January 28,2017

We are home it is now Sunday morning  January 29, 2017 and we have had a long rest. Arrived home by lafayette van around 8 pm after leaving our Auckland New Zealand hotel at 4:30 a.m.  (32 hours in travel time).  It was the longest day of our lives, in fact we will never ever live two days in one day again.  We left Auckland on January 28 and arrived home January 28.

I will take a minute to reflect on our travel modes and here they are:

2 lafayette van lemo rides ( to and from Indy airport)

2 car rides (thanks to Rusty and Ryan )

11 plane rides 

6 different motor coaches ( 3 in Australia 3 in New Zealand 

Boat ride two hours to get to and back from the Great Barrier Reef

1 historic train ride ( Alice springs to Kuranda)

Gondola ride (Kuranda back to Alice springs Australla)

Camel ride ( some of the group did this we passed on this experience)

4 boat ferries in Auckland New Zealand 

Catamaran lunch cruise in Sydney 

Fast boat ferry in Sydney 

Mini train botanical gardens of Sydney 

Taxie in Sydney 

10,000 average walking steps each day

4 wheel van on skippers canyon excursion ride in Queenstown New Zealand 

30 minute jet boat ride in Queenstown (Chris and Bob do this one)

Boat cruise Milford Sound, New Zealand 

Some very positive feelings:

Hayley, our tour guide,  was excellent, hard working, professional, and patient with all of us. I observed her numerous times trying to make sure we were all included in the group activities.  

The group itself was very congenial and during the time together Alan I were able to eat together with each couple on the tour.  I never experience a feeling of a click group forming. Cool. Alan and I don't drink and I felt comfortable and included with a soft drinks provided at pre cocktail dinner hours.  

Alan was able to keep current with is bible reading and bible study fellowship. I myself fell very short with my work on daily blogging and photo uploading of daily photos. 

Did enjoy my better camera ( 32 ml canon with built in telephoto lens) and what was really cool was my twenty dollar Best Buy purchase of an attachment that took my memory card from my camera and I could down load my good camera photos onto my smart phone and then use them in my daily blog.