October 30 & 31, 2007 Darwin and the Northern Territory of Australia

We departed Sydney for a long flight to the Northern Territory and the City of Darwin. We arrived at our hotel near Midnight and began early the following morning to embark on a four day tour of the Northern Territory.

To our surprise, our tour guide was a young lad from Tampico, Mexico who'd been in Australia for 3 years. Enrique was very nice, but his English was a bit broken. We were of course expecting an Australian or Aboriginal tour guide - but Enrique did a good job and we enjoyed our time with him and our tour very much.

Our first stop was in Litchfield National Park to visit the termite mounds. There are many different species of termites and each have a particular way they build their mounds. Primarily there are the Architectural Mounds (Pictured here) and the Magnetic Mounds (pictured below)which face in a perfectly North and South direction. Very interesting!

Next crossing a lot of bush country, we visited gorgeous Tolmer and Florence Falls, more driving, more beautiful waterfalls at Wangi then off to Katherine.

Oh! I almost forgot our touring buddies - Ursula and Gerhardt from Germany. Ursula spoke English well, Gerhardt understood English, but was nervous about speaking the language. Of course, me and Joe couldn't speak only one German word - Bier!

October 30, 2007 - Jenolan Caves & Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens

After touring the Blue Mountains on foot, we decided to give our feet a rest and take to the highways. First we began heading South to the Jenolan Caves for a tour of the Oriental Caverns. They were nice and cool and offered so many interesting rock formations. It is hard to believe the beauty under the earth.

Next we headed North to the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens. It was a gorgeous day and the plants and flowers were very nice. There were so many plants that are unique to this region of the world, but of course it was Spring and the
blooms of the Azaleas and Rhododendrums were not to be missed!

October 27, 2007 - Blue Mountains National Park, Australia

Blue Mountains National Park is one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in Australia. Located 90 minutes West of Sydney, the mountains get their distinctive blue coloring as a result of the evaporation of oil from the dense eucalyptus forest dispersing light in the blue colors of the spectrum. The air is so clean and pristine too - no air pollution!

The photo above is Three Sisters Rock at Echo Point located in the village of Katoomba.

Our cottage was located only a short walk, from the Point. We enjoyed numerous hiking trails and one particular walk we took was the Giant Staircase. It was over 900 steps straight up and park signs warned thes climb was strenuous. The loop took us about 3 1/2 hours to complete. Although we didn't see a lot of wildlife, we enjoyed the numerous birds, and plants specific to this region - especially the tree ferns.

Not far away was Scenic World, a former coal mine, offering open rail cars on an extremely steep incline, an enclosed cable car and a Skyway cable car that takes you across the gorge on a cable. It is extremely steep - but it wasn't that thrilling except for the heights!

October 27, 2007 - Drive LEFT!!!!

Our first experience driving on the left side (which is the WRONG SIDE) of the road was certainly a challenge. Of course Joe did all the driving and Nancy did all the navigating. Where is this story taking us? Well ya'll have heard our travel stories before so this probably won't come as too much of a surprise.

In all seriousness we haven't screwed-up and hit anyone head-on yet. But don't rule that out - we've only just begun. We began our travels departing from the city center of Sydney. Our saving grace was that it was Saturday - but still nerve wracking under any circumstance. Joe did a terrific job, but was absolutely ready to get out from behind the wheel when we made it to the Blue Mountains. Me too - I felt as though I'd been riding in the ditch the entire way!

October 26, 2007 - Sydney Harbor Bridgeclimb

Wow! Thrilling. . . and lots of fun!

No problem for Joe - but Nancy maintained a white-knuckle grip for most of the climb. She really pushed her comfort level as far as she dared. The most difficult challenge for her came after nightfall, climbing down the outer ladder while a commuter train whizzed by just beside her.

The Bridgeclimb is one of the most sought after Sydney attractions. It takes you along the upper span of the arch, on catwalks and ladders all the way to the summit, 134 metres above Sydney Harbour.

The views were fantastic and the Opra House at night is just terrific. Incredible architecture accentuated by a great harbor, sparkling lights, gorgeous ships, boats and yachts. What an incredible city.

October 24, 2007 - Port of Call #13 - Sydney, Australia

G'Day Mates! We're no longer lost in America - but we will soon be lost in Australia!

Our Cruise Ship, the Sun Princess, arrived Sydney around 7 a.m. yesterday morning. Cruising into the Harbor is exciting even with cloudy skies and rain. It was even more special, somewhat of an historic event, as the Sun Princess was the tallest ship to ever sail under the Harbor Bridge! We cleared the structure by only 2 1/2 meters and the event was well documented by the press and numerous citizens who were on hand for the event. We even made this morning's newspaper - so we were excited to be a part of it all.

Once we disembarked from the ship, we wasted no time touring the city. Wow - so much to see!

We were out again this morning for a walk-about and took a guided tour of the Opera House. It is an impressive structure for sure. While we were not allowed to take photos inside the building, we snapped away at the exterior. The tour is very informative and we learned a lot about it's construction, the cost to the public, how it was paid for and of course the politics involved in the entire process. As in the US, anything involving the government, costs far more than original estimates - over $100 million more! In all fairness though, the structure not only houses the Opera, it is an entertainment center for ballet, interpretive dance, theater and comedy, with as many as 6 venues going on at any one time. They really entertain the masses here.

Tomorrow, rain or shine, we will climb the Harbor Bridge. Our climb starts late in the afternoon and will finish after sunset. Weather will determine whether we get a real bird's eye view - but rain is in the forecast. Joe is excited to get up to the top (yes will be ON TOP of the Bridge) but Nancy is not quite sure how she agreed to this one! Oh well, wish her luck.)

More to come - so stay tuned

October 21, 22 and 23, 2007 - Fjordland National Park of New Zealand - Cancelled

We were scheduled to cruise Fjordlands National Park, however, Mother Nature had different plans for us. We were informed that severe weather in the Tasman Sea was generating rough seas with swells of 50-90 feet, far too rough for our ship to continue. The Captain made a judgement call and aborted this portion of the cruise. We reversed course and proceed to Australia through the Cook Strait.

October 20, 2007 - Port of Call #12 - Port Chalmers & Dunedin, New Zealand

Our ship docked in Port Chalmers and we made our way to Dunedin. Dunedin provided us with spectacular views of varied and unusual terrain. Grazing lands, forests, mountains - something for everyone. In a country with only 4 million people, they have an abundance of sheep - 40 million.

October 19, 2007 - Port of Call #11 - Lyttleton & Christchurch, New Zealand

We arrived Lyttleton Harbor and made our way into Christchurch, New Zealand. Wow - this is spectacular country. We loved it and look forward to our return here in a couple of months. The city of Christchurch is a small, well designed city. It is easy to get around with a wonderful mass transit system, and it is so clean and lovely we hated to leave.

We cannot fail to mention too that is is our daughter, Lisa's birthday today! We did manage to give her a call on her special day.

October 17, 2007 - Port of Call #10 - Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand is an incredibly beautiful place. The mountainous island provides a feast for the eyes. Around every turn there is an incredible rock cropping, volcanic rock formation or incredible beach to be explored.

The weather was a bit tough the day we were there. The wind was high and temperatures a bit cool. There wasn't much sunshine, as it is just early Spring there. The day before our arrival they had sleet - so all-in-all we probably had the best weather we could have hoped for.

This particular beach is where much of the movie "The Piano" with Hollie Hunter and Harvey Kaytel was filmed. While we were in the area we visited the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park - lands which have been set aside with no development in the past 80 years, never to be touched or developed again. Good news - they're recognizing the importance of keeping some of the land in its natural state.

October 14, 2007 - Port of Call #8 - Suva (Fiji)

Fiji is another lovely island, and Suva a large, heavily populated city! We all know what comes with a large city - so we won't go there!

We were lucky enough however to get out of the city and into the rain forest for a nice hike. It was just as you would expect - heavy jungle growth, huge palms, yuccas, fern, rock, etc. The hike was a true rain forest experience, complete with the rain! Half way though the trek, we were dumped on - so much warm rain you could barely see to walk. It was simply beautiful - unspoiled mountain forests complete with waterfalls and collecting pools deep enough for a relaxing soak or swim.

October 11th to the 13th - Crossing the International Dateline

"do-DO-do-DO, do-DO-do-DO"


This is just plain wierd. How in the world do you loose a day?


On Friday, October 11th our ship crossed the 180 Meridian (the International Dateline) on our way to Suva. We immediately skipped to October 13th - Where'd Oct. 12th go?

Do we look any older?

October 11, 2007 - Port of Call #8 - Pago Pago (American Samoa)

October 9, 2007 - Cruise to Australia - Port #6 - Rarotonga (Cook Islands)

Rarotonga - another South Pacific favorite! Turquoise water, terrific people, a really fun time. Too bad we only had one day here.

A really beautiful island, a great hike in the rain forest, gorgeous blue skies, warm ocean breezes, some of the most beautiful waters ever. We could come back again - and spend some time here.

October 7, 2007 - Cruse to Australia - Port #5 - Papeete (Tahiti, French Polynesia)

Our visit to Papeete brought us so many wonderful memories. The island is quite a bit larger than Bora Bora, so we were unable to see all of it on this visit.

This picture has a terrific story behind it. You see, during a land tour our guide took us to see a blow hole near the beach. It is unique in that when wave's crash to the shore it shoots a spray of water into the air with great force for a dramatic display. What you cannot see however is that this particular blow hole continues under the highway, up through the mountain and exits near the side of the road. The local children love to stand near it for the rush of air the waves cause. We were able to capture this shot of the kids - and their smiles tell the real story. We were so intrigued by it that we had to experience the thrill for ourselves. First up to the plate was Joe and Roy - Roy managed to loose his had to the gust of air. Next it was Nancy and Paula - and let's just say this "Gals - hold on to your shirt." Nancy's shirt was - well, let's just say hold on!

October 6, 2007 - Cruise to Australia - Port #4 - Bora Bora (French Polynesia)

Bula Bula!

We sailed the past 4 days and arrived in Bora Bora. Wow! Spectacular, Lovely, Incredible, Breath Taking - words can't possibly describe this place - and pictures don't do it justice. It is truly a world away.

We both wanted to stay! The people were humble and kind. They welcomed us into their world, but we are sure they were glad when we boarded the ship so they could have back their private paradise.

We would go back in a heartbeat. If Heaven is real, this must be it!

October 1, 2007 - Cruise to Australia - Port #3 - Lahaina (Maui, Hawaii)

So far we've cruised 2,258 Nautical Miles to the South Pacific. Our ship, the Sun Princess, dropped her anchor in Lahaina at 6:04 am this morning.

As you might well imagine - Paradise!

We hailed a cab near the dock for a short tour of a portion of the island. Then, of course, it was time to eat! Not that we've been missing any meals. We enjoyed lunch at a cafe on the beach, with our toes in the sand. Mimosas, sunshine and cool ocean breezes - need we say more?