University of Notre Dame Band

New Zealand-Australia 2004

Sydney Program The Notre Dame Concert Band went on an historic concert tour of New Zealand and Australia May 17-29, 2004. This was the first time Notre Dame had traveled to the South Pacific, and proved to be a rich and rewarding trip for all.

New Zealand and Australia were chosen for their uniqueness and beauty and because of the opportunities to participate in exchange concerts.

Our trip began in the beautiful city of Auckland with it's SkyTower, and continued in the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve in Rotorua, Hawkes Bay and Napier, before we went on to Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.

From Wellington, we traveled across "the ditch" to the "Land Down Under" where we experienced the attractions of the city, the beauty of Sydney Harbor, and the honor of performing in the Sydney Opera House.

Please take a few moments and browse through our itinerary, which has been annotated with pictures, which you can view by clicking on a link, and stories of our tour.

A detailed Trip Log as kept by Asst. Director Larry Dwyer is also available as a PDF Document.

May 17, 2004-May 29, 2004

Day One - Mon. May 17, 2004
We departed from Chicago to LA, where we had the opportunity to visit Santa Monica Beach because of our layover. This provided many band members with their first opportunity to see the Pacific Ocean. That night we boarded Air New Zealand Flight #5, and left for Auckland, New Zealand

Day Two - Tue. May 18, 2004
As we flew to New Zealand, we crossed the international date line, and consequently lost Tuesday May 18 forever.

Day Three - Wed. May 19, 2004
We arrived in Auckland about 12 hours after we left LA and met tour guide John. From the airport, we had a morning sight-seeing tour of Auckland from our coaches. It was an awkward experience for many of us at first, as they drive on the left side of the road in New Zealand. Among the sights we were able to see were the America's Cup area and anancient volcanic caldera. Later in the day, we explored Auckland on our own. Many band members chose to take a ferry to one of the villages across the harbor to walk around the shops and parks.

Day Four - Thurs. May 20, 2004
On Thursday morning, we performed a concert at Holy Trinity Cathedral. In the afternoon, many of the band members went to the top of the Sky Tower which stands 328 meters tall and is the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere. One of our graduate assistants, Logan Biles, thought it would be a good idea to jump off the top. It just so happens that you can take the "SkyJump" and "base-jump by wire" from 192 m and fall for approximately 16 seconds at around 75kph.

Day Five - Fri. May 21, 2004
Friday was a travel day from Auckland to Rotorua. We stopped along the way for a tour of Waitomo Glowworm Caves which was absolutely extraordinary. That evening we visited the Te Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao Thermal Village and the Maori Cultural center where we witnessed a traditional Maori welcome, featuring dances, a challenge (Haka), and a feast (Hangi). The Thermal Village is an area of hot springs and geysers that testify to the volcanic heritage of New Zealand. (It's a bit like Yellowstone's Geysers.)

Day Six - Sat. May 22, 2004
On Saturday, we took a morning tour of Rotorua, including a visit to the Agrodome. The Agrodome houses a stage show starring sheep, a dog who herds ducks, and demonstrations of various facets of the industry of sheep farming in New Zealand. In the afternoon, we continued on to the Hawkes Bay region and our hotel in Napier.

Day Seven - Sun. May 23, 2004
On Sunday morning, we attended Mass at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Napier. We also had the pleasure of being welcomed by the local Maori tribe. We performed a concert this evening with the Concord Symphonic Band, under the direction of Mr. John Snowling. Our concert was in the beautiful Hawkes Bay Opera House. We performed to a full house of over 1000 people.

Day Eight - Mon. May 24, 2004
The following morning we performed a school concert at Lindisfarne College. Lindisfarne is the high school at which Mr. Snowling is director of bands. The boys of the school performed their school's haka in a Maori welcome at the school. We paused a moment to present the Lindisfarne band program with some much needed band equipment as a thank you to our kind hosts, and to take a picture. We then took our coaches from Napier to Palmerston North, where we performed a concert with Fielding Brass Band before continuing on to Wellington. At this concert, Logan Biles performed the solo in "Sonata for Alto Saxophone" by Paul Creston which was arranged and conducted by Mr. Lane Weaver, our Assistant Band Director.

Day Nine - Tues. May 25, 2004
On Tuesday, we took a quick tour of Wellington to get an overview of the capital city. Our tour focused around the Waterfront and Parliament buildings. That afternoon, some of us visited Te Papa (which means "Our Place"), New Zealand's national museum. Over 20 galleries house imaginative exhibits that tell the great stories of the land and people. This evening we performed a concert in Wellington's Wesley Church.

Day Ten - Wed. May 26, 2004
On Wednesday, we traveled across the Tasman Sea (nicknamed "the Ditch) to Sydney, Australia. During our overview tour of the city, we traveled past the world-famous Sydney Opera House at Circular Quay, through The Rocks area, the colorful Kings Cross District, through affluent Double Bay and Rose Bay, passing Vaucluse House and making a stop at Bondi Beach. Some students continued by touring throughout the city.

Day Eleven - Thurs. May 27, 2004
Today we continued to explore Sydney with a Sydney Harbour Highlights Cruise. That evening, a group of about 20 students took in the State of Origin rugby league match in Telstra Stadium (the Olympic Stadium). New South Wales won the close match.

Day Twelve - Fri. May 28, 2004
Today, we performed in the beautiful Sydney Opera House and had a private tour. Over 2,600 people attended the concert which featured the talented New South Wales state youth symphonic band,James Morrison and his jazz combo, and of course, the Notre Dame Concert Band.

Day Thirteen - Sat. May 29, 2004
Today, we returned to South Bend after a long long day (about 40 hours long in fact), completing our magnificent tour of New Zealand and Australia.