Oct – Nov 2023

Australia & New Zealand

Our Dream Bucket List Trip Read more

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Trip start
October 16, 2023
Traveler Australia & New Zealand
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- Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 10:38 PM
- ☁️ 66 °F
- Altitude: 787 ft
- United States Lake Cast-A-Line 39.2454, -84.253739°14’43” N 84°15’13” W
Countdown to the day
September 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
We will be using this site to post daily photos and stories. Please enjoy the trip through our eyes.
We plan to eat regional, great food. Drink local beer and wine.
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- Day 1
- Monday, October 16, 2023 at 8:29 AM
- ☁️ 46 °F
- Altitude: 751 ft
- United States Epworth Heights 39.247313, -84.27151239°14’50” N 84°16’17” W
And so It begins.....
October 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Boarding our first flight today.. Cincinnati to Dallas. Dallas to Sydney!!
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- Day 1
- Monday, October 16, 2023 at 1:31 PM
- ☁️ 52 °F
- Altitude: 886 ft
- United States Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport 39.050911, -84.65609539°3’3” N 84°39’22” W
And so it begins.....
October 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
It's Monday morning and we're boarding our first flight to Dallas. Then, a 4 hour layover. Then, a 16.5 hour flight to Sydney. We will cross the international date line and miss Tuesday on the way there and arrive on Wednesday morning.

We are soooooo excited!!!!Read more
TravelerYesss! Have fun!
10/16/23Reply
TravelerSafe travels
10/17/23Reply
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- Day 3
- Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 7:46 AM
- ☁️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 79 ft
- Australia Belmore Park -33.881658, 151.20935233°52’54” S 151°12’34” E
End of "Day 1" in Sydney
October 18, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
We spent Wednesday walking all around Sydney. 11 miles in all. It's so beautiful as it is spring here. Brian tried a few local brews. We walked around the Sydney Opera House. We ended with a great dinner at a Matt Moran restaurant called Crafted. Yummm!Read more
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- Day 4
- Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 9:18 AM
- ⛅ 63 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Australia Bondi Beach -33.8921, 151.27633°53’32” S 151°16’34” E
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Bondi Beach
October 19, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
We spent today touring by Hop-On-Hop-Off bus. Still managed 5 miles of walking. We played in the sand and water of Bondi Beach. Had drinks and lunch at a rooftop bar. Finished up with meeting the rest of our small group and dinner of Spatchcock and King Prawns. Now enjoying a paddle of beers at the Sydney Brewery, which is located in our hotel. When we arrived back in our room, the hotel had placed bubbles and chocolate with a note saying Happy Anniversary!!! Very nice.Read more
Traveler Yun
10/19/23Reply
Traveler Yum
10/19/23Reply
Traveler Great picture!
10/21/23Reply
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- Day 5
- Friday, October 20, 2023 at 9:46 PM
- 🌙 68 °F
- Altitude: 36 ft
- Australia Bennelong Point -33.857563, 151.21409133°51’27” S 151°12’51” E
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Sydney Opera House and The Rocks
October 20, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 68 °F
We took a private tour of the Sydney Opera House. It was so cool. There are 6 individual performance venues under those roofs. The entire roof of the shells are individual tiles!

After that, we toured the area near the Opera House, Called "The Rocks." Lots of history there. It was the first settled area and populated by prisoners brought over by boat. It is called The Rocks as the entire area is limestone, and it had to be carved out.

From there, we walked across the harbor bridge and got some more great views.

