February 22, 23 & 24, 2009
Spent Sunday morning having a final breakfast on the ship while taking in the world famous views of Sydney Harbour - the Sydney Harbour Bridge directly in front of me (and nearly over top of me!) and the Opera House on the other side of me. Beautiful. After picking up our last car rental in Sydney, we high-tailed it over to the famous Bondi Beach for a final walk in the waves before leaving Sydney. Description of Bondi Beach (aka speedo city – My eyes! My eyes! Ahhh!) : a ¾ mile cove-like area of pristine yellow sand beach; rock cliffs and houses were precariously perched on two sides of the cove much like Monaco or Greece. The beach area was peppered with a significant number of bronzed and beautiful bodies (kind of like Bay Watch on steroids!) as well as the quintessential surfer dudes in wet suits with boards tucked under their arms and blue bubble jellyfish washed up on the beach (which, btw, make popping sounds like bubble wrap when you step on them!). There were small groupings of families with picnic baskets on blankets and hand-holding couples leaving side-by-side footprints along the waters edge. Piercing giggles from wave jumping kids of all ages were regularly heard over the rhythmic roar of the tides washing ashore. This particular morning, they were also having some kind of lifeguard competitions going on – it was great fun visually absorbing humanity’s interaction and delight in nature’s gift of golden sun, golden sand and golden moments.
After getting our feet (and pants!) sufficiently soaked in salt water, we began our trek down the eastern coast of AUS to Lilli Pilli. Along the way we saw enough tropical beauty of Australia to impress us forever with this country. Lush green eucalyptus forest followed us on one side and pristine rocky coastline on the other. FACTOID: The bulk of the population of Australia is found all along the coast – most of the country in the centre is uninhabitable desert. And let me expose a lie – the globe we all learned geography on as kids is lying to you. Though depicted as a small island in the South Pacific, AUS is actually similar in land mass to the US!
K- continuing on with the journey .... red parrots, palm trees and kangaroo road kill were in abundance! 30+ degrees of sunshine, sounds of the kookaburro and other unique birds made it seem like we were visiting a Caribbean island rather than a country in the South Pacific. One of our photo op stops this day included watching some very brave (read insane:) individuals run off a beautiful sea cliff and soar like albatross over the ocean below. Yep – gotta say, if we had a little more time on our hands, John and I would very likely have joined this bunch of free spirits – hang gliding over spectacular views is on the “list” for both of us as well ... one day soon for sure!
Our final stop for the day was in Lilli Pilli to connect with the “father of restorative justice” in Australia. “Shrimps on the barby”, great wine, inspiring conversation and peaceful sleeps at the summer house on the ocean he and his wife were retreating at capped an exquisite day for us in the land of OZ. We had a grand time with them. Oh, and FYI, found out Nicole Kidman owned a house on the ocean about one mile from where we were staying! She just recently sold it, but I just want to confirm – the woman has EXCELLENT taste in real estate beauty :)
Monday found us cruising through the capital of Australia, Canberra, for a speaking engagement and further bridge building for restorative justice internationally. Interesting scenery change as we moved further inland. The creep of the desert influence dominated the landscape in this part of the country. We left the tropics of the coast to hit the intense heat, brown grass, parched landscape and sparse vegetation of desert climate. Canberra (pronounced Canbra) is indeed a government town – embassies, monuments and modern parliament buildings are pivotal to the architecture. It’s kinda interesting from an engineers perspective (this is John’s influence in this blog:) The city centre is where you find the parliament buildings and then all main roads radiate from the city centre in the perfect alignment of a star formation – it is an “engineered” city – planned down to the smallest detail by an engineer in early 1900’s. Best way to get a sense of what I’m saying – google a city map of Canberra – you’ll get the picture from that! We ended the day going on a wild “roo” hunt in areas where the locals promised we could find roo’s in abundance at dusk. Ya – they lied! Closest thing we found to a real kangaroo was a perfect roo skeleton on the side of the road – John took a picture – I stayed in the car;) All was not lost though, our hunt took us to some of the high spots on the outskirts of the city and we were treated to some spectacular “bird’s eye” views of the city at dusk. Mmmmmm.
Tuesday we drove another 3 hours back to Sydney to catch our 28 hr plane ride back to the great white north. I’m writing this final blog on the plane before checking out and trying to kill a few hours off this 15 hr leg of travel in dream land.
Final thoughts on the past 3 weeks:
1. NZ and AUS are both breathtakingly beautiful lands
2. The generosity, warmth, and easy-going nature of the people over here was an unexpected treasure we discovered in abundance
3. I like 30 degree weather in February
4. Possum socks can double quite nicely as mittens in a drafty plane (makes typing a challenge though:)
5. I will not wait another 25 years to return to this wonderful part of the world ... it’s only a plane ride away people!
Gidday and Kia Ora my friends. I trust you enjoyed your imaginary voyage with me. Definitely one of my top 5 adventures from my travelling history. It was fun taking you all along with me as well! I only have one last thing left to say to y’all ... when are you going to book your own ticket to the land down under hmm? Carpe Diem everyone!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
The scarier side of OZ!
