The Glasshouse Mountains

Yesterday we rented a car and drove about an hour and a half north west of Brisbane. This region is called the Glasshouse mountains. We took a few short hikes and enjoyed lunch in a much less busy area of Australia.

Sadly, by the end of our visit this is what much of the scenery looks like. In fact the weather has gotten so bad here that our trip to the great barrier reef has been canceled :( - guess we will have to visit again to try to get out there!

So today is our last day and we are going to relax and probably visit the Brisbane art museum, then get ready for our 24 hour return trip back to the states. See you soon!

Australian Animals

Today we got to see all kinds of animals that arent in the US. Kangaroos, Koalas, and Emus!

Greetings from Brisbane!

G'day, mate! Shawn and I spent the day walking around Brisbane, Australia which is a lovely subtropical city that is very modern anf walkable with loads of interesting architecture and landscapes. Here is a sampling of what we saw.

Karangahake Mines

Today we drove north up the east coast of NZ to visit the Karangahake gorge which was the location of a former gold mine complex. All the ruins are there, and are incorporated into the hike. It was magnificent.

Parts and Piers.

Very wobbly suspension bridges throughout the site.

Old tracks and an abandoned gold cart (empty, sadly)

Tunnel closed.

Tunnel open! Boy was it dark in there. Thanks be to the iphone flashlight.

A sweet lookout over the gorge was a welcome break from tunnel travel.

See that tiny rectangle on the mountainside? Thats the tunnel lookout.

Whakatane Beaches

Today we drove east to the coast. Its alot more mild here (NZ is midwinter) so we got some sun and hiked around, and above, the bay.

Other fun odds and ends:

We are staying in a microcabin! NZ has some modern digs.

Interiors.

In our previous hotel we had an open air thermal bath. Fun to do when it was 40 degrees out. Seriously! 

Rotorua Thermal Pools

Rotorua, at central North Island, is known for its wild landscape. We spent the morning at Wai-a-tapu. Check out these gorgeous colors created by active thermal pools!

Waitomo Caving

Today we explored some caves! Too dark for good pics, but here are two:

Not a starry night. These are glow worms on the cave ceiling!

We also did a bit more hiking on our way to the cave opening:

Waitomo Hikes

Small photos really don't do the landscape justice! So I tried to take panoramas on my phone. Shawn had the fancy camera.

We did some "tramping" today as the locals say. Walkabouts. Hiking. It is gorgeous here in Waitomo! A bit windy at high elevations as you can see.

Came across this beauty off a windy country road near the west coast.

Trespassed we think....but doesnt it look like these stairs are inviting us over the fence? 

Went thru some teeny tiny tunnels.

And some enormous ones!

Tomorrow we are going caving underground :)

Auckland

We woke up bright and early at 1:30am ready to start our day, when most Aucklanders were ending theirs.

View of the Skytower from the Parnell neighborhood where we stayed.

The city reminds me alot of Vancouver but at a smaller scale. Very few historic buildings, mostly modern.

Fun interiors! This was in a cafe where we had breakfast. The food here is delish. Healthy, flavorful and with every ethnicity represented (NZ is an international type country). 

Kiwis have a good sense of humor. Chrvk out this park bench!

They have some really funky trees too.

Wealthy city. Yachts galore! Home to America's Cup yacht races.

Then we drove the car (still am weirded out by the right side steering) south to the Waitomo district. More on that tomorrow!

Good Morning!

Driving with the steering wheel on the right, with traffic on the left side of the road, having missed a night of sleep was perhaps the most taxing thing I have had to do in months! We arrived at the hotel safely yesterday and had a good night sleep. Up bright and early at 1:30 am local time!

Opposite NZ faucet.

Anyone want a "jacket potato"?

Arrived in New Zealand!

24 hours after I left Shawns parents house, I stepped foot onto Auckland soil! Now I am waiting for Shawn to arrive, trying to stay awake! They are 16 hours ahead of EST.