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Think it's easy to pick the first photograph for an article about Australia and New Zealand? Wrong.
I could have used one of a few dozen photos for this spot that is designed to get your attention. This seems like the the best one. No photo-shopping was done on this one. My wife Jody and I are hanging out with about 18 others and the driver a couple of thousand feet off the ground as a hot-air balloon hovered over the northeast section of Australia. We're in the back right.
It certainly was a highlight of the trip Down Under, but there were plenty of others. Very few less-than-scenic places were seen in our 24-day visit to the Southern Hemisphere. Even the Outback in Australia is pretty in a stark way. And as for New Zealand, I frequently quoted my friend Glenn who came from back from that country and said there are no ugly places in the entire country.
It's a long trip from Buffalo to the Other Side of the World. Most of the other people in our travel group approached this the same way we did: We're probably never coming back this way, so let's do as much as we can while we are there.
Yes, we saw the usual tourist spots along the way, and the highlights will be noted down the road in this blog. But "what we saw" must share the spotlight with "what we did." So this particular recap of our holiday will feature a handful of "Did you ever ...?' anecdotes. "Did you ever go up in a hot-air balloon?" made the list, naturally.
A friend who lived in Australia for several years told me beforehand that I was going to have the best trip of my life, considering what was on the itinerary. He may have been right.
But first we had to get there, and that's where the story begins.
The Long Haul Flight
The latter optioin - just get there - turned out to be our choice. We did splurge for a economy preferred ticket, which at least gave us a fighting chance at sleeping some along the way. I did enough snoozing to avoid zombie status upon arrival at Australian customs in Melbourne.
Along the way, Qantas did its best to keep everyone well fed. Passengers in our area were greeting upon boarding with some champagne, and a nice dinner soon followed. In addition, a snack bar of sorts was located at the front and back of the airplane that was open in the middle of the flight - all free. I recommend the Ham and Cheese Triple Toastie with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Seats are equipped with a television monitor. While the movie selection wasn't particularly noteworthy - probably because an Australian airline thinks it is a good idea to make many Australian movies available - it helped fill the time between takeoff and landing. Personally, my Kindle and iPod helped do that job for me.
Our trip home had a flight change at the relative last minute. Instead of Auckland to Los Angeles to Denver to Buffalo, we went Auckland to New York (JFK) to Buffalo. That first part was about 8,800 miles - reported to be the seventh-longest commercial flight in the world. The longest, in case you are wondering, is New York to Singapore at 9,537 miles. They make sure that the gas tank is topped off before departing. That trip home did produce much more jet lag, as I was still staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m. a lot a few days after returning.
* Our trip went through airports big and small during the course of the journey. Our group encountered one major oddity along the way. For our trip from Queenstown to Christchurch in New Zealand, we did not have to go through any sort of security check. None, zero, nada. Check the luggage, and head for the gate. Granted it was a domestic flight; an international one might have been handled differently. However, the question is asked - is there any other airport in the world that doesn't scan carry-on bags?
* The most popular question of the trip was "What time is it?" Usually, the answer was pretty complicated.
Let's count them up. We started on Eastern Daylight Time in Buffalo. We flew to Chicago and lost an hour. We flew to Los Angeles and lost two hours. Then it was on to Melbourne, crossing over the International Date Line along the way. We left on a Friday night, and arrived Sunday morning at 6 a.m. - while it was 4 p.m. Saturday back in Buffalo - so we had moved 14 hours ahead.
A trip to the Outback forced us to move the clock back another 30 minutes. That's very unusual, but since our last trip included a visit to Newfoundland and its half-hour time change, we were used to it. Then it was on to Cairns, where we got the 30 minutes back. On the day after arriving in Cairns, Eastern Australia switched to daylight savings time ... but Cairns didn't make that switch for whatever reason. But when we flew to Sydney a few days later, we moved ahead that hour.
The trip to New Zealand moved the clocks up two more hours. When it was time to go home, we left around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, and arrived in New York around 3 p.m. We were finally home around midnight. That was a long day.