February 20, 2009
If this is Friday it must be .... Melbourne, AUS. Spent the last official port of call for Australia seeing the scarier part of AUS. Many of you have been asking about the fires and floods you have been hearing about in the news. We have been completely unaffected by them on this trip. Most of the time they were burning while we were in NZ. We were periodically unsure if the ship was going to stop in Melbourne over the last two weeks, however in the end, the decision was to go. Spoke with some locals today to get the down low on what was really happening. Here’s the word on the street from the people who live here:
The fires stopped just on the outskirts of the city of Melbourne – scorched some of the suburban areas, but did not enter in too far. To date, 210 precious souls have lost their lives. My first question was – Wasn’t there any warning? Why weren’t areas evacuated? Here’s how one local explained the tragedy to me. There are fires every year around this area – most people are prepared for them and the standard operations are to stay on your property to assist in protecting your land – usually it’s never a problem. This year was different. Extreme heat (46 degrees Celsius), drought that carried on for months, extreme high winds all contributed to create the “perfect firestorm” of the century. Flames rose as high as a church steeple and travelled at about 60km’s per hour devouring everything in their path. The carnage was complete in about 1-2 hours on one day. Some horrific stories of people trying to outrun the flames in their car and being engulfed by them. People and homes had no warning as this storm rose up and ravaged everything very suddenly and mercilessly. There was no hope of escape. As of today, fires are still burning in outlying areas, but are contained. Donations for relief efforts can be found everywhere, even on our ship. Melbourne is known as a “garden city”. What we found today as we walked around were acres of brown grass, green leaves on live trees turning brown and crumbling off, the only vegetation growing anywhere in the ground were cacti, palm trees and dessert foliage. There is no smell of smoke in the air, but it is evident that this area has been under extreme drought conditions for a while. On the up side, the spirit of the Aussies is alive and strong. They are a pioneering and positive nation. They will get through this difficult time with typical Aussie optimism and fortitude. One person told me today, Melbourne will once again return to being the beautiful “garden city” it so proudly professes to be. Even brighter and more alive than it was before this terrible season of loss. When there is great adversity all around, the Aussie spirit digs in and moves forward. Impressive.
As for the rest of the city of Melbourne, it is an interesting mix of the old and new. Mixed in amongst the beautiful buildings from the 1800’s are some rather unique, modern art architecture in the form of skyscrapers, statues, and facades on buildings. A very eclectic look for a downtown – the jury is still out on whether I like it or not. It’s definitely unique. We spent the afternoon walking along the boardwalk that follows the river running through the city (kind of like the Rideau Canal in Ottawa). We ended up in front of the Melbourne Aquarium and decided to have a look inside. Yep ... this definitely exposed us to more of the scarier sides of AUS! While our previous trips to conservation areas showed us the cute and cuddly critters of NZ and AUS, this place delighted in going into great detail with in-your-face visuals of water pythons, bird-eating spiders, scorpions, poison arrow frogs, hissing cockroaches the size of a man’s palm, man-o-war jellyfish, deadly sting rays and, of course, SHARKS of a zillion varieties! Remember I told you in my first blog that 12 of the world’s deadliest creatures call AUS their home – ya – well, we saw most of them today in this aquarium of all places! Not gonna lie, I’m not a fan of all things ugly and deadly, however, I did find myself intrigued to see these creepy , crawly things so closely (and more importantly, behind several inches of very thick glass!). I’m always excited to learn something new – and my quota was filled today!
Hopped on a city tram that gave a free “tour” on the history of Melbourne. Gotta say, one of the things both John and I appreciate about NZ and AUS is the huge amount of free beauty they offer tourists and locals. Most of what we have seen over the last few weeks would likely have been barricaded and had some sort of fee or tax attached to it if you wanted to view it in Canada. Museums, local transportation, historic sites, all naturally occurring phenomena are free for the viewing by anyone and everyone who wants to take the time to indulge both here in AUS and NZ. It’s that spirit of generosity and hospitality that speaks the loudest for both of these countries. They bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. Very heartening – we could all learn something from that. It leaves a wonderful impression.
One more day at sea and then we are back in Sydney on Sunday morning. Meeting a couple of exceptional individuals in Restorative Justice and giving a presentation at the Australian Institute of Criminology before heading home on Tuesday. More on that in coming days!
Peace from Melbourne,
Robin
Things I learned today:
1. Gentoo Penguins are “cheeky and feisty”- my kind of bird!
2. Mother sharks will eat their young ... hmm.
3. The human spirit is very resilient and wired to rise up out of ashes of tragedy – all around the world.
If this is Friday it must be .... Melbourne, AUS. Spent the last official port of call for Australia seeing the scarier part of AUS. Many of you have been asking about the fires and floods you have been hearing about in the news. We have been completely unaffected by them on this trip. Most of the time they were burning while we were in NZ. We were periodically unsure if the ship was going to stop in Melbourne over the last two weeks, however in the end, the decision was to go. Spoke with some locals today to get the down low on what was really happening. Here’s the word on the street from the people who live here:
The fires stopped just on the outskirts of the city of Melbourne – scorched some of the suburban areas, but did not enter in too far. To date, 210 precious souls have lost their lives. My first question was – Wasn’t there any warning? Why weren’t areas evacuated? Here’s how one local explained the tragedy to me. There are fires every year around this area – most people are prepared for them and the standard operations are to stay on your property to assist in protecting your land – usually it’s never a problem. This year was different. Extreme heat (46 degrees Celsius), drought that carried on for months, extreme high winds all contributed to create the “perfect firestorm” of the century. Flames rose as high as a church steeple and travelled at about 60km’s per hour devouring everything in their path. The carnage was complete in about 1-2 hours on one day. Some horrific stories of people trying to outrun the flames in their car and being engulfed by them. People and homes had no warning as this storm rose up and ravaged everything very suddenly and mercilessly. There was no hope of escape. As of today, fires are still burning in outlying areas, but are contained. Donations for relief efforts can be found everywhere, even on our ship. Melbourne is known as a “garden city”. What we found today as we walked around were acres of brown grass, green leaves on live trees turning brown and crumbling off, the only vegetation growing anywhere in the ground were cacti, palm trees and dessert foliage. There is no smell of smoke in the air, but it is evident that this area has been under extreme drought conditions for a while. On the up side, the spirit of the Aussies is alive and strong. They are a pioneering and positive nation. They will get through this difficult time with typical Aussie optimism and fortitude. One person told me today, Melbourne will once again return to being the beautiful “garden city” it so proudly professes to be. Even brighter and more alive than it was before this terrible season of loss. When there is great adversity all around, the Aussie spirit digs in and moves forward. Impressive.
