Sydney, Australia

Everyone knows about Sydney, one of the world's beautiful cities. The harbor dominates the area, and the Opera House and Bridge dominate the city.  Yesterday we hiked the entire peninsula, through Hyde Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Dawes Point, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Australian National Maritime Museum, and back to our hotel.  Our hotel is located just east of Darling Harbour and close to bus and subway terminals.  We took a ferry last night across the harbor to have dinner with friends.  Big day!  Now Dawn is telling me she feels the effects this morning.

Walking through Hyde Park, Sydney.

In the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens; very large and lush.  I hadn't realized how tropical Sydney is; we are told that you can snorkel and see coral formations on the coast here.

Downtown Sydney as seen from the Botanic Gardens; you can easily walk from one to the other.  Cities are so noisy; the park is a nice relief.

Downtown as seen from Mrs Macquaries's Point, an excellent place from which to take photos.

We watched this cute lady take 20-30 selfies from Macquarie's Point.  The Opera House and Sydney bridge are in her background.  Many people like selfies, and Asians more than most.

The Botanic Gardens were lush, beautiful, and had a very tropical feel. I didn't realize how warm the climate is here.  The Gardens include Macquarie's point, an excellent sightseeing location.  From there, the Opera House is clearly visible, but it isn't until you are up close to the Opera House that its huge size and amazing engineering and detail in construction become obvious.  The Circular Quay is the center of all ferry operations.  The Rocks is an area undergoing redevelopment. The Sydney bridge is massive, especially noted when standing close. Bridge walk tours, providing views from the very top are popular.  Barangaroo is an area in the middle of large-scale development.  Darling Harbour has many restaurants and tourist attractions.

This bridge is massive; best appreciated from up close.  Walking to the top of the bridge span is a popular activity.  You could see little ant-like figures standing up there.  Not on our schedule; Dawn doesn't like heights, and we didn't have time.

The circular quay (pronounced "key"), where all ferry boats come together, as seen from the Opera House.  We rode ferries to Mosman and to Manly, a good way to see the harbour and sailboats.

The Opera House is another structure which is best appreciated from up close.  The proportions are huge.

Today we visited Bondi Beach, the classic surfer beach.  The waves weren't high today, but it still was very scenic; bounded on both ends by rocky cliffs with the white foam from crashing waves and the brilliant aquamarine water.  Our final destination was Manly Beach. The ferry ride there provides an excellent view of much of the harbor. Sailboats were out in large numbers enjoying stiff breezes.  Our explorations have included transportation by subway trains, buses, and ferries.  Learning how to navigate such a system is an enjoyable challenge, bringing us closer to everyday life here.

 Famous Bondi Beach looking from the south end.  Many surfers out today, but the waves are only moderate.

Great fun and good exercise at Bondi Beach.  Best to take the bus there from downtown.

A breeze sprang up and hundreds of sailboats were quickly launched on the Harbour.

Most of the boats here are rather large; perhaps sponsored by a company?

One of the smallest sailboats we saw; flying the spinnaker and traveling fast.  I think it is a Flying Dutchman, about 19 feet long.

Our last stop, Manly Beach.  Even though Fall is arriving, it is still warm enough to splash in the surf.

We took a taxi to the airport on our last day.  The subway train would have been faster and cheaper, but we were leaving at rush hour and had plenty of luggage to tote.  Not good to lug down the stairs and through the crowds. We faced a 13-hour flight to San Francisco.  The last time I crossed the Pacific by air was fifty years ago, coming home from my second tour in Vietnam.  It brought back memories.  Dawn says we are never going to take such a long flight again; not fun or healthy.

I was supposed to go to an USAF dental continuing education meeting the day after getting home; on that day I got up at 0540, dressed, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth and headed for the door.  Then I said to myself, "If you don't fall asleep on the road driving there, you will fall asleep once you sit down in the lecture hall.  Then you will fall out of your chair onto the floor."  So, I undressed, went back to bed, and slept for four more hours.  In the past, I had at least been able to get a little sleep when flying, but this time I had been awake continuously for 32 hours on the day before.

Australia- Melbourne

We arrived in Melbourne at sunset.  This is the evening view from our hotel room.  What an engaging light show!  We also got up to take a sunrise photo  Our hotel, the Langham Melbourne is in a great location.

Our trip duration has gone past one month, and it is about time to head home.  Our flight from NZ to AU took us two time zones further west.  Australia requires a visa, but it can be completed simply online.  We are now eight time zones from Colorado and one day later. We have enough UA flight points to fly home free from Sydney, but first we have to get to Sydney. We have been very lucky with weather; it was fine when sightseeing during the morning, and then rained while we were waiting for our flight from Queenstown.

When surrounded by the big city, we always retreat to a quiet park.  This is Fitzroy Park, located right next to downtown; large, shaded, and well-cared for.

A co-ed crew rowing on the river.  A row of boat houses for these shells and kayaks are located a short distance east of us in Alexandra Gardens.

Melbourne (pronounced "Melburn") is a very large city with an impressive skyline.  They have an 88th floor Skydeck viewing platform of the city just one block from our hotel, but we actually got better photos from our own hotel room on the 21st story (less back light and cleaner glass).  Many construction cranes are visible around the area building new skyscrapers.  Instead of a B&B, we are downtown near the urban attractions: the river, shopping, a million restaurants, and a major transportation terminal.  But we are here only for the weekend.

Downtown as seen from the 88th floor of the SkyDeck in late afternoon.  Dawn wanted to catch the sunset here, but weather didn't cooperate.

Our first day was spent walking and riding the tram.  Trams are free within the city center, as such they are also crowded; you will find yourself standing, hanging on to an overhead strap.  The shopping areas were swarmed with pedestrians. The sidewalks were congested, and, to make it worse, there is no common understanding of which side to walk on- right, left, whatever.  So we retreated to the quiet, beautiful parks: Fitzroy Gardens, Carlton Gardens, Alexandra Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens. Our hotel is near the river promenade; there must be fifty restaurants in a row on the promenade and all were crowded tonight. The promenade itself was crowded and had attracted a series of street performers as well.  Great for people watching.

The river promenade, an endless row of shops and restaurants with tons of customers.  Our hotel is just 50 yards to the left of this photo.  Downtown is on the right bank.

 A flower bed in the Royal Botanic Gardens.  So many nice parks!  Even though it is April, equivalent to our October weather, you can see that the climate is mild.

Our trip on the hop on/ hop off bus was disappointing. No amazing history or architecture; The local people and events described were unfamiliar, and, when spoken with Australian accents, not completely comprehensible.  The beaches were long, wide, and uncrowded.  The National Art Gallery of Victoria  is having an interesting modern art show, free and open to crowds.

Our flight to Sydney was unremarkable.  We used a taxi to get to the airport as it is somewhat distant, and we had plenty of luggage; still toting that extra bag we had to buy when my luggage was initially delayed for four days out of LAX.

Arrowtown, Queenstown, NZ

Next we moved to a B&B in Arrowtown, sort of a NZ version of Vail, CO, and originally a gold rush encampment. This morning we shared breakfast with couples from England, Netherlands, and Australia.  It creates quite a diverse conversation. We gained information on local attractions as well as information in preparation for our visit to Australia.  We have electric bicycles reserved for a day and jet boat river canyon ride reservations for later in the week.  Today we did a five-mile hike, toured a gold camp preservation, and bought groceries. Generally when traveling, we have a good B&B breakfast and have one grocery store meal (bread, luncheon meat, fruit) and one restaurant meal during the afternoon/ evening.

Lake Hayes, near Arrowtown.  A walk around the lake takes a solid two hours and includes great scenery.

Looking north, from a mountain road to the Remarkables ski area, to Lake Hayes and Arrowtown NE of the lake.  In winter, the ski slopes begin only a few thousand feet above the lake level.

We rented bikes and rode trails down the Arrow River; this is Dawn crossing a pedestrian bridge.

  Unhooking a bungy jumper.  We could have watched all day as people, tourists from all over the world, continuously stepped over the edge of the bridge.  This "sport" is not cheap, but also attracts a large crowd of spectators (which is free).  Restaurant and bathrooms available.

Coming from Arrowtown towards Queenstown (about ten miles apart); the Coronet Peak Skifield is just behind us.

Our B&B in Arrowtown is the perfect location. Easy walking distance to stores, restaurants, attractions, and the river.  Lake Hayes is on the edge of Arrowtown; we hiked around the lake enjoying the early Fall scenery while getting some exercise. Yesterday we rented e-bikes and rode for six hours following a scenic river valley.  We stopped at the famous bungy-jumping bridge on the Arrow River and watched for a while.  Seemed like many more females than males jumped, also watched a couple jump together. Then we rode on down the valley, past a series of wineries, until we stopped at a small restaurant, converted from a church, for an outdoor meal.  At times the bike trail followed near the edge of the deep river canyon: no time to get distracted and make a wrong turn. The e-bike assist came in handy when returning uphill and against the wind.

 Jet boating on the Shotover River.  Another expensive pastime which takes no talent but is fun.  These boats have 700 hp and can go over 50 mph.  They have almost a flat bottom and can maneuver quickly including a 360 degree spin.  Yes, we participated.

Jet boating on the Shotover River was very exciting, a true thrill ride, but also an expensive form of entertainment.  I prefer activities that require at least some skill and effort; like the biking and hiking we do.  Bungy jumping is also one of those activities that can be completed successfully by a sack of potatoes; they only need to weigh you to hook you up safely.  But can you do it?  Do you trust them?

Looking across Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown.  A very scenic area; the water really is that blue.

Looking west, past the airport at Frankton, toward Queenstown on the lake shore.  It was raining hard when we flew out later, and you had to walk to the airplane, even the ramp and luggage had no rain cover.  How ridiculous!

We ventured into Queenstown today: not a parking spot in sight and congested sidewalks. We drove right through and found a hiking spot along the lake.  We do have one night booked in Queenstown; rather expensive on the west end of town; it should be nice and include parking.  New Zealand in general is fairly expensive; more so than we have experienced in Europe. Perhaps it only seems that way because the US dollar has declined 10% in value since last Fall. Every outdoor activity can be experienced from Queenstown, but area is highly commercial, and you will need an ample budget for activities beyond hiking the tracks.

A telephoto view of Fjordland National Park as seen from north of Glenorchy.  It is said that many scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed in this area.

Dawn wanted to get a picture of sheep with the mountains in the background, but the sheep refused to cooperate and moved away as she approached.  Perhaps if she paid them......

Te Anau & Milford

The town of Te Anau is located on  big, beautiful Lake Te Anau. The town is big enough to have all amenities, but small enough to not feel congested.  Our B&B is very near the beach and Park visitors' center. A walking trail, located near our accommodations, extends for many miles into the surrounding natural areas. Our hostess was from Chile, a very nice woman.  She came for a short stay.... eleven years ago.  We heard similar stories from others we met.

As you can see from the size of the boat, Lake Te Anau is a very large lake.  This beautiful boat, "Faith", was tied up to the dock at the end of main street Te Anau.

If you don't like the other picture, we found a real 'fixer upper" in a nearby yacht basin.

Te Anau is the gateway to Milford Sound. The drive to the Sound (actually a fjord) is 75 miles of narrow, winding road with no roadside services. In some places it is a single lane, including a single-lane unlined tunnel. Driving there, we encountered a recent accident; a vehicle gone over an embankment, standing on its nose, resting against some trees. On the way back, that crash had been cleared, but we encountered another accident where a vehicle had skidded across lanes, did a "180" slide, and laid on its side in the shrubbery.  The speed limit in most places is 100 kph (62 mph), but your common sense says that is too fast. Many tourists take that road. Could these accidents be the result of driving on the wrong side?  We are glad to be driving a smallish Toyota hatchback rather than one of the many camper vans.

View from the dock on Milford Sound.  Beautiful surroundings!

View looking inland from a tour boat on the fjord; rocky, steep mountains.

It had rained the night before our visit, and many waterfalls were cascading off the steep walls which could easily be 500' high.

Milford Sound is interesting, but our judgement was that it is not a "have to see" destination.  Some say Doubtful Sound is better, and, of course, if you visit Doubtful, then they will tell you about another fjord which is even more scenic.  I think it is a case of "one-up-manship". Towering sheer rock walls with many waterfalls but that can be seen in any area with fjords. We found other equally interesting sights at road pull offs along the route.

What are we looking at?  We are peering vertically into a deep crevice worn in the rock with a stream gushing through the gap below.