2002: Australia and New Zealand

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Days 2 and 3: Honolulu, Hawaii

- July 30, 2002

Days 2 - 3 (7/10/02 - 7/11/02): Honolulu We got up and the group went down to Perry's Smorgy, a place where it was all you can eat breakfast. After that Mike got us on a bus then took us down to Pearl Harbor. He was Samoan, I believe. He told us why all the natives called each other cousin (They all had the same uncle, Uncle Sam). We seen the memorial and then took a tour of Honolulu with another bus driver. He told us some interesting things about Honolulu. 1. Most people work two jobs so that they can afford to live there. 2. A fellow named Bishop married a great (or so) granddaughter of King Kamehameha and basically inherited the islands. He is very rich and has invested in the school system here. 3. If you can prove that you’re at least 50% Hawaiian, you can get a $1/year land lease for a house. 4. All of Honolulu uses water from a drilled Aquifer that is very good water. We stopped at the statue of King Kamehameha, a good

Day 4: Sydney, Australia

- July 28, 2002

Day 4 (7/13/2002): Sydney, Australia We arrived around 7:00 am in Sydney, losing a day due to the aforementioned date line. We got through borders and met Jonathan, our Australian tour director. He took us on a tour of Sydney. He talked about the history of the city. Abby Haystead and Terrell Miller with a grand view of Sydney in the background The two most important people are Captain Cook and Governor MacQuaries. Captain Cook was instrumental in mapping the island and Governor MacQuaries was instrumental in developing Sydney, as he used convicted thieves other abilities (like architects or builders) to help build up the island. Then we took a turn down some old streets so that we could pass the time until we could check in to our hotel, The Hyde Park Plaza Suites. It's got a good location in Sydney, within walking distance of a lot of stores. We split up into two groups to shop and to eat lunch. Once we got into our rooms we took a few hours off to do laun

Day 5: Sydney Australia

- July 26, 2002

Day 5 (7/14/2002): Sydney, Australia We had a wonderful breakfast and had our first taste of Vegemite. It is a concentrated yeast extract that is usually put on toast, it's very salty. I guess it's also a good source of vitamin B. Most Australian's have this every day. The tour bus took us to Lady Macquarie's chair in Mrs. Macquarie's Point. It was a place that her husband the governor made for her to walk around. There was even a chair carved out of stone for her to sit in. From there, we left to go to the Sydney Opera house. We took a tour and saw the different sets (stages) and got a lecture on how the acoustics worked. The outside is made of concrete and glass, which covers another building inside. The Fitzpatricks in front of the Sydney Opera House Adam Newell and Joy Smith at the Sydney Opera House We also went to the Sydney tower and got a great view from the tallest building South of the equator. It was the finale of a fine

Day 6: Sydney to Coffs Harbor, Australia

- July 25, 2002

Day 6 (7/15/02): Sydney-Coffs Harbor Today's journey is the longest by bus. We started out after breakfast toward Coffs Harbor. We heard some Australian songs like Waltzing Matilda, the G-day song, Tie Me a Kangaroo Down Sport, and The Vegemite song. Everyone was quiet and sleepy during the morning. We took a break for snacks and lunch on the way. Some brought stamps, ate the local grub, and bought some food for evening meal. A typical moment on the bus Jessica Smith and Lauren Simpson with their new hats After lunch, We had a music quiz on famous movie songs. I also found out some more information on our tour director Jonathan Johnstone. He was currently on break from the "uni" (university) and is studying to become a primary school teacher. We arrived at the Coffs Harbor at around 4:00 p.m. The hotel, the Opal Cove Resort at Coffs Harbor had a great pool and outdoor swimming facility. The beaches could be heard from the hotel room. It was too dang

Day 7: Coffs Harbor to Surfer's Paradise

- July 23, 2002

Day 7 (7/16/02): Coffs Harbour-Surfer's Paradise We got up extra early to see the sunrise. It was set for 6:58 a.m. but arrived a little earlier. There's nothing like seeing a sunrise against the setting of a beach and the roar of the ocean. We continued our trek along the Pacific highway, actually seeing Kangaroos in fields along the road. Along the way, John played a VCR tape about Kangaroos and how they interact in their society. We stopped at Cape Byron, the eastern most point of Australia. We saw the lighthouse and dolphins in the ocean. We didn't see any whales. the eastern most point in Australia Around lunchtime we stopped at Byron Bay Township for a few hours of beach and shopping. Despite the cooler weather and water, it was fun to be in the ocean. We continued north and arrived in Surfer's Paradise around 5:00 p.m. An hour late, John took us downtown where we all took off shopping and eating supper. Intere

Day 8: Surfer's Paradise

- July 22, 2002

Day 8 (7/17/02): Surfer's Paradise A lot of people got to sleep in today. Those who went to the 4 wheel drive tour of the rain forest left the hotel, Mercure Resort Conalia, at 8:00 a.m. We took off west towards the continental divide , occasionally stopping to see breathtaking views or animals such as kangaroos, wallabies (very similar to kangaroos but with different habits, as was explained to me). Abby Haystead and Terrell Miller overlooking the Great Australian Divde We stopped at an Alpaca ranch. The animal looks very similar to a llama and has fur that is seven times warmer than sheep's wool. The prices at the boutique also indicated this. Later, we had tea at another great view. Tea, coffee, or juice was served as well as fresh banana cake and cookies. We continued on to Lamington and Mount Tamborine National Parks to see a rain forest. One was high up in the hills close to the continental divide. I had not realized that rainforests can be in ma

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