As for the rest of the city of Melbourne, it is an interesting mix of the old and new. Mixed in amongst the beautiful buildings from the 1800’s are some rather unique, modern art architecture in the form of skyscrapers, statues, and facades on buildings. A very eclectic look for a downtown – the jury is still out on whether I like it or not. It’s definitely unique. We spent the afternoon walking along the boardwalk that follows the river running through the city (kind of like the Rideau Canal in Ottawa). We ended up in front of the Melbourne Aquarium and decided to have a look inside. Yep ... this definitely exposed us to more of the scarier sides of AUS! While our previous trips to conservation areas showed us the cute and cuddly critters of NZ and AUS, this place delighted in going into great detail with in-your-face visuals of water pythons, bird-eating spiders, scorpions, poison arrow frogs, hissing cockroaches the size of a man’s palm, man-o-war jellyfish, deadly sting rays and, of course, SHARKS of a zillion varieties! Remember I told you in my first blog that 12 of the world’s deadliest creatures call AUS their home – ya – well, we saw most of them today in this aquarium of all places! Not gonna lie, I’m not a fan of all things ugly and deadly, however, I did find myself intrigued to see these creepy , crawly things so closely (and more importantly, behind several inches of very thick glass!). I’m always excited to learn something new – and my quota was filled today!
Hopped on a city tram that gave a free “tour” on the history of Melbourne. Gotta say, one of the things both John and I appreciate about NZ and AUS is the huge amount of free beauty they offer tourists and locals. Most of what we have seen over the last few weeks would likely have been barricaded and had some sort of fee or tax attached to it if you wanted to view it in Canada. Museums, local transportation, historic sites, all naturally occurring phenomena are free for the viewing by anyone and everyone who wants to take the time to indulge both here in AUS and NZ. It’s that spirit of generosity and hospitality that speaks the loudest for both of these countries. They bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. Very heartening – we could all learn something from that. It leaves a wonderful impression.
One more day at sea and then we are back in Sydney on Sunday morning. Meeting a couple of exceptional individuals in Restorative Justice and giving a presentation at the Australian Institute of Criminology before heading home on Tuesday. More on that in coming days!
Peace from Melbourne,
Robin
Things I learned today:
1. Gentoo Penguins are “cheeky and feisty”- my kind of bird!
2. Mother sharks will eat their young ... hmm.
3. The human spirit is very resilient and wired to rise up out of ashes of tragedy – all around the world.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Don’t step in the Roo poo!
February 18, 2009
What do blow holes, hissing devils and steel cold leg irons have in common? That would be a day in my life in Tasmania, AUS. FACTOID: Did you know that Tasmania is actually just a state of Australia and not a separate country on its own? Ya ... me neither! Kinda like Newfoundland to Canada – it’s an island off the mainland but still part of Australia. I know some of you didn’t know that ... so sharing this factoid helps me feel not quite so Duh!
After three days at sea, we were eager to put our feet on terra firma again. By 8:00 am, we were well on our way from the car rental place in Hobart and headed to the south east peninsula of Port Arthur. This lovely landscape housed the second penal colony established in Australia (first was in Sydney – I know you were wondering:) Along the way, as always, we encountered some very cool sights and sounds. First stop was a very interesting rock shelf that was formed by the tides of the sea (called the Devil’s Kitchen). It literally looked like someone had taken a huge machete and sliced perfectly formed squares into a large flat area of rock that ran along the coast for a mile or so. As the water got in between the cracks, it caused some of the squares to round off their edges and raise slightly in the middle to take on the shape of rising bread dough in a pan. It’s kind of hard to find words to describe it – a picture would tell the tale in an instant – so I think I’ll include it on FB when I download later. Suffice it to say, it was a very cool, bizarre effect that was fun to rock hop over and observe. The impact that was made when an unrelenting force pounding down on an impervious fortress of rock year after year, century after century was undeniable and striking ... there’s a life metaphor in there somewhere!
Further on down the road, we made a quick stop to listen and view the spectacle known as the Tassie blow hole. For any of you who have ever seen these phenomena before, you’ll know that you hear them long before you see them. There is an eerie, low, hollow hissing sound that precedes a violent eruption of water each time the powerful waves are forced down a narrow corridor and out a tiny hole on the side of a rock wall. Kind of like the sound of whales spouting in the foggy ocean or geysers exploding from deep within the earth’s core. While I have seen blow holes before, this was a particularly beautiful one. When the tide was out I could clearly see into the rock cave where the blow hole was all the way out to the other side of the rock wall into the ocean – it was like looking out through a naturally formed rock window. Very picturesque. More stops along the way produced equally gorgeous landscapes/seascapes. Keep an eye on FB and I’ll post pics when I get back.
One of my “tens” for the day included a stop at an Australian conservation area which housed some native critters of AUS. Possums, wombats, and Kangaroos ... oh my! Lorikeets, Koala’s and my favourites ... Tasmanian Devils! Yep – they really do exist – and though they look nothing like the Bugs Bunny Cartoon version, they are as ornery, ugly, snarly, vicious and unmannered as the one portrayed by the cartoon Taz! Picture this ... they have short, course black fur with 2 white stripes or markings, they are the size of a 30 pound dog – all muscle, they have the face of a black bear/rodent, teeth of a cougar, legs and body of a hyena, tail of a small monkey. They don’t see well, smell well, hear well or hunt well (food of preference? Road kill). They fight and growl for their food, for their bed, for their space or even if you just make eye contact with them. Their bite is four times more powerful than an average dog – they can break bones in one chomp. They literally “wake up on the wrong side of the bed” every day of their lives! So why were they my favourites? I am impressed by their passion to remain miserable. They are so intensely focussed on being ugly it pulsates out of them. I give them credit for sustainability:) Side note – they do have a short lifespan – usually 4 years – I think it’s either because they are so programmed to kill each other or the stress of being so ornery takes its toll on them - I think there’s another life metaphor there:) OK – on the complete flip side of the ornery scale is the lovable Koala. FACTOID: In a 24 hour day, Koala’s sleep for 20 hours, eat for 4 hours and move for 15 minutes. They hang out in eucalyptus trees and literally flop over its branches to sleep. They have perfected the art of “chillaxing”. Their whole focus in life? Look cute and cuddly. Their life span? 20 years. Hmm ....