We ate Kangaroo for lunch and Barramundi fish for dinner!Read more
TravelerPretty cool!
10/21/23Reply
Traveler Great shot!
10/21/23Reply
TravelerWe were walking across the harbor bridge for that shot.
10/22/23Reply
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- Day 6
- Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 10:20 AM
- ☀️ 72 °F
- Altitude: 154 ft
- Australia Warrina Reserve -33.764989, 150.88471533°45’54” S 150°53’5” E
Native Animal Refuge
October 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
Part 1: Morning. What a day! Started with a trip to Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park. A small native animal refuge. Lots of interacting with the animals!!! We got to pet and feed koalas, kangaroos, wombats, goats, birds, ... we were giant kids!!!Read more
TravelerSo cool! Beats us feeding sheep!
10/21/23Reply
TravelerIt was very exciting. A lot of them had joeys in their pouch
10/22/23Reply
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- Day 6
- Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 2:00 PM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: 13 ft
- Australia Gurrajin -33.869089, 151.22128833°52’9” S 151°13’17” E
Harry's pies on wheels.
October 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Part 2: FOOD. We went out of our way to get a traditional Aussie Meat Pie. Tiger Pie-beef pie topped with potato mash, pea mash and gravy!!! YUMMM. Then, another location for Bug Sliders, Cuttle Fish strips, Beef Cheeks, and Aussie Wine. So good. Brian wandered into craft brewery territory and hung out with the locals for the afternoon.Read more
TravelerWhat is a bug slider??
10/21/23Reply
TravelerBugs are a flat lobster-like animal with a hard external shell which turns red when cooked.
10/21/23Reply
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- Day 6
- Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 9:53 PM
- 🌙 68 °F
- Altitude: 36 ft
- Australia Fairy Bower Beach -33.799157, 151.28980933°47’57” S 151°17’23” E
Manly Beach and Sunset
October 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 68 °F
Across the harbor to Manly Beach. It was quite windy as we walked to the Tasmanian Sea. Did a bit of shopping today and found a "Prue" jewelry type vendor, so I bought a crazy necklace... and I love it. Took the ferry to and from Manly. Our travel mate caught the sun setting over Harbor Bridge.Read more
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- Day 7
- Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 1:25 PM
- ☀️ 86 °F
- Altitude: 36 ft
- Australia Stafford Point -16.919654, 145.77535316°55’11” S 145°46’31” E
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Cairns
October 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F
Just arrived (note, "Cairns" is pronounced "Cans.") Such different scenery. We had the afternoon to just relax, so we did not take many photos. Our new travel buddy Dave is a retired firefighter from St. Louis, so I grabbed a picture of us together!

Tomorrow is Great Barrier Reef day. Hope to get a few good photos!Read more
Traveler Cute dress!
10/23/23Reply
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- Day 8
- Monday, October 23, 2023 at 9:32 AM
- ☀️ 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Australia Hastings Reef -16.501892, 146.0153416°30’7” S 146°0’55” E
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Great Barrier Reef
October 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
OMG!!! SO COOL! We took a catamaran out to two different points on the reef. Both were so amazing. I was surrounded by schools of small fish as well as a school of giant Humpnose Parrotfish. I saw sea cucumbers, starfish, living coral... and I found Nemo as well as his relatives!. I was the last one out of the water and spent a total of 3 hours snorkeling. We took a submersible to look at the reef. But it was better to just be in the water!. We topped off the day with dinner on the water. I ordered the Yabbies! Yummy, and ate amazing FRESH calamari and more kangaroo.

Tomorrow is the rainforest!Read more
TravelerFun!
10/23/23Reply
Traveler 😋
10/23/23Reply
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- Day 9
- Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 11:10 AM
- ☀️ 82 °F
- Altitude: 348 ft
- Australia Mossman River -16.471979, 145.32878116°28’19” S 145°19’44” E
Mossman Gorge
October 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
We headed out to the rainforest today. We had a wonderful walking tour with a native tour guide. He performed a paper bark burning ritual to welcome us to the forest. We identified native plants and their uses. Visited the wedding rocks. And had waddleseed tea and a scone-type muffin called Damper. Very interesting!Read more
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- Day 9
- Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 1:48 PM
- ☀️ 82 °F
- Altitude: 30 ft
- Australia Wildlife Habitat -16.526154, 145.46312716°31’34” S 145°27’47” E
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Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas.
October 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Apparently, Nitamarie is very appealing to the birds of Australia! The animals , especially the birds, are very friendly. One of the black cockatoos decided she was his bestie! He settled on her shoulder and they walked around together for a while. Then we got to hold a koala for a minute for a photo.

From there, we entered another section where she was adopted by another beautiful bird. This one claimed her with his mating dance!!! He bit Brian for getting too close! The kangaroos here were a lot more outgoing than our first refuge. It was a short, but enjoyable trip with the animals!Read more
Traveler ❤️
10/25/23Reply
Traveler He loves you!
10/25/23Reply
Traveler You are braver than me!
10/25/23Reply
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- Day 11
- Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 12:52 PM
- 🌬 68 °F
- Altitude: 20 ft
- New Zealand Mission Bay -36.847473, 174.83251136°50’51” S 174°49’57” E
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Auckland New Zealand
October 26, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
We got to our hotel in Auckland around 2 am this morning! (That will be our longest travel day until we come home.) It is overcast and windy.

We had an amazing walk about with an elder from the indigenous people here in Auckland, the Maori. He did a traditional welcome, taught us some native language, and explained their beliefs and traditions. It was really amazing. Very inspiring.

We then visited the ANZAC war monument.

