April 16th, Australia Day 56/New Zealand Day 1 Photos

These are photos I took as I left Sydney and on my first day in New Zealand.

This is the downtown Sydney skyline as seen from the International Terminal at Kingsford-Smith International Airport. 

This is the symbol for QANTAS, Australia's national air service. It originally stood for Queensland And North Territory Aerial Services. Although everyone says "kwantas" when pronouncing the name, I think it should be pronounced "kantas" because there is no "u" after the "q". 

This is the first in a series of 5 photos which show the Southern Alps from above. 

Photo 2 

Photo 3 

Photo 4 

Photo 5 

This is a typical river valley on the South Island. 

This is the Canterbury Plain. You can see how rapidly the landscape changes from mountains to flat land. You can also see the vast evidence of agricultural activity. 

This is another shot of the Canterbury Plain.