Final hi-light from this place was walking in amongst the roo’s. They actually let people into the Kangaroo area and you can hand feed them and pet them to your heart’s delight. Surprisingly, they are very tame (I figured these ones must have been raised in captivity). Roo’s come in all shapes and sizes – there are over 40 varieties alone in Australia. Greatest risk to me in this pen? Stepping on roo poo with open toed sandals:)
Final stop of the day was the Port Arthur penal colony. We could have spent the whole day here. Talk about a sad life ... this colony was established to deal with the overpopulated prisons in England. Back in the 1800’s, 300 convicts, 100 soldiers and 30 trades people were placed on a ship and banished to the island of Tasmania for crimes as horrendous as ... stealing a shawl, vagrancy, over-charging for surgeries, pick-pocketing, being a street urchin, etc. Sentences were either 7 years, 14 years or life. The youngest “convict” was a 9 year old boy – the majority were young men in their 20’s. The soldiers, who were suppose to help keep the peace, were in fact court marshalled military “outcasts” themselves. Quite the group to start a new civilization eh? Not exactly your typical pioneers! The first building they erected was a church – the second was a multi-cell prison house and a solitary confinement prison a short distance away. To their credit, they did indeed manage to get a functioning village up and running which eventually led to the current day population of about 500,000 Tasmanian citizens. Most everyone on the island can trace their roots back to one of those original convicts – and though for the longest time there was shame attached to that, they are now quite proud of their heritage. Dad ... you would have delighted in this place :) Made the Edmonton Detention Barracks look like Club Med! Thought about you several times:) (FYI my dad was the warden of Military DB back in the day but NEVER a convict:)
All in all, a jammed-packed day with sensory overload of nature, critters and history. Definitely a memory filled adventure!
Things I learned:
1. Australian parrots speak with an Australian accent
2. Leg irons leave bruises
3. I could live in Tasmania
What do blow holes, hissing devils and steel cold leg irons have in common? That would be a day in my life in Tasmania, AUS. FACTOID: Did you know that Tasmania is actually just a state of Australia and not a separate country on its own? Ya ... me neither! Kinda like Newfoundland to Canada – it’s an island off the mainland but still part of Australia. I know some of you didn’t know that ... so sharing this factoid helps me feel not quite so Duh!
After three days at sea, we were eager to put our feet on terra firma again. By 8:00 am, we were well on our way from the car rental place in Hobart and headed to the south east peninsula of Port Arthur. This lovely landscape housed the second penal colony established in Australia (first was in Sydney – I know you were wondering:) Along the way, as always, we encountered some very cool sights and sounds. First stop was a very interesting rock shelf that was formed by the tides of the sea (called the Devil’s Kitchen). It literally looked like someone had taken a huge machete and sliced perfectly formed squares into a large flat area of rock that ran along the coast for a mile or so. As the water got in between the cracks, it caused some of the squares to round off their edges and raise slightly in the middle to take on the shape of rising bread dough in a pan. It’s kind of hard to find words to describe it – a picture would tell the tale in an instant – so I think I’ll include it on FB when I download later. Suffice it to say, it was a very cool, bizarre effect that was fun to rock hop over and observe. The impact that was made when an unrelenting force pounding down on an impervious fortress of rock year after year, century after century was undeniable and striking ... there’s a life metaphor in there somewhere!
Further on down the road, we made a quick stop to listen and view the spectacle known as the Tassie blow hole. For any of you who have ever seen these phenomena before, you’ll know that you hear them long before you see them. There is an eerie, low, hollow hissing sound that precedes a violent eruption of water each time the powerful waves are forced down a narrow corridor and out a tiny hole on the side of a rock wall. Kind of like the sound of whales spouting in the foggy ocean or geysers exploding from deep within the earth’s core. While I have seen blow holes before, this was a particularly beautiful one. When the tide was out I could clearly see into the rock cave where the blow hole was all the way out to the other side of the rock wall into the ocean – it was like looking out through a naturally formed rock window. Very picturesque. More stops along the way produced equally gorgeous landscapes/seascapes. Keep an eye on FB and I’ll post pics when I get back.
One of my “tens” for the day included a stop at an Australian conservation area which housed some native critters of AUS. Possums, wombats, and Kangaroos ... oh my! Lorikeets, Koala’s and my favourites ... Tasmanian Devils! Yep – they really do exist – and though they look nothing like the Bugs Bunny Cartoon version, they are as ornery, ugly, snarly, vicious and unmannered as the one portrayed by the cartoon Taz! Picture this ... they have short, course black fur with 2 white stripes or markings, they are the size of a 30 pound dog – all muscle, they have the face of a black bear/rodent, teeth of a cougar, legs and body of a hyena, tail of a small monkey. They don’t see well, smell well, hear well or hunt well (food of preference? Road kill). They fight and growl for their food, for their bed, for their space or even if you just make eye contact with them. Their bite is four times more powerful than an average dog – they can break bones in one chomp. They literally “wake up on the wrong side of the bed” every day of their lives! So why were they my favourites? I am impressed by their passion to remain miserable. They are so intensely focussed on being ugly it pulsates out of them. I give them credit for sustainability:) Side note – they do have a short lifespan – usually 4 years – I think it’s either because they are so programmed to kill each other or the stress of being so ornery takes its toll on them - I think there’s another life metaphor there:) OK – on the complete flip side of the ornery scale is the lovable Koala. FACTOID: In a 24 hour day, Koala’s sleep for 20 hours, eat for 4 hours and move for 15 minutes. They hang out in eucalyptus trees and literally flop over its branches to sleep. They have perfected the art of “chillaxing”. Their whole focus in life? Look cute and cuddly. Their life span? 20 years. Hmm ....
