Safe and Sound in Sunny Sydney


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Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Collaroy
May 21st 2006
Published: May 21st 2006
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Okay, so first off. We are safe and sound in Sydney, no explanation needed for this title. Now a few interesting details about our departure from NZ and arrival in OZ. We had a lovely last night in the Christchurch. We had a very lovely dinner at an awesome restaurant near Cathedral Square. We said goodbye to Sue, the sweet woman who ran the bed and breakfast and was responsible for the plate fulls of scrambled eggs, bacon (shoulder is preferred over streaky), and eggs bennedict. We then stopped by "ginz.com", the travel agency who did such a wonderful job helping us organize our 4 weeks in NZ because they had some suggestions for OZ. Leaving with a handful of brochures and printouts, we headed towards the airport, stopping at the Antarctic Center on the way. The Antarctic Center is a really cool museum, only a few meters away from the airport, that explains many interesting facts and details about the cold continent, including information on the life that exists over there, the journeys that have been made to there, etc. It was definitely a cool experience, our favorite part being when we entered a room, fully clad in rubber booties and heavy jackets, and experienced a "true Antarctic storm". Standing in snow, the lights in the room went off and, the wind started blowing, and the temper dropped to -18 degrees...CELSIUS!! Needless to say, it was quite an experience and I'm still warming up.

Upon arriving to Christchurch airport, we were relaxed and prepared to pay the $25 departure fee, having read our guidebook. NOTE TO VISITORS TO NZ, YOU MUST PAY NZ$25 WHEN LEAVING THE COUNTRY. However, we were informed while checking in that we would not be allowed to enter the country of Australia without a visa, which we did not have. After cursing STA travel for not letting us know we needed such a visa, we solved our problem by paying another NZ$30 to get an electronic visa. All was good and we boarded our Emirates Air flight for what we both decided was the most pleasureable flight of our lives. The seats were comfortable, we had a delicious 4 course meal, and the option of over 30 new release films, 25 older films, disney movies, popular television dramas and comedies, and a lot lot more. There was even the option of watching the camera that was attached to both the underbody of the plane as well as the front part. We arrived 15 minutes early and breezed through. Unfortunately, the beef jerky and sandwiches that we had spent an hour running around trying to find to prevent in-flight hunger attacks were confiscated. No worries, Ben scarfed one package down at customs and we happily went along our way, with our newly stamped passports. We hopped in a taxi and headed straight for Collaroy Beach, to the house of another wonderful Kutscher's friend who I hadn't seen in 5 years, Jenn Shultz, (aka Jenn Lang). Jenn lives in a wonderful apartment literally across the street, outside of the city. Her apartment is brand new, as she and her husband have just moved here from Calgary and are been taken care of quite nicely by her husband's company. We fought the jetlag and went to bed, excited for our first day in Australia.

The next morning, we spent a nice deal of time organizing our next month's plan for OZ. We've decided to fly to Brisbane, rent a car and drive up to Cairns, stopping in the Sunshine Coast for a week, Airlie Beach, and then to Cairns. If anyone has any suggestions for activities or day trips/overnight trips in any of these locations, don't be shy 😊 We then headed into the city itself and were overwhelmed by the beauty of the city. We spent a few hours wandering around the harbor, walking up to the Opera House (it's actually as pretty as it looks in pictures), wandering around the Botanical Gardens, exploring the Rocks (um, there not really rocks, just a really cool little area with restaurants, shops, and heritage homes), and taking in the Harbor Bridge. It was absolutely fantastic and we both really liked what we saw. We then headed through the city, passing a number of architecturally unique skyscrapers and buildings towards the Darling Harbor, another bustling harbor in Sydney. It was picturesque there as well, and as we walked along the water, staring at all the beauitful sights and having a true moment, Ben points across the way and utters, "cool, a submarine". Needless to say, the moment came and went, haha. We went to the aquarium, which we both HIGHLY recommend for anyone visiting Sydney. We saw everything from platypus(es), to turtles, crocodiles, angel fish, stingrays, jellyfish, sharks, sea horses, and some of the most incredibly beautiful and colorful fish. We are both definitely excited to explore the under the sealife that awaits us in the beaches we'll be visiting in the next few weeks. Ben's eyes were lit up the entire time and he took many a picture in the underwater tunnels that we were allowed to enter. After a long day of walking, we rewarded ourselves with a munch needed sushi dinner before heading back to Jenn's.

We woke up on Saturday morning, and prepared for our day's activity: a surfing lesson. We drove down to Manly, a popular beach attraction among both tourists and locals alike. Fullly geared in our wet suits with our boards tucked under our arms, we walked down the beach and attempted to follow the detailed instructions we had been given on the sand. Jeff and Ben were awesome, as were Jenn and I, however, I have to admit, it was quite the spectacle. We have a lot more respect for surfers now, as the waves that we tackled were very mild and we still couldn't do it so well. But, according to the definition given by local Ozzies, we "got up" meaning that we stood up, even if only for a brief moment. We explored Manly, a cute little beach area as well as some other beautiful lookouts and came back to prepare for the party that Jenn and Jeff were throwing. Their friends were lovely and we had a lot of fun, although having not "partied" in awhile, we were definitely feeling it the day after. The evening ended at a popular and trendy dance club/bar across the street from their house. All in all lots of fun.

This morning, everyone was feeling a bit rough, so it was the perfect day to jump in the car and drive up the coast, stopping at a bunch of different lookout points that were absolutely gorgeous! We had a picnic lunch in Palm Beach, another beautiful beach town. The houses there are awesome and obviously not cheap. It was peaceful and relaxing and the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday.

We have pretty much organized the rest of our month in OZ so stay tuned to lots of cool updates and pictures to follow. Sorry if you feel overwhelmed by all the blogging, but read what you want. We know that only our family members are actually reading these from cover to cover (and even they skim, I'm sure). Missssss you guys.

Erica and Ben


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21st May 2006

I don't skim
i don't skim. I do read cover to cover! So does Jamie! i so look forward to these. Keep 'em coming. love the mom
22nd May 2006

:)
Benica...I can honestly say that I read every word and drool over them all! Your trip sounds amazing! :) Emily

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