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Australia & New Zealand
  • Roxanne Povio
  • James Grunke
  • Roxanne Povio
  • James Grunke

Australia & New Zealand

We're taking a 13-day Royal Princess cruise with 18 close friends from our Trilogy, Monarch Dunes pickleball club. James and I are spending our first week in Fiji and Sydney, and when we're done, we're spending an extra week in New Zealand. Читать далее
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  • Начало поездки
    10 февраля 2024 г.
  • Australia & New Zealand
    11

    Team Fiji has arrived!

    10 февраля 2024 г., Фиджи ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    We officially landed at 5:45 AM. We eventually got some sleep in spite of some sick and crying tots. We rested a bit and watched the big game sitting in a beautiful outdoor bar at our hotel with about 40 other guests from around the world 🌎 Afterwards we had a quick shower and we were off to meet Valerie, Colleen and Frank for an evening cultural show. Did you know Fijians used to be cannibals??? Also the men are the rulers of everything but also the only ones who get sacrificed to God's. The women were the only ones allowed in the communal kitchens, and the men were the hunter-gatherers. We saw a beautiful show with local singers and dancers. The fire dancers were our favorite--for many reasons! We all agreed the travels were catching up with us and we are going to sleep well tonight...Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Fiji day two!

    13 февраля 2024 г., Фиджи ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Today we slept in a bit. We managed to make it to the gym in the morning--where I took an outside boxing class. Wow, it was hot! We then took a dip in the infinity pool before we met up with Collen, Valerie, and Frank for a local tour of Fiji. We saw a beautiful Hindu temple, botanical gardens with amazing orchids, and we ended with mud baths and a quick massage. Our driver for the day was Chris and he was very sweet. He was smart and had a kind sole. He invited us to his home if we ever returned. It is easy to see why no one leaves this beautiful island. The locals live amongst all people and all races and religions. They congregate with their mates every night, and it reminds me of back home in Trilogy!
    There are many dogs, horses, and cows everywhere. You have to be very careful driving at night because some are wondering wild and there are no street lights on the roads. We just finished dinner by the pool and we're about done for the day. Tomorrow will be a resort kind of adventure...    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Spa and packing!

    14–18 февр. 2024, Фиджи ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    We started the day golfing and ended the day in the spa and later packing. A lot of our crew arrived in Sydney today and the rest of us arrive tomorrow 😀. It has been raining heavily for a few hours and it's a great night to stay indoors and relax. I don't know if you're getting our photos yet, but hopefully I fixed things. Next stop Sydney!Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Leaving on a jet plane

    15 февраля 2024 г., Фиджи ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    We were up at 4:am this morning so we could leave for the airport by 5:00. After our massage, we both slept really great. It didn't hurt that we had to finish off all our store bought alcohol before we left 😉 Once we got to the airport we easily found our Trilogy mates Australian for friends). It Turned out the Fiji rugby team was also here, and I'm sorry I didn't get a picture with them! You'll have to take my word for it--they were huge! The Fiji team is called Drua and they shocked the rugby world by getting to the semi-finals their first year (2023)! My guess is, the team was heading out to a 2024 pregame.
    Some of my observations about the Fijian culture is they are far more friendly and tolerant than any I've ever met. They treat everyone as their equals, they are incredibly humble, and they are very happy and kind. You are always greeted with a joyous "bula" by everyone you come in contact with. English is the national language, but we were told most villages have their own dialect. It seems no one really leaves the island, and most people have multiple children and large families. The children start school at five years old and they go to school in very clean uniforms. Best I can tell their college is equivalent to our US high school. Most jobs are service oriented, and as you work your way up, you stay until you are at the retirement age of 60. There are many happy cows, horses, and dogs everywhere. Most are wondering in fields and by the sides of the roads. This morning as we drove to the airport in the dark, we suddenly slowed down to avoid cows lounging in the middle of the road!
    Next, we're on a short four hour flight to Sydney, where we'll be for the next three days.
    This is a long post so I'll keep it short now. We made it to Sydney! Another bucket list destination for me. What a change from Fiji! We are settled into a quirky hotel right next to a beautiful park with a cool museum we'll check out tomorrow 😎. It is much cooler here and my traveling sweats have finally come in handy. We're all almost here, which will be fun! We've checked into a local hotel right across the street from Hyde Park. I'm super excited to start our hop on and hop off bus tour tomorrow. The food here so far is fantastic! We're back in a big city with many options--and I love it! When we arrived we started with an Argentinian pub and tonight we're on to Japanese! My kind of city!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Hop on-Hop off in Sydney

