About this time last year, I'm browsing airline ticket prices to see if that dream of a trip to Australia might one day be a reality. Lo and behold, round trip from Los Angeles to Sydney is less than $600. I have a free Southwest ticket to get to LA and back. I have 3 weeks of vacation... This, that, and the other happens, and the Saturday before Thanksgiving, I'm on my way to Sydney.
I bought the ticket on something of an impulse, then had to find a way to spend 3 weeks. How about a week in New Zealand on a motorcycle? Sounds good. How about a few days in Cairns Australia, diving on the reef? That'll work. A weekend in Sydney attending the V8 Supercar races was next; that, and the extra vacation days from Thanksgiving, are what actually set my timing. Then a week bumming around the Sydney area before heading home. I bought some more plane tickets, reserved a bike and lodging in NZ, and decided to figure the rest out once I was there. I traveled solo, so I only had to please myself...
You leave L.A. on Saturday night, fly about 15 hours, and arrive in Sydney on Monday morning, thanks to the international date line. A friend was living in Sydney at the time, so he let me take a shower at his place, showed me around a bit, then dropped me back at the airport to fly to Christchurch, NZ. I was one tired puppy when I finally got to my hotel that night.
I rented a bike from these guys: http://www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz/
Originally, I had an SV650 reserved. But they sold it, and put me on a Yamaha FZ6 at the same price. When I reserved and paid, the exchange rate was good, and I think the bike ran about $85/day. They also prepared an itenerary, and reserved all my hotel rooms. All I had to do was ride.
I stayed in Christchurch that first day, exploring around the area. Everywhere you go in New Zealand, "beautiful" is the word that comes to mind, with an occasional "stunning" thrown in.
Here is the bay and port outside Christchurch. We have the Houston Ship Channel, they have this (that's a full-size container ship down there in the water):
I bought the ticket on something of an impulse, then had to find a way to spend 3 weeks. How about a week in New Zealand on a motorcycle? Sounds good. How about a few days in Cairns Australia, diving on the reef? That'll work. A weekend in Sydney attending the V8 Supercar races was next; that, and the extra vacation days from Thanksgiving, are what actually set my timing. Then a week bumming around the Sydney area before heading home. I bought some more plane tickets, reserved a bike and lodging in NZ, and decided to figure the rest out once I was there. I traveled solo, so I only had to please myself...
You leave L.A. on Saturday night, fly about 15 hours, and arrive in Sydney on Monday morning, thanks to the international date line. A friend was living in Sydney at the time, so he let me take a shower at his place, showed me around a bit, then dropped me back at the airport to fly to Christchurch, NZ. I was one tired puppy when I finally got to my hotel that night.
I rented a bike from these guys: http://www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz/
Originally, I had an SV650 reserved. But they sold it, and put me on a Yamaha FZ6 at the same price. When I reserved and paid, the exchange rate was good, and I think the bike ran about $85/day. They also prepared an itenerary, and reserved all my hotel rooms. All I had to do was ride.
I stayed in Christchurch that first day, exploring around the area. Everywhere you go in New Zealand, "beautiful" is the word that comes to mind, with an occasional "stunning" thrown in.
Here is the bay and port outside Christchurch. We have the Houston Ship Channel, they have this (that's a full-size container ship down there in the water):