The End

Well, I suppose it is time to conclude this.  I have been putting this post off for awhile.  I kept meaning to write it, and then I would get distracted.  However, the time has finally come.  The kids and I left Sydney a bit earlier than Sean so that the kids could get back into their U.S. school and not start the new school year in Australia.  We came back on January 23rd while Sean stayed back for NINE more (very long) weeks to pack up the apartment and finish his work contract.  That time is now past and we have been reunited as a family in our one, and only, residence in Kansas City since March 27th.   

Tears are streaming down my face as I write these words.  Part of me cannot believe this amazing experience has now come and gone.  Even though it is over, I do not want our family to lose that spirit of adventure we felt when we struck out on our Australian journey.  It has changed each of us, and I hope for the better.   

We were very lucky to have the opportunity to live in Sydney.  We tried to never lose sight of that, even during the low points when we were so homesick that we could hardly stand it.  There isn't another city in the world that could have offered us what Sydney did.  All the photos we took over the two years show the abundant beauty that surrounded us on a daily basis.  We lived in a very urban area, yet we could walk 30 minutes and be surrounded by nature.  We walked EVERYWHERE.  The weather was (mostly) fantastic.  The gorgeous views never got old.  And, best of all, we made some wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime.  

The photos in this blog post are a collection of lasts.  All of the photos took place in January.  Our last days were so rushed, partly because of our quick trip to the States over Christmas.  We returned to Sydney on January 2nd and then left for New Zealand on January 11th.  We got back from New Zealand on January 19th and then only had a few short days before flying back to the States on January 23rd.  Those days we had in Sydney were a blur of absorbing as much of our surroundings as possible, last minute gatherings with friends, and suitcases (packing and unpacking).  

Manly Beach on the day we got back to Sydney on January 2nd.  I love all the beaches in Sydney, each for slightly different reasons.  If I had to pick a true "favorite" though, it would be Manly.  I love the atmosphere, the shops, the restaurants, and pretty much everything else about it.

This was our last beach day at Balmoral on January 3rd.  Balmoral is a beautiful sheltered beach that we could get to by a short bus or car ride (or a longer walk).  On this day, we ran into Aubrey's school friend, Charlie, and his mom, Kylie.  We had the best beach day while the kids played and the moms chatted.  The quality of the photo isn't very good, but the memory makes me smile.

On Saturday, January 4th, we drove into the city and then over to Bondi Beach.  We had to see it one last time.  It was the very first place we visited when we arrived in Sydney on March 24, 2012.  I remember coming over the crest of the hill on the bus that first day, seeing Bondi Beach laid out before us, and thinking "Wow!  We get to live here?!?".     

The original photo of Sean and the kids on March 24, 2012 at Bondi Beach.  We had just gotten off the plane a few short hours earlier.  You can tell by Carter and Sean's squinting that we weren't quite used to the bright sun yet.  (Look at how little the kids were!!!)

Sunday, January 5th was our last Sunday Funday.  I am sure I have mentioned it before, but I will quickly explain it again.  For a $2.50 ticket per person, we could travel on any form of public transport (as many times as we want) on Sundays with that one ticket.  So, for $10 for a family, we could travel by bus, train, and ferry to anywhere in the city.  We often used these days to explore the city for a minimal cost.  On this Sunday, we took a ferry into Circular Quay in the city and began walking towards the Botanic Gardens.  However, on this day we took a route that we had never taken before.  Instead of walking directly through the gardens, we walked in the city along the edge of the gardens.  It was a really beautiful walk and we felt so happy that we were still discovering new treasures in Sydney after living there for almost 2 years.

Sean and the kids in front of the Governor Phillip Fountain in the Sydney Botanic Gardens

Looking out towards the harbour from the Governor Phillip Fountain

St. Mary's Cathedral

We were not allowed to take photos inside the cathedral.  It would be impossible for me to describe how breathtaking it was.  We each lit a candle for my mom and said a little prayer for her while inside.  It was a really special moment.

Fountain in Hyde Park

St. Mary's Cathedral from Hyde Park

Cool street art we saw while walking around the city

We made one last visit to Taronga Zoo on Monday, January 6th.  We had an annual pass to Taronga Zoo both years that we lived in Sydney.  It has to be the most gorgeous zoo in the world.  Not only for the animals and the amazing features of the zoo itself, but also for the backdrop views.

Carter and Aubrey posing with their friend, Charlie

On Tuesday, we had a little gathering with friends at Clifton Gardens.  Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn.  It was rather chilly and the clouds were threatening to drop rain at any moment.  So, it was not ideal weather to be playing at the beach.  We were so happy to see that our friends braved the  weather and came out to see us anyway.  

