Even in the middle of winter, the beaches in Sydney are spectacular. Sure its not as warm as the summer time, but it is still in the 70's to 80's most days, and the water is surprisingly warm! We went to Bondi Beach and Manly Beach on the coastal side of Sydney and then in the Harbor we checked out Rose Bay beach, as well as the little private one next to Lavinia's house. We only scratched the surface though as there are so many other little coves and good surf spots. Sydney and the beaches around really reminded me a lot of the beach towns back in California with a laid back feel, surfers everywhere, and funky old beach style architecture. Ok enough typing on to the photos.
Rose Bay
Beach in Rose Bay
Beach by Lav's house
Old rusty boat launch...
Hiding from the school girls in the trees...
One of our awesome bikes.. One broke down while we were in Bondi
Sydney is a really cool city! There is water everywhere and the architecture is amazing from its ultramodern high-rise towers to its super old colonial buildings. We did a lot of walking around the city checking out the shops, the sites, and the places to eat. Here are a few photos.
Sydney is one of the greatest cities that I have ever been to! It is surrounded by a majestic harbor with super clean water, with so many little hidden beaches and bays all around to explore. Then you go from beach strait to huge downtown skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of city life. I am not much of a city person, but the balance between the ocean and city mold Sydney into a truly special place that was perfect for a mountain man like me. We could start off the morning with a bike ride to Bondi to catch some waves, and then hop on the ferry strait to Circular Quay right in the heart of downtown in time for lunch, and then be back at the house where we were staying for a swim at their private little beach in the afternoon! Now that is nature and city life blended together harmoniously into one way of life! Marie and I were lucky enough to stay at our friend Lavinia Crystals house in Rose Bay right on the water! We had a private little beach to explore right next to the house and Rose Bay was a perfect jump off point to explore all that Sydney had to offer, from downtown to the Zoo, and from Manly, to Bondi, and everything else in between! I have a ton of photos from the trip so we will call this Sydney Part 1: Surfing Kangaroos!
View from Lavinia's house in Rose Bay! There was an awesome little beach below the house and Rose Bay was a perfect jump off point for all Sydney Adventures.
Surfing in Bondi! The water was so nice there. Clean and not too cold...
Shark!
Marie standing up down under!
Kangaroos! Apparently they are a symbol for OZ because they cant go backwards... Only forwards! Representing progress or something like that for Aussies
Kangaroo Proximity at the Sydney Zoo. I challenged one to a boxing match, but he just kept sleeping...
The flesh eating scavenging road kill devouring Tasmanian Devil
Great View....
Poking the Opera House...
And then I ate it!
And each day ended with this view from Lav's house! Not bad at all....
Sydney is an awesome city... these photos were just of the first two days... When I get home Ill post the next few days adventures!
Queenstown is known as the adrenaline capital of the world. They have the largest bungy jumps, jet boats, skydiving, canyon swings, mountain luge, heli skiing, heli hiking, heli hunting, heck anything involving a heli, and yes stunt plane rides! Over the years I have crossed off each of these activities being the adrenaline junkie that I am (and all downhill skiers), so this year it was time for the plane! This used to be the red bull stunt plane so it was legit. Right off the runway the crazy Japanese pilot took a 90 degree turn strait up and it was all downhill from there doing flips and spins, and free falls, and engine stalls into nose dives towards the lake, and cruising around the southern alps of New Zealand getting way to close to snowy ridges and cliffs! It was an amazing experience and a must do for all adrenaline junkies like me. We had a go pro running for the 30 minute flight taking a photo every two seconds, and so I threw that together into this minute long time lapse!
We have been having a great camp down here in New Zealand this year! The snow is hard and the skis seem to be working well! We have been busy training on the hill so I haven't taken many photos of that, but here is a look at some of the off hill activities! Marie and I went for a ride on the Red Bull Stunt Plane!!!.....Flips and spins and barrel roll all above the beautiful scenery around Queenstown! There will be more photos to come of that action. We have also gone on some cool hikes and hung out in Queenstown a bit. Here is a black and white look at it all.... with a dash of color!
