NZ/AUS
Posted on 08/01/2009 09:36 pm by JPThis page contains all the updates made during our trip to New Zealand and Australia and March/April of 2009.
The updates are listed in reverse order, so scroll down and start from the bottom.
AUS Day 15-16
On Saturday we headed back to the East Suburbs to a place called Bondi Beach. It happened to be in the same neighborhood as Bondi Junction and the Westfield Mall, where we had been the previous day. If downtown Sydney is located well into the Sydney harbor, Bondi Beach is out around the end of the harbor. The 20 minute bus ride paid off with a beautiful beach and blue ocean. Dave and I headed straight to the beach while Alissa and Sara shopped the mall. We met up a couple hours later and headed back to town to prepare for the Sydney Symphony that night at the Opera House. The symphony was perfect! A wonderful mix of Beethoven, Hayden, and Bartok. The acoustics in the concert hall were unbelievable. Even with a smaller concert orchestra, the sound filled the venue from low to high. It was fun to just close your eyes and listen to every part and every instrument.
Because we didn’t get much time together at Bondi Beach, Sunday brought us back to the beach… no mall, just beach! The girls laid out and did a little Sunday Market shopping, while Dave and I rented surf boards and hit the waves. Well, Dave hit the waves. I just got hit by the waves.
Sunday night, our last night in Sydney, happened to be the same night Hillsong Church recorded their annual live album (releases July 2009) at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, located a few blocks from our hotel. Hillsong is a HUGE church in Sydney with an incredible music program and school. They write many songs sung in churches across the world. Hillsong is also home to our favorite Brooke Fraser, seen in the video below.
It’s currently Monday morning, and we’re packing up to fly home this afternoon. It’s been a wonderful trip, but we’re looking forward to being home and seeing you all. Thanks for coming along!
Click here to see Pictures from AUS Day15-16
Click here to watch Video Update #6
AUS Day 12-14
Posted on 03/28/2009 09:23 am by JP
We arrived in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon. After figuring out transportation, we boarded a train, bags and all, bound for City Center. 3 flights of stairs, 2 city blocks, and 4 crosswalks later, we arrived at our hotel, located just south of Museum Park in downtown Sydney. The room is on the small side, but the location is prime! We ate out Wednesday night in Darling Harbor and walk the city to get acquainted.
Thursday morning we headed straight to the opera house to see what all the fuss is about. AMAZING! We all drooled over the engineering (more so Dave and I) and architecture. The incredibly original design is a sight to be seen. It most definitely lived up to the hype. Did you know that the curvature of the sail-shaped shells all have the same radius? Me neither. We spent the remainder of Thursday shopping. Sydney has lots of shops, few I liked. We ate again in Darling Harbor, but at a different restaurant. And enjoyed the view of the city reflecting off the water. Quite beautiful.
On Friday, we headed again for the opera house, this time to change the date of our symphony tickets. We were scheduled to attend that night, but changed them to Saturday so we could instead go to a RUGBY GAME! Wests Tigers verses East Suburbs Roosters. It was a battle of East Sydney against West Sydney. It was definitely an authentic Australian experience. Watch the video to see what I mean.
Click here to see Pictures from AUS Day 12-14
Click here to watch Video Update #5
AUS Day 9-11
Posted on 03/25/2009 09:47 am by JP
The Queensland and Great Barrier Reef leg of our trip was amazing! Ben and Krissy Pye were incredible hosts. They packed an adventure into 3 days that was equal to a lifetime of experiences! Check out the video and pictures to see what we mean. Thanks Ben and Krissy!
Click here to see Pictures from AUS Day 9-11
Click here to watch Video Update #4
NZ Day 7-8
Posted on 03/21/2009 08:22 pm by JP
Friday morning, after a dose of Starbucks and McDonalds (you can take the American out of America, but you can’t take the American out of the American… wait). Anyway, after our good ‘ol American breakfast, Dave and I were picked up by a Kiwi in a huge Land Rover with bikes strapped to the top. Friday was Heli Biking day! We went straight to the airport and loaded onto a helicopter (with the bikes). We took off and flew 15 minutes up to a mountain peak to mountain bike down. It was our first helicopter ride and was the coolest sensation. The best part was when the helicopter ride was over, the mountain biking was only just getting started. After a 4 hour ride which involved a bit of carrying and hiking, we were exhausted.
Sara and Alissa spent the morning shopping and have little to show for it. Apparently women’s sizes are much smaller here and the girls couldn’t bring themselves to buy clothing 4 sizes bigger than they actually wear. Whatever.
On Saturday we packed up and headed to the airport. Queenstown > Christchurch > Brisbane > Townsville. We are now in Australia! Warm, sunny, humid. We love it!
Click here to see pictures from NZ Day 7-8.
Click here to view Video Update #3.
