As we made our way north of the Sunshine Coast, we arrived at the serene coastal communities of Agnes Water and the Town of 1770 (also known as Seventeen Seventy). Can you guess why the town is named Seventeen Seventy? Thats right, it’s where Read more →
Leaving The Hunter Valley we drove to Sydney, returned our rental car and hopped on a plane to Brisbane where we picked up another rental car and drove 2 hours north to Maroochydore. The day ran like clockwork, now we can settle into a relaxed 68 day road trip up the East coast to Cape Tribulation. Read more →
The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region with many of these vineyards featuring vines that are over a century old. We based ourselves in the small town of Cessnock, in the heart of the wine growing region. With roughly 120 wineries less than 30 minutes from our house, Read more →
We came to Sydney for a little ‘vacation’ to celebrate a friend’s 70th birthday. David and Di live a few hours south of Sydney and when we knew our Australia dates I messaged them to arrange getting together. We had hoped to spend a few days with them but they were leaving on a two month travel adventure. Read more →
View from the War Memorial down Anzac Parade to the Parliament Building
Getting to Canberra became a challenge with increasing fuel shortages and flight cancellations in this part of the world. I don’t know why Air New Zealand cancelled our flight from Auckland to Sydney, Australia with 18 hours notice but it got us scrambling. Read more →
For our final stop of this seven week journey on the north island we spent 4 days in the picturesque coastal village of Ngunguru, tucked away on the Tutukaka Coast, about 3 hours north of Auckland. It’s a place known for dramatic headlands and pristine beaches. Read more →
From Waipapa we drove 2 hours north to our most northerly destination in New Zealand. We are staying on a Protea flower farm in the countryside, not really close to anything at all. This was the most northerly place we could find accommodation in order to visit Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach, Read more →
Continuing our journey north the next stop was a small farm just outside Waipapa, not far from Bay of Islands. We visited the Bay of Islands in 2023 during our cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Sydney, Australia and found it so beautiful we wanted to return. Waipapa is a growing rural settlement in the Far North District and while it serves primarily as a shopping hub for the area, it is surround by rolling hills, orchards, cattle and sheep farms, and historic landmarks. Read more →