April 12

We fly into Chi at dawn and downtown is very dark and quiet looking.  By the time we take off about an hour later things are perking up down there.  They have to de-ice the plane as it has sat out all night and temps slightly below freezing.  A bit of a shock, we’re not in Kansas anymore!  The CLE flight is fast, about one hour, it’s a new plane with lots of leg room for small plane but it is first class.  We upgraded our flights to and from Alaska and Sydney and Hawaii.  It has been worth every dime.  We pass over Toledo, the Lake Erie Islands (can clearly see Perry Monument), Sandusky Bay and cargo barges moving along. As we come into CLE we fly over Lakewood Park and can see Seth’s house very clearly from the air.  We call him from the airport and ask him why he isn’t at work yet and he temporarily believes we could see his car in the drive.  LOL.  We are in emerging spring here.  Some forsythia are bloomed, grass is green but we can tell there’s been a lot of rain.  Pools in the backyard and the sump pump is running. The house looks fine.  The palm trees are missing!  We are supposed to have very nice spring weather at least through Sunday.  We are unpacking but laundry has to come later.  We need to get some sleep.  It’s been an amazing trip, can’t believe it’s been two months since we left.  We held up pretty well given the pace and we can still tolerate each other after all this together time!  Thinking of loved ones who have joined us along the way. You were always in our hearts and on our minds, hoping all is well with you.   We have been watched over and guided all along the way. And now we are in happy anticipation of meeting our new grandson!  God is good! 

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.

April 10

Awoke to partly sunny skies and same 80’s and trade winds.  The mountains to the east of us have usually been in cloud and rain but this morning they are all clear.  Today is our last full day here and we have really enjoyed the great location of the hotel with its beach front and all the happy hours.  LOL!  This was a good location for R and R before returning home.  It’s 10 hours from Honolulu to Chicago and another hour to Cle so will be a big travel day but not much change over. Luckily the bags will be checked through to CLE, they are now tipping the scale to danger zone. We tried to get to the Diamond Head Crater hiking trail but a half marathon has blocked the entrance until after 9AM.  Drive to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet where hundreds of local vendors and locals meet to sell their wares.  Aloha Stadium is noted for where the NFL plays their pro ball every January and has done for the past 20 plus years.  Rumor has it that may change.  Surrounded by palm trees and open to the air.  Large external spiral pedestrian ramps leading to the top seats are accessed from outside the stadium, must make for a very efficient traffic pattern.  The vendors are under little tents, everything from exotic plants, fruits and vegetables to T shirt/Hawaiian shirts/sarong/jewelry sales and locals with their own rummage to sell.  We do find a few things that can be packed in our bulging suitcases.  Luckily United will allow us to check two bags up to 70 pounds, the rest we have to take as carry ons.  The population here is very mixed and truly Polynesian.  The Asian influence is very prominent.  The Chinese have been here for over 100 years coming here as field workers.  The Hawaiians are still prevalent as a culture but has become less pure blood.  There are Tongan, Figi, Philippine and other nationality cuisine.  They have a popular dish called pokey, not sure about it.  Come back to the hotel for brunch at the hotel buffet.  Still good quality food and good variety.  The Marriott has included breakfast every morning, 25% off any food from the patio grille, free coffee and ice tea from Seattle Coffee shop.  The housekeeping hs been great.  The staff all around have been helpful and friendly.  All through Aus, NZ and here, the Asian dishes offered at breakfast buffet are unusual to us, everything from congee, fried rice, miso soup etc.  We put on our suits and go to the ocean beach in front of the hotel.  We enjoy the Midwest Snorkel and see lots of fish.  The tide is in and there are deep spots, many locals are here today enjoying family swim.  It is still astounding as we swim under palm trees and the shadow of Diamond Head Crater.  We have gotten the best of the sun today. Clouds have come over the mountain and made overcast.  No rain is in the forecast for Honolulu.  It’s still beautiful with or without the sun.  We take the afternoon to catch Seth on Skype and catch up on his news.  He’s doing fine and reports our spring is uneven weather at best. He has on call this week so he will be down on Saturday for dinner.  Gives us time to go through 2 months of mail.  Thankfully we have had email access so that won’t be overwhelming to go through.  We are packing today in case we want to try the Diamond Head hike again tomorrow morning before we leave. Late check out at 1PM.  Dinner reservations at upscale DK restaurant here at hotel.  Known for aged beef and sushi.  Should be good and we don’t have to get the car out until tomorrow.  The restaurant is billed as fine dining but everything here is so casual and babies in high chairs that doesn’t feel that way.  Waiter is fine but as with all wait staff along the way they are not quite the ticket.  Must say Cleveland wait staff is much better.  This is a job that ‘backpackers’ are hired to do, temporary youth traveling through the area.  Chuck gets the 30 day aged ribeye and Pat finally gets a shot at local fish. The ribeye is huge and Chuck thinks it is great.  The Machong fish is local caught, very mild with a macadamia crust.  Pleasing, not outstanding.  Everything is ala carte.  Blue crab dip app is delicious, split a giant loaded baked potato but it is the roasted Brussel sprouts that are exceptional  The ancient vine Zif from Pas Roblas Ca is very good.  We relax the rest of the evening in our room.  Big day tomorrow so taking our time.

