Our Trip Down Under

I am writing this travel log about the trip Becka and I took to New Zealand and Australia in Feb-Mar of 2011 as a reminder to myself about the details of the trip and to share the experience with family and friends. Enjoy!

Most photos can be clicked on to see larger versions. In some cases clicking will take you to the source if I found the picture online.

 
 

Feb 21: LA to Christchurch

Flying Across the Pacific

Checking in for our flights we hit our first glitch. Apparently my passport number was entered incorrectly in my travel visa application but luckily the girl behind the counter was able to straighten everything out. Was this a sign of things to come?

We departed on Qantas Flight 26 from LAX fairly late at 11:30 PM on Friday, February 19. Thanks to the International Date Line we lost a day and arrived in Auckland, NZ on Monday at 9:50 AM after about a 13 hour flight. I was surprised to discover that I only needed to set my watch back by three hours (and forward by one day).

We had window and aisle seats next to each other, the food was fairly good and there were plenty of current movies, TV shows and games in the seatback entertainment system and since we left late it was easier to sleep. Overall it wasn't bad for being such a long flight.

Auckland Airport

Getting from the international terminal to the domestic terminal in Auckland was a bit of a walk. Maybe next time we'll take the bus. The weather was warm and there was enough humidity that I was hot after the walk, pulling along our suitcase.

Holiday Inn on Avon

The flight to Christchurch took just over an hour. A super shuttle was waiting to take us to our hotel. We had most everything arranged by Travel Leaders for this trip. After checking into the hotel we could finally shower. There didn't seem to be any air conditioning in the hotel room. We looked at some maps and decided to walk to the city center from the hotel to see how we could spend the rest of our day. It was probably a 15-20 minute walk.

Christchurch City Center & Cathedral

Little did we know this picture on the right would be one of the last taken of the Christchurch Cathedral before it crumbled in the earthquake the next day. We could see people up in the tower but decided against going up there ourselves.

Botanical Gardens & Punting the Avon

We signed up for a ride on the Avon river which they call punting. With some time to wait before our ride we walked to the botanical gardens. We were getting pretty tired at this point so it was nice to sit for a while.


We found a place for dinner right on the river and were able to eat outside and do a little people watching. It was nice to have longer days than back home. We walked back to the hotel and slept soundly.

 

 

 

 

Feb 22: Whale Watching in Kaikoura

Bus Ride

It was colder and raining the next morning. Our bus from Canterbury Leisure Tours was supposed to pick us up from our hotel around 7:15 but they were late enough that we called them from the lobby. They showed up just as we called. We were the last ones aboard a small bus carrying a dozen people. The driver's commentary was interesting as we drove through the countryside. We saw lots of fields and sheep. There was a stop for refreshments where I could get some motion-sickness medication, just in case.

 

Change of Plans Due to Weather

We wondered if we would really be going out to see whales with the stormy weather and sure enough our driver updated us that the boat trip was cancelled. We could either take a plane ride to look for whales or get a refund. After a somewhat underwhelming stop to look at seals nearly everyone decided to try the plane ride. Unfortunately spotting whales with white-caps everywhere is difficult and we did not see any. We did see a pod of dolphins and the circling around made me a bit dizzy, even after taking the motion-sickness medication an hour earlier.


 

Earthquake!

At the whale-watching center they were starting to let boats go out with sea-sickness warnings when we finally arrived. We ordered some lunch but had trouble paying with our credit cards. Apparently there had been an earthquake in Christchurch (which we didn't feel) and it effected the lines in Kaikoura. Our driver wanted to go back and check on her family and she asked everyone what they wanted to do. We all wanted to go back too until the Red Cross advised everyone to stay away.


 

Staying in Kaikoura

Our driver said she would try to come back for us the next day or at least make sure we were taken care of so we all booked hotel rooms in town to wait it out. Only when we turned on the TV in the hotel did we realize how truly serious the situation was. We found a public library with internet access and let people know that we were ok. All we had with us were our cameras and a few things in my backpack like spare batteries and memory cards for the cameras so we bought some things to get us through the night. It seems we picked a good trip to purchase the travel insurance.

 

 

Feb 23: Amazing Race

Deciding Which Way to Go

By 9:30 in the morning most of our group had returned to the isight information center to decide what to do next. Most of the group was determined to get back to Christchurch. Many people were part of larger groups which they wanted to rejoin and we all had belongings left in the hotels there. We were surprised that most people did not have their passports with them like we did. For the longest time I thought the only choices were to go back to Christchurch or wait in Kaikoura. Eventually a third option came to light and Becka and I decided to head north to Wellington. We were able to get a bus ticket to Picton and were told we could catch a ferry from there to Wellington.

