July 4: Departure Day, Los Angeles to Sydney

Group Meeting:

At 7:30 PM, meet your group leader and fellow students at the Qantas Airlines check-in counter (outside of security) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This is the official start of your Putney summer!

Group Flight:

The group will fly on Qantas Airlines flight #012 departing Los Angeles (LAX) at 10:30 PM, arriving in Sydney, Australia (SYD), at 6:30 AM local time on July 6 (15 hours, 15 minutes en route).

Note: July 5th is lost while crossing the International Date Line.

July 6: Sydney

Begin your adventure “Down Under” in Sydney with a group orientation and familiarize yourself with Aussie culture of this cosmopolitan city. Have a traditional brekkie and stroll the promenade of the Rocks District. Become acquainted with the colonial history and contemporary life of Australia. Explore Darling Harbor and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic Sydney opera house.

July 7–10: The Outback

Fly to Alice Springs and head into the Great Central Desert with Mulga’s Outback Adventures to get a true sense of the vastness and diversity of the Outback. See kangaroos, wallabies, and brumbies, and learn about the desert’s fire-dependent ecology. Camp out beside the warmth of a campfire. Hike through ancient rock formations, learn about rock art, and hear stories of the Dreamtime from local Aboriginal guides. Try traditional bush food as you relax under the constellations of the southern hemisphere. Speak with locals about the effects of the assimilation and protection of the Aboriginal people. Watch the sunrise over the majestic Uluru before catching a flight back to Sydney.

July 11 & 12: Sydney

Return to Sydney the afternoon of July 11th for two more days of exploration. Explore Sydney by bike, learn about the Eora people, and you may catch a show at the Sydney Opera House. Visit the world famous Aquarium and Taronga Zoo, catch a rugby match, or watch the sunset from Sydney’s famed Harbor Bridge.

July 13–17: Airlie Beach and sailing the Whitsunday Islands

Fly to Hamilton Island, board a sailboat, and spend four days sailing through the Whitsunday Islands and exploring the Great Barrier Reef region. Our knowledgeable skipper and his crew teach us about the marine ecology and take us to some of the best dive sites in the region. Snorkel, swim, and explore the islands during the day and sleep on board the sailboat at night. Lend a hand to the boat crew and learn the basics of sailing. Spot dugongs and whales as we traverse the seas. Please note that you can only SCUBA if you have your certification before the trip. Regulations in Australia require you to bring proof of certification and your logbook from past dives. Return to Airlie Beach for our final night in Australia.

July 18 & 19: Christchurch and Temuka, New Zealand  

After a late arrival on the 18th, overnight in Christchurch before heading to Temuka. Spend your first days in New Zealand immersed in a true Maori cultural experience and an overnight in a Maori village. Help our Maori hosts prepare a hangi, or feast, and while dinner is cooking go out to explore the nearby rock art sites that tell the stories of the Ngai Tahu tribe’s ancestors. After dinner, learn a haka, or traditional Maori war dance, and gather around the campfire to hear stories that have been passed down for generations.

July 20–23: Homestays in Oamaru

Next, venture down the western coast of the South Island and become part of family life in a traditional Kiwi sheep or dairy farming community. The rural, coastal town of Oamaru boasts a colonial-style downtown surrounded by rolling hills dotted with massive boulders.  This otherworldly landscape made the Oamaru area a favorite filming location for both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia. During your homestay week, the group will meet up from time to time to go see a rugby game, participate in events at the local high school, or visit the nearby Moeraki boulders.

July 24–27:  Wanaka, New Zealand

Say goodbye to our hosts and travel west across the mountainous South Island to the picturesque town of Wanaka. Spend three days skiing or snowboarding the Cardona and Treble Cone mountains. Have a cup of hot cocoa at the lodge and visit some of the galleries in the quaint town square. Become acquainted with the modern Kiwi culture and explore Wanaka’s appropriately named Puzzle World. Spend evenings are spent back at the lodge where we break into cooking crews to produce the group dinners, and relax around the fireplace after a day on the slopes.

July 28 & 29: Christchurch

Return to Christchurch for one final day. Explore the cobblestone streets of this gothic city, wrap up your time in New Zealand and prepare for your early morning flight to the white-sand beaches of the Fiji Islands.

July 30–August 3: Namatakula, Viti Levu, Fiji

Fly from Christchurch to Nadi, Fiji. Settle in on the Coral Coast and spend five days enjoying the vibrant culture, beaches, and tropical weather of Fiji. Visit local villages, play a game of pick-up rugby with local kids, kayak, snorkel, and try your hand at “coconut bowling.” Participate in a kava ceremony and learn about the cultural history of the island nation. Students who are scuba certified will have the opportunity to dive with local guides. With your fellow Putney students, reflect on the journey you have taken over the course of the past month and prepare for your travels home.

August 4: Return Day, Nadi, Fiji, to Los Angeles

Group Flight:

The group will fly on Qantas Airlines flight #3839 departing Nadi, Fiji (NAN), at 9:40 PM on August 4, returning to the International Arrivals Area of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 1:25 PM on August 4 (10 hours, 45 minutes en route).