"Did You Ever ... Feed a Kangaroo?"
It's practically a requirement of any visit to Australia to see a kangaroo. While they probably turn up in many zoos around the world, it's fun to see them in their native land. And since Australia has 40 to 50 million of the critters, you are bound to bump into one somewhere.
We had a couple of chances to do exactly that. The better of the two in terms of interaction came in Port Douglas near Cairns, as "Hartley's Crocodile Adventures" allowed the visitors to take care of some of the responsibilities for feeding them. The kangaroos are smart enough to know that tourists = food, and waste little time taking some.
Some people did give it a try. Kangaroo meat has a lot of protein and not a great deal of fat. Since there are so many of them around, no ranching is needed - it's a case of simply rounding them up and preparing them for consumption. That, in turn, keeps the population under some sort of control, and that means the vegetation in this relatively arid country has more of a chance to thrive.
What was the diners' verdict? Most people seemed to give it an 'OK" rating, although they probably felt a little guilty along the way. (After all, they might have petted their dinner's relative earlier in the trip.) The meat was a little tough, and needed some gravy for flavor.
Seeing the continent
This tour covers a lot of territory. The frequent flyer miles add up quickly.
A lesson in geography is a good starting point. Australia is almost as big as the continental United States, and the tour covers much of the eastern half of it. Then consider the fact that Australia is closer to the equator than most people realize. Sydney is a little bit south of the Tropic of Capricorn, which is about where Miami is in relation to the Tropic of Cancer up north. So it can be quite warm in the summer
Therefore, much of this trip has the chance to be hot. Australia also is a very dry country, particularly once you leave the coast line. The Outback (Alice Springs and Ayers Rock on the map) was in the high 80s when we were there. But a week later, we noticed from a distance that temperatures were around 100. That's why you go in September/October instead of January.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is more south than you might think. Temperatures in the southern island were closer to 50 degrees. Auckland - located as far from the equator as Chapel Hill, NC - was in the comfortable 60s. Queenstown is at 45 degrees south latitude, even with Minneapolis. In other words, shorts and sweatshirts saw equal duty on the trip.
About half of the group - including us - turned up for the pre-trip extension. Everyone came together in Cairns, so the traveling party had 34 and a guide. That was a little bigger than ideal, but everyone does the best that they can. We did have the usual small quotient of people who asked a few too many questions, or became too upset when someone was standing in the way of their attempt to take eight selfies in front of an attraction. But most found like-minded people rather quickly to serve as companions in such circumstances. Some group members went on to Fiji for more fun, but 24 days away from home was enough for us.
Did you ever ... throw a boomerang?
During one of our stops on the tour in the Cairns area, visitors had the chance to test their skills in that most Australian of activities, the boomerang toss. The tool first started as a hunting weapon, but eventually its shape was adapted so that when thrown correctly it could return to the place where it started more or less. The key part of that sentence is "when thrown correctly."
Our group received a lesson about how to throw it, and the major tip was that the boomerang should be thrown at about 1 o'clock in terms of release point. As you can see by the photo, it looks like I threw it a little later in the afternoon ... as in 2 or 3 o'clock. The boomerang went into the air, took a left turn, and headed straight for the ground. It wasn't the worst throw of the day, but I didn't need much of that field shown in the photo to contain my throw.
The Sports Section
Happily, information is as close as a cell phone in this age of instant communications. So I could find out at a glance what was going on with the baseball playoffs or the NFL season. Indeed, I discovered that the Blue Jays had eliminated the Yankees as I was standing on a wharf and waiting to board a cruising tour of the Sydney harbor.
I suppose that a full arsenal of streaming connections might have led to more viewing possibilities. While waiting for a boat in Queenstown, we went in to a pizza place for a quick lunch. There on the wall was a television screen showing the preview for the upcoming Bills-Falcons game on Monday night. I snapped a photo, which may be a first for the place. And a friend heard a commercial saying that "Thursday Night Football" from the NFL could be seen weekly on this particular channel ... on Friday mornings.
