Jan 7th
Te Anu –
Today we drove from Dunedin to Te Anu. It was a bit of a terrain change as we moved from coastland into the foothills of the mountain. The soil is too poor to grow crops, so herd animals are big. Sheep, deer, and cows are all you see for about 2 hours. I thought it was odd that they herd deer for meat, but it seems like some of the only animals they can sustain. Even the cows look scrawny.

After the long drive, we arrived at our hotel in Te Anu. The town is only 3000 people, and it is set on a glacial lake. We did not do much in town. We walked around part of the lake, and then had dinner in town. We also stopped at the Moose Bar for some karaoke. Nothing too exciting in Te Anu.

Jan 8th
Today was the drive from Te Anu to Queenstown. I solidified my status as an international criminal as I received my first speeding ticket. It was the equivalent of going 70 mph in a 65 mph zone on a road where I was the only car. I think the police officer was more lonely than anything else. I thought about not paying the ticket to further my fugitive-on-the-run status, but the car rental end up billing you if you do not pay. It worked out to only $40, so it was not too bad. (The next day, we took a bus tour where the driver was going about 20-30 km’s over the limit, so I think they target the tourists. Most locals are farmers and drive a truck, so pulling over any car is a safe bet)

The rest of the drive was amazing. Queenstown is set in a mountain valley on a glacial lake. To get to the city, you have to drive around the lake, with all the twists and turns of a mountain road. In the city, we had about half a day to walk around. There are tons of adventure tours, but we did not have time to do any. We did go on a jet boat through the rivers and took the gondola to the top of the mountain overlooking the city (pictures on snapfish). The jet boat was awesome. They operate by pushing water through to propel the boat, similar to a jet ski. Our driver said they only need 10 centimeters of water to operate because the boat rides mostly on top of the water. We were on a river with high canyon walls on either side and very narrow passage. I think our driver was a skateboarder in a previous life, and pretty much what you expect from a guy who drives jet boats. Instead of turning away from rocks, he would actually turn the boat into them. This would allow us to slide sideways, with the nose of the boat just missing the rocks. They would also do 360 turns in the open water, which was fun for soaking the people on the sides of the boats. We asked the driver if they ever hit the rocks or cliff walls. He said “of course”, as if this was some matter of fact scenario and why would you ask such as stupid question. I have a feeling this guy will be on the next episode of Jackass or jumping school buses on his dirt bike.

Jan 9th
Today we did a tour through Milford Sound. The day started with a 4 hour bus ride to the sound. (We actually drove through Te Anu to get there. No clue what our travel agent was doing booking us on a trip that drove through a town we were just in. Waste of about 4 hours.) The drive itself was incredible, and then we did a boat tour on the sound. It rained the night before and the morning of the trip, but then cleared up in the afternoon. This was perfect weather for this area because there were hundreds of waterfalls all over the mountains. The fog also rolled into the mountains, making the scene more surreal. I took a few pictures, but it’s impossible to capture the essence of the place unless you go. In the sound, the walls of rock go straight up and look as if the mountains are growing out of the sea. We did see a few sea lions and dolphins on the trip too.

On the drive, we saw many parrots, called Kea. The birds are extremely bright, love people, and ornery. Their favorite activity was eating the rubber stripping off of automobiles. We also saw one working the antenna of a Corolla, trying to bite and pry it off. There are actually no natural predators or many mammals on the islands. Most everything was introduced from other countries – deer, sheep, cow, rats, and possums. Birds are the only native species, and many never bothered with flying because there were not predators. They now have problems with rats and possums killing off the birds, so it’s an uphill fight to protect some of the species.
We ate dinner at a place outside of town called Gantleys. It was some of the best food we’ve had on the trip. Lots of locals there, so you know it’s a good place.

Jan 10th
Today was a travel day to Rotorua. This is a volcano region in the North Island, so we had to fly from Queenstown. The first thing that hits you is the smell. Since the area is volcanic, sulfur just fills the air. Our hotel was located next to a Polynesian spa. This sounds good, until you realize that spa = hot springs = sulphur smell. The whole town isn’t bad, just the area where we were staying.

That evening, we went to a traditional Maori village to see a skit & have a traditional meal. Many aspects of the culture are similar to what you see in Hawaii, so it was like a luau.


Jan 11th
We slept in until 10 today, and did not get moving until noon. Vacation is tough.

We drove to Whakatane and the Ohope beach. The beach town was not as happening as we were hoping, so we caught a movie in town. The tickets were $10 ($6 USD), and popcorn with a drink was $6 ($4 USD). We walked along Ohope beach. We thought about taking a dip in the water, until we saw tons of washed up jellyfish.