 

Bus Ride to Picton

The two hour bus ride was uneventful with similar scenery to the previous day. We were able to get tickets on an InterIslander ferry to Wellington when the bus dropped us off at the ferry terminal in Picton. Our original itinerary had us flying from Christchurch to Auckland then from there to Sydney on this day but watching the news in the hotel it became clear no one would be flying out of Christchurch so I moved the Auckland to Sydney flight out to the 25th (after what seemed like forever on hold at who knows how much per minute). Now all we had to do was get to Auckland and we hoped we could fly there from Wellington.


 

Ferry Ride to Wellington

The ferry ride was quite pleasant. The sky cleared up as we went and it almost felt like we were on an excursion. The ride took about three hours so I assumed we would be too late to fly out of Wellington until the next day. I wasn't sure where we would sleep.


 

Wellington Airport

Our amazing race continued as we took a shuttle to the main train station then ran to catch a bus heading for the airport. On the ride it became clear there were no hotels anywhere near the airport. Once inside we learned Air New Zealand was creating an emergency flight from Wellington to Auckland for just $50 per person so we waited in line and got tickets departing later in the evening. We took a few minutes to eat some food then waited to get online. Just a few hours before our flight we saw that our travel agent had found us seats on a flight the next morning from Wellington to Sydney.

There were no Qantas windows open and we were unable to check-in for the flight online. If we skipped the Air New Zealand flight we weren't sure if we'd be on the morning Qantas flight, then we'd be stuck. Luckily the Air New Zealand people were nice enough to let us call Qantas and get onto that flight. They also fully reimbursed us for the $50 flight we were no longer taking. Due to the crisis in Christchurch the airport was allowing people to spend the night so we slept on conference room floors in the cold with no blankets or pillows.

 

Feb 24: Flying to Sydney

Early Flight

We woke up at 4am when the Qantas window was supposed to open and got downstairs to find a long line of people already waiting. As the line slowly moved we wondered if we would really be on the flight. Thankfully we were. Once we had those tickets in our hands we could finally stop worrying and start looking forward to getting back onto our itinerary. We were only half a day behind schedule. The flight was a couple hours long and again we had a prearranged shuttle take us to our hotel downtown.

 

Shopping

We didn't have any trouble checking in one day late thanks to our travel agent calling to let them know. Next we decided to go shopping for some clothes and toiletries. We walked to a nearby mall with a Target, food court, etc. Things seemed pretty expensive and Becka's credit card stopped working. We hadn't informed our credit card companies about our trip. Oops! My card worked and back at the hotel I called hers and got things resolved. Apparently our activity buying tickets and making phone calls seemed suspicious. Go figure.

 

Circular Quay

There is a free bus running a loop downtown so we rode to Circular Quay (apparently pronounced Key). We checked the ferry routes and got tickets to hop across the water and back so we could photograph the Opera House, which you can also see from the Quay. We had dinner along the water and since it was too late for the free bus we got tickets for a bus ride back to the hotel. The traffic was terrible so it was slow going but it would have been a really, really long walk.


 

Fire Alarm!

We were awakened around 1:30am by a strange, loud noise. I tried the phone and looked for an alarm clock but eventually we figured out it was the fire alarm. Our stuff was spread all over the room so I said "Didn't we learn anything?!" and by the time we were ready to leave the room an announcement told us to stand by. It turned out to be a false alarm. The fire exit door next to our room was blocked off (see picture).

 

Feb 25: Hop On, Hop Off

More Shopping

An email from our travel agent indicated no one would be allowed back into the area of our Christchurch hotel until April. Knowing that we would not be getting our luggage during the trip we decided to buy more things and a suitcase. We found a market called Paddy's right around the corner with much better prices. Paddy's market is pretty vast and if it wasn't in a grid you could get lost in it.


 

Bondi Beach

After our successful shopping trip we decided to use the Hop On, Hop Off Explorer busses. Something like $45 per person lets you ride the busses for 24 hours. First we took the Bondi Explorer out to Bondi beach (pronounced bahn-dye). There are seats on top of the bus for a good view with recorded commentary. It was a nice day for hanging out on the beach, our first real sun of the trip. On the ride back you get a great view of the Sydney skyline.


