Asia-Pacific
Wendy’s personal goal to travel to six of the seven continents (skipping Antarctica) was met when she and Rick touched down in Australia in January 2011. The Walleighs spent nearly a month traveling on both the north and south islands of New Zealand as well as in southeastern Australia, including Sydney.
New Zealand & Australia’s Isolation Engendered Unique Land & Sea Creatures
With isolation from connected continents over millennia, the region's animals and plants adapted uniquely to their geography and climate and thus evolved distinctly differently from those on other continents. The Silver Fern is not only New Zealand’s national symbol...
Australia’s Central Coast North of Sydney
The Walleighs’ experience north of Sydney with their "local" friends was different from other parts of their trip. What they saw near their friends' home in Terrigal were glorious beaches, surf, rocky coastline, and some additional unique animals in Reptile Park....
Australia: Sydney is a Lovely City
Sydney and the central eastern coast of Australia were the only places Rick and Wendy visited. Unfortunately they had no time to visit "the Outback" nor the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, which recently had been badly flooded by weeks of rain and then struck by...
New Zealand Overview–from Countryside to Cities
Wendy’s personal goal to travel to six of the seven continents (skipping Antarctica) was met when she and Rick touched down in Australia in January 2011. For most of this trip, they traveled with one couple, driving for approximately one week on the south island of...
New Zealand’s North Island–Maori Culture, Thermal Features & More
Known best for being the Maori cultural center and its active thermal fields, New Zealand's north island is also warmer in temperature than the south island. So the Walleighs could enjoy part of this island in shorts and t-shirts. Their route was from Wellington to...
New Zealand’S South Island—Rugged Coasts to Glaciers in Lord of the Rings’ Country
Despite the cool and sometimes rainy weather on New Zealand's south island, it was Wendy’s favorite of the two islands. The variety of dramatic scenery in such a relatively small area was quite impressive. Southern Alps’ impressive glaciers: Just inland from the...