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Archive for January, 2007

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Cairns to Mission Beach

Sunday, January 21st, 2007

Nov 21-23

One of the things we discovered in short order was that produce prices in Australia are astronomical. Thanks to Cyclone Larry, which swept through Queensland’s banana fields last February, bananas were over $5/kilo and a single mango cost $3! Therefore, we were thrilled when we discovered a stretch of highway north of Cairns which was lined with mango trees overburdened with ripe fruit. Fifteen minutes with a long branch and a little patience rewarded us with a half a dozen fresh mangos which tasted even sweeter because we had harvested them ourselves. [read on]

Cape Tribulation

Sunday, January 21st, 2007

Nov 18-20

After our croc farm adventures, it was on to Cape Tribulation, the northernmost point on the Queensland coast you can get to without a four wheel drive. As we drove north, the lush rainforest encroached on the road and there were cassowary crossing signs everywhere. The most effective one was one that had been altered by a local artist to demonstrate the effect of a car/cassowary collision.

From Queensland, A…

[read on]

Cairns, Crocodiles and Cassowaries

Sunday, January 21st, 2007
Nov 15- 17 After three months of travel, at long last we had arrived in the Land of Oz. We had chosen to fly into Cairns on the northeast coast and drive down the coast to Sydney in time for ... [Continue reading this entry]

Farewell to New Zealand

Friday, January 19th, 2007
Nov 9-15 It was finally time to leave the South Island and head back to Auckland to catch our flight to Australia. After a rocky ferry crossing with high winds and rough seas we were a little green around the ... [Continue reading this entry]

Our Antarctic Experience in Christchurch

Friday, January 19th, 2007
Nov 7-8 It was rainy and cold in Christchurch (surprise!) so we decided to spend the day inside. The Lego and puzzles at the hostel were starting to wear thin, so we headed to the International Antarctic Centre. What ... [Continue reading this entry]

Milford Sound to Christchurch

Monday, January 8th, 2007
Nov 3-6 The next stop on our tour of New Zealand was Milford Sound which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country – with good reason. We avoided the crowded midday cruises and arrived late in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Living it Up in Queenstown

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
Nov 1-3 We finally arrived in Queenstown and checked into the Hippo Lodge, a lovely hostel with a fabulous view of The Remarkables and a resident stuffed hippo who had a bulletin board full of photos of him doing all kinds ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Puzzling World of Wanaka

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
Nov 1-2 After leaving the west coast, we drove cross-country through the Southern Alps toward Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of New Zealand. As we drove, Claude had to stop to take a picture of the sheep grazing in the fields ... [Continue reading this entry]

A Hallowe’en to Remember

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
New Zealand (South Island) Oct 31- Nov 1
From New Zealand (...
The next leg of our trip took us down the South Island’s rugged windswept west coast with its tongue-twister names like Hokitika and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Of Split Apples and Cracked Lenses

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
New Zealand (South Island) Oct 27-30 After a 3 ½ hour ferry ride we landed in Picton on the South Island and ended up spending the night in a miniscule cabin at a local holiday park. After checking out of ... [Continue reading this entry]