No sooner did I write about how my first day in Sydney seemed like LA weather than that quickly changed yesterday and today.  It started out fine, some clouds, some sun, as I had planned to go back to Darling Harbour and tour some of the ships, including the replica of The Endeavour, the ship that Captain James Cook sailed on when he claimed the eastern part of Australia for Great Britain.  Some city shots along the way:

But just as I arrived at the Harbour it started pouring rain and didn’t let up.  So I ducked into the Maritime Museum, which is free (donation requested).

The fireworks show was scheduled for 8:30PM so I walked around the area some more and got some dinner.  Here are more pictures of the area around Darling Harbour:

And then the rains came down again but stopped in time for the fireworks!

The Sydney Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world with over 650 species indigenous to the Australia region.  While it is one of the top attractions, it wasn’t overly crowded which made for a pleasant visit not having to look past all the cameras to see anything (not to mention so that I could take shots!)  Sharks are a big feature here with tanks that surround you full of different types as well as lots of information on the status of endangerment.

I’ve only been to a few aquariums and this was really good.  Is it too pretentious to say the aquarium in the Oceanic Museum in Monaco is still my favorite?

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.