Midpoint Recap

Halfway around the world and halfway through our epic retirement trip, and we decided to reflect back on some highlights of what we have seen and done so far!

Travel Miles and Modes*

(* Not including day trips & excursions)

Planes:

Orlando – Atlanta (400 miles)

Atlanta – LAX – Kona (1947+2525=4,472)

Kona – Oahu (163)

Sydney – Cairns (1232)

Hamilton Island – Brisbane (555)

TOTAL AIR MILES: 6,822

Trains:

Cairns – Proserpine

TOTAL TRAIN MILES: 378

Buses:

Proserpine – Airlie Beach

TOTAL BUS MILES: 15

Boats/Ships:

Oahu – French Polynesia – New Zealand – Sydney via Celebrity Solstice (5694 nautical miles)

Airlie Beach – Hamilton Island via ferry (17)

TOTAL NAUTICAL MILES: 5,711

Campervan:

Brisbane – Sydney

TOTAL MILES DRIVING: 1,600

Overnight Stays:

Atlanta, Kona, Hilo, Oahu, Sydney, Cairns, Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Repton, Newcastle, Katoomba Falls

❤️ Best Of/Highlights Thus Far:

• Jenna and Connor’s engagement at Tamborine Mountain!!
• Day pass at the Intercontinental Tahiti
• Malasadas at Leonard’s
• Arriving in Sydney Harbor at sunrise and seeing the iconic Opera House as we sailed in
• Resort stay at Hilton Waikoloa
• Volcano eruption peeping at Kilauea
• Churros at Churro Time in Cairns
• ABBA singalong on the Celebrity Solstice
• Ribeye Rolls at Black Rock in Kona
• Sunset at Mauna Kea
• Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, Honaunau Bay “Two steps”, and Punalu’u black sand beaches in Hawaii, the GBR in Australia, and the drift snorkel in Raiatea, French Polynesia
• Winning champagne at the ring toss on the Solstice
• Shortbread macademia nut cookies from Punalu’u Bake Shop
• Petting Paul the koala at Kuranda Koala Gardens
• Teriyaki beef at Pineapples in Hilo
• Watching flying foxes at sunset
• Every single minute of the Whitsundays with Jenna and Connor
• The seafood paella and pork hash dumplings at MW in Oahu
• Seeing Giant Pacific Clams
• Touring Hobbiton in NZ
• Cockatoos and lorikeets on our porch in Hamilton Island
• Australia Zoo
• Hop On Brewery Tour in Brisbane
• Dinner at Siblings Kirra in Gold Coast
• Riding the City Cat and the Kitty Cat in Brisbane
• Fish Lane in Brisbane
• Glow worms at Tamborine Mountain
• Seeing a wild koala in Nightcap National Park
• Bogey Hole in Newcastle
• Frozen ube coladas at the Hilton Waikoloa pool
• Watching Rob master the Campervan beast
• Gray kangaroo mob at the cemetery on a rainy day
• Bay Pizza Lab and Shakshuka Bar in Byron Bay
• Kind comments and unexpected regular readers on our blog- makes us feel connected when we are far away
• SAFE TRAVELS & GOOD HEALTH!

If you got this far in our journey with us, we thank you with all our hearts. You are helping us make a dream travel experience even better.

❤️ B & R