A Journey Overseas: Our Australian and New Zealand Visit
Exploring Sydney and Cairns in Australia and visiting Auckland, Rotorua and Taupo in New Zealand.
There’s something surreal about flying halfway across the world to visit your kid… down under!
This spring, we packed our bags and headed to Australia and New Zealand to visit Ian while he’s studying at the University of Sydney. What started as a “quick trip to see him” turned into one of those experiences you wish you could stop time for just a few moments.
SYDNEY
We landed in Sydney early in the morning and jumped right into exploring Ian’s new temporary city. There’s something about Sydney that is so cool—the harbor, the energy, the mix of city and water everywhere you turn.
We stayed in Pyrmont, which turned out to be the perfect home base, and spent the first week enjoying the harbor lifestyle.
- Sailing through Sydney Harbour on a tall ship (yes, champagne included…) to Goat Island
- Visited
Cockatoo Island, where the really bad prisoners were sent
- Walking through the
Royal Botanic Gardens - got to see one of the oldest and rarest trees in the world!
The Wollemi Pine. And learned a lot about the 800 varieties of Eucalyptus trees.
- Visiting Bondi Beach, Manly Beach, and the iconic coastline
- Had lunch at the brand new
Sydney Fish Market
- Toured the historical Sydney University, where Ian is taking classes this semester.
- AND Attended a Quiz Night at a local Brewery - sadly no photos, but we had a fantastic time and were even able to contribute
Loved seeing Ian in his element — walking us through his favorite spots, showing us around like a local.
NEW ZEALAND - on the road
From Sydney, we flew to Auckland and immediately hit the road for Rotorua.
New Zealand is one of those places where every turn looks like a postcard.
Some of our favorite moments:
- Walking through Hobbiton (yes, it’s as magical as you think)
- Exploring geothermal landscapes in Rotorua… steam rising out of the earth everywhere
- Mud baths and sulfur swims at Hells Gate
- Sailing out to see the Māori rock carvings in Lake Taupō - the second largest lake in the southern hemisphere
- A McDonald's that featured a DC-10 Airplane you can eat in
- Visiting Huka Falls and Craters of the Moon
- Te Puia experience featuring a traditional hāngī buffet dinner, followed by a powerful Māori cultural performance, and a lighted geyser show.
- Black water rafting through glowworm caves in Waitomo (wild and unforgettable)
- Forgotten World Tour, which was a golf cart ride down an abandoned stretch of railway
We packed a lot into a few days, but it never felt rushed—it just felt like discovery around every corner.
After all the adventure, Auckland gave us a chance to be back in the city, for just a minute.
We took a ferry to Waiheke Island—wine, olive oil tastings, incredible views - and ran into some people from Michigan, we have mutual friends!
Back in the city, we wandered through neighborhoods, waterfronts, and shops… the kind of exploring where you don’t have a plan and that’s exactly the point.
Next stop: Cairns
We:
- Snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef (truly amazing!)
- Rode the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail through the rainforest
- Explored local markets and visited the animals in Kuranda
Back to Sydney:
For the last leg of our journey, we returned to Sydney to visit the
Sydney Opera House and had a meal at the iconic Opera Bar.
On the way home, we stopped by the World's Largest Lego store and The Caterpillar Club
We spent our last full day hiking from Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.
All in all, an amazing trip!