    16 февраля 2024 г., Австралия ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Today was a fun day. We woke up a little early, and we covered a lot of ground. Sydney is a huge city, and this was a great way to get around. Our hotel is across from a beautiful park but unfortunately not close to our friends. Everyone is here now and we'll hook up with them tomorrow.
    We ended up at the Westfield mall near our hotel. We took an elevator up 83 floors to the highest bar in Sydney. Our days are starting to roll into each other, and things really started to pick up in the big city! We had our first stop at the Sydney Opera House but I guess I didn't get a picture of anything except cocktails 🙃
    We toured the largest fish market I've ever seen and it was amazing! Since we have nowhere to cook the fish we went to a restaurant and had them prepare it. Very cool that you could get fresh seafood cooked to order! I was in heaven! I was amazed they had a Westfields mall! It didn't include a single store I could afford, but there were plenty of people shopping! Oh well...
    Tomorrow we're doing a behind the scenes tour of the local zoo and a hop on and hop off ferry. Then Sunday we board our ship.    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    1

    Our last day in Sydney

    17 февраля 2024 г., Австралия ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    This morning we met up with our friend Jonica, and we did the hop on-hop off bay cruise tour. A lot of our group did a walk over the harbor bridge, which looked really cool but very high! We then did a behind the scenes tour of the Torango Zoo, which was super cool too! We had two great tour guides who were very knowledgeable about the local animals. What a treat, a personal tour of the zoo was! We later came back to our room for about 30 minutes before we went back to the circular queue for a walking tour of the Rock neighborhood. What a cool treat! Who knew the Brits shipped off their criminals to Australia in the 1800's! What a cool history! We did a free 90 minute walking tour through the neighborhood given by a local gentleman (kid) named Kieran. We visited many places I would definitely come back to explore again. Our tour guide Kieran was extremely knowledgeable and funny. We all agreed it was a great end to a super fun day. We ended with an Italian dinner in the Rocks neighborhood and later made our way through town on the rail. Sydney was rocking on a Saturday night and it was definitely safe and lively. It was a fast three days, and I would definitely come back!Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    1

    Last day in Sydney!

    18 февраля 2024 г., Австралия ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Hi folks! I'm so thrilled my technical difficulties are now behind me, welcome to our adventure!!! I'm a day behind in posting because boarding a cruise ship can be a bit nuts! We have been traveling for over a week and managed to do laundry at our hotel. It slightly delayed our last days exploring, but it ended up to be very smart because the cruise ship can be crowded.

    Our hotel was next to Chinatown, and I yelped restaurants for lunch. I thought we should try the #1 restaurant called Mr. Wong. After meandering our way through alleys, we found it (thanks Google!). Thankfully, we were third in line because we had no reservations. Who knew they'd be sold out for dim sum on a Sunday! This restaurant was absolutely the most amazing Cantonese food we have ever had! We only had an hour and a half--and we could have been there hours longer! We highly recommend Mr. Wong if you're ever in Sydney! Google it, you won't be disappointed!

    After lunch we picked up our luggage, and we made it to our ship. Wow, what a ship! We met up with everyone via whatsapp (it's a great app for large groups), and we took a few group photos. I'll try and find them for my next post. We didn't haveour luggage, so we bar hopped and had a lovely group dinner. Needless to say, that was it for James and I.

    My reflections of Sydney are that we'd definitely come back! It is a metropolitan city with much to see and do--not unlike San Francisco. It is very clean, beautiful and vast. Our time on board hop on, hop off busses and boats just scratched the surface, and we could easily spend 2 weeks here! Looking back, I'm very sorry I didn't buy some official ugg (cheaper than home for sure!) slippers--oh well.

    My next post will catch you up to today!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    1

    Full on ship experience!

    20 февраля 2024 г., Австралия ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Oh my, things are moving at a lightning pace now that we're on this marvelous ship! It is so large, and we're still today figuring things out! First off, we received amazing advice from a seasoned traveler before we left. I, of course, bought everything she recommended--and we are so organized!

    Our room is great and it's in a convenient location. We have a group whatsapp setup, and that's been fun too! We had a ship day then a day in Melbourne (yesterday). I feel like we're following the Taylor Swift tour. Melbourne holds the distinct award of the largest tour attendance--and after our private city tour I can see why.

    Melbourne was a large metropolitan city with a lot to see. For my Phoenix family, we got to drive on the track for the upcoming grand prix--which apparently kicks off the season. I will definitely be watching ESPN next month! The homes here were the most expensive thus far. I thought California was pricey, but now that I've seen the 10x10 bathing hut, and I've changed my mind! Would you pay $1.5M for this??? These huts are now heritage sites, and there's no overnight sleeping, electricity or running water. I think we'd invest our money in Capitola!

    This city loves everything exercise and they have many sports teams. I thought I knew about them all, but this is a hole other continent! We went to another amazing shopping site where I bought some great cheese and crackers for our room. When we were boarding, I FINALLY found the champagne bar--yay! It was my first glass since Thanksgiving! I put it on our group chat, and before I knew it, we were a mighty Trilogy group! Speaking of that, we absolutely need to put the brakes on food and day drinking--so I'm drinking the best wine and cheese from here on out! Needless to say we weren't thrilled to have another eight course meal--so we had a sushi dinner with others! More cocktails and shows with friends plowed us under.

    This morning has me more back to reality. Exercise was top of mind and our priority! I took pilates and spin classes while James played pickleball! Before we knew it we had missed the buffet breakfast and we could eat a much healthier lunch--winning!!!

    Tonight is a specialty group Italian dinner...tomorrow I'll give you an update!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    11

    Bonorong and Tasmania

    22 февраля 2024 г., Австралия ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    What a fun little city for our last day in Australia! Tasmania and Hobart did not disappoint. In our part of the world, we've all grown up with Tasmanian Devils, but who really knew what they looked like or their plite. Unfortunately, this little guy's population has been 80% disimated in the last 2-3 years! Sadly, they have contracted a never before seen face cancer that is quickly killing off this national treasure. There are only 25,000 carnivorous marsupials left in the wild. We did an amazing sanctuary tour, which is the largest in the country. We walked freely amongst the animals who would have us, and for those little Devils, we were kept at bay. It's definitely my favorite tour thus far! One more interesting fact for my medicine friends back home, they have been desperately trying to find a cure for this face cancer that kills within 6 months time. They have recently discovered the Covid vaccine has had a 100% cure rate in test analysis. Shortly Bonorong will be the first site to test on live Devils, and if it works, they will airdrop everywhere in the country and save this guy from extinction! What a success story for sure!
    Last, let me mention the amazing kangaroos that run freely amongst us! This was a highlight for sure! They were docile and alucive at the same time. They have huge tails and back claws, and they come in many sizes. Sanctuaries are here to protect, rehabilitate, and release, but when you can't release, they become lifelong residents. It was truly a memorable experience for us.    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    221

    Life on a ship for 3 days...

    25 февраля 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ 🌬 52 °F

    Lots of eating and drinking when all you have to do all day is to eat and drink! Thank goodness there's a gym and amazing views of the Fiordlands.

    First off, Happy Birthday to my amazing daughter, Danielle! Lately, I call her coach! Both her hurdlers (male and female) came in 3rd today in their first Bay Area invitational! Go Berkeley High!

    So much, and so little has happened during three days at sea.

    We've had memorable dinners, fun times playing games, sleepy afternoons, deep dives into amazing native animals, sweltering heat, cold mornings, and colder afternoons. When I least expect it, things change.

    The first two days at sea were a bit of ying and yang. After one day of decadence, we, I mean I, have reconsidered decadent! I need to un-find the 24-hour restaurant with amazing views, a specialty juice bar, foods from around the world every evening, and a devine coffee bar! What the heck! Our mighty group of 20 is in the best shape, the youngest, healthiest, and happiest on board. We are beyond blessed to be living where we do! One caveat, we have a group of 200+ "Runners With Drinking Problems" on our ship, and they look like they're having a hell of a time!

    The Fiordlands National Park is amazing. I have never seen anything like it! After two rocky days crossing the sea from Australia to New Zealand, we made a beautiful tour through 3 of the Fiordlands. This enormous park is protected and basically uninhabited (except one). My pictures don't do this lush forested area justice. We were up quite early to see these wonders, and it was quite cold--to say the least!

    James got to see the dolphins (boo, I didn't!), and we got to spend an entire lunch watching the magnificent Albatross fly right next to our ship. These particular birds fascinated us! They have the largest wingspan of any bird, 8-11 feet! They resemble a large seagull with a sharp beak and beautiful, haunting dark eyes. They stay at sea for +80% of their life, they don't flap their wings, they only stop on land in particular areas in New Zealand to have their babies, they live to be 60+ years of age, and they mate for life!

    We ended the day with a fabulous meal at the specialty steak house where I had New Zealand lamb chops, of course!

    Tomorrow, we're off the ship for a much needed land day to explore the town of Dundidin.    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    1

    What a fun birthday!

    26 февраля 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Another fun thing about visiting down under is you get multiple birthdays! I got to celebrate my Australian birthday the day before my US birthday, and then I got to celebrate my US birthday the next day again! It was fun and fabulous!

    James and I took a lovely train ride through the gold country in Dunedin, and when we got back we met up with Collen, Frank, and Valerie at a local pub. We had time for a fun street art walking tour and a quick shopping trip. I have discovered I packed a lot of workout gear and not enough warmer clothes. Oh well, what's a girl to do, but shop a little on her birthday 🙃

    It was great to talk with my sister and kids too! What a fun birthday! The girls all took me to dinner, and the guys met up and had dinner together too. They gave me a lovely butterfly necklace made from New Zealand abalone, and everyone wore them the night of our dinner. I truly have the sweetest friends!

    We are seriously going to hate leaving this ship and our crew. We have eaten far too much food and last night started drinking the really good wine. I can only imagine what trouble we're going to get into during the last few nights...    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    11

    Fun day in Wellington!

    28 февраля 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    We had a super fun day exploring this great city! Again, we were totally unprepared for the stormy weather, but we remedied that and got some cool New Zealand frocks along the way!

    We took a 200+ year old cable car up to the top of the city with Lori and Paul, Colleen and Frank, and Valerie. We walked all the way back down through the lovely botanical gardens. We got a bit lost in a rainstorm and found a fun pub by lunchtime! I had (light and fluffy) fish and chips, and James had a chicken Ceasars salad! What a hoot! Exact opposite of normal! The guys got tired and went back to the ship, and the girls went exploring and shopping. I had been reading all about this cool art district, and when we eventually found Cuba Street, we barely had time to explore its rich history. I wish I could tell you more about it, but we were practically running at this point!

    We ended with a fabulous Tuscan wine pairing dinner that was lovely and fun! And then Sandy, Sharon, and I tried our hand at gambling a bit. Sharon was doing fantastic, but me not so much. I came back with a $5 chip and called it a win!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand
    21

    Another day at sea!

    29 февраля 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    It was a pretty quiet day, but the highlight was getting to take a highly coveted tour of the amazing bridge! A bank of very large windows jut out the front of the bridge. It's really amazing that they can control a ship this size with joy sticks! Needless to say, there's a lot of redundancy going on to ensure we don't run into anything!

    The good news is we got a little pool time before the rain rushed in around lunchtime!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Roratoura and Maori Tour

    1 марта 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Apologies, I'm terribly behind with my updates. This was one of my favorite tour and days thus far! Our Viatour guide, Richie, was a retired principal and he was very knowledgeable about the area and culture.

    This little town is amazing, and not unlike some of our own beach towns in California. Aside from the fact there were a lot of geothermal hot springs everywhere, there were pine forests, agricultural kiwi farms, and dairies galor!

    Joining Our tour was Sandi & Kevin, Rich & Sunny, and Colleen & Frank. We soaked our feet in hot thermal pools and we walked on the longest suspended redwood tree walk. We toured a large kiwi farm and it reminded me of Brooks' and Ivor's avocado farm.

    The homes were absolutely beautiful and contmporary and we were reminded once again this area of New Zealand is sitting on multiple volcanic craters. We learned about the over 10,000 earthquakes per year and how after a recent 7.2 earthquake has caused them to institute mandatory earthquake drills in primary school. We shouldn't have done it, but we decided to watch the Netflix White Island movie regarding the geothermal catastrophy that killed and burnt many tourist visiting from a cruise ship. So sad for so many.

    Another thing we learned about was the New Zealand retirement scheme. Everyone receives a modest pension not unlike our social security. Sadly, it's not likely to cover everyone's expenses and they're trying to encourage those coming up to save more in a Save Kiwi fund similar to our IRA plans. Housing is extremely expensive and they have built several retirement communities not unlike a large Trilogy community. If you're fortunate to be able to buy a home here, there's an interesting twist. If you purchase your home for NZD 1M, they agree to pay you back that same amount minus 15% when you move or pass away. If your home appreciates, which of course they do, the developer gets the money when they turn around and sell it to the next person. The is called "SKI," Spending Kids Inheradence. Luckily Brandon & Danielle, we're not moving here!

    Hard to believe it's our last night on board our ship. A few are going home and most are continuing on with us back to part three of our vacation touring South Island. I hate packing the night before you must leave. It's always tough fitting everything back in your bags--especially when you're bringing back souveniors. Of all the 20 of us, James and I bought the most luggage! I will definitely rethink things on our next cruise!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Aukland for two days!

    2–4 мар. 2024, Новая Зеландия ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    After two weeks on the ship we were both excited and sad to leave. Here are a few observations from our ship. Traveling with such a large contingency of like-minded friends guarantees you'll always have something to do with somebody at any give time of day. This ship is large, but there's not a lot to do. I guess after living in Trilogy, we're used to more activities and less sitting around. The weather has been colder than expected so there's not as much pool time as we had hoped. Food is everywhere. I try and steer clear of the junk food, but still, I have a lot of work to do when I get home to get back in shape. There are no more midnight buffets, but they have been replaced by sushi and pizza restaurants, with sunday bars and specialty coffee shops. The two great restaurants cost extra, but they're totally worth it every five days or so. There's a gym, but I only managed a handful of classes. I played a few games of pickleball but the wind made it pretty difficult. With the passing of time we all became so much closer. We had so many laughs, we helped each other when someone needed a hand, and when we were off the ship we had a pack to hang with. Jamie always knew where the museums were, Lori and Paul could always find a local pub, Valerie could always get someone to play her song (Valerie) so she could dance, you could count on Marci being at the spa or drinking great wines with Colleen and Frank. Sandi, Ilyce and Jonica played majong most afternoons, Rich and Sunny were always up for an adventure, Terry always new the best places to eat, and the highly rated sights to see in each city, and everyone got along so well! Life on board a ship for two weeks can be a little tough at times, but honestly, with this crew, it's truly been a pleasure.

    Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, and it has many people and really spread out. We decided to drop off our many bags and we quickly jumped on the hop on, hop off bus. Funny, but even in this large city we managed to find a group of our friends--eating of course! Thank you What's App!

