We arrived into Sydney airport quite late, mainly cause of delays due to the terrible storms! The hostel was just a short cab ride into the city, however the hostel was a long, rain drenched walk from the car.We checked in and met our delightful room mates.
The next day was our first in the City so we took a walk up George Street, the main shopping district. We got to Circular Quay and booked on to a ferry trip around Sydney harbour, to see the Opera House and Harbour bridge. Unfortunately we were not blessed by the Weather and so we had to suffice with views of the water, about a foot past the edge of the boat. We endured the storm, seemingly stupidly on the deck of the boat, however that was the lesser of two evils, due to the vast contingent of American school kids on board!
On our second day, feeling appropriately disinclined to trust the weather, we decided to spend the day at the highly recommended Sydney Aquarium. We saw some stunning displays, including Penguins, seals, Turtles, Massive sharks, Tropical fish and Crocodiles. We left with slightly less ill feeling towards New South Wales. That evening, we took a walk around Hyde Park, taking in the Memorial building, Rose Garden, Fountains, life sized chess board and the pictursque Cathedral.
The following day was our last in Sydney, so despite the severe chill on the air, we agreed that we had to pay a visit to Bondi beach, which unsuprisingly, apart from the most dedicated of surfers, was completely empty. However, we made the most of our day, playing rugby in the sand and enjoying our last lunch in Australia. We caught a bus back to the city, and that evening met up with Ian, a friend of David's from his time at St Bees.
The following morning we left the hostel at half past 4 to catch our flight to Christchuch, sharing a surreal cab ride with a strange guy who jumped in once we'd hailed it down.
We were sad to leave Australia, and it now dawned on us that we were leaving our 3rd of 6 countries. Half way through, but the time was going so fast!