Over two years ago, in 2020, we decided to plan a trip on our “bucket list” and go to New Zealand and Australia in 2021. Although friends have gone there on a cruise, we wanted to spend more time than a few hours in a port by taking a tour that included both countries and, as a bonus, include Fiji. What could go wrong???
Well, COVID definitely played a part since all three countries were closed to tourists in 2021. So, we moved the trip to 2022. Even with lower incidences of COVID, travel to that part of the world was not possible. So, here we are in 2023 and we are ready to go in a little over a week, on November 7.
We fly to LA, then on to Nadi, Fiji for a round-trip, since our tour ends in Fiji. A few hours after arriving in Nadi, we are off to Auckland, NZ to begin our travels. We have heard glowing reviews of Oceana, especially New Zealand, which is supposed to look like a fairy land with more sheep than people.
Fortunately, we have a wonderful couple as our housesitters. Lola has already met them and so far, she approves. I must say that having good housesitters is key to traveling when you have a pet. There is a lot of “peace of mind” knowing that your house and pet is being cared for.
Because the weather in New Zealand will be quite different (colder) than Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, or Nadi, we have to plan well what we will be packing. Keeping that in mind, we will have to take one checked medium-sized bag instead of only a carry-on bag each, We have enjoyed having our bag with us to avoid waiting for the carousel upon arrival. However, a three week trip with a variety of clothes for different climates means that a larger bag will be best… and lots of layers!
Thank you Amazon and TEMU for the last minute items we needed to make the trip successful. Travel items, such as new neck pillows, extra electrical converters, dual voltage hair styler, and fast chargers should be arriving any day now. We have our visas for NZ and AU, which you must have prior to arriving. Fiji does not require a visa but does require showing your COVID shot record upon arrival. I wonder what travelers who do not get vaccinated do to go to Fiji.
FYI, this blog site disappeared earlier this year, unbeknownst to me. All my posts from our many previous trips disappeared. With the help of someone here at Lakeside, I was able to recreate the blog site to begin keeping track of where we go and what we do from now on.
Jim and I hope that you enjoy hearing about our adventures.