For starters, New Zealand and Australia were both AMAZING! We were in Colin's hometown this past weekend and he said, "I can't believe I was just in New Zealand and Australia, and now I'm back home where I grew up." Well said, Colin. It's incredible to think that we followed through on a plan so large as a trip across the world. How many people get to do something like that in their lifetime?? It is a blessing to be able to afford a trip, in good health, with my life companion.
The question I am always asked is, "which country did you like better?" It's really hard to say, actually. New Zealand just has such incredible natural beauty, plus the dollar did go a lot farther! Australia is so overwhelming. We barely scratched the surface of what there was to see.
Here are my favorite places/photos in New Zealand:
Mount Cook: The grass really is this green, the sky this blue, and the snow this white! It was amazing to be among all this beauty at once!
Everywhere in New Zealand: Farming as it should be with sheep, cows, and deer all feeding on the grass, which has been nourished by the sun and the rain. And the rainbows had such vibrant colors. We were always tempted to look for the pot of gold on either end!
Abel Tasman National Park: I cannot believe we actually kayaked in the beauty of this water and enjoyed this amazing beach.
My favorite places/photos of Australia are:
Whitsunday Islands: Sailing to Whitehaven Beach, especially when the motor was off and we were 100% powered by the wind. How exhilarating!! Whitehaven Beach was also impressively beautiful, except for the stingers.
Great Barrier Reef: snorkeling among the largest coral formation in the world was amazing. I can't even begin to think of how small the area we explored is compared to the 1,600 miles of the reef exist.
Fraser Island: The best two days in Australia came with some swimming in the lakes of the largest sand island in the world. The waters were immaculate, the sand was like powder, and best of all is that you could swim in it!!
Australia Zoo: My favorite animal from the trip is the Koala. It has the softest fur - which I did get to pet - and has the cutest face! The dolphins in New Zealand come in at a close second place!
If I were to do this trip all over again, with the same amount of time at the same time of the year, I would only have changed the Australia part of the trip. Because Colin and I both love the beach and the ocean, I would not have flown to Cairns, but rather to Brisbane, from New Zealand. The tropical north and all its rainforest's were wonderful, but not so much in the middle of their summer. Not being able to swim in the waters was a bummer. I would have flown to Brisbane, possibly not rented a car, and taken a 2-3 day trip (flight) to the Whitsunday Islands in northeastern Australia. That way, perhaps we would have had some time in the Sunshine and Gold Coasts (where we could have swam). We really needed another full week in Australia to slow our pace down and relax more like we did in New Zealand (not that we chilled out very much there either!). Slowing down would have allowed some time to observe our surroundings and possibly see Koalas and Kangaroo in their natural habitat. Oh, to be a European with their 3 month holidays! Wouldn't that be nice?
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