New Zealand and Australia Trip Recap - and learn about Summer 2027!

In July of 2026, nineteen Shorecrest Upper School students travelled to New Zealand and Australia with Upper School Social Studies Chair and GSI Chair Kayla Brazee, Upper School Counselor Brian Wiley, and Upper School Visual Arts teacher Casey McDonough.

After 30 hours of travel, the group landed in Auckland, New Zealand where they were introduced to rugby culture by visiting the All Blacks Experience. They were also able to get acquainted with the Māori people by learning the significance of the haka, eating indigenous cuisine that was cooked in the ground, and experiencing a cultural show at Mitai Māori Village. Other highlights of New Zealand included a trip to Hobbiton, visiting the geothermal springs at Whakarewarewa and attending a jade carving demonstration in Rotorua.

On day four, the group took a quick flight over “the ditch” (a term affectionately given to the Tasman Sea by locals) and landed in Sydney, Australia. There they received a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sydney Opera House, visited the Hyde Park Barracks, and walked along the famous Bondi Beach. Before departing, they visited the Featherdale Wildlife park where they excitedly mingled with wallabies, dingoes, kangaroos and koalas. A few days later, the group flew up to Cairns where they had the incredible opportunity to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. 

For Jill Marcus ‘27, snorkeling was a very memorable experience: “I remember looking down and realizing I was no more than three feet above a beautiful sea turtle crunching on a massive bed of colorful coral. I can't imagine ever seeing something like that again.” 

The trip was capped off with a visit to Rainforeststation Nature Park where students learned more about Aboriginal culture through a boomerang throwing workshop, a didgeridoo performance, and a Q&A with an Aboriginal Elder. 

Jill’s biggest takeaway from the trip was learning about the indigenous cultures of New Zealand and Australia. She stated, “Because the Maōri people of New Zealand were so unified, their culture held up a lot stronger throughout colonization and is noticeably more dominant than that of the Aboriginals in Australia - which seemed almost totally annihilated and has significantly less of a presence in their day-to-day lifestyles. It really makes me think about how much goes into preserving culture, and how easy it is to lose even after thousands of years.”

Aidan Johnson ‘27 shared, “The most memorable part of the trip had to be the Great Barrier Reef. I remember as a kid thinking how awesome it would be to see it in person, and to actually see it was a dream come true!”

Coming Summer 2027:

The next Upper School international travel opportunity will be in July 2027 for current 9th-11th graders. Students will have the opportunity to visit Vienna, Prague and Budapest. Interested parents/students should attend the trip information session on Tuesday, September 15 at 7pm in the Ohana Community Room on the 2nd floor of Charger Commons - or email Kayla Brazee at [email protected].

View photos from New Zealand and Australia on Flickr:

Flickr album: New Zealand and Australia | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin