Day 43 (Perth) - Monday 31st October 2016

It seems so strange that it's Halloween today when I was sunbathing by the pool at lunchtime (#LegsStillAsWhiteAsAVampire'sVictim).

Day 42 (Perth) - Sunday 30th October 2016

Howzat again.

Seven-year-old nephew had a cricket match this morning, coached by his dad who gave a very good pep talk and round-up to the players afterwards. Niece, although a little wary at first, soon made a new friend at the park.

Day 41 (Perth) - Saturday 29th October 2016

Despite the earlier forecast of rain, the weather had cleared up by the afternoon for us to have the first barbecue of the season. We were joined by some rellies, and a good time was had by all. 😀

Day 40 (Perth) - Friday 28th October 2016

Niece bending it like Beckham at today's football lesson whilst her brothers are at school.

The levitating skittle

Day 39 (Arendelle/Perth) - Thursday 27th October 2016

Arendelle

🎵 Do you want to build a snowman? 🎵

We've been transported to Arendelle for favourite-niece-on-this-side-of-the-world's 3rd birthday today. There were lots of Frozen presents, as well as a fairy outfit which my niece wore to her ballet lesson that morning (so cute!).

Afterwards, we stopped off at the library, and I borrowed a few books (naturally). Just as I'd checked them out at the kiosk area, my niece brought over a book to check out, which I thought my sister had asked her to bring over. So I checked it out, even if I was raising an eyebrow at the title. (#NotGonnaJudgeSis.) When I handed the book to my sister, she was just as bemused as me and hadn't chosen the book. Wanna know what the title of the book was? (Of course you do.)

'Moms who Drink and Swear.'

From the mouth of babes...Do you think my niece thinks her mum has a problem??

Cake made by sister. So clever!

Day 38 (Perth) - Wednesday 26th October 2016

Tonight, the children are auntie-sitting again whilst their parents watch Michael McIntyre at Perth Arena (#NotJealousAtAll). They did some art work, as well as employing avoidance tactics for not going to bed (#NotGonnaWorkOnMe).

Day 37 (Sydney/Perth) - Tuesday 25th October 2016

Shh! Don't tell Customs, but I've successfully smuggled a kiwi from New Zealand to Sydney to Perth.

Favourite-niece-on-this-side-of-the-world rather likes the kiwi and egg I brought her back from New Zealand. Youngest nephew rather likes it too, but he had to settle for a t-shirt with some kiwis on it instead (and - phew! - it fits. Good job, shop-lady-who-helped-guess-size!).

All the time zone changes are catching up with me. What day is it today? Which country am I in? I may be off-air for the next few days as I catch up on my sleep! 😵

Day 36 (Sydney) - Monday 24th October 2016

View from Royal Botanic Garden

This morning, I walked from my hotel by Central Station through Chinatown to Darling Harbour. I then walked all the way around to Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Garden and then the Public Library of New South Wales. Sadly, this library seems to be dedicated to book collections and exhibitions, so I couldn't continue with my quest here. The building was the most impressive library I've seen though, and I even scored some free! stuff (bookmarks). 😁

This afternoon, I successfully navigated my way via train and bus to Bondi Beach and took a walk along the seafront before having fish and chips for my tea (well, that's a given when you're at the seaside, isn't it?!). I even spotted a Banksy here! Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the 'Sculpture by the Sea' exhibition, which is an outdoor sculpture exhibition along the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, but I think my feet were secretly relieved.

Darling Harbour

Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

Royal Botanic Garden

Birds at botanic garden

Public Library of New South Wales

Public Library of New South Wales

Hyde Park

Bondi Beach

Banksy at Bondi Beach

Day 35 (Christchurch/Sydney) - Sunday 23rd October 2016

Free! stuff

And so my New Zealand adventures have drawn to a close. I've had a fantastic time on my Grand Pacific NZ Tour (and look! - useful free! stuff), and I'm glad I have this blog to look back on in years to come to remind me of the great times I've had. 😀

The second part of my Australian adventures starts today as I head to Sydney from Christchurch. Not sure how much internet access I'll have at my hotel there, so there might be radio silence here for the next couple of days. 😀 (Of course, I could always see if Sydney has a central library and use the free WiFi there, right?! 😁)

Update: I've arrived safely at my hotel in Sydney. The concierge has earmarked places of interest on a map for me to visit tomorrow (and - yes! - normal quest activities can resume then 😁).

