My week off...Pops pays a visit

Just a quick update. For the past week my dad had been visiting. We spent our first three days up in Cairns, Australia in order to experience the real tropical north Queensland and to see the Great Barrier Reef (my second time). I was so nervous to go scuba diving the second day we were there but I finally did it! And I absolutely loved it! We went diving on Hastings Reef and we saw a ton of gorgeous coral but not too much wildlife other than fish. We did see a hawksbill turtle however. The next day we went up to the Daintree rainforest for a guided tour. We saw two saltwater crocodiles on the Daintree River and went on several rainforest walks. We also spent some time on the beaches but NO SWIMMING because the box jellyfish were beginning to occupy the warm coastal waters. They can easily kill you. After a day or two of travel and some time in Brisbane, I finally said farewell to Australia and made my way to New Zealand.

I am already in love with New Zealand. It is so much greener that Australia, with rolling hills and endless sheep and cattle grazing the fields. It is quite beautiful. My dad and I weren’t sure what to do over the two days we had here together so we just hit the road. We drove down to Waitomo, home to the infamous glowworm caves. We spent the night there and woke up the next morning very ambitious. We booked a three-hour tour of the caves with the Black Water Rafting Company. Basically, we went caving and tubing underground in complete darkness for a few hours. It was unbelievable! Although I had already seen glowworms before, I wanted my dad to see them because they are so spectacular. Sure enough, the caves were completely lit up by their bioluminescence. It was one of the coolest things I have done so far. I loved it.

Now I am sitting in the hotel and it is Thursday. This afternoon I am reuniting with the group to begin our kiwi adventures exploring all New Zealand has to offer for geology. I am not entirely sure where we are headed to begin with, but the trip as a whole will without a doubt be an amazing trip. I will not be updating the blog for quite some time and no pictures until I get home unfortunately. I am stoked for the road ahead and looking forward to living the kiwi lifestyle for the next month. Ciao!