Final hi-light from this place was walking in amongst the roo’s. They actually let people into the Kangaroo area and you can hand feed them and pet them to your heart’s delight. Surprisingly, they are very tame (I figured these ones must have been raised in captivity). Roo’s come in all shapes and sizes – there are over 40 varieties alone in Australia. Greatest risk to me in this pen? Stepping on roo poo with open toed sandals:)
Final stop of the day was the Port Arthur penal colony. We could have spent the whole day here. Talk about a sad life ... this colony was established to deal with the overpopulated prisons in England. Back in the 1800’s, 300 convicts, 100 soldiers and 30 trades people were placed on a ship and banished to the island of Tasmania for crimes as horrendous as ... stealing a shawl, vagrancy, over-charging for surgeries, pick-pocketing, being a street urchin, etc. Sentences were either 7 years, 14 years or life. The youngest “convict” was a 9 year old boy – the majority were young men in their 20’s. The soldiers, who were suppose to help keep the peace, were in fact court marshalled military “outcasts” themselves. Quite the group to start a new civilization eh? Not exactly your typical pioneers! The first building they erected was a church – the second was a multi-cell prison house and a solitary confinement prison a short distance away. To their credit, they did indeed manage to get a functioning village up and running which eventually led to the current day population of about 500,000 Tasmanian citizens. Most everyone on the island can trace their roots back to one of those original convicts – and though for the longest time there was shame attached to that, they are now quite proud of their heritage. Dad ... you would have delighted in this place :) Made the Edmonton Detention Barracks look like Club Med! Thought about you several times:) (FYI my dad was the warden of Military DB back in the day but NEVER a convict:)
All in all, a jammed-packed day with sensory overload of nature, critters and history. Definitely a memory filled adventure!
Things I learned:
1. Australian parrots speak with an Australian accent
2. Leg irons leave bruises
3. I could live in Tasmania
Monday, February 16, 2009
Have you ever been to sea Billy?
Feb. 15, 16 & 17, 2009
The past three days have been spent on the ship – traversing the Tasman sea from NZ to Australia. The first of the three days was spent on a scenic cruise day through the Fjordland National Park on the south-western corner of NZ’s south island. This area is known as one of NZ’s most majestic natural wonders. These fjords are lined with mountain peaks that rise sharply to heights of 6,000 to 7,000 feet. Fur seals lay out on rocky shelves and dolphins play in waters that reach depths of up to 2,000 feet. Cascading waterfalls form veils of mist against the dark rock and shiny green vegetation. This huge ship had about 100 feet of water on either side of it as it gingerly sailed its way through Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Fjords (also known as Sounds). Regrettably, this area also receives more rain than any other one place in New Zealand – and today was a day like many others – cool and cloudy with lots of rain. Most of the peaks were covered in fog, however, the up-close views from the ships decks still proved to be spectacular. People who have done Alaskan cruises would have found today to be vaguely familiar.
I managed to find a quiet spot and do a couple hours of work (yes this is a working vacation for me) – but don’t feel too badly for me ... the view from my office window was far better than any million dollar corner office - anywhere. No complaints from me!
Day two of this voyage found John taking advantage of the many activities on the ship (bridge, movies, reading, tourism lectures, cocktail tasting, work-out gym, pool side sun-tanning (I joined him with this one) and food, food and more food! I managed to get my brain in gear and finish off a few more work projects (starting to really like my ocean view office!). Day three ... pretty much more of the same, but toss in some Ballroom Dancing (bad ballroom dancing I might add – I blame the rocking of the ship!)
We are due to arrive in Tasmania tomorrow morning bright and early. Plan to rent a car and explore Hobart original penal colony (you know it’s got to be interesting when Australia, which was founded as a penal colony for Britain, had to form its own penal colony!). Who knows, we may even bump into a few kangaroos, koalas and Tasmanian devils!
See ya later mates!
The past three days have been spent on the ship – traversing the Tasman sea from NZ to Australia. The first of the three days was spent on a scenic cruise day through the Fjordland National Park on the south-western corner of NZ’s south island. This area is known as one of NZ’s most majestic natural wonders. These fjords are lined with mountain peaks that rise sharply to heights of 6,000 to 7,000 feet. Fur seals lay out on rocky shelves and dolphins play in waters that reach depths of up to 2,000 feet. Cascading waterfalls form veils of mist against the dark rock and shiny green vegetation. This huge ship had about 100 feet of water on either side of it as it gingerly sailed its way through Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Fjords (also known as Sounds). Regrettably, this area also receives more rain than any other one place in New Zealand – and today was a day like many others – cool and cloudy with lots of rain. Most of the peaks were covered in fog, however, the up-close views from the ships decks still proved to be spectacular. People who have done Alaskan cruises would have found today to be vaguely familiar.
I managed to find a quiet spot and do a couple hours of work (yes this is a working vacation for me) – but don’t feel too badly for me ... the view from my office window was far better than any million dollar corner office - anywhere. No complaints from me!
