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 17 (Auckland) - Wednesday 5th October 2016

Sky Tower

My Grand Pacific NZ Tour officially starts tonight, and I'll meet the rest of my fellow adventurers at the evening meal. My friends, Kevin and Jill from drama (Hello, Kevin and Jill!), took the same tour last year and their group consisted of Australians, so I'm wondering if it'll be the same for my group.

After a busy day of travelling yesterday, I took it easy today (and wasn't best pleased when the workmen on the building site opposite woke me up at around 8am with their loud machinery. *Shakes fist at noisy workmen*). Skycity Hotel (where I'm staying) issued me with a complimentary ticket to the Sky Tower, so I went up there this afternoon to see amazing views around Auckland. It took two years and nine months to build and cost NZ$85 million to construct!

Update: The couple I sat next to at dinner were from Virginia, so I'll give a shout-out to my American friend Rhonda who also lives there (Hello, Rhonda!).

Rangitoto Island in background

Glass floor

Buffet desserts

Skycity Hotel and Sky Tower

Sky Tower