I ended up spending almost 3 weeks in Tasmania.  It was a great trip and would recommend it to anyone.  This post is a quick photo journal of the final week in Tasmania. Hopefully it will encourage some of you to visit this beautiful island.

Nelson Falls

Sentinel Range

Gordon Dam

Long Way Down

At Port Arthur

Port Arthur Prison

The best day by far was the day we spent on a cruise to Tasman Island.  The views were amazing, and we were able to see lots of wildlife along the way.  If you are visiting Tassie, this should be your number one must do activity!

Dolphin

One of Several Whales We Saw

We saw close to 100 seals.

The final stop on the Tasmania trip was to Bruny Island.  This turned out to be a relaxing day of driving the length of the island and stopping at several specialty food shops and cafes.  A day of eating!  🙂

At the Cheese Factory

At the Winery

Tasting Samples at the Whiskey Distillery

I arrived in New Zealand on Thursday and am in Christchurch making preparations to start hiking more sections of the Te Araroa trail.  I am flying to Auckland tomorrow and expect to start hiking on Wednesday.

Here are a few photos I’ve taken of Christchurch.  Downtown is in the process of being rebuilt from the earthquake damage from a few years ago.  When I arrived at the airport I entered my occupation as “Structural Engineer”, and I got a couple of comments from Immigration and Customs officials that amounted to, “Oh, an engineer.  Are you here to help with ‘The Build’?”

Restart Mall

An awesome lunch at Restart Mall.  Lamb Souvlaki!

I really like Christchurch and will be returning here after I’ve done some hiking on the North Island.  Even with much of the CBD just getting a start on reconstruction it is still a nice (quiet) city.  Adelaide is probably the closest comparison in Australia.  There are lots of parks here, with the Avon River acting like a linear park that winds its way through the city.