Every American kid hooked on Lord of the Rings! Even Air NZ got in the act with "Visit Middle Earth" tours!

Of course, of course. I believe that another kids' movie, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" also made use of that spectacular NZ scenery.

I saw the first LOTR movie - OK if you get off on fairy stories and digital special effects, but I wasn't tempted to watch the others. Great for the Kiwi tourism industry though.

At pebbly Beach, I was the one at risk!

A cuppla kangaroos just about attacked me - because they wanted my chocolate caramel slice! These fellows stood about 6 ft tall - a tad taller than I am - and were very persistent. And waht were my friends doing - laughing their heads off at my predicament! It was their afternoon tea I was protecting! :)

Margo Oz: We had a very funny thing happen years ago while picnicing at Dubbo Zoo. My stepson (then about 7 or 8) was eating a sandwich, holding it in his hand between bites and while he was chatting an emu sneaked up behind him and very quietly & neatly removed it! We nearly died laughing, first at the cheeky emu and secondly at the astounded look on Sean's face.
His father's comment, when he could speak: " Now you know why you don't put your elbows on the dining table!"

Don't forget the Bridge Climb in Sydney!
Great view plus running commentary the whole way! I hate heights but decided I had to do it...awesome!

I also second the idea for Featherdale. Great little zoo to go to, and very family friendly.

That being said, you can find a wildlife reserve and go there and find kangaroos/wallabys, usually around dawn or dusk.

My brother and his wife live just outside of Glenbrook (1 hr west of Sydney). You need a car to get to it, but go to the clearing in the National Park in the early evening and you can see the kangaroos jumping around. You may not be able to touch or feed them, but it is a lot more fun seeing them in the wild than it is in a zoo. My daughters are 8 and 5, and still talk about being at their uncle's house and going to the park to cook dinner and see the 'roos'.