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Rambler’s Blog –PatnChuck Pacific Adventure 2016 (February 12 - April 12, 2016)

A word about this blog…. It has been our goal in recent years’ lengthier travels to record for posterity a diary of travel stats, pictures, and personal reflections. So, when we can no longer indulge in trains, planes and automobiles we may relive fond memories. We have invited a few friends and family to ride along through this travel blog (a combo of blather and log), risking exposure to bad puns, spelling errors and sore feet complaints.

It has been our dream to visit Australia and New Zealand for years. Our Australian friends who we met while living in Scotland, the Knights, have invited us many times. With Chuck finally retired it’s time to go! We have planned a whirlwind tour of the Pacific. We are fortunate to front load the tour with a diversion to Alaska and extra time in Sydney staying with friends and time at Palm Cove Resort near Great Barrier Reef. We are able to back load the trip with 5 days in Oahu (Honolulu) for R&R before returning home.

For Oz and NZ we chose a AAA tour as it offers the most comprehensive experience in a good amount of time. We fly from point to point through Australia which is similar in size to the US (New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania) and bus tour through North and South Islands of New Zealand. We have several opportunities to learn about the Aborigine and Maori native people. We chose the fall season, taking a chance with transition weather but much less heat and being present for the grape harvest at some of the famous Oz, NZ wineries. Their seasons are reversed from ours and they live a whole day later in time. And then there are Oz opals that know no season!

This trip is particularly special because of being with family, old and new friends. We will visit Brenna and Zach in their new Anchorage home and have a baby shower for little scooter due in May; we will visit Phyllis and Ray Knight in their Killara home north of Sydney; we will stay overnight with a native New Zealand family; and we will meet travelers along the way.

Onward and upward. We enjoy knowing friends and family are with us in spirit. We will lift a few glasses of great southern hemisphere wines and ales, meander through cities, mountains and desert, and have a few shrimp on the barbie!

Pat and Chuck

* We may not have daily access to Internet so updates may be delayed, but once they appear they will be in sequence
* The blog includes pictures based on the day’s blog, sometimes delayed depending on schedule and access.
* A map of our route appears on the Homepage.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

April 11

Awake to partly sunny skies over the beach area but rain is coming down behind us.  The surfers are already out trying to catch the waves as well as the swimmers.  Things get very quiet late evening but there are people out all hours.  We sit having a leisurely coffee on the balcony watching the changing scenery, a full arch and full colored rainbow stretches from the beach below us out into the ocean and a second dimmer one parallels it.  It is rare to see a full arch, needs a flat vista like the ocean to pull it off.  We decide that it’s Honolulu’s farewell gift just for us!  Continue to pack and go to hotel buffet for our last breakfast.  Sit by the pool; our waitress is Oahu born and her daughter just had a baby girl 5 months ago.  Sharing grandparent stories.  We get a gentle downpour while we are breakfasting under the umbrella. Then it stops and the sun comes out.  We believe April is the rainy month here, it’s certainly a slower tourist time.  But Honolulu doesn’t get a lot of rain.  Walk around and take last pictures of the beautiful hotel lobby.  Pack up the car and head out to the Diamond Head Crater.  We ran out of time to walk to the top but are able to drive into the center of the crater through a long tunnel.  Get a few pics and more pics of the ocean from a different viewpoint.  Drive to the Alamo rental and pack all the cases on the bus to the United drop off.  We are able to check in outside and after a bit of confusion, confirmed that our bags are going to CLE via CHI at the end of the journey.  The bags must pass an agriculture inspection.  Nice to have pre check on TSA and zoom through the security line.  Find the United Club and can see Diamond Head in the distance.  Dressed for warmer weather as we know we will need it on landing.  The flight is on time.  But we are flying United, not our favorite airlines.  We are spoiled with the Qantas quality and service.  The flight is 7.5 hours to Chicago from Honolulu.  We get dinner etc and a breakfast, not great quality but filling.  We left Honolulu at 3:30PM, gained 5 hours for Chi time and another hour for Cle time.
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