This post features student writing.

We spent the past four days having an incredible time sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving throughout the Great Barrier Reef! We lived on a ex-maxi racing yacht named Broomstick and were fortunate to have the most amazing crew members: Zak, Benny, and Xavier to help us on our journey. We were able to see so much wildlife like coral, turtles, fish, kookaburras, manta rays, and even a reef shark! We spent our days lathering up in sunscreen and our nights eating Tim Tams under the bright night sky. The sunsets on the Great Barrier reef were beyond belief and many of us got the opportunity to learn how to steer the boat, while others enjoyed taking in all of the beautiful sights of the Whitsunday Islands. Waking up with the sun truly showed us how much we can do before 11am and made us appreciate getting the most out of our cultural exploration in Australia. On our last morning, we did the Whitsundays Peak hike, which many of us found challenging, but the view at the top was ultimately extremely worth it and, we got the chance to briefly meet-up with the other Putney Cultural Exploration: Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji program! After the hike, we enjoyed our last meal on the boat and sailed back to Airlie Beach, where we disembarked our floating home and enjoyed some fresh smoothies in the harbor. We then continued back to our hostel in Airlie Beach, Bush Village, where we enjoyed some long-awaited showers. That night, we went to dinner with the crew members and at the end of the night it was sad to say goodbye to our new friends.

July 17th

This morning we got the chance to sleep in and everyone was grateful for a few extra hours of sleep! Some of the girls made chocolate-chip pancakes for the group, in honor of Serelle´s 17th birthday! After breakfast, we loaded into a bus to head to the ferry for a long travel day. We arrived at the Hamilton Island Airport and all ate lunch together before boarding our first flight to Sydney. Many of us got the chance to catch up on our journal entries, while others watched TV shows and slept. After arriving in Sydney, we transferred to the international terminal and got a quick dinner before boarding our flight to Christchurch, New Zealand! Once landing in New Zealand, we all went through strict customs before meeting our guide, Max, who took us to our hostel for the night! We went to sleep so excited to start our homestays the next day.

July 18th

Today we woke up and went to breakfast near our hostel! After breakfast, we headed back to the hostel to pack our bags and start our 4 hour bus ride to Oamaru, where we would meet our homestay families. We stopped in Timaru for a quick lunch and then continued on our way to Oamaru! Once in Oamaru, we all met our homestay families and were so excited to meet our homestay siblings, who were on holiday from school. We can´t wait to get immersed in New Zealand culture over the next four days with our families.

Sending love from New Zealand!

– Australia, New Zealand & Fiji, Group C