* It's not often that you drop in on an entire city that was in the midst of a giant hangover. However, that was the case for our arrival in Melbourne. The Australian Rules Football final was played there on Saturday night, and Melbourne's team squared off against one from Brisbane. About 100,000 people turned out for the game, and most probably were disappointed when Melbourne lost the title. Everyone in the city looked a bit tired the next morning, although the Brisbane supporters caught something of a second wind.
We paid a visit to the host stadium for the event on Monday - they have guided tours - and came away impressed. The entire facility had been thoroughly cleaned and was ready for the next event. Crews had started to make the seasonal switch from a football field to one used in cricket games by tearing off the old turf on the field.
* The "small world" moment of the trip came when I was talking about running with our guide, who grew up in New Zealand. I asked him about Peter Snell, one of the greatest distance runners in history. He is the only man in 105 years to win the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters in the same Olympics (1964 in Tokyo).
The guide, Andrew, came to life on the subject. It turned out Peter grew up about two blocks away from him in New Zealand, and everyone in the old neighborhood had followed his career closely. Snell turned out to be an extremely admirable person in many ways, earning advanced degrees at American universities, and had his image on a NZ stamp in 2004.
Did you ever ... float in a hot air balloon?
The time of 3:30 a.m. is probably the worst one imaginable. If you are coming in at 3:30, you no doubt have been up to no good or have had a crisis in your life. If you are going out at 3:30, you are liable to be sleepy and cranky.
The bus left for the site of the hot-air balloon ride at 3:30 a.m. That meant the alarm went off at 3. Ugh.
It took more than an hour for the bus to reach the starting point, where a crew had been up for a while preparing for the flight of three hot-air balloons. The best time for such flights is around dawn, since the air is a bit more stable. About 10 people from our group went, so we filled up about a half of one of the passenger containers. We watched the staff heat up the air in the inside of the balloons, which slowly rose off the ground into vertical positions.
Then it was time to board. Our "driver" gave us some lessons on the landing, which was the tricky part. We had to assume landing positions (they didn't use the word "crash") that consisted of some squatting in order to jam our knees into the front and stick our, um, backs out to be more secure in the confined space.
From there, our balloon took off in a most gentle manner. Everyone soon realized that we were indeed off the ground, and beginning our ascent. It was a relatively cold morning (40s?), so passengers needed a shirt and coat to be comfortable. However, every so often the air in the balloon needed a blast of fire to stay warm enough to rise or at least stay afloat. The engine was turned on briefly, and we all could feel the warmth of the heat on our faces.
As we floated, the sun continue its inevitable rise and the sky slowly changed from black to orange to blue. According to some phone apps, we were about 2,000 feet above the ground. Therefore, we could see the entire valley as well as the surrounding mountains in northeastern Australia. The Eagles would have recognized the peaceful easy feeling that came over all of us.
After maybe 20 to 30 minutes - time doesn't mean much in such situations, and no one is looking at a watch - it was time to think about going back down to the ground. The driver was on the radio, checking out landing spots with the support crew. They eventually agreed on a parking lot of a rodeo complex, which was thankfully empty. The balloon doesn't need permission to land anywhere; the law says passenger safety comes before property rights in such cases. Our first bump with the ground wasn't as bad as it could have been, and that was followed by another bounce before it landed for good. We had stopped safely.
The passengers helped the crew pack up the balloon in spite of my brief protests concerning my union membership. Some food and champagne were served to the visitors, which was a nice touch. Eventually everything was packed up, and we headed back to our hotel - complete with a certificate showing we had gone for a ride on a hot-air balloon. That's a definite keeper.
