The Land Down Under - Melbourne

Melbourne Skyline 

We've been told Melbourne is the place to go to experience a real Australian City.  So, we went!  The downtown has amazing skyscrapers (each with its unique architecture), and lots of reclaimed alleyways- some historic with period retail/restaurants, others lined with cafes filled at lunchtime with office workers........









And still other alleyways exhibiting works by graffiti artists.  I particularly loved this one!











Melbourne is filled with beautiful green gardens everywhere, and a dense transportation system consisting of older trolley lines as well as modern light rail vehicles.  Within the Central City, all mass transportation is FREE!  What a concept.....

Our first day there we were picked up by Robyn’s friend, Jane, who graciously gave up her Sunday to take us out to the Yarra Valley, about an hour-drive outside of Melbourne to explore some of Australia’s best wineries. 

We had an amazing lunch with wine at

the Coombe Yarra Valley Estate, formerly the estate of the famous opera singer Dame Nellie Melba and no, I never heard of her...   Then on to the Domaine Chandon Estate (as in Moët and Chandon, don't know what happened to Moët), and a final stop at another winery of which I can't remember the name.  In between visits, we drove through lush fruit orchards, vineyards, and even a temperate rainforest.  Thank you Jane for a wonderful day!!!

To balance out all this nature, we went on a three-hour walking tour the following day in downtown Melbourne, where we first learned about the alleyways, the city history, recent development, and hidden parks and gardens.

Twelve Apostles on Great Ocean Road

Not to be missed, we had booked a small group tour for the following morning to go out to the Great Ocean Road and see the Twelve Apostles.  It was a long drive out, with a picnic breakfast stop on the beach and a walk around a lush tropical rainforest.  The entire the ride out had amazing scenery and of course we spent time at the Twelve Apostles; limestone pillars off the coast which are no longer twelve as some have collapsed into the ocean, but still an amazing sight.

court side...

Australian Open!!

Again, balancing nature and city, the next day we headed back downtown to further explore those alleyways and check out the activities at the Australian Open, which had commenced just a few days prior.  What luck when a gentleman approached us with a free entrance ticket as he was done attending the events.  Nathan went in and slipped into one of the matches while I took off for the nearest mani-pedi, then a river cruise along the Yarra River as it winded through the downtown and out towards the shipping terminals and open sea.  Met up several hours later, both enjoying our time apart.

historic alleyway	alley graffiti artwork	green parks everywhere
Domaine Chandon	beautiful birds everywehre along Great Ocean Road	along Great Ocean Road
rainforest along Great Ocean Road	Loch Ard Gorge at 12 Apostles	down in Loch Ard Gorge at 12 Apostles
in the gorge	this sign made my day..	happy river cruiser

Yarra River in Melbourne

at the 12 Apostles

coastline along Great Ocean Road

State Library Victoria in Melbourne

best traffic sign ever!!!

Our adventures around Melbourne

New Zealand Part II - South Island

After a calm ferry crossing through Cooks Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound, we arrived in Picton, and after a brief overnight stay, headed down the coast for Kaikoura and our whale-watching tour.  

Kaikoura was hit by a strong, 7.8 earthquake about a year prior in 2016 (New Zealand is located where three tectonic plates meet and hence the earthquakes, hot mineral springs, active and dormant volcanoes).  The area is struggling to return back to normal and the opening of the coastal road from Picton had just re-opened about a week before we arrived. Prior to this opening, travelers were forced to use a round-about inland route that took eight-hours instead of three-hours, bypassing Kaikoura and then requiring visitors to backtrack up the coastal road.  The road was beautiful and winding, with the mountains dropping down steeply into the sea.  Evidence of rock slides and road collapses were seen along the route, with many road sections still one-lane only with stop/go road workers controlling traffic one side at a time. Standing there with the signs, they happily waved to each and every vehicle that passed! 


We arrived at our accommodation, Surfwatch, high on a cliff overlooking the sea with it’s beautiful chalets with outdoor bathrooms and tropical gardens. Amazing......

Our host recommended several hikes out on the Kaikoura Peninsula to see the seals out on the rocks. As it was low tide, we were able to get a close look. So many of them!  Next morning we took our “motion sickness” capsules made by the local “Chemist” (pharmacy) and boarded our catamaran for the trip out to the deep channel where krill were in abundance and hence the whales tended to locate.

To say the sea was rough was an understatement! Many were seasick 15 minutes into the trip, but our local remedy kept us going!  We saw lots of dolphins and then saw the whales. They were sperm whales and while none of them “breached” we did see them dive down with tails up in the air. Needless to say, made it back safely to shore with our stomachs intact- barely!

It was on the road again towards Christchurch. Yes, it was still holiday time and most New Zealanders were still vacationing, but it felt like a ghost town! We walked into the central city and it was void of people and cars.

