Sydney AUS
January 21-23
It was a very long journey – nearly 36 hours door to door – Florida to New South Wales. We finally arrived at our hotel around 11:30 am (AUS time) and fortunately, our room was ready, so we were able to drop our bags and go in search of a sandwich and a beer. Incidentally, the time difference between here and home is 16 hours, which means that it was 7:30 pm on Monday, January 22nd when we arrived at the Sheraton.
January 23-25
1/23 – It rained on the way from the airport, so we weren’t sure how much sightseeing we were going to be able to do on our first afternoon. As luck would have it, by the time we found a café and a bottle shop – in the shopping center one block away! – the sun was out. We walked down to the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbor. The ships were really interesting, including a replica of Captain James Cook’s Endeavor.
The walk took us through Tumbalong Park, a pedestrian way with loads of restaurants, bars, and cafes. Very pretty, especially the crepe myrtle trees! The high temperature was 77* today so we were pretty warm when we got back to the hotel. We are planning on a burger at the hotel bar for dinner. I’m sure it will be a very early night for us as we are pushing up against 41 hours with very limited sleep!
1/24 – Today we walked and walked and walked – all the way along Cockle Bay Wharf and King Street Wharf to the Cutaway and then over to Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House. We stopped for a beer at the Opera Bar. It was much needed as we walked more than 2 miles, and the temps were in the mid-80’s. We walked back along the harbour and stopped for a late lunch at Fratelli Fresh (Italian). We arrived just as happy hour was starting and had a delicious pizza and cold drinks. It was really nice to sit outside in the shade! We were pretty wiped out (still suffering from jet lag) so we spent the balance of the evening watching the Australian Open tennis.
About the Cutaway:
Barangaroo Reserve is a six-hectare re-imagined Sydney Harbour headland that sits above a spectacular cultural space called the Cutaway. Named after Barangaroo, a Cammeraygal woman who was a powerful voice in the early days of colonial Sydney, the reserve is rich in Aboriginal and cultural history and remains an area of great significance for Australians across all cultures. As well as providing spectacular new views of Sydney’s iconic Harbour, Barangaroo Reserve features more than 75,000 native trees and shrubs, extensive walking and cycling trails, idyllic coves and picnic spots. The park also glories in rock pools created from the 10,000 blocks of unique Sydney sandstone excavated directly from the site during the project.
1/25 – This morning, we took an Uber to the airport for our flight to Auckland. Check in was surprisingly easy and we were through security and in the Centurion Lounge in about 30 minutes. We had great seats on the flight – bulkhead premium economy (first row behind business class). The service and food were exceptional.
Auckland NZ
January 25-28
1/25 – (continued) Having completed our arrival card on-line (along with our visas), we breezed through immigration and customs. The car rental was just a few steps away in the arrivals hall. We are driving a Kia Sportage for the next month, and we are excited that it has a very nice wide screen navigation system (we have no idea how to get from here to there on our own).
It was almost 6:30 by the time we got to the Sebel Hotel Viaduct Harbour as there is a two-hour time change between Australia and New Zealand. So, for the next 40 days, the difference between Florida and us is 18 hours.
We got situated in our room and set out in search of wine and food. We found a liquor store about ½ mile away. Our route took us past a Thai restaurant (restaurant sounds better than “shack”), so we got take-out on the way back to the hotel. We sat on our balcony to eat and enjoyed the beautiful harbour view for the rest of the night.
1/26 and 1/27 – We had two fairly lazy days in Auckland. On Thursday, we walked along the harbour front and watched the practice for the Red Bull World Series of Cliff Diving. The top heights, from which the competitors dove (88.5 feet / 27 meters) were truly scary! On Friday, we visited the Maritime Museum. The history of the sea and its influence on New Zealand culture were fascinating. There was also an exhibit on the America’s Cup. The last time New Zealand won the coveted race was 2017 in Bermuda – and Bonnie was there! It was an incredible experience! And, funnily enough, Bonnie got an America’s Cup hat for Mark – bought it at the airport departure shop. It was raining today, and he had that hat on as we explored the museum. What a coincidence!
Aside from immersing ourselves in the local scene, we found the nearest market (< ¼ mile from the hotel) and stocked up on a few provisions. We hit the road tomorrow for Northland. The adventure continues!!