Birthday parties
By chance, my sister's birthday fell during the dates of our trip as well, as she was born on Oct. 3. I did the only logical thing under the circumstances. I called her on the morning of the 3rd from Australia, even though it was the night of the 2nd in suburban Kansas City. I told her that the fireworks were already going off in Ayres Rock as Australia celebrated the event. She asked me, "Am I having a good birthday in Australia?" I replied that yes, she was enjoying the celebration.
A handful of days later, as we lined up for the Sydney Bridge Walk (more on that in a moment), a staff member asked if there were any special events like birthdays in people's lives. I confessed that it would be my birthday in a few days. Another person in the traveling party, this one from Fiji, was turning 50 on that day. So as we were coming down from the top of the bridge, the group stopped for a moment to sing "Happy Birthday" to the two of us. It certainly was a memorable spot for such an activity.
Two days later, the tour had taken us to Milford Sound in northwestern New Zealand. We took a memorable cruise in one of the most scenic spots on the planet. Thanks to some rain, there were numerous waterfalls emptying into the water, and one supposedly had magic powers - the water would make you look 10 years younger.
The next day was my actual birthday, and I confronted the guide. "You said yesterday that if I got wet in that waterfall, I'd look 10 years later," I said. "Yesterday, I was in my 60s, and today I am in my 70s. And I don't look any younger. I want my money back!" He laughed but didn't issue a refund.
Did you ever ... climb up to the top of a major bridge?
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the tallest steel arch bridge in the world, checking in at 440 feet from the top to the water level. And as you may have heard, you can climb it. I was told by a friend that it was worth the effect no matter what I had to pay, as it would be something I'd remember for the rest of my life. He didn't say if that terminal moment would come during the climb.
Even so, we registered for the climb, which was set to take place in a free day on the schedule. The appointment had been hanging over us for the first part of the trip. What would we see? Was it scary? Tiring? Would we regret it or cherish it?
We showed up at the appointed time, and received some instructions. All of our clothes except underwear came off, and replaced by something of a jump suit. No phones or cameras were allowed on the bridge, due to the risk of dropping it into the pedestrian, automobile, bus, truck or rail traffic below. My glasses were even strapped on. We had to fill out a questionnaire, and took a breathalyzer test. Then it was time to go.
There were two ways of climbing the bridge, as they are shown in the photo above. The top route is the more popular of the two because of the drama. You can see three different groups in the process of enjoying the view from the summit area. We went up the lower set, which was plenty high enough and didn't involve any ladders. There were stairs to the very top, which was appreciated. Climbers were chained on to a line that ran the length of the walking route. That felt quite secure, and at no time did I feel like falling was a possibility. However, we were working on areas that were more narrow than a typical sidewalk with some extra steps and tight squeezes along the way. Therefore, concentration was needed during virtually every step. Only when a rest period was called could anyone take a look at the surroundings. Yes, the view of the Harbour below was spectacular.
Eventually we reached the top of the bridge, marked by a few flags. Everyone posed for a few photos by the guide in a happy mood - perhaps because they realized that the walk down might be a little bit easier than the walk up. The downhill portion still required concentration at all times, so it was a little draining.
In short, cherish was the easy winner over regret.
The biggest surprise
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| Chinatown in Melbourne |
For the third straight major trip, we visited countries that spoke English, more or less. (England and Canada had been on the schedule earlier in 2025.) Admittedly, some of the words and pronunciations were relatively foreign to a group of Americans, but we managed to communicate well enough with the natives.
So, what was the surprise involving a trip to Australia and New Zealand? It's the fact that the two countries have become a holiday playground for those from Eastern Asia. We saw a great many tourists from the Far East along the way. I'm not prepared to break down the percentages among the Chinese, Japanese and the Korean visitors (among others, of course). I did find out that more than 820,000 Chinese visited Australia in 2024, a jump of about 68 percent over the previous year. Some of the jump was created by government actions and marketing efforts. We Americans were generally outnumbered at common tourist stops.
Our guide added that one of the reasons for the increased Asian presence in the region is the influx of college students into the big cities. For example, the Chinese would prefer to go to America for higher education if they could. But the USA's doors don't seem as open and welcoming as they used to be, so those students are looking elsewhere - and Australians seem happy to deposit the tuition checks. Some of those visitors have made Australia a home for life.
