Yarra Valley wine region

> Please note, KB, that there is no bottle of wine in this photo. It is Friday evening and we are now in Melbourne, from where we fly out the day after tomorrow. I probably won't post again until it is time to edit my blog and add more photos.

Road trip

> We're on the road from Sydney but progress is slow because there are beautiful beaches and views around every corner/curve of the road. We have quite a collection of shells and rocks to bring home. The photo shows me with some small acquisitions. Last night we stayed over a pub in the town of…

Sydney

> After two weeks experiencing the gentle but scenic charms of New Zealand, we are in a big city (4.5 million plus a LOT of tourists. It is an outdoorsy city with huge and impressive botanical garden in the middle; the famous opera house is just one part of the whole shoreline complex that spans…

Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula

> We just spent two days on the Banks Peninsula, 75 km from Christchurch. The village of Akaroa is very touristy in a way – sort of like Salt Spring Island with the locals very distinct from, but dependent on, the visitors, and many artists plying their trades. Everyone is very friendly and polite –…

Christchurch, NZ

> We are in a really nice hostel here -very genteel and it would impress even the naysayers among you. Have just finished an excellent meal of venison hamburger, veggies and local wine (cooked elbow-to-elbow in a big communal kitchen with half a dozen other couples), and watched the full moon rise from the deck…