Dinner at Neptune's on the water. There was quite a build-up to this spectacular NZ ice cream...and it was just 'another crappy cup of vanilla'...Read more
Traveler Yummy!
10/26/23Reply
Traveler Great do!
10/27/23Reply
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- Day 12
- Friday, October 27, 2023 at 11:20 AM
- 🌧 59 °F
- Altitude: 226 ft
- New Zealand Mawhitipana Bay -36.781792, 175.03986636°46’54” S 175°2’24” E
Waiheke Island
October 27, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 59 °F
Today, we took a ferry to Waiheke Island. I think i remember that it is the 3rd biggest island of NZ... it was a pretty rainy, foggy, overcast day. But that did not mean it wasn't beautiful. (It is an expensive place for real estate! ) We visited a very nice vineyard and winery. Tasted a few wines and ate a lovely shared plate of finger foods. Beautiful mosaic work done by the owner as a reminder of his home in Barcelona. From there, we went to Allpress, an olive orchard, olive oil press, and producer. Tasted some great oils and honey.

After returning to Auckland, we went out with our new friends, Dave and Jeannie, and bar hopped!! Beer for Dave and Brian, wine for Nitamarie, and Coke Zero for Jeannie...(she may never fall asleep!)

Todays interesting food... White Bait Fritter...

Tomorrow, we are off to Rotorua...so excited for this! Love to all!Read more
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- Day 13
- Saturday, October 28, 2023 at 4:30 PM
- ☁️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 909 ft
- New Zealand Selwyn Heights -38.109115, 176.2217138°6’33” S 176°13’18” E
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Rotorua day 1
October 28, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
We got on a bus and drove from Auckland to Rotorua. Beautiful country. Cows, lamb, horses!! Along the way, we stopped at Hamilton Gardens. A beautiful collection of themed gardens. Everything here is in early spring, so it's very beautiful! The best was the Surrealism Garden...it had moving trees, oversized items, and just fun. The Egyptian Garden was a very close second.

From there, we stopped at a Kiwi Hatchery. A kiwi is a flightless bird about the size of a chicken. They are nocturnal and close to extinct, so we only got to see the ones being medically checked. The size of egg they lay is crazy big!! Equivalent to a human birthing a 34 pound baby! No thanks!

Dinner and drinks at the hotel. We are gearing up for tomorrow, when we will watch the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team compete for the World Cup!!! Our tour leader is VERY excited!Read more
Traveler ❤️
10/28/23Reply
Traveler Aww
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TravelerGorgeous!
10/28/23Reply
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- Day 14
- Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 8:40 AM
- ⛅ 46 °F
- Altitude: 935 ft
- New Zealand Rocky Point -38.136487, 176.25170638°8’11” S 176°15’6” E
All Blacks Rugby World Cup Finals!!!
October 29, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F
We were in an Irish Pub at 7:30 am this morning to cheer on the New Zealand Rugby team battle for the World Cup. A very big deal! Our tour leader Michael is plays in a league with one of the national team players!! Unfortunately they lost, but it was fun!!

The New Zealand tradition is to perform a Haka, a war dance that shows tribal pride and welcome to strangers, before each match.

After the match, we continued our way to experience the Day in the Life of the Maori people. We will perform our own welcome to our greeters. Wish us luck.Read more
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- Day 14
- Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 12:00 PM
- ☁️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 594 ft
- New Zealand Murupara -38.450944, 176.69870938°27’3” S 176°41’55” E
Day in the life of a Ngati Manawa Commu
October 29, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
After seeing the All Blacks rugby team get defeated (by the referees, of course), we headed about an hour outside of Rotorua to Murupara, home of a landlocked Maori tribe. We were greeted with many prayers and customs.

We performed our song we practiced...imagine singing a child's song in a foreign language! It was fun. We were then greeted with the traditional nose touch and hand shake.

The Maori cooked us a traditional hangi meal. Meat and vegetables are placed on a pit lined with white hot stone. It is covered with cloth layers followed by a mound of dirt. We all ate family style together. We learned the Haka done by the rugby team and the story behind it. We played a traditional game and song. They very sincerely welcomed us into their community and family.

We spent the evening on our own and went into town for dinner. Tomorrow it is Hobbiton Day!!!!Read more
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- Day 15
- Monday, October 30, 2023 at 9:40 AM
- Altitude: 574 ft
- New Zealand Hobbiton Movie Set -37.87209, 175.6828437°52’20” S 175°40’58” E
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Hobbiton movie set
October 30, 2023 in New Zealand
Brian's bucket list...check!
Traveler ❤️
10/29/23Reply
TravelerSo cool!
10/30/23Reply
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- Day 15
- Monday, October 30, 2023 at 9:49 PM
- ☁️ 55 °F
- Altitude: 951 ft
- New Zealand Redwood Grove -38.157673, 176.25471838°9’28” S 176°15’17” E
Dinner with a local family!
October 30, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
We were hosted by a local Maori family tonight. What a delight, inspiration, and blessing!! These native people are so proud, so confident, so welcoming, and so giving. Their children are right there by their side. Besides the food being incredible, their entertainment is amazing as well.