You can get an idea about the Asian influence by eating. There are a ton of Chinese, Japanese and Korean restaurants in the South Pacific countries. I even saw a mention of a place featuring food from Nepal. I was left wondering what the native food was. My best guess was fish and chips ... and a beer or three.
Did you ever ... jump off a 1,000-foot tower?
All right, I didn't either. But we bravely took an elevator to the observation levels of the structure in Auckland, and took a look around.
The views are predictably superb up there, but something else caught my attention at some point during our visit. A door led to a ramp that was attached to a metal structure that circled the tower. I assume that was installed in order for maintenance workers to have some access to the top of the place. But it led to the creation of one of the major attractions of the tower.
SkyWalk enables visitors to be attached to part of the infrastructure than hangs over that walkway. That way, you will have a high degree of confidence that you won't go for a ride to the ground floor faster than an elevator can provide. Two workers are there to provide assistance. The woman we saw in our visit even leaned out over open spaces, with only her feet in contact with the structure. A photo was snapped for posterity, and then she was hauled in.
But that's not the main target for thrill-seeking visitors. That distinction is reserved for SkyJump, and it's definitely in the "you've got to be kidding me" department.
Participants are strapped up, and then they take a leap of faith over the edge. One hundred and 92 meters later, they arrived a bit above street level. The bungee jump takes about seven seconds to complete, and jumpers reach a speed of about 50 miles per hour before slowing down for the landing
It takes about $200 to go for that ride. And you do get a t-shirt.
More photographs
My camera was full of them when I got home. That's more of a credit to the location than to me. Some other shots will pop up when I add the individual attractions to this blog - give me a little time for that. But there are plenty of leftovers that aren't a good fit there, so I offer some here.
One suggestion - click on the photo to expand the shot.
The barn owl can be found in the six warmer continents. The computer tells me that they have feathers on their wings in order to fly silently. That helps them sneak up on prey.
This cutie was spotted at a reserve near Alice Springs. If I said that it almost prompted me to light up a cigar, I doubt that few people would get it. So I won't.
About eight camels decided to cross the road - our road - to get to the other side. Camels were brought in from the Middle East in the 1800s to help out with the work there, as horses couldn't handle some of the jobs because of the heat. The camels actually like that environment, and have thrived there over the years.
Even so this was the bus driver's first encounter with a camel-jam.
Thanks to Andrew for sharing this shot.
There aren't many roads in this part of the world. Come to think of it, there aren't many people either. In some portions of the center of the country, there is one person per 25 square miles. That's empty. But the road cutting through it does show that humans can pop up. When I first took this photo, it looked like an album cover to me. Still does.
But I chose to look away from the Rock for a moment - and it was spectacular in the morning - to look at the sun as it began to light up the countryside. The effect came out nicely. No photographic genius or tricks here - aim and shoot at a special place in the world.
That's in part because of the fact that there are six difference performance areas in the complex. That provides the opportunity for seeing some fascinating angles in the building's construction. This one certainly qualifies.
Whether you are inside or outside of the Opera House, there are no bad photos to be taken. You could publish a book full of them - and no doubt someone has done that over the years.
Even the guides/drivers of the two boats that showed our group around stopped to admire it, saying they had never seen anything like it during their time of employment in the region. Clauds were hanging along the coastline between the top and bottom of the mountains, while the sun above was trying hard to peek through them.
It's another town that doesn't take a bad photo. In this case, I didn't realize what I had until later. The sun has set on the park that jets out into the lake, but the mountain behind it is still illuminated. I got lucky. Therefore, so did you.
Even though there were many adorable baby animals around asking to be fed, our group had trouble doing much beyond looking back at the view. Don't worry - the critters eventually received more their fair share of feed before the afternoon and our visit were over after a trip lasting a few houses. .
The Last Word
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