2023 Australia / New Zealand

March 19 to April 10, 2023 Guided tour of Australia / New Zealand

We were finally able to take the long flight Down Under to see Australia and New Zealand. It was a great adventure!

Australia is about the same size as the United States. The entire lower 48 states of the US is 3.3M square miles and Australia is 3.0M square miles. Just imagine seeing the United States in a short time – trying to see New York, The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, and San Francisco. You get a taste of many of the parts, but not an in-depth understanding of the whole. Why would you skip Yellowstone? And the Black Hills? Plus the amount of time you are in an airplane or bus takes away from visit time, even though it is needed to get to all the places. We did a lot in the 23 days we were gone. 

Overall, we saw the highlights of Australia: the Great Barrier Reef, the rainforest, “outback” it felt like it was a good overview of what is there. 

In New Zealand, we saw the South and North islands, the North and South coasts and some key cities. We even spent time in hot volcanic mineral water! 

The People in both Australia and New Zealand were Great! They are friendly and had a good sense of humor. Both countries had fabulous places to see and visit. I’m really glad we went and we could easily go back again.

I have a mixed review of the tour. Many of the experiences were a bit more “tourist trap” than I would have liked. A few too many tours around town on the bus. Not as much “overview” of what we were seeing and why. But as time passes, my perspective is shifting, especially as I look at the pictures and remember how lovely it was. I’m REALLY glad we went!

Of course, there were kangaroos and koalas. (Both of these pictures were made in special parks/zoos/habitat areas, but we did see two kangaroos in the wild from the bus!)

Kangaroo with an attitude 

They are as soft and cute as you would expect 

We had 6 flying days. 23 total days away from home. 

We went with 5 friends on the Odyssey “Exploring Australia & New Zealand” Tour. There were a total of 23 members of the tour party. So many new friends!  (https://odysseys-unlimited.com/tours/australia-the-south-pacific/exploring-australia-new-zealand/

Cairns

The whole group! Left to Right: Ann Zimmerman, Moon Lim, Lynn Clifford, Jerry Pierce, Sue Mohme, Chris Mohme, Chu Chang, Barbara Pierce, Spencer Allen, Terri McDevitt, Chris McDevitt, Chris VirgilioSteve Virgilio, Jon Hee, Sharon Hee, Lois Dubbeling, Doug Bredow, Kaleen Baker, Judy Busch, Linda Labella, Helen Katz, Maria Delaney, Wendy Shearer, Claudia Bredow, Mavis Sager.

We had a bit of a dance even before we left for the trip. Odyssey was going to do the transportation, but offered us a bad flight to Australia with a six hour layover in Los Angeles – crazy. This may be our last Odyssey trip because of that. Nevertheless, we self booked our transportation for a direct flight from SFO and arrived a day early in Cairns – a good decision! Got an Uber from the airport to a really nice hotel (the Pullman) and off to tour on foot to keep ourselves awake!

Our Uber driver was great! He gave us an overview of what was possible around town and even made some recommendations of places to eat and visit. All of our interactions with Australians were really friendly. We arrived at Cairns in the late morning and went out for lunch and walk up the harbor at low tide. The birds! So many fun birds. And incredible history along the way.

Bar-tailed Godwit (Breeding Female)

Magpie-lark

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

Australian Pelican

Masked Lapwing

Australian Magpie

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Bush Thick-knee

Rainbow Lorikeet

We went to the hotel pool to cool off and saw a batch of birds flying overhead and towards the bay. But they didn’t look right – more batlike. Sure enough fruit bats! The next night I was able to photo them in flight, and Spencer caught one in the tree across the street from the hotel!

Spencer got this GREAT photo of the Flying Fox Bat eating across the street from our Hotel. (Jerry is envious!)

Went for a walk to the Cemetery, a tradition in Barbara’s family!

So it’s next to the official rainforest – lots of rain! And rainbows…

Visited the Botanical Park/Art Museum (in an old oil tank) – good thing – it began to POUR! Duh – Rain forest!

Visited the Aquarium

A look back at the bridge/waterfall we had passed

After the welcome dinner, the “official” tour began on Wednesday March 22, 2023. Off on a “vintage” train from Cairns to Kuranda – in the rainforest nearby. It’s about 10 miles from Cairns up Barron Gorge to the waterfalls.  SURPRISE! It was rainy in the rainforest!