The central city had some buildings, but mostly consisted of large vacant lots.  The main cathedral
was even gated off.  The devastating Christchurch earthquake was five years ago in 2011, but recovery has been slow.  Seeing a small pop-up memorial which consisted of varied empty chairs, one for each person who lost their life in the earthquake, was sobering.  Next Day was a trip out to Akaroa, a small Town originally settled by the French on the crater of a extinct volcano.  Lovely atmosphere.

Hagglund Vehicle

Following day was pouring rain and we were waiting to pick up Robyn (see New Zealand Part I) who was joining us for our final week down in Queenstown.  So we did what we do best in New Jersey- we went to a Westfield Mall (yes, the same mall owners as the Garden State Plaza!).  Slightly different stores, but felt right at home. We then headed to collect Robyn at the airport which was nearby, and then went right next door to the International Antarctic Center.  The Center is directly across the street from the actual departure air station that services Antarctica.

We rode a Hagglund Vehicle (used to transport people and goods down in the Antarctic) over an obstacle course designed to simulate the Antarctic landscape), and went into a “cold room” (jackets provided) where the temperature dropped to -40 degrees with wind, designed to simulate Antarctic weather conditions (not unlike the weather we heard occurred in New Jersey recently). Best part though were the penguins! These were “special needs penguins” in that they were rescued from the wild due to injuries and were unable to be rehabilitated for reintroduction back.   There were penguins that were partially paralyzed and needed to be hand fed, some had difficulty swimming, and some were “not all there mentally" and just sat there looking like lost souls.  You couldn’t help but fall in love with these little guys!                                                     

"special needs" penguin 💜

Next morning we were off to Queenstown driving through a variety of landscapes- farmland, cattle and sheep grazing (so many sheep!), acres of vineyards, winding mountainous gorges with gushing rivers....you get the picture (it is New Zealand after all!).  We finally arrived at Roger’s fabulous holiday home overlooking Lake Wakatipul!  Stunning!!!!!

Roger was waiting for us with a list of activities to do in the area.  We went on an original, restored steamship and cruised to Walter Peak where we watched sheep shearing and herding followed by a gourmet BBQ lunch (amazing lamb!).  Next day we drove to Arrowtown to enter a bike trail where we rode about 15 km out to a vineyard to enjoy a cheese platter (no wine sadly, we were biking).  The trail was challenging- hairpin turns with some pretty steep drop offs into deep ravines and gorges, several swinging suspension bridges (I must admit I am now mostly over my fear of swinging bridges), somewhat steep climbs and drops (easy for Roger, not so much for the rest of us).


Along the way we passed over the famous Kawarau Gorge and Suspension Bridge where the A.J. Hackett bungee jumping originated, and watched a lineup of brave (stupid?) souls take the plunge.  Of course, there was the 15 km ride back, then we were rewarded with a stroll through historic Arrowtown (a town that flourished during the Gold Rush) with lovely craft shops and a relaxing ginger beer at a local pub.

NOTE: This is not me bungee jumping!

Keeping the momentum going, next day was our trip to Milford Sound, one of the most famous of the fjords in Fjordland National Park.  A three-hour bus ride through you guessed it- fields of sheep grazing, rainforests, waterfalls, and over steep mountains (yes, lots of hairpin turns up and down) and finally arriving at the head of Milford Sound.  There we boarded our boat for a three-hour ride through the fjord out to the Tasman Sea and back.  Waterfalls everywhere, seals sunbathing on the rock, and magnificent scenery as we rode through this deep gorge with steep granite cliffs rising up from water's edge. 

God forbid we rest, we woke up and headed out to see Cromwell, Wanaka, Lake Hawea, and a drive through the Crown Range Road Pass (more hairpin curves and steep descent) on return to Queenstown.

beyond Glenorchy

After bidding Roger farewell (thank you again for your amazing hospitality and vehicle), we had a final full day in Queenstown.  We visited a winery and drove out to Glenorchy along Lake Wakatipu to its end, and into a rugged and somewhat desolate mountain range where Lord Of The Rings did quite a bit of filming.


After a sad farewell to Robyn as she headed back home to Auckland (we will meet up again in a few years somewhere), we walked into town and did what every tourist (and local) does...stand in line several hours for a Fergburger.  We took our coveted Fergburgers and enjoyed them along the beautiful Queenstown waterfront.

We finally got the burgers!  Success.....

Farewell New Zealand!

on the Kaikora Coast	Kaikora Coast	our Chalet at Surfwatch
Our Steamship to Walter Peak	Sheep Shearing at Walter Peak	on the steamship
We can do it! Don't Look Down	Bike Trail Bridge	Arrowtown
Cromwell	Glenorchy	Queenstown Waterfront

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

And our route on the South Island.....