April 9

Awoke to partly sunny, warm and nice trade winds.  The news says a surfer ran into a shark and got away without a problem.  The island info tells everyone to be safe; they do not sugarcoat the accidents and deaths that have happened to visitors  from surfing accidents and taking risks going off trail on the rocks.  There is a large homeless population.  They move among the crowds during the day and then they bed down in the parks and on the beach at night. We have one fellow who yells out ‘sermons’ on the street below our window.  He quiets down after he finishes and doesn’t bother anyone.  There are street protests between the LGBT community and fundamentalist Christians; lots of yelling and signs no physical stuff.  It’s not a long term or invasive activity but noticeable.  Everyone is in fantasy land while they’re here, no one wants to think about hard stuff!   Hawaii is a very liberal state and have made laws that give full equal rights to all citizens.  A local commented last night that the volcanic gas from the big island comes over and clogs Oahu’s air; we haven’t seen it or smelled it.  Maybe that is why the sunsets are so breathtaking!  So much of what Oahu is about is very basic, ocean, constant warm temps and winds, mountains aka nature.  Stir in food and drinks and voila!  Although we have not had any particularly good food, passable, not great.  And we have eaten at some higher level hotel restaurants.  Maybe the independent restaurants are better.  Our one Burger King meal did not disappoint!  The hotel buffet breakfasts have been good with lots of variety and an omelet station.  The pineapple is so different when it is fresh and eaten where it is grown. The papaya is okay, not very sweet.  But they make cinnamon rolls that are ridiculously good. We have seen tour groups coming and going and know the drill, same as ours.  Put on our suits and take our new inner tube headed for the ocean beach across the street.  We invented the Midwest Snorkel; taking turns we pushed each other along on the tube and were able sneak up on the fish.  Good thing we are among strangers.  But we see even more fish than we saw the time before.   Breakfast at the hotel and were able to Skype Brenna to catch up.  She is feeling better with the URI but has pain in her ribs.  She has to get more help from the chiropractor and find a way to sleep at night.  The baby is feeling fine, getting sleep, exercising and getting nutrition. It’s his mama who needs help!  They picked up their new SUV, a very nice used tricked out Highlander.  Then we walked over to the Honolulu Zoo about two blocks away.  A very pleasant smaller zoo with Hawaiian and African animals.  Next to the Zoo is a beachside park established in 1877.  We walk around a big Thai festival that is going on.  Both the zoo and the park sit under Diamond Head Crater so there are great views for pics.  We stop off at the Tiki Bar and have a couple Happy Hour drinks and an appetizer.  Then stop off at our hotel lanai for a happy hour drink and appetizers and dessert.   Meanwhile the sun is getting ready to set.  The windward side of the island is in heavy rain and cloud but we stay sunny with occasional cloud.  Other sunsets we have had were partly cloud sunsets but tonight it will be a full sunset.  We return to the room for the full vista of the setting sun over Waikiki Beach and out to the western headland..  Can’t stop taking pics of it and as the water turns to liquid silver.  We can hear people clapping all around, clapping down the sun.  We change into our bathing suits and go to the hotel warm salt pool for a night swim while the duet sings in the lanai bar.  We didn’t get the car out today but we have plans to go out tomorrow. Last day in Honolulu.  We have had such a great time all along the way since leaving nearly 2 months ago and Hawaii has not disappointed us.  We hear there is cold and snow off and on when we get home, so we’ll enjoy this as long as it lasts.  Chuck can actually start his retirement once we get home and prepare for his golf summer.  And we are excited to meet our new grandson and see Brenna return to her old self!

April 8

Awoke to some clouds but warm, a little humid until the winds start.  The mountains behind us are clouded in, they are having rain over there.  Quick breakfast at the hotel and drive over to the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites location for the day.  Luckily we booked in advance and were able to walk right in and get in the movie and take the launch over to the USS Arizona Memorial in the harbor.  They give out 1500 free tics a day for the USS Arizona but they go fast.  Worth buying the package with the Arizona included.  It is a solemn trip and everyone is to be quiet upon walking on the memorial site.  It looks like a long white tube with cut outs.  Inside is a marble wall listing all those who died on Dec. 7, 1941.  Several hundred men remain interred in the downed battle ship.  The memorial stretches over the submerged body of the ship.  Back at the visitor center there are museums that explain the history leading up to the attack and events that occurred.  We then took a bus over to Ford Island where the Naval Base is located.  We visited the USS Missouri, last big battle ship to ever be built.  It came into service after the Pearl Harbor attack so was not damaged. It has seen tours in Korea, Viet Nam and the Persian Golf before being mothballed.  From the time of Pearl Harbor more emphasis has been put on air force over navy in war.  Having the Missouri moored close to the Arizona makes delineates the beginning and the end of WWII. The Pacific Aviation Museum, more history on their action during and after the attack, Amelia Earhart and women flyers who flew in service during the war. Back to main visitor center and visit to the Bow Fin Submarine and history of its involvement. Find out they have cancelled the rest of the launch tours due to high wind, so we really lucked out.  Drove back to the hotel.  Mostly we get through Honolulu traffic very well, if we can keep out of rush hour.  The roads over the island are mostly 2 lane and locals use it as their own, so that can be slow going.  Park the car with valet and drop things at the room and walk down to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  An historic old hotel, candy pink adobe exterior, with a colonial Bermuda type interior with high ceilings, wood floors and open to the outdoors.  A large manicured lawn in front secluded from the noise and traffic on the main drag.  The back opens to the beach and the ocean. We sit on their patio watching the sun go down with a full view of Diamond Head and water activity.  This hotel was made famous by Elvis Presley when he made his Hawaii movie, it is where he stayed.  Walk down to Mauna Outrigger Westin Hotel.  Another beautiful old hotel with big verandas and pillars.  Sit on their beach patio and listen to Hawaiian music and hula dancing.  Back to the hotel. It’s been a big day time for sleep.  Still waiting for the relaxation part.  LOL.

April 7

Awoke to sunny skies and balmy breezes.  We are back in the northern hemisphere where spring has sprung and left autumn in the southern hemisphere behind.  We put on bathing suits and walk across the street to the manmade ocean pools.  The hard-on-the-feet lava stone has mostly been removed and we walk and float in ocean waters behind stone walls that the ocean invades with high tides. The water is refreshing, the sun is hot and the trade winds blow.  We are walking in clear water with a white sand bottom.  What a nice surprise, there are clam holes in the sand and several kinds of coral fish swim around our feet, including eels.  There are small black crabs moving across the seawalls. The beach is white sand. We venture to the next pool and it has less rock and less fish but it is open to the ocean and tide so we get to hop some waves.  The surfers and outrigger canoes are all around us.  Stop off at the hotel buffet breakfast where our table sits by the pool.  Get the car and take off to explore the island.  We will drive the full circumference, minus the roads the rental agency won’t let us drive.  We drive east coast East coast passing Diamond Head crater on two lane road past very upscale properties and golf courses we pass by beautiful Maunalua Bay and Koko Head Crater.  Then a stop at Hanauma Bay, striking isolated bay that is part of the whale conservation area.  A beautiful bay carved out by the pounding of the waves with white sand beaches, clear green waters; swimming and snorkeling here.  We drive up to the Halona blow hole with rocky beaches and a hole where the waves pop up through the lava rocks where the water has carved through.  There are large container ships moving toward the Honolulu port and we can watch them from a distance at the hotel.  As we travel North West on the easterly coast, there is a change from calmer waters to big wave country.  The mountain range is a solid wall near the shoreline and we are in rain forest.  This is the windward side and more rain and the foliage shows it.  There are shallow coral reefs just off shore that take the brunt of the force of the waves.  It’s eerie to see it.  The road literally rides where the shore meets the ocean and we have waves coming up on the road spraying the car.  North shore is agriculture and hippy territory.  Lots of roadside stands with food (mac nuts, coffee etc. and crafts etc.  We try their famous garlic shrimp, we’re not wild about it but not bad..  Wild chickens all over.  Lush forests and foliage; traveling between high mountains and ocean, walls of jagged foliage covered peaks. Rain has been through here but we have missed it. Traveling down the west side, northwest direction, we stop at Sunset Beach and Waimea Beach.  Huge waves are the specialty, lots of surfers, the water is aquamarine and fierce.  The agro in this area is sugar cane and pineapples, papaya.  Lots of controversy over loosing farmland to more housing developments.  We can’t continue down the west coast, the rental agency forbids so we cut through the mountains in high plains with crops growing on either side.  We decide to drive the west coast coming up from the south where we are allowed to drive.  It’s slow going with rush hour coming out of Honolulu.  We have seen where real Hawaiians live today, out of the city.  The beaches in this area are broad white sand and tame surf.  Lots of locals fishing and swimming.  Campers all along the road.  What is really striking is the wall of mountain that parallels us.  Jagged tops with carved steep sides.  Foliage makes them look sage green.  The highest mountain on the island is here at 3100 feet.  That’s from sea level.  The official is 18000 feet if it is measured from the bottom of the ocean floor.  Hawaiian families tend to live more communally which we have seen today. Back to Waikiki hotel room and down to the poolside café for dinner.  A large extended Hawaiian family of entertainers are playing their music, singing and performing hula; some of them are from other Hawaiian islands.  A 96 year old family member who fought in Europe in WWII sang for us.  One of them is Mrs. Hawaii International and is in competition later this year in Jacksonville Florida. Time for bed.  Spending tomorrow at the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.

