Tag: holiday

Fireworks in Sydney

Sydney is now one of our favorite cities, for multiple reasons. We love the museums, restaurants and live music scene, the varied architecture, and the friendly people. Plus, it’s safe and clean. And, if you like free fabulous pyrotechnics, Sydney is the place. Fireworks in Sydney are frequent and fantastic.

Weekly Fireworks in Darling Harbour

Our first experience with fireworks in Sydney was from the bridge in Darling Harbour, a popular tourist spot in the city center. For much of summer, the Darling Harbour fireworks are every Saturday night at 9PM. On our first weekend in Sydney, we joined the throngs lining the bridge to see the show, while many more watched from shore and aboard boats in nearby bays.

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Christmas in Australia

For our sixth year living on the boat, we’re spending the holidays in another new place. It’s always fun to see how people celebrate holidays in other countries. This year, we’re spending Christmas in Australia, enjoying another warm holiday.

Stores stocked their shelves with Christmas products well before November. By month’s end, towns and shops followed with their trees and decorations. Here’s a brief description of some of the sights and traditions of Christmas in Australia.

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Christmas in New Zealand

It’s been a long time since we’ve spent a Christmas in Canada. Even before moving on our boat, we spent a few holidays skiing the Alps and another with wild animals in Kruger Park. After multiple seasons in the Caribbean, this year, we’re enjoying Christmas in New Zealand. Here are some of the fun traditions and activities we’ve experienced this holiday season.

New Zealand’s Christmas Trees

Being a commonwealth country, New Zealand celebrates Christmas like us, with Santas, Christmas carols, and Boxing Day. They follow many of the same traditions as North Americans, including Black Friday.

One of my favorite things about Christmas in New Zealand is the Pohutukawa. These evergreen trees bloom bright red flowers every December, giving them the status as the New Zealand Christmas tree. We’ve seen them all over the North Island, near our marina, and in Auckland city. They red flowers paired with green leaves are beautiful, and this year, they are at their brightest red due to last year’s record rain.

Pohutukawa New Zealand Christmas tree, red flowers
New Zealand Christmas Tree
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