Highlights - Part Two

Another 3 months has gone by and it's time for us to leave Australasia and move on to the next part of our adventure in South America. We've had a wonderful time here and are very sad to be leaving. The top ten highlights for part one was difficult, this has been almost impossible (notice the absence of any mention of the cricket!) so we've managed to settle on 12!

1. Catching up with family and friends, being put up, fed, watered and entertained. Their friendship and company has made our time in Australia and New Zealand very special. Thank you to all of you
2. Bringing in the New Year in Sydney and watching the amazing fire works display over the Harbour Bridge with Wendy, Sue and Paul           
   
3. Taking the ferry into Sydney, sailing passed islands and headlands and just taking in the views. Surely you couldn't get bored with this if it was your daily commute! 
   
4. Standing on top of Ayers Rock and marvelling at the 360 degree views across the red desert
   
5. Climbing Cradle Mountain in clear skies and warm weather and looking out into the wilderness of Tasmania
   
6. Going caving in Waitomo, crawling through small tunnels and climbing up waterfalls
7. Walking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, bagging two active volcanos along the way. A geology lesson on speed
   
8. Watching sperm whales come to the surface to breathe before diving back into the depths of the South Pacific Ocean
   
9. Sitting on top of Mt Ollivier, taking in the fabulous views of snow capped mountains including Mt Cook, glaciers and alpine lakes in absolute silence
    
10. Experiencing the peace and tranquility of Doubtful Sound from a kayak, and the inclement weather just adding to the thrill as well as the 1000m waterfalls!
    
11. Attempting to reach the top of Barrier Knob with wonderful views over Milford Sound and the surrounding peaks, especially from Gertrude's Saddle
    
12. Kayaking in the crystal clear green sea, past isolated golden sandy beaches in Abel Tasman National Park
    

And it would be remiss to finish this part of our adventure without mentioning our travelling companions for 8 of the 12 weeks! Our New Zealand "Stan" covered 6625kms and our Tassie "Stan" did around 1700kms, with no complaint from either and both proving to be reliable, comfortable and enjoyable way of experiencing the places we went.