Thanks to all for taking the time to read this long report and for your gracious comments!

TonyMercury:

I don't recall seeing the name Constable Kennedy at the police officers memorial. What was the connection to Ned Kelly?

April 6, 2004
Hobart to Melbourne
Qantas 426 Economy Class � Seat 28B � B767-300
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Other than a three hour flight delay due to fog in Sydney, I had another pleasant Qantas flight. Upon arrival in Sydney, I caught a ride on the free Ibis Mascot Hotel shuttle; a small eight seat van. The Ibis Mascot
is located just a few minutes drive from the Domestic Terminal. Check-in was quick and efficient. My room on the fourth floor was of average size and nothing special. The d�cor was plain, the furnishings simple, but the room was clean. The bathroom was small but had a very large shower due to the efficient design of the bathroom. An iron and ironing board were provided. For US$68 per night I thought this was good deal. The hotel had a bar, with a pool table, and bistro on the ground floor next to the hotel entrance. Although I did not visit either the bar or restaurant, there were quite a few people there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I used the fee for use Internet terminal in the lobby for a short time then met some friends in Sydney for dinner at their home. Later that evening I made use of the guest laundry facilities in the hotel. Before going to bed I called the front desk to inquire about the shuttle times in the morning as I needed to be at the airport by 6:00AM. The clerk told me the shuttle leaves the hotel every half hour beginning at 5:30AM but the earliest shuttle with a seat available was 8:00AM, too late to meet my needs. If you plan to take the hotel shuttle to the airport, I highly recommend you make a reservation when you check-in to the hotel. The clerk told me a taxi to the International Terminal would cost me about A$20. Since the Mascot train station was only a seven minute walk, I decided to take the train to the airport. The next morning I simply dropped off my key at the front desk as I departed. I was required to pay for the room at check-in. I walked to the train station and purchased my ticket from the automated machine. The cost for a ONEWAY ticket was A$11 for the very short trip. It was interesting to note a ROUNDTRIP ticket to downtown (nearly three times the distance) was only A$6. I guess we now know who funds the airport train service. I only had to wait three minutes for the train and within six minutes I was at the International Terminal.

April 7, 2004
Sydney to Auckland
Thai Airways 991 Business Class � Seat 16A (Upper Deck) � B744
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I made my way to the Thai Airways check-in counter which was literally deserted. Two agents were working behind the counter. One greeted me and said she could assist me with check in. I had earlier consulted the Thai seat maps and determined I would be flying on one of the older 747-400 aircraft. The map indicated row 16 was the exit row. I asked the agent if seat 16A was available. She mentioned that Thai uses two different configurations of 747 aircraft and that she would check to make sure 16A was an exit row seat. Indeed it was, so she said she would be happy to assign me to that seat. ^ She gave me my boarding pass and said I could use the Air New Zealand lounge once I cleared immigration and security.

I had read posts from other FTers that raved about the ANZ lounge so I was looking forward to my visit. Upon entering the lounge a very pleasant hostess greeted me and told me I was the first visitor of the morning. She checked my boarding pass, then directed me into the lounge and wished me a pleasant flight. The business class lounge was large and spacious with tasteful contemporary d�cor and offered a nice view of the tarmac. I could see several 747 aircraft parked at their gates right below the lounge. I noticed there was a separate area behind a glass door for first class passengers. I found a nice seat near the window and made my way to where the food and beverages were located. There was an impressive selection of hot and cold foods. I think the hot foods included scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, and oatmeal but I can�t recall for sure. The cold selections included cereal, pastries, fresh fruit, and yoghurt. Coffee, tea, and a variety of juices were also offered, in addition to a nice selection of alcoholic beverages. I can tell you I enjoyed a very pleasant and satisfying breakfast before my flight. I used one of the two Internet terminals to check on some future ANZ reservations, then headed for the gate.

Near Gate 60 I noticed there was a kiosk with three Internet access terminals that anyone could use free of charge. At Gate 60 there only appeared to be about 100 people waiting to board this flight. About thirty minutes before the scheduled departure the gate agent announced pre-boarding for first and business class passengers. A small group of passengers presented themselves at the gate and we were allowed to board the aircraft. The purser greeted me as I boarded the aircraft and directed me to the upper deck where a very pleasant FA assisted me with storing my bag behind the last row of seats. As I settled into my seat she brought me a bottle of water and a glass and offered me another beverage of my choice. I had read other FTer posts mentioning the seats on the older 747 aircraft (known as 744) did not have leg rests or PTVs. I was surprised to see the seats on this aircraft had both. Although the seats did not have all the gadgets and comfort of the United business class seats they were nevertheless quite comfortable. If I recall, the IFE offered a selection of three or four movies and some other programming in addition to several audio selections and the in-flight map program. No amenity kits were distributed, but I did find, in the magazine pouch, a folder with some Thai Airways stationary and postcards. The postcards were nice if you are a postcard collector. We departed on time and shortly after takeoff one of the FAs passed through the cabin to tell us about the meal offering and to note our selection. No menu was distributed. The meal offering for this flight was:

Fresh fruit plate
Western style omelet or lightly fried fish with fried rice and vegetable
Coffee, tea, juice, water

There may have been a dessert offering but I don�t recall. Since I had eggs earlier while in the lounge, I decided to try the fish. The fruit plate was excellent (can�t really go wrong with fruit, right?). The main dish consisted of chunks of fish that were battered, fried, and covered with a sweet and sour sauce. The fish was accompanied by white rice mixed with slices of ham and green bean pieces. The fish was edible but the rice was awful. After reading mostly positive comments about Thai in-flight cuisine I had expected more. Although the quality of the food was marginal the service was great. This was the only meal service of the flight, however, the FAs passed through the cabin several times throughout the flight to replenish water and other beverages passengers were drinking. I thought it was nice that instead of providing passengers with water out of a large bottle, each passenger was given an individual 8oz. bottle and a drinking glass. Since I�m not a wine or alcohol drinker I don�t know what alcoholic beverages were available and I didn�t bother to ask. I watched �Stuck on You�, starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, which ended about thirty minutes before our arrival. Overall the flight was pleasant. I found the business class seats comfortable and the service attentive. The only negative was the quality of the food.

I de-planed and made my way to Customs and Immigration. There were a wide variety of shopping opportunities available to arriving passengers before they reached Customs. I recall seeing a sign offering expedited Immigration processing to those passengers who had purchased duty-free items over a certain dollar amount, but I could be wrong. Anyway, as I entered the line an airport employee handed me a magazine containing tourist information about New Zealand. I had ample time to browse nearly the entire magazine as I waited for about 45 minutes in the immigration line. Inside the magazine I found a coupon for a discounted roundtrip ticket on the airbus (NZ$11 O/W or NZ$18 R/T) shuttle into town. These rates were a savings of a few dollars over the non-discounted price.

When I finally made it to one of the immigration counters an immigration officer greeted me asked to see my passport, arrival card, plane tickets, and hotel reservation documents. He spent a good amount of time thumbing through my passport looking at the various immigration stamps while asking me the nature of my visit and what I planned to do while in New Zealand. He seemed suspicious that I didn�t have a detailed itinerary in mind and questioned me at length about the several Amsterdam immigration stamps in my passport. I told him I used to be a frequent flier with Northwest Airlines and KLM and that Amsterdam was a major hub in Europe for these airlines. I also told him that since I have friends in Amsterdam I would often visit them when transiting through Schiphol Airport. The immigration officer seemed satisfied with that answer, wrote the number �07� in red on my arrival card, returned my travel documents, and sent me on my way. Since I had no bags to retrieve I continued directly to Customs. When I gave my arrival card to the Customs Officer he directed me to another line to the right of the exit. As I got in line with about ten other people I realized I had been sent to the secondary screening area which consisted of several rows of metal tables. There were no partitions offering any privacy to the passenger as they sat in plastic patio chairs and watched, along with everyone standing in line, the Customs Officer remove every item from their bag and lay the items on the metal tables for examination while simultaneously interrogating them. Welcome to New Zealand! For the next 90 minutes I patiently waited in line. Some of the passengers were in possession of three or more large suitcases. The Customs Officers seemed to work at a snails pace, removing items from suitcases, then taking some of the items over to a machine for some type of analysis. When they completed their search, the Customs Officer would pile the passenger�s belongings back into the bag or just stand there and watch and wait for the passenger to re-pack their belongings on their own. When my turn arrived I was directed to a female Customs Officer who asked for my passport and arrival card. I asked her why I had been selected for the secondary screening. She replied the Immigration Officer had suspicions about my identity. After confirming over her radio that a criminal history check had been completed on me and that I was not a wanted person, she told me she would not need to search my bags and escorted me to an x-ray machine (presumably to check for the presence of prohibited agricultural products) where I had to submit my bag for x-ray. What a great start to my first visit to New Zealand!

