Nothing too far away. Nothing too strenuous. Where?
Cam had previously traveled to New Zealand, but I had not, so having enjoyed our previous cruise, we decided to try another one and go have a look at both Islands..
We also decided to leave from Sydney so that we could have a look-see prior to boarding the ship.
We booked the QT Hotel on Market st, within easy walking distance of Hyde Park, in close proximity to everything. Very nice accommodation.
We arrived, unpacked and were off for a browse through the Art Gallery of NSW. The Masters of Modern Art from The Hermitage is well worth a visit to view all the works by the Impressionists and Fauvists, especially Matisse.. but for me it was the works by Kandinsky which blew my mind.
Then a Cruise on the harbor to the Zoo,
followed by a long walk to Little Burke street to find a venue for a meal...
Many restaurants to choose from ..
A most enjoyable start to our holiday.
Australian - Asian fusion?
By any name . . . delicious!
Joining the walking tour leaving from Hyde park, which lasts for almost three hours, taking in all the main city sights and ending at The Rocks.
There is so much to see and quite a lot of interesting history.
Next day into National Museum. Then a lovely relaxing time on the hop-on-hop-off bus ending at the beach where we had lunch.
Lunch on the beach. (Waited for this small cafe to open. Wait was worth it. . . Yes! Sushi meets hamburger!?)
Spent another day on Hop-on Hop-off bus . . . getting on and off. Ended the day with a cruise on the harbor.
Have decided . . Sydney is a very nice place to visit, though it often reminds me of China... an eclectic mix of: destitute - derelict vs immaculate - modern.
Another gorgeous day. Bit of shopping. Another stroll through the park. A wander to look at the night lights. A yummy meal and another day is over.
Spent today traveling on the ferry. Started at Circular quay, to hop off at Watson Bay. What a visual delight. Garden point, double bay and Rose bay (think i have missed a couple of bays...?) We popped into the Watson bay Hotel to have a drink in the beer garden.
Great sea-food.
Today we took the ferry to Paramatta. We stopped at Cockatoo island, then after a look around, re-boarded a ferry to travel past Kissing Point and into Parra.
Plenty of shops, food venues and art galleries . . . so interesting.
Then back to CBD.
Throughout our travels we kept seeing individuals in traditional German costumes and people dressed as Zombies . . . The police who had cordoned off the main streets near Hyde Park said there were over 5,000 dead and thousands of Germans. Very amusing.
Tomorrow we board our ship for the cruise around New Zealand . . . .
Each day we visit a place where we have booked tours which will allow us to see the best of each area. Then we cruise during the night to arrive somewhere new the following day.
We spend an entire day cruising around the Fiordland National Park before arriving at Dunedin the following day. Then Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland and then the Bay of Islands before returning to Sydney . . . bring it on!!!!!
Two days of relaxing and reading, eating . . eating, reading... after the second night we wake very early to this . . . . .Fiordland National Park.
Freezing, but Absolutely incredible!
The morning was misty but as the sun came up the scenery became even more breathtaking.
Yep! BREATHTAKING.