| We flew to Auckland,
toured for a week, cruised 2 weeks, drove in Australia for a week |
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| Bob
and Helen picked us in Auckland and played tour guide for a week. Driving Creek Railway |
A
stunning view over Whitianga harbour from the deck. |
We
looked out over this wonderful bay to the route our ship would sail. |
We
expored the shores and inland on the Coromandel Peninsula. B&H were introduced to Geocaching. |
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| A
drive took us to world famous, Rotorua. One geyser erupted each day at 10:15... using soap flakes. |
We
enjoyed a very special dinner while we revolved in the Auckland Tower. Breathtaking views! |
The
most popular item on a menu was "Flat White", a cup spread with whipped milk & a dust of chocolate. |
Our
cruise aboard the Statendam began in Auck- land and ended in Sydney. Many ports had pine logs waiting for export. |
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| Nothing sets off a
cruise as much as fantastic food. The dining room is one space everyone loves. |
A massive blender
made these pineapple margaritas. Refills were only $4! |
Most every plate of
food was a work of art. This kangaroo meat was a little stringy! |
Highlights of the
sail were these "islands" , a smoking volcano and Milford Sound. |
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| Tauranga: a tour to a Maori
Village and a lesson in the Haka. |
Napier: we walked a self-guided
tour of the "deco"
architecture and lunched near these fellows. |
Christchurch:
it rained! We hustled from cover to cover including the streetcar
with town
crier. |
Most places had
caches within walking distance. Dunedin had one in the "Octagon"
town centre. |
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| Picton: A couple who owned a B&B near this small
town, took us on a local tour of wineries. |
We found ourselves
in two Australian
zoos and one in New Zealand. This emu
made the throaty noise. |
We climbed 200
stairs to attend the Sydney
Opera House but not for an opera. We saw Raymonda, a ballet. |
Every city had its
special art. Notable were the sculptures in and Wellington
& Melbourne. |
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| Australian beaches
are fantastic! We walked along several. This was from the Captain
Cook Lookout. |
A morning view of Byron Bay, just south of the
famous "Sunshine Coast". The temperature was about 28 celsius! |
During an evening
walk in Boonah, this awesome sunset
entertained. We were on Mount French. |
Our "Queenslander" in Brisbane. They are surrounded by veranda and often have air space under- neath. | |||