I exited the arrivals area and walked around looking for the Airbus stop which I eventually found. It is located directly outside the arrivals area door to the left of the Customs Hall exit. There is a booth to the right of the bus stop where you can purchase tickets for the Airbus. I didn�t see any signs directing me to the booth to purchase a ticket so I just waited for the bus to arrive. As I, and 40 other people, elbowed our way onto the bus the driver asked for our tickets. He told me I should have purchased a ticket at the booth but said I could purchase a ticket if I had cash. I presented the coupon I found in the tourist magazine and paid the driver NZ$18 for a roundtrip ticket. The trip into town took about thirty minutes. The bus makes stops at designated locations and hotels throughout downtown and along the road to and from downtown. After about an hour the bus arrived at the Crown Plaza Hotel where I had booked a room.

The Crown Plaza is located inside a large building that houses offices on the upper levels and shops and restaurants on the sub-street levels. I made my way through the spacious lobby to the front desk where the clerk checked me in and assigned me a room on the 20th floor. The spotlessly clean room was spacious and was furnished with contemporary d�cor and offered a nice view of Queen Street and beyond. I found two terry cloth robes and extra pillows (with different firmness) in the closet along with an iron and ironing board. The room also had a mini bar with the standard snacks at inflated prices. The brightly lit bathroom was also spacious with marble tiled floors and counters and a tub separate from the marble tiled shower. For US$95 per night I think I got a great deal. The hotel is centrally located at Albert and Victoria Streets in downtown, just one block from SkyTower, one block from the Village Force Entertainment Center (movies, IMAX theater, restaurants, and bars), one block from Queen Street (the main shopping area), and a 15 minute walk to the ferry terminal. The concierge was very helpful in providing directions, maps, transportation information, and suggestions on places to see and things to do.

The skies were clear the day I arrived so I took the opportunity to visit the SkyTower. As SkiAdcock mentioned in her report it is worth the few extra dollars to buy the tower admission with access to the upper tower viewing level. There are less people on the upper level and some better unobstructed views. One of the cool things about the tower was in certain parts of the lower viewing level there was clear glass flooring that you could stand on and look down at the street. Another cool thing was you could watch the descent of the people doing the cable jump from the upper tower. Occasionally, the electronic reader board would flash "Jumper Having Stage Fright". The views from the tower were magnificent on this nearly cloudless day and gave me a chance to orient myself to the city and its surroundings. I felt it was worth the NZ$18 I paid for admission.

I walked through the America�s Cup Village but didn�t find much to see or do there. I also walked through the Viaduct Basin where the Auckland Visitor Information Center is located (there is also a tourist center in the lobby of the SkyTower complex). There are shops, restaurants, bars, and markets but nothing much else to see, at least in my opinion. I�m sure this area is more vibrant during the America�s Cup challenge. That evening I wanted something light for dinner. I found a great Asian food court in the basement level of one of the indoor malls on Queen Street between Wellesley and Victoria Streets on the Crown Plaza Hotel side of the street. There isn�t much signage so you�ll miss the entrance if you don�t watch closely. There are several food vendors in the food court offering different types of Asian cuisine. It�s self serve which makes the food prices very reasonable. I ate there twice and both times had quality, good tasting meals for less than NZ$12.

The next day I trekked to the ferry building and bought a ticket for the Waiheke Island Explorer Tour (NZ$46) which included ferry transport to and from the Island and a ninety minute guided island tour. The island is located about a thirty minute ferry ride from downtown and is known for its wineries and vineyards, quaint towns, and the annual island jazz and blues festival. I was able to take some great pictures of the Auckland skyline as the ferry left the docks and headed towards the island. Upon arrival I walked through the ferry terminal and turned left to where the tour bus was waiting. A very personable older gentleman welcomed the passengers aboard, introduced himself, and told us he has been a resident of Waiheke Island for thirty plus years. For the next ninety minutes he drove us around the island, providing commentary on the history of the island, its residents, the current island happenings, and his suggestions on the best beaches and wineries to visit. He also took us to several vantage points where we were able to take some nice photos of the island and surrounding area. I enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to first time island visitors. At the conclusion of the tour our guide dropped us off in Oneroa, the largest town on Waiheke. The tour ticket included unlimited use of the island�s public bus system. I had lunch in Oneroa, did some shopping, then hopped on a city bus back to the ferry building.

I decided to make a stop in Devonport, a charming suburban village only ten minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. The 1:00PM and 3:00PM Fullers ferries stop in Devonport on route to Auckland. Be aware, however, you must buy a separate ferry ticket (NZ$5) for the journey from Devonport back to Auckland. A number of small boutique and specialty shops and nice cafes line the main street through Devenport (first street on the right as you exit the ferry building). I browsed for while, had a snack at one of the cafes, then headed back to the ferry terminal and back to downtown. On my walk back to the hotel I did some window shopping at the many stores lining Queen Street.

