October 2018 The Journeys listed in the South Pacific eflyer are open to all ambassadors, representing some of the many places where you can experience new cultures and expand your global circle of friends. If you are interested in any of the following Journeys, please contact the Journey Coordinator directly.
Journey Number 14337 Sydney to Salisbury and Northern Districts, Australia 16-23 November, 2018 $365 AUD (includes FFI and host fees, not including transport to Adelaide SA) FF Sydney would love you to join us for a week of fun, friendship and adventure meeting our new friends in Salisbury and Northern Districts, South Australia. Our week includes a day exploring the sights of Adelaide, bursting with culture, flavours, lush parklands and historic buildings. A trip to the famous Barossa: Wohlers shop, a walk around Tanunda, Chateau Barossa Rose Garden which should be blooming. Rhonda Wilson rhondapwilson@gmail.com Mobile: 0418 870 780 Phone:: 02 9482 5727 Salisbury and Northern Districts, Australia Day four takes us on a bus trip to Tickle Tank, Mt. Barker and then to the Adelaide Hills, having lunch at historic Hahndorf, which is classified as Australia s oldest surviving German settlement. Next is a bus trip to Port Wakefield and then onto Kadina, a Historic past copper mining town on the Yorke Peninsula.
Journey Number 15062 Tauranga-WBOP to Bogotá, Colombia, Turrialba, Costa Rica and Tuxtla-Gutierrez, Mexico 28 January - 20 February, 2019 $6,500 NZD approx. Auckland to Auckland (including all FFI and host fees) Sandie Knowlson 07-549 1310 ttsknowlson@hotmail.com FF Bogotá FF Turrialba FF Tuxtla-Gutierrez For those looking for a different destination for your Journey in 2019, this is a must for you. We start at Bogotá, Colombia where the FF Bogotá clubs will be our hosts. The climate is a temperate 15-18 degrees all year round. During the Journey, we will visit the Mayor s house, the famous Gold Museum, the old city and the National Museum. But it is the local culture that will be so fascinating. We will enjoy a professional dance group and musicians to show the traditional folk dances and music, and for the farewell party, they include typical Colombian music. For our second hosting, we go north Turrialba, Costa Rica located about 64 kms from the capital San José. Nearby are two of the highest peaks in the country, Turrialba Volcano (3,340 m) and Mount Chirripó (3,820 m). The canton of Turrialba is nationally known for an eponymous cheese produced in the district of Santa Cruz and there are many other indigenous dishes. The county has several protected areas including Guayabo National Monument, Turrialba Volcano National Park, Chin National Park, Forest Reserve Central Volcanic Range Protected Area River Basin Tuis, Chirripó and Pacuare River Forest Reserve. We now move further north to our last hosting at Tuxtla-Gutierez which has the capital city of the state Chiapas in southern Mexico since 1892. This area is very rich in different native cultures that can be seen in its traditional way of living and handicraft making. There are also fine samples of their Spanish Colonial heritage. Most interesting will be a boat ride along the Sumidero Canyon, a visit to the archaeological museum with an interesting display of Mayan pieces and from other ancient local cultures, to the zoo with a rich exhibit of regional fauna, to a small museum and handicraft shop, a visit to the nearby colonial town of Chiapa de Corzo, and picnic by the river and cultural events. The timing of this Journey has been planned so that participants can leave Mexico and arrive in Buenos Aires a couple of days before the FFI Festival Of Sea cruise around South America should you wish to combine the two trips.
Journey Number 15005 Central Coast to Southwest Florida, TucsonSouthern Arizona and Quad Cities, USA 24 February - 17 March, 2019 The dates for the Journeys are: Contact Coordinator Quad Cities: 3 March through 10 March 2019 Chris Stone christopherstone@mac.com FF Southwest Florida FF Quad Cities FF Tucson-Southern Arizona Southwest Florida: 24 February through 3 March 2019 Tucson: 10 March through 17 March 2019 This will be an interesting three-phase Journey where ambassadors will enjoy the warmth of Southwest Florida, together with the winter in northern USA, followed by the wonders of Tucson, Arizona. The Central Coast ambassadors have already purchased their air tickets, but would love to have some fellow FF ambassadors join them on the interesting and exciting Journey.
Journey Number 15192 Marlborough and Kapiti Coast to Hsinchu, Taiwan and Kyoto, Japan April 2019 $5500 (indicative) Gillian Cooper ffmexchange@gmail.com 021 352 900 FF Hsinchu FF Kyoto-Fukuchiyama We would welcome expressions of interest in this Journey for 2019. I know it seems like early days but we need to start making bookings. This inquiry does not commit you to the Journey. Hsinchu hosting is 12 April to 18 April. Fukuchiyama hosting is 21 April to 27 April. Our tentative plan is to fly direct into Taipei 10 April and gather the group for bonding before joining our hosts in Hsinchu on 12 April. We would fly to Japan on 18 April where we would have 3 nights in Kyoto. We begin our second journey by seeing Kyoto City on 21 April and then we would travel to Fukuchiyama for the rest of our journey. This is about 1.5 hrs by train from Kyoto. Our final night would be in Kyoto where we say farewell to each other. You can either join a coach tour and explore more of Japan, carry on to Europe to explore or take the opportunity of flying to China on the way home as we will be doing. To budget for this journey we are giving you the price Blenheim to Blenheim with no extras. $4300 for flights and accommodation and transfers $1200 for FFI Fees and hosting $5500 total. Remember this is only an indicative price
Journey Number 15092 Napier, New Zealand to Norderstedt, Germany and Greater Izmir, Turkey (with Istanbul, Gallipoli and Anzac Dawn Service) April 2019 $6500 includes FFI and hosting fees, flights, hotel accommodation and group transport Joy Kennerley vjk@actrix.co.nz FF Norderstedt FF Greater Izmir On 12th April we fly to Copenhagen for a 3-night stay before travelling by train/ferry to Hamburg, Germany, where we will be met by our hosts from Norderstedt FF. Norderstedt is located at the northern border of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, 80 kilometres from the North Sea. Hosting will include visiting the beautiful buildings of Hamburg, viewing forest and farmland, and maybe a harbour cruise. From Hamburg we fly to Istanbul, Turkey. In Istanbul, Intrepid will provide us with a guide and transport for the next 6 days. On 24th we go out to the Gallipoli Peninsula to experience overnight outdoors and the ANZAC Commemorative Dawn Service. Also included are guided visits to such sights as the Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. On 28th as we travel toward Izmir we will overnight in Ayvalik, a pretty seaside village. In Izmir (once the ancient city of Smyrna), expect a large city set around a beautiful bay, lots of history, and modernity, an overnight trip to Ephesus and the Virgin Mary s House and wonderful Turkish cuisine. A visit to Gallipoli is our special add-on. Ambassadors must be prepared to spend a night in the open at Gallipoli and walk several kilometres in Norderstedt. Applications (forms on FFI website or FFNZ website, or available from Coordinators) should be returned by August 30th to enable Gallipoli Bookings. A 3-night stay in Singapore is optional (but costed in) to break the journey home. Estimated cost from Auckland to Auckland $6500 includes FFI and hosting fees, flights, hotel accommodation, and group transport.
Journey Number 15091 Auckland-North Shore, New Zealand to Korolev, Russia and Baku, Azerbaijan May 2019 $5000-$6000 NZD including all fees, travel and accommodation Don Wrigglesworth 094442723 aucklandnorthshore@friends hipforce.org.nz FF Korolev FF Baku If you wish an extra special Journey in 2019, what about one to eastern Europe? We are lucky to have been allocated a Journey to Korolev in Russia and Baku in Azerbaijan. The Korolev club was founded in 1995 and has 40 members. The city itself, located about 20 minutes northeast of Moscow, is named after Sergei Korolev, the founder of the Russian Space Industry, and many facilities such as mission control are centred here. The club can arrange very special excursions to space exploration facilities such as Star City, where Russian cosmonauts live and train. A Journey usually spends two days in Moscow visiting the Kremlin and Red Square and a bus sightseeing tour to the ancient Russian city of Pereslavl-Zalessky to acquaint the ambassadors with folk traditions. A second day is to the city and monastery of Sergiyev Posad, the center of Russian Orthodox culture. During every Journey, each family treats its guests to the most delicious and special dishes of Russian national cuisine. We move then to Azerbaijan and the FF club of Baku situated in the eastern area near the Caspian Sea. Their 200,000 year history is very complex because of the many invasions due to natural resources. So much of the economy today is based on their oil and gas reserves. Baku is an ancient city, so there are lots of places of interest, such as Shirvanshakh s Palace (AD 1400s), Maiden Tower (eight storey fortress), Ateshgah (the Fire Worshippers Temple), Mardakan flower garden, Sengachal Oil Terminal, Museum of Applied Art, Carpet Museum, Baku boulevard, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and Inner City where one can see shops of antiques and carpets. There will also be cruises, restaurant visits, and concerts where we can enjoy their amazing culture. But there is so much more Aga Mosque, Open Air Museum with Neolithic rock drawings, Gelersen-Gorersen fortress (8-9th centuries) and so on. Baku means where the wind strikes hard, but the climate is subtropical, so please join us for this cultural adventure.
Journey Number 15093 New Plymouth, New Zealand to Cairns and North Moreton, Australia May 2019 This is an opportunity to extend our summer for just a few more days with Journeys to the tropical climes of Australia. $2000-$2500 including FFI and Host Fees We will start with a few days in sunny Brisbane before our first hosting at North Moreton which is in the northern part of Brisbane. This area also has so much to offer - beautiful beaches, scenic mountains, lakes, rainforest walks, boutique wineries, kangaroos on the doorstep it s all there. There might be a chance to walk through the rainforest near the Glasshouse Mountains Marvel and hear the calls of the whip birds. Claire Patten 06-757 882 or 0274296998 clairepattendance@gmail.co m FF Cairns FF North Moreton How about a cruise up Pumicestone Passage or along the Brisbane River, and enjoy a barbeque at sunset as the kangaroos hop nearby? Let s enjoy a walk along one of the most beautiful beaches in the world at Bribie Island. We will have a chance to get close to a koala at the fabulous Australia Zoo, the creation of legendary Crocodile Man, Steve Irwin. When we want a little history, we can visit Redcliffe which was the first settlement in Queensland and was once a penal colony. We move north to our tropical hosting at FF Cairns, an area with balmy weather, tropical flowers and palm trees, beaches to be enjoyed, and golf courses to be played. Think Cairns, think Great Barrier Reef. Where we might enjoy a perfect day of snorkelling, scuba diving or viewing from a glass bottom boat. Or for the more adventurous, go big game fishing. A visit to the Tablelands is a must, with beautiful scenery and a skyrail tour over the rainforest to Kuranda Village. We might also visit the Wet Tropics of Queensland world heritage site, and spend time just lazing about in the sunshine.
Journey Number 15124 Tauranga WBOP, New Zealand to Tweed Valley and Central Coast, Australia June 2019 June is a great time to get away from the winter weather, and what better than a Journey to our Aussie cousins for this. $1500-$2000 NZD including FFI and Host Fees The weather will be warm and balmy, and the beaches inviting they boast the best in the world, and we ll get time to check out whether this is true. The Tweed Valley offers the greatest variety of Australian landscapes for us to see, There is Mount Warning, one of the largest shield volcanoes in the Southern Hemisphere, and the nearby National Parks at Nightcap, Border Ranges, Springbrook and Lamington which all abound with subtropical fauna and flora. Of course, we are just down the road from the Coolangatta and the Gold Coast and all they have to offer. Barbara Proctor 075745711 taurangawbop@friendshipfor ce.org.nz FF Tweed Valley FF Central Coast After a week with our new friends, we move south to FF Central Coast located just north of Sydney. The region is a network of towns such as Gosford, Brisbane Waters, Wyong, Tuggerah, Lakehaven, The Entrance, Terrigal and Woy Woy, and many people who live here commute daily to Sydney for work. The main drivers are tourism, manufacturing and retirement, and include the Hunter Valley region with its mining, heavy industry and port. The Aboriginal people have inhabited this region for thousands of years, and the Guringai and Darkinjung tribes some of the first to come into contact with the settlers. Please get in touch if this Journey appeals.