In the evening we ate at a fusion Korean restaurant. We enjoyed some Kim chi, seaweed, and double cooked eggs.

Jan 12th
Today we packed up again and drove to Auckland. The drive was long, but the scenery is beautiful and green. Once we got into the city we walked around downtown and enjoyed some steak, pasta, and wine. Sam has discovered a wonderful diet. Just eat raw oysters, get food poisoning, and then for the next couple of weeks, you can only nibble at food. The only problem is I have to finish the rest of her food, so I’m eating for 2.

Jan 13th
Today is our last day in New Zealand before heading back to the states.

New Zealand

It’s been an eventful few days, so we haven’t had much time to write.

January 1
We spent the day at Bondi Beach. We originally took the bus to go to one of the neighborhoods, but we weren’t sure where to get off. So we just rode the bus all the way to the coast. The beach was absolutely packed. It easily competes with Waikiki on its busiest day. Also, Paris Hilton heard we were in town, so she had a party at a club near the beach. We were going to drop by, but we were just too busy laying out.
The concierge recommended a restaurant at Darling Harbor, but it was forgettable. We did stroll along the harbor, which is packed with tourists.

January 2
Slept in, and then made our way to the Sydney Wildlife exhibit. We were supposed to go on a guided tour, but we missed the scheduled tour. Our itinerary said anytime between 9-5, but they were only doing a tour at 10 b/c of the holiday. We ended up walking through the exhibit ourselves, but it was not as interesting as the preserve we visited in Cains. We ate dinner at a better place in Darling Harbor. We did the seafood sampler for two, which had lobster, crab, mussels, oysters, fried fish, and lots of shrimp. We struck a good bargain where Sam ate the shrimp, mussels, and oysters, and I stuck to the crab and lobster.

January 3
Flew into Christchurch today. This was my first time driving on the left hand side. It’s proving easier than I expected. The hardest part is that I keep turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal. We were in late, so we went downtown for dinner. This time is holiday for New Zealand, so most restaurants and shops are closed. We found some Indian food that was decent, but not much exciting to report.

January 4
The seafood combo in Sydney turned out a poor decision. I told Sam I was interested in understanding New Zealand’s healthcare system. She obliged by eating bad oysters and spent the day in the ED. It was an odd experience in the ED. They really took their time (kind of slow, but we were lower acuity & it was the busiest ED in the south island), but our bill was like$200 for a trip to the ED. No $8 aspirin tablets.
I took room service, while Sam dined on Pedialyte and saltines.

January 5
Today we drove to Dunedin. Before we set off, we drove to Akaroa, which is a nice little harbor town. I liked it better than Christchurch as far as a vacation spot. Sam was felling much better, but the curvy mountain roads did not agree with her stomach. After that, we drove up the coast to Dunedin. We ate at our hotel, and Sam enjoyed a bowl of white rice. Our waitress gave us an odd look when the only Asian in the restaurant ordered a bowl of rice for dinner.

January 6
Today we explored the Ortago peninsula. We drove along the coast to the tip of the peninsula. It is a breeding ground for various albatrosses. They had actually migrated to Chile at this time as they cross the Pacific as part of their migratory flight. However, there were plenty of other birds, and after about 15 minutes, our car was painted a lovely white. There was a dirt road up to a wildlife tour from the center. Normally, we would pass, but we heard they had penguins. It turned out to be the best tour we’ve done so far. They took us on 8-wheeler off road vehicles around the sheep farm. At the bottom of the mountain, there was a rock with at least 50 sea lions. They just gave birth, so there were a dozen baby sea lions all over the rocks. Then, we drove to a special beach to see the yellow eyed penguins. They build their nests up in the rocks to avoid being eaten by the sea lions. The farm owners built a wooden tunnel down to the beach, and it had little peep holes to open and close. This allowed us to get within a foot of the penguins without disturbing their nests, and the tunnel offered them extra protection. The area (really, all of New Zealand) was a working sheep farm, so there were lots of little lambs around, too. After the tour, we went to Larnach Castle, which is the only castle in New Zealand. It was built in the late 1800’s by a banker, but then it sat in disrepair until 1967, when a couple bought it & restored it. Sam and I are now on the lookout for abandoned castles that we might turn for profit, so if you happen to find one, let us know.


We posted the new photos at snapfish (address in previous post).

New Zealand,

Today was mostly a travel day. We landed in Christchurch and just had enough time to grab dinner. Nothing much else is happening, but we'll go out exploring the peninsula tomorrow.