The mums at the play date (and Serena and Aya)

The kids actually lined up for a photo!!  Carter and Aubrey really miss these guys!!

Sean's parents arrived in Sydney on Wednesday, January 9th, in order to travel to New Zealand with us.  It was nice to have them there to help us on our last days in the city when we had so much to do.  Plus, they babysat the kids on Thursday night to give Sean and I a chance to have a date night in the city.  We had a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant, Radio Cairo, and then went to the O Bar for a drink.  The O Bar is a rotating restaurant on the 47th floor in the heart of the CBD (Central Business District).  It could not be more picturesque.  We finished the evening by meeting up with our friends, Kinsey and Mike, and playing pool at a cool, local bar called The Oaks.  It was a really fun night.

View from the O Bar

We spent Friday preparing for our New Zealand trip.  We flew out Saturday morning and spent the next 9 days touring New Zealand.  It was an unbelievable trip, but I was feeling a little melancholy and a lot overwhelmed when we got back to Sydney on January 19th.  I was having a hard time wrapping my head around unpacking from New Zealand and then packing everything up to leave Sydney for good in 3 1/2 days.  

Even though we had so much to get done in a few short days, we did arrange a couple more get togethers with friends.  Unfortunately, the weather was REALLY not cooperating that week.  It was very hard to plan the gatherings with friends because there are not many indoor places for kids to meet up on the lower north shore in Sydney.  The weather is usually so nice; there isn't a big need for those places.  We had planned a Monday gathering with Carter's friends and then it was pouring rain when we woke up that morning.  So, it had to happen at the only place located around us that 8 to 9 year old boys trapped inside would not destroy - McDonalds.   I am sad to say that I forgot to take any photos that day.

Then, on Tuesday, the rain held off just long enough for us to fit a play date in with Aubrey's friends at Countess Park.  We have had a lot of play dates at Countess Park over the past 2 years because it is very close to Middle Harbour Public School.  The kids' nickname for it is "The Sandy Park".  I didn't get  a lot of photos at this play date either.  I guess my mind was so full of other things at this point that I wasn't thinking about taking pictures.

The kids playing at Countess Park

Aubrey with her friends, Georgia and Elise

Other than that, our time was spent packing.  Sean's parents did an awesome job of entertaining the kids so that I could work around the apartment.  I did come down and meet Sean one last time when he got off of work in North Sydney on Wednesday evening.  We went down to Kirribilli to have dinner and then we walked around Milsons Point for a little bit.  As much as I love being back in Kansas City, I do miss living in such a visually stunning city.

Walking along the harbour at Milsons Point

View across the harbour

Sean and I's selfie on our last evening together in Sydney

The big day came on January 23rd.  I would never want to relive the goodbye we had to say to Sean at the airport that day.  It was pretty rough.  Overall, the entire day was pretty rough.  It helped immensely that Sean's parents were there to help me with the kids.  It also helped that the flight back to Dallas was very empty.  In fact, it was so empty that even though we fly economy, we were all able to stretch out and sleep lying flat over 3 seats.  That was a nice surprise.  Plus, the crew was in a really good mood since they had less passengers to deal with.

Carter and Aubrey's last photo in Sydney.  This wooden cut out was in the international terminal.  It was definitely a day of saying goodbye to the past and hello to new beginnings.

Sean and I were both grew up in the Midwest.  It is where the majority of our family and friends live.  We will always consider it our real home, and that is why we did not ever truly consider living in Sydney long term.  Yet, there are so many things about Sydney that we loved.  I wish we could somehow meld the two different places together.  Unfortunately, the 9,000 mile difference makes it impossible.  I have no idea what our long term plans will be.  Kansas City is where we are called back to at this time.  I am fairly certain we will not live internationally again.  But, I will never say never.  I think the biggest lesson that we learned is we never know where God will lead us, so we will try to keep our hearts and minds open to all possibilities.

New Zealand: North Island

We rolled out of Wellington on Friday morning around 9:00 am.  Sean and I decided that Wellington had a very similar feel to Hobart, Tasmania.  They both have a population of around 200,000 people.  They both are situated on the water with mountains in the distance.  They also both have a mild oceanic climate.  Another similarity was that we really enjoyed both cities in the time we spent there.

We headed northward to see more of the North Island of New Zealand.  For the first part of the drive, the ocean was on our left side going up the coast.  I wasn't sure why, but it seemed kind of odd to me.  All of a sudden, it hit me.  In all of the family's traveling in the past 2 years, we always seem to stick to the east/south side of islands/continents.  So, we are never headed north with the ocean on our left.  That may seem silly, but it was something that really stuck out to me that morning.

