Friday Dec 19
We arrived in Sydney on time Friday night. This was a surprise, because we left LA 1hr late. We headed directly for the Airport Hilton while Matt, Stacy, and Jack headed for the downtown Hilton.
Matt in Sydney
Sydney Opera House

Saturday Dec 20
The next morning, we woke up _WAY_ early: 4am! Our flight to Alice Springs left about 8:55. Australians have different carry-on requirements that our bags didn't meet. We had to check both of our carry-ons at the gate. The 3hr flight was otherwise uneventful. We found out that Aussies have at least one 30min time-zone difference. Very strange!
Upon arriving at Alice Springs, we made our way to Alice Springs Resort. This hotel was very GREEN: green carpet, green walls, green towels, etc... We walked around the extremely hot town of Alice Springs. It hit 41 degrees Celsius which translates to 104 degrees F. We had lunch near the town mall, where Travis and the counter-person exchanged funny looks over what Travis referred to as "fries" and she knew as "chips". But, more importantly, they had Dr. Pepper. Travis will be able to survive Australia after all! We visited most of the town's highlights, including a museum full of dinosaurs, the oldest building in Alice Springs: the town Gaol (jail), and a small hill that we conquered to take some scenic pictures. Suzi in the Mall in Alice Springs,
Suzi on the Hill in Alice Springs
We had a beer at a local pub mid-way through our walk. Fosters makes a "LIGHT ICE" beer, which tastes remarkably similar to MGD. About 5:30pm, we were picked up for our transport to the OUTBACK. Here, we enjoyed some stories about the history of Alice Springs, a brief 10 minute thunderstorm, songs with a guitar & wobble-board (wood siding about 2'x3' that makes a tin sound when "wobbled"). The staff prepared a nice dinner of steak, while Suzi helped prepare the "Spotted Dog" which is basically a bread cooked in a cobbler pot in the hot coals of a campfire. The kept the drinks coming all night. We also got to sample Kangaroo, Emu, and Camel. The Camel was VERY tough, but the Emu and Roo was great eating! After dinner, we wandered over to the telescopes (tele's) and got to look at Saturn and Jupiter. Suzi pointed out a GIANT shooting star as we were standing around. The Southern cross didn't come out until 11pm, by which time we were crashed out back at the hotel. We learned a few campfire songs that still drive us nuts, complete with hand gestures reminiscent of "We hold the whole world in our hands..."
Suzi making Spotted Dog while our guide throws flour at her.

I want house with lots of gum trees, and lots of plum trees.
I want a sheep or two, a kangaroo, and a clothes-line out the
back, a veranda out the front, and an ooolllddddd Rocking Chair...

Ask Suzi to show you the gestures later :)

Sunday Dec 21
The next morning, we woke early again. We jumped on a bus with our luggage and headed for the Aboriginal camp, where we learned about the Aboriginal Walpiri tribe. Each tribe has its own language with lots of dialects. We learned that these Aborigines don't use "returning" boomerangs. They have a killer weapon in the shape of a "7" which can really do some damage. We learned how they must share everything (except their wives) when asked. There are many punishments for not sharing, including a searing blade sliced across your back. For the greater crimes, like murder, multiple stabs through the thigh with a pointed spear, pulling it all the way through.... Not pleasant! After the weapons demo, we got a taste of "GRUB", honey from Honey-ants, and some grains - A traditional Aboriginal meal. Suzi really liked the GRUB (NOT!) We saw a coroborie which is a sacred teaching dance. We then purchased a small piece of Aboriginal art from Jabajuree. The bus took us directly to the airport for our trip to Cairnes via Ayers Rock. This was plenty of time to see a Rock in the middle of the desert... We arrived in Cairnes (pronounced Cans) about 4pm. It took Matt all of 2 minutes to find us after we arrived at the Hilton Hotel. For dinner, Travis had Crocodile sausage, Kangaroo, and Ostrich. Matt had a plate full of Kangaroo.

