pretty happy when my spear actually went down range. J When we got back to our hotel we had more free time in Cairns. Kaisa, Katie, Scott, Steven and I all went back to the same restaurant. We had the same waiter… We found out his name was Bailey and he was from Wisconsin. Small world right? This time I ordered the kangaroo steak and it was incredible. Today was the perfect end to the perfect trip.

Prompt: What is your Top Ten?

Journal:

No order because I can’t pick!!

Great Barrier Reef—This was incredible. Literally breathtaking. I loved the personal connection I had to the reef and enjoyed seeing many of the creatures I studied in zoology right before my eyes.

Luging—I had so much fun luging! It gives you an adrenaline rush and you can go incredibly fast! I had a blast and officially want to go professional.

Ogo—This was amazing. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this when we got there, but looking back I am so glad I did! The inventor of the ogo is a genius in my book! This adventure got me out of my comfort zone and in the spirit of the trip!

Bridge Climb—The Sydney Bridge is an engineering marvel. The history of it is incredible and I loved learning about it. Always push your boundaries and never look back. The bridge opened my eyes to the true beauty of Sydney.

Outback food—This was just fun. It’s not every day you get to try something as cool as kangaroo! I loved this experience not only because it was a spontaneous and fun decision and I got to try something new, but I also loved it because I got my friends to try something new as well. I hope they learned, like I have, to try everything!!

Redwood Forest—I loved this experience. I have always wanted to visit a redwood forest. I didn’t even realize there was one in New Zealand… but then again, what isn’t in New Zealand?! Redwood trees are so beautiful and unbelievably big! It’s humbling, being that small. I also had a great time with my friends here.

Sunrise over Lake Rotorua—The sunrise was gorgeous! I couldn’t believe it. It was so pretty. How can something be so beautiful and have so many colors? It baffles my mind.

Rangitoto College visit—The kids were so nice! I loved how everyone was involved that night. We met our kiwi twins and made lasting friendships.

Eating kiwi fruit for brekkie—Delicious. I love kiwis- the bird, the people, and the fruit. New Zealand: there’s no other.

Trying… and hating… Vegemite—It was bad. That’s about it. How Aussies and Kiwis eat that stuff, I will never understand.

Making new friends—There are many people on the trip I never talked to back home. I’m glad I got close to so many people on this trip.

Playing a didgeridoo—I have always wanted to play one of these! The fact that I could keep it going for a few seconds made my day!