Day two of this voyage found John taking advantage of the many activities on the ship (bridge, movies, reading, tourism lectures, cocktail tasting, work-out gym, pool side sun-tanning (I joined him with this one) and food, food and more food! I managed to get my brain in gear and finish off a few more work projects (starting to really like my ocean view office!). Day three ... pretty much more of the same, but toss in some Ballroom Dancing (bad ballroom dancing I might add – I blame the rocking of the ship!)
We are due to arrive in Tasmania tomorrow morning bright and early. Plan to rent a car and explore Hobart original penal colony (you know it’s got to be interesting when Australia, which was founded as a penal colony for Britain, had to form its own penal colony!). Who knows, we may even bump into a few kangaroos, koalas and Tasmanian devils!
See ya later mates!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Hearts, crafts and chocolate!
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009
Happy V-day all! Today was our last port of call on the south island of NZ, Dunedin (pronounced Dun- EEEE-din). Dunedin is a beautiful little Scottish influenced town. Most of the early settlers were stone masons from Scotland, hence the phenomenal stone architecture on many of the 200 year old original buildings (railway station, court house, jail, city hall, etc.) and the resounding echo’s of bagpipes playing in the streets. It was a perfect summer day in my opinion – the sun was out and the blue sky was dotted with fluffy white puffs of cloud. Temperature was a refreshing 20 degrees. We started our Valentine day with a tour of the original Cadbury Chocolate Factory – started here in NZ. Can you think of any better way to celebrate V-day than be surrounded by chocolate? Ya baby ... it was sweet! Our tour guide definitely made the experience very Willy Wonkaish. I think she enjoyed her job just a little too much as she devilishly tempted us with chocolate when we gave the correct answer to her questions. Her eyes never stopped twinkling and a slight smirk was ever present on her face. Though she encouraged questions from our group, she was quick to not reveal too much information about the secrets of Cadbury – apparently, this is a highly competitive industry! Our blind obedience to her sometimes “drill sergeant” directions enabled us to enjoy a 1000 foot chocolate waterfall, a step-by-step “how do they do that” DVD on the making of our favourite chocolate bars and enough free samples of miniature chocolate bars to satisfy our cravings from now until .... well ... at least tomorrow. Dawn, if you are reading this ... I know you are drooling girl!
Our next stop in a jam-packed day of activities included LOTS of local flavour. As luck would have it, Dunedin was celebrating a yearly one-day festival called “Thieves Alley”. This festival basically involved the blocking off of the centre of town and lining the connecting streets with entertainers, booths of local Kiwi artisans and flavourful aromas of NZ delicacies both sweet and savoury. Jewellery, metal works, knitting, glass art, paintings, photography, pottery, soaps, jams/jellies, wood crafts, plants, and flea market treasures covered every inch of the sidewalks for miles and a steady sea of people moved curiously between them. A real treat to engage in this NZ delight. After we had enough exposure to the crush of people and festivities, we headed down around the corner to a museum that told the story of the early settlers in Dunedin. Fascinating, pioneering, industrious spirit of those early Scots and later the Chinese (trying to earn some quick cash in the gold rush). Both were pivotal in the shaping of modern day Dunedin and their footprints can be found everywhere in the city. One of the most relaxing and refreshing visits we enjoyed was our last stop of our day. It was to a beautiful, peaceful, 3000 square meter Chinese garden tucked away just past the centre of town. Waterfalls, rocks, bridges, ponds, tropical greenery all added to the very Zen feeling of this mini oasis. A perfect respite before heading back to the ship.
Dunedin will be remembered as a colourful, small town full of life, rich history and bagpipes!
Things I learned today:
1. I now know how they get the caramel in the Caramilk bar ... but you know how it goes, I’d have to kill you if I told you the secret!
2. I’d suck at being a pioneer
3. Rock and roll takes on a new meaning when you’re on a ship
Happy V-day all! Today was our last port of call on the south island of NZ, Dunedin (pronounced Dun- EEEE-din). Dunedin is a beautiful little Scottish influenced town. Most of the early settlers were stone masons from Scotland, hence the phenomenal stone architecture on many of the 200 year old original buildings (railway station, court house, jail, city hall, etc.) and the resounding echo’s of bagpipes playing in the streets. It was a perfect summer day in my opinion – the sun was out and the blue sky was dotted with fluffy white puffs of cloud. Temperature was a refreshing 20 degrees. We started our Valentine day with a tour of the original Cadbury Chocolate Factory – started here in NZ. Can you think of any better way to celebrate V-day than be surrounded by chocolate? Ya baby ... it was sweet! Our tour guide definitely made the experience very Willy Wonkaish. I think she enjoyed her job just a little too much as she devilishly tempted us with chocolate when we gave the correct answer to her questions. Her eyes never stopped twinkling and a slight smirk was ever present on her face. Though she encouraged questions from our group, she was quick to not reveal too much information about the secrets of Cadbury – apparently, this is a highly competitive industry! Our blind obedience to her sometimes “drill sergeant” directions enabled us to enjoy a 1000 foot chocolate waterfall, a step-by-step “how do they do that” DVD on the making of our favourite chocolate bars and enough free samples of miniature chocolate bars to satisfy our cravings from now until .... well ... at least tomorrow. Dawn, if you are reading this ... I know you are drooling girl!
Our next stop in a jam-packed day of activities included LOTS of local flavour. As luck would have it, Dunedin was celebrating a yearly one-day festival called “Thieves Alley”. This festival basically involved the blocking off of the centre of town and lining the connecting streets with entertainers, booths of local Kiwi artisans and flavourful aromas of NZ delicacies both sweet and savoury. Jewellery, metal works, knitting, glass art, paintings, photography, pottery, soaps, jams/jellies, wood crafts, plants, and flea market treasures covered every inch of the sidewalks for miles and a steady sea of people moved curiously between them. A real treat to engage in this NZ delight. After we had enough exposure to the crush of people and festivities, we headed down around the corner to a museum that told the story of the early settlers in Dunedin. Fascinating, pioneering, industrious spirit of those early Scots and later the Chinese (trying to earn some quick cash in the gold rush). Both were pivotal in the shaping of modern day Dunedin and their footprints can be found everywhere in the city. One of the most relaxing and refreshing visits we enjoyed was our last stop of our day. It was to a beautiful, peaceful, 3000 square meter Chinese garden tucked away just past the centre of town. Waterfalls, rocks, bridges, ponds, tropical greenery all added to the very Zen feeling of this mini oasis. A perfect respite before heading back to the ship.
