My first day in Sydney was a beautiful, sunny spring day.  Dare I say it?  It was like LA weather.  Sunny and 75 degrees.  Here are some shots of the loft apartment I rented and the street:

First day in Sydney.  The loft I rented is pretty cool.  It’s in the Darlinghurst area.

More to come…

The Route Map to date now that I’ve arrived in Sydney:

widestass.com

Maybe Auckland Airport should switch to Mac?  Or maybe there’s an app for that.

For my last full day in Auckland, I took the ferry to Devonport, one of the outer islands that is home to the more well-off residents in the area that want to enjoy a quieter life from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The ferry is about a ten minute ride and come and go every half hour.  As it often does, it was drizzling when I left and mostly cleared up when the ferry docked.  There is a main shopping area with galleries, book stores, gift stores, and cafes.

I started to walk up Mt. Victoria, but it was a pretty steep climb so I went high enough to snap a few shots…

I continued to walk around the island…

…until I came upon the Naval Museum, which had only opened a week ago Saturday.  It’s a small museum with free entry but packs a really nice collection of New Zealand naval history.

Then back to the hotel for laundry and packing.

Yesterday I checked out three recommended shopping/cafe areas:  Parnell Village, Ponsonby Street, and K’Road (short for Karangahape Road).  Parnell Village was the most upscale of the three with art galleries and higher end cafes.  Ponsonby was on the eclectic side.  And K’Road?  Well, if you are looking for more “adult” fare, this is your place.

Parnell Village:

Ponsonby Street:

Yes, had to check out a place called Murder Burger.

As for K’Road?   No pictures.  Might have had my camera stolen if I tried to take any (ok, not that bad).
jumpboobs.com

The good thing about Monday here in Auckland is it is Sunday in the U.S., meaning I could start working in the evening and still be ahead of everyone.  So it was a full day excursion to Matamata, New Zealand, aka Hobbiton, aka Middle Earth, aka The Shire.  You get the point.  The set where the  Hobbits live for the three Lord of the Ring trilogy and upcoming The Hobbit movies is on a real working sheep farm in Matamata.

The day started out early to take the coach as it rolled through the lush, green countryside of New Zealand.  I haven’t seen this much green since Ireland.

The bus arrived around 11AM in Matamata, which is more known for its thoroughbred racehorces than Bilbo Baggins, for about an hour of free time…

Then it was hopping aboard the Gandolf bus and not the little Frodo van…

…for a 10 minute ride to the Alexander farm, a working sheepfarm, with plenty of space for Hobbits.

Today was a day of leisure as there was a misty rain most of the day, the kind of rain that seems like there’s not much there but adds up quickly.  I walked around the main shopping area of Queens Street, then stumbled onto a movie theatre and caught The Town.  After the movie was over, things cleared up a bit.  But tomorrow I’m geeking out and going to the Shire, taking the tour of Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings!