Loren What was my favorite part of the trip, you ask? Even if you didn’t ask, I’m going to tell you it was Whakapapa. Whakapapa was not what I expected and truly surprised me, which probably contributes to it being the best. After a day of driving and fixing a flat tire, we basically sprinted up the long and steep trail so that we could make it to the top before sunset. I’ll be honest, I was not impressed at first. It was just a foggy, flat area with a few small hills. Then, all of a sudden, the fog lifted and WOW—we could see Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe towering above us. I was in awe, and it only got better from there. We finally reached the top, which was well worth the sprint. Surrounded by sparkling lakes and impressive volcanoes, I knew this week would be a good one. Not even the promise of a mapping exercise later that week could discourage me! The entire next day was spent on Ruhapeu, learning the basics of volcanoes. I had been excited about the volcano portion of the cour...