REVVING UP FOR OUR NEXT ADVENTURE! HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Flying from Chicago to Los Angeles on United Airlines flight # 617. Departs ORD at 5:20 p.m. and arrives at LAX at 7:44 local time. After a 3 hour layover United flight # 839 departs at 10:45 p.m. to Sydney Australia. It's a 15.5 hour flight to Sydney and we are still waiting for business class tickets to become available. We currently have booked Mileage Plus tickets with a bit more space but they aren't fully reclining! 15.5 hours is a LONG flight! I'm just saying! Arrive in Sydney two days later (International Date Line) around 8:45 in the morning. HOPE to be able to check into The Four Seasons for our 2 night stay early. The reservation was made by Rich Rediker and their flight is supposed to arrive about 20 minutes ahead of us. We'll probably grab some Aussie $ and take a cab right to the Four Seasons. If we meet up with the 4 others we can try to cab it together in 2 cabs. The Four Seasons is a very nice location (right at the harbor and close to where we will be doing things).
Once we all get settled and hopefully checked in we will see what we are up for after the long flight!
There seems to be a tremendous bike path system and we may rent some bikes to get over to Bondi Beach. Or, there is a walking path that takes you around the edge of the harbor as well. Bondi Beach is another famous Sydney landmark about 6 miles from our hotel. Get over there and enjoy the beach and hopefully the sun.
We have reservations at Farmhouse King's Cross later that evening. Seating in one big room for 20. Locally sourced Aussie Food. We have determined that it's about a 40 minute walk to the restaurant that will take us through a botanical park along the way. Probably cab it back to a well deserved night's rest!
The next day is going to be awesome! 5 of us will have the early morning buffet and walk 8 minutes to the Sydney Bridge Climb Center. We will have a meeting explaining what we will be doing and shortly after up on the bridge. We are asked to be there by 9:10 to begin the climb. We decided to do The Bridge Climb Express. A shortened version of the bridge climb we will be on the bridge for only an hour and a half and will not reach the summit. The entire Bridge Climb would have taken 3 1/2 to 4 hours and we decided we needed more time for the rest of the day.
After the bridge climb Rich has arranged for a day boat tour of the harbor. We'll have to connect with Richie Steingart back at the bridge. Richie has a tremendous aversion to heights and there was now way he would climb the bridge. Rich has arranged for the boat tour people to pick us up right near the base of the bridge and take us to the boat. That should keep us busy for the day.
We plan to have dinner at the Four Seasons that night to end a wonderful day!
Next morning we had back to the airport for our Virgin Air Australia flight #7464 a 9:20a.m. flight from Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand. With a 2 hour time change, we are due to arrive in Queenstown around 2:25 after a 3 hour flight. We will get to our hotel (The Waterfront Apartments) and see if we can check in. Rich has reserved two three bedroom apartments for all 12 of us at a location right in the city center! We are supposed to meet the people leading our three day trek on The Routeburn Track and get all information. It's only a 6 minute walk to the trek center. That evening dinner at Mai Thai Restaurant which is walking distance from the hotel.
When we leave the following morning we will be gone for 5 days returning back to The Waterfront Apartments after that. We can leave luggage in storage until our return since we will have to carry everything with us on the 3 day Routeburn Track tromp. In between the tromp is 2 days on the boat on Doubtful Sound that starts the following morning. We may have to plan for 5 days of clothing and gear that must fit in a supplied duffel.
Link to Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise
After a full day on Doubtful sound we will sleep and have another day on the Sound before returning to our starting point. We will be driven a short way to the town of Te Anau where we will have a accommodation for the night. We have planned to go to a glowworm cave that is very close to our hotel. Connie and I went to a glowworm cave on the North Island the last time we were in New Zealand. Pretty cool. Eat some dinner and get to sleep.
The following morning the people from the trek company will pick us up at our hotel in Te Anau. Most people start in Queenstown so we will be able to get up a bit later as it will take them some time to get to where we are. Nothing wrong with that in my mind. I can get up and do some exploring! Transported to the Routeburn Track trailhead where we will commence our 3 day hike. We will be walking (tromping) for three days stopping at nice cabins each night. No where near to what we had to do in Peru walking to Machu Picchu! There is one slight side trip along the way up about 800 feet to a wonderful viewing point Key Summit. Connie and I have been "walking" this very trail on video treadmills at our health club. Real easy on the treadmill, not too many elevation changes (on the treadmill at least). The view from the top of Key Summit is pretty amazing. I plan on going up there unless the weather is too overcast. The end of the first day ends at Lake Mackenzie! Connie and I look forward to that. The remaining two days should be fairly easy and there is hardly any elevation gains along the way.
Below I have listed each days itinerary for that web site: Should be a piece of cake!
Flying from Chicago to Los Angeles on United Airlines flight # 617. Departs ORD at 5:20 p.m. and arrives at LAX at 7:44 local time. After a 3 hour layover United flight # 839 departs at 10:45 p.m. to Sydney Australia. It's a 15.5 hour flight to Sydney and we are still waiting for business class tickets to become available. We currently have booked Mileage Plus tickets with a bit more space but they aren't fully reclining! 15.5 hours is a LONG flight! I'm just saying! Arrive in Sydney two days later (International Date Line) around 8:45 in the morning. HOPE to be able to check into The Four Seasons for our 2 night stay early. The reservation was made by Rich Rediker and their flight is supposed to arrive about 20 minutes ahead of us. We'll probably grab some Aussie $ and take a cab right to the Four Seasons. If we meet up with the 4 others we can try to cab it together in 2 cabs. The Four Seasons is a very nice location (right at the harbor and close to where we will be doing things).
Once we all get settled and hopefully checked in we will see what we are up for after the long flight!
There seems to be a tremendous bike path system and we may rent some bikes to get over to Bondi Beach. Or, there is a walking path that takes you around the edge of the harbor as well. Bondi Beach is another famous Sydney landmark about 6 miles from our hotel. Get over there and enjoy the beach and hopefully the sun.
We have reservations at Farmhouse King's Cross later that evening. Seating in one big room for 20. Locally sourced Aussie Food. We have determined that it's about a 40 minute walk to the restaurant that will take us through a botanical park along the way. Probably cab it back to a well deserved night's rest!
There seems to be a tremendous bike path system and we may rent some bikes to get over to Bondi Beach. Or, there is a walking path that takes you around the edge of the harbor as well. Bondi Beach is another famous Sydney landmark about 6 miles from our hotel. Get over there and enjoy the beach and hopefully the sun.
The next day is going to be awesome! 5 of us will have the early morning buffet and walk 8 minutes to the Sydney Bridge Climb Center. We will have a meeting explaining what we will be doing and shortly after up on the bridge. We are asked to be there by 9:10 to begin the climb. We decided to do The Bridge Climb Express. A shortened version of the bridge climb we will be on the bridge for only an hour and a half and will not reach the summit. The entire Bridge Climb would have taken 3 1/2 to 4 hours and we decided we needed more time for the rest of the day.
After the bridge climb Rich has arranged for a day boat tour of the harbor. We'll have to connect with Richie Steingart back at the bridge. Richie has a tremendous aversion to heights and there was now way he would climb the bridge. Rich has arranged for the boat tour people to pick us up right near the base of the bridge and take us to the boat. That should keep us busy for the day.
We plan to have dinner at the Four Seasons that night to end a wonderful day!
We plan to have dinner at the Four Seasons that night to end a wonderful day!
Next morning we had back to the airport for our Virgin Air Australia flight #7464 a 9:20a.m. flight from Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand. With a 2 hour time change, we are due to arrive in Queenstown around 2:25 after a 3 hour flight. We will get to our hotel (The Waterfront Apartments) and see if we can check in. Rich has reserved two three bedroom apartments for all 12 of us at a location right in the city center! We are supposed to meet the people leading our three day trek on The Routeburn Track and get all information. It's only a 6 minute walk to the trek center. That evening dinner at Mai Thai Restaurant which is walking distance from the hotel.
When we leave the following morning we will be gone for 5 days returning back to The Waterfront Apartments after that. We can leave luggage in storage until our return since we will have to carry everything with us on the 3 day Routeburn Track tromp. In between the tromp is 2 days on the boat on Doubtful Sound that starts the following morning. We may have to plan for 5 days of clothing and gear that must fit in a supplied duffel.
When we leave the following morning we will be gone for 5 days returning back to The Waterfront Apartments after that. We can leave luggage in storage until our return since we will have to carry everything with us on the 3 day Routeburn Track tromp. In between the tromp is 2 days on the boat on Doubtful Sound that starts the following morning. We may have to plan for 5 days of clothing and gear that must fit in a supplied duffel.
Link to Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise
After a full day on Doubtful sound we will sleep and have another day on the Sound before returning to our starting point. We will be driven a short way to the town of Te Anau where we will have a accommodation for the night. We have planned to go to a glowworm cave that is very close to our hotel. Connie and I went to a glowworm cave on the North Island the last time we were in New Zealand. Pretty cool. Eat some dinner and get to sleep.
The following morning the people from the trek company will pick us up at our hotel in Te Anau. Most people start in Queenstown so we will be able to get up a bit later as it will take them some time to get to where we are. Nothing wrong with that in my mind. I can get up and do some exploring! Transported to the Routeburn Track trailhead where we will commence our 3 day hike. We will be walking (tromping) for three days stopping at nice cabins each night. No where near to what we had to do in Peru walking to Machu Picchu! There is one slight side trip along the way up about 800 feet to a wonderful viewing point Key Summit. Connie and I have been "walking" this very trail on video treadmills at our health club. Real easy on the treadmill, not too many elevation changes (on the treadmill at least). The view from the top of Key Summit is pretty amazing. I plan on going up there unless the weather is too overcast. The end of the first day ends at Lake Mackenzie! Connie and I look forward to that. The remaining two days should be fairly easy and there is hardly any elevation gains along the way.
