Leaving the day after Christmas, Wes McDonald and Alice Baumgart took a five-week trip to New Zealand and Australia. Landing in Auckland, NZ, they drove to Ohope Beach, then down island to Wellington, the capitol of New Zealand. From there, they took the ferry to the South Island where they did a five day trek through the bush in Abel Tashman Park before continuing on to Nelson and ending their stay in New Zealand in Christchurch. They flew then to Melbourne and Sidney, Australia, where they visited animal parks, a winery, Captain Cook’s home, the site of the Olympic 2000 Games, and celebrated Australia Day at the famous Sidney Opera House.

They will highlight the politics of the region, its culture, and its unique spectacular beauty. Find out why the great American "chad" crisis would have been impossible in Australia, the nation that invented the "secret ballot." What do the Aussies and Kiwis make of our politics? Why the Kiwis love the Clintons almost as much as the Aussies seem to hate them? How do these countries differ in their treatment of their indigenous populations (the Maori and Aboriginals)? What land claims are the native populations making? Are the Moari a peace loving, gentlepeople or do they have a history of belligerence and brutal aggression?

Find out why New Zealand seems to be a little bit of Britain while Australia feels more like Canada. Learn some Strine and Kiwi lingo. See video pictures of the Pacific’s only active volcanic island and of the geological wonders of Rotoura. Find out about the unique vegetation of New Zealand.

To discover more about New Zealand and Australia, check out the following web sites:

Embassy of Australia---http://www.austemb.org

Australian census figures—http://www.abs.gov.au

New Zealand Web Site—http://www.stats.govt.nz/statsweb.nsf