The next day I hopped on the "Link" (a public bus that operates in a loop around central Auckland making stops at many of the cities attractions) and headed to the Auckland Museum. The closest bus stop is about a ten minute walk from the museum. When you board the bus, tell the driver you want to visit the museum and he will tell you when the bus arrives at that stop. When you get off the bus, cross the street and walk up the hill to the museum. This museum has many exhibits on Maori culture and the history of its people. Other parts of the museum display exhibits on early and modern New Zealand, while other exhibits showcase art. There is a little something for everyone at this museum.

I took the �Link� bus back to downtown, had some lunch, then boarded the StageCoach #45 bus to the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT). Information about which bus to take to the different Auckland attractions may be found here. The bus will drop you off across the street from the MOTAT. Cross at the intersection and walk to the left about two minutes to the museum entrance. The museum is a combination open air and indoor museum. Exhibits include a re-created New Zealand village, older public safety, public transport, and agricultural vehicles, exhibits on electricity, the human body, photography, communication, and many other exhibits on various topics of interest. Your museum admission ticket includes access to the huge aviation museum a short distance from the MOTAT. You can ride a restored trolley part of the way (NZ$1 each way) or make the twenty minute walk to the offsite museum through a very nice city park. The aviation museum has a very commendable collection of restored aircraft and an extensive display of other aviation artifacts. This museum is definitely a must for aviation enthusiasts.

I had considered visiting Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Adventure and Underwater World. Various guide books have given this attraction high marks. However, since I had just visited the Sydney Aquarium, and recently visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, I decided to forgo a visit.

The next morning I headed to the airport for my flight to Rotorua�..

Good stuff. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Unfortunately NZ customs are suspicious of anyone travelling without luggage, with exception of business travellers to/from Oz with same day or next day return.

April 10, 2004
Auckland to Wellington
Air New Zealand Express � NZ2351 � Seat 3A
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I took the Airbus to the airport for my Air New Zealand Express flight to Rotorua. My 50 minute flight to Rotorua in a �puddle jumper� was uneventful except for a bit of a bumpy ride during landing as the winds were strong. My bags were off loaded from the plane and ready for pickup in the tiny Rotorua Airport terminal within ten minutes. I took an airport shuttle (NZ$12) to the Rydges Rotorua where I had booked a room for three nights.

Rydges Rotorua is a four story hotel located on Fenton Street, a main thoroughfare into and through downtown Rotorua. Downtown is a ten minute walk from the hotel. The hotel had a nice dining area towards the back of the hotel in a four story atrium that is spacious and bright during the day. There was a small bar on the mezzanine level and an indoor pool on the top floor. The front office staff were friendly and helpful and found me a room even though I was checking in a bit early. They assigned me a room with two double beds on the fourth floor. Rydges Rotorua advertises �the largest rooms in Rotorua� and from the room I was assigned the claim rang true. The room was nearly double the size of most standard hotel rooms. Since the room was on the top level of the hotel, the ceiling was higher than usual making the room feel even more spacious. The furniture was wicker and simple and the bedspreads a bit dated, but the room was clean. The bathroom was of standard size. My only negative comment about the hotel was the water fixtures in the bathroom showed signs of wear, mainly rust, probably from the minerals in the water. One nice thing about the hotel was the availability of guest laundry facilities located in the basement level of the hotel. To my surprise, use of the washer and dryer were free to guests. Laundry soap could be purchased from the front desk or you could purchase your own from the market down the street.

After settling in, I walked to the Rotorua Tourism Office located on Fenton Street in downtown. The very helpful person tourism representative helped me book several tours and visits to various attractions. When I was done with my bookings I decided to pay a visit to the Skyline Skyrides \. The tourism representative arranged transportation there for me on a shuttle run by a woman and her husband. The shuttle provided transportation between the hotels in Rotorua and most of the attractions in and around Rotorua. The cost of transport between my hotel and Skyline was only NZ$4 (one way), much cheaper than a taxi. If you don�t mind making a few stops to pick-up / drop-off other passengers along the way, this is a cheap mode of transport.

The Skyline Skyrides ticket office and parking area is located at the bottom of a moderate sized mountain. After purchasing my combination gondola / luge ticket (NZ$25) I rode the gondola to the top of the mountain, passing over the concrete luge tracks. The clear day afforded me magnificent views of Rotorua and the surrounding area, including Lake Rotorua. My combination admission ticket included two luge rides. The luge is a like a tobaggon with wheels and handle bars to steer and stop. There are three courses for luge riders; beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Riders must first negotiate the beginners run before attempting either of the other runs. From the gondola looking down onto the luge track it did not appear the riders were traveling very fast. Suprisingly, however, once on the track the luge vehicles get going pretty fast. I had a great time and would have done the runs several more times if there weren�t so many people waiting in line. It was Easter break and there were tons of people visiting and waiting in line for the luge ride.

That evening I attended a traditional Maori �hangi� meal and performance at the Tamamki Maori Village outside of Rotorua (NZ$54). A very friendly and pleasant woman named Aroha, of Maori descent, picked me up at my hotel in a large bus. As we stopped at several other hotels to pick-up guests, Aroha took the time to chat with each of the guests and welcome them to New Zealand and Rotorua. During the twenty minute bus ride to the re-created Maori village outside of Rotorua, Aroha educated us about the history and some of the culture of the Maori people. Upon arrival at the village the guests participated in a welcome ritual (see the pictures), then were given time to wander through the re-created village. We then attended a 45-minute performance consisting of song, dance, and story telling which provided interesting facts about the Maori people, their history, and their culture. I found the performance very enjoyable. Following the performance we moved to the dining room where we were treated to a traditional �hangi� meal of roasted meats, vegetables, salads, breads, and desserts served buffet style. The food was excellent. Throughout the dinner, the bus drivers and the people whom we saw in the performance stopped by each table to ensure we were enjoying our meal and having a good time. At the end of the dinner the bus drivers gave a mini performance of their own with the singing of some traditional Maori music. I found everyone associated with the Tamaki Maori Village (from the bus drivers, to the performers, to the serving staff) to be incredibly warm and friendly and having a geniune interest in sharing their culture with their visitors. I highly recommend a visit if you have an interest in learning about Maori culture.

The next morning I headed to Waitomo for a visit to the glow worm caves. The tourism office had arranged transportation for me with a service called The Waitomo Wanderer . This service, operated by a guy named Mark Pitts-Brown (people call him �Pitzy�), will transport you from you hotel in Rotorua to the attraction of your choice in Waitomo (about a two hour drive) and back to your hotel. Pitzy was a really friendly guy who said he grew up in Waitomo. Maybe MRSTARALLIANCE knows of him. Since I had not decided what attraction I wanted to visit (there are many in Waitomo depending on your interests - see link above) Pitzy gave me a run down of the different attractions. While some on the bus were headed for a wet and wild adventure that including cave rafting, I decided to participate in a tour where I would stay dry. Pitzy suggested a tour called Spellbound which he called an �eco-tour� (about NZ$30). Upon arrival in Waitomo, he took me and several others to the visitor center where we purchased our tour tickets. Pitzy was able to negotiate a small discount on the tour price. A short time a later a man showed up at the center in a small van and took eight of us for a thirty minute drive through the rolling hills to the entrance of a cave, all the while providing commentary on the history of Waitomo and the many caves in the area. As we walked into the cave our guide educated us about the evolution of the caves and about the glow worms. We walked through the cave admiring the beauty of the rock formations, then boarded a raft and floated through the caves enjoying the spectacular glow of the glow worms. After exiting the cave, and before our return drive back to the visitor center, our guide provided us with hot beverages and biscuits (cookies). I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend this tour if you want to visit the caves in a small group with a personal guide rather than in a large group as is offered with tours by other cave operators. Pitzy retrieved us at the visitor center at the arranged time for the long drive back to Rotorua. If you don�t have other transportation to Waitomo, The Waitomo Wanderer is a great way to get there and back.

On day three I headed to the Waiotapu Thermal Reserve and the Waimangu Volcanic Valley . The tourism office had arranged a tour for me that included transportation from my hotel to both sites, including admission. A gentleman with Dave�s Tours (I think that was the name of the business) picked me up at my hotel, and after making a few stops at other hotels to pick up other tour guests drove all of us to the Waiotapu Thermal Reserve. During the twenty minute drive our driver provided us with some interesting tidbits about the history of Rotorua, the geothermal pools, and even some Maori cultural history. He first took us to the daily �old faithful� geyser eruption, waited for us, then took us to the visitor center and said he would return later to take us to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. I spent about 90 minutes walking through the thermal reserve admiring the beautiful geothermal pools containing waters of different colors (see the pictures). At the arranged time, our driver picked us up and drove us to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. The tour of the valley is self guided and is a 90 minute walking tour over dirt trails. The non strenuous hike takes you through a beautiful lush green valley and past famous features of the valley such as Frying Pan Lake and the Inferno Crater as you descend into the valley from the park entrance. There are three �stops� along the way, any of which a bus will retrieve you and drive you back to the visitor center so you don�t have to hike back up the mountain. Right on time, our driver retrieved us for the short drive back to our hotel.

The next day I was off to Wellington�..