Dunedin will be remembered as a colourful, small town full of life, rich history and bagpipes!
Things I learned today:
1. I now know how they get the caramel in the Caramilk bar ... but you know how it goes, I’d have to kill you if I told you the secret!
2. I’d suck at being a pioneer
3. Rock and roll takes on a new meaning when you’re on a ship
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Brrrr from Christchurch, NZ
February 13, 2009
Today is Friday the 13th in NZ – we crossed the dateline coming over here, so I am a day and several hours ahead of most of you. Kinda cool. Yesterday was a day at sea as we voyaged to Christchurch, NZ. Arrived here early this morning and took a shuttle into town. Rundown of Christchurch in 10 words:
Hopped a shuttle back to the ship for some hot-tubbing and chillaxing time – then a formal dinner with all the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood event followed by Broadway calibre entertainment to cap off the night. This floating resort is wearing me down!
Things I learned today:
Today is Friday the 13th in NZ – we crossed the dateline coming over here, so I am a day and several hours ahead of most of you. Kinda cool. Yesterday was a day at sea as we voyaged to Christchurch, NZ. Arrived here early this morning and took a shuttle into town. Rundown of Christchurch in 10 words:
- Cold (12 degrees!)
- Old
- British
- Historic
- Architectural
- Heritage
- No-nonsense
- Pioneering
- Anglican
- Pristine
Hopped a shuttle back to the ship for some hot-tubbing and chillaxing time – then a formal dinner with all the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood event followed by Broadway calibre entertainment to cap off the night. This floating resort is wearing me down!
Things I learned today:
- You can donate your ashes to Christchurch Cathedral for a mere $4000.00 CDN dollars – why they would want your ashes in the first place or why you would want to donate them to the church in the second place is still very much a mystery to me!
- There is no such thing as a red possum
- Starbucks, McDonalds and American news can be found around the world!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
All together now ... everyone say “Oooo” and “Ahhhhh”!
Tauranga (not Torangeau like I wrote while I was half asleep last night – sorry – just a little bit of my French side slipping out:) is a delightful port on the north east side of NZ. John and I looked at all the potential trips from this port when we woke up this morning and quickly discovered – we have done them all already! So we opted for the biggest attraction right outside our ship’s pier – Mount Maunganui. At 1000 feet above sea level, it holds great sacred significance for the Maori. We had the option to either “summit” this little mountain which would require a considerable level of physical exertion on our part or we could also just walk around the perimeter – which would still involve breaking a sweat, however, it would keep us up-close and personal with the waves, beach, rocks and nature in general. Originally thinking a hike up to the top would be a fun event, we stepped out of our air-conditioned ship to hit a wall of 30+ degrees WITH humidity and made an instant decision to walk the perimeter rather than melt in a vertical climb. Great option! This little 2 hr hike amazed us with spectacular views at every twist and turn along the path. Seriously – I’m talking take-your-breath-away, knock-your-socks-off, drop dead gorgeous, shock and awe beauty that is impossible to capture in words or pictures. The mountain is surrounded on 3 sides by emerald green water with white cap waves splashing up against rugged, ancient rock formations that are as unique as snowflakes. Add to that the most picturesque, twisted trees and lush green shrubbery that have intertwined amongst each other over the years in a futile attempt to survive the relentless and unforgiving winds blowing off the ocean. Toss in sections of brilliantly coloured river rocks that have been shaped in the methodical tumbling of the powerful waves and add in just a hint of the ever present smell of south pacific salt water breezes mixed with tropical vegetation and you’ve pretty much got perfection in nature. There are even sections around the mountain where all you can see for miles is pure white, unadulterated sand with waves rhythmically lapping on the beach and nary a human in sight. I spent the bulk of the hike getting John to “stop and get this shot” on film (er ... digital memory stick?). Definitely one of the most stunning hikes we have taken in recent memory. Oh ... did I mention that the up-close and personal part of the hike included walking barefoot in the water for as large a stretch as we could manage followed by rock hopping until we reached a well-worn path. Yep – the road less travelled has a far greater call on our spirits than anything touristy – we were well rewarded today!
A quick dip in one of the ship’s many swimming pools and a buffet lunch that would satisfy the desires, both physical and imaginary, of the most scrupulous eater, topped off an afternoon of delight in Tauranga. The food on this ship, oh my goodness, don’t get me started on the food. John and I have made a commitment to each to never use the elevators on this trip – it’s stairs or nothing. I think it is the only way I can attempt to fend off the inevitable weight gain that is notorious for cruises:) It’s a hazard I’m prepared to endure for the sake of the trip!
A quick dip in one of the ship’s many swimming pools and a buffet lunch that would satisfy the desires, both physical and imaginary, of the most scrupulous eater, topped off an afternoon of delight in Tauranga. The food on this ship, oh my goodness, don’t get me started on the food. John and I have made a commitment to each to never use the elevators on this trip – it’s stairs or nothing. I think it is the only way I can attempt to fend off the inevitable weight gain that is notorious for cruises:) It’s a hazard I’m prepared to endure for the sake of the trip!
Things I learned today:
- 16 flights of stairs are much easier to tolerate going down than going up
- UV rating in NZ is 13 today – does Canada ever even get close to that?
