Trip to Australia and New Zealand Dec 14, 2024

 We are planning to leave the house at 12:30 pm on the 14 th of Dec for our flight at 3:30 that arrives in Sydney at 7:30 am on the 16th. We will spend one week in Australia and two in New Zealand.

Our first walk in Sydney was to Hyde Park near our hotel. This is Moreton bay fig tree. Planted all over the park in the 1930's.

Elephant ear 

Australian ibis

Philodendron 

Dessert shop 

Mango drink. The yellow balls are little mango flavored ampules that burst in your mouth.

Fig trees 

Cactus garden 

Magnolia 

Old oak tree 

Hyde Park 

Next we flew to Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. We did two excursions. One with the group and another on our own.

Clown fish 

Saddle butterflyfish

Green turtle 

We took a large catamaran out to a floating platform where we could swim above the reef. It was about 7 feet deep most of the time.

Orange striped trigger fish 

Parrot fish 

Clam

Moorish idol 

Clown fish 

Black-naped tern

Bird

Giant clam

O

Six bar angel fish 

Titan triggerfish

Clown fish 

Teardrop butterflyfish

Harlequin sweetlips

,

foxface rabbitfish

Striped Surgeon fish and  black  butterfly fish 

Snorkeling platform 

Banner fish and red fin butterfly fish 

Clown fish 

The boat we snorkeled on today  December 21. There were 12 people on the boat

Sea squirt

Striped surgeonfish

Striped Surgeon fish 

Parrot fish 

Giant Clam

Rock mover wrasse 

Blackback butterfly fish 

Lunch 

Group shot

End of day

6 Bar angel fish 

We left Cairns at 10:30 AM to fly to Brisbane and then to Auckland. We arrived at our hotel at about 2:30 am on the 24th of December

The next morning we discovered our trip leader had to leave for a family emergency. There is supposed to be a replacement coming tonight. Turned out we got a new trip leader in every area from then on. 5 different leaders total.

We got a new trip leader (Di)  today for the two days in Auckland and expect another one for the rest of New Zealand.

Sky Tower in Auckland.

Gardens at the winery on Christmas day

Sailboat we saw on the ferry to the winery.

From the mudbrick winery looking at Auckland.

Christmas tree near our hotel.

Today, 26th we transferred by bus to Rotorua and stopped by a botanical garden and a kiwi hatchery.

The living kiwi's were in an enclosure that was kept dark so seeing them was not possible.

A large jade rock

After the Kiwi hatchery we went to a Botanic garden that had sections on different countries.

Lily pads

Koi fish in the Chinese garden 

Baby Mallard 

Japanese garden 

Larkspur 

Maori garden

Egyptian garden

Brazilian vaseplant

Bird of paradise flower 

This might be Mexican Polk weed. almost all plants you see in New Zealand are introduced.

Maori carvings

This was up a tree at a cookout we went to. All the experts say it is a fake rubber lizard.

We stopped a few minutes at a geothermal area with mud pots.

New fronds on a tree fern

New Zealand forest

Our trip leader in Rotorua. Rob

Pond covered with duck weed

Closeup fern leaf

Some kind of centaury

Hot lake

Inlet to hot lake

Different hot lake

Small fumerole

Geyser on a boat trip around one of the lakes.

Black swans

Young swans

Tree ferns. They can get 40 feet tall.

Hike on a high trail through redwoods.

Redwood slab

Brenda playing Cricket

After this we went to Christchurch. It is now Dec 30.

Linden tree flower

Walking around Christchurch

Building art

In another Botanic garden

Then we went to a Sheep Show.

This is the sheep getting ready to be herded to get sheared.

Alpaca teeth

Red Billed gull

Rocks on beach

Fur Seal

Baby gull

Day old fur seal

Yellow eyed penguin

After the visit to the beach we headed toward Milford sound where we were scheduled for an over night boat ride in the sound

The beech trees that grow in the southern latitudes in place of conifers in the northern hemisphere.

Chaffinch

Kea parrot

Southern Rata trees on the cliffs.

Queenstown New Zealand. Located on a large lake.

The public toilets were often unisex and automated. Push a green button to open an unoccupied one.

New Zealand Christmas tree, Southern Rata.

Broomrape family

New Zealand Scaup

Thrill rides for hire.

Great Crested Grebe

Little pied Grebe

Western themed tourist town

Lake trout

We took this steam boat to a ranch on the lake where they put on a buffet dinner and a sheep show for tourists. They also own the boat. Makes a lot of money

Ranch house

Sheep dog

Sheep show