April 6

Awoke to bright sunshine and moderate temps.  Breakfast at the hotel, we are one of the lucky ones with a 9:30AM departure.  10 of us piled into a large van, and our baggage  nearly didn’t  fit.  We are on board with the group going to the optional trip to Fiji.  We weren’t tempted given the recent cyclones that have hit the area.  We get to the airport and they go to the Fiji Airlines and the flight is cancelled due to cyclone.  Don’t know what they will do but our tour guide is still with them for now and it will get worked out. Jim the Guide has another tour starting in Cairns on Sunday (where we started).  Figi: the tourists stay on an island that is a group of 5 star hotels with every amenity.  The developers pulled out all the mangrove trees so there are no decent beaches and they must use the pools only.  There are optional tours offered, pay extra to go to an actual beach and to see the ‘real’ Figi.  We saw the devastation that happened from the last cyclone and know we are in cyclone season.  We think we dodged a bullet with our choice to R and R in Hawaii.  Even the cruise through the South Pacific islands one of the couples is doing may be disrupted by the cyclones churning out there.  We have access to the Qantas Club with our Business Class tics; they have hot soups, salads, sandwiches, sweets and NZ ice cream that is so rich and unbelievably good, mostly have fresh fruit blended in it.  And the drinks are free, so NZ wine and champagne to celebrate our time in NZ.  Now we have another time change when we arrive in Sydney.  The flight is about 3 hours in transit and moved our watches to 2 hours later, business class makes it all so easy.  We have an eight hour layover and our bags have been checked to Honolulu so we take the commuter train back to the city and visit the botanical gardens.  We are in one of the old commuter cars and it is incredibly hot inside and they don’t have the screen that tells you what stations we are passing. We are very comfortable with the city by now, we figure we have been in Sydney four times counting tonight since first arrival.    The weather is in the 90’s and sunny as we get off at Circular Quay and walk around the Opera House one last time, nice wind blowing.  The botanic gardens are bordered by the harbor, the trees, the fernery house and the palms are incredible.  The cockatoos are gathering and very loud screeching.  We return to the Opera House and close views of the bridge where we stop along the way at a tiny restaurant with a table right on the water.  The Quay is home to all the harbor ferries and there seems to be chaos with them all passing and berthing frequently.  All in front of a giant Princess cruise line ship.  Too large to sail under the bridge it must moor in this crazy little harbor with mounds of boat traffic and dwarfs everything , equal in scale to the Opera House.  We watch the sunset and the last of the bridge climbers finishing for the day.  We walk over to the Rocks side of the Quay and just enjoy people watching and boat activity.  The city and harbor lights are coming on.  We follow the cruise ship as it has to back out of the Quay and into the main channel of the harbor.  There are at least 3000 people on the cruise ship.  Train back to International airport this time with air conditioning and helpful signage and a last hour in the lounge.  Unlimited cashews and Aus licorice allsorts, there is a heaven!  Onto plane for the next 9 ½ hours.  Pilot says the south Pacific especially Fiji is in cyclone mode but we are flying away to the north, no problem.  Thinking of tour friends who are stuck in Auckland unable to finish their trip.  Skip the dinner and lower our seats into flat beds, pills, pillows, duvets, jammies, earplugs and eye mask, off to sleep.  Can’t even hear the fussy baby right behind us.  Now that we will be grandparents we are much kinder to the young parents’ plight but ear plugs help!

April  6, it’s déjà vu all over again.  Wake about 6 hours later and have ordered a big breakfast, lots of coffee and mimosa.  Caught up on Portlandia, they are still nuts.  We have passed the International Dateline so it’s now yesterday and we’re north of the equator, returned to the northern hemisphere.  Landed Honolulu without any hassle from customs etc.  Good to be American returning home.  Sunny, warm, lots of trade winds blowing.  Picked up rental car, Camaro and Mustang are some choices, we went suburban with big sedan that can handle our expanding luggage; those darn boomerangs take up so much room!   Drive to the hotel and have to wait an hour for room to be ready.  We have returned to the hotel we stayed in on our way to Aus.  It’s an open air lobby with beautiful large wood art work, wild birds flying in and out and fresh colorful flowers.  We have a higher floor this time and further out over the ocean.  We are looking right down on Waikiki Beach and can see down the full southern length of the beach out to the headland.  Diamond Head is right behind us, we are once again on the slower, quieter end of the beach.  We can also see up into the interior of the island, lots of mountain peaks and valleys.  The Beach is busy with many kinds of water craft and swimming in white sand.  We take time to shower and do some laundry and unpack so we can be ready for adventure tomorrow.  No buses or trains to catch for 5 days, it seems weird.  We can go where we want and when we want, such a contrast. Yet, wouldn’t have traded a moment of our tour. We watch the sun set from our balcony eating a whole bag of Hawaiian macadamia nuts between us. (Aus macadamias are Hawaiian macs on steroids)  It is very warm but the constant winds keep it very pleasant. Thinking of taking a walk later we’ll see.  It’s been a big 24 hours of planes, trains and automobiles , time travel and longitudinal and latitudinal changes.  We are so grateful for all the strangers who performed their jobs well and the kindness of strangers who lent a hand, delivering us safely over these many miles. 