Monday, Dec 22nd
We boarded the Ocean Spirit and headed for Michaelmas Cay where Travis, Suzi, and Matt went Scuba diving. The boys did a second dive in the afternoon while the ladies and Jack went on a Semi-submersible tour. The diving was excellent! We saw Giant sea turtles, purple starfish, Giant clams with purple-blue lips. The coral and fish were amazing! The cruise had plenty of food for all! On the return trip to the harbor, we heard plenty of bad "bird jokes" from the crew-member singing folk songs (Yes, he played the ROCKING-CHAIR song). :) When we got back to the hotel, we took a not-so-brief nap from 5pm to 10pm. At this point, we realized that we missed dinner, so Travis and Suzi took a quick stroll for pizza on the main strip which also had Dr. Pepper :)
Jack Smiling on the Boat Tour
5 of us entering the Ocean Spirit Cruise
The Women and Jack on the Cruise
The gang (-Travis) on the Cruise
Stacy and Jack on the Cruise

Tuesday Dec 23rd -
Travis, Suzi and Matt took a TUSA dive boat out to Millns Reef where we had two fabulous dives. The first was at a spot called Three Sisters. The fish were bright and plentiful. Between dives we snorkeled a bit and had lunch. Suzi spotted a baby shark lurking about the bottom. On the next dive at Potage, there were even more varieties of fish. The coral looked like a movie set. So many colors! Tiger fish, parrot fish, butterfly fish, and giant clams... It was a perfect dive. A videographer captured much of the day on film so we can bore our friends and family later. Now, we are sitting in the harbor, with a view of the hills covered in lush green foliage. Some say this place looks like Hawaii. It is so green and hilly. Our hotel room overlooks the bay.
Scuba1, Scuba2, Scuba3, Scuba4, Scuba5, Scuba6, Scuba7, Scuba8, Scuba9, Scuba10, Scuba11, Scuba12, Scuba13, Scuba14, Scuba15, Scuba16
Matt, Travis and Suzi do a Christmas Cancan on the boat.
That night we ate at Tawny's with Andrea & Jim's friends.

Wednesday Dec 24th - Christmas Eve Day
A bus picked us up at our hotel at 7:20. We headed for the Clear Water Train Station where we caught the Queensland Railroad that took us to Kuranda. Kuranda is a small town near the top of a mountain about 20 miles from Cairnes. Here, we walked through a Butterfly Sanctuary . This was neat, and we got a photo here and a picture there but overall it was not all that exciting :( From there, we shopped in the town of Kuranda. Travis, Suzi, Matt & Jack caught a sky rail ride back down the mountain while Stacy continued shopping. She caught a 2pm train back down to town. From the sky rail, Matt, Travis, Suzi & Jack were able to stop midway for a few pictures: Kuranda Falls1
Kuranda Falls2
Kuranda Falls3
Kuranda Falls4
Matt and Jack at Kuranda Falls
Travis, Suzi, and Jack at Kuranda Falls
The mountain side was EXTREMELY green. We have never seen so much foliage. We couldn't even see the ground through the trees. We reached the bottom of the Gondola ride and had lunch at Tjakapai Aborigine park. Here we caught a couple of showsthat explain the Aborigine culture. From there, a quick bus ride back to our hotel for a couple hours of relaxation before walking into town for a take-away dinner.

Thursday Dec 25th - Christmas Day
Today, we got up leisurely (at least the Hildy's did) and made our way to the airport for our flight at 11:30 to Sydney. Our lunch was a traditional turkey dinner with carrots and green beans served by flight attendants wearing Santa hats. After arriving in Sydney, we split into two cabs for the ride to the hotel after being told there are only 5 cab vans in Sydney (yeah, right...like that will work for the Olympics in 2000!) After settling in, Travis, Matt and Suzi went on a walking tour of downtown Sydney. Our self-directed tour landed us in a cool park with a rose garden, The Royal Botanical Gardens.

