FINAL DAY AND THOUGHTS

The final day was spent in 3 planes and we eventually landed a Heathrow at 4.50am on 23rd February. Was it worth it - yes it certainly was. What will we remember most- it's hard to say - but the things that come immediately to mind are the Bay of Islands- so beautiful, the Fox Glacier and the helicopter ride, the boat trip through Milford Sound, the wonderful evening at Walter Peak station, and in Australia actually seeing Sydndey Harbour Bridge and Ayers Rock and the Barrier Reef with its corals and fish. Disappointments - few- but I would have liked to see a kangaroo and emu in the wild, - and the jury is still out on Singapore. Would we do it again- Yes, Yes, Yes! But probably not on a coach trip- we might drive around especially in NZ where the roads are quiet and see the things that weren't included- the 90 mile beach and the Coromandel to name but two. But all in all it was indeed the trip of a lifetime. And we survived despite the heat in Australia- as yet we're not sure whether the humidity at Cairns or the dry extreme heat of Uluru was most uncomfortable. One thing is certain we shall try to go again.

days 23&24

We have had our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. It really didn't look too promising when we arrived at the quay- it was raining lightly- and the water was grey and choppy. The rain increased as we sailed out, but on cue as we approached Michelmas Cay the skies cleared and the sun came out. The sea really is as in the brochures bright turquoise with dark patches for the reef. We went out on a semi sbumersible and saw the corals and masses of different coloured fish, a turtle, and clam shells- it was wonderful! We didn't try snokelling but those who did said it was great. The whole trip took over 8 hours and it was glorious. Today we took a trip on the Kurunda scenic railway through hand hewn tunnels with amazing views of the rain forest and the Barron Gorge, where the waterfall was amazing - very full because of the rains. We stayed in the small town of Kurunda for a while and visited a bird garden full of colourful birds and then returned via the Skyrail- a cable car high over the rainforest with a couple of stops for photos- including the Barron Falls from the other side. The trees are amazingly tall and we could see and hear birds -all very colourful. Now to start packing the suitcases for final time. The next blog will be our last for this trip. Now we can show the pictures!

Days 21 &22

We ahved roasted at Uluru. The temperature on Monday was 104 and today hotter. We saw the rock at sunrise- very interesting to see the colours change. We then walked a bit to a water hole and heard some of the aboriginal creation stories. Then to the culture centre and byu 10.30am we were back at the hotel. In the afternoon we dragged ourselves from the airconditioned room and went on the bus to see another stupendous rock formation Kata Tujuta and then bakc to Uluru to see the sunset again. Today we had a lie in and then caught the shuttle bus to the town centre where there is a restaurant, a supermaket a news agent and some touristy bits. Then we left the heat of the desert and caught the plane to Cairns. where there is flooding- there are water logged fields all around and the level is almost up to the road on the bridges. The apartment we are in is in a very grand complex- we have a studio with a washing machine, dryer, w-up machine incase we want to use the cooking facilites. We have a balcony overlooking the pooland the beach is across the road. It is now raining again but tomorrow we go out on a boat, so we hope for dry weather.

days 19 & 20

We spent another interesting day in Sydney- going around the city on an open topped bus- proper tourists! We got on and off at will and saw the Opera House close to and the bridge and then returned to Darling Harbour where we visted the Maritime Museum and Nigel explored a replica of HMS Endeavour. There was also dragon boat racing crews from all over the place. This morning we flew out - to Ularu (Ayers Rock) The flight was amazing - the land was so red and arid with many dry river beds . We flew over the rock and got to the hotel where the heat is incredible. The hotel is called the Outback Pioneer and that is an apt title. This evening we have been to see the rock at sunset- and we shall return at 5.15am tomorow to see sunrise. The colours are fantastic and the whole appearance is magical. Australia is loud and brash- and tiring - but it has a strange fascination for us- and certainly we have been glad to have been here. The end seems very near now- but we've four packed days to come.

days 17 &18

We have left lovely New Zealand and flown to Oz. It couldn't be more different! The first thing that hit us was the heat, then the traffic (we arrived in the evening rush hour) and then the noise! How ever the hotel is lovely and as they had a note of our details recognized that it was our birthday weekend and there was a complimentary bottle of bubbly and chocs waiting for us! Today has been lovely- we are close to Darling harbour and spent the morning there visiting the superb aquarium where was saw sharks, and a duck billed platypus among lots of other things and also the Wild Life centre where we saw and walked amongst koalas, kangaroos and exotic butterflies &birds (incl a cassowery bird) as well as the creepy crawlies. Then we got on a boat and went around the harbour, under THE bridge and past the Opera House and right to the other side. It was sunny and relaxing. This evening we returned to the Harbour for a meal and it is buzzing with life. Sydney is certainly a young and vibrant place to be. We look forward to tomorrow when we'll visit some of the historic places on a circular bus tour- getting on and off at will. This life style could be habit forming!

Days 16

We set out for the Mount Cook National Park supposedly to see the famous mountain and also the Edmund Hillary statue. We saw the latter but the mountain was shrouded in mist. Fortunately we had been able to see it ealier from the vantage point of a helicopter. We went on to another Lake (name escapes me) and saw the Church of the Good Shepherd - which is multi-denominational and instead of a stained glass window has a view right down the lake surrounded by mountains- it was magnificent. There is also a statue of a sheep dog nearby - to commemorate all the sheep dogs who work so hard on the surrounding stations. We then drove across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. There are an awful lot of sheep here! And also huge huge irrigating machines some up to a kilometer long! Nz is experiencing a drought at present so they are all working frantically. The weather went some way to putting things right beacuse it rained on and off all day. Today is the last full day of our visit and we went on the Christchurch Tram circuit, stopping of at the botanical gardens (very English) and then to the Gondola which climbs up a mountain and gives 360 degree view of the area. As the sun had come out it was stunning. Tomorrow we leave for Australia and we have so many things to remember and we are so pleased that we came.

