Christmas Tree

This tree is called a Christmas Tree because it comes into bloom right
around Christmas. These trees are also prevalent in New Zealand.

Sofitel Resort

This is a view of the chain of pools available at Sofitel Resort in Fiji.

Hard Rock Cafe

We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Fiji today. This is the second
Hard Rock Cafe we visited; the first was in Sydney.

There are 330 islands in Fuji and we are on Denarau Island which is
close to Nadi.

This is the relaxing part of our vacation.

Red Sky at Night

As we were finishing dinner, I looked to the west to see a beautiful
sunset. It's been somewhat overcast today, so the red sky at night was
quite promising. My father always told me "red sky at night sailors
delight".

We were told that summer weather here averages 88 degrees and winter
weather averages 84 degrees. Now that is not too hard to take.

Fiji Dinner

We flew today from Christchurch New Zealand through Aukland New
Zealand to Nadi Fiji. Pictured under a thatched roof are many of those
who added the option to go to Fiji.

Riccarton House and Bush

We visited the Riccarton House and Bush (forest) tonight. We listened
to a story about how a man and his brother moved from Scotland to
claim land that did not work out for them in Northern New Zealand and
they ended up claiming land in the Christchurch area. One brother soon
died and the second brother built his fortune and ten years later
married his sweetheart in Scotland (a 4 month ride) And brought her to
New Zealand. Eventually they had 36 square miles of property and you
can see from the picture that they built a very large home. We ate a
tasty dinner on the property.

Antarctica 2

This picture contains typical gear for Antarctica.

Antarctica Centre

We left Mt Cook this morning and stopped at an old farm and once again
saw a sheep sheared. Then when we got to Christchurch, we visited the
Antarctica Centre. 70% of those who go to Antarctica go through New
Zealand. We learned quite a bit by visiting the Centre. In the
picture Marv, Barb, Tom and Ann are experiencing the darkened feeling
just after the picture was taken. We also experienced the cold and
strong winds. This occurred for less than 5 minutes and we knew we
would be experiencing similar weather in a few days in Michigan!
We also saw a 4D movie that allowed the usual 3D effect with penguins
and seals up close with our boat clipping the side of icebergs. The
extra D involved the wind actually hitting us, water was sprayed on us
at times, and we were sometimes rocked in our chairs. It was pretty
cool. There were penguins to watch. There were also many educational
facts about Antarctica.

Mt. Cook

Mt. Cook us the highest peak in New Zealand. It is in the distance and
is the mountain covered with snow.

On our Way to Mt Cook

A panoramic view as we approach Mt. Cook.

Arrowtown

Tom and Marv are taking a break as we visit in Arrowtown - this one is
for you Roy!

The Show at the Lady of the Lake Cruise

The show was two displays. The first showed a dog herding sheep. The
dog had given birth to 9 puppies just 7 days ago - 3 puppies are shown
in the picture. Bessie, the dog did an excellent job keeping the sheep
in line. The second display was the owner sheering a sheep; I think
(not actually timed) he completely sheered the sheep in less than 2
minutes.

Lady of the Lake Dinner

We ate dinner at a very elegant place. The food was a wonderful
buffet. Since we are in Bew Zealand it included the traditional lamb
and pavlova for desert. However most preferred the sticky date
pudding.

Lady of the Lake River Cruise

Last night we took the TSS Earnslaw to the Walterpeak Sheep Farm to
have dinner and a show. The TSS Earnslaw, a steam engine, was first
launched in 1912. It certainly blew a lot of black smoke.

Looking Over Queenstown

I'm hoping this panorama picture will come through for you. I took it
when out on the 4x4.

Middle of the Earth

We visited the rural area around Queenstown in a 4x4. We went up
hills, down hills, around curves, over bumps, through water, and just
about anywhere for an exciting adventure.

Back on Land in Queenstown

Now that was a beautiful and exciting plane trip. There were times
that it seemed the wing of the plane wasn't much more than 15 feet
from the mountain and the wind was pretty strong coming out of Milford
Sound. But here we are safe and sound on the ground thinking about the
beautiful world God has given us. Much of the land we saw was
untouched by human and animal.

Lake Wakatipu

Flying into Lake Wakatipu; Queenstown is built on the edge if Lake Wakatipu.

Enjoying the Ride

Tom and I are having a great time in the last seat of an 8 seat plane.

Glacier Lake

Below the plane is a lake formed from a glacier. Notice the waterfall
coming off of the lake.

Lakes Chaining

One of the lake systems up in the mountains.

Up up and Away from Milford Sound

The top of a mountain.

Milford Sound by Plane

We took a small plane from Milford Sound to Queenstown. This gave us
an entirely different view of Milford Sound and all the mountains
between Milford Sound and Queenstown. This is a picture of Milford
Sound as we were leaving Miilford Sound.

Milford Sound

This is Milford Sound. It is so majestic!