Friday Dec 26th - Boxing Day
We discovered that the Aussies don't participate in the Day-After-Xmas sales that we enjoy in the states. The streets were pretty empty with plenty of tourists wandering the streets, wondering what to do. We grabbed a take-away pizza and burger then headed on to our harbor cruise where we got a few pictures of the Opera House. The cruise lasted about 2.5 hours. Travis had his first cup of tea. It only took 7 packets of sugar to make it taste like sugar water! ;) After the cruise, Stacy and Travis jumped on a Water taxi and headed over to Star City Casino. It took us 15 minutes to find the "cloaking room" where Travis had to "cloak" his camera bag. We each donated about half of our starting $100 to the beautiful casino. :( Luckily, we were able to turn off the cloaking device on Travis' camera. Meanwhile, Matt, Suzi, and Jack briefly enjoyed the Royal Botanical Gardens before Jack wanted to go back to the hotel. Stacy and Travis jumped on the monorail and headed back to the hotel just before 7pm. We then walked down to Planet Hollywood for a great dinner. Legend has it that "boxing day" is when the Aussies "box" the Christmas lights and/or unwanted gifts to be returned tomorrow. Who knew?

Saturday Dec 27
The gang was picked up in a silver Toyota 4-runner and headed to the Blue Mountains. The mountains get their name from the haze of the Eucalyptus trees (gum trees). The first stop on the way to the mountains was Koala park. Here, we saw a Dingo. Jack got to pet his first Koala. :) We got to pet and see lots of kangaroos. Here is a shot with Travis and a Kangaroo. Suzi is a Kangaroo! We then headed into the mountains and had a coffee and tea at a wilderness campsite. We stopped at a road-side fruit stand and picked up some fresh cherries. They were excellent! We had lunch in a hotel built in 1878 in historic Mt. Victoria Village. We walked across the street and got a shot of Suzi at a park in the Blue Mountains. The clouds rolled in just after lunch. Unfortunately, this prevented us from seeing some amazing sights. We took some video, but it is mostly gray with clouds. We finally got out of the clouds at the base of the blue mountains where we entered a national park. Here, we saw a lot of kangaroos : Kangaroo hopping, Momma and Joey 'roo, and Another Momma and Joey 'roo in the wild. These roos were not as tame as the petting zoo earlier in the day, but we could get within about 10 feet or so. On the way into town, we saw where they are working on the stadium and event areas for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Closer to town, We were feeling right at home with a sign like this! Our tour guide for the day didn't even know what a Hooters was. We got back to our hotel about 6:10pm. Travis and Suzi caught the monorail down to the Darling Harbor waterfront where they heard some jazz at the Sydney Jazz Festival, saw a sidewalk act from a local loony-tune who balanced a running weed-whacker on his chin. Suzi explored a fountain in Darling Harbor. They also saw a 2.5 minute show of the Canadian bobsled team in a theater with moving seats to give you the feel of being in the sled. With this ticket, they were also able to access the Internet for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, jedi.net was down, so they couldn't update the web page.

Sunday - Dec 28
We traveled from Sydney to Christchurch, NZ on a 9:15am Qantas flight that took about 2 hours. Travis and Matt worked on scanning pictures onto the computer while in flight. We found our motel to be quaint and rustic. However, the people here are extremely nice. The owner of the motel offered to take us all downtown in their car when we wanted to go. We opted to walk instead. Travis, Suzi, and Matt walked about .5 miles into town for dinner and beer. Matt headed back to the room with "take away" for Stacy. Travis and Suzi continued exploring Christchurch. This town is fairly new. The English didn't really start settling here until the 1850's. We caught a trolly and rode around the small town (330,000 people). We then hopped off the trolly and went to the botanical gardens where Suzi was impressed again. On our walk back to the hotel, it (the weather, not Suzi) sprinkled on us.