NZ Day 5-6
Posted on 03/20/2009 01:27 am by JP
Wednesday brought more clouds than sunshine, so we decided to rent a car and take a road trip to a neighboring “township” called Wanaka. The rental car was a 90’s model Subaru Legacy… with the steering wheel on the right side. We decided to leave Dave with the driving and he spent the better part of the trip focusing on staying on the left side of the road. Everything is opposite except the gas and break pedals, which are setup the same as US cars. So when Dave went to turn on his blinker, we saw the windshield wipers. It was entertaining… and a little scary. Wanaka was is similar to Queenstown, but much quieter. It was nice to see the countryside and we visited a beautiful winery called Amisfield along the way.
Thursday brought even more showers. Luckily, we had scheduled a coach/boat tour of the Fiords, namely Doubtful Sound. Lots of green and deep blue. Amazing mountains dropping straight into the water. The rain and low clouds added a mystic feel… right out of Lord of the Rings! The tour trip got a bit old as we’d stop at EVERY little trickle of a water fall to unload the bus and take pictures. 23 stops later, we reached a hydro dam plant… minus the dam. They used the change in elevation between a lake and sound to create electricity. The engineering was really cool. Dave and I may have liked it better than the scenic stuff.
Click here to see pictures from NZ Day 5-6.
Click here to view Video Update #2.
NZ Day 4
Posted on 03/16/2009 11:26 pm by JP
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Or, as my mom would say, “St. John Patrick’s Day”. She had me believing that the whole world celebrates me for an entire day! Not a bad idea, eh?
It’s about 5PM on Tuesday, and we’re just hanging out at the “flat” relaxing. We went for a hike this morning, packing sandwiches for lunch. We ended up hiking right back to the spot we visited on our first day in Queenstown. You know, the spot with the luge track and gondola. We got some photos of the actual luge course and cart for your viewing pleasure.
Click here for pics from NZ Day 4
After lunch and a few more luge rides (Dave and I couldn’t get enough on Sunday), we opted to take the gondola back down and headed into the main shopping area of downtown Queenstown for some ice cream. Amazing!
Seeing as it’s Patty’s day, we’ve decided to head to Pog Mahones Irish Pub and Restaurant for dinner. I’m sure we’ll consume something green.
Click here to see Video Update #1.
NZ Day 3
Posted on 03/16/2009 04:25 pm by JP
Another beautiful day in Queenstown. Upper 60s and sunny! Started the day with a run on the shoreline of Lake Wakatipu, at the base of the Remarkables Mtn range. Thought we’d go big right off the bat and headed for the NZONE to take “The Ultimate Junp“. Yeah!
CLICK HERE for more pictures from NZ- Day 3.
NZ Day 1-2
Posted on 03/15/2009 01:47 am by JP
Greetings from New Zealand!
After a 2 hour flight from Portland (or Bend in Dave and Alissa’s case) to LA, a 13 hour flight from LA to Auckland, and another 1.5 hour flight from Auckland in northern NZ, to Queenstown in southern NZ, we’ve finally reached our destination!
The highlight thus far was definitely the fancy Air New Zealand Boeing 777 or “Triple-7″ airplane (seats nine-wide w/ two aisles). I felt like 007 with a personal 10″ LCD TV in the facing seat-back and the 173-selection movie library with all the new releases (including the new James Bond). The airplane food wasn’t half bad. I do not look forward to the class-system-driven and extremely out-dated United Airlines 747 return flight home in just over 2 weeks. I loath United.
The only bummer was that we crossed the date line and we slept through Saturday… all of it. We left LA at 10PM Friday and arrived in Auckland at 7AM Sunday (which is 11AM Saturday in Portland). It’s confusing, I know. Basically, NZ is 20 hours ahead of the US (or subtract 4 and add a day).
The sun is out and we’re expecting a high of 17 degrees celsius, 62 fahrenheit (to get fahrenheit from celsius, multiply by 1.8 and add 32… in case you were wondering).
After arriving in Auckland, we had to pass customs and re-check our bags for the domestic flight to Queenstown, as is the custom for all international to domestic transitions. What we didn’t expect was the 12 minute walk from the international terminal to the domestic terminal. It was a pleasant surprise with mild temperature, sunshine, a light breeze (Auckland is a seaport city), and lo-and behold… cars and people passing each other on the left, not right! I almost got run over.
Queenstown is lovely with lots to offer. Follow the link below to check out pics (and captions) from our first day. A little lounging, luge-racing, and spectating OTHERS paragliding (it is not our time… yet). To sum it up, we are officially, as the locals call it, “on holiday”.
~The Watsons (JP, Sara, Dave & Alissa)
BTW, if you’re ever looking to order an Americano down under, note that they call it a “long”. And, as “Ameri-tard” David discovered, they don’t refer to cup sizes by ounces.