Riding the reef to dive.
Frog fish blends into the coral hard to see.
The moorish Idol is one of the most popular fish and easier to take a picture. It is such a different world and each dive sight has different fish and plant life.
Can't remember all of the names so will have to invest in a good FIsh Book.
Our beautiful resort is an hour South Denaspar on the ocean.
It is mixed into a fishing village and this one of our neighbours getting ready to go fishing.
The coconuts are great and tastey
Entertainment every night even though it is much the same.
Duck TuTu is a special treat and beautifully presented. He even looks at you !!!.
Standing at Starcity which is where the production of Priscilla was playing, and the casino.......we had this view of the down town area prior entering the theatre.
The Opera House is so spectacular night or day.
Cruising the harbor on a show boat was very romantic.
Viewing the Habour Bridge in lights
Quite a way to spend our 38 Anniversary
Standing on the "The Kings Tableland" gave a great view of the valley and mountains.The combination of air and the Eucalyptus leaves create the "Blue".
An old Aboriginal Story was told about the Three Sisters.( Pinnacles )
There is actually a whole through this pinnacle and at the base is an old coal mine.
Kaloomba Falls flowed into the valley by the mine and we were able to cable car to the bottom.
Haden was our guide and taught us a great deal about the wood lands of Australia. We now know that most of the plants are edible and many used for medicine. It was great to be with this very knowledgable character and found that we had a lot in common. .......both had a connection to Vineyard -PTL
How is this for a new look? OK, Jo ! We are getting more and more alike. A sweet young hair dresser said I needed something a little more sexy! I thought I just needed to get rid of the wad of hair and get something easier!
The Sydney Art Gallery was my favorite and although the "Monet" had just opened, I was more interested in this display by an Australian artist. 6 Complete keyboards with straw inside the lid.
How is 3 musicals in 3 days ??? Good thing I don't live here cuz I would be busy attending shows.
Olympic Park is still very functional and well used. This is the structure for the torch for the 2000 Olympics.
And there is aways a great seat for Ralph to relax on while I just take a little time to check things out.
This is one of the most stunning habours we have ever seen. Sydney is a gorgeous city. We stayed across from the "Sails" and ferried to the Circular Quay which was the hub of transportation.
One of our stops was to Mrs. Macguire's Chair. She ( the governor's wife) would come to the point and watch over the habour.
How is this for a fortress? Sydney was built originally by convicts from England.
On our way to Bondi Beach ( the surfers hangout )we viewed the city sky line.
The Gap Park was an area that many had committed suicide. There were quite the cliffs.
Ackland is surrounded by "mountains "which are large hills and most overlook the city. It gives outstanding sights on walking paths.
With Ralph hurting his back last week , it was great to both be out walking again as we trekked up the hill together.This was only a short 5 min. drive from our B&B.
AT the last mountain we walked with sheep. This time it was the cows and we're still in the city.
Stairs were constructed up one side and winding paths down the other. One lonely tree sits at the top.
The easy part of our travels are ending as New Zealand is often compared to Canada as Australia is to the USA. Our new love - FLAT WHITES which are creamy strong lattes. I even have Ralphie hooked. We saw so many similarities to our own country and leave with such fond memories of the Kiwis and Ausies. One day we were given a $40 voucher for an attraction by a lady passing by and the next invited to dinner at a young couples home: not to mention the fabulous tips for traveling when talking to locals. Here we overlook the first harbour of Ackland and bid fairwell.
Our first impression of Auckland was not the greatest as down town was such a mish mash of different buildings …new, old, and every style imaginable. Today we did the “tourist thing” and did the hop on and hop off “Tourist Bus”. We then saw the real Auckland as it is so spread apart with 2/3 of the North Island population all in the city. (We met a woman from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and scored more info for our stops in November.) It truly is beautiful and the sunny day certainly helped.
Friends of friends are always fun to look up and we certainly had a fabulous evening with the Mackereths in Auckland who were on the Mercy Ship with the Grahams and the Grays. Lynette served us our “Thanksgiving” home cooked meal as we feasted on lamb and chicken with ALL of the trimmings.
One of the stops today was the Eden Garden and we found a pathway named JANET! This is certainly the land of Gardens and being some what tropical we have seen some beautiful and most unusual plants. Can't tell you how many pictures of flowers I have on the computer.Gardens have been one of our favourite places to explore in all the areas we have visited.
The ideal Garden Chair..sitting and so inviting for visitors!
A Moari sculpture also found in the garden. This was named "The Twin Sisters"
Beachside B&B was our stop over. It was great to meet Jim and Lorraine and enjoy their company. Sitting in the observatory reading and having our breakfast as we looked over the ocean was real hard to take ! Ha Ha .mail@glenferrielodge.com
We were so glad that someone recommended that we stay at Mt.Maunganui which is located on the east coast.
CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN! and that is what I did!!!! Took almost an hour but fabulous. The path was a little narrow and certainly not for Ralph . ( He doesn't do cliffs without edges) No gym that day.
The view up the beach from our B&B was awesome . Reminded us of the Gold Coast in Australia but not nearly as crowded.
Surf''s Up! How neat to watch tons of surfers conquering the waves. We sat and observed a group of young kids decked in their wet suits taking lessons.
Contemporary Moari statues in Rotorua, a very popular tourist destination.
The Blue Bath Houses which have been visited for over 125 years
Rotorua's Museum and Park
Overlooking Tauranga
Across the bridge to overlook Mt.Maunganui's gorgeous beach
