I'm posting some highlights of our trip with Jan and Gary to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
We left on Friday, Feb. 17. Our first scare was in SL when we discovered we had no visas. But when we got to LA, Quantas Air came to our rescue and whew! we were on our way. We flew in this very big, very nice plane over 13 hours.
We had dreamed for years of going to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Here we are living our dream. We had a great day viewing all kinds of fish, the beautiful reef and experiencing snorkeling.
We stayed in Cairns, Queensland. On the second day we went to Tjapuka, where we experienced native Australia's culture. Lucky Mark and Patsy were chosen to dance with the natives. Here you see the Didgeridoo demonstration. We also tried our hand at boomerang and spear throwing.
We then rode on the skyrail up to the village of Kuranda. After lunch we visited the koalas, kangaroos, and exotic birds.
From Kuranda to Cairns we rode on this older train down the mountain.
Next stop Ackuland, New Zealand.
In New Zealand, we rented a car. Mark was our designated driver and he did a good job. It was challenging to drive on the left side of the road and sitting on the right side of the car to do it. We had some comical experiences with the driving, but thankfully we stayed safe. It also stretched our communication skills with each other and patience. It was a good growing experience.
One of our planned stops was the Hamilton Temple. This was a beautiful area with a special spirit about it. Jan and Gary were greeted with a surprise when we arrived, connecting with a missionary couple from their old ward in Roy. They told us of some good spots to visit and we found that to be true. Our first place was this black sand beach near Raglan.
We stayed in Rotorua. We hiked along a beautiful river, called Te Waihou. This looks like a place in paradise.
In the evening we experienced a Hangi at the Mitai Maori Village. We were treated to a native Maori experience and yummie meal of pit cooked lamb and pork.
The next day we flew from the North island to the South.
We stayed overnight in Chirstchurch. We noticed the damage from the earthquake they
had a year previous. Some streets were stilled blocked off and many buildings were being renovated.
Jan and I visited these beautiful Botanic Gardens. The next day we boarded theTranzalpine train traveling over the mountains to Greymouth.
We then traveled by rental car to Franz Josef. Along the way we noticed these beautiful grey-blue rivers. We stopped to view them upclose and the next thing I knew we were flying in a helicopter over the glaciers and snow covered peaks. This was not planned, but turned out to be quite a thrill for all of us.
Our next destination was Queenstown. This is a beautiful city build around a lake on steep hillsides. We stayed in a fancy condo right on the lake.
We journeyed by bus out to the Milford Sound and then went on a cruise in the rain to see things up close.
We packed up again and flew to Fiji, where we experienced a new culture of friendly welcoming people of the South Pacific. We were very fortunate to go on a snorkeling expedition with the Oolala crew, taking us on a boat to our own private island.
Our last great experience was the Sigatoka River Safari. We traveled around the island by car, van and bus to the Sigatoka river where we boarded jet boats with a guide. We jetted up the river seeing the sights of how the village people were living. We had to honor to visit one village and participate in their rituals and ceremonies.
Jan and I dancing with the natives.
It seemed that everywhere we went we would drive by a LDS chapel. Comforting. Here is the one in Fiji nearby our lodging place.
