The end of our vacation - Sydney, Australia

Just when you thought our posts from the far East were done - here's a few from our Sydney trip, 4 days at the end of our NZ vacation. It was a great time - we checked out the Sydney Aquarium and the Dugongs. This big tube was a perfect place to see them up close!
Big turtle...
And bigger sharks! Finn liked the sharks.
After that we headed to the main part of town and the harbour, and even though it was overcast and chilly, seeing the world-famous Opera House for the first time was very cool.
"Finn running fasss!"
Finn strikes a pose...no matter how many pictures we took of this building, it seemed to always be interesting to look at!
We grabbed a meal at the Opera Bar - yum!
And got to see the Opera House at sunset...stunning!
"Guys, this place is cool. But I'm ready to see some animals!"
The next morning, Finn dons his hoody for a trip to the zoo on a ferry!
Finn and Daddy in front of the Koala's - so cute and so close! The Taronga Zoo was very cool, with a great number of animals that you could practically reach out and touch!
These guys have quite a nice view from their rock...
Beautiful Giraffes, and they can see over the trees to Sydney every day...
After the Zoo, we headed to the world famous Bondi Beach, a surf mecca. The weather was overcast, so we couldn't go swimming, but it was still beautiful.
We ate at a wonderful Italian restaurant on Bondi, overlooking the surf and cool breezes. It was a bittersweet meal, the last dinner on our trip!
The morning we were slated to leave we took another walk in the botanical gardens, and Finn was riding high from a fun weekend in Sydney!
And we got some warm, wonderful weather for our last jaunt...
The blue skies, Opera House, and bridge...
And one final look to this amazing structure...you can see the sky writing "Marry Me" in the clouds...someone else had a wonderful day, too!
On our walk in the park, Finn reminisces about the animals he saw at the zoo!

Sydney was a wonderful cap to the trip...truly an unforgettable two weeks.
Love,
A&E

Finn turns 2!

The goal of this weekend? Fun for Finn's second birthday! On Friday (his actual birthday) he came to visit Daddy at work and got a cupcake...yummy!
Let the sugar shock begin...
Saturday was the party, and we had lots of guests, food and fun!
Finn patiently puts up with the post-candle-blowout-pictures...
Mimi and E-Pa were down for the day to see Finn and family!
And Finn took his first drum lessons with Uncle Charles!
The party got pretty rowdy late, and soon the little boys were taking off their shirts and running around the house...hmm, wonder if it was the sugar?
Finn's buddy Ryan joins him in his shirtless antics...
After the dust had settled, we had quite a mess to clean up, but wonderful memories of a successful 2nd birthday bash!
Here's a video of Finn practicing his half-dressed dance moves, complete with glowstick!

Thanks to all for the birthday well wishes! It was a wonderful weekend.
Love,
A&E

Otago to Oamaru...wrapping up the adventure

We packed up our bags and hit the road, but before leaving Otago, we headed down the peninsula to visit the Albatrosses and rare Yellow-Eyed Penguins. Andy was tired from driving, so Finn took over!
The peninsula is beautiful, with sheer cliffs and winding one-lane roads...
Here was the Albatross center, where they were nesting and watching over this year's eggs...the air was filled with birds!
They nest along the cliffs, in little holes in the sides of the rocks.
Erin takes it all in!
Some morning sea kayakers out on the open water...
On we went to the Penguin reserve, filled with seals and other colorful critters!
Their sanctuary is this little stretch of beach - the yellow eyed penguin is the rarest penguin in the world, so this is a critical site for their survival.
A penguin watches over the egg - every day one penguin goes out and hunts for 10-12 hours while their partner watches the egg, and then the next day they switch roles.
The reserve was very cool - they had built underground and above ground hidden tunnels so that tourists could observe them without disturbing them...a nice eco-tourist touch.
We hit the road after an eco-tastic morning and headed to Oamaru. On the way we checked out the famous Moeraki boulders along the beach - cool spherical balls of rock formed from volcanic activity.
Finn and Mommy balance on the rocks!
We arrived in Oamaru after the shortest day of driving, and our B&B was perfect...calm, quiet, and filled with warm sunlight.
We walked around the town for a bit, famous for it's architecture and white buildings.
We hit up a local pizza place where guests write on the walls, and Finn shared some lemonade with Mommy.
Lady Liberty on the wall reminded us how soon we'd be returning home...
Finn learned how to "cheers!" and we had a delicious meal...
Mr. Social hobnobs with the locals!
The morning of our departure was another beautiful day of weather - here's our B&B.
Finn says goodbye to the owners, a lovely couple who renovated the B&B themselves, which had been a maternity hospital in WWII. It was very beautifully restored.
This was our last day in NZ, and we drove back to Christchurch and flew to Sydney. NZ is a magical place, and we hope to return someday to see it again.
Love,
A&E

The Otago Peninsula

We left Queenstown on the West Coast and headed to the Otago Peninsula on the East Coast for the night...after another great day of weather we found our cottage at Allan's Beach. Secluded at the end of a long dirt road, we were truly in the middle of nowhere!
Next to our cottage (on a working farm) was a beautiful green mountain speckled with sheep...
We took a brief stroll through the field to Allan's Beach, which only had a few residents...the first was sheep!
Andy and Finn walking through the field...blue skies and green grass!
After a 5 minute walk, we see the beach and cliffs - it felt like we were in Scotland or Ireland, scrub brush and sheep everywhere!We're walking down the beach, minding our business, when we see something ahead on the beach...
A sea lion! We'd been warned to be careful, and sure enough, there one was rolling around the sand!
We quickly scampered up the sandy cliff to get out of his way, just a few feet away from us!

Finn wanted to point out to us that because the Sea Lion didn't eat us, and shared his beach, he was showing us "kindness!"

We settled in to a wonderful meal of wine (for Andy) and cheese and crackers. A nice end to the day...
Andy took one last walk down to the beach and saw a different (bigger) Sea Lion trotting down the beach.
Some sheep's wool caught in the barb wire fence...
We went to sleep with plans to visit the penguin colony the next day, and a short drive to Oamaru...
Love,
A&E