With our driver and tour guide Stuart. Making Australia and New Zealand come to life. Us tourists too!
The motto of AATKings, which began in 1912 when the Pyke family pioneered coach touring in Australia and continued in the 1980s when a team was formed with pioneering adventurer Bill King’s Northern Safaris, is “Bringing Australia and New Zealand to Life.” I can attest to the experience of that saying in Sydney, Australia and hope to do the same in Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand as this ‘Golf Journey to Australia and New Zealand’ continues!
Day 5, Monday, November 3rd, Down Under time was spent on the “Sydney Sights & Bondi Beach” AATKings tour. And oh what spectacular sights they were! The coach driver, a.k.a known as the tour guide, can make all the difference in the world on a tour like this. Stuart, our designated driver and tour guide, did just that making the tour more informative than a tour and a lot more fun than a bunch of strangers riding the bus together. Thank you Stuart for the great time!
Sitting in Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair thinking oh what a view!
For the most part I will let the pictures below do the talking.
Though I will make two tourist points. No. 1 is that tour company know their business and know their territory and know their what their customers want. I never would have found Mrs Macquarie’s Chair on my own. Her chair is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench, on a peninsula in Sydney Harbour, hand carved by convicts from sandstone in 1810 for Governor Macquarie’s wife Elizabeth. I am glad I had a chance to sit in it and look out over the harbour.
With father Rajan Govender and daughter Pivessnie. We had a good time!
Point No, 2 is that not only did I meet a great tour guide I was able to make a few friends on the bus including Rajan Govender and his daughter Pivessnie. They are from Durban, South Africa and invited me to come visit them during next year’s “Golf Journey to South Africa.” Who says you make new friends on the golf course? You can make them on the AATKings tour bus too!
After this tour, not only do I feel oriented to Sydney but I also feel at home.
Good Morning USA, Good Night here in Australia. Week 1 of 11 has not even passed yet. I am not sure I can keep up this pace and I haven’t even golfed Down Under yet… thought did play one hole at NSWGC… lots of golf coming… time to got to bed, sleep and rest up for another day Down Under! (Facebook Link, Andy Reistetter, 11/4/14)
Here are the pictures, no safari yet!
One view is to the Harbour Bridge and Opera House…
… the next view is to the Sydney Skyline.
Gap Park, the opening gap of the Sydney Harbour.
Springtime in Sydney…
Bagpiper on Bondi Beach. We happened to come while there was a solemn voyage to take a loved one’s ashes to sea and spread them.
The iconic Sydney Opera House is really two and contains 3 theatres and a concert hall.