Monday - Dec 29
We left our quaint motel this morning (John, they really need some new beds.) With all of our luggage, we were afraid we wouldn't fit into the pre-arranged station wagon, so we upgraded to a "mini-bus." We figured that would be like a mini-van. Little did we know that we would wind up with a 13 passenger behemoth! We wandered downtown to use the Internet pub Travis located the night before. The poor proprietor was unlearned in the arts of computers and was absolutely having a fit anytime Travis tried to do anything other than write a simple e-mail. We couldn't even send a file to the web server! Our attempt to update the web page on this day failed... Anyway, after trekking for a while we found a delightful place to eat downtown. We then started to leave Christchurch and discovered that while it easy to get downtown, it's a little harder to get out. We finally found the correct combination of roads and escaped. A little while later, we stopped at a mall where Jack was fed, and a "chilly box" (an "eskie" to the Aussies and a cooler to us.) was purchased and stocked with food and drink. We finally left Christchurch at 2 p.m., about 4 hours after we checked out of the motel. We then had a rapid and uneventful trip up to Mt. Cook with one stop at Lake Tekapo where we had some fun on the lakeside and caught Matt and Suzi posing for a shot. The view was spectacular! The lake is a Turquoise color when the sun shines on it due to "rock flour" which is finely ground particles of rock held in suspension in the glacial melt water. We will upload some pictures of this when we find some time to scan some in. We arrived at Mt. Cook after driving about 30 minutes along side Lake Pukaki which is formed from the Tasman river (which comes from the Tasman Glacier near Mt. Cook). Mt. Cook (altitude ~10,000 ft) is a snow-capped mountain surrounded by chocolate covered mountains that have dark shadows that make them look more like a painting than like a real mountain. After checking into the Travelodge in the town of Mt. Cook (pop 300), we headed to the other lodge (The Hermitage) for dinner in a panorama room. - Meet James, our waiter. I don't know if it was the water or the altitude, but we were all giddy throughout the meal. James has a drinking problem. He kept forgetting to bring us our drinks. He was hilarious though. We had a great time. After spending 2.5 hours at dinner, the stars were out in full force.

Tuesday - Dec 30 Before leaving Mt. Cook, we found a trail that ran 7km from the town where we parked and hiked another 15 minutes to the top of a peak. From there, we got a good look at the Tasman Glacier. We weren't as impressed as we thought we would be because this glacier is melting from the top down, exposing the rocks on the surface as it melts. We took a little video that shows it is actually snow underneath, but were unimpressed with the glacier as a whole. After hiking back to the car, we proceeded to Queenstown, a 280km trek. On the way, we were graced with a rendition of the song "Galileo" (Indigo Girls) sung by Suzi! Upon arriving at Queenstown, Travis & Suzi walked to town, ate at a nice pub called the "Pig and Whistle", and did some shopping while Matt & Stacy did a load of laundry back at the motel. About 6:45, Travis took Stacy down to the river for a Jet boat ride . She had a blast. Stacy really wanted to ride the Jet boat, but wouldn't get a chance to do so with the rest of us tomorrow. Somebody needs to watch Jack after all!

Wednesday - Dec 31 (New Years Eve Day)
First thing in the morning Stacy and Travis walked to the town dock to enjoy a 1 hour jet boat ride. According to Stacy, the "Shotover" jetboat ride the evening before was MUCH better. About noon, we located a business service center that offered Internet access. Travis took advantage and made an update to the web page for the mere fee of $10. At 12:30, Matt, Suzi, and Travis jumped on a bus to begin the "TRIPLE CHALLENGE." The first part of the challenge was the Shotover jetboat ride that Stacy enjoyed last night. This was quite exhilarating because the driver came within an inch of smashing into the cliff faces (literally). Immediately following the jetboat ride, we changed into our rafting gear (swimsuit followed by full length wetsuit and lifejacket). We were then transported up the mountain to a helipad landing (a semi-flat chunk of mountain). We enjoyed a thrilling (yet short) helicopter ride to the rafting launch site. After equipping ourselves with a helmet and paddle, we received a quick lesson on rafting and began our journey down the Shotover river. There was a slight mix-up with the rafts. The company had too many rafts and not enough guides. The end result was Matt got moved to a separate boat. This was ok with us because as soon as Matt moved to the other raft, they promptly flipped their raft while drilling. The rafting was more exciting than expected. We are all ready to do it again! While navigating one set of rapids, the back of Matt's head became a brick wall to the eyebrow of the lady sitting behind him. The consensus is that she will need a couple of stitches. (We all knew Matt was a hardhead!) The last bit of rapids were at the end of a man-made tunnel through a corner of a mountain. This tunnel was created by the gold-miners in hopes of finding gold in the bed of the redirected river. They failed. We caught a shuttle back to town about 6:15pm. For our New Year's Eve dinner, we had a cookout of steak and chicken. About 10:00pm, Travis and Suzi took a quick walk to the town center when they heard live music. It was pretty amusing seeing all of the little Kiwi's bouncing around. It looked like slam-dancing without the slamming. Another interesting point is that entire families were downtown (not just the teenagers or older folks).