 

The Rocks

We switched to the Sydney Explorer bus and saw some interesting sights like Darling Harbour where it might have been fun to explore if we had more time. We got off in the Rocks to look around and get some food. Becka was hoping to do a walking ghost tour but there were no tickets available. The Rocks was quite the popular spot on a nice Friday evening. There were lots of places for food on-the-go and live music outside but I really wanted to sit for dinner so we eventually ended up back near where we ate the night before by the Opera House.


 

 

Feb 26: Rainy Cairns

Back in the Air

Just when we thought we had reached our quota for travel glitches we were unable to check-in for our flight to Cairns. The person helping us said we were not on the flight. It turns out when the person on the phone helped us get from Wellington to Sydney they disrupted the rest of our flights. After a moment of panic we were reinstated on all our remaining flights (hopefully). A few hours later we were in warm, rainy Cairns. Another shuttle to the hotel and it was time to decide what to do with the rest of the day.

 

Escaping the Rain

The next hotel shuttle to the main part of town wasn't coming for a while so we caught a cab. It was really pouring, the kind of rain we don't get in Eastern Washington. We found an indoor mall and bought a second umbrella, some towels and an underwater camera for our upcoming trip to the reef. The sidewalks along the streets were mostly covered so we were able to walk around without getting too wet (besides our feet). We grabbed some lunch then went to an aviary in a dome above the casino. It was kind of leaky but better than being outside. Besides birds they had koalas, a huge crocodile named Goliath and other native animals.


 

Esplanade

The rain let up and we walked down part of the Esplanade and saw the lagoon created to keep people cool in the normally hot and humid weather. I suppose we could be thankful it wasn't hot but it certainly was humid. Apparently their summer is the wet season so the best bet for sun is in the winter. It doesn't really get much cooler so if we ever go back that might be a better time of year.

 

Feb 27: Great Barrier Reef

Boat to Michaelmas Cay

It was still raining but there was no cancelled trip this time. A bus took us to the boat and we set off for the Great Barrier Reef. There were a lot of young Japanese tourists in Cairns and probably more Germans than Americans as well. On the boat the signs were in English, German and Japanese (katakana). We met some nice people, one of whom was willing to watch our stuff when we went out to go snorkeling.


 

Snorkeling

Mother nature was kind enough to give us a break from the rain right when we arrived at our little island. A smaller boat took us to shore where a small beach was roped off from the rest of the island which was taken over by birds. We snorkeled for a while under mostly cloudy skies and saw a few interesting things. I suppose our hopes were a little too high but it was still fun. We could see a really dark storm coming towards us and before the next little boat came to take us to the bigger boat the downpour hit. It was like taking a shower while holding your towel. At least it wasn't too cold. We were all laughing at each other. We took a ride in a semi-submersible but the view was a little cloudy due to the clouds in the sky and an algae bloom caused by a recent cyclone.


 

Sleepy Dinners

Back on land we grabbed some dinner and like the last few nights I had serious trouble staying awake once I sat down. I think most of our meals were in the $30/person neighborhood but we weren't trying too hard to find cheap food.

 

Feb 28: Kuranda & the Rain Forest

Bus to Kuranda

With more rain in the forecast and no excursions prearranged we decided to setup a trip to a little village called Kuranda through the front office in the hotel. A bus picked us up and took us to Kuranda along a windy road. I had more trouble with the motion of the bus than the motion of the boat from the day before. The people we met on the boat the day before were on our bus but they got off first and we didn't see them again until the bus ride home.

 

Butterflies

Our first stop in Kuranda was the butterfly sanctuary. For just $12 each we entered a greenhouse full of butterflies. They were everywhere. We received a personal tour with an explanation of the butterflies and caterpillars. We even saw one hatch.


 

Butterfly Video

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Birds

Next to the butterfly sanctuary was the bird sanctuary. The birds certainly were not shy. One of the larger birds started taking apart my backpack. They recommend women remove their earrings before entering.


 

Koalas

One more sanctuary, this time for koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles and other native species. Becka got to hold a koala and we were able to feed many of the animals.


 

Skyrail Over the Rainforest

When the time came we got on the skyrail to head back towards Cairns. The ride over the rain forest was inspiring. We learned from our bus driver that the Daintree rainforest is nearly twice as old as the Amazon. At 135 million years old it is the oldest rainforest in the world. I was surprised at how tall the trees were. The first stop offered a view of a waterfall. The falls were quite a bit larger than usual thanks to the recent rainfall. The second stop had a view over the forest and you could see steam rising from the falls in the distance. Finally you could see Cairns in the distance coming down the final hill.