Tomorrow, we head for the south Island to Christchurch. Hoping for better weather!Read more
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- Day 15
- Monday, October 30, 2023 at 9:58 PM
- ☁️ 55 °F
- Altitude: 951 ft
- New Zealand Redwood Grove -38.157716, 176.25470438°9’28” S 176°15’17” E
One more video
October 30, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Too good not to post!
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- Day 16
- Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 6:16 PM
- 🌬 59 °F
- Altitude: 89 ft
- New Zealand Cathedral Square -43.531904, 172.63363843°31’55” S 172°38’1” E
Christchurch
October 31, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 59 °F
We left the North Island and flew to the South Island. We took a propeller plane from Rotorua Airport. There was basically no security as you could walk in and out of the airport at will.

Anyway, we are now in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. We have beautiful green fields on one side and the Alps on the left side. It was a really windy and drizzly day, but we still walked the town. It was devastated by two earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. Rebuilding is going slow. The waterway through town had eels that just hung out by the edge of the sidewalk waiting to be fed. Creepy!!

Our tour leader put me in charge of the Halloween party. So I wore my Jack-o-Lantern shirt as did one other person on the tour. Brian and I walked out of our room to find Halloween caution tape up over our door. The tour bus was also strung up with streamers. I instructed the group that we would be doing a trick or treat (white elephant). Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves! We started by having to guess the Halloween themed word on your back. Then, onto gift exchange. It went very well, and there were lots of funny tricks as well as treats!

Tomorrow is life on a sheep farm and maybe ziplining!Read more
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- Day 17
- Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM
- ⛅ 66 °F
- Altitude: 1,276 ft
- New Zealand Kowai Bush -43.29705, 171.93465243°17’49” S 171°56’5” E
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Canterbury sheep farm!
November 1, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
What a fun day. We got to sleep in. Then, we took a bus into the area of Canterbury to a sheep farm. We were able to learn about the types of dogs used and trained for sheep herding. Then we got to watch them work. We then got to play with a few alpacas and take a few photos....the white one is a real ham!. We watched the farmer shear a sheep and even got to help a bit!. Brian was the sheep sorting worker of the day. He managed the right sort. Then they served us an amazing herders' lunch and let us wander around and meet the rest of the animals. We then headed back to Christchurch.

We had time to take a punt on the Avon River. A punt is the pole used to push a flat bottom boat on a shallow river that has a slow current. This is the only place besides England that has this ability, per our punt pushing captain. It was so peaceful and beautiful. The river is full of eels that are like well trained fish that are used to being fed.

We were on our own for dinner so 8 of us took an Uber to eat at Smoke 'n' Barrel, a restaurant owned and operated by Cory Blackburn, the nephew of our Noblesville friend Dave Purcell. He took great care of us at the restaurant and even delivered our food personally! A big board of smoked ribs, brisket, lamb, beef cheeks, and veggies. Sooooo good! Really fun day. Long bus ride tomorrow heading to Dunedin.Read more
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- Day 18
- Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 2:43 PM
- ☁️ 57 °F
- Altitude: 43 ft
- New Zealand Moeraki Boulders/Kaihinaki -45.345279, 170.82632345°20’43” S 170°49’35” E
Oamaru and Moeraki Boulders
November 2, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Today, we left Christchurch to travel by bus to Dunedin. We stopped for lunch and explored Oamaru. This is an old Victorian area known for its white limestone buildings. It is also known for the seals that hang out on its rocky shores and the place where the blue penguins come home at night to eat and hang out.

Onward to the Moeraki Boulders. These are fascinating! Almost perfectly round and naturally made. Very cool to see and interesting to read about.
We made it to Dunedin in time for dinner and laundry!!! There is a washer and dryer in every room. On a 23-day trip, this is a really exciting feature!!!Read more
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- Day 19
- Friday, November 3, 2023 at 8:39 AM
- ☁️ 52 °F
- Altitude: 325 ft
- New Zealand Lagoon Creek -45.889156, 170.54080145°53’21” S 170°32’27” E
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Larnach Castle and Baldwin Street
November 3, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
We are halfway through Day 19! Today, we started with a drive around the Oamaru peninisula to the only castle in NZ. Very pretty castle with spectacular views. We stopped at Saint Clair Beach and watched some surfers.

Then to Baldwin Street. Why??? Because it is the steepest street in the world. And we walked up to the top..

Why?? Because it was there! We spent a bit of time at a railroad museum and now out on our own.

Next: see what we find in Dunedin NZ.!😉Read more
Traveler Wow!
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TravelerBeautiful!
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