We took my parents to Rundle Mall and did some shopping on Wednesday. Then we went to Cleland and got to hold some koalas and feed kangaroos. It was very fun!
Afterward we went to our tea for our farewell at President Gray's. We had lamb, vegetables, roast potatoes, and for dessert--Pavlova. After tea, we bore our testimonies and mentioned the gifts we've acquired on our missions. I mentioned testimony, tolerance, and appreciation for my family.
The next morning we drove down to the beach in Genelg, Adelaide. Then we went to a leather shop and got some seamless coin purses. They are made from part of a kangaroo. They cost $9 each Australian, $6 USA. Then we went to a horseman's supply shop and my dad bought a "Snowy River" hat. At 11 a.m. we went back to the mission home and packed our stuff into the car and president's van. We went to the airport and Maureen and Daryl Pierce, Peter Hollow, President and Sister Gray, and the Assistants, Elders Bleyl and Jones, were all there. We said good-bye and boarded that wonderful airplane. We flew to Sydney! It was huge!! There were people everywhere!
On Friday we went to the Sydney Temple and did a session. I learned a lot in the temple and did a bit of asking Heavenly Father about Shanell and I getting married and I felt really good about it! I love her! After the temple, we went to the Sydney Opera House for a tour and it was interesting. It has over 1 million tiles on the roof. We then went to the Botanical Gardens and it was really pretty. We had pizza for tea in the apartment. Being almost off a mission is really weird. It will be fun to get home, but weird to get back into work, school, dating, etc.
On Saturday we went to Canberra. It is the capital of Australia and very pretty. We saw the new Parliament house under construction and the old one. We saw a war memorial and got to go up in the Telecom lookout on Black Mountain in Canberra to overlook the city. It was pretty!
On Sunday we went to church and then met the assistants for the Sydney mission and also the mission president, President Hingy. They showed us the mission home and office. It was interesting. Bruce R. McKonkie was the mission president in that home. We went to the Blue Mountains and saw a formation called the 3 Sisters. We saw a canyon that looked like the Grand Canyon without the rocky bottom. We could have gotten a ride on a air-cable car, but it closed right before we got there. We ate at a place called "Tom's Restaurant" and it had excellent pizza, but lousy spaghetti.
On Monday we checked out of our motel in Sydney and sat in the airport from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. At 3:30 we flew to Auckland, New Zealand. We went to our motel--after going to the wrong one and getting called "bloody Americans"--and Adams and I got permission to take a dip in the swimming pool . It was fun!
On Tuesday, we packed up (again) and drove to Hamilton, New Zealand where we met ex-Elder Alby White after doing a session in the temple. It was neat! The temple is so pretty! I loved it! Each time I go to the temple, I can't help getting homesick for Shanell. Later White showed us around Hamilton and also a few sheepskin and souvenir shops. Afterward, we went to the house where he lives and a lady he called "Gran" fed us all tea. She was super nice! We got permission to stay and watch some movies, but they were crap so I tried to sleep. Finally, at midnight we left. Alby cut my hair and it is short! I think it looks okay. I'm getting ready to be home. Elder Adams is cool, but he gets on my nerves sometimes.
On Wednesday we drove to a place called Rotorua and saw some boiling mud pits and a Maori village. It was neat. As we walked over a bridge, Maori kids would say, "I'll jump off the bridge for 20 cents." When I told them I was broke, they lost interest in me. After, we went to a place called Agrodome where we saw an incredible exhibition of sheep-shearing and how well the sheep dogs are trained. It was fantastic! After the demo, we got to have a BBQ and it was great! The staff cooked it for us. On our way back to Hamilton, we saw deer grazing in pastures just like sheep and some other beautiful sights. New Zealand is gorgeous!
Tomorrow is the big day and I am so excited to see you!
Love,
Elder Wallentine