Traveling up coast

March 31, 2008
We’re in Coff’s Harbor at the Pacific Bay Resort. This is by far the classiest of our accommodations. We have a one bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking a tropical planted courtyard. Yesterday was a full day of driving. We took a detour into Port Macquarie looking for lunch which we found at Mike’s Seafood. A young boy of it seemed 12 waited on us. He spoke so fast that I had to slow him down to understand a word he said. We split the special of the day: batter fried Hoki. Hoki is a deep sea fish with a sweet taste. It was great and the two fillets and fries that came with the meal fed the two of us to the brim! Bosco’s down with a cold and feeling less than great. He could dive here but he can’t clear his ears so that’s out of the question,. Disheartening to say the least. We drove into town last night and has prime rib at a place called the Hog’s Breath Café. It was great fun.

Pokolbin, AU

March 29, 2008
Lazy day today, we picked up some needed supplies in town when we picked up our laundry. Then we drove around first to the Lookout on Pokolbin Hill and then to the Werakata National Park where we did a 2 K hike. Found kangaroo tracks on the trail. Info says they have the grey kangaroo there. Kangaroos hang out in "mobs". They also have wallabies there but we didn’t see any "roos" or wallabies. Bosco bought an Australian bird book when we arrived and we’ve been looking up and identifying the birds we find; now we’ve started a list of all we have seen. It’s actually quite neat. The first indication that we "weren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto" was the flight of Sulfur crested Cockatoos we saw in Ballarat. They are big, beautiful, raucous birds that fly in large groups. The next indicator was the green/ red parrots everywhere. Moving again tomorrow on to Coff’s Harbor for two nights. This is the start of our trek up the Eastern coast of Australia.

the end of our New Zealand tour

March 28, 2008
o I’m sitting in our living room at Polkobin Inn Chateau eating a Fruit and Nut bar and reviewing our day. We arrived here from Sydney late last night, March 27th, after a long and dark nights drive, in a foreign country, in a rental car, with poor directions We started early from Geraldine, NZ because we had to drive to Christchurch to return the rental car and go through customs then fly to Sydney (3 hours) and go through customs all over again. Our drive to Polkobin from Sydney was impeded by being in the wrong lane to turn when we spotted the sign too late. We wandered about in the Sydney suburbs always making progress but slowly. Once we got on the Pacific Coast highway we had that part of the journey iced. Ah, but then we got to the Hunter Valley, renowned for its winemaking, and we had small town streets and county roads to contend with. Another propensity of the Aussie’s that complicates things is their habit of changing the name of the road you are on every 2 or 3 kilometers or so. Plus they rarely identify the road you are on just the intersecting roads, maybe. I considered it a miracle that we arrive here at all. Today we rested even taking the laundry into town to have it done. The height of laziness but wonderful. We wandered around looking for a place to have dinner and found the BBQ Barn. They were awed by a real life USA cowboy so our service was exceptional as was the steak and ribs. The pics we wanted to post would not work. More later!
o March 25th
We spent this day at Riverbank Cottage with Lex and Sheila. She’s a wonderful quilter and along with the B& B sells hand made quilts and a wonderful variety of hand made items like purses, coasters, and scarves. We had dinner in Arrowtown, beer battered Blue Cod it was great! Lex and Sheila made us feel very welcome.
o March 26th
We drove to Geraldine this day stopping along the way at Mount Cook. Mount Cook is the highest point in the Southern Alps. We spent the night at Silverton Farmstay with Ken and Liz Rutherford. This visit included a dinner with our hosts. Margaret Smith and Jan from Calgary, Canada were also guests so we had a lively dinner featuring New England Boiled dinner; corned beef, potatoes, onions and carrots with buttered bread pudding and ice cream for dessert.

Fiordlands, NZ

March 24, 2008
Say this getting up at the crack of dawn is getting habit forming; here we are again up before breakfast heading out to sightsee. We bought tickets to see the Milford Sound Fiord via bus coach and cruise ship. Bosco wanted to be a passenger for a day so we went to the Fiords via bus coach, Alex our driver and commentator was knowledgeable about the flora and fauna, the history of the area and had an easy fun delivery and a melodious voice. We had numerous stops to take photos, some of the most breathtaking we took at the Mirror Ponds. Once at the Sound we boarded The Milford Sovereign to cruise the fiords. The Southern Alps are majestic. It was a truly wonderful day! We arrived back in Te Anau at 1630 and after the gas and a shopping stop we headed to Queenstown. We stopped along the way at Gaston at a friendly looking pub for a pie. They served us Steak and Cheese pie and Creamy Chicken pie with salad, both of which were delicious. The "Kiwi’s" are very outgoing friendly people and we talked hunting and traveling with our host until he got too busy and we got too late. We had called Lex and Shelia at Riverbank Cottage to say we would be late but we didn’t want to be tooo late. Ah, but the call of the illusive ice cream cone beaconed us into Queenstown where we found delicious ice cream at the cost of being 45 minutes later than even we planned.

