Three Americans and a Swede: Round 3 - New Zealand/Australia

Day 10: Great Barrier Reef The first thing we accomplished in Cairns was eating some oysters, the second was surviving a choppy boat ride out to Green Island, and the third was snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef.  Which called for some standard reef selfies, above water and...  Below Mandy had the best under water spotting of the day, a sting ray. She also won best over water spotting, a reef shark... That big guy was out and about with us the whole time! Oh and you see that hat lying next to th me shark, yes that is the silly Swede’s. While the Swede was busy losing his hat, Kelly and I hired some chairs and hung out on the beach admiring the crystal blue waters around the reef.  Green Island was an interesting little escape out to snorkel the reef. It was an awesome experience.  The ride out was pretty miserable for a couple of us, but with a properly chosen seat on the boat.... everyone survived without a barf bag!  We celebrated with a drink and a snack right...

Day 7: Last day in Wanaka We spent the rainy day walking around town, enjoying our last day with these beautiful lake/Mountain Views.  Then, we went to a movie. Why would someone go to a movie in a faraway land, when they can go anytime? Because Wanaka had two cute one of a kind theaters, that needed to be checked out. It appears they started the trend of comfy couches and food while you eat, Harkins and the rest of them must have just stole the idea.  We finished the day at the best restaurant in New Zealand, so the rumor goes. We chose the “Feed me” option, so the chef just sent whatever he wanted to our table. It was so fun! Days 8 and 9: Malia’s Birthday from the future We made it to Sydney, Australia. Took a standard opera house selfie, checked out some food and a walking tour about their convict history.  We happened to be in Sydney, the first day of the 10th anniversary of the Vivid festival. Lights all over town. It was pretty cool.  We woke up to a beautiful...

Day 5: When it rains, it pours... so why not go wine and beer tasting? While graciously agreeing to be the designated driver and photographer, Kelly tried her hand at left side driving. She was a pro, of course. Handled all the hard lefts and wide rights like a champ. We started off at Rippon Winery, a vineyard right on the lake.  The view from the winery was pretty even with all the rain clouds. Then, Rhyme and Reason Brewery. It was a nice lazy day of tastings... we also checked out the Lazy dog winery and bistro and Wanaka Beerworks. Then, came back for a soak and some homemade dinner a la Kelly. Kelly gets the MVP for the day. Man, we’re lucky! Day 6: Wild Wire Via Ferrata We learned about a climbing technique called Via Ferrata, which began in Italy in WWI. They used this technique to help soldiers who were inexperienced climbers get thru the mountains. The couple who started the company have climbed all over the world. They decided to bring it back to...

Day 3: We woke up to a rainy day in Queenstown. We had breakfast on the lake where we watched the mountains come in and out of the clouds.  We took the Skyline Gondola up the Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve, where you are normally promised fantastic views. What do you think of our views? Guess you can’t get mad at the weather... We drove through Queenstown a bit. But since it was pouring so hard, we decided to just hit the road for Wanaka. On the way, we stopped at an old mining town called Arrowtown. We had lunch and checked out the little shops. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So from there, we grabbed the shortest route and headed through the Crown Range. The road was anything but straight. If you can distract yourself from those gorgeous snow capped mountains, you can see several of our hair pin turns. But we made it safe and sound to our new home for the week. First order of business was a nice little soak in a hot tub and then we s...