Month: May 2018

Brisbane, Australia- Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

We really enjoyed our 5 days in Brisbane!

It was jam packed with cuteness! I mean, just look at the adorable things I got to hold…

You probably won’t be as lucky as we were to find this cute little guy at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary…

Meet cousin Lincoln! He loves eyes, noses, he’s fascinated by elbows as well as busses and motorcycles! He also loves to say Helena’s name a lot! We got to hang out with him all day. Hurray for family! ❤️

There was even more cuteness to be had at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Yep, I’m actually holding a koala-and you know what, they are heavy! And they have sharp claws!

Koalas spend about 20 hours a day sleeping and they weigh between 10-30 pounds. They are actually pretty antisocial and bond with just their mothers and offspring. I’m holding Sargent and even though he just pooped, (but luckily not on me!) I still love him and his round head and spoon shaped nose! Aww!

Did you know the closest relative to the koala is the wombat?

Of course the girls loved it there too! And we also fed kangaroos. Wow! All in one day…pretty cool!

There are lots of kangaroos in the country-actually estimated to be over 40 million! That means they totally outnumber the Australians!

The largest of the Roos is the Red Kangaroo-it can be about 5 feet head to butt (not including their huge tails) and can weigh 200 pounds! Kangaroos can hop up to 15 feet per jump and get speeds to 25 even 30 miles per hour! When they move slowly, they use their tail as a fifth leg. We saw a lot of this as they approached for food. We also got to see a bunch (or rather a mob as they are called) hop away together as we were leaving.

Next up…riding the City Cat, Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, Roma Street Parklands and Streets Beach

Laurie Eats Sometimes-New Zealand Edition

Welcome to my first Food Post. In this edition, I’ll highlight favorite meals and treats from around New Zealand.

We had lots of great things to eat while visiting New Zealand but these are some of our family favorites!

We enjoyed a very fun and entertaining meal thanks to the extremely outgoing staff at The Shucker Brothers restaurant, located in the ferry building in downtown Auckland. We had gnocchi, calamari, oysters, prawns, fish cakes, ahi carpaccio. Absolutely delicious!

We thoroughly enjoyed brunch at Yonder in Queenstown. We especially loved the Blueberry Stack and mouthwatering Lamb Flatbread (craving it now!)with a beet spread!

In Queenstown, we stopped into Patagonia Ice Creamery for a sweet treat-a dipped mint ice cream bar, covered in white chocolate and sprinkles. Mmm.

You wouldn’t expect such high quality food in the middle of the woods but it’s here at Pio Pio Cafe in the Milford Sound Lodge. We especially enjoyed the Arancini 4 ways, the venison and the goat cheese croquets with honey (pictured here). It was washed down nicely with a bottle of Fiordland Sauvignon Blanc!

We had seafood chowder multiple times while touring New Zealand but we think the best one was at Slip Inn in Havelock (which happens to the the green-lipped mussels capital of the world). Delicious!

Another place that surprised us was Redcliff Cafe in Te Anau. Everything was good but the venison was especially outstanding!

Lastly, it’s the Christchurch, New Zealand based company Cookie Time. I don’t know how good their cookies are but their mascot, The Cookie Muncher, is very cute and you will see and small the shops and cookies everywhere!

It seems that if you love spicy food or are craving really good Mexican food, you won’t find it in New Zealand. However, there is seafood galore, delicious Sauvignon Blanc, plenty of game and burgers the size of your face!

Stay tuned for the next Laurie Eats Sometimes