We drove from Queenstown to Milford Sound, which is considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world. The 3.5 hour drive was full of mountains, valleys, waterfalls, rivers, one lane bridges, and a massive yet ancient tunnel. My husband had a lot of fun driving on the winding mountain roads.
We took an overnight cruise of Milford Sound. We anchored in a beautiful cove and kayaked before dinner. We cruised out to the Tasman Sea after breakfast and saw seals and penguins.
I’d love to stay in New Zealand longer, but I can’t afford it!
Milford Sound - the cove where we anchored for the night
Kayaking in Milford Sound
Milford Sound
Milford Sound - the waterfall is three times as high as Niagara Falls
Our pictures of New Zealand will not do it justice. We’re staying right on Lake Wakatipu with gorgeous views of the lake and mountains. Their ski season ended last week, but there’s still snow on the mountains. Queenstown is fairly small and we’ve walked everywhere. This area is surrounded by adventure sports – bungee jumping from 440 feet, heli skiing and biking, rock climbing, caving, and white water rafting.
We went on a jetboat on the Shotover River, through canyons. It was wet, cold, and really fun. We went to Onsen Hot Pools, private indoor/outdoor hot pools that overlook the mountains and Shotover River. We took a gondola to the top of the mountain and rode the luge at the top.
We also went skydiving from 15,000 feet! We thought about bungee jumping, but decided to throw ourselves out of an airplane instead. It was a fabulous experience but a lot colder than I expected. My instructor knocked the wind out of me tightening my harness. The plane took off so fast and climbed so quickly I didn’t have time to be scared.
Shotover Jet on the Shotover River
Looking down on Queenstown from the top of the Skyline Gondola
Cindy in Queenstown
Onsen Hot Pools overlooking the Shotover River
Skydiving from 15,000 feet!
Skydiving over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu
2 - Number of times I was questioned by the police
4 – Number of flights between Des Moines and Melbourne
8 – Days it has rained (out of 9 days)
17 – Hour time difference
27 – Total hours of travel time between Des Moines and Melbourne
We picked up our campervan and drove to Phillip Island. The drive was gorgeous – lots of green hills, sheep, cows, ocean, and of course, rain. My husband was nervous about driving on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car, but he was great.
Phillip Island is about 2 hours south of Melbourne. We’re here to see the MotoGP race and we’re going to camp at the track. It’s freezing– 50 degrees, rainy, and windy! There’s mud everywhere. At least our campervan has a heater. We’re surrounded by Australians and New Zealanders who love to talk, laugh, and drink beer.
We went to the Koala Conservation Centre and it was amazing! We saw several koalas eating, sleeping, and one even had a baby with her. As we were walking through the park, we saw a kangaroo with a joey in her pouch. Now we need to see a crocodile, a dingo, and a wombat and we’ll be set!
Phillip Island is famous for its Penguin Parade. Fairy Penguins hunt in the ocean all day and come back to their nests at sunset. We sat on the beach tonight and watched the penguins walk past. It was freezing, but worth it.
I had to take a breathalyzer at a police checkpoint while driving. I’ve had more contact with the police on this trip than I have in my whole life.
Our Campervan at Phillip Island’s MotoGP track
Koala Conservation Center
Phillip Island – don’t let the gorgeous view fool you, it’s freezing!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Posted in Australia
We finally arrived! We left Des Moines at 4:30 on Monday afternoon and arrived in Melbourne at 11:30am on Wednesday morning. The first thing we did was visit the Old Melbourne Gaol, a jail dating back to the 1840s. The cells were really small and it was unnerving to see the gallows where 135 prisoners were hanged.
After we left the jail, I was stopped on the street by 3 policemen. They asked for my ID and wanted to know what we were doing in Melbourne, where we were staying, how long we’d been here. Apparently, they thought I had something to do with a crime at the State Library. Maybe it was because we had just left the jail, but it really upset me! Of all the places we’ve traveled, we’ve never been stopped and asked for our passports.
