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5...4...3...2...1...Adventure!

After 8 years of teaching, I have decided to take a sabbatical!  So, instead of preparing for back to school, I've been preparing to travel.  I will be traveling first to Australia with a group led by Derek Marks, Professor at Saint Mary's College of CA.  After 2 weeks with the group, I will depart on my own for New Zealand.

Most of my Australian activities were planned by Professor Marks, and I'm so excited for all the experiences we get to have due to his position with the college and his relationship with the Australian guides.


I will start my trip in Sydney, which is located on the east coast of Australia in New South Wales.  We will travel to 4 different locations around NSW before flying up to Cairns in Queensland.

Some of the highlights on the itinerary: 

  • Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo
  • Fitzroy Falls
  • Wombat Care Bundanoon
  • Bendalong Beach (to feed Giant Stingrays)
  • Murray's Beach  (whitest sand on the planet)
  • Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park (to volunteer as park rangers)
  • Great Barrier Reef
  • Daintree Rainforest
  • Fitzroy Island (meet with Save Our Sea Turtles Organization, volunteer & research with the Reef Restoration Foundation)

As you might be able to gather from the list above, the focus of our trip will be learning about the wildlife and ecological preservation efforts in Australia.  Professor Marks often leads this trip as his JanTerm offering (ours is abbreviated and without the academic credit requirements).  As a Science Teacher with a degree in Biology I am excited not only for the opportunity to travel to a country I haven't visited before but also to be able to experience the area through the lens of biology, ecology, and conservation.


After Australia, I will travel to New Zealand's North Island.  Some of my stops there will include:
  • Auckland Zoo
  • Waitomo Caves (glow worms!)
  • Canopy Tour (Zipline) & Thermal Springs in Rotorua
  • Owharoa Falls
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Whenuakura Island (lagoon, volcanic blowhole)
  • Lake Waikaremoana
  • National Aquarium of New Zealand 

I will be traveling during Australia & New Zealand's winter season, so cross your fingers the weather doesn't derail our plans too much!

More to come soon!

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