April 5

Awoke to part sun and mild temps. Got to sleep in this morning, breakfast at the hotel, and left on the bus at 11AM.  Up the road to Matamata to pick up the ones who wanted to go to the Hobbits movie set, the Hobbiton the Village.  We decided not to go and get to sleep in.  Along the way we travel through an area where strange small hills seem to pop up and on top are large pillar like boulders.  This is pressure from the underground geysers surging up but not breaking the surface and as it pushes up it pushes these large stone pillars out of the ground.  The area is very pleasant with lots of green grass and trees, but there are these little strange hills.  The sun has come out and the temperatures are getting warmer the further north we go.  We pass through some old conservation forest/under growth that shows how NZ used to look, covered in this dense foliage.  Not today, cleared for timber and dairy farming, and more being cleared all the time.  We arrive at Matamata where we stop for lunch and a walk around town.  This is where we pick up the ones who went to Hobbiton this morning.   We travel through a valley but the mountains are still in sight in the east. We enter Auckland and have a city tour over the harbor bridge and the town.  The bridge is not as impressive as Sydney’s and the city is much smaller at 1.5 million.  The buildings are like most Aus and NZ cities, a mix of the old and new.  And like the Aus cities, Auckland is building apartments downtown to get people to move back.  A majority of the Auckland population is Polynesian from all around the South Pacific.  Once again we are in an area where the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific Ocean meet up.  There are small strange looking hills and they are from expansion of underground pressure.  We are staying at the Rendezvous Hotel.  There is no real time to see much of the city since it is our group farewell dinner and our bus to the airport leaves at 9:30A.  But it’s been plenty of adventure and we don’t have to see another big city, they all have the same formula, similar buildings, botanic gardens and parks, sports arenas etc.  The farewell dinner was good for me, local salmon lox starter, local snapper entrée and a mediocre mud cake, good local chardonnay.  The conversation is lively with all kinds of funny memories and picture taking.  We sing Auld Lang Syne.  Exchange of info and hugs in time for bed. Some have to leave by 3:30AM so box breakfasts are ready for them.  Thankfully we don’t leave until 9:30AM.  Brenna is feeling better on antibiotics and the two fractured ribs are healing.  The baby is fine, kicking and growing, quite a baby bump he is making.  Bren is being published in Journal of Infectious Diseases entitled A longitudinal hepatitis B vaccine cohort demonstrates long-lasting hepatitis B cellular immunity despite loss of antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen, that should help with the pain. Spoke with Seth briefly on Skype and all is well there except it looks like we’re getting all our winter in the spring.  Nighty night.  Long day tomorrow.

April 4

Breakfast early of local bacon and eggs we gathered the night before.  The rooster crowed at 3:30AM but luckily we didn’t hear him. They have their own honey and homemade jam.  Back to the hotel where we leave immediately for a Rotorua tour and the Te Puia culture center.  We learn more about Maori culture, including hand weaving and wood sculpture.  They have a geyser field called Whakarewarewa thermal village, here and we are in time for the big one blow. About a third of the height of Old Faithful but it has a double vent.  We are surrounded by live geysers of steam and bubbling mud pots.  We see the oven the Maori have constructed using the steam.  Lots of sulphur in the air!  We are also able to see a kiwi bird couple behind glass.  Then we drive to the Agrodome with more sheep demos.  It is by far the best show we have seen out of the three sheep shearing demos.  They display 18 different breeds of sheep with very large rams.  They shear a sheep and demo different kinds of sheep dog.  One breed actually runs over the backs of the sheep to get to the front of the herd.  Then the audience gets to milk a cow and bottle feed lambs.  It’s very enjoyable.  Back in town our bags are in our room and we set out for a walk around Rotorua.  The lake has a pumice shoreline and several black swans.  We stop at the historic and ornate government for a bite on the lanai.  The town park of bubbling mud pots not very impressive.  We take the bus to the Maori village, Tamaki.  A fabricated village set in the forest.  We watched and participated in the ritual dances and training maneuvers of their people.  We are taught many of their words.  Chuck tries his hand at war dance.  We have a meal cooked in a charcoal pit that is delicious.  The bus driver from the village is incredible she knows songs from all countries and we sing all the way back.  While we are singing She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain, the driver circles a roundabout 4 times!  She’s very entertaining and makes us all laugh.  Fall into bed.  Tomorrow is our last full tour day.  The early days of the trip seem like distant memories.

April 3

Awoke to rain and gray skies, mod temps. Breakfast at the hotel and taking the bus out of the capital of Wellington for Rotorua north bound.  The south island is all about tectonic plate movement with giant mountains and earthquakes. The north island is more about volcanic influence on the land.  We are getting a bit warmer but not hot and autumn is in the air with changing leaves of trees.  The north island has plenty of low mountains and rolling hills. Tight canyons and broad valleys. Besides being known as Kiwi’s, not the fruit but the bird, NZ is called the land of the long white cloud.  Being islands the oceans are always influencing the weather.  The national bird is the kiwi, now living as endangered species found mostly on North Island and national plant is silver fern seen on all kinds of logo and legal signage. The Maori colors are red, white and black and there is a move to replace the current national flag with a more representative flag of their country.  Right now the flag is navy blue with the British union jack and Southern Cross with no extra star like Aus. The first referendum failed but will pass to change the flag next time.  NZ is still part of the common wealth but are moving to distance themselves even more from Great Britain.  NZ has not history of penal colonies, largest gold strikes in the world came out of here, followed by willing settlers, many from Scotland.  They farm timber here in the form of pine, it is a strong low grain pine great for building.  They cut off the low branches early on to remove knots etc, called radiata pine.  NZ was formed the fourth national park in the world in history.  Mt Cook was gifted to the NZ govt. by the Maori to be made into a national park.  We pass through small farming villages.  A quick stop at the village of Taihape for lunch.  Seeing more Maori as local people.  Their theme here is the gum boot, Wellies, and they have a very serious gumboot toss area where we can try our luck.  Very green, always green rolling hills.  We then pass by three active volcanoes, no action today but mostly gas and rock explosions these days.  The volcanoes are conical with long sloping sides of old lava, all between 7-9,000 feet.  We are on a high plain with scrub tussock and growing from pumice.  We can see a record of thousands of years of eruptions wherever the soil is cut.  We come to the caldera lake, largest in NZ, Lake Taupo.  An island sits in the center as the old plug of the top of the volcano.  Chuck tries his hand at aqua golf again and gets some close calls.  The town of Taupo is all resort and holiday properties.  We take a short diversion through the thermal pipeline used for geyser steam power.  Then we stop to see the river that drains out of Lake Taupo and it forms a chasm of waterfalls  and rapids.  The water is aquamarine blue. We come to the town of Rotorua, a heavily populated area of Maori.  The town sits in a giant caldera and the rim of it is clearly seen in the surrounding hills.  The lake and island are in the center.  The town is flat for walking and we can see steam coming out of the houses being used from the geysers for heat and power.  The practice is grandfathered and moving away from it as it is diminishing the geysers.  We are picked up immediately by our home host for an overnight stay at their house.  We and another couple are taken out into the country to a small farm.  First we stop off to see the river in high water with fast moving chutes of water.  We see kayakers shooting the rapids.  The farm is small with sheep, goats and chickens.  The house is a relocated railroad workers home.  Margaret and Dean are out hosts, both born in Auckland.  We have a lovely dinner of NZ wines, home grown food and meat from their stock.  Lots of conversation. 