It’s spring here and the weather is chilly and rainy. It never fails – rain follows us wherever we go.
Downtown Melbourne
Melbourne’s Famous Block Arcade
Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market
Old Melbourne Gaol
I can’t say enough about the Disney Cruise. It’s a fabulous family vacation with tons of activities and entertainment for every age. We’ve had better food and better adult-type entertainment, but you can’t beat Disney when it comes to kids.
We stopped in Nassau and spent the day at Atlantis Paradise Island. I reserved a room for the day and we swam in their pools and went down the waterslides. My son was so excited to go in the ocean but he hated the taste of saltwater and didn’t stay long.
The next stop was Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. The Flying Dutchman, the ship from Pirates of the Caribbean, is anchored off the beach. It was a great beach day with good food at the beach buffet and warm water. There was a huge party on the top deck after dinner with fireworks.
Our day at sea was extremely relaxing. It rained most of the day, so we read books, watched movies, and explored the ship.
Disney Wonder docked at Castaway Cay
The Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean
Atlantis Paradise Island
Well, here we are on our family vacation! May is a great time to go to Florida – most kids aren’t out of school yet and the weather isn’t too hot or humid. We’re staying at Universal’s Royal Pacific Hotel. I really like staying on-site to take advantage of Universal’s transportation to the park – and you get front of the line access at the all the rides by showing your room key.
Universal Studios has added some rides and replaced others. The old Back to the Future ride is now the Simpsons and the old King Kong is now the Mummy. Islands of Adventure is building a Harry Potter area which looks great.
The new Simpsons ride at Universal Studios
Spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Posted in Japan
- How do Japanese people stay thin with so many fried foods?
- Is it always so rainy? Is is always so humid?
- Why do women wear such ridiculous high heels? Even climbing mountains?
- Why are drinks so expensive in restaurants? A Coke or coffee is 1000 yen (about $10 USD) in a restaurant but 150 yen (about $1.50 USD) in a vending machine.
- Do workers at 7-Eleven and McDonald’s earn minimum wage here, too? They seem so happy, I would think they’re paid alot.
- Where do they golf? There are a ton of driving ranges.
- Why are dogs and cats so expensive? We stopped by a pet store in Tokyo and the cheapest cat was $950 and dogs were $5000! They will also rent dogs by the hour.
Monday, September 29, 2008 Posted in Japan
Tokyo is amazing! For a city so large with so many people (38 million), it’s so quiet. No car horns, no yelling, no cell phones ringing obnoxious ring tones. Cell phones are always silenced and people only take calls at the end of the train car.
We’ve walked everywhere - the electronics district in Akihabara, shopping in Ginza, the gardens at the Imperial Palace. As always, we ended up in the red light district in Shinjuku. It wasn’t seedy or scary – just lots to look at. I really liked the strange fashion choices in Harajuku and Shibuya’s massive intersection and Tower Records.
We went to the Sumo Tournament in Ryogoku and a Pride mixed martial arts tournament in Saitama.
Electronics District - Akihabara
Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku's Kokugikan Sumo Stadium
Hello Kitty!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Posted in Japan
I love the train in Japan! It is so easy and fast! We took the train from Hiroshima to Hakone last night. It was really late and really foggy when we finally arrived at the train station in Hakone. We were the only ones to get off the train and we couldn’t see anything. We walked from the station to the hotel and I felt like we were in a horror movie.
We’re staying at the Fujiya Hotel, the oldest Western-style hotel in Japan. Helen Keller and John Lennon have stayed here and Paul McCartney from Liverpool signed the guest book just before us. My husband swears its the Beatle.
It’s rainy and cold and we haven’t been able to see Mount Fuji. We still went on the switchback railway and the cable car tour over the sulfur springs, but Mt. Fuji is lost in the clouds.
Gardens at the Fujiya Hotel
International Mustache Club at the Fujiya Hotel
