Trip Planning
Let me start by sharing my deepest appreciation for Jordan and his thoughtfulness and extraordinary trip planning. The single biggest treat of the entire trip was experiencing it with him (and Liz) by my side. How many places have you been when you wish you had some local knowledge or the feedback of a trusted friend or family member? In our case, Jordan delivered in spades. Not only was it a splendid trip to a magical location, but we saw way more than just the highlights. Thanks, again, Jordan! Amazing!!!
Accommodations
Having experienced the challenges of finding appropriate venues for travel groups (and that’s in the good ole USA, I might add), we’re keenly aware of the challenges therewith. Now, Liz and I feel like total buffoons having stayed in some of the most quaint, unique and otherwise “perfect” places in the land of Mordor. More than once, Liz and I found ourselves asking each other, “How did he find these amazing places?” I’d try to explain, but you just had to be there.
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| Neighborhood and view of our apartment in Kaiteriteri |
Topography
I recall how much research we did before visiting Nova Scotia. We felt it had much to share and that we had done our homework. While I could never say that we were “disappointed” with Nova Scotia, we found that so much of what we saw was too similar to somewhere else or was just a close second by comparison. Not true of ANZ, especially New Zealand. It’s hard to do extensive travel without drawing some comparisons, but I must say, New Zealand was always just a cut above in terms of beauty and diversity.
As many of you already know, Kentucky (especially around Lexington) is arguably our favorite place in the USA. There were parts of New Zealand that resembled Kentucky, but we’d have to say NZ is KY on steroids! The same could be said of the Great Ocean Road when compared with the Pacific Coast including Oregon and Big Sur.
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| Great Ocean Road - Australia |
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| Glacier Lake - New Zealand |
Weather
Jordan had us prepared for nasty (Pacific Northwest) weather for our time in New Zealand. Well…for the entire fifteen days “down under” the weather was superlative. We suffered through one soggy day in “Grampions” near Melbourne and one dreary day in Queenstown. Other than that, the weather gods were smiling.
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| Bad weather day - Queenstown, NZ |
People
While I have not personally traveled abroad a great deal, I have visited Africa, several European countries and Mexico. In all cases I was relieved to be back home with familiar language, customs and food. ANZ was a different experience entirely. While this was the furthest I’ve traveled, by far, the feeling was the most familiar of them all.Yes, I’m convinced we should have “no worries” and that "aye-kaie" means everything's fine, everything else was just, well…very comfortable.
The people were more than accommodating and seemed genuinely friendly and sociable. That said, they don’t jump over tables to greet you nor do they effervesce. They’re just solid, accommodating folk! I loved it!!
An interesting side-note: We saw/encountered very, very few Americans during our trip. Maybe that’s aye-kaie! We certainly had no worries.
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| Tim - 28 yr. old glacier guide at Franz Josef |
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| Jim - our historic guide in Melbourne |
Birds
Certainly no ornithologist, I do dig birds and have followed them throughout my time on planet earth. ANZ, and NZ especially, is a birders paradise. About the only things that appeared normal were some sparrows and cormorants. The rest of the species were all strangely ornate and beautiful! Just imagine gorgeous Cockatoos kicking around town like Grackles back home!
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| Wild Cockatoo |
Sheep
It’s funny how there are things that blow you away and you just know the time and place will be “just right” for a Nat Geo photo op. Well…that's my sheepish story. In ANZ - sheep rule. There’s no question that I’ve seen more sheep in the last 15 days than in my lifetime in the US of A. They’re everywhere! At first you may think there are different varieties; some appear darker than others. Next you realize that a freshly shorn sheep is consummately lighter in color than his dirty unshorn brother/sister. You could use the same standards to deduce that some are slimmer than others, and that the lighter the sheep, the slimmer. But, you soon see what the real story is. As a trio, Liz, Jordy and I are curious to know how many times a nice, fat, healthy sheep is shorn per year. From what we gather from the locals it’s 1+ times per year.
Food
Can you say, “Off the charts!” Even the local downtown “take-away” joints do it with style and flair. Seems almost every menu we encountered labeled every menu item as “V”-Vegetarian, “Vegan”-obvious, “GF”- Gluten Free. Oatmeal = porridge and is served is numerous, fancy ways. Muesli is also a big breakfast favorite. And, could you guess, “lamb!?” Our most stellar meal was a multi-course culinary delight at “Steer” while in Melbourne. It ranks as one of the most memorable meals anywhere, anytime!!