    This city was pretty much like any other large port city. Auckland has the largest port in New Zealand and it was quite busy. After one trip around this lovely city we jumped off the bus and headed to the hotel to check in. We decided to leave all our big luggage in storage at the hotel because we heard Air New Zealand is quite strict about weight.

    We walked around the port and met most of our group at a unique and devine Italian restaurant for dinner called Baduzzi. It was a Saturday night, things were hopping and we were exhausted. A lot of our group planned to leave for Queenstown in the morning so that left James and I, and Howard and Marci to hang out Sunday. We met for Sunday brunch and then we set out shopping to find some warmer clothes. We were on a mission and when the rain came, we were ready!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    We arrived in Wanaka!

    4–6 мар. 2024, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 48 °F

    We got up early and boarded an Air New Zealand flight to meet 10 of our friends in the south island. Thus begun the final week of our amazing vacation! Terry and Simon arrived in Queenstown at the same time and that was great because we could follow them to Wanaka. Oh ya, driving on the other side of the road with roundabouts instead of stop lights, with the steering wheel on the other side, and blinkers in place of windshield wipers, made this drive even more stressful--I mean exciting! I was up for the task and off we went!

    This part of the country was absolutely beautiful! This is where people come to ski in the winter and hike and boat during the summer. And it's where wine tasting is mandatory all year round! Truly, one of the most beautiful regions I've ever seen. They call this area the
    Alps, and it's easy see the comparison. It is absolutely my favorite!

    Terry has immediate family in this area and she was instrumental in helping us to choose everything from restaurants to activities. For the most part our hotels were close together and we met up with everyone for activities and meals. This part of the island was quite a dramatic change from bustling Auckland.

    We started out in a cute goldmining town called Arrowtown for breakfast and it was fantastic! Thus begun our foody journey! The area is known for grass fed beef, lamb and even venison, and the dairy here is amazing too! The butter has the most unique flavor, and the egg yolks are the most redish orange I've ever seen. The attention to conservation, the pristine waters and glacier surrounding mountains surpass my wildest dreams.

    We stopped at a few wineries Terry picked out and that was fantastic too, except being the designated driver in an unknown county kinda sucked because I couldn't taste. But that didn't stop me from buying a nice bottle for later in our hotel room!

    Our cute hotel was right across the street from Wanaka lake and just a short walk from the lovely town of Wanaka. It had snowed on the mountains and I was thankful I had new jeans and a sweater to keep me warm.

    Our boat trip did not disappoint! This young lady sheared a 123 pound sheep in record time and the trained puppies go for 10,000 each! I'm going to post twice because this city was amazing! We absolutely loved Wanaka!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Wanaka day two!

    5 марта 2024 г., Новая Зеландия ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    Wanaka you did not disappoint! I had a seat mate who was a bus/dev guy for a motor speed facility--who knew there was such a place! He recommended a local restaurant called Stoaker, where they cook everything in pinot noir oak barrels! Omg, what a meal! I think we will be figuring out how to do this in our own backyard!

    James caught a cold so I drove him around to sightsee a nearby lake. We turned around at the venison farm--who knew there was such a thing! I'm sorry there's no pictures.

    Terry's nephew's art studio is here and we might need to come back some day!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Queenstown--so amazing!!!

    6–8 мар. 2024, Новая Зеландия ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F

    They call this mountain range the New Zealand Alps, and it's no wonder! From the minute we drove into this area it's easy to see why this is an adreniline junkies heaven!

    Terry picked some really cool excursions for us. Her nephew, artist, Cory Marshall, has a beautiful downtown art gallery here, and I've grown fond of his work. We started off taking a one hour thrill ride on a k-jet boat. Some of our group--James included, was not prepared or impressed! These boats travel at very high speeds, through narrow and shallow gorges--and they somehow make fast circles that will both drench you and take your breath away! It was a little bumpy getting through the rough waters of the larget harbor, but then it calmed down and we really flew! I LOVED it, but James not so much.