Journey Number 15382 All New Zealand Journey to FFI World Conference and USA clubs 13 July - 7 August, 2019 $6,000 NZD. Includes: - FFI and host club fees - Conference accommodation and registration - All transport and accommodation, ex Auckland. Colin Ridge (Taupo) 07-3785088 colinjanet123@gmail.com or Debbie Lattey 04-2933252 debbie@otaihanga.co.nz FF Flathead Valley FF Cedar Rapids-Iowa City This Journey has been set up so members can attend the FFI World Conference at Boulder, Colorado 23-27 July 2019. Our first homestay prior to Conference is with FF Flathead Valley, an area beautifully situated in the north west corner of Montana, just west of the Rocky Mountains and only 65 km south of the Canadian border. A typical 7-day Journey might include visits to the museums of early settlers and Native Americans, a botanical garden tour, a visit to a bison ranch, a cruise on Flathead Lake, a chairlift ride at a ski resort, an outdoor concert and especially a full day exploring Glacier National Park. We move to Denver where we will spend 2-3 days sightseeing around that Mile High City. We ve reached July 23, and it s up the road to Boulder for the FFI World Conference until July 27. Our hosting after the Conference is with the FF of Cedar Rapids/Iowa. This is a special corner of the world where fields of tall corn dance in the wind and where the land varies from flat to rolling hills covered with trees. But, make no mistake, they offer much more to visiting ambassadors. They have diverse cultures to explore including the Meskwaki Indian Settlement; Kalona, an Amish community; the Amanas, a German communal society and Czech Village, and immigrant workers from Bohemia. Ambassadors can visit one of many museums such as the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum, the African-American Museum, the Czech & Slovak Museum, and many more. Dates: July 13-19 Flathead Valley, Montana (Hosting) 20-22 Denver, Colorado (Hotel) 23-27 Boulder, Colorado for Conference 28-3 Cedar Rapids City, Iowa (Hosting) August 4-7 Chicago, Illinois (Hotel)
Call for Expressions of Interest (add outbound journeys page 1 here) 15154 SOUTHERN SYDNEY TO EDMONTON, MANITOBA, CANADA AND HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, USA Spaces Available: 8 Contact: Teresa Whitters, whitterst@hotmail.com +61 403 711 249 Edmonton, Canada (1-8 August 2019); Manitoba, Canada (8-15 August 2019); Harrisburg, PA, USA (20-27 August 2019)
2018 AUS-NZ Outbound Journeys (add outbound journeys page 1 here) OCTOBER 14184 Hobart, Australia to Shelby and Florida Suncoast, USA 14299 Marlborough, New Zealand to Vietnam 14177 Bundaberg, Australia to Baton Rouge, Central North Carolina and Central Virginia, USA 14315 Kempsey, Australia to Adelaide, Australia 14336 Adelaide, Australia to Sydney, Australia 14458 Hamilton and Waikato to New Plymouth, New Zealand NOVEMBER 14222 Nelson, New Zealand to North Moreton and Blue Mountains, Australia 14216 Whangarei, New Zealand to Saitama and Ehime, Japan 14337 Sydney, Australia to Salisbury and Northern Districts, Australia 14176 Mount Gambier, Australia to Wairarapa and Marlborough, New Zealand
2018 AUS-NZ Inbound Journeys (add outbound inbound journeys journeyspage page1 1here) here) OCTOBER 14185 Edmonton, Canada to Gisborne and Thames Coromandel, New Zealand 14208 Lethbridge, Canada to Newcastle, Tweed Valley and Mount Gambier, Australia 14212 Greater Des Moines and Whidbey Island, USA to Perth, Australia and Auckland-North Shore, New Zealand NOVEMBER 14217 Szekesfehervar, Hungary to Melbourne, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand 14219 Northeast Ohio to Horowhenua and Napier and Hamilton and Waikato 14226 Sapporo, Japan to Wellington and Southland, New Zealand 14202 Sibiu, Romania to South Taranaki, New Zealand
