When Alaskans meet Australians, there is too much fun to be had. This is a journal of our Alaska to Australia adventures.

Alaska to Australia, with a few stops along the way…

It was a whirlwind trip, but totally blessed from beginning until, well it hasn’t really ended because we made such good friends. Steve and Rel, their three lovely daughters, and even Sherlock, their four legged family member, made us feel so welcome that we felt like family. Of course, Rel and I have gotten to know each other for a while now. But, this trip made me feel like I was seeing my long lost friend! It was a totally amazing adventure. But, I need to fill in some gaps…

About a year ago, we decided to fulfill the dream we’ve had since before we married 28 years ago. A trip to Australia, which happened to be our girls’ dream trip as well. Then, I mentioned reading about New Zealand and Australia in a few books by Kara Isaac. Once I shared that The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were both filmed in NZ and that we could visit Hobbiton…well, we decided we had to visit both places!

My health makes it harder for long travel. So, our first stop was in Fiji, where we stayed overnight. What a beautiful area and rest time for our family. Here are some beautiful pictures of the amazing sunset we had. It was so fun spending our time together as a family on the beach, with hardly anyone there!

Fijian sunset

The next morning we flew to Auckland, New Zealand (North Island) and stayed in an apartment style hotel. It was such a peaceful, beautiful city. We visited Hobbiton and the Waitamo Glow Worm Caves. Both were an amazing experience, but my heart definitely loved visiting the Hobbit set. We had a guide from Switzerland that filled us in on the history of NZ along the way. I definitely recommend going if you get the chance.

Hobbiton, North Island, New Zealand

Christmas Eve was spent on Waiheke Island, which was a lovely beachy island and Christmas Day was leisurely with a visit to the Sky Tower. It felt odd being in warm weather, but we enjoyed strolling along the pier and having a quiet day as a family exploring.

Auckland, New Zealand

The next day (also known as Boxing Day there) we flew to Melbourne, Australia and the highlight of our trip…time with the Mollet family. My inner girl squealed when I saw Rel the next day. We hugged just long enough nobody would tell us to move the car : ) We met her husband and our girls and guys all got along great. We went to Healesville Sanctuary to see native Australian animals. Then, off to the best ice cream in a winery! It was beautiful, but hot! The ice cream melted quicker than we could eat it! So yummy!

Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia

Then of course, we couldn’t not see each other the next day. So, after we visited the famous Queen’s Market for yummy food and souvenirs, we were off for a lovely picnic by the ocean and to see the famous beach boxes. We spent the afternoon at Foreshore Reserve enjoying the ocean breezes. Afterward we did my favorite thing…a bush walk to see kangaroos in their natural habitat. It was amazing, and strolling with Rel was so much fun! Then as if that wasn’t enough, we went back and had dinner with the whole Mollet family. It was a truly lovely evening. We barely talked books…yes, that’s how busy we were! However, I did get a good peak at her library and well…it’s just amazing!

Queen Victoria Market – Melbourne

Lysterfield Lake & Bathing Boxes, Edithvale

The following day my eldest and husband took their first skydive! No I did not join them…that is something I prefer reading about : ) The rest of us met for brunch and then all headed to NGV, an amazing art museum. I loved how Melbourne met our desire for art, animals, beaches, and coffee all in one amazing city! Oh, and the gardens are gorgeous! We took a stroll there after.

National Gallery of Victoria

Queen Victoria Gardens

The next day had us up early for our adventure to Phillip Island to visit beaches and see the March of the Penguins. In between, we visited many sites in Dorothy Adamek’s series Carry Me Away. I missed having coffee with her, but visited the bookstore she did a release with. I was so excited when I found a signed copy by her there! Of course I bought it! It was a bit of a crazy day, but a day we will never forget! Sadly, I did not spy a Hemsworth brother, but my girls did see a few eye-catchers : ) Rel and I talked books on our trip back. It was so much fun to catch up on our love of books and authors!

Phillip Island Bookstore & Berrys Beach

Ventor, Phillip Island

Penguin Parade, Phillip Island

Our last day with Rel was New Year’s Eve and we visited the famous St Kilda Pier where we had fish n chips, more ice cream and took home yummy dessert for that night. It was a sad, but hope-filled goodbye since we know we will see each other again. Our NYE was spent in Melbourne watching fireworks. It was beautiful!

St. Kilda

Then we were off to Sydney to enjoy a short stay. So, of course our priorities were the Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach. Some of the smoke had come into Sydney by then, so we had to limit our outdoor activities with a local mall (I do have teen girls : )

Sydney Opera House, New South Wales

Bondi Beach

Sydney Harbour Bridge & Cappuccino

Street Art

We wrapped up our stay after a long plane ride for twenty-four hours in Honolulu. We enjoyed our last bit of beach and sunshine (with warmth that is) before heading home to -22 degree Fahrenheit weather in Alaska. Our hottest day was 107 in Melbourne, so that’s over a hundred degree difference! We miss the warmth already, but love being home, too.

The trip met every one of our expectations. It was truly amazing. The land. The people. The animals. The culture. And of course, Rel and her family are fantastic. Every one of my family members walked away with deeper friendships and seeing how much God’s hand was on this trip. I can’t even explain what a gift it was. All the hours we sacrificed to make our dream a reality was totally met. If you get a chance to visit these amazing

countries, definitely go for it!

If you could choose one place to visit, where would you go?

Rel here: What a fantastic time we had with the Lomelino family. You know there is something special happening when meeting a family for the first time and everyone just clicks and it feels so comfortable. Such is the power of books and story, my friends 🙂 That connection is what made this time together possible and we now have treasured memories with this gorgeous family. It was such a joy and privilege to show them some of our lovely country and to chat and laugh and enjoy each others’ company. Love you guys xoxo