April 2

Awoke  to overcast skies and rain.  Breakfast at the hotel and the take the bus for city sights.  Wellington is the capital and is built on a series of hills backed by mountains around a natural volcanic harbor.  It lies between two of the world’s most active fault lines.  Their building code has required that all buildings be reinforced with many on new technology of movable discs underground.  First stop is the Cable car museum and the station for the cable cars.  The museum is very nice and the views from this high point are very nice even though the clouds hang low.  Much like San Fran there are old Victorian houses sitting close together perched up and down the hills.  The vegetation is lush with lots of ferns and hotter climate trees mixed in with hard woods especially big cypress and given the amount of moss it looks to be a wet climate.  We stop at Lady Norwood’s Garden that has a planned rose garden of all varieties, greenhouse, etc.  The hills above us are full of low hanging cloud into the trees.  Next stop are their government buildings.  Auckland was the capital at one time but moved to Wellington to be more representative of the whole country.  The buildings range from the Prime Minister’s ‘beehive’ modern to old style Georgian architecture.  This area also has two large universities.  Victoria Uni is mixed into the government area.  We pass by waterfront, part working fleet and shipping and part recreational.  The primary areas and their various activities are pointed out.  It’s not a hard city to navigate.  We are dropped off at NZ version of the Smithsonian, Te Papa.  A beautiful new facility with state of the art interactive displays.  Everything from flora and fauna to earthquake and volcano activity and a huge display of the Maori culture.  There is an outdoor bushwalk complete with swinging rope bridge and waterfalls.  Much like the parliament building in Edinburgh where all signage was in English and Gaelic, Te Papa signage is English and Maori, even the no smoking signs.  The Maoris have been here for less than 1000 years.  The Treaty with the English was done badly and they are still fighting for their right even today.  Their culture has so many similarities with Alaska and Hawaiians it’s hard not to see it.  It is the style here for young men, not just Maori, to wear their hair in ‘man buns’.  And the tattoos that we have seen in Ak native and those of the Maori are very similar.  Tatoos have expanded in all societies today.  Their craft is in wood, grass weaving, use of jadite or nephrite like Ak and Pukoa shells.  They have been a very physically violent culture in war; women are revered and men who were captured were eaten.  They still take warrior training but they are not cannibals.  We choose to walk back in our own time so we continue on walking by the harbor.  There is a festival going on and a huge local craft market.  Food trucks are lined up to serve, nothing too different from home.  There is live music.  We enter the market that is underground and see very interesting items, all NZ made.  We find a Maori owned craft store and find out it is only one of two in all of Wellington.  The storekeeper is a Samoan woman who is married to a Maori man.  She talked about his family and warrior training he had to go through.  He and his parents own the store.  The woman we met makes pukoa shell necklaces.  They are so reasonable we buy two!  And we have met the artist.  Along our walk a Scottish piper is playing in full kilt.  Lots of people all around, many young and single.  There are sail boats, kayakers, rowers and boogey boards in the harbor.  The rain has stopped and the clouds are lifting.  We find a restaurant called Shed 5, it looks like a crab shack kind of place with wood siding.  Inside it’s linen table cloths etc but we felt very welcome.  The barman let us sample various NZ craft beers and found an IPA by Emerson that we really liked.  We took advantage of their 2 dozen for the price of one fresh oyster special. Not just any oysters but Bluff oysters from the bottom of the south island, very cold water.  These are not farmed but grow in the sand. They are huge, fresh and very rich.  We sit by the water and they let us open the window for the breeze.  Walked over to the old Railway Station, still used for passenger trains.  Not as ornate as other stations we have been in but reminded us so much of Great Britain.  Walked over to the Benchwarmers Pub located across the street from the parliament buildings.  This pub is frequented by the government gang.  There are life size puppets (caricatures) of various govt. officials.  A short walk to the oldest pub in NZ (with continuous license to sell), the Thistle Inn. They have kept the outside intact and done some modernization inside.  Many pictures of its history are on the wall, an original wall has been maintained and a Plexiglas panel in the floor shows the original cellar and foundation, still being used.  The barman lets us sample some of the NZ beers, we like Cassell’s PA.  Walk back to the hotel and see a movie camera in operation with a chase scene between a Mini Cooper and Police cars right there on a main street.  There are uni students everywhere.  It’s Saturday and they are out for a good time.  We take the cable car up to the view point we were at this morning.  The clouds have cleared for a very good view over the city and out over the harbor.  The cable car goes through tunnels that have light displays inside.  We walk over to the Botanical gardens and see the various observatories.  There is a very nice center with a planetarium but we’re too tired to stay.  Back down the cable car and dinner at the hotel since it is the easiest.  The hotel is built on the side of the hill so we can take the elevator from the lower street up to the hotel.  Need to repack and get ready for tomorrow.  We go to Roturua and will be staying overnight with one other couple at a local family home.  Can’t take all our bags, the tour will handle everything and we can just take an overnight bag.  Time for bed!

April 1 April Fool’s Day

Awoke to overcast skies, cool temps.  Breakfast at the hotel and then taking the bus north along the coastline. We stop at the little tourist seaside town of Kaikoura where we walk to the beach for a view of the South Pacific Ocean.  Skies are overcast and the surf is mild.  The beaches along this route are all lines with large stone and stone grit.  The large glaciers fed this area and the glacial rivers still influence with dropping rock.  A quick walk around the small shops and back to the bus.  The road curves frequently as we hug the side of the mountains at sea level.  We’re sharing this narrow space with railroad tracks and there are frequent short tunnels we must go through.  The coastline is dramatic with the mountains so close.  We see dolphins and the occasional seal.  But then we come upon the seal birthing sanctuary and see up close hundreds of female seals and their pups.  The pups playing in their little pools and squawking at their mothers for food.  We drive through the large grape growing region of Marlborough.  We have had wines from here and they are always very good, usually the reds.  The region does so well there are French wineries that grow and produce from here as well.  The harvest is next month and the vines are all covered with nets to keep birds out.  We arrive at the petty little town of Picton where we catch the ferry to Wellington.  The top of south island is full of inlets and coves.  There is likely a more direct route for the ferry but Picton would probably disappear without it.  We leave the bus and walk onto the ferry.  It is the size of a small cruise ship.  They are loading buses, large semi’s, camping RV’s and trailers, and four double decker semi’s with sheep and cattle.  We are able to look down at the animals from above, they have opened their roofs for air.  They look pretty miserable, makes us sad to think of them as steaks, burgers and chops so we avoid the area.  There are cafes and bars and entertainment systems on board for those who want it.  The first part of the trip goes through a narrow inlet of low elevation tree covered mountains with little coves along the way.  Reminds us much of the Alaska inside passage.  Then we enter the Marlborough Sound where the Tasman Sea from the west meets the South Pacific Ocean on the east.  Our tour has taken us to the Tasman Sea (between Tasmania and Australia) and onto the South Pacific Ocean (Australia’s east coast).  The crossing can be hairy with the meeting of these two waters in confined space and as always there is the two great world fault lines are running right under us.  Wellington had such a large quake 100 years ago it lifted the city three inches above sea level.  We are entering the harbor at Wellington the capital.  The houses hang on rolling hills much like San Fran.  The cityscape sits on the only flat land at the bottom.  NZ had 4.5 million people most living on North Island in Wellington or Auckland.  We board the bus on while on the ferry, it’s quite an experience being among all these big vehicles below sea level. To our Novotel hotel in the heart of the city.  We go to our very nice room.  We think we’ve ditched the other tour groups so we seem to have it to ourselves.  Dinner is served individually from a condensed menu and it’s very good but the service is slow.  Enjoyable conversation with other guests.  Up to early bed, we have been on the road for the past 12 hours and it was great but tiring.

March 31

Awake to a brilliant sunrise over Mt. Cook. Forecast at Information Center last night called for rain, maybe later after we’re gone. Bags out and ready to roll by 8:30 for today we leave the mountainous area and drive to Christchurch which was heavily damaged over the past 10 years ago by big earthquakes that were centered under the town and only 6km deep.  The first part of our journey takes us back over the same road that took us into the park yesterday following Lake Hawea.  We enter the foot hills of the Southern Alps. This is what NZ calls their continental divide mountains that range from north to south.  Many ranges make up the Alps like the Remarkables in Oueensland.  This area has all kinds of farming but it requires a lot of irrigation or nothing would grow here.  Stopped at Omarama for a brief coffee break and looked around at a local antique and collectable store where they have a road sign from Seward Alaska.  Drove by another large glacier lake for hydro power Lake Pukaki.  Stopped briefly at Lake Tekapo, another dammed lake for power, the town is brand new and sprung up with holiday cottages.  The tiny old stone Church of the Shepherd sits on an outcropping with windows looking over the lake and mountains.  Nearby is a statue of a sheep dog, giving tribute to their work.  There are two kinds of dogs, one that stars down the sheep and another that barks at them.  We have entered beautiful low rolling green hills, looks like England or Amish country in Ohio.  There are no barns for stock, they are never inside. Stopped at the cute old town of Geraldine, primarily a center for the farming community.  We see the Guinness Book of records largest knitted sweater and old time butcher.  A meat pie and sausage roll give us sustenance to move on. We are passing through the Canterbury Plains, the largest area of flat land in NZ.  Crops and stock are the main stay here. We finally see railroad tracks, seems to be used to move product and not people and is limited in location.  Settler farmers installed huge hedge rows that border the properties, cut flat on one side with a special industrial trimmer.  They are being cut as newer dairy industry wants them gone.  We enter Christ Church and the outskirts looks like any other city, many locals are building houses out here because the land is supposed to be more stable.  We stop at the Canterbury Museum with an exterior that looks like Tudor England.  This building does not seem to have suffered too much damage but we start to see the buildings around us have.  The Museum is stuffed with all sorts of memorabilia from old Christ Church, artifacts from Maori’s, science center and lots on Antarctica expeditions.  Next door is the very beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens.  Lots of ‘old fashioned’ flowers and roses, all profuse.  Beautiful visitor center and café, fountains and follies.  But what is most notable are the trees.  This trip has shown us a great variety of trees but their size and shapes of their trunks and i canopies are eye popping.  Some are indigenous and others have been imported and they like it here.  There are American sequoias that seem to touch the skies and the cedars are always majestic.  We have come far enough north that we are seeing palm trees and eucalyptus trees again, part of the native plants growing here.  We watched a news show that was all in Maori language with English subtitles. They are much more assertive than the Aboriginals in Aus. They were cannibalistic when it came to defeated male warriors.  We have been assured we are in not danger these days. They are Polynesian in origin showing in their physical traits and arts.  Very handsome people by conventional standards, built stockier than ABs.  And it seems they have not been in NZ for very long, hundreds of years instead of the Abs 40,000 years. Christ Church sits on very unstable ground with a couple shallow fault lines.  They have access to the South Pacific Ocean as they are on the east coast.  The wind here has a chill, they are in autumn.  Our hotel, the Rendezvous, is in the center of town.  The hotel we would normally have stayed at is boarded up from damage.  All around us are bit lots where the buildings have been taken down or lots with new building or lots with boarded up buildings.  We walk by the famous Christ Church Cathedral, lots of stone, stained glass and slate roof.  It looks like a bomb was dropped on it.  There is a huge disagreement about what to do with it so there it stands in horrific splendor.  Stop at the Hermitage Hotel, an historic Government House building that has been transformed.  Very beautiful, we stop for a drink and the waitress tells us they had done a restructure prior to the quakes so they came through well with little damage.  Even the basement pool had no cracks.  We stay for pinot noir and a dozen local oysters.  Back to the hotel for dinner by ourselves.  Interesting meal, starting with boiled seasoned peanuts, very good!  Leaving the south island tomorrow via ferry to the capital, Wellington. It was a good decision to fly Australia and bus through New Zealand.  So glad we’re not on a plane every other day.  By the time we end this 2 month trip we will have been on 16 flights and 8 times on the water (not knowing yet what return to Hawaii will bring.  And miles and miles on buses.

