Australia & New Zealand

A mix of European and Polynesian influences...

In two trips thus far to Australia and New Zealand - spring break 2001 and Thanksgiving week 2007, I have found some of my favorite spots on earth. On the first trip I traveled with Ben and on the second trip I traveled with Craig. For a quick look, each travel page has an intro and two "best shots" pictures at the top.

The seasons are reversed south of the equator, so Australia and New Zealand were at the beginning of autumn in April and at the beginning of summer in late November. The weather was good on both trips, with highs in the 70s and 80s (ºF). On the first trip in 2001 the US dollar was very strong ($1 US = $.5 AUS = $.4 NZ), but on the second trip in 2007 the weaker dollar ($1US = $.87 AUS = $.77 NZ) made everything more expensive.

If you are interested in Australia, I recommend an excellent book called "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson that takes an irreverent look at 'Oz' in more depth.