I start the day with a brisk walk to the car rental shop 20 min away. To my pleasure they did not have the vehicle I had ordered so they upgraded me to a Kia hatchback that is a full 2 inches larger… Let’s go!

Soon we are heading out of Sidney across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and up toward the Blue Mountain National Park. Low clouds keep us from visiting the three sisters look out but our stop at Wentworth Falls was a true pleasure. The fog makes the overhead enclosures on the cliff side a bit cave like with drips of water from the dew.

Fans of Avatar will recognize what happened when I walked by this treeOccasionally the clouds would lift allowing for peaks down into the canyon that holds the falls. As we travel down toward Mudgee the clouds lift enough so that we can enjoy a beautiful view of the largest canyon in the world. Going further west the hills flattened out and we head into another wine country.

We learned our host works as a winemaker in a organic winery in town. He moved from Sydney to work out in the country. We enjoyed our stay in his granny flat out back and the occasional visit from his little dog who knows that we’re having dinner.

In the morning we are headed off as far west as the car rental agents will let you go. We pass some Emus and large coal mines. Then east through farm country into the Hunter Valley wine region. Sheri research provides our stop at a beautiful hilltop vineyard with a free tasting and cheese plates. We always leave with some larger samples to enjoy later.

On the way to Port Macquarie one thing stands out and that’s the roads are getting better; straighter and two lanes. I missed good roads. We arrive at our next place which is a room in a place owned by a woman who came from S Africa 28 years ago. A German woman has been in Australia for over 20 years has the other room. I had some initial concerns reserving a place where other renters would be staying and sharing the common space but it worked out very well.

We have good political discussions about issues of the day and they see our Pres as the businessman he is cause they have politicians too!

I can’t make this stuff up…it’s a small world after all.

Finally driving at dawn or dusk can be pretty dangerous with all the kangaroos, Koala and wombats crawling in the way. Cars, small trucks and especially large trucks are outfitted with a frame across the front. Some measure of protection into the night.

This grumpy old guy is Winter….I don’t miss himAll this walking after the 4 hour flight exhausted us and helped us sleep in a stuffy un air conditioned room. The night time road construction 4 stories below meant the window needed to be kept closed. In the morning the adjacent breakfast room made it easy to get coffee and food. We also met an English couple there headed out on their 54th cruise.

The South side of the Harbor entrance is guarded by Hornby Lighthouse We made the 10:30 ferry to Manly Beach. This trip allows us to see the bridge and Opera House from the water and get a chance to travel the full length of the Bay. The beach is very nice but because of rip currents swimming was restricted within a 200 ft area. In this heat it only takes a short time to dry/burn and soon we are watching everything from a shaded bench.

Sheri is the small dot on the right about to get overtaken Manly yes beach that isThe return ferry passing North Head regular or America’s Cup it’s all good sailingWe are apprehensive about getting back to the 102 degree city but we need to prep for dinner and the opera. We thought since it is the Sydney Opera House we should see an opera. Clean and dressed in our best backpack clothes we head for dinner. We chose a respected steak restaurant because they serve kangaroo. So we hop on over… couldn’t resist.

The Shish kebab is kangaroo Come on get outta the way I’m late we made itI put a sticker on the map in the Opera House lobby for CamdenLeaving our great dinner I got turned around so our a simple 10 minute stroll became a frantic 20 minute dash…arriving with 7 minutes to spare. La Bohemian was done well and since I watched it on the plane I even knew what was going on. The Italian production had a subtitle screen though it was tough to see both simultaneously. At intermission we looked out the huge windows onto the harbor and bridge.

Walking back home humming Musetta’s Waltz (theme from Moonstruck) this was a good day. Not even the bad noises coming in the window from the city night could erase the day…. but the guy at 2 am in the hall was in the running!

Sydney is a bustling place filled with handsome 20 and 30 something’s filling the city with a pace that makes for a nice visit….but we’re glad to move along.

…Set up for travelers. We plan to use their public transportation from the airport and for an outing to Manly Beach. Buy 2 cards loaded with 35 each, tap it on the sensor when arriving and departing and soon we are putting our bags in the closet at the hotel.

Another politician with a big ego…timeless It’s the Chinese New Year…of The PigWe set out to look around at a few things but when we are done we are really finished with our list+. Over a well earned pint we review…saw the court house and spoke to a cameraman waiting for the 2nd day of a trial to end, Hyde Park, St Catherine’s Cathedral, Observatory Hill, back and forth over “the bridge”, Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Wooloomooloo for supper, happy hour (review), Royal Botanic Gardens, watched a cruise ship depart and were amazed at the Flying Fox Bats.

These guys are huge. There were a couple of dozen a few at a time. These Flying Foxes or fruit bats are well known and liked. I didn’t expect them and thought Batman was coming.

Our breakfast is coffee and biscuits/cookies. We are getting ready to switch hotels to one at the airport due to our early flight to Sydney. AM errands are an Aussie phone sim card and the debit card shakedown.

Australia is the only country we’re visiting that has a debit card system that works with our US Bank card at no cost. Since I left my debit card at home we had a replacement card sent to NZ. After having Joanna ship another card and then pay capital one a rush fee this ‘free’ thing is becoming expensive. This was a very bad Capital One experience but Joanna was a big help in making it work at all. We want to make sure that the activation process done in Christchurch is good … and it is.

Also both countries have great cell phone companies with very reasonable packages. Two successes…yea!

This flag represents the aboriginal people of AustraliaWe have a couple of hours to explore Adelaide, it’s government buildings and botanical gardens. Since this is the capital of the state called South Australia there are a lot of grand buildings. We moved quickly through these and then had time to fit in a quick beach swim prior to turning in the car.

The highlight of Adelaide to me was the hotel at the airport. They have done a complete re-design and it is an enjoyable experience. I spend the better part of the night working on the blog and watching planes land.

I just finished my shower and looked up to see this…You’d think after 4 flights number 5 would be a non event but we’re both up before the alarm and the 2 minute enclosed walk to the departure area makes this a great experience. We are in the back of the plane and along with half the passengers we walk onto the tarmac and in the rear door. We did have to stop to let another plane park. Another first.

Like Dory and Marlin we’re off to Sydney

Kangaroo Island 01/28/19

Vivian Bay lodge offers use of their kayaks so after breakfast we are off to explore the nearby Harriet River as it winds a mile near Vivian Bay Beach. The kayak built for two worked well and soon we are walking on one of the top beaches in the country. Part of the beach is set aside to protect nesting hooded plovers. Like Cape Cods Piping plovers ground nesting is hard.

Showers, check out and off to explore the island. We head for the southeast end of the island. Passing Flinders Chase National Park we see people looking up and stop to watch a mom and baby koala in the tree near the parking lot. Very cute. Next stop is a rock formation called The Remarkable Rocks…yes they are.

aClose by is Admirals Arch but there were a few surprises. We park by the lighthouse and head down the boardwalk. Quite a bit of time is spent watching the waves roll in and up the rocks for the best photo. As we walk further down the walkway we see a few African Sea Lions and then more. It is fun to watch the pups play. Sheri had thought the arch was across from where we were walking and that it had been destroyed so when we rounded the turn at the end of the walkway we were amazed at seeing a huge arch. What an enjoyable place.

This is a big island and it takes almost 2 hours to get from the sea lions back to the ferry landing. The ferry crossing was much smoother than yesterday’s and the drive to Adelaide had none of the self inflicted drama…thank God.

After checking in we both wanted pizza and a Dominos was close by. We learned a little interesting fact about restaurants here. Since it is Australia Day the Dominos pizza adds a three dollar fee onto the food bill and I learned later that most places will add an extra fee to a bill on a Sunday or holiday. Also don’t ask for peppers on your pizza they say capsicums. La Di Da!

So the employee smiled when I asked how come they don’t tell you what kind of cheese is tasty or extra tasty…I skipped the Less Tasty brand cause I deserve Tasty!

After the 4 1/2 hour flight from Christchurch you are back in a little car heading for another hotel. Sheri’s out to check us in and I drive around looking for a place to park. The security guard tells me that parking out front would be best because of potential car damage. I park and find Sheri at the bar/front desk checking in. We have stumbled into a common occurrence here in Australia. The small hotels offer slot and off track betting on the first floor and rooms on the 2nd+ floors. While we were still wrapping our heads around that we met up with the security guard again.

During our 15 minute talk he explained that what we are seeing here is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many seniors, and others who go between the 8 gambling halls on this street spending more than they should and subverting the governments efforts to stop them. What government would provide all of these vices just because and then go back and try to legislate morality. Oh yea mine. He said it’s a runaway train here and I recognized the sounds.

We are soon on the highway joining a lot of others on this Australia Day holiday weekend. We come into the great Ocean Road that weaves along the southern coast of Australia. At one point we stop at a general store that supposedly has koala bears in the trees nearby… And they are there! Fun. The soft lime stone has been carved by the ocean into sites called The12 apostles, the London bridge, the arch, the cavern. Each one surrounded by swirling waters and hundreds of adoring fans.

We travel through vast golden brown farm fields with wind vanes and into a forest where wallabies graze and finally pass along fence a with thousands of shoes tied to it. When we finish this leg and shop for supper it’s arrival at 7:30 in Mount Gambier. A sunset of colorful clouds sends us to sleep.

Our host who is also a tour guide has such a nice book on her town that before we leave we drive around to see some of the highlights. The towns reservoir is located at the blue lake which is the inside of the youngest volcano in Australia. Further downtown a sinkhole and cave are filled with gardens. We hadn’t considered any stops in this town so it was a nice bonus.

We have just over five hours of driving to arrive at our ferry to kangaroo Island. Long long stretches of flat farmland and scattered cows go on for miles. When we realize we’re getting low on gas the towns are further apart and we’re told by the man outside an office that there’s no open gas in this town cause of the holiday so we head off 60 km to the next. My gas warning gauge is on and it reads that we have enough gas to go 68 km. Somewhere around the 40 km mark the number disappears from the dashboard. I expect the car to start sputtering. Then 30 k from the town is a surprise gas station and cafe. Our stress and anxiety is replaced by true joy cause we would have needed to walk a long way.

Maybe it’s that stress begets stress so about 15 km from the ferry I reach for my phone and I’m not finding it. We’re driving back to the gas station 10 minutes away. “Yes you left it on the petrol pump” said the cashier as I thanked her. Now rushing more than normal I don’t understand why that big camper won’t let me pass and as I pull into the boat within 10 minutes of departure I think what a day. Things need to get a lot better.

The rolling 45 minute boat trip gives us a chance to settle down and soon we are having a great fried dinner from a recommended seafood restaurant. We arrive at Vivian bay lodge after the staff had gone but we find help from other guests and their tour guide. The best thing she points out is the Koala family in the tree next to our car. We make 4 trips out to see them find a total of 4 scattered about. Before it got too dark I have also startled a nearby kangaroo while biking and watched a couple of wallabies in a field. Great end to the day!

Leanne said there was frost in her garden but my cold toes already knew. We were warm sleeping but a shower was not going to happen. After a nice breakfast we discovered Leanne was a Christian and praying together and for her daughter was a pleasure before heading off to Christchurch.

On the way we stop at a river that flows from the Mts near Arthur’s Pass, under a cool bridge and through Rakaia Gorge.

Soon we are in the city who’s name became linked with the tragedy of multiple earthquakes and still is working it through. Our first stop are the 185 white chairs in an empty lot that represent those killed that day. Of the hundreds injured many had hip fractures from being launched skyward by the heaving earth. The red zones contain entire neighborhoods condemned, demolished and left empty and eerie. The shanking earth pushed mud and sand up as houses sunk. I am told that scientists describe NZ’s fault lines like strings pulled too tight and a large quake is sadly overdue.

I choose to remember Christchurch as a place of joy; Joy Brett that is and her great family. Joy attended Pepperell Christian Fellowship and they raised their children in southern NH. Now they are almost all back in NZ and we enjoyed dinner with them at their home. I also received my first lesson in the strategy of cricket plus a lot of other NZ knowledge. Thanks

Our B&B fronts on a beautiful park and Kevin a longtime transplant from Korea is a great host. Though he has many local tips we know that most of our last day will be spent at the Willowbank Wildlife Preserve. Bethany, Joys youngest, is an employee there who specializes in care of the Kiwi birds. They exhibit and rehabilitate for release these reclusive flightless birds. She graciously led us through the enclosure providing antidotes reserved for a special group of caregivers. She bids us farewell so she can attend the hatching of their newest member. We enjoyed our visit to the Preserve and it filled some missing ‘to do’ pieces. Our 4 hour flight gets us into Melbourne by 730.

Inthe Red light which simulates night the shapes are Kiwi Flight 4, car 4, room 25.

NZ is so much crammed into a small space. The contrasts are at times overwhelming and the people were approachable and sincere. I just hope I didn’t mess them up too much with my wipers running at every intersection. Kia Ora…on to Oz

January 22 and 23

We head out toward the Caitlin Forest from our AirB&B in Invercargill. A little awkward carrying the luggage from the street around to the back of the house but it was a comfortable place. Yesterday’s winds have subsided as we round the south coast of New Zealand. Our stop at the Petrified forest is our closest pass to the South Pole and soon we’ll be putting our jackets away.

We make a stop at The Lost Gypsy. Our neighbor Kathy back in Camden asked us to stop in and say hi to her friend Blair. He has a shop of curious oddities and we can’t help but linger. A pit stop in the town of Owaka reveals another collection called Dougies Shed Man Cave. Everything is on display but not for sale. It’s a great collection of stuff!

On our way to our next VRBO we stop through Dunedin to see the beautiful train station and visit the very nice history museum. Tonights stay is not just tucked up into the hills across from the city but is part way to Harington Point where penguins might be seen. After dinner we drive up to the visitor center and decide that welcoming penguins after a 935 sunset would get us home after 11 so off to another beach. The yellow eyed variety nest in the hills of Allan’s Beach and we learn these early birds have already gone to bed. We settle for the antics of a group of playful seals (sea lions) and a walk on the beach before we head for bed.

The morning birdsongs are great and like most mornings I am trying to find them. Since we are headed out through Dunedin we locate the steepest residential street in the world. It was a heck of a walk up and walking down at times I felt as if I was going to fall forward.

We make our way to a geological wonder called Boulder Beach. We get just enough fun in with the boulders before the rain starts again. The town of Oamaru was an architectural oddity as it has a Main Street lined with multi story stone buildings erected when the port was a major shipping hub.

Our stop for coffee and Wi-Fi proved to take a bit too long as we need to hustle in order to catch our hostess before she went out for the evening. We need to meet her because it takes a 4 wheel drive to get into the back acreage. The house is totally off grid with solar lights etc and we reassure her that our boat living has prepared us for this. Dinner is cooked on propane and our night is relaxing reading and listening to music. It doesn’t get sufficiently dark till almost 10 pm and we sleep in the silence knowing the skies are clearing and we’ll see stars tonight.

I wake Sheri just as the moon is rising so she can see the southern cross just as it adorns both NZ and Aus flags.

January 20..

It’s only 20 minutes from the hotel to the pick up at Manapouri. We meet the four others at 9:30 that will be sharing the next 24 hours with us on Doubtful Sound. This area has a weather pattern that cannot be predicted due to strong fronts that run up from Antarctica and roll up and down the fjord walls that are over a thousand feet high. When we start out here it’s partly sunny and mild. By the time we attempt to cross out into the Tasman Sea nobody questions the captains decision to come about. Rain and wind are the order of the day and we make the best by watching from the enclosures.

The Captain takes us out sitting back foot upon the wheelAfter a lunch of stew and bread we realize that food will be another important component. The rain fills our shoes when we are fishing and the wind had the force to blow the waterfalls up making a fog. Our room on the top deck was originally to be shared but we are the only occupants and it’s the best place to invite all in to watch natures spectacle. Now we have an enviable glass enclosed rooftop home to share.

we are so small at anchorage we get nice and close and then closer. Good way to clean the windless Our captain and mate are locals while the cook is German. The other couples are from Belfast Ireland and Scotland. So after dinner conversation floats between political issues we all see playing out on a global stage and we are glad to be here deep in a land unaffected by these so very important teacup tempests. We sleep closer to the South Pole than the equator.

kEach meal is presented by the chef after all are served. A half a fresh caught lobster served cold is served prior to a fish plate with a hollandaise that was great….but I digress. Breakfast scrambled eggs with lobster and champagne sautéed mushrooms…oh I digress again. Thankfully the weather broke for and hour so I could enjoy a dry kayak trip way around our anchorage.

We are all left with a sense of how small we are within this majesty. The huge Manapouri Hydro Station outflow tube is a reminder of why there is access to this remote location. The 22k road will always be the most expensive road in the country. Our exit retraces our (22k) 50 min van ride over the mountain and the hour long ferry ride over Lake Manapouri.

Returning by 11:30 left us time for one more adventure recommended by Jan our cook. We traveled back to Te Anau and after some errands got a venison lunch at a great food cart and watched a documentary “Fiordland On Film” about the area we just visited shot from helicopters. Great extra perspective.

The final leg of the day brings us to Invercargill through towns that appear to be frozen or just forgotten. A nice look into the past but not a lot of hope for tomorrow.

The opening for an old gold mineSince today was going to be rain we headed for some stores to do some shopping. It’s amazing how many US teams that have merchandise in stores here. Souvenir time and then off to get a pint. The only criteria I had was a fireplace and the staff at Pig & Whistle obliged by firing up the gas log. substitute rain for warm above The firemen in Queenstown insert the ‘hydrant’ into the pipe under the street leaving dogs sad as it is removed afterwards.

I even tried to get Jim Gibson to spot us on the local webcam… maybe he saw us? After those shenanigans we headed for Te Anau for a night at the Shakespeare House B&B. This will provide for a quick AM trip to Manapouri where we will get boat one to our overnight boat on Doubtful Sound.

sometimes there are just so many sheep!!While Sheri rested I shared a robust discussion with a young English couple traveling all around the world for 7 months and a Australian couple in NZ for 4 weeks. About 10:30 we were informed we were a bit too robust for thin walls.

No worries…