Pictures

having trouble with this site, so try viewing them here:

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=263385444/a=141458012/t_=141458012

Happy New Year

We've been in Sydney for the new year. We thought it was a novel idea to go to Sydney for New Year, but it turns out that idea was shared by 1.5 million other people that were in town for the show. We also found three other couples from Epic that are here for the new year, so this has become our unofficial Asian office.

We had a great view of the bridge, so we were able to watch the fireworks from our room. We were out a little bit during the evening, but there were so many people that we just decided to stay in the room & out of the crowds. They shoot fireworks from the bridge and 6 other barges that are in the harbor. We though about getting a boat, but ticket prices were $500 per person. Just to get into a restaurant or bar near the festivities, tickets were at least $250 pp.

We've also done a tour of the opera house and a harbor cruise. We were hoping to catch Madame Butterfly on Monday, but this was opening night of the season. The opera only holds about 1,000 people, so tickets are nearly impossible to get. Unlike the states, there are not ticket resellers or folks reselling outside of the event (or at least that we could find). We also found Sydney's oldest pub, so we stopped off for a drink yesterday, and we've managed to do some shopping around town.

We have another two days in the city to explore, so we'll keep you posted.

Steve

Weekend in Cairns

December 27th

Today we went snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. We took a two hour boat ride to a small island. The weather was horrible on the way out, with rainy and chopping weather. Our captain told us that ‘statistically’, it gets calmer as we go out, so we forged ahead. I think he just didn’t want to refund us the tour price. I thought of Ahab chasing the white whale as we drove straight into dark clouds. However, it did clear up after a bit, and it was absolutely sunny at the island.
At the reef, we did a semi-submersible submarine ride, and then had a biologist took us on a snorkeling tour of the reef. There were hundreds of big colorful fish that would gather around you as you toured. The reef was incredible with all the different shapes and textures.

That evening, we ate at a great local seafood restaurant. I had east coral trout, which is some of the best fish I’ve ever had. It was called Splash. We also have been experiencing the Australian wine. We tried a Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc our first night and a Red Claw Chardonnay this evening. We always drink good bottles & forget the next day, so this will hopefully help with recollection of our bottle choices.

December 28th
Today was a multi-tour that took us into the rainforest near Cairns. We took a quick hike around rainforests, and did a river cruise in Daintree. Unfortunately, there were no crocodiles. (though lots of ‘log-odiles’ as the guides call them) We then ate at restaurant in the forest, and sampled local fruits. The owner came out to give us a description of the different fruits, how they were harvested, where they are found & what they are called around the world. In the afternoon, we went to a wildlife preserve. We were able to walk around with kangaroos and kolas. Sam felt better to her animal fix since she misses the cats and dogs. There were tons of birds, which we did not care for, and also lots of bats, which were pretty nasty. They were screechy the whole time, and evoked a scene from a bad horror movie. After the habitat, we spend the rest of the afternoon in Port Douglas & then back to the hotel. The weather has been pretty cloudy and rainy. We had not realized, when we booked the trip, but this is Australia’s rainy season.
We ate at a great restaurant that our guide recommended, and had some of the best Italian food we’ve ever had. It was called La Fettuccina. I know that sounds odd that our best Italian food was in Australia, but the place was excellent. We also enjoyed a Stonier Pinot Noir with the meal.

Australia 12.26.08

Last night was the “sounds of silence” dinner tour. We were in the middle of the outback for a dinner with a great view of Uluru. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating with our tour. We had lots of cloud coverage, so the sunset was not very good. We also were supposed to dine by starlight, but the clouds also blocked out the stars. We were lucky to avoid the rain, which started right after we got back to the hotel.

We were able to try some interesting foods, including crocodile appetizers and kangaroo. The crocodile was served in a pastry, so you had no clue you were eating it. The kangaroo was very much like beef in texture and taste. Maybe we’ll include it a next year’s cookout. We also had an intro to Australian desserts, which include a date/bread pudding of some sorts. They haven’t quite shook all things British, and crummy desserts seems to be one item that they did not drop.

The guest at the hotel varies in nationality. We have encountered people from France, Germany, Britain, Scotland, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Israel, China, and India. There are also many folks from various countries in South East Asia, but we do not know enough of the languages to place nationalities. There is a good share of Americans, though we are in the minority. Because it’s an Anglo-American country, you tend to forget it is really more part of Asia in terms of people and economy. I would venture that two thirds of the people are from countries in Asia. There are also lots of adorable Asian babies, which keeps Sam smiling.