The train stopped for us to see the Barron Falls – LOTS of cameras out, foggy day.

This is an overview of our time in Cairns (pronounced “Cans”). The airport is close, just north of downtown. 

View from the train toward Cairns

Some of us hopped on a boat for a tour of the top of the Barron River behind the top of the waterfalls

Some of us went to the beach and got up-close and personal with the reef. Jerry and Chu snorkeled for a bit.

Then on Thursday it was time to go to sea! Of the coast of Australia is the Great Barrier reef… It’s about 30 miles off shore so we took  the Ocean Spirit for a few hours at high speed … a bumpy ride. Many of our group found out they can be sea sick… 

The island had thousands of birds of all types. These didn’t want “Leroy” to land and mess up their spot.

Our spotter

Fish Feeding next to the ship. We also saw GIANT Clams in a glass bottom boat. They were big enough for a grandchild or two to sit in!

Alice Springs

Friday was a change of scenery … Off to the desert, the “outback”, the Northern Territory – Alice Springs! We took two flights that took most of the day to make the move some 1,300 miles from Cairn. 

Off the airplane and a 110°F welcome. 

On arrival we made two stops – to learn about the “Royal Flying Doctors” (healthcare in the outback) and “School of the Air.” (distance learning….)

Basically the Northern Territory has the population of a big city spread out over a big country. The total population is 232,000 and covers 521,000 square miles. Compared to California that is 156,000 square miles so it is 3.3x larger than California.  (California’s population is 39 million or 169x larger.). So to service this area they needed to fly medical treatment around and create schools based on early “Zoom.” 

The passenger train was arriving when as we approached town. 

Our trek around Alice Springs hit about 6 sites in two days. Day 1 was close to the downtown and then day 2 we went to the Desert Park, Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm followed by dinner at a faux cattle/sheet ranch. All good!

View of Alice Springs. There is a mostly dry river through town – probably with water below. They hold boat races each year – without water. 

The airport is home to the mothball fleet – it’s hot and dry so an excellent storage location. Big sky country. Super clear, bright sun and clouds.

Saturday was off to explore the Alice Springs Desert Park to see the local animals. Really well done as a sanctuary and opportunity for visitors. 

In the outback you NEED kangaroos. 

This was our first introduction to the “dot art” of the indigenous  people. “U” shapes are for people. This art represented all people coming together from their local group (see the footprints in all colors). 

One highlight was a bird show.
They put on a good show of local birds that have been well trained. I’m partial to owls. 

This guy was right above the audience and didn’t move at all. His secret power? Look like a log.  

Just another spider – a local, not in captivity… 😉

The tree bark was so interesting.  

Black-breasted Buzzard

Then to some landmarks – first was Simpsons Gap located about 15 miles from Alice. 

Great texture in the rocks and plants

Another “wild” friend

Then we continued down the road to Standley Chasm – about 35 miles from Alice.

Simpson’s Gap

Standley Chasm – seasonal wetland!

The Group (missing a few)

Chris, Jon, Sharon, Barbara, Lynn, Sue, Ann, Chris, Terri, Claudia, Doug, Judy, Chris, Lois, Kaleen – Mavis (tour guide) in front 

Missing: Steve, Spencer, Moon, Chu, Helen, Wendy, Maria, Jerry

We finished the day by going to a  ranch BBQ. It was a very well done performance of a ranch in the style of Alice Springs. Great food, fun entertainment. The “cowboy” in the hat made bread in a dutch oven and wowed us all.

On the drive in we saw kangaroos in the wild – I have a good imagination and I think that’s a joey in her front pocket… Taken from the bus going fast. It was a lucky shot!,

At the “ranch”

A beautiful night with spectacular stars. The moon and Venus..

The evening entertainment was a local gal and she asked Maria, Wendy, Helen and Kaleen to join in. They represented our group with great gusto and enthusiasm.

Yulara

Moving On … Hop on the bus and head off to Yulara. It’s about a 250 mile bus ride with a stop in the middle at a crazy “rest stop” with EMu’s and full coffee bar and deli.

We stay in the town of Yulara and visited the two sacred mountains of the Indigenous people – the Uluru and Kata Tjuṯa. There are many protected areas in the region for the aboriginal people and there is a National Park protecting these two mountains working in connection with the local tribes. 