2019 AUS-NZ Outbound Journeys (add outbound journeys page 1 2 here) FEBRUARY 15006 Perth, Australia to Alajuela, Costa Rica and Mundo Maya de Tuxtla Gutierrez and Sarasota, USA MARCH 15028 Whangarei, New Zealand to Hobart and Newcastle, Australia 15014 Global - Explore Farming in New Zealand 15015 Adelaide, Australia to Aichi, Japan and Kauai, USA and Hamilton and Waikato, New Zealand 15017 Bundaberg, Australia to Thames Coromandel and Otago, New Zealand 15018 Casterton, Australia to Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand 15016 Salisbury and Northern Districts, Australia to Ehime, Japan 15019 Tweed Valley, Australia to Nashik Riverside, India and Nepal 15266 All Australia to Murray Bridge, Australia APRIL 15046 Melbourne, Australia to Auckland-North Shore and Taupo, New Zealand 15045 Albany, Australia to Kampala, Uganda 15047 Sydney, Australia to Trujillo, Peru and Mexico City, Mexico and Greater Orlando, USA 15048 Tamworth, Australia to Urla of Greater Izmir, Turkey and Tbilisi, Georgia MAY 15091 15092 15093 15079 15080 JUNE 15093 15109 15110 15112 15124 Auckland-North Shore, New Zealand to Korolev, Russia and Baku, Azerbaijan Napier, New Zealand to Norderstedt, Germany and Greater Izmir, Turkey New Plymouth, New Zealand to Cairns and North Moreton, Australia Kempsey, Australia to County Durham, United Kingdom and Hannover, Germany Sunshine Coast, Australia to Austin and New Mexico, USA New Plymouth, New Zealand to Cairns and North Moreton, Australia Brisbane, Australia to Western Colorado and Reno-Tahoe, USA Gold Coast, Australia to Saskatoon and Winnipeg, Canada and Chicago, USA Blue Mountains, Australia to Toulouse, France and Bristol, England Tauranga-Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand to Tweed Valley and Central Coast, Australia
2019 AUS-NZ Inbound Journeys (add outbound journeys page 1 2 here) FEBRUARY 15037 Derbyshire, United Kingdom to Wellington and South Taranaki, New Zealand MARCH 15028 Whangarei, New Zealand to Hobart and Newcastle, Australia 15014 Global - Explore Farming in New Zealand 15017 Bundaberg, Australia to Thames Coromandel and Otago, New Zealand 15018 Casterton, Australia to Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand 15266 All Australia to Murray Bridge, Australia 15025 San Jose, Costa Rica to Sydney, Australia and Christchurch and Marlborough, New Zealand 15023 Quebec Region, Canada to Kapiti Coast and New Plymouth, New Zealand and Noumea, New Caledonia 15040 Kansas, USA to Tauranga Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand and Murray Bridge, Australia 15038 Colonial Carolina, USA to Kempsey and North Moreton, Australia APRIL 15046 Melbourne, Australia to Auckland-North Shore and Taupo, New Zealand 15056 Haliburton Highlands, Canada to Nelson and Southland, New Zealand and Mount Gambier, Australia 15052 Brandon and Area, Canada to Bundaberg and Blue Mountains, Australia MAY 15093 New Plymouth, New Zealand to Cairns and North Moreton, Australia 15279 Oita, Japan to Southern Sydney and Mount Barker, Australia 15150 Western Tokyo, Japan to Perth, Australia JUNE 15124 Tauranga-Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand to Tweed Valley and Central Coast, Australia 15111 South Taranaki and Manawatu, New Zealand to Brisbane and Tamworth, Australia
South Pacific eflyer Submissions are due to the following contacts by the 20th of each month: Australian contact: John Stapleton jstapleton@bigpond.com New Zealand contact: Colin Ridge colinjanet123@gmail.com FFI Contact: Kimberly Fraser kimberly@friendshipforce.org