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Category Archives: Oceania
New Zealand
After cancelling several trips to New Zealand over the past few years, Linda finally got her chance to visit on a cruise aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. I had been to New Zealand on a Tauck tour about ten … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand, Travel
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Australia 2017
The flight from Hong Kong to Sydney is overnight, and takes about nine hours. Dani had a rough night in coach, with three infants nearby, but Linda and I were able to get some sleep in business (thank you frequent … Continue reading
Coogee
Although it was an early morning, our plane flight from Aukland to Sydney was otherwise painless, and, taking advantage of the two hour time shift, we were in Coogee by 11am. this is the town where Pamela grew up, so … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Dani, Dining, New Zealand
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Rainy Days in Auckland
The rain caught up to us today, but that was okay, as it gave us an excuse to relax. At noon we walked down Queen Street and found a ma and pa Korean restaurant for a tasty lunch. After lunch … Continue reading
Posted in Dining, New Zealand
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Back to Auckland
On the final day of our Tauck Tour we headed back to Auckland. We’ve had almost perfect weather on the trip, particularly considering that winter is just ending in New Zealand. It seemed that we’ve been ahead of rain almost … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand
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TSS Earnslaw & Walter Peak Sheep Station
Today we got to sleep in, because our excursion to the sheep farm didn’t start until almost noon, when we walked across the street to the dock and boarded the TSS (Twin Screw Steamship) Earnslaw, for the 45 minute trip … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand
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Queenstown
We arrived at the Queenstown airport (actually in Frankton) about 6pm, and as predicted no one was there except security and the janitor. Since our luggage had magically preceded us, we were in Queenstown within minutes. The Crowne Plaza Queenstown … Continue reading
Posted in Dining, New Zealand, Wine
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Milford Sound
In the morning we caught our same private jet for the flight from Wellington at the tip of the North Island to Manapouri Airport, about two thirds of the way down the South Island. Flight time was less than 90 … Continue reading
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Martin Bosley’s
While Dani had dinner with her friend Laura, I went across the street from our hotel and had a solo dinner at Martin Bosley’s, which has been voted New Zealand’s best restaurant. The emphasis here is on fish, which is … Continue reading
Posted in Dining, New Zealand
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Wellington
Wellington certainly deserves its nickname as the windy capital. As the world’s southernmost capital city, it was surprisingly warm today–mid fifties–but a constant breeze made a good jacket a requirement. The day dawned with scattered drizzles, a contrast to last … Continue reading
Posted in Dining, New Zealand
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Marlborough Sound
At the Rotorua airport we caught our private charter jet for the 45 minute flight to the South Island. This is the way to travel! The 100-seat British Aerospace BAe 146-200 was pretty spacious with only 17 of us! The … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand
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Rotorua
We departed from Auckland this morning for our drive across half of the northern island that comprises New Zealand. After a rest stop for some honeycomb and vanilla ice cream (who says 9:30 is too early for ice cream?) we … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand
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Waiheke Island
For our first day on the Tauck tour we met our group at the bus at 8:15 and headed to the ferry dock for the 40 minute trip to Waiheke Island. The island is a beautifully unspoiled place, with 8500 … Continue reading
Posted in Dining, New Zealand, Wine
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Auckland
Today I had breakfast while Dani slept in, enjoying her last completely unscheduled day before we join our tour. We walked a mile or so down Queen street to the Quay, stopping on the way to buy ten used CDs … Continue reading
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Sydney to Auckland
After breakfast at the Four Seasons, where Dani got one last Crumpet, a new favorite, we headed to the airport and out flight to Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand is really into rugby, and the rugby World Cup is going … Continue reading
Posted in Dining, New Zealand
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Tetsuya
Our concierge suggested we add Testsuya’s to our list of dining adventures in Sydney, and Pamela’s relatives all said we’d like it best. They were right. This is the restaurant that should have three Michelin stars. It’s located in a … Continue reading
Jenolan Caves
Our driver, Trevor, picked us up early for the 100 mile drive to Jenolan Caves. The caves are in the Blue Mountains, southwest of Sydney. Along the way we stopped near Leura, where Pamela used to live, to see the … Continue reading
Posted in Australia
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Sydney Zoo
We spent a delightful day at the Sydney Zoo, courtesy of Pamela. It’s just a short ferry ride across Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay. It’s a great zoo, and the animals were very cooperative, standing where we could see them! … Continue reading
Quay
Quay (pronounced “key”) is a three-star Michelin restaurant that has been voted best restaurant in Australia and Asia. It’s on the third floor of the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay, and has a spectacular view of the Harbour Bridge … Continue reading
Australia Museum
We spent a pleasant day at the Australia Museum, which has upgraded their video projection since our last visit ten years ago. Their insect and mineral collections are really extensive, although it’s the dinosaurs that draw the kids. Dani points … Continue reading
Posted in Australia
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Rockpool Bar & Grill
Portions of this entry were originally written by Dani for her blog. Rockpool Bar & Grill is a short walk from the Four Seasons Hotel. It’s a beautiful room, which looks like it may have been a bank in another … Continue reading
Breakfast Point
A more extensive version of this entry was written by Dani for her blog. After breakfast we went to Circular Quay, and the same wharf where we met Pamela to catch a ferry to her neighborhood. The water taxi service … Continue reading
Posted in Australia
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Hunter Valley Wineries
This post was shamelessly cribbed from Dani’s blog. Today we went to the Hunter Vally wine country. This was exciting for Dani because it was her first time on a wine tour someplace where she’s over the legal drinking age. … Continue reading
Becasse
This post was cribbed from Dani’s Blog We met Pamela in the lobby at 5:30 and headed over to Bécasse for dinner. The restaurant recently relocated from a 90 seat location to a 24 seat spot in an upscale mall. … Continue reading
Circular Quay
Circular Quay (prounounced “kee”) is the waterfront area next to the Sydney Opera House. It’s just a block from our hotel, and we met our friend Pamela there, where she arrived from her house by one of the River Cat … Continue reading
Posted in Australia
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Kable’s
Kable’s is the fine dining restaurant at the our hotel, the Four Seasons Sydney. Although the hotel has a spectacular view of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour, Kable’s, surprisingly, doesn’t, as it is located on the mezzanine of the … Continue reading
A Room with a View
Once the sun turned the corner of the building we opened our blind and found a lovely view of the Sydney Opera House from our room on the 28th floor of the Four Seasons. Refreshed by our showers, we went … Continue reading
Posted in Australia
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The 22 Hour Night
It takes 22 hours to fly from Orlando to Sydney, Australia. That may sound like a long time, but Dani and I discovered that if you have the right seat, it actually isn’t too bad. The sun set as we … Continue reading
Australia 2001
I’ve always wanted to visit Australia, both to see a new continent, and to better understand the market for audio, video, lighting and show control products, there. So when I heard that our Australian distributor, EAV Technology, would be exhibiting … Continue reading