- God is a great artist :)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
To Zorb or not to Zorb ... that is the question!
February 10, 2009
Today we woke up to a slight sprinkling of rain for the first time in five days – not a problem at all – in fact, my sunburnt skin seemed to enjoy the respite from the ever present clear blue skies and golden sunshine. One of the things we had on our list to do in NZ (courtesy of Becky’s insistence) was to Zorb. What the heck is zorbing? Picture a giant clear plastic hamster ball about 10 feet in diameter. Now picture a smaller hamster ball inside it – maybe 4 feet in diameter. In order to zorb, you need to crawl into the smaller ball, add some water and suds, and then be hurled down a hill and bounce around uncontrollably until you reach bottom. Kinda like being in a washing machine (not that I have been in one, but use your imagination). So John and I decided to check out a zorbing place just outside Rotorura. We showed up, with bathing suits in hand ready to engage in this New Zealand fun. We decided to watch it being done first before signing up. Turns out, unfortunately, that it is really ALOT tamer than originally thought. The hill they use, for example, is really just a short mound of dirt and rather uneventful (no bumps or curves). Instead of bouncing all over the place inside the zorb, you really just bob along on your back. The price for one trip down the small hill was something like 40 dollars CDN – for just one 15 second ride down the mound of dirt. It actually seemed like a bit of a waste of money for what you actually got. Now ... if we could have been launched down a mountain side, or off a cliff .... well, that might have piqued our interest a bit more:) It was actually more fun just watching people bob around and emerge from this see through cocoon covered in suds. So, after snapping a few choice photos, we opted to spend our limited time today checking out 600 species of NZ animals at the Hamilton Conservation Zoo instead of taking a sudsy bath in a zorb.
We arrived at the zoo just in time to see the tigers being fed a goat, well, more like half a goat. Didn’t realize that tigers are native to NZ? Ya ... they are not. FACTOID: New Zealand has NO NATIVE ANIMALS whatsoever. The only critters originally attached to NZ are a few birds and a couple of lizards. If you really stretch it, you can also include two species of bats. All other beasties found here were brought here “accidentally” by foreigners. Possums and rabbits are great examples of what happens when you import a critter with no natural predators to keep them under control – it is scary how quickly they multiply! The best news I heard today though .... NZ has NO SNAKES- AT ALL! Woohoo! I’ve been doing alot of barefoot trekking in the green grass since I learned that! Now .... back to the tigers. Well, the zoo would be pretty boring if it just had birds and lizards to show. So they have brought in a couple of exotic animals like rhinos, tigers, monkeys just to spice things up a bit. This place is actually more of a conservation area for endangered animals than a zoo with cages. They actually create habitats for these animals – no steel bars or cement to be found anywhere. Very natural settings - so really, our visit was more of a delightful walk in the bush land sporadically populated with some cool critters. A nice break from the drive into Auckland.
We finally made our way over to the port in Auckland and boarded our ship just after 4pm. I won’t go into detail about the ship – but suffice it to say – it’s the Princess cruise line and I have discovered, there is a little bit of latent Princess in me. I took to this place like a fish to water:) We were able to secure a SWEET deal on this voyage (as with all our previous trips) www.vacationstogo.com is the site to check out people – I can’t stress enough the benefit of doing your destination vacations this way. Talk to me later if you want more details!
So, finishing up this blog tonight while being gently rocked to sleep in my stateroom. My eyes are already at half mast. Tomorrow we tackle Torangeau – tonight I visit sweet dream land:)
Until the next big adventure,
Robin
Today we woke up to a slight sprinkling of rain for the first time in five days – not a problem at all – in fact, my sunburnt skin seemed to enjoy the respite from the ever present clear blue skies and golden sunshine. One of the things we had on our list to do in NZ (courtesy of Becky’s insistence) was to Zorb. What the heck is zorbing? Picture a giant clear plastic hamster ball about 10 feet in diameter. Now picture a smaller hamster ball inside it – maybe 4 feet in diameter. In order to zorb, you need to crawl into the smaller ball, add some water and suds, and then be hurled down a hill and bounce around uncontrollably until you reach bottom. Kinda like being in a washing machine (not that I have been in one, but use your imagination). So John and I decided to check out a zorbing place just outside Rotorura. We showed up, with bathing suits in hand ready to engage in this New Zealand fun. We decided to watch it being done first before signing up. Turns out, unfortunately, that it is really ALOT tamer than originally thought. The hill they use, for example, is really just a short mound of dirt and rather uneventful (no bumps or curves). Instead of bouncing all over the place inside the zorb, you really just bob along on your back. The price for one trip down the small hill was something like 40 dollars CDN – for just one 15 second ride down the mound of dirt. It actually seemed like a bit of a waste of money for what you actually got. Now ... if we could have been launched down a mountain side, or off a cliff .... well, that might have piqued our interest a bit more:) It was actually more fun just watching people bob around and emerge from this see through cocoon covered in suds. So, after snapping a few choice photos, we opted to spend our limited time today checking out 600 species of NZ animals at the Hamilton Conservation Zoo instead of taking a sudsy bath in a zorb.
We arrived at the zoo just in time to see the tigers being fed a goat, well, more like half a goat. Didn’t realize that tigers are native to NZ? Ya ... they are not. FACTOID: New Zealand has NO NATIVE ANIMALS whatsoever. The only critters originally attached to NZ are a few birds and a couple of lizards. If you really stretch it, you can also include two species of bats. All other beasties found here were brought here “accidentally” by foreigners. Possums and rabbits are great examples of what happens when you import a critter with no natural predators to keep them under control – it is scary how quickly they multiply! The best news I heard today though .... NZ has NO SNAKES- AT ALL! Woohoo! I’ve been doing alot of barefoot trekking in the green grass since I learned that! Now .... back to the tigers. Well, the zoo would be pretