Karen, Hillary, Shelly and Wendy,
Our Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania trip was spectacular. Everything was perfectly planned and we experienced a new adventure every day. We loved Sydney – the bridge climb, sailing the harbor and great shopping. A highlight has to be the Blue Mountains with such spectacular views, the opportunity to see kangaroos jumping about it the bush and lunch on the Wollondilly River.
We were very brave and drove on the opposite side of the road for our tour of Tasmania. We experienced Bruny Island with all the massive cliffs and just incredible views on our drive on the coast to Freycinet National Park. The Park has beautiful beaches with clear water and a nice secluded feel. It seemed there was one beautiful sight of beaches, waterfalls and rainforest after another as we drove to Launceston.
New Zealand is just beyond words. The beauty of Auckland with the rolling hills and many vineyards was a wonderful surprise for us. Queenstown and the entire surrounding area was spectacular. We loved the Dart River Safari with all the fun of racing in channels with the opportunity to see the granite faces and waterfalls. The helicopter ride was exciting with the chance to actually get out and stand in the snow on the mountain top (picture). The Doubtful Sound was such fun with kayaking the fiord, seeing the seals, dolphins and one beautiful waterfall after another. The great dinner on the schooner was a wonderful surprise.
We then flew to Cairns to Palm Cove. We took a helicopter ride over the huge Great Barrier Reef and rainforest, snorkeled on the reef, and had time to relax. Our tour of the Daintree National Park with our Aboriginal guide was quite an adventure. He was so knowledgeable and shared information on history, environment, foods and medicines. The rainforest has stunning scenery and a highlight had to be using a spear to catch mud crab for our lunch.
Australia and New Zealand were so clean and everyone is very considerate of the environment. We enjoyed the mix of hotels and bed and breakfasts on the trip. It?s truly amazing that we didn?t have one issue with flights or luggage. There were no worries and all we had to do was follow the itinerary. It was a fantastic trip with lots of great memories.
Dick and Linda Bermingham
Jim and Karen Elder
Traveled to Australia & New Zealand April 2011
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