On Janurary 2nd I am going to start my journey around the world, leaving Minnesota's sub-zero temperature for the ozone depleted Southern Hemisphere's hot summer. My adventures will first start in New Zealand, where my friend Ian Nystrom and I will get to know New Zealand's culture through physical labor. We will be working through an organisation called WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), a organisation that allows travelers to experience a non-traditional vacation. We will spend the month of January working on two farms on New Zealand's south island. After January, we will join a group of 26 St. Olaf students in Melbourne, Australia and will begin our environmental science program. We will remain in Austrailia for the remainder of the semester, following the sun as it moves north, traveling up the east coast until the end of May.

Under the Destinations section (to the right) you can view where I'll be throughout my trip. Check it out!

Te Mara (The Garden) - Upper Moutere, NZ

Jan. 20th  - 29th

Our second location is roughly an hour drive from our first.
We will have the 16th - the 20th to explore this beautiful region. 
Our second destination is located near the peaceful town of Upper Moutere, which is close to Nelson, NZ. Here we will be staying with a family that is part of the Atamai community, an indigenous eco/traditional Maori village that is currently being developed for 50 households. The village is in stage one of three, with six households living and working on the land. They are currently converting pasture land to gardens, orchards, woodlots and coppices, and we will be helping them with this process. We are going to be staying with a family of four, the dad being Maori, the mom Filipino, and two high school aged boys. During our free time we are looking forward to hiking through the mountains and spending time on the beaches which are 20 minutes away. Before arriving we have four or five days to explore the Nelson region of NZ, which we plan on doing by hitchhiking from town-to-town. This area is famous for its arts, sea food, and beaches. Another fun fact about Nelson is that the first rugby game in NZ was played here in 1870.

Vibrantly coloured fruit that could only come out of NZ
Tending to the garden will be part of our daily chores
Serene Upper Moutere in the winter (hopefully we wont experience this). 
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