Night 8 - Rugby

For many of us this is our first rugby game.  Canterbury Bulldogs vs West Tigers at ANZ stadium in Sydney's Olympic park.  19 people in the group decided to make the journey via the subway.  We are informed the attendance is the highest week 1 attendance for the National Rugby League; I think its our group put them over the top to set this record.  We all cheer on the Bulldogs, except for Hudson who has lived in Sydney before and is a Tigers fan.  Too bad for him the Bulldogs won 24 - 14.

Day 8 - Sydney Water, Parliament & Austrade

Sydney Water is concerned about sustainability.  A scorecard shown to us has several goals listed (i.e. Maintaining a water efficient city) each with a set of performance metrics to be measured.  We are told how these are tracked and a how a long list of projects around sustainability are evaluated.  Other topics included how price is recommended and then set by the city and how Sydney Water segments its customers.

Parliament was not in session when we visited, however that meant we could sit in their seats!  Parliament seems very open to the citizens and I think we all learned a little about the differences between the US rules and style of government compared to those in Australia.

Austrade is a four year program that was created in 2009 to help brand Australia and make it a more attractive place to do business.  Branding a country sounds like a real challenge.  New Zealand was able to build a strong brand with 100% Pure New Zealand and Australia hopes to do the same.  The advertising concept is "Australia Unlimited" and consists of two arrows (some would call them boomerangs).  The color of the logo fades from yellow to orange and has already been featured at the China International SME Fair.

Day 7 - Travel Day and Manley Beach

Our 7th Day of the trip, a Sunday, was a travel day, as we left Queenstown, New Zealand in the morning for Sydney. We made sure to get to the airport with plenty of time, as we were traveling internationally. In a new experience for many of us, we had to pay a NZ$25 exit tax. I wondered what would happen if we refused to pay. Would they deport us? We were leaving anyways.

We arrived in Sydney around 4:00pm, checked into the York Apartments, and got ready to go explore Sydney. The York Apartments proved to be a great place to set up camp for the week, as we had a full kitchen, a seating area with a couch and chair, and a balcony overlooking a church and a park. After getting settled, a group of us grabbed a 6:30pm ferry to Manley Beach. Taking ferries in Sydney is really easy as they all leave from the ferry terminal in Circular Quay, which is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The ride to Manley allowed us to view the Harbor Bridge, the Harbor, and the famous Sydney Opera House as the sun was setting.

After a 30 minute ferry ride to Manley, we were able to walk out on to the beach just as the sun was setting. After a few minutes on the beach, we walked back to the boardwalk for dinner. After dinner of surf and turf for the group, we asked the waitress where a fun place to hang out would be. She suggested the Shore Club.

Sunday nights in Manley Beach is the place to be. We got to the Shore Club around 8:30pm and the place was packed with toned and tanned surfer guys and girls. We enjoyed taking in the scenery, talking to the locals, and fist pumping to the beats. After two hours or so, we took the ferry back to the Circular Quay and crashed in preparation for three full days of company visits.

Written by Gregory DeMars

Day 6 - Siberia Experience

After four days in Auckland, it was time to travel to Queenstown.  Queenstown, a town in the south of New Zealand, is known for the beautiful views and multiple outdoor activities available. We had one day to explore Queenstown so it was hard to decide what to do. The options sound amazing –water rafting, horse riding, canyoning- but I decided to join a group of friends on the Siberia Experience.

The Siberia Experience started with a 25 minute scenic airplane flight with stunning views including rugged mountains, glaciers, mountain lakes, hanging valleys and rainforests. After having lunch in the valley and waiting for other friends, we had a two-hour bush walk through river valleys and native beech forest. Finally, we got to the jet boat pick up point in the Wilkin Valley for a thrilling and scenic 30 minute mountain river journey back to Makarora.

I have to admit that I was a little bit scared of the flight on a small plane. But I’m glad I decided to join the group. The views of the mountains and the glaciers were amazing. Queenstown is definitely the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. I’m sure I will be back again.

Written by Marimer Maldonado

Day 5 - Queenstown Cruise

Details coming soon...

Day 4 - Piha & Waiheke Island

Piha
Five of us rent a car and take a road trip to Piha.  The group includes: Jason Allababidi, Ariston Bowers, Bonnie Jeong, Julie Norman and myself, Keith Hanson.  I am the driver and this is the first time I have had to drive on the left side of the road.  To make things more difficult I have to drive on narrow road through the mountains.  We arrive safely to the beach which is not very crowded and appears to be a good place for surfers.  We climb up a large rock formation right in the middle of the beach.  The views are spectacular and we are amazed by another sunny 72 degree day in New Zealand.  After swimming in the ocean for a bit, we hike to a waterfall.  The water is cold, but clearer than any we have seen.  Another 30 minute hike brings us to the top of the water fall where we are able to swim in a pool that collects water right before it topples over the rock cliff.  What an amazing trip

Written by Keith Hanson

Waiheke Island
It was hard to decide what to do on my free day in Auckland! After talking to some locals, I decided to spend my day at the Waiheke Island with two of my great friends, Lindsey and Jason. I couldn’t do something better. It was a perfect day to end my visit to Auckland. Waiheke Island is a combination farmland, forest, beaches, vineyards and friendly locals that are definitely proud of the beauty of their island.

There were so many things to do - mountain biking, sea kayaking, vineyard & winery tours - but we decided to explore the island. Ready for the adventure, we arrived in the island after a 35 minutes ferry from downtown Auckland. The amazing view of small islands made the trip perfect. This is just the start of what the island has to offer. Once in the island, we went to different beaches, took the bus to see the island, had lunch at a restaurant and enjoyed snacks at a community hall.

The best beach was Palm Beach. The beach was just for us. There were less than 20 visitors which let us enjoy the view and the sound of the water.  Two hours after, it was time to continue the adventure. We ran to catch a bus not knowing the destination but this added more to the adventure. It took us to Rocky Bay which is another beach and an area of locals. In Rocky Bay, we went to the community hall that, once a month, has tea and snacks for sale to raise money for the children of the community. As described by Jason, he had the best banana cake ever. While we were enjoying the cookies and cakes, we had interesting conversations with locals. Can this get better? Yes. Once we got back to the bus, we heard the bus driver playing the guitar which was perfect to complement the hill side view of the bay we had.

After 5 hours in the island, it was time to go back to downtown Auckland. Waiheke Island was a unique experience that made a difference in my trip to Auckland.

Written by Marimer Maldonado

Day 3 - Rotorua

Wednesday 3/9 - 11:30 am

The group boards a bus and we head toward Rotorau.   Three hours later we make our first stop at the Red Wood forest.  Our tour guide, an older gentleman, speaks to us about the forest and the history of the lumber industry in New Zealand.   He leads us up a large straight path, talking pauses to point out the silver fern and other characteristics of the forest.  New Zealand, we are informed, has no natural ground animals and this may explain why the forest is amazingly quite.  The only noises are the footsteps and voices of us and other visitors.  As we hike, the sun breaks through in small patches, hitting the branches and ever so often finds the forest floor.  The temperature is cool in the shade, but once we finish our hike we find the warmth of the sun again.

The group continues on the bus for a short distance to the geysers.  A short walk brings us to the main geyser and the smell of sulfur fills the air.  The geyser continued to spray the whole time we were there and mist drifted across several of the walking paths.  Next we saw a Maoria show that illustrated their culture, singing and dancing.  Several Kelley students participated at the end of the show.  Next we enjoyed a delicious meal, before heading back to Auckland.