March 30

Awake to a brisk cool morning, some of the higher mountains have a small fresh coating of snow. The air is clear and the sun is out without clouds. Bags out at 7:30 and we leave at 8:30 for a short drive to Arrowtown and some morning shopping. We had a brief introduction to the town during our off road adventure yesterday. Many old buildings, some conservation and some with period facades, dating back to the gold rush days of the late 1800’s. A good display of gold nuggets that were mined here are on display.  The Chinese were part of the miner population but and were moved by Euro settlers to the edge of town so there is a Chinese village.  The small mining villages depended on Queentown for supplies. After our stop at Arrow Town we are heading to see Mt. Cook the highest peak in New Zealand at ~12,000 feet. Initially we follow the Kawarau River and past the winery and bungee jumping place we saw the previous day.  There are man-made lakes in the area that provide water supply for the hydroelectric power and irrigation. We pass along one of the lakes, Lake Dunstan, which is the water supply for the Frazer Dam Hydro Station. There is a long manmade canal that joins the lakes; NZ gets 90% of its power from hydro and most from here.  We are passing through various mountain valleys, and do a quick stop at Jones Fruit Farm stand, for ice cream blended with some of their fruits. We see strange fruits we don’t recognize; the owner has planted a large rose garden with trellises and all manner of shrubs and statues.  The surrounding area is scrub and arid with wineries growing everywhere. Irrigation is imperative and it reminds us a lot of California. This is also big station sheep ranch country and we see the large shearing sheds that produce wool from thousands of sheep.  Our travels continue through the Pisa and Dunstan mountain ranges until we reach the tiny town of Omarama for lunch and some local shopping and browsing an antique shop and collectables.  We have found many American made memorabilia.  In Queenstown we found china plates from Minerva, Ohio. After lunch and a short drive we arrive alongside Lake Hawea and start to get our first look at Mt. Cook. The guide tells us this is a natural glacier lake, however the size is vast and symmetrical as it covers the valley floor for miles.  Alas, it is dammed and would not likely look like this without the dam.  Along the way all the water is a milky aquamarine blue, very striking set against the amber dry foliage and yellow mountains.  The range with Mt Cook is very dramatic, rising up from the valley floor.  The Tasman glacier can be seen in the lower valley from a distance.  Other, smaller glaciers hang from the tops of the mountains.  Mt Cook aka Aoraki is very striking with its pyramidal shape, snowcapped and sided with glacier. The mountains joining it from the side are a solid wall of peaks with glaciers hanging down.  Like most places around the world, NZ’s glaciers are all receding expected to be lost in 10 years.  Wonder what that will do to the water supply so dependent on it.  This is a National Park and the park lodge is called the Hermitage.  Very modern with lots of angles and levels and glass.  We visit the Visitor Center and there is info on native people, Sir Edmond Hilary who climbed Mt Cook several times, and the local flora and fauna.  There are beautiful stained glass windows and as in the hotel there are windows opening to the valley and Aoraki and other peaks.  It’s a beautiful clear sunny day and the mountain is completely exposed.  We know how lucky we are to see the area in clear weather.  Chuck walks the Kea Point Trail that goes up the valley to the mountain.  There are no threatening beasts here other than the Kea bird who steals shiny objects from the tourists. We sit on the open veranda overlooking the mountain watching the sun set.  Dinner at the hotel with a buffet meal.  We can see the mountain clearly from our seats. Darkness falls and the valley is so quiet.  The sky is clear with lots of stars and the temps drop.  They are in fall here so the days of warmth will be ending.  Long day time for sleep.

March 29

Awake to sunrise but threating sky as a weather front is moving in. Breakfast and then on to our optional off road adventure and into the land of the Hobbits and Wakatipu Basin. We are riding in Range Rovers and our driver Graham gives us a narrative as we drive along through the town. Our first stop is at an outlook above Queenstown as we await other vehicles to join our group. When everyone arrives, Graham talks to the entire group, (4 vehicles, ~25 people). His company has a photo album that shows different scenes from the Lord of the Rings. At this first stop he points out the hill and mountains that were used in the second movie. We drive on and turn onto a winding, narrow (1 lane) unpaved road that literally hangs above the gorge river and that takes us back to a winery, where we turn around and stop at a viewing point over the Kawarau river. The winery is getting ready for harvest and is squeezed in between the mountains and the river. It is a narrow stretch of land and the river is running about 200 feet below shear rock face cliffs. Another tour guide goes over the scenes that were filmed here, and fact that because of the heavy rains during the shooting of the film the river flood and hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment was lost in the river. At the same point we turn our attention to the opposite side of the road and wait to see a bungee jumper jump off the bridge over the river, originally used for car traffic. New Zealand is known for the bungee jumps and they and their customers are crazy. Next onto Arrowtown, this is an old gold town and we are driven in and through the Arrow River and joisted all around the vehicle before we stop for morning coffee and try our luck at gold panning. No big discoveries made, though Chuck finds a few flakes. The tour then takes us up a mountain trail that goes through Skipper Canyon toward an old gold mining town of Skipper. The trail basically has room for only one vehicle with sheer cliffs on the driver’s side on the way up/in. On the way back out we stop for photo opportunities and one last stop by a river before being dropped off at our hotel. All of this in just 4 hours. The Lord of the Ring Sites we saw on our adventure include White Mountains, Minas Trith, Pillars of the Kings, Gladden Fields, Ford of Bruinen, Wang attack, Exodus of Edoras, Willow, Vertical Limits and the Water Horse Locations. Rain held off until we got back to the hotel. Quick visit to the room and then back out into town to visit the bank, get lunch, do some shopping, and some downtime as the group is scheduled to go on a boat tour and visit to sheep farm for dinner. We board the TSS Earnslaw for a 35 minute cruise across Lake Wakatipu to the Mt. Walter station (farm), where we have a buffet dinner. The TSS Earnslaw is powered by a coal firing engine and built the same year as the Titanic.  It survived all the decommission of the coal powered steam boats and it now under historic preservation.  It takes a ton of coal a day and we able to watch the crew stoke the engine from above. After dinner our guide takes us to see their deer and feed them. There is a large 16 point buck in the herd.  The deer are raised for meat. Then we watch demonstration by a shepherd and his sheep dog round up sheep, and then he sheers a sheep for us. Back on to the TSS Earnslaw where they do a sing-a-long on the trip back to the Queenstown dock. A short walk to the hotel and then it is bedtime, for tomorrow we travel to Mt. Cook. Nighty-night.

March 28

Awoke to darkness, cool, no rain.  Breakfast at the hotel and onto the bus for an early start, crossing the southern end of the south island to Milford Sound.  We are out as the sun rises there is a lot of mist/fog but we can see pretty well.  We follow a semi circular route as there are no highways cutting across the mountains, passing through the small town of Te Anou.  There are mile after mile of sheep, deer and cattle and some edible crops.  The driver is from Christchurch and he is an experienced hiker in the area. He has had to take jobs out of NZ because gainful employment is difficult here.  He tells us the Maori people did not settle the South Island very much, mostly on the north with milder temps and easier living.   This side of the divide is dryer, we enter Fiordland National Park. There are great hiking trails and ‘experiences’ in the Park.  There are no beasties here, physical stamina and weather are the dangers.  We start to see higher mountains with wide glacier valleys.  The rivers are braided.  The mountains are jagged and over 11,000 feet in places.  They are measured as they lift from sea level, not plateau.  The highest mountain on in the world designated as sheer cliff sided, is located here. We enter a rainforest of mosses, lichens and palm like plants.  The Park area gets more rain than the Amazon.  They get snow and some glaciers still exist but they anticipate they will be gone in the next 10 years or so.  They have to deal with avalanches.  There are no super highways here and the roads (good quality) must follow the contour of the land.  The trees are tall and profuse, various species.  We climb to the continental divide and we must take a tunnel that is no more than rough dug rock with a single lane.  As we emerge the deep valley of high mountains faces us.  Most are in cloud and it is raining.  We have passed multiple waterfalls of all heights and volume.  The water rolls off the sheer granite drops of the mountains.  We come into Milford Sound that joins the Tasman Sea.  It’s misnamed by early settlers as a sound, it is actually a fjord. We board a boat that takes us into a narrow channel of incredibly high mountains with hundreds of waterfalls. The mountains rise directly from the water, there is still a lot of their depth underwater.  The clouds are lifting and we see more detail.  The water is so deep the captain follows the sides of the mountains just a few feet away.  He also takes us head on into big waterfalls.  The sides are covered with lush vegetation that can only be there by intertwining of root systems.  We sail to the end of the fjord to where it meets the open Tasman Sea.  We are as far south as we can be on this trip from Antarctica.  We float by a rock full of young male seals. They pose for the cameras.  The scenery is so striking and so different from other places we have been we can’t stop taking pictures.  We drive back the 4 hours to Queenstown in mostly sun, seeing mountains in open sun.  We watch the movie The Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins on the way back. The movie was about the New Zealander who set records at Bonneville race track.  He is from a town just a few miles from our location and partly filmed here.   We take advantage of the mild evening and walk around the tourist town.  Open air restaurants and little shops.  It’s Easter break week and very busy.  Back to the hotel, we have another early morning with a tour that takes us off road and shows us remote areas and places where Lord of the Ring was filmed.  Another day of adventure and seeing amazing things.   One of the travelers has developed motion sickness and having a hard time in the bus and on the boat.  Hope she feels better.  PS Got email from Seth, he stopped down to check on the house and a Hudson policeman stopped him and asked for his ID.  Glad to know they are on the job, we registered for them to drive by and they’re actually doing it!