Days 14 &15

We crossed over to Dunedin and entered Edinburgh! There was even a piper playing. The rain accompanied us on our journey and it was rather showery. However we saw the world's steepest street and some people even climbed it! We also went to a viewpoint- but as we reached Signal Point the clouds came down and all we saw was grey mist. We walked around the city and saw the First Church established in 1848. It is very grand! The whole city is architecturally British. Today after a visit to Dunedin's railway station - quite amazing we wnet on to visit NZ's only castle Larnach - not so much a castle but a very stately home. Unfortunately the weather kept us from touring the grounds but it was impressive. We then went on to see the intriguing Moekraki boulders- thrown up by the pacific ocean and sitting on the beach like so many large whales. This afternoon we followed the Waitaki River to Omarama. Its still a bit showery but we hope for better things tomorrow, when we go to the Mount Cook national park. The scenery is glorious and the mountains are most impressive. Today we saw the Pacific grey and angry and turquoise and tranquil. We are almost at the end of this part of our holiday - it has gone so fast.

Day 13

Today deserves a blog to itself!. We left Queenstown and arrived at Te Apu and then drove through the Fjords to Milford Sound. The scenery was amazing- huge mountains, waterfalls, masive trees all around for miles. We saw Kead which are hugely distructive trying hard to dismantle hire cars by pecking at the rubber surrounding the windscreen! They succeed if the person doesn.t come back soon enough! Then we cruised along Milford Sound for 2 hours- right out to the Tasman Sea- seeing seals and seabirds and the sun shone for us. Again the cliffs were magnificent and so were the waterfalls. When we left Te Apu this morning it was dull we went through rain, clouds and bright sunshine. Tomorrow to Dunedin. The end is in sight- its gone too quickly.

Day 12

Another two wonderful days! Nigel went on an expedition to Skippers Canyon in a 4 wheel drive very rugged country and quite scary! In the afternoon we crossed LakeWakatipu by the 96 year old paddle steamer to Walter Peak High Country Farm - a station miles from anyhere with a wonderful homestead, now a resturant, where we were igven three wines to sample and then choose which we wanted with our very sumptuous meal. It was a lovely evening and we went round the farm before returning across the lake on the steamer. Food is certainly a priority as far as NZ people are concerned - the choice and the portions are vast. More on a separate blog.

DAYS 10 & 11

We have had tw0 magical days! On Wednesday we travelled on the TranzAlpine railway to Arthurs Pass & then drove through the Southern Alps to Hokitia which is by the sea to see the jade carvers at work. Then on to Franz Josef Glacier which is awe inspiring and then to Fox Glacier for the nights. Thursday morning began with a helicopter ride which took us around Mount Cook and landed on the Fox Glacier. We then drove through subtropical rainforest to Haast Pass passing by some wonderful huge lakes of amazing colours. We visited a gold mining town Arrowtown and have arrived in Queenstown- in a beautiful hotel overloooking the lake- the mountains are stunning and a variety of colours. The sun continues to bless us. This is certainly a country with a wonderful variety of scenery- I had never realised that the Southern Alps were so close to the sea. The river beds are vast, although there is not much water in them at present. Tomorrow we shall discover more.

Days 9 & 10

Leaving Rotorua we headed for Wellington calling at the Wairskei Steam Valley power station - powered by the geothermal springs and on to Lake Taupo via the Huka Falls - then across the volcanic plains via the aptly named Desert Road. The three volcanos were impressive. We arrived in Wellington to RAIN and were given a whirl wind tour of the Te Papa Museum. Today it has stopped raining and we have been brought across the Marlborough Sounds to the South Island. The water was choppy but we survived. We enjoyed a spectacular drive through vineyards and on to the East Coast which is very beautiful indeed - we stopped to see a colony of seals and marvel at the colour of the sea which was a pure turquoise with white crests. Coming across the Canterbury Plaincs we have arrived in Christchurch en route to the Southern Alps. This is a very beautiful city and very English too! We return here at the end of the tour for a longer stay when we will be able to explore a bit more. It's surprising how tiring sitting on a coach can be!More on Friday.

Days 7 & 8

We visited the Waitomo Caves on Saturday and saw wonderful limestone formations and glow-worms. besides people black water rafting which meant that all we could see was a line of small red lights going along the river below in complete darkness. The evening saw us at a Maori supper and entertainment - not so impressive as the Treaty House but great fun. Today we had breakfast on a Paddle steamer on Lake Rotorua and then to the Agrodome to see sheep shearing and sheepdog trials. We then went to the Thermal area and saw two Geysers erupt-there are mud pools and steaming rocks all through the town and a srong smell of sulphur! This afternon we met friends from GB and they took us around the area and to see several other lakes and Mount Tarawera- a volcano which erupted in 1886 causing tremendous damage. Tomorrow we head south for Wellington. More on Tuesday -the sun still shines here!

Days 6&7

The Bay of Islands was magificent. We went to KeriKeri on Thursday pm and saw the oldest stone store in NZ. It was part of the CMS mission station and the Mission House is still there too. The setting was wonderful- most of the original furniture is in situ and the store has the same items as woould have been sold in the 1830s. The site by the river basin is wonderful. Today we have been on a boat trip to the Hole in the Rock just at the edge of the bay and the main ocean. The sea was an incredible colour blue but quite choppy but we went though the very narrow gap. We've now returned to Auckland en route to Rotorua and the south. We're so glad we came! The whole place has lived up to expectations and beyond. More on Sunday.