Adrian was invited to speak at a conference put on by the Law Institute of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Word got around that he was coming (by him and others), and before we knew it, he was also being asked to speak in New Zealand, Sydney, and at other events in Melbourne. Isn't he awesome? Our first stop was the Yarra Valley just outside of Melbourne, but I can't upload those pictures to my computer, so we are going to start with Aukland, which was our second stop.
Aukland is a beautiful city on the water, and surrounded by volcanoes, which all look like the green hill in this picture. Because Taylor and I were on our own most of the time, we stuck close to the city. It took awhile to get used to driving on the other side of the road, and I only mistakenly drove on the wrong side once.
The most surprising thing about New Zealand is how similar it is to the United States. The economy and people are very similar - the way they dress, what they eat, what jobs and education they have, etc. It's amazing that I could feel so at home so far away.
Adrian only had one full day to explore Aukland because of speaking engagements in Aukland and Wellington. Taylor and I had three full days. We were put in touch with the Sorenson family that let us stay in their home while we were there. I think playing with their toys was the highlight of Aukland for Taylor.
On the day that Adrian was able to explore with us, we went to the ganot colony, a big rock jetting into the ocean with ganot birds that migrate from Australia. We then went to One Tree Hill, a volcano. We were greeted by sheep and then by rain. It started out as a gorgeous day and the scenery was breaktaking. After lunch and after the rain subsided, we ventured up to another volcano, Mt. Eden. There was a giant crater there that was pretty magnificent.
Taylor and I spent our days at the beach after that. We went to Brown's Bay on the east coast one day and the aquarium and Mission Bay (which has a great playground) the next day.
Our budding photographer. This was taken in the Yarra Valley at the Healesville Sanctuary.
We enjoyed Aukland, but I was ready to get out of the city and see the countryside. More on that later.
3 comments:
Looks like lots of fun! Can't wait to hear about the rest of it.
Wow you have been on some amazing trips!
What exciting adventures you're having! They look like such beautiful places. It's hard to believe you're on the other side of the world. Enjoy yourselves!
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