Top Ten

1. Blue Mountains: This to me was one of my favorite spots. It was inspirational and breathtaking and absolutely beautiful. Even in the rain and stormy weather it left a huge impact on me, somewhere I would love to visit again in the sunshine.

2. Great Barrier Reef: Stunning. The symbol of Australia, something they are most known for an for a reason. It was fantastic and so strange to actually be in. Somewhere I only thought I would see in movies but can now see how majestic it was in person, and it shocked me.

3. Rangitoto College: These kids made my whole trip to New Zealand. They were gracious and welcoming and so happy to see us, how could we not like them? They put in so much effort for us it was hard to leave them behind.

4. Ogoing: Probably the most simple pure fun I had on this trip. Nothing historical or part of a tour group, just something I'm glad I did while I was there.

5. Sunrise @ Rotorua: Waking up in the morning to see such a brilliant light coming through this sulfurous lake was a great way to start off our trip. Pictures were being taken all over the shore and it was so great to see such a stunning sunrise right as we walked out.

6. Walk to the Hotel in the Rain: Getting lost in Sydney, not really knowing that many people in my group, and getting poured down on was actually quite fun. We finally bonded with people when Ty and Joey gave us their sweatshirts and cemented out friendships.

7. Sydney. The city was so much fun. Everywhere you go no matter what day or time there is something unique and fun going on in the streets or in a market. Being spontaneous there is no problem at all.

8. Whaka Village: I'm not sure why this place touched me so, but I really liked being there. I know it wasn't that big of a highlight for everyone else but I liked that they all use the steam for cooking and regularly take baths in their pools everyday as a community. They all stick together no matter what..

9. Cairns: Although it may be very touristy the coastal city is very pretty and well maintained because of all the traffic it sees during all seasons. It was warm and inviting, a perfect city built around the water.

10. Burger Fuel: A delicious hamburger joint that was one of the first dinners we all ate together. The burgers were giant and expensive but we got them for free and definitely enjoyed the heck out of them! They were so good and were talked about for the rest of the trip.

Today we took a secnic train ride up the side of a mountain and through the rainforest to the little town of Kuranda. The town was a tourist trap with high priced foods and sourveniers everyother store. We tried to go into reptile houses and butterfly observatories but they were all way to over priced so we just ended up hanging around the park until we found a little market. I bought some postcards there but had run out of cash so I didn't get much more. Later that night we all poole dour money together for grapes and monsters during our free time and pulled an all nighter for the plane ride tomorrow.