Roads
New Zealand was discovered by and its roads and highways designed by a “pure” motorcyclist. Twists, turns, elevations all covered in pristine asphalt adorn its countryside. While we saw almost the entire land surface of New Zealand as a road trip, it could only have been eclipsed by “motor-bike!” Never seen better (and i’ve seen a lot!).
Driving
Most of you already know that ANZ does it all on the “wrong” side of the road. Now…that’s probably enough to create a legitimate challenge (especially for an old man). But, that part comes pretty easily. Sadly, there are several other nuances that challenge every moment you’re behind the proverbial wheel. Here’s a few:
- Driver sits on the right instead of the left.
- The shifting is still centered which means you use your left hand versus your right.
- The instrument levers are reversed. By that, I mean, turning on your wipers does NOT alert other motorists of the direction your plan to turn. Nor does signaling a left turn clean your windshield.
- Finally, all that is needed to upset your newly arranged apple-cart is a break for lunch. Lunchtime allows the exact appropriate amount of time for you to leave the parking lot and plow directly into oncoming traffic which is committed to going in a very un-American direction. Of course, the beauty lies in the variety of horn sounds you can embrace whilst making this unorthodox maneuver.
- We all chuckled when, upon our return to the USA, the first turn we made was appropriately signaled by turning on the windshield wipers. The American motorists were neither impressed nor did they share our humorous reactions.
Flights
We traveled within two of the most modern aircraft to fly the friendly skies; those being the carbon fiber Boeing 787 and its predecessor the Boeing 777. While the term impressive simply does not do either, justice…I must admit that you simply cannot throw enough classy aircraft at a 16-hour flight and make it “pleasant.” “Tollerable,” perhaps; but never pleasant. Now I understand that there are those that can fall asleep anywhere without exception. A certain Dutch fellow named Van Beek comes to mind, But…for those that require some semblance of comfort and quiescence, the aircraft to provide same just ain’t been built yet! But, hey; was it a great adventure having 800 free movies, 75 audio-books, a dozen TV shows and a rack full of tunes from which to choose? Youbetcha!!! And, I might add, it ain’t bad traveling with a United Platinum member. Short lines and preferential treatment is “my way to fly!!”
Immigration & Customs
Since Liz and I have elected “not-to-fly” as our travel mode of choice, you can imagine what an ice-water bath a 16 hour intercontinental, extra-hemispheric, flight experience this must have been. That said, we made the trip with one piece of carryon luggage and a purse and backpack. Even with that limited amount of luggage, it was “interesting.” Well, I mean 3 oz. of this liquid, and having my scissors confiscated and facial hair obscuring every opportunity at a “clean” immigration screening. That said, all our screenings went relatively smoothly. That includes that 1.75 hour process for two Americans to return to the USA from Australia, without incident. Even with that great expenditure of time, money and manpower, we slipped in with more than our allotted 3 oz. of liquid per container. Perhaps, we would have felt a bit safer had we been caught. Unfortunately, it seems like all hat and no cattle when it comes to serious screening at the border.
Photography
Over the past few years I have been flattered by questions from friends, family and acquaintances regarding the cameras I use an some of the techniques I employ while enjoying our adventures. The answer to all is essentially the same: Only take pictures in places where no matter when, where and how you point the camera, the result is always a unique and magical photographic image. Summarizing: if you like photography - go to ANZ. It’s a guaranteed photographic ecstasy experience.
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| Drop dead gorgeous - and I love her so much! |
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| Yes, glacial runoff is just that beautiful turquoise color! |
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| Ferry ride in the evening. The structure on the horizon is a lighthouse. |
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| Our third glacier hike. When you trace the recession of each - it saddens you. |
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| The Great Ocean Road - perhaps our favorite view and motorcycle ride ever!! |
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| The picture says it all...breathtaking. |
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| The flowers were everywhere - beautiful! |
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| Gorgeous water fall. |
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| Queenstown is one of this planets most beautiful cities. |
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| Queenstown |
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| Hello!! I'm a flower that demands to be noticed. |
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| Melbourne - eclectic beauty. |
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More of the beautiful turquoise water!
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