Emu – they beg and have a nasty peck. (From experience)

I wish I had seen these maps before/during our visit! The entire region is protected areas. The two natural monuments are about 20 miles apart.
The Yulara town/resort is where we stayed (and clearly LOTS of other visitors – given the number of busses that appeared at sunset at Uluru). 

Kata Tjuṯa is a massive rock formation in the middle of flat. It is sacred for the Indigenous people. We took a hike up the valley in 100+ degrees for a closer view. Barbara nearly melted.

Uluru

At the end of the day we joined the masses of visitors and crazy number of busses! – to view sunset on the Uluru. The REAL sunset was behind the busses. 🙂 So many people, so little viewing opportunities. Some aboriginal women came out to sell their paintings and Barbara bought some with photos of the artists. At the Cultural Center we picked up a template with descriptions of what all the markings signify. Wish we had more time to learn about their culture. The area was “just stunning.”

And after one night at a GREAT resort hotel, we left for our trip to Sydney.

Sydney

We arrived in Sydney in the late afternoon and started the bus adventure on March 27. The (rainy) tour took us to parts of the Botanic Garden, along the shore, stop to see surfers at Bondi Beach and many of the residential areas of town. 

Lookout near Gap Park

Bondi Bay

Lookout near Gap Park

Around noon we gather and take a “Majestic Cruise” around the Sydney harbor.  

Our first close look at the iconic Opera House

Services requested by spanish tourists – Spencer obliges.

You can spend $100 to walk on the bridge – no cell phone, just your body. Not for me.

How do you get that picture you ask?

Sydney has a striking skyline!

Barbara, Ann and I went for a walk around the City. This may be my favorite photo of the trip.  We think they are related or at least check in about clothing choices.

Queen Victoria Shopping Center

Peacock fountain.

So explain the man/bull…

All good cities have fun public art! Jerry took us o a free public art tour.

The next morning we hopped on the bus and went 30 miles north to the “Featherdale Wildlife Park” for up-close interactions with the famous Australian creatures. Yes, it was a tourist trap, but really when you can get this close to the soft furry creatures, who cares?  

So cute, so soft, so willing to eat from your hand.

Now THAT’s an attitude!

Yep, we provide food, they provide entertainment!

Back to Sydney and The  tour of the inside of the opera house. Wow, what a design!

Opera House from the other side.

More fruit bats just hangin out!

New Zealand

We leave Australia and head over the channel to New Zealand!

A quick overnight and morning tour of Christchurch. Light rain, but a pleasant day.

A delightful church-like building!

New Zealand is known for sheep, wool and possums. Yes, possums. We went to a wonderful demonstration of herding and sheering. This wasn’t a fake “for the tourists.” These guys were the real thing. Best stop we made on the trip!

Showing us how to train the dogs. (notice the cameraman in the background).

It is clear these dogs LOVE their work!

I was amazed at how calm the sheep acted during the sheering.
I suspect he knew all the ways to make the sheep feel controlled and without options. Surprisingly when laying on their backs they looked super relaxed!

Hand sheering. STRONG hand muscles. No arthritis (yet). Notice naked sheep.

The description. The mechanism in the background is the mechanical cutter that he will use. 

The machine cutter in action. 

Mt. Cook

We drive across the South Island to the other coast (well sort of). Compared to Australia, New Zealand is a small place. We headed to the hills.
Mt. Cook is only about 12,200 ft high, but the surrounding area is down at 2,000′ so it’s a significant climb AND it has glaciers all around with a serious snow cover. Part of the Southern Alps. 

Arrival at sunset with a nice moon overhead. 

The Mt. Cook area is known for great star gazing. We went out around 10pm and the light is Moonlight on the hills and on Barbara and Spencer.

This is a National Park and we stayed at the lodge (seen here as that grey lump center right of this valley.) We took this picture as we walked up the valley to see another glacier – to Kea Point. 

The rooms were GREAT! I think all rooms looked out at Mt. Cook. This was taken at night (that’s the moon) from one of the room’s deck  (thank you Ann). 

The clouds kept creeping toward Mt. Cook – but we kept having a good look!

There are many glaciers in the area – all melting back. We signed up for one of the special tours with Sam and we got up-close and personal with Tasman Lake and parts of glaciers that have broken off. 

