Destinations While Abroad in Australia

Hey everyone, 

I'm excited to share my incredible travel experiences from my time studying abroad in Australia. During this unforgettable journey, I had the opportunity to explore not only Australia but also nearby countries. I worked to save up for these adventures and it was absolutely worth it. I highly encourage anyone studying abroad to prioritize travel because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Rather than writing a separate blog post for each destination, I've decided to compile my favorite places along with some insider recommendations and cost-saving tips. Let's dive in!

Sydney

Located in NSW, Australia, I had the opportunity to explore Sydney through a tour my housing program set us up with. As part of the Semester in Australia experience, all participants were offered professionally organized trips with a knowledgeable guide and we were given the itinerary beforehand. During the Sydney trip, I met over half the students attending Griffith for the semester in SIA, making it an unforgettable experience. The cost was surprisingly affordable given the amount of activities we enjoyed. It was honestly a relief not having to plan these trips myself in an entirely new country.

On our first day, we walked from our hostel to the Sydney Opera House, soaking in the city's vibrant atmosphere. The next adventure took us on a ferry ride to Manly Island, where we spent time relaxing on the beach and walking around. Our itinerary also included a visit to the breathtaking Blue Mountains National Park, where we were treated to spectacular views. On that very day, we had the chance to explore Featherdale Wildlife Sanctuary, encountering a diverse array of native Australian animals and even feeding kangaroos.

Cairns 

This excursion was also organized through SIA housing, and I opted to go before the university term began to minimize missed classes. Joining me on this adventure were my friends from Hawaii and it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. One of the highlights was a full day spent diving at the Great Barrier Reef, immersing ourselves in its stunning underwater world. On another day, we explored the rainforest with a guide showing us picturesque waterfalls and scenic spots, reminding me a little bit of  Hawaii. This was only about a two-hour flight from Gold Coast and very cheap considering everything we got to do. 

Brisbane 

Me and my roommates planned this trip because it was only an hour train ride from Gold Coast making it super easy to do a weekend trip. We ended up renting a car so we could drive just outside of Brisbane to Sunshine Coast, where the Australia Zoo is located. This was the best zoo I have ever been to because all the animals had large areas to explore and you could just tell they were happy. 

Ended up renting scooters to ride around the city of Brisbane which I highly recommend and it wasn't too expensive. Also if you have time make sure you watch an AFL game or Rugby match while you are in the city.

Bali

Out of all the trips I went on I think Bali was my favorite. It's unlike any other country I've visited, offering incredible sights and experiences. Some of the girls I met through SIA housing and I planned this week-long adventure ourselves, and it exceeded all expectations. Every day was packed with activities that I thoroughly enjoyed, from visiting the Monkey Temple and exploring rice terraces to chasing waterfalls and venturing to Nusa Penida Island. It was a journey filled with unforgettable moments and new discoveries at every turn.

What's particularly great about Bali is how affordable everything is. The food is delicious, and accommodations are incredibly budget-friendly when shared among a group. While flights to Bali were among the pricier ones I've taken, the destination more than makes up for it once you arrive. Getting around using the Grab app was convenient and cost-effective, eliminating the need to rent a car. The flight from Brisbane was about six hours, but time flies when you're looking forward to such an amazing destination!

New Zealand (South Island) 

This trip was truly an adventure of a lifetime. My friends and I made an itinerary that involved navigating a camper van across New Zealand over six days. Initially nerve-wracking, especially since we were driving on the left side of the road and handling such a large vehicle for the first time, but we managed without a scratch. Focusing mainly on the South Island, we opted to skip Auckland, flying into Christchurch from Brisbane instead making a quick three-hour flight.

This was definitely our most expensive trip because even though a van seemed like the cheaper option it still ended up being pretty pricy. Well worth it though because of the breathtaking hikes in untouched landscapes, enhancing New Zealand's natural beauty. As we worked our way south to Queenstown from Christchurch we stayed at amazing campsites where the stars were incredible. Once we reached Queenstown we explored the cool town and did nearby hikes. We also drove the furthest point south so we could do the Milford sound tour, which we ended up seeing dolphins so definitely worth the drive. 

Sailing through the South Pacific

Talofa, Malo e lelei, and Bula from the South Pacific!
I've just finished sailing nearly 3,000 nautical miles from Pago Pago, American Samoa to Auckland, Aotearoa (also known as New Zealand). Along the way, I stopped in Vava'u, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai, and Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga and Suva, Fiji.
When we're sailing the boat never stops. A Watch group is always awake to keep the boat on track to get to our next destination. And because this is a scientific sailing vessel, we would also be in the lab collecting data or processing it at all hours of the day. There were 26 students and we were divided into 3 groups. We had 6 hours on watch and 12 hours off to rest, eat, shower, read, journal, and do any homework we had. Through those 6 hours on you and your Watch would either be on deck or processing in the lab. While on the deck, one person had to be on the lookout (as pictured!), someone else at the helm steering the boat, someone was recording the weather, and another was on a boat check to make sure the lab wasn't on fire or something was out of place on board. We would be in those positions for an hour before switching off to the next task. If you were in the lab, you had a list of things to do depending on the time of day. Twice in a 24-hour day period, we would deploy a neuston tow to collect zooplankton. Once a day, we would deploy a hydrocast to collect water samples from different depths of the ocean to better understand the water we were sailing above. If you happened to be on watch during a time with no deployments needed, you would often be processing the data collected from the previous watch. Let me tell ya trying to do a 100 count of zooplankton with a microscope on a moving vessel is something else! The boat is moving, you are swaying, and the zooplankton sample is actively sloshing too!
There was so much going on while on the ship I don't know how I could possibly sum it all up!