    Since the weather was starting to turn we quickly headed up in a gondola to take some luge rides. This gondola was straight up the face of a shear mountain, and it was equipped to take hikers, mountain bikers and us! It was impressive! After a very quick tutorial we were off! We were on a cement track with very few gardrails and although there were height restrictions, there was nothing stopping folks from sitting very young children in their laps. It goes without saying this is an accident waiting to happen--and it would never be allowed in the United States! What could go wrong flying down a track, neck and neck, chasing your friends for bragging rights??? Being the super competitive bunch we were, we had the best time ever! I highly recommend this!

    After an amazing day we walked to Terry and Simon's lakefront hotel for dinner! It was so much fun! It's so cool It stays light so late.

    When we got back to our hotel we had to pack and get ready for our flight from Queenstown to Auckland. It sure is tough to leave this beautiful city and region of south island. It was especially fun to spend time with so many fun friends. Oh ya, the shopping here was amazing too! I can't believe James and I had to stop at kmart to get a new huge suitcase to bring home all our recent purchases!    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    This is it, our final days!

    8–9 мар. 2024, Новая Зеландия ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    It's been a week since we've been home and I'm finally finishing up our journey.

    After several hairpin turns on this terribly windy road, we made it to the Queenstown airport. There are four couples leaving Queenstown this morning: 1) us, 2) Terry & Simon, 3) Lori & Paul, and 4) Ilyce & John. We all seem to be flying to different airports at different times, but here we are...again. What a crew.

    For us it was a short flight to Auckland where we made it our mission to eat well and rest up in the most awesome room ever! We came back to our same hotel where we were before, and where we stored our luggage a week back. We were so fortunate to get a top floor room on a corner which kinda ended up being a triangle room shape with floor to ceiling windows. It was beautiful! We walked the wharf area one last time and wondered upon the chinese restaurant White+Wong, which was one of the restaurants we all wanted to try in Queenstown. It did not disappoint! We had some small bites and headed home to relax.

    Our hotel was totally sold out and the city was awash in pink. This concert at Eden Park was sold out for two nights (50,000 people), and we got there a bit early since the only means of getting there was public transportation. Uber it is.

    This concert is a bucket list for me (check), and it did not disappoint. I bought these tickets months ago and they were elevated, slightly left of center, in the lower section. The weather was way warmer than New Zealand, and I loved that I could finally wear a summer dress (thanks Marci)!

    We had so much fun in this city of pink that night! Pink does not disappoint, and we were so happy to see this great woman, mother, wife that night. She was both humble and funny. She took time out of her show to recognize NWD, and she was so proud to bring her daughter Willow out to sing with her. What a show! When we finally got back to our hotel we walked back down to White+Wong for some cocktails and fried chicken--yummy!

    I'm never going to forget this show and this trip.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/511238…

    In the morning we had an afternoon flight to Fiji, then onto LA. Funny thing, we were sitting at the Bula Bar (bula=hello) in Fiji and I looked up and who did I see but Kevin & Sandi! What a crack up, it doesn't matter where we are, we're always running into some of our crew.

    We soundly slept all night on the plane and made it to LA in the morning. We picked up our rental car and headed home. Our housesitters, Rachel & Raul were fantastic! They stayed the evening we arrived home so we could catch up, and Chirps and Pizmo were so we'll taken care of.

    Guess who we saw at the Santa Maria airport returning our car on Sunday...    Читать далее

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  • Australia & New Zealand

    Final wrap up

    9 марта 2024 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    I just wanted to share our ship photos and do a quick wrap up.

    I had no idea it would be so much fun and memorable to take a months long journey with 18 neighbors, who became friends, and now feel more like family. We trusted our house, and Chirps and Pizmo to strangers we basically met on the internet (Trusterhousesitters.com), and we would do it all over again.Читать далее

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    Окончание поездки
    9 марта 2024 г.