New Zealand/Australia Nerdventure!

We arrived in Auckland after the long flight from the US (which was not as bad as we thought it would be), and we dropped our luggage off at our hotel so we could start exploring. We wandered to the waterfront for some photo ops, browsed in the shops, and got some yummy food. We also went to the Weta Unleashed exhibit right near the Sky Tower which was something to experience for yourself.

We got up early the next morning for a full-day excursion to Hobbiton and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Our guide picked us up and off we went. She regaled us with lots of information about New Zealand and Hobbiton on the way there. Then, we were at Hobbiton, and friends, words and photos cannot describe what it's like to walk onto a living breathing movie set. If you are a Hobbit or Lord of the Rings fan, or even if you aren't, you have to see it for yourself. After our drinks at the Green Dragon Inn, we were off to a quick lunch and the Glowworm Caves in Waitomo. We weren't allowed to take photos in the caves, but you will be so mesmerized you won't want to. It was an experience unlike any other, and again, something you have to experience for yourself.

We spent our day in Wellington on a full-day Lord of the Rings tour that began at Weta Workshop where we got to go into Weta Cave. Amazing! Then, we headed out to explore filming locations all around the city including Mount Victoria, Kaitoke Regional Park, Hutt Valley and more. The guides even had photos of the scenes from the films so we could remember exactly where the actors would have been, plus they had fun trivia and other tidbits you wouldn't get anywhere else.

For our last Lord of the Rings day, we got to visit Mount Sunday (Edoras) from the lovely port of Timaru. The drive to get there was breathtaking with high mountains, babbling streams and grassy fields. In addition to seeing and hearing about the filming of the scenes for Edoras, we also heard about some filming nearby for scenes of the battle of Helm's Deep.

Dunedin (the gaelic name for Edinburgh) was settled by Scots. It is also known as the Wildlife Capital of NZ. We took a tour all around the city and saw the steepest street in the world (Baldwin Street), Dunedin's botanic garden, some breathtaking views over the city and bay, Otago Peninsula and Dunedin Railway Station. But, the most exciting part was the visit to the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (OPERA) where we were able to see yellow-eyed penguins in the wild! This was a bucket list item for sure.

Our cruise ship was able to sail into three of the beautiful sounds in Fjordland National Park in New Zealand: Dusky, Doubtful and Milford. Each was impressive in its own way, and we had a lovely day of seeing the mountains, the waterfalls and the mist. Plus, it's beautifully quiet there, perfect for contemplation and renewal.

We started our first day in Australia with a tour of Hobart City, including the Salamanca Market for crafts and food. Then we headed off to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary to see native animals that are being rehabilitated with the hopes of reintroducing them into the wild. We got to see wombats, kangaroos, Kookaburras, Tasmanian Devils (of course) and so many more amazing animals! We also visited Richmond Village for lunch and saw the convict-built bridge. Then it was off to Mount Wellington for spectacular views of Hobart and the Derwent estuary. (Note: We had two sea days to get from New Zealand to Tasmania.)

In Melbourne, we visited the Melbourne Museum, which has a beautiful garden with native trees inside! It also has wonderful exhibits about the native culture and rotating exhibits as well. We explored the city some more, had lunch in a great restaurant, and wandered through the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - Melbourne. We also stopped at Olympic Park, which was the site of the 1956 Olympic Games. I love watching the Olympics and I love visiting the sites of former Olympic games, so I had a new one to add to that list.

When we docked in Sydney, our view was of the famous Opera House and it could not have been more perfect. We dropped off our luggage at the hotel, then went to Bondi Beach for some fun in the sun and a bite to eat (there are many lovely cafes nearby with every cuisine you could think of). After that, we arrived back at the Opera House for our tour. We learned so much and got to go inside, which was spectacular! If we'd had a few more days, it would have been great to see a show in there, but alas. Then we walked through the Royal Botanic Garden and up to Mrs Macquarie's Chair for some beautiful views of the harbor.

This day was all about the animals! We took the ferry over to Taronga Zoo and booked it to the entrance so we could sign up for an animal encounter (they have several to choose from, but they are very limited and book up quickly). We were able to secure slots for the meerkat encounter and it was so much fun. You can't pet them, but they feed them around you and the meerkats skitter over your lap. The other encounter you can do anytime is the one with the koalas, which was on my bucket list. Again, you can't touch them, but you can get relatively close and get some great photo ops. The rest of the zoo is great as well with so many great animals and activities. It was a great way to cap off our Nerdventure in Australia!