Day 26: Sydney Round 2, Family Reunion, & Surprise Firework Show

Saturday, September 21st

We wake up bright and early! I wanted to get in some steps and a little pump before the flight, and Christopher wanted to organize his suitcase. We also walked to the airport, which took us less than 20 minutes. It was also a gorgeous walk, surrounded by beautiful mountains, and it was probably the prettiest day weather wise that we’ve had yet.

We got to the airport and checked our bags with no issues. Queenstown is a super small airport. It was so easy to navigate, and we flew through security. We boarded our flight and we were in the first row which was nice. We had the “upgraded” tickets on Jetstar so you get $15 each to spend on food and beverages that comes with your ticket. It also includes all your luggage, so it’s worth it to buy 1 up. We got our normal ham & cheese toastie, Christopher got his beer, I got a Pepsi zero sugar, and he got a lemon cake.

I played the game 2048 for 3 hours, no exaggeration. Christopher helped me get to the score of over 100k, which I am still working on it and haven’t lost yet. It was hilarious. We were so geeked out and excited.

We went back in time, so we gained a couple hours coming to Australia. It was perfect, because Christopher’s cousin and her boyfriend arrived shortly after us.

We took an Uber to the W. I had been joking all day saying I just wanted to be at the W. You can even ask Christopher, I am very low maintenance when it comes to stays. All I ever care about is getting my steps in and working out. Oh, and eating. LOL.

Anyways, the W is one of the nicest hotel we’ve ever stayed at, and Christopher got it again with his credit card points. We love his Marriott card! The points come in clutch along all of our travels. 

We head straight to the gym after we rinse off and regroup.

Once Ashley & Anthony arrived we visited at the hotel bar for a while, and then we walked along the marina to a restaurant called Nick’s seafood. It was good, considering we haven’t had nice meal in a long time. Australia definitely has better food than New Zealand. I got king prawns which were amazing, and Christopher got a grilled chicken Caesar salad.

We then went back to the W to watch the fireworks. We were so excited, because we had no idea Darling Harbor regularly has fireworks. It was so incredible getting to watch the show right from our hotel. The view was spectacular, and it was the cherry on top to a lovely evening with family. The entire marina was filled. I haven’t seen such a large gathering of people in so long. It was funny just being downtown and seeing people dressed nicely and not everyone camping and in lounge where.

We got over 20,000 steps today, back to our normal city life.

After we said good night, Christopher and I went upstairs to the other hotel bar to check it out, and see what all the hype was about. It was so neat, because they were doing a “bar takeover” that was with a chef and mixologist from Singapore. Christopher got duck tacos, which were amazing, and we got two fun cocktails to try that were tasty as well. We had a blast people watching (we love appreciating everyone’s fashion and all the well-dressed people and culture) and taking in the atmosphere.

We passed out quickly once we got back to the room. My highlight was the fireworks, since they were such a surprise and just getting to visit with Christopher’s cousin. Christopher’s highlight was seeing his cousin for the first time in 10 years, and the best possible reunion, full of laughter. Her boyfriend was wonderful as well, so that was great getting to meet her partner.