March 27

Awoke very early, breakfast at the hotel and then off to Sydney International Airport by 7:15AM.  The day is overcast and a little humid but mild temps.  So quiet on this Easter morning, surreal and hard to think of Easter yet it is!  Everywhere are bunnies and handing out chocolate eggs even at the airport.  Our flight was about 3 hours to Queenstown, very cloudy but passing over ocean most of the time.  Fairly full flight but can’t believe Chuck and I luck out with an empty seat between us. Makes econ flying so much more pleasant!  We have a full meal, movie, free drinks and a chocolate rabbit.  Our plane comes down right beside one of the mountains, at times we seem to just be missing the peaks below, we are flying up a valley to land.  Our first impression is, Alaska!   Mountains rise all around us.  It’s very low humidity but the air is still pleasant.  No snow on these mountains, but it’s early fall only.  We go through very strict security to enter the country; they call it the Island farm and is vulnerable to diseases, invasive species etc.  One of our travelers has to give up her sealed package of croc meat.  Queenstown sits on a huge glacier fed lake.  The town is small and houses line the hills.  This is very definitely a tourist town with fancy restaurants and shopping, it reminds us of Banff.  The mountains around us are 6-7500 feet high.   We have brought some NZ cash but have some Aus dollars left over.  We will exchange for NZ dollars no charge tomorrow at the bank.  The dollar is strong right now, about 1.50 to 1.00 NZ.  The Novotel hotel sits right in the downtown with a view to the lake and mountains from the windows.  There are gorgeous roses of every color in full bloom as well as mop head hydrangeas. Some of the trees have begun to turn.  We have a fjord cruise tomorrow and it is at that point that we will be the closest to Antarctica on this trip.   The capital of NZ, Wellington, is the farthest south capital in the southern hemisphere.  We are having cloud cover but no rain.  We are bussed to the gondola that runs straight up the mountain in town for dinner and views.  The ride is very steep in the little swinging cars.  Chuck’s not crazy about it, but what great views.  We see sheep grazing up the side; they roam free and then are rounded up for winter.  There is a luge ride, a bungee jump, parasailing and other crazy things to do at this site.  We enter the restaurant for an incredible buffet of every kind of food that can be imagined including desserts.  We are able to sample a lot of the NZ lamb, beef, pork, cured meats and all manner of seafood.  We try a pint of the local brew, Tenacious Brew, an XPA, a combo of IPA and lager.  It is drawn from a pump in the shape of a wood stump with an ax in it.  We are surrounded by huge tall fir trees.  The view from the dining room windows and the observation deck are spectacular.  Steep mountains rising from sea level, very jagged, we can tell these are young mountains, still rising from tectonic pressure.  Which is why NZ has big earthquakes.  The lake fills the valleys around the mountains and the town sits on the banks.  The water is dark aquamarine blue, very glacial looking.  There are no big wild critters in New Zealand, so like Alaska they have scenery and adventure but no beasts to avoid.  Back down the gondola, Chuck has his eyes closed most of the time.  Bussed back to the hotel.  Early night after we walked the town earlier.  Chance to get some laundry done and get some sleep.  We’re really here, in NZ!

March 26

Awoke to a beautiful sunny morning  of mild temps.  We breakfast at the hotel and then board the bus for the Opera House.  We get to visit the small theaters and the largest theater as well.  Interesting history of the architecture and construction and explanation of the various ways the theaters are used to create the many kinds of productions.  Most of the operations are done underground which is actually below sea level as it sits on a peninsula that juts into the harbor.  The exterior iconic sails design is covered with ceramic tiles of light gray and cream colors.  The surface is self-cleaning with heavy rainfall.  The acoustics are the best as they use all kinds of Australian wood for it.  We stop at the Opal World that includes a movie to explain the formation and mining of opals.  Reminds us of petrified wood found in the southwest USA.  We walk to the Queen Victoria Building so Chuck can see the incredible interior and then we walk down to the oldest area of the Sydney settlement, The Rocks.  Beautiful old buildings line the streets and a huge street market is going on. A cruise ship is in the harbor next to it and dwarfs the area.  We stop at Phillip’s Foot, one of the oldest pub’s in the area.  We have a local microbrew called three sheets to the wind, a kind of wit beer. Very good.  We sit in the extended levels of garden off the main street.  We skype Brenna and she is slowly recovering from her URI, now on antibiotics.  Baby is doing fine.  Board the bus to go to Darling Harbor for our farewell to Australia harbor dinner cruise.  The food is okay with champagne and wines served.  The views are of the areas we have seen from land and now see from the water.  Back to the hotel for packing and prep for an early morning flight to New Zealand.  Long day and lots of walking, all good.

March 25

Awoke to overcast skies and mod temp.  Breakfast at the hotel.  On bus to go to Koala Park.  We see kangaroos and close up Koalas and dingoes and even more animals.  This park is not up to very high standards  We had read reviews on it and it probably should be shut down.  We are bussed around Sydney to see the sights, it took us to some places we had not been before.  Back at the hotel we take a walk about and find every store is closed and the streets are empty.  Australians still follow the old ways of closing everything down on Good Friday.  Phyl and Ray pick us up for one last hurrah.  We drive over to the south beaches of Sydney.  We are on the south side of the Gap, the entrance to the harbor.  We visited the north side of the Gap earlier.  We take the trail up along the shore and see the ocean pounding on the high sandstone cliffs below.  Our restaurant is Doyles and it sits right on the beach with table 5 feet from the sand.  The small sailboats bob in the Bay with ferries darting in and out. We see a cruise ship leave the port.  The sun comes out for a glorious sunset making a silhouette of the city skyline and bridge.   Nice dinner of all sorts of seafood.  A coffee at our hotel and its time to part.  A fond farewell to the Knights, it’s been a great reunion with hopes of meeting again.  Last day in Sydney tomorrow. Today is the halfway point for our tour.