We all fit on one boat. 

As the iceberg melted it kept shifting. The lines are former places that were flat on the water. Sam said this one would be completely melted in about a week.

Sam’s view of the boat. 

Queenstown

We leave Mt. Cook and take the bus ride to Queenstown. We did a few stops on the way – to visit a winery and tasting, to see the bungie/zip line adventure and arrived at the ski resort/summer resort town of Queenstown.
It felt a lot like the ski town of Vale/Whistler with modern shops and LOTS of ways to spend your money. Soon after our arrival one of our members tested positive for Covid. (Damn.) 

SOME folks took the zip line leap. 

One of the big lakes on the drive to Queenstown

Lake Wakatipu next to Queenstown. 

And it tastes good too!

This is the ship we took for the tour.

On our boat ride we had a brief look of a school of dolphins fishing (with their babies)

At one of the rest stops on the way back (finally, some sun!)

All stylishly masked up – no one else came down with Covid.

The next day we took the LONG bus ride to Milford Sound. It was a rainy cloudy day so not great for photos, but GREAT for all the waterfalls along the route. The plan was to fly back, but the weather was not good for flying, so a long bus ride both ways. We did see the Tasman Sea. So cozy to all mask on the bus ride….

The clouds kept creeping toward Mt. Cook – but we kept having a good look!

This is coming out of the tunnel looking down the valley.

Skippers Canyon

Some of us took the day trip to see Skippers Canyon. It was due North of Queenstown, on a SUPER narrow one way road, and we had tea at an old school house. The area was heavily mined for gold and they used the water canon approach to mess up the land. This was a thriving town of 1000!

Gorilla’s Rock 

The driver took our picture

There is a speedboat going up the very shallow shotover river.

Shotover River in Skippers Canyon

The one lane road sometimes has a commuter lane! These cows are being moved to market. They were not used to seeing humans and DID NOT WANT to come close to us. The dogs kept herding them and they made LOTS of noise telling us how much they didn’t like us. 

Many of these piles are man-made as a result of gold mining.

As we exited the canyon we had a look down the valley toward Queenstown

Fall is on the way!

Later in the day we take the gondola up above Queenstown (clouds have moved in) to see the sights and hike around.

Rotorua

We made the last flight of the trip up to Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. It is a volcano and lots of hot springs. The original occupants – the Maori – consider this as sacred land and have established a center for continuing their traditions and sharing them with younger people. They can study their history, weaving, carving wood, bone and stone.  It’s really nice to see!

They imported Redwood Trees – they really like New Zealand.  

Sunset on the Rotorua Caldera 

At the Maori Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve we get up close to the eruptions of the Pohutu geyser

A Part of the mission of the facility is to teach Maoris the old ways of art.

The end of the night the Maori told us a story with song and dance. Very educational. 

Full moon rising over the geyser (from the dining room).

Ruakuri Cave Tour

On the drive to Auckland we stopped at the Ruakuri Caves – featuring Glow Worms! Fascinating learning how glow worms survive. 

Auckland

We covered a lot of the harbor and city.  

Ann and Barbara discovered absolutely stunning flowers

Maori boat with Spencer acting in the spirit of the Gods

Statue on the way to the museum, a local butcher volunteered to pose and shocked all the townswomen who refused to go into the park!

At Bastion Point 

Auckland – City of Sails – from the bus looking at all the sailboats in the marina

Waiheke Island

A herd of us all booked tickets on the Fullers360 Ferry to Waiheke Island. A delightful place with wineries and lots of tourist things to do. We could/should have spent the night here! Back to the hotel for one final drinking party, then off to the airport for the return trip home.  

Onetangi Beach

View from Mudbrick Vineyard toward Auckland 

We are finding new ways to hold gear 😉

Our final get together cocktail hour!)

Departure from the dock on Waiheke Island

Sunset on approach to Auckland from the ferry

I have posted many more pictures to a separate set of albums. You can download from these albums or just ask and I can send you any one you want in better resolution or without that annoying copyright notice. 
I will post links to other sites that you send me for access to Chris’ photos or Spencers or anyone else. Just send me the link.

The link to my pictures that are posted on Adobe Lightroom: https://adobe.ly/3zbF1kP