 

[Falls Video]

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Here's how it looks in the brochure.

 

Mar 1: Brisbane

On the Move Again

We were finally able to check-in for a flight without incident. Brisbane and Cairns are in the same time zone but are one hour different than Sydney. At least that's how it was while we were there. I think one state/territory does daylight savings while the other doesn't. It was pretty hot in Brisbane. After the shuttle to the hotel we checked the brochures in the lobby to figure out what to do with half a day. It was only a few blocks walk to the train station so we got tickets to the Gold Coast hoping to catch some sun at the beach.

 

Gold Coast

Sadly after the train ride and another bus ride it was three hours later and the sun was already setting. We hiked around on the beach a little bit then found that one street back from the beach there were lots of shops. We decided to go cheap and grabbed something like gyros for dinner. Another three hours later and we were back at the hotel. The getting to and from everywhere really started adding up, both for time and money.


 

 

Mar 2: Australia Zoo

Steve Irwin's Zoo

Another bus ride of a bit more than an hour and we were at the Australia Zoo. This was easily the hottest day of the entire trip so far despite plenty of shade. The habitats were very spacious so it was good that they had hands on demonstrations where you could see and pet the animals up close. The guys showing off the crocodile were noticeably scared of it. All the zoos and sanctuaries in Australia had a more hands-on feel than the typical US zoo.


On the return bus ride they played a very nice video covering Steve Irwin's life. He grew up at the zoo, before it was called the Australia Zoo, and took it over from his parents when he was older. I might want to buy that video some day. We did some laundry in the hotel then went to the Queen Street mall for dinner. It is a nice outdoor mall with shops and places to eat.

 

Mar 3: Koala Sanctuary

Flood Damage

We originally had an excursion to Frasier Island in our itinerary but we dropped it to reduce the cost so we didn't have anything planned for this day. There was some chance of rain in the forecast and Frasier was at least four hours away so we considered Moreton Island but eventually settled on something quite a bit less expensive, a ferry ride up to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. The ride was just over an hour long with recorded commentary and we got to see firsthand some of the damage caused by recent flooding.


 

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The sanctuary was a lot like the other places we had been with animals except there were a lot more koalas. It was even hotter than the day before. We got our pictures taken with a koala again and saw some of the hands-on shows. They had pictures of celebrities with koalas including Pope John Paul II, Pavarotti, Cher, Marilyn Manson, Eric Clapton and many more. There was a large group of Japanese high school boys in the park at the same time. The sheep herding show was funny because he had the dogs jump right up on the sheep in the corral and they didn't seem to mind. We also saw a sheep get sheared and I was a little jealous due to the heat and humidity.


 

XXXX Brewery

Our hotel was a short walk from the wharf and when we got back we found out we could make it to the last tour of the day at the XXXX Brewery if we were quick. We walked to the train station and rode one stop to the brewery. It took a while to find the entrance around on the North-East side but we made it just in time. That's about when it started raining. The tour was interesting, more "behind the scenes" and less "polished" than the Heineken Brewery. At the end we could each drink four beers if we wanted and they provided a pretty good dinner as part of the price. We learned they add sugar to Australian beers due to the hot tropical climate. After that we took a ride on a Ferris wheel in the rain with a view of downtown (and our hotel) across the river. Becka was excited that there was some lightning.

 

Mar 4: Heading Home

42 Hour Day

We flew home, half way around the world, without any issues. Just like the flight over to New Zealand we had seats by ourselves and the food was good. I watched three movies and still had time to sleep about six hours. We arrived in LA in the morning earlier than when we left Brisbane. Our cell phones finally worked at this point so we checked our messages. Listening to the increasing level of panic in subsequent messages regarding the earthquake was kind of funny after the fact. We also found out that a manager at the Christchurch hotel had possibly retrieved some of our belongings before the area was blocked off. It's a good thing we had our names and contact information on our bags.

After flying to Spokane via Las Vegas, Peter was there to drive us home. It was just a wee bit colder than Australia. At this point I realized my keys were still in Christchurch. Luckily we left at least one of each key in Spokane. After picking up the dogs from the kennel the trip was officially completed.

 

Our Luggage

Less than two weeks later we received nearly all of our belongings including a working laptop! The shipping cost more than $500 but we are hopeful the travel insurance will cover this along with the things we had to buy along the way.