Three weeks in
Oz, we're at the airport leaving for NZ and reflecting on a whole raft of experiences!

Christmas day in summer, Avatar on the world's largest IMAX screen, New Years eve on a boat on the harbour, The 'Great' Ocean Road.
We've seen Roos by the dozen, Koalas, cockatoos, parrots and even shared a drive with a huntsman spider! We've had barbies in the bush, ridden on trams and tasted wine in the Yarra Valley. We've even had Melbourne's hottest night on record.

Even had the fright of our lives when Qantas wouldn't let us on the flight to NZ as we had no onward ticket out!

We sorted so next stop New Zealand for a month of camping.

Location:Melbourne Airport

Avatar 3D on the worlds largest IMAX screen. WOW!!
I want to go visit Pandora.

As the year draws to a close we set out to Sydney Harbour to board 'the pontoon' boat for cocktails, canapés and cruising in the parade of lights. The weather has bucked the forecast, the skies have cleared and we have an orangy red sunset as the backdrop for the opera house.





The boat doesn't dissapoint, free flowing champers and tray after tray of fancy food (which continued for the 7 hours we were aboard). We set sail at 7.30pm and take our place out on the water - we are not early, there are actually 2 firework displays here. the first at 9pm for the families and the biggie at midnight.

On the hour, every hour leading up to the big event a bunch of rockets light up the harbour and crank up the excitement.





The 9pm fireworks are pretty impressive and set the scene for the big event. Between shows we sail up and down the harbour as part of the parade, each boat lit up with various designs. Dinner is served and more champers is drunk.

The main event is no dissapointment, it all kicks off at midnight and what a show! Explosions everywhere, rockets shoot from the top of skyscrapers, explosions light up the opera house and fire rains down from the bridge!






And it just keeps on coming, fifteen minutes of shock and awe ends with a finale which lights up the city and the harbour!

We and I think the other 1.5 million people craming boats, buildings and riverbanks bring in the New Year with a bang!

Happy New Year, one and all.

If you are asked about fireworks and the New Year you're probably going to think of the Sydney Harbour Bridge or more recently the London Eye, but think again...

Funchal, the capital of Madeira puts on a show unrivalled anywhere in the world and whilst little known amongst the general travelling public it has made the Guinness Book of Records and is well known amongst the cruising (on boats) community.

For hours leading up to the year's end locals, hotels & restaurants create their displays, but at the stroke of midnight the skies above the town are alight with shock and awe. AND this is no quicky, 10 minutes later it is still going strong. It is spectacular, an experience which these words and pictures can not do justice. The scale if the things is huge, the explosions bounce around the mountains, the light fills the sky and smoke drifts across the town.

There are any number of spots to watch the display, out in the harbour is probably the best but requires a cruise holiday. The waterfront and pier is said to be excellent but the local knowledge says that ash and debris rain down on you or (and this was our choice) in the hills above Funchal - preferably from a private villa.

It is difficult to know where to look next, ignoring amazing explosions of colour can't be helped as bigger and better is happening in front, overhead, behind. GO just go, if you like to see in the New Year in style or want to tick a box of must see things then book a flight or a boat and a hotel and come see something very rare (to be fair you dont need a boat and a hotel - unless of course it's a very small boat!!).