Countdown to the day

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.
And so It begins.....

Boarding our first flight today.. Cincinnati to Dallas. Dallas to Sydney!!
And so it begins.....

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 wayMeer informatie
End of "Day 1" in Sydney

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 greatMeer informatie
Bondi Beach

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 restMeer informatie
Sydney Opera House and The Rocks

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, weMeer informatie
Native Animal Refuge

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,Meer informatie
Harry's pies on wheels.

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 FishMeer informatie
Manly Beach and Sunset

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 loveMeer informatie
Cairns

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 fromMeer informatie
Great Barrier Reef

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 seaMeer informatie
Mossman Gorge

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 andMeer informatie
Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas.

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 herMeer informatie
Auckland New Zealand

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 theMeer informatie
Waiheke Island

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 anMeer informatie
Rotorua day 1

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 isMeer informatie
All Blacks Rugby World Cup Finals!!!

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 nationalMeer informatie
Day in the life of a Ngati Manawa Commu

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 manyMeer informatie
Hobbiton movie set

Brian's bucket list...check!
Dinner with a local family!

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 thereMeer informatie
One more video

Too good not to post!
Christchurch

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, weMeer informatie
Canterbury sheep farm!

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 toMeer informatie
Oamaru and Moeraki Boulders

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 sealsMeer informatie
Larnach Castle and Baldwin Street

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 andMeer informatie