Studying abroad in New Zealand, SEA Part 2 of 2

SEA semester is a very unique program in the fact that you are literally studying abroad on a tall ship sailing around whatever country your program you picked is in. I am in New Zealand living aboard the Robert C Seamans. She is a 134 ft. double masted beauty. Here is a post from December 10th during my program. I was barely on land and had no contact with the outside world for six weeks, it was an amazing experience. 

Auckland, New Zealand skyline at night

December 10, 2016. It is crazy how my days blur together and the next thing you know its four days later. Its like a bunch of memorable things decided to happen all at once. 

Lets start with the creatures that we have seen: sei whales, dolphins, pygmy whales, albatross, more dolphins and its just amazing! I am very happy I finally got to see some creatures because I was getting worried I was never going to see some.

Dolphins playing by the ship 

Woke up for morning watch one day and ate some crepes with bacon in them and then bam! Three whale spouts. The whales were decently close to our ship and they kept spouting and we could see their fin and such. It was a very neat experience.

During my galley day, back to that later, there was like 7 dolphins playing in the bow and I sat up there and watched them forever just having the time of their lives. It is so different watching them in the wild compared to anywhere else. It was a very special time.

The pygmy whales showed up a few days later and they were decently far away but we could still see their fins and spouts. There was a large pod of them following us for quite some time but then they left. 

Other things, we anchored last night in a harbor area because yes, we are FINALLY BACK BY THE MAINLAND! It is so crazy to see so much land again. Tonight we are anchored only 7 miles away from our dock in Napier. I cannot believe that we are already 3/4 done with this trip. We are going to be docked for a few days so I am very excited to explore. 

Swim Call while at anchor ft. my beautiful home, the ship

 

So back to my galley day. Galley in boat language means kitchen. So everyone gets one day in the galley to assist the steward in helping him create meals and prepare them and such. It is a long day it starts at 0500 and goes till 2000. The menu I had for the day was:

Breakfast: eggs and bacon

Morning snack: coconut raspberry muffins

Lunch: brats and mashed potatoes 

Afternoon snack: chips and dip and roasted almonds

Dinner: enchilada casserole

Midnight snack: chocolate marshmallow pretzel bark 

It was quite the adventurous day and very busy. Cooking for 34 people is not an easy task. 

SSV Robert C Seamans, my home for the six weeks

Studying abroad in America, SEA Part 1 of 2

Hello everyone! My name is Kyra Thompson I am a sophomore studying marine biology at HPU. I am currently studying abroad as a part of the SEA semester program. For those of you who have not heard of this program I will explain it a little more. The program I am in is called Ocean Explorations and it has a maximum capacity of 24 students in the program. The semester is split into 2 six week chunks. The first six weeks is called the "shore component" where you live and study and take classes in Woods Hole, MA which is on Cape Cod. The second six weeks is called the "sea component" where, in my program, we travel to New Zealand to sail around in a tall ship doing research and taking more classes.

My semester started much later than HPU session started. I arrived here in Woods Hole, MA on September 26, 2016 for move in day here at the SEA campus. When I first arrived here on this small campus I was very nervous to see how I would fit in with everyone. Once being assigned my cottage, my family helped me into my room. In my house we had 8 people, 5 girls and 3 boys. The way this program works they have you become a sort of family who live together and also cook dinners together as a group. This was my favorite part because we had some very yummy meals made in my house.

Both program classes S270 and C270 

Once moved in orientation started where we learned about the classes we are going to be taking as well as how everything runs on campus. On campus with us was another program so we had two separate classes on campus at the same time. The total number of people in my program was 15. Some of the first nights together we all were getting to know each other by playing board games and card games. My favorite thing we did was go to the beach and ride the bike paths around Woods Hole and Falmouth. The weather and scenery was beautiful here for early fall. 

The classes we took here on shore were Nautical Science, Maritime Studies, and Oceanography. Our captain, Pamela, taught our nautical science class where we learned more about the tall ship we will be sailing, the Robert C. Seamans, terrestrial navigation, and celestial navigation. This class was my ultimate favorite because I got to learn more about what could be a part of my future career, living on boats. Maritime studies was more like a history class tying it all in terms of maritime history. Oceanography was like any other basic oceanography class you would take at HPU but with an additional research project attached to it that we will continue to do while at sea.

Navigation tools and charts

We took a couple field trips, one to Boston and one to New Bedford. In Boston we learned about how it used to be an old port town and a very popular one at that. We also learned how historical events that occurred there connected to maritime history. In New Bedford we went to the whaling museum and got lots of information on whaling history and how New Bedford was involved in that.

Tomorrow is my last day here in Woods Hole for my shore component. I can not believe that six weeks has already flown by and we have taken in all kinds of information that will be useful to us on the boat. I fly to New Zealand to start my actual abroad part of this program. I am super excited to start sailing around having no contact with the outside world. The best part is going to be using Polynesian navigation where you use nothing but the stars not even a compass to sail and navigate from place to place.

I will post and update again once my six week sea component is over and I gain wifi again in New Zealand on land. Wish me luck!

The tall ship we will be sailing in New Zealand, yes they still exist