Travels Home--January 10-30, 2017
As a senior missionary couple we were given the opportunity to travel on your way home which we elected to do. As we were familiar with Fun For Less Tours we decided to hook up with them for a tour to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.
On Januray 11 we left Manila and flew to Guangzhou, China heading to Sydney, Australia. Our plane was delayed by two hours in Manila causing us to miss our connection in Guangzhou where we had to stay overnight at the airlines expense.
Tom at the Manila airport.
We opted to go to Sydney a few days before we joined up with the tour group to do some sightseeing on our own.
Our first day was spent at the Blue Mountains and the surrounding area located northwest of Sydney. The mountains have a blue cast from the Eucalyptus oil in the air.
One of the geologic features is the Three Sisters. We also journeyed to the Jamison Valley and rode on the tram that goes straight up the side of the mountain.
We visited the Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney on the hottest day of the summer thus far. The animals were stressed from the heat. The giant bats were hanging upside down slowly moving their wings back and forth in an effort to stay cool. Koalas are nocturnal animals and this one was asleep but we had our picture taken anyway.
Our second day was spent touring the Sydney area which included The Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge, two of the iconic skyline features in the Sydney Harbor.
One of the tours that is available is to climb the Harbor Bridge. We opted not to do that.
Our tour of the Opera House was fascinating. The iconic styling by the architect was to symbolize the sails of the many sailing ships around the Sydney Harbor. The architect, Jorn Utzon, was from Denmark. The construction started in 1959 and was completed in 1973.
Particularly interesting, was knowing that they would not be able to easily climb the 213 feet exterior for cleaning, each of the thousands of tiles was triple glazed so Mother Nature's rain can easily wash it. When we toured the grounds, it appeared that the tiles had just recently been washed which was not the case.
Mrs. Macquarie's Chair faces the Sydney Harbor where Mrs. Macquarie would set for hours watching the ships sailing into the harbor from Great Britain. She was the wife of Major-General Macquarie who was the Governor of New South Wales.
One of the fascinating features of the point was the ancient fig trees.
The white sand Bondi Beach is a major attraction in Sydney. We took off our shoes and waded in the water.
One of the places we wanted to visit while in Sydney was the Sydney Temple. We visited the grounds on Sunday afternoon. The Temple was closed but it was fun to see the Temple.
We had the opportunity to visit with Sister Magallanes who had served with us in the Philippines Quezon City North Mission and the La Mesa Ward. She meet us at the church that was closest to our hotel that happened to the same ward that her sister was in.
Tom and Garnalee enjoyed their time at the Ballarat Wildlife Park that is an interactive park. We had the opportunity to feed kangaroos which Garnalee quickly took advantage of. However, Tom was content to take pictures and just have his picture taken with them.
We also saw more koalas and had our picture taken again. There were many more koalas in this park.
Of course we had to stop and have our picture taken with the boa that had wrapped itself around the fence.
Signs on the road in Australia remind drivers to watch out for kangaroos just like we would see signs in Idaho to watch out for deer.
Time arrived to get on the ship for cruise around New Zealand.
Our first experience on the cruise was to sail through the fjords that is located on the southwest tip of the south island of New Zealand.
We were surprised to see snow on the tops of the Southern Alps. First snow that we had seen in nearly two years.
In Dunedin it was windy, rainy, and cold. We didn't have clothes for the weather but we managed to layer on the shirts and sweaters that we did have.
We visited the Royal Albatross Colony in Dunedin. Efforts to protect the endangered bird in this area has been successful. The birds are not held in captivity but are wild and leave the colony each day in search of food.
The World's Steepest Street is located in Dunedin.
Walking up the world's steepest street was strenuous to say the least.
The angle of the street was 35-50 degrees.
We encountered foul weather in Dunedin and our ship was stuck in port overnight when we should have sailing to Akaroa. This allowed us to visit Cadbury World. We loaded up on the chocolate.
We rode the Mt.Victoria Tramway from the city up to Wellington Botanic Gardens.
We were treated to a wide variety of beautiful flowers and a rose garden.
St.Paul's Cathedral, to the right, is a landmark in Wellington. It had stunning stained-glass windows. It is still used today for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.
To the left, Garnalee stands in front of the War Museum we visited. There was a realistic representation of actual war times.
Gisborne, New Zealand
Our visit to Gisborne allowed us to experience the Maori culture. This is a picture of the Maori Gathering Place. The LDS Church built this facility, and then donated it to the Maori people. It is one of the nicest in the country.
Gisborne can claim the right be the first place to see the sun each day for part of the year.
As is the custom,we went, in a procession, into the Gathering Place with the women in the front as the women would sit in the back of the hall. We removed our shoes as we came to the entrance.
The Maori carvings are detailed and beautiful.
The traditional Maori greeting is to touch foreheads and noses as we were shaking hands.
At the conclusion of the Maori program we who were on the tour sang "I Am a Child of God." This young lady though not a member of the LDS Church sang right along.
Our ship stopped in Tauranga where we took the opportunity to take a side trip on our own to Hobbiton, which only about 50 miles away. Hobbiton is where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed. The director, Peter Jackson, on seeing the countryside where Hobbiton is located immediately chose this spot as the location for the movie.
We are peering our of a Hobbit hole.
As is Hollywood's custom every consideration is given to detail. Each Hobbit hole was decorated according to the occupation of the inhabitants, i.e. a cheese maker, a baker, a carpenter. The doors were made different sizes to give the illusion that Gandalf the Gray was very tall and the hobbits were very short.
Tom is standing beside a Hobbit size door that makes him look short.
Knock, Knock! Is anyone home? This is a small Hobbit size door to make Garnalee look tall.
The Two Arches Bridge that leads to the Green Dragon Inn.
This is the setting that captivated Peter Jackson. The Birthday Tree and the Lake perfectly fit the script of the story.
In Auckland we toured a anthropological museum. Pictured at the right is a Maori fishing outrigger.
(Left) This war ship holds 100 warriors. This shot (right) is looking from one end of the same boat.
Here is another excellent example of the ornate carvings made by the Maori people. The archway is presumably the entrance to a sacred Gathering Place.
The final destination of our tour was the Intercontinental Resort in Nadi, Fiji. This photo taken from the balcony of our room show the ocean channel and the clear blue water.
The major industry of Fiji is tourism with the production of sugar cane being second.
The Garden of the Sleeping Giant is a place to experience Fiji's unique tropical beauty. The Garden was originally built by Raymond Burr, of Perry Mason fame, to house his own orchid collection in 1977. Subsequently, Burr gifted his sanctuary to the people of Fiji so that all might enjoy this exotic setting.
Right is a Bird of Paradise and below is another of the many exotic flowers that we enjoyed at the Garden.
The orchids were huge and fragrant. We loved our time in this garden paradise.
The Sigatoka River is the longest river in Fiji with 52 villages along its banks. Each group of the tour visited a different village to equalize the generosity of the tourists.
We visited the Saubatu village. Our accommodations at the resort were very luxurious but the village was very humble. The population of the village is 150 with farming being the occupation of the people. The members of the village are all considered family members. So if something was needed by one person and the other person wasn't home then they just go into the home and take it. If someone had something you liked all you had to do was ask for it and it would be yours.
The largest building was the residence of the chief.
We saw no furniture in anywhere in the building. On the floor were sleeping mats.
One feature of each village was that each had its own church. We guessed that it was due to the difficultly and cost of travel.
There was a welcome ceremony for us at Saubatu. Part of the ceremony was the making of kava, a traditional drink of the people of Fiji. The root is ground up and strained through a cloth to make the drink. When Tom tried the drink it made his tongue tingle. Traditionally the drink is given to the men.
We were all treated to a multi-course traditional meal. The guests sat on the floor which is not comfortable for old folks. We had all we could eat of steamed vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and potato pancake.
After the meal we were treated to a program of traditional dances. We were then asked to join in. This little guy came out onto the floor with his mother. Garnalee held out her arms and he gladly became her partner.
Each person was given a hand made flower garland.
View from our resort as we left the tropical paradise of Fiji on January 30.
We were welcomed home at the Salt Lake City Airport by Jennifer, Emma, Grace, and Chad (who took the picture).
When we drove into our home in Blackfoot we were greeted by five of snow. We were in shock and amazed. Just a couple of days earlier we were on the beach.
February 12, 2017
We had a great time reminiscing with KC and Chris Jones who had served with us on our mission. They came to our home after attending Sacrament meeting where we reported our mission.
Also visiting were other family members. Pictured are left to right: Mason Cook, Holly Cook, Kynlee Cook being held by Grace Harrington, Jennifer Harrington, Emma Harrington, Garnalee, Alene Hill, Vernon Hill. Back Row: Chad Harrington and Tom.
As a senior missionary couple we were given the opportunity to travel on your way home which we elected to do. As we were familiar with Fun For Less Tours we decided to hook up with them for a tour to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.
Sydney, Australia
Tom at the Manila airport.
Our first day was spent at the Blue Mountains and the surrounding area located northwest of Sydney. The mountains have a blue cast from the Eucalyptus oil in the air.
One of the geologic features is the Three Sisters. We also journeyed to the Jamison Valley and rode on the tram that goes straight up the side of the mountain.
We visited the Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney on the hottest day of the summer thus far. The animals were stressed from the heat. The giant bats were hanging upside down slowly moving their wings back and forth in an effort to stay cool. Koalas are nocturnal animals and this one was asleep but we had our picture taken anyway.
Our second day was spent touring the Sydney area which included The Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge, two of the iconic skyline features in the Sydney Harbor.
One of the tours that is available is to climb the Harbor Bridge. We opted not to do that.
Our tour of the Opera House was fascinating. The iconic styling by the architect was to symbolize the sails of the many sailing ships around the Sydney Harbor. The architect, Jorn Utzon, was from Denmark. The construction started in 1959 and was completed in 1973.
Particularly interesting, was knowing that they would not be able to easily climb the 213 feet exterior for cleaning, each of the thousands of tiles was triple glazed so Mother Nature's rain can easily wash it. When we toured the grounds, it appeared that the tiles had just recently been washed which was not the case.
Melbourne, Australia
Tom and Garnalee enjoyed their time at the Ballarat Wildlife Park that is an interactive park. We had the opportunity to feed kangaroos which Garnalee quickly took advantage of. However, Tom was content to take pictures and just have his picture taken with them. 
We also saw more koalas and had our picture taken again. There were many more koalas in this park. 
Fjordland National Park, New Zealand
Our first experience on the cruise was to sail through the fjords that is located on the southwest tip of the south island of New Zealand.We were surprised to see snow on the tops of the Southern Alps. First snow that we had seen in nearly two years.
Dunedin, New Zealand
We visited the Royal Albatross Colony in Dunedin. Efforts to protect the endangered bird in this area has been successful. The birds are not held in captivity but are wild and leave the colony each day in search of food.
Wellington, New Zealand
St.Paul's Cathedral, to the right, is a landmark in Wellington. It had stunning stained-glass windows. It is still used today for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions. To the left, Garnalee stands in front of the War Museum we visited. There was a realistic representation of actual war times.
Gisborne, New Zealand
Gisborne can claim the right be the first place to see the sun each day for part of the year.
At the conclusion of the Maori program we who were on the tour sang "I Am a Child of God." This young lady though not a member of the LDS Church sang right along.
Hobbiton, New Zealand
We are peering our of a Hobbit hole.
Auckland, New Zealand
(Left) This war ship holds 100 warriors. This shot (right) is looking from one end of the same boat.
Here is another excellent example of the ornate carvings made by the Maori people. The archway is presumably the entrance to a sacred Gathering Place.
Nadi, Fiji
The major industry of Fiji is tourism with the production of sugar cane being second.
Garden of the Sleeping Giant
The Garden of the Sleeping Giant is a place to experience Fiji's unique tropical beauty. The Garden was originally built by Raymond Burr, of Perry Mason fame, to house his own orchid collection in 1977. Subsequently, Burr gifted his sanctuary to the people of Fiji so that all might enjoy this exotic setting.
Right is a Bird of Paradise and below is another of the many exotic flowers that we enjoyed at the Garden.The orchids were huge and fragrant. We loved our time in this garden paradise.
Sigatoka River Cruise
The Sigatoka River is the longest river in Fiji with 52 villages along its banks. Each group of the tour visited a different village to equalize the generosity of the tourists. 
One feature of each village was that each had its own church. We guessed that it was due to the difficultly and cost of travel.
Each person was given a hand made flower garland.
Back in the US
We were welcomed home at the Salt Lake City Airport by Jennifer, Emma, Grace, and Chad (who took the picture).When we drove into our home in Blackfoot we were greeted by five of snow. We were in shock and amazed. Just a couple of days earlier we were on the beach.
February 12, 2017
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