Christchurch Airport

Day 34 (Mt Cook/Geraldine/Christchurch) - Saturday 22nd October 2016

Mt Cook

We awoke to beautiful, clear blue skies this morning (as well as frost on the ground), which was the perfect weather for seeing Mt Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. Our tour guy said that in all his 18 years of tour guiding, he'd never known such ideal weather conditions. The mountain has the nickname of 'Cloud Piercer', and people can wait for days to see the summit through the clouds and still leave disappointed.

Afterwards, we stopped at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which overlooks Lake Tekapo, before heading to Geraldine for our lunch. I can report there is a library at Geraldine. Unfortunately, it's only open between 10am and 1pm on a Saturday (scandalous!), and we'd arrived after 1pm, so my quest was stymied in this town.

As it's the last evening of the tour (😢), we had a special dinner at our hotel in Christchurch, and a chap called Ron entertained us with songs and anecdotes. I've met some fantastic people on this tour, and it was a privilege to share my New Zealand adventures with them. 😀

Church of the Good Shepherd

Geraldine Library

Our last night together

Day 33 (Dunedin/Oamaru/Twizel) - Friday 21st October 2016

Reading buddy at Glenfalloch gardens

Our first stop of the day was to Larnach Castle, which is situated on the Otago Peninsula part of Dunedin. It's New Zealand's only castle and is quite exquisite. The views from the tower are breathtaking.

We followed this up with a visit to Glenfalloch Restaurant (and gardens) for morning tea, with a quick photo stop at Baldwin Street, the world's steepest street, afterwards.

We only had an hour to spend at Oamaru, which wasn't enough time to do the town justice. I ate my lunch as I walked back from Oamaru Public Library over to Steampunk HQ, which is a steampunk museum and is absolutely fantastic! I loved experiencing The Portal.

Our final stop of the day was at Benmore dam and power station, and the views here were quite breathtaking, too. In the evening, I took a walk around Twizel (pronounced Twy-zel) and took some shots at twilight/dusk.

View from tower at Larnach Castle

Larnach Castle

View from tower at Larnach Castle

Glenfalloch gardens

Glenfalloch gardens

The sign obviously makes it official

Baldwin Street

Oamaru Public Library

Quest tally: three out of ten libraries

Steampunk HQ

The Portal

Steampunk HQ

Typical Oamaru residents

Benmore dam and power station

Night falls over Twizel

Day 32 (Gore/Dunedin) - Thursday 20th October 2016

Gore

If you love country music then you'll want to make a stop at Gore, which is New Zealand's capital of country music. They have a 'Hands of Fame' wall, which features the hand prints of country music stars who've played there over the years (I'd only heard of Kenny Rogers).

After our brief stop there, we continued on our way to Dunedin, the 'Edinburgh of the South'. There was time for a visit to the library (naturally!) when we arrived at the city, as well as time to hit the shops and local landmarks. I liked the street art I came across as I pounded the pavements. Apparently, you can pick up a map at the I-Site Visitor Centre and follow the trail of street art around the city.

This evening, we were treated to a special Haggis Ceremony at our hotel, and several people from our tour group volunteered (*cough* were picked on *cough*) to take part. They even attempted the Highland Fling (not bad going for the Aussie bloke who'd done the tour of Speight's Brewery earlier in the afternoon and had imbibed the wares. His wife was in hysterics as he entered into the spirit - pun intended - of the evening).

Quest tally: two out of nine libraries

Robert Burns and St Paul's Anglican Cathedral

Dunedin Railway Station

Ooh look! There's a chocolate factory here!

Dunedin street art

Dunedin street art

Dunedin street art

Dunedin street art

Haggis Ceremony

Highland Fling

Our bagpipe player