Milford Sound on a Boat

Lynn, Skip and Tom are on the deck of the boat in Milford Sound that
is actually a fjord because it was formed from a glacier. Did you see
the waterfall in the background.?

A Beautiful View with Gary and Carol

Another great view on the way to Milford Sound with Gary and Carol.

Mirror Lake

This is Mirror Lake which seems to be a perfect reflection.

Streams Rushing Quickly

The water is gushing down from the mountains.

On to Milford Sound

We are on our way to Milford Sound. I will be showing pictures today
more than writing as a picture us worth at least a thousand words.

Maori People

The Maori people were the first settlers in New Zealand. We attended a
show featuring Maori dances. It was pretty fun especially when Roy was
named our chief.

Gibbston Valley Winery

Linda is enjoying a taste of wine at Gibbston Valley Winery. The
Winery had their first planting in 1984 when no one thought the area
could support grape growing. It is still a small business but it is
winning awards for it's Pinot Noir. 80% of the winery's production is
Pinot Noir. I couldn't help but think of my daughter Amanda who often
favors Pinot Noir. By the way she is soon taking her oral boards for
general surgery; say a prayer for her.

Lake Hawea

Lake Hawea also had stunning view.

Lake Wanaka

Lake Wanaka was breathtaking with a beautiful blue and mountains in
the background.

Gorgeous Scenery on the Way to Queenstown

We had wonderful scenery on the way to Queensland. We saw many
waterfalls. The land changed from rainforest to dryer. In this picture
you see a very long waterfall.

Franz Josef Glacier

We took a 3 mile walk (1.5 mile each way) to get a closer view of the
Franz Josef Glacier.

Our Guide

Jim Eldridge is our Collette guide through Australia and New Zealand.
He has been giving us tips that make a much better trip. For instance
he told us how to stake out the top area in the docking station by the
Great Barrier Reef for our entire group and it worked very well. He is
also making suggestions of where to buy what for the best prices or
where to get money for lower rates. We've comparison shopped and he is
right on every time. He's also quite funny and extremely knowledgable.
He has been traveling to Australia and New Zealand for more than 25
years. We feel extremely lucky that Papa Jim is our guide.

Hakitika Driftwood Competition

We stopped off for lunch in Hakitika, a town next to the Tasmanian
Bay.They were having a competition of driftwood creations; this is one
of my favorites.
We had a wonderful lunch of fish and chips; the fish was Rig and lunch
was served in newspaper. Pat, you would have loved this fried fish!
Jade is mined near Hakitika; it is Nephrite Jade.

Rail Trip in Southern Alps

Tom and I are well satisfied with our train trip through the Southern Alps.

Southern Alps 3

Another view in the Southern Alps.

Southern Alps 2

We took a trip by rail through the Southern Alps and we saw gorgeous views.

Southern Alps

We are leaving Christchurch and heading into the Southern Alps.

Pavlova for Desert

We were served Pavlova for desert; it was so beautiful and tasted
yummy. And then we retired to the living room for coffee, tea, and
chocolates with a lively conversation. Thr Rowes are well travelled.
They lived in Davis Ca for 4 yrs and Oregon after that. Richard likes
the Asian countries, especially China and Korea. They were originally
from Australia where they visit for a month every year.

Dinner with a New Zealand Family

We had dinner in a New Zealand home. It was the home of Professor
Richard and Barbara Rowe, a couple in their mid 70's. The dinner was
outstanding. For the first course we had a bed of greens from the Rowe
garden with small tomatoes, cucumber and pomegranate. We also had
salmon roulade. For the main course we had lamb with mont sauce,
roasted potatoes, roasted carrots and peas. Pictured is the main
course.

Cotswald Inn

We stayed in a cute hotel - Cotswald Inn - that had units that were in
an old English style. Very cute!

Earthquakes in Christchurch

We flew from Sydney to Christchurch very early this morning waking up
at 4am. Christchurch has experienced two recent earthquakes; the most
recent was in February 2011 leaving much damage that still remains
today and 180 lives lost. This is a picture of a church being restored
after the earthquake.

Sydney Bridge

A view of the Sydney Bridge from the river.

Opera House

We took a dinner cruise to say Farewell to Sydney. The view of some
familiar items look a bit different from the river. This is the Sydney
Opera House.

Rubber Ducky

We walked to the Darling Harbor area to eat at Hard Rock Cafe. There
was a huge Rubber Ducky in the water that must have been 4 stories
high. Rubber Ducky you're the one. You make bath time so much fun. I'm
awfully fond of you.

Wombat

The best picture I could get for the wombat 'Mathilda' was this
picture of Mathilda inside a round hide-a-way. Sorry Tycen; I know you
really like wombats. Did you know that the wombat is the closest
relative to a koala?

Tom's Kangaroo

Tom is scratching this kangaroo's ears just like he scratches a dog's ears.