The North Island landscape was absolutely beautiful.  We drove along the coast of the Pacific ocean, through mountains, volcanos, a desert, and a rainforest.  All in one day's drive.  It is not often that you can say that.

We saw the tallest peak on the North Island, Mount Ruapehu, which is still an active volcano.  Its last eruption was in 2007.  There have been further warnings of an impeding eruption as recently as 2012, but luckily the pressure decreased back to a "normal" level without erupting.  It is also known as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings. 

Mount Ruapehu

Mount Ngauruhoe, is another volcano of the North Island Volcanic Plateau.  This volcano did erupt in 2012.  It was the stand-in mountain for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings.  It is only about a 25 minute drive north from Mount Ruapehu, but the scenery changed considerably in the short amount of time.  We drove out of green pastures and into the Rangipo Desert.

Mount Ngauruhoe

Just about 25 kilometers north of Mount Ngauruhoe, we arrived at Lake Taupo.  It was absolutely gorgeous, plus, as an extra bonus, it had a great park for the kids.  We had been in the car for several hours at this time, so a park was a welcome sight.  

As Kiwis (New Zealand residents) would say, it was "sweet as".  That is local lingo for awesome.  The first time we heard it, our waitress kept saying it every time we ordered something at a restaurant in Dunedin.  At the time, I thought maybe we were just mishearing her (and I hoped she wasn't saying "sweet ass").  Haha!!  Then, we had an "ah ha!" moment when we saw a t-shirt in a tourist shop defining the meaning of the popular Kiwi expression for us foreigners.   

Lake Taupo.  It was such a windy day, we saw people body surfing on the lake.

The kids running full-blast to the playground equipment

Our highlight of the day was just a little north of Lake Taupo.  We took a 30 minute walk in Wairakei Natural Thermal Valley.  It was fascinating.  The day had a chill to it with the wind, but the walk was actually very warm thanks to all the hot steam coming out of the ground.  The only down side was that when you got too close to the steam, you are blown away by the rotten egg smell of the sulfur.  That was not so pleasant.  But, as long as you didn't breathe in too deeply through you nose, it was manageable.  

The kids really enjoyed all the farm animals located right outside the building where we purchased the tickets for the walk. 

Carter trying to decide if he could trust the alpacas

Feeding the sheep

Looking down at Wairakei Natural Thermal Valley

Walking through all the ferns in the valley

The kids and I were looking at one steam vent called the Dragon's Mouth because of the jagged rocks located all around the vent.

A stream ran down the middle of the valley

Kiwis are known for their wicked sense of humor.  There were lots of signs around the tourist shop and cafe that reflected that.

We drove on to Rotorua along the Bay of Plenty.  We looked around the quaint town of Rotorua and had an awesome dinner at the Pig and Whistle Historical Pub.  We were all pretty famished after our long day of traveling (today we had over 5 hours of driving) and the walk around the thermal valley.  

That night we stayed in a suite at the Emerald Spa Motor Inn.  It was an average motel room.  It's claim to fame was a massive spa tub in every suite.   None of the adults ended up soaking in the tub as that would have been a little inconvenient with 6 of us sharing one bathroom.  The kids each took a luxurious bath that night though and enjoyed it.

Saturday, January 18th, was our last full day in New Zealand.  We slept in a little bit and then got out of the hotel just in time for check out at 10:00 am.  We went into Rotorua for an excellent morning brunch at Picnic Cafe.  Everything we got was delicious and the coffee was flavorful without even a hint of bitterness.  Sean's dad then took the kids over to the park to play while Sean, his mom, and I walked around town and did a little souvenir shopping.  It was more of a park/mini carnival as there were a couple of rides right by the park.  I am not sure if they are always there or if it was for a special event.  Rotorua is a touristy town, so people do try to capitalize on that as much as possible.  Anyway, the kids talked Papa into paying for them to go down the world's tallest inflatable slide and to drive jeeps around a ring.  They loved it. 

Carter showing off his driving skills

Aubrey wasn't quite so sure of herself

She got the hang of it though!

We finally got back on the road to Auckland at 12:30 pm.  The ride to Auckland was fairly uneventful.  It took about 4 hours with stops.  The scenery was mainly green, lush, large hills/small mountains and farming communities.  Sean and his dad were excited to see all of the various American muscle cars on the highway into Auckland (Mustangs, Camaros, GTO's, Chargers, etc...).  Sean said there were more American muscle cars on that stretch of highway than he had seen in past couple of years. 

