New Zealand & Australia 2018

March 7 – Auckland to Russell Our destination was the village of Russell in the Bay of the Islands which is on the East coast of the Northland part of NZ. This turned into a long day of driving (at least 7 hours) to go 125 miles. Driving in New Zealand is slow because of...Read More

We got an early start out of Russell, departing by 6:45am knowing it was a long drive to Rotorua. It took about 7 hours including getting through Auckland with little traffic. We were staying with Diane and Mike a lovely couple we had met last summer while sailing in Greece. We met up at a...Read More

Thursday March 15 We hated leaving Wellington after having such a nice visit on the North Island. But we have a plan and it’s time to move on. We took the morning train to the city with Diane and boarded a free bus provided by ferry company to take passengers to the Interislander Ferry Terminal....Read More

Sunday March 18th Our day in Glacier Country on the West Coast of the South Island started off with a 30 minute helicopter ride over Franz Joseph Glacier and then a short landing on Fox Glacier. This was our first time in a helicopter and it was lovely. We went on the 9am flight because...Read More

Sunny and very windy today for our 30k bike ride from Lake Hawee along Hawee River Track and then around Lake Wanaka. We booked with Wanaka Bike Tours. If you can’t find a discount at bookme.co.nz then contact them directly at Queenstownbike tours.com. Owner Dan picked us up in town and drove us to the...Read More

We arrived in Queenstown on a wet and cold day. We walked around the town a bit with Joanne who was looking for a hostel to spend her last night at before heading home to Singapore. We decided after three weeks of being on the move, we deserved a down day. After lunch we got...Read More

March 24 2018 Sadly our last day in New Zealand and it is a glorious one. The sun is shining and the snow has melted from the mountain tops. The views from our room at the Earnslaw Lodge have been perfect. The hotel itself is very basic and could use a few improvements but given...Read More

March 25 2018 We arrived late last night into Melbourne airport. Customs is now totally automated with computers and no passport stamps. $100 cab ride, and we left a backpack at Melbourne airport. Up early to go to a nearby Greek Orthodox Church because it’s March 25, a dual holiday. Annunciation of Virgin Mary feast...Read More

Great Ocean Road. Day 1 An iconic drive along the Southern coast of Australia starts South of Melbourne and takes you through dramatic sea views, farmland, forests, small towns and some just plain old boring grasslands. We drove from Melbourne to Apollo Bay on the first day. It took us a couple of hours to...Read More

March 30 2018 Morning exploration of Griffith Island at Port Fairy. Named after a man who built a whaling station here in the 1800’s. Now a conservation area for nesting mutton birds (shearwater) which we saw none. Pretty beach with clear water and tiny shells. Lunch, info center and grocery shopping in Hamilton. Then on...Read More

April 2 2018 We are in Port Douglas in the Queensland state also called North Queensland, Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef. It’s north of Cairns and in far Northwest of Australia. Staying in a lovely hosted Airbnb for our three nights here – Sands Edge. We have one whole wing of their house with...Read More

I actually didn’t expect much out of Cairns but was pleasantly surprised. It’s a lush tropical city with the area’s main airport.Their botanical gardens were a few minutes away from our Airbnb. The day was quite hot (33° C) and I wasn’t feeling great – my second cold on this trip. We were so glad...Read More

April 7 2018 Said goodbye to Jennifer and Jim and schlepped our stuff to the Primus Hotel. It is a beautiful five star hotel with a rooftop pool and bar. Knowing my way around the city I think we would have been better served with a hotel in The Rocks that was close to both...Read More