Arriving Te Anau, NZ

March 23, 2008
We were up at the crack of dawn today having scheduled breakfast for 0715 so that we could make a quick exit because we had drive to Te Anau for our next B & B. This was a spectacular drive across the bottom of New Zealand to the Fiordlands of the South East. Tomorrow at 0730 a bus stops to pick us up for the 2 ½ hour trip to Milford Sound where we will take a cruise on the Fiords. After we had that all arranged we went to the Fiordlands National Park and hiked for about 2 hours. The start of the hike was a swinging bridge over a river that was used in filming Lord of the Rings. The hike itself was into wetlands, ferns and trees. It was wonderful to get out and hike a bit. Te Anau is a small tourist town, very neat and tidy and clean. Our hosts here are Phil and Sandy Scott. When we got back from our hike and dinner we sat up and talked to them about a little of everything.

Dunedin day 2

March 22, 2008

Wonderful day today which started with a great breakfast; bacon, eggs, toast, juice, fruit and yogurt, and cereal. We talked at breakfast to Louise who is or hostess here. Once we had eaten our fill we set out to visit the Otago Peninsula to see the Royal Albatross nesting sites and the Yellow Eyed Penguin nesting sites. We were toured about at each place with knowledgeable guides and now we know more about each of these birds than we ever knew before. The countryside is amazing, dizzying heights, wind swept hills, open plains and the ocean. On the way back to town we took an alternate route so we saw the harbor/ sea side as well as the Cliffside. Getting lost is no big deal as it just opens up new unexplored avenues. We stopped at a buffet on the way back called Great Taste and it was. Dunedin boasts the world’s steepest street in Baldwin Street, so we had to find it and drive it. I’m here to tell you I’m a believer!

Dunedin, NZ

March 21, 2008
Drove from Christchurch to Dunedin today—about 380 Km. Made stops along the way to eat and look at the Moeraki Boulders—big round rocks at the edge of the ocean. The aborigine considered this a holy place! Got to Heriot House in Dunedin about 1700 and settled in. Old Victorian house on the corner of a steep hill. We are on second floor and the car is parked behind and is on the same level (or maybe higher). Went into town, 8-10 blocks, and walked around the “Octagon Square” that the city was originally started from. Had dinner in “The Craic”—pronounced crack, which is an Irish term for fun. I had Bangers and Mash—beef sausage and mashed potatoes, and Kathy had Crumbled Prawns—actually it was crumbed but we could not read!! Kathy did more window shopping, but it is Easter weekend so no shops are open!!!! Back to Heriot House to work on blog and rest! Kinda wondering why no one is commenting on this blog? Go to bottom and click on comment!

Christchurch, NZ Visiting the "Kiwi's"

March 20, 2008
Up early again this AM for our flight to Christchurch, NZ. Very nice day, took a cab to the airport left the hotel at 0615 as this is an International flight. Nice flight lost 2 hours of time and as a result we entirely missed lunch. Through customs and to Hertz for our car and off to our first Bed and Breakfast, which is 302 Russley, Christchurch, NZ. What a charming lovely place it is. Weather is fabulous, nice breezes and open windows. Both of us are tired, air travel and deadlines to meet, sit and wait, stand and wait .Met Ron and Helen our hosts who are wonderful, down home folks. Helen is a nurse so you know she’s a great person, semi-retired, just my exact same age. Went to a near-by shopping mall and had dinner. I had Flemish beef stew with beer and herbs, served with Stomp and green beans with crispy fried parsnips. Had to ask about the stomp, which turned out to be carrots and potatoes mashed together. The whole meal was wonderful. Came back to the B&B to meet Eric and Magdalena from Austria who are staying here also. To bed early as both of us are worn plumb smooth.

Sydney night life!

March 19, 2008
Busy day today. Bought two opal pendants at the Wholesaler’s. Got a lesson in Pearls and Opals. Checked our email and took care of business. I had a Thai massage which was very good and quite interesting. We went to an open AA meeting which we found on Francis St. at the Unitarian Church. We walked to the Monorail station and rode it around a complete loop then back to the Harbor where we went out to dinner at the Blue Fish. We passed up the Roo. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and gentle breezes. Caught the last monorail back to the World Center and walked back and began the task of getting ready for leaving in the morning. Whew!

Speaking Aussie

March 17, 2008
Flew to Sydney today; had to get up before the crack of dawn to do it. Turned in our rental car and got to the gate in plenty of time. Thought I’d add some Aussie terms to our vocabulary:
Driving: instead of yield it’s give way, instead of keep left except to pass it’s keep left unless overtaking, no blocking of intersection means no queue in intersection,
Sign in a grocery store: Dear Customer this lane is closed
Sign in the Airport: Queue here
Measurements: common speeds are 60 in a city, 40 by a school, and 60 or 80 near construction and 100 to 110 on the highway—that’s kilometers by the way. Temperatures are 20’s, 30’s or 40’s centigrade that is.
Our hotel room in Sydney is at the Wydham small and compact but very neat and clean. I’m in the process of doing laundry from our first few days, trying to stay ahead of the game.
Sorry this is out of order but we do have our techno moments! B&K

March 18, 2008
Resting in our hotel room after a double-decker bus tour of Sydney. Got off at the Sydney Opera House down by the harbor. Rode a trackless train (small thing to explore) around the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are 30 hectors is size (whatever a hector is). Got off at far end and walked out to Mrs. Macquarie’s Point. Named for her as she had a bench carved, around the mid 1800’s, into the rock so she could have a place to sit after her walk to the point. The weather has finally cooled off enough to not bake—26* C or 80*F for you yanks! We had lunch by the opera house—ham cheese and tomato sandwiches, potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili sauce. It was great—or we were starving! Got back on the bus to finish the tour and then back to the hotel. Later we (she) plans to go to an Australian opal cutters place that is supposed to be the cheapest in town!! We’ll see! Saw some beautiful opals down by the harbor for $800-1000—I left.

March 16, 2008
It’s 2200 and we are busily packing to head to Melbourne tomorrow to turn in the rental Yaris and fly to Sydney. Had an absolutely marvelous day today. We went square dancing last night with Ralph, Lynn and Adrian Weise and the Chemistry Sets. Lots of callers showed up and after a mite of technical problems we had a heck of a square dance. Bosco called at least half of it. What fun! We stayed over night with Ralph and Lyn and this AM we left their house and Melbourne for the Great Costal Highway. We made a big loop going south from Melbourne, west along the coast and then north back to Ballarat. Stopped places to hike; the rainforest trail and the Twelve Apostles vista walks, and places to take pictures and even stopped to eat. Met other tourists along the way; young couple from Canada and a gentleman from Israel and one from India. Saw a Koala bear in a tree. We got back here just in time to crawl into the hot tub and then begin the packing saga. We’ve got to get up early in the morning to get to the airport in time. Who planned this trip anyway??

March 15, 2008
We are sleeping exceeding well. We both went to meetings last night and found the fellowship is world wide. How wonderful to "come home" and belong. Got up this AM and took a walk around the lake. Lovely birds: Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, huge birds with a raucous cry, Crimson Rosella, a brilliant parrot; and Magpies with a melodious song. WOW! Went to a Wildlife Preserve to see animals and have pictures of Wombats, Kangaroos, Koala, and birds. Hot today, and we have to get ready to head to Melbourne and square dance. Plan for tomorrow is to drive the Costal Highway.

Finally here

March 14, 2008
o Left Boise Airport on March 11 for LA at 1440, left LA airport for Melbourne at 2315 and arrived in Melbourne, VIC, AU at 0800 on March 13 completely losing Wednesday the 12th. After about 4 attempts Bosco was finally able to rent a car. It is Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne and we wound up with a Toyota Yaris, the only car left. Turns out it was exactly what we wanted, a small 3 door car, with room for the two of us and our luggage. With a few bumps and starts we headed out, driving on the left side of the road, from the right side of the car, with distance and speed measured in Kilometers. On the way to Ballarat we stopped in a small town called Bacchus Marsh where Peter Harrison fed us a wonderful lunch at Keepers. We found our World Mark resort after fumbling about a bit and checked in and promptly went to bed (1450) getting up at 0630 the next morning. Kathy is having lots of trouble with her back, so we are going to a physiotherapist to see if we can smooth out the wrinkles!! The plane trip almost killed us—tiny seats in the middle of four seats. Driving is pretty strange—I turn a corner and I end up on the wrong side with Kathy yelling get over, or I do it right and she yells get over thinking I’m wrong.

Bosco certifying

Well, I am finally "Certifyable"! I finished my Open water dive course March 8, at Blue Lake near Wendover, NV. Had a ball but the water was real murky and you could not see more than 5 feet. Janet, to my left, was my dive buddy. I'm on to bigger and more beautiful things! Watch out GREAT BARRIER REEF!! The picture doesn't show that I looked like a walrus in a girdle. Bosco

We had lots of snow this winter as this picture shows. Our house sits on a prarie unbroken with trees. The wind blows just about all the time, which is a great help in the summer with temps over 100* F often. The wind stunts the trees.

Bosco and I live 4 miles out of a small rural town in Idaho. We recently retired; last July/ August. Our Aussie trip has been in the planning stages for about 5 years. We raise Quarter Horses and Paints and have raised both Poodles and Labradors. As you can see from our picture we are avid square dancers. Bosco has been calling since 1990 and calls for two clubs: Heartland Swingers in Cambridge, ID and Syringa Squares in Boise, ID.