Arrived in Vancouver on December 18th for Scotty’s successful surgery.
Andrea and I went to a choir concert and to the Nutcraker when we weren’t with Scotty.
Our travels to Australia
Vancouver to Sydney doesn’t seem to have any land in between
Made it. One plane and 15 hours. No smoke in Sydney today. Many people here on holidays and fleeing the fires. God bless them!!
Resting by the pool today and then the \240tours start tomorrow.
As is tradition ... this is a \240picture of
Randy’s first beer in a new country!!
Opera house and harbour bridge from a boat cruise.
Beautiful Sydney. Every corner of the streets are more historical and more interesting!!
The bush fires are all around us in Sydney. Mainly south and west. We have seen Salvation Army tents and stations for the ‘Fireies’ and signs saying thank you to them.
The volunteer fire departments are not subsidized by the Australia government. In fact, disaster relief is paid by each state.
They need support- as does the Salvation Army Australia.
Constant haze here in Sydney. But it’s smoke from fires.
Australians have simple names for everything. The is ‘Harbour Bridge’
Friends told us this walk was brutal. They went when it was 38 degrees celsius.
The Opera House.
Touring it tomorrow.
Went up to the Blue Mountains today.
They have had some recent bush fires. Hazy today but no smell of smoke.
Three Sisters
Beautiful ferns.
Misty and cool. Just what the ‘fireies’ wanted!
Old train tracks for the coal miners
Two Cable car 🚠 \240rides and a train ride to view Scenic World. The coal mines in the Blue Mountains.
Randy and a train car with coal.
Dining at Bennalong Restaurant in the Sydney Opera House.
Amazing and delicious restaurant.
Last night in Sydney.
Visited You Yangs National Park. They research koalas. And then visited a park and saw some kangaroos in the wild.
Brett. Out outback guide.
An Emu
Mommy Roo and her Joey
La Luvia. Born on this park
15 year old Pat.
A tour of Melbourne. A pretty little city.
Our ship.
At Patrick’s Cathedral
Cricket Stadium.
Rainy day. Which the koalas love. They were licking the water from the tree. Rare occurrences. But because of drought they need to drink the water from the rain.
Wallabee
Phillip Island natural park.
Seas were too rough to go over to the island with hundreds of seals.
Mama koala. In her retirement village/ natural sanctuary. They continually plant trees for them. Their favourite trees!!
Burnie Tasmania
Beautiful agricultural fields.
Tasmanian Devil. His jaw is as strong as a grey white shark.
100 000 000 year old caves in Burnie.
Disembarked the ship for two days and one night in the Milford Sound fiords.
Arrived in Queenstown for the night. Took gondola up to top of mountain.
Lake Wakatipu. Queenstown. NZ.
Sheep sheering at Walter Peak in \240Queenstown
Cute homes in Arrowtown. They can’t renovated or torn down and the town is not allowing anymore building. Cutest little town around \240the Goldd Rush of the 1800s
Bungee jumping bridge at Kawarau bungee jumping centre.
Vineyards
Glacial rivers
Yes. Milton New Zealand
Prettiest train station in Dunedin
Rent a Scooter.
Jet boating
Train bridge built in early 1900s
Jet \240boating on the river.
Llama
4 wheeling to this sheep ‘station’
Capital of New Zealand. On the southern portion of the North Island
Creators of Lord of the Rings and many other movies.
They have all of the movie making manufacturing needs in a couple blocks in the small town of Miramar
Hiked through the ‘forest in the middle of town’ where portions of the movie was made.
One location site.
Look familiar?
Same ‘cave’ as the movie. \240See the trees in the background?
Kiwis grow on a vine like grapes
Kiwis
Sheep shearing
They get a haircut Once a year.
Maori people, orginal settlers of New Zealand, wood working
This tree is over 500 years old.
Grass skirts that they make
Geyser
Picture of a Kiwi
Tall ship
Little cruise to ‘Hole in the Rock
Last dinner with our friends Carol and Sam and Jackie and Bruce.
Disembarking tomorrow in Auckland.
Skyline of New Zealand
Sky Tower
Views from the Sky Tower
Beautiful and vibrant waterfront in Auckland
View of the Sky Tower.
A fun day of touring on waiheke island
Amazing vineyards and wines being produced on this island with the perfect climate.
Olive oil
The ferry that brought us to the island
Sunset skyline of Auckland