PCEP- Journey Down Under

04/25/2023

Happy to resurrect this site for our newest trip! We'll return to New Zealand and Australia in June of 2024. Wanna go?

Journey Down Under

02/27/2020

New page is up and running: https://www.facebook.com/pg/PCEP-Europe-Trip-2021-111863980415643/posts/?ref=page_internal

PCCS/PCEP trip to London, Paris, Florence, and Rome in the summer of 2022. Build new relationships a

02/25/2020

Reminder that we are meeting for our Europe 2021 trip tomorrow evening in the Canton HS Little Theater. Bit.ly/pccstravel.

If any Aussie traveler would like to post (or email - [email protected]) a testimonial (including parents!) for us to use in the presentation, we know it's late to ask, but we'd be very thankful!

07/07/2019

If anyone wants to add pics for others, you can use this folder:

07/07/2019

Long layover on the way home for Group 2. They didn't have the energy to do the scavenger hunt Group 1 did on their long layover.

07/06/2019

Day 13: Farewell. We started the day early with an off-on bus tour of Honolulu, learning about the queen and kings who ruled, the importance of sugar for the northern states during the Civil War, and the selflessness of Father Damien, who helped in the l***r colonies of Molokai. We then headed to Pearl Harbor for a tour of the area, which included a boat ride to the USS Arizona memorial.

Our time then ended with Tai as he dropped us off at the Honolulu airport for our flight home (via Chicago). As we wait during our layover, my heart soars hearing the laughter and camaraderie coming from our group. They truly represented The Park well and truly made it a fun trip for the chaperones.

As we get ready to board for our last leg of the trip, I again want to thank the parents for allowing me this time with your children and to thank all the students for being open to new experiences and showing such responsible and caring behavior.

As they say in Hawaii, "a hui hou" - until we meet again!

07/06/2019

Day 12: Honolulu. It was a day on our own, so groups scattered to find their favorite activities. Several climbed Diamond Head - a dormant volcano, some went to surf, some slept-in, some shopped, and a majority headed to Waikiki Beach. We did learn that July 4 is only a celebration for the haole (non-native Hawaiians) as the annexation and subsequent statehood is not the pretty story many learned in school. Still, there were plenty of celebrations and many, many people crowding the city.

For dinner, we went to a luau for some native culture and food. The jokes we're flying since it was held at a water park, but the food was some of the best we are, and we came full-circle as they celebrated all the Polynesian cultures including the Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand).

We arrived back for an hour of last-night celebrations and reflections.

07/06/2019

We're headed home. Aloha, Hawaii!

07/04/2019

Happy 4th of July from atop Diamond Head!!!

07/04/2019

Waikiki Beach is not a terrible way to end our adventure. 😁

07/04/2019

Day 10: The one that lasted 48 hours. After a late brekky, we headed to the airport in Cairns for an 11:30am flight and bid a fond farewell to James. We had to fly back to Auckland for a layover and after a four-hour flight, we waited next to the gate for an extra 20 minutes while they tried to get the air-bridge to connect. Once they finally got it working, we had to go through a new security screening when we switched planes. We thought it would be easy from there, but we were wrong. When we went to the gate for our Hawaii flight, we were told we had to wait an hour in the main terminal, telling us to return 10 minutes before we were supposed to board. When we followed their instructions, we were frustrated to learn that there was *another* security checkpoint - part of the new USA border policy apparently - where we got separated. Part of our group got through, but then they decided to randomly move the checkpoint and made a couple people wait an extra 20 minutes while they set it up. We finally got everyone to the gate, but boy were we frustrated.

Our Hawaii flight took off 40 minutes late due to "policy restrictions" and we were finally on our way back to the US. Oddly, after our eight-hour flight, we arrived two hours before we left - 9:30 am on July 3. Gotta love time travel (or crossing the International Date Line).

Security was a breeze, comparatively, and we met Tai, our new tour director. He took us to the Dole Plantation, which was not a fan favorite since everything was expensive and we only had an hour.

But then we went to the Waimea Valley.

There was a nature walk through botanical gardens with amazing flora and songbirds, including the Hawaiian Honeycreeper (I'iwi). The walk ended at Waimea falls where the group was able to swim in the pool and under the waterfall. We had arrived in Paradise.

After two and half hours (which wasn't enough time), we headed back to the bus for a two-hour guided tour of Oahu. While most fell asleep on the bus, those who stayed awake saw the North Shore - where we saw more sea turtles than huge waves as it was an oddly calm day. We also saw Kualoa Ranch where Jurassic Park, LOST, Kong: Skull Island, and many other films were shot. Eventually, we made it to Honolulu where we drove past Diamond Head and other iconic locales. Tai taught us many new phrases along the way, like "mahalo nui loa" (thank you very much) and "shaka bro" (with the hand symbol 🤙, meaning warm greetings).

Our hotel did not disappoint - it was gorgeous - and dinner was a quick walk to a fun mix-and-match meal at a Marketplace.

Many stayed out to shop at a mall that had no roof, but did have a tree house and tiki torches burning; others searched for inexpensive Hawaiian shirts and souvenirs, while still others booked surfing lessons, set-up helicopter tours, or mapped the three-hour walk from the hotel to the top of Diamond Head.

Like every night before, everyone made bed-check by 10pm.

What a great group!