Australia & New Zealand trip

This one is going to be both easy and a real challenge. There were so many tops, that picking 6 might be hard, and so few disappointments and again, it might prove challenging.

Anyway, let's get it going :-)

1. The scenic flight from Milford Sound.

So, given the option of taking a 4 hour bus ride on twisty roads that you've already seen the scenery and you're not stopping, or . . . a 45 minute flight of breathtaking vistas, opt for the flight!

We were so lucky that the flight went at all. All the morning flights were cancelled due to bad weather, but it broke just in time for us to take our sound tour, and crtainly in time for us to take our flight.

The tiny plane gave Brenda and I a chance to be on either side and get totally different views. Plus, it got us "home" early enough that we could go out and do more fun stuff, something that we would not have been able to do if we rode the bus back.

2. The gondola and Luge.

I was a bit unsure how it was going to go and if my hand would be ok with it, but it turned out fine. We each got 6 rides on the luge and it was the perfect amount. Just enough to make us feel satisfied with the fun and also give us a chance to get some footage of us riding. No chance to film while you're on the track, you're just too busy.

3. Thor Ragnarok Movie - Don't want to say too much since everyone back home can't even see it yet, but it was quite exciting to go to the movies and see something before the States :-) Plus, we both enjoyed it quite a bit. Two thumbs up!!!

4. The views in general. Everywhere you look is an incredible view and our hotel the "Bella Vista" lived up to the name. We could look out our sliding glass door and watch the tandem paragliders come in for a landing in the school's recreational field right next door. Plus the lake, the steep range with areas that always have snow, just so nice. Even the disc golf course affords fantastic views.

Speaking of which . . .

5. Disc golf!!!

Pretty fun course and all sorts of trees to deal with. Oregon disc golf did a good job of prepping for this kind of challenge.

I brought just the right discs too. First round was a lot of fun with Brenda, even though we felt a touch rushed at the start. I know Brenda was disappointed about not playing the next day, but it was really nice of her to take some pictures and do some filming. Without that, I wouldn't have gotten my "Near Ace" on film.

Beautiful course and good diversity.

6. The water and the general relaxed pace. Pretty easy going here. It is totally a tourist town, so everything is catered to tourists. I was surprised just how tasty the tap water was. Didn't even feel like it needed to be filtered. Easily my favorite location we have been to thus far.

Ok, now the bottom ones . . . .

1. Queenstown is NOT pedestrian friendly.

Pedestrians appear to be treated like a pest. You don't have the right of way, and about the only place people will stop and let you cross is if you're crossing at the designated school zone cross walk. Other than that, you're on your own and good luck.

2. Not getting an Ace on the disc golf course. Soooo close. Just an inch (er . . . millimeter) lower and I think it would have stayed in. Oh did I mention I was going to have trouble coming up with my bottom 6?

3. Hokey Pokey Ice Cream - Not quite as good as I was hoping it to be.

This is the #2 flavor in all of New Zealand, so high expectations (Vanilla is #1). It's tasty, but not better than the gellato we had in Sydney.

4. Dealing with the sunburn carryover from our last place. Got some soothing gel, but it was still tender during our stay.

5. Special New Zealand honey. Again, I think it was hyped a bit too much. Considering how much they charge for it, I was expecting something spectacular. Glad we got a free sample and didn't have to pay to try it.

6. You know what . . . that's it! Anything else would be really slight and not do the town justice :-)

This place is amazing and I can recommend it to anyone / everyone!

Pictures will have to wait until I get my entire setup going. We're getting ready to board, so I best wrap this up anyway.Read more