09-25 Australia and NZ 2008

It was not a simple task bringing a group together to cruise around Australia and NZ, but brother Ian arranged for us all to meet in Honolulu, Hawaii. And from there he arranged special first class tickets to Sydney on Hawaiian Airlines.
This chapter is a story of how friends in their late 70s can enjoy one of the great adventures down under. The photo shows six of us on the cruise ship enjoying dinner. It was the Averys, the Goldhawks, Mary and myself. Ian and Meg were with another couple from their hometown.
Sydney is one of the great cities of the world, and we never tired of exploring its many neighbourhoods. We will always remember the Chinese restaurant where the walls were huge fish tanks. You simply pointed to the fish you wanted to eat. And can anything replace a night at the Sydney Opera House. We all went to see the Opera Carmen.
The next stop was Melbourne, a prosperous industrial city. And of course, we were all together when visiting the wine country in the Yarra Valley. We noticed a rose bush growing at the front of each row of vines. They are like the canary in the coal mine that detects problems in advance. The postcard photo was just like the group of us tasting their local wines.
It was a special treat visiting the island of Tasmania. The guides always tell you that Tasmania was the home of the actor Errol Flynn. But of particular interest was visiting the zoo and seeing the unique animals like the Tasmanian Devil that is found nowhere else. More proof that we are all the product of evolution. Love the photo of Eb Goldhaw with the friendly kangaroo that roamed freely.
Returning to New Zealand was a special treat, and one of my favourite places to visit in all the world. We visited a sheep farm with over 40,000 sheep up in the hills. We were there in February (which is their summer), but the farmer explained that he and his family and their dogs go after the whole flock to bring them down for the winter.
At a local tourist stop called The Agrodome, you can see all the sheep that are raised in New Zealand. The variety at the top of the apex is the Merino. They produce the finest wool.