Our first stop in Auckland was to check into our hotel, the Heritage Auckland.  This was by far the nicest hotel we stayed in during our New Zealand trip.  It was a beautifully restored historic building that used to be a Farmers department store.  I thought we had a photo of our hotel room, but we must have been tired of taking photos by this point of the trip.  So, you will have to take my word for it; it was a lovely hotel. 

We did not stay long at the hotel as we wanted to go to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner and we knew we would have to get there early on a Saturday night to get a table.  I had looked a restaurant up on Trip Advisor and I thought it was a Japanese steakhouse.  When we went into Taiko, we immediately realized there were no hibachi tables in the restaurant.  The man working the front of the house, who appeared to be the manager and/or owner, was so nice and he was actually going to give us directions to a different restaurant so that we could have hibachi.  At the last minute, we decided to stay and try out this more traditional Japanese restaurant.  We were so glad we did.  Everyone loved their meals and the kids even tried (and liked) octopus balls!  We would never had ordered them, but our waiter gave them to us for free.  I think he was trying to win us over.  He did a great job and accomplished his goal!

After dinner, we came back to the hotel.  This was the first hotel on the trip that had a pool that we actually had the time, and appropriate weather, to enjoy.  It took a little bit to find the pool, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found it.  It was a heated outdoor pool and hot tub on the 4th floor with a view overlooking the city.  It even had a bar servicing the outdoor area.  It was perfect!  The kids had a great time playing in the pool while we chilled out with the gorgeous view.  It was a great evening to end our trip. 

The kids playing in the pool

View of the Waitemata Harbour

Fourth floor still gave us a great view since there are not many skyscrapers in Auckland and it is built on a hill.

Auckland Sky Tower from the pool area

Stunning sunset on our last night in New Zealand

On Sunday we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel's buffet breakfast.  It was very tasty.  It may not have had any make-your-own Belgian waffles, but it definitely hit the spot.  It even had filtered coffee for Sean's dad, which was a big plus since I don't think we will ever switch him over to espresso coffee.    

After leaving the hotel, we still had a little time before our flight.  We drove around downtown and got as close to the waterfront as we could.  Unfortunately for us, there was an Ironman competition going on that morning.  The competitors were running and biking along the waterfront, so it was all roped off.  We gave up after a bit and then tried to return the minivan.  We googled directions on our phone, reached the spot, and got all of our bags out of the van.  THEN, found out we were at the wrong location.  Good thing we gave ourselves plenty of time!  We had to repack the minivan one last time to go to the RIGHT spot.  I was very thankful the van got us everywhere we wanted to go, even though we were not very sure about it in the beginning.  I will always think fondly of that van when I hear Katy Perry singing "Roar".  

We hung out at the airport for awhile and finished up purchasing our New Zealand souvenirs.   The flight went smoothly and last season of Breaking Bad was one of our entertainment options on the airplane.  Sean and I had been trying to get through the entire Breaking Bad series before I left Australia (in only 4 days!).  I am not sure we would have accomplished our goal if we hadn't gotten through almost 4 episodes on the plane.  Just trying to use our time productively!  

I feel as though this trip through New Zealand was like getting a sampler plate at a restaurant.  It was fantastic, but it made me hunger even more for the dishes (or places) I really enjoyed.  I would especially love to enjoy the splendor of Queenstown much longer and spend some time just relaxing by the ocean in Kaikoura.  And, we didn't even make it to see the fjords and sounds on the southwestern side of the South Island!  New Zealand is a remarkable country.  I feel so lucky for the time we did get to spend there.     

New Zealand: Wellington

Finally! A day without travel!  We all slept in on Thursday morning and didn't get around to leaving the hotel until almost 11:00.  We ate at a great cafe near the hotel in downtown Wellington, The Verve Cafe, for brunch.  It was very yummy!  

The view out of the front of our hotel, the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor 

The view from the back of the hotel

The weather forecast for the day looked questionable, but that didn't stop us from getting out and exploring once we were rested up and our bellies were full.  The first thing we wanted to check out was the Wellington Cable Car that has been running since the early 1900's.  The cable car runs from Lambton Quay (very close to our hotel) to the top of the hill looking over Wellington.   

Carter waiting for the cable car

Here it comes!

Meeting another cable car on our way up the hill

Getting higher.....

Look at that view from the top of the cable car line!!  

      This is the official photo that Sean took at the Kelburn Lookout (right next to where we got off the cable car).

We quickly looked through the cable car museum at the top and then began the downhill walking trail through the botanic gardens back toward the city center.  

Aubrey posing in one of the old school cable cars in the museum

We did have to make a couple of stops towards the beginning of the trail.  An observatory was located near the top, and it just happened to be named Carter Observatory.  Of course, Carter really wanted to go in.  No one else was terribly interested, so I went in with him while Sean, his parents, and Aubrey went to a huge playground located within the botanic gardens.  We went through the observatory in about 45 minutes and then joined them so that Carter got a little time to play on the playground also.  It was an amazing playground.  It even had Aubrey's favorite piece of playground equipment - a zip line.  

Looking down at the awesome playground

Aubrey on the zip line

This was the coolest merry go round!!

It took a little convincing, but we finally got the kids to leave the playground.  Right around the corner was the most stunning grouping of hydrangeas I have ever seen.  Absolutely gorgeous!!

Looking down on a field of hydrangeas

Some more beautiful landscapes within the garden....

Sean caught a bee getting pollen out of a flower

Aubrey loved the duck pond.  She told me that she wished she could be a little duckling.  We laughed quite a bit about a duck that was going around antagonizing the other ducks.  They would chase him away and then he would go speeding around the pond quacking hysterically with his wings flapping in the water.  It provided some really good entertainment.

The gazebo overlooking the duck pond

Another lovely pond with a waterfall

The finale of the botanic gardens was the rose garden.  It was beautiful.

When walking back into the city, we walked past a historic cemetery where the founders of Wellington now dwelled.  It was a good reminder of all the people that lived and died in this place hundreds of years ago.  It makes me think about what caused these people to leave their native land to travel thousands of miles by boat to start a life in a foreign land.  It certainly makes our 2 year stint in Australia look very, very small in comparison.

Once we were in the city again, we found a Starbucks not far from where our hotel is located.  We sat down to rest our feet a little bit and get a late afternoon caffeine boost to keep us going.  

Aubrey petting a dog statue on the streets of Wellington

Relaxing at Starbucks

We walked past the Parliament Buildings in Wellington (it is New Zealand's capital city).  The building on the right is known as The Beehive.

As we were determined to stay out of the car for the day, we walked to dinner at Heaven Pizza on Cuba Street.  When I looked Wellington up, prior to the trip, it described Cuba Street as being the coolest street in Wellington and that it had an alternative vibe.  The food at the restaurant was excellent.  As far as Cuba Street though, I wasn't all that impressed.  It does have a bohemian vibe, but it is a bit too run down for my liking.  I much preferred other areas of the city, like the wharf or Lambton Quay Street.  

The walking wasn't done yet.  From dinner, we walked about 15 minutes to the wharf area to go to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.  We were so lucky that our one night in Wellington was a Thursday since the museum stays open until 9 pm that one night of the week; otherwise it closes at 6 pm.  The name of the museum did not appeal to me - it sounded like a boring, stuffy museum.  We went on the suggestion from people that said it was fascinating.  I am so glad we listened to those people, because they were absolutely right.  The first floor was a science lesson about the natural environment, including the wildlife.  It was complete with the only intact specimen of a colossal squid in the world.  It also had an exhibit called "Awesome Forces" that talked about tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.  It had a replica of a house that you could stand in while it replicates an earthquake.  The other floors went into the history of New Zealand as a country and about the native inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori.  There were also some artwork displays.  And this was just all the free exhibits.  There were more exhibits that you would have to pay to enter.  However, it was already almost 9:00 pm, we were all getting pretty worn out, and we still needed to walk 20 minutes back to our hotel.  

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

The skeleton of a sperm whale overhead

The kids walking through a replica of a blue whale's heart

It is kind of hard to see, but this is the colossal squid specimen.  To get an idea of the size, look at the woman standing at the head.  It was massive!!

A Maori sculpture

The Britten V-1000 bike.  It was built in 1992 in Christchurch by John Britten in his backyard.  In 1993 it broke 4 world speed records (The standing start quarter mile, mile, kilometer  and the flying mile @ 302kpm (187+mph).

Views of Wellington from the top of museum

A DH82A Tiger Moth airplane suspended from the ceiling.  It was a big crop-duster during the '50s and '60s.

We accidentally took a roundabout route walking back to the hotel that evening.  We finally dragged ourselves into the hotel lobby around 9:30 pm.  What an exhausting day!  I have no idea what the total distance we walked was, but my feet were telling me that it was A LOT.  We were lucky that the weather finally worked with us instead of against us and it didn't rain all day.  We had a fantastic day in Wellington.

Graffiti art we saw while walking back to the hotel

Our break from traveling wouldn't last much longer though.  We were going to have to reconvene in the van the next morning and continue our journey northward.....