Thursday Jan 1 New Year's Day -
We left Queenstown VERY early (We were on the road by 7:00 am). We drove down through the Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound. It was an incredibly picturesque drive with campgrounds all around and the mountains ahead of us. And of course, there were many sheep, as well as stunning vistas involving mammoth cliffs and mountains. We had to drive through the Homer tunnel to get to the other side of the Earl and Darren mountains, as they are called. The rock that these mountains are made from is very soft and porous. As a result, the tunnel was leaking a lot! Because the other side of the mountains gets 7m (20 ft) of rain a year, incredibly lush greenery everywhere.
Once through the tunnel, we traveled down a curvaceous road leading to a small harbor from which cruises around the sound depart. To fully appreciate the scenery, we took a two-hour cruise around Milford Sound where there were multiple opportunities for pictures and photos . There were many waterfalls and glaciers on top of the 4000' mountains. While in the Sound, we saw seals , and even some dolphins came out to play. The local Maori legends say that the Queen of the underworld invented a stinging fly that is pervasive to the Sound area so that it wouldn't be so close to paradise that humans would never leave. We all agree that the legend makes sense. Jack donned a hat to avoid to avoid the pests. We stopped on the way back to Te Anau to take a picture of us at 45 south latitude and to play in a snow field . We also stopped at some of the hiking trails to admire the rivers whose amazing blue color must have inspired the artificial blue coloring at most amusement parks. We had an otherwise uneventful trip back to Te Anau, where we spent the night. While Suzi slept off a headache, the boyz celebrated New Year's (Austin time) by drinking enough for themselves, their wives and Jack.

Friday - Jan 2
After sleeping in later than normal (9:15ish), and a breakfast for Travis & Suzi, we hit the road for a 280km road trip to Dunedin (pronounced duh-need'-in). We drove through Gore and Clinton on the way. We saw about 1 million sheep today. This day was pretty much uneventful. The main reason we traveled to Dunedin was to catch a plane on Jan 3.

Saturday - Jan 3
We flew from Dunedin to Rotorua with a quick stop in Christchurch and a 3hr layover in Wellington where we were able to borrow a phone line to update the web page after failed attempts from the motel the evening before. Previously, while waiting at the airport in Dunedin, we tried to dial in again with little success by hijacking a phone line from a coke machine temporarily. (It was a local call.) We have decided not to live in Dunedin based on the quality of the phone lines alone! The highlight of our trip today was the flight from Wellington to Rotoroa on a Saab340, a turboprop seating 30 passengers. We passed over the steaming volcano whose name we don't recall. In our three short flights (30 min Dunedin to CC, 30 min CC to Wellington and 1 hour Wellington to Rotoroa) we were served 3 complete lunches which makes us wonder why we barely get peanuts and a coke from Austin to Dallas on American.
After arriving in Rotorua, we got another mini-bus much like the last one, but this one is a 5 speed on the column. It was weird at first, but Travis quickly got the hang of it and stopped by the road for a picture near a cool road sign. Before a nice dinner at Sirroccos, we caught a Maori concert where Matt and Travis got to participate in a dance. The songs were good, and we learned the traditional Maori greeting, or hongi, is the touching of noses.

Sunday - Jan 4
Matt had a bit of an upset stomach this morning, so Travis & Suzi left the Lasaters on search of a maze of shrubbery. It took about 45 minutes to find our way through the maze to the center. After the maze, we picked up the Lasaters ( Matt was feeling better) and found a small hillside where we were introduced to the Zorb ball! A Zorb is a ball suspended inside a ball in which a person is placed before being rolled and bounced down a hillside. We captured some shots of Zorbonaut Travis, Zorbonaut Matt, Travis pushing Zorbonaut Matt, and Zorbonaut Suzi in the Zorb. (Suzi was feeling worse.) After being "Zorbofied," we hit the supermarket for a home-cooked meal of Chicken-Tonight in our Motel room while doing a couple loads of laundry. After dinner, we took a stroll through a mud-geyser park that reeked of sulfur! There were ponds of boiling water and spots where the ground just steamed. Yellow sulfur deposits could be seen on the rocks edging the waters.

Monday - Jan 5
On our way to Orewa Beach, we drove one hour West to Waitomo Caves where we toured two caves. The first cave contained "Glow Worms" which are much like lightning bugs in the States. At one point in the tour, we got to a room called the Cathedral. Suzi sung the "Rocking Chair" song for all of us. The second cave was a normal cave with plenty of formations created over a period of 3 million years. After the caves, we enjoyed our favorite new ice cream (hokey pokey) and a spot of tea. Here, Stacy was thrilled to find caffeine-free Diet Coke. Sadly, Travis hasn't seen Dr. Pepper since Australia. Once thoroughly sugared, we jumped in the van and headed for Orewa. On the way, we drove through Auckland. After settling in the hotel, we got a bite to eat. Suzi tasted the local version of nachos: sweet baked beans with sour cream, chili powder and cheese over Dorito-like corn chips. Then we took a walk on the beach where Suzi & Matt sung The Philosophers Song from Monty Python.

Tuesday - Jan 6
We headed to the Bay of Islands north of Auckland (about 3 hours). On the way, we stopped in Wharangarei for a quick bite to eat. We encountered a slight traffic delay due to a car wreck on Highway 1. The condo at the Bay of Islands was excellent. We had our own "little house" for each family. Travis & Suzi took a walk on the beach into downtown Paihia. We walked back to the condo by the road. The beach was a much easier walk because the road went straight up a hill and then back down. For dinner, all five went to town to eat at a Swiss restaurant. We discovered that Italian food done Swiss style in New Zealand can be odd. For example, the lasagna had potatoes in it. The service was VERY slow, but we have come to expect this...

Wednesday - Jan 7
Today, we boarded the Fuller's Hole in the Rock boat and took a tour of the bay. After checking out the hole at Motukokako Island and numerous islands, the boat stopped at Urupukapuka Island where we disembarked for a leisurely lunch. Here, Matt and Travis went exploring while we waited for our next boat, the 'Cream Trip' vessel.
The Cream Trip traveled a bit slower. Over 40 years ago, this run picked up the cream from the dairy farmers in the islands. At this time, the islands formerly used for dairy farming are being restored to their original state. Many of the islands are part of a national park. Others are privately owned. The Cream Trip still contracts with the New Zealand post to deliver mail to the inhabited islands. Additionally, parcels, grocery and newspapers are carried out to these islands via this vessel. After making all our mail calls, our captain took us by unusual volcanic formations called the Black Rocks.

Thursday - Jan 8
Today, Matt and Travis went diving while Jack and the ladies went shopping. The dive masters took the guys out to the Bay of Islands, but the shop also hosts a trip to the sunken Rainbow Warrior on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Rainbow Warrior is a greenpeace vessel which was planning to protest the French nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean, but was sunk by the French before it could leave port. Outside of this tidbit, the diving was cold (full wetsuit) and with poor visibility. Still, they were happier diving than shopping! Stacy and Suzi took a ferry over to Russell, across the bay. By car, this journey takes an hour, by ferry, 10 minutes. While the museum was interesting, the town seemed to be a more fun place back when it was called Kororareka and was known as the "hellhole of the Pacific". To get back to the motel, the ladies (and Jack) took a "Hong Kong" taxi. Picture a moped front with a back seat for 3 persons. We thought we might have to push it up the hill, but we made it back all right and all for the low cost of NZ$5!

Friday - Jan 9
We drove from the Bay of Islands to Auckland and headed directly for the casino to get rid of the last of our New Zealand money. It worked well for Matt and Stacy, but Travis & Suzi managed to increase their pot by 25%. While going through the security checkpoint to leave New Zealand, Travis was busted for having the Sharper Image Credit Card Tool that Steve gave him for being the best man in their wedding. We headed for the Qantas Lounge where we consumed free drinks heavily... and uploaded a new version of this journal.

Please forgive grammatical and sentence structure errors as we are writing this journal after long hours on the road, in the boat, on a plane . . .

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