Melbourne

Our first stop in Australia was Melbourne, which is the second most populated city in the country and is located along the southeast coast. We really liked Melbourne - it was easy to walk around, the people were friendly and there were lots of things to look at. The weather was a little cool and cloudy most of the time we were in the city, but other than, it was great! The highlight of our time there was a day that we spent outside the city, on a day-long tour. We started at a wildlife preserve, where we saw kangaroos, wallabies, dingos and an emu, among other things. From there, we went to a koala conservation where we lots of cute koalas hanging out in the the treetops. After that, we went to our main destination of Phillip Island. There, we visited a farm where we watched a sheep shearing demonstration and then listened to some impromptu poetry from the sheep shearer - he was actually really good! Finally, the main event - watching the penguin parade at Phillip Island. Each night after the sun goes down, hundreds of little penguins come ashore and walk in groups across the beach to get back to their nests. They were so tiny and cute!

Downtown Melbourne:


A wallaby:


A kangaroo:


Jesse feeding an emu:


Koalas:




Sheep shearer/poet:


Penguins on parade (picture from the web, we weren't allowed to take pictures):


A pretty picture from Phillip Island:

Christchurch

Before leaving New Zealand, we spent one day in Christchurch, which is the largest city on the South Island. Christchurch is a very pretty city, with large botanical gardens and a picturesque river running through it. The center of the town is Cathedral Square, where the Christ Church is located. We visited the church and got an added bonus since there was a flower show taking place inside the cathedral. We also hung out in the botanical gardens and watched a performance by some Maori dancers.

Christ Church:


Inside Christ Church:


Maori dancers:

Glenorchy

On one of our days in Queenstown, we took a van to the nearby town of Glenorchy and went on a 2-hour horseback ride through the countryside. My horse, Bear, recently starred in a movie in New Zealand and was a bit of a prima donna...he liked to stop and eat whenever he wanted and kicked the horse behind us when he got to close. So, that was exciting. We had a good time, but I think we have had our fill of horse riding for a good while!

The view on the drive to Glenorchy:


Me & Bear:

Queenstown

Next, it was off to Queenstown, on the South Island. Queenstown is a small town on the southwest part of the island and is a hotspot for all sorts of outdoor activities and adventure sports. We decided to do some nature hiking and horseback riding. Our major hike was the Ben Lomond track, which we reached by first hiking up Bob's Peak. The Lamond track is 6.8 miles and it took us about 7 hours roundtrip. Whew! It was pretty tiring, but the day was beautiful and we had great views every step of the way.

Queenstown at dusk, from our hostel window:


The view after our climb to the top of Bob's Peak, before we started going higher:


And higher:


And higher:


And higher:


Finally, the view from the summit!

Whitianga

After some time in Auckland, we headed out of the city to spend the weekend in Whitianga, a small town on the Coromandel Peninsula. Although it isn't far from Auckland, the peninsula is a whole other world of beautiful rainforests, mountains and beaches. Our first activity was a short hike to Cathedral Cove, where we got some beautiful views of the ocean. After that, we spent some time at the beach in the small town of Hahei. Jesse just couldn't stop saying: "Hey Hai-Heeeyy!" much to the annoyance of myself and Jenny. The water was a little too cold for me, but that didn't stop Jesse and Jenny from swimming. To wrap up a very full day, we headed over to a place called Hot Water beach. The beach has underground hot water springs and when the tide is low, you can dig your very own hot tub! The water really is hot, sometimes too hot to even stand in, let alone sit.

Jesse & Jenny at the beach near our hostel:


Views on our hike to Cathedral Cove:




At Hot Water beach. You can barely see the steam coming from the water pools. It really is hot!


The beach at Hahei:


A fried food buffet for two, in Whitianga:

Scenic stops on the drive back to Auckland:

Auckland

We're off on our next adventure! After about 24 hours of travel time (including a 13 1/2 hour layover in Los Angeles), we landed in sunny Auckland. It was a bit of a shock to go from the freezing winter weather of Kansas to the balmy temperatures of New Zealand, but somehow we managed to survive the transition. In Auckland, we were lucky enough to stay with Jesse's friend Jenny, who he worked with in Kansas City. She has been living and working in Auckland for just over a year now, and she was a great hostess! She took us for a tour of downtown Auckland, a harbor cruise, and up the volcano near her house in Mt. Eden to see the beautiful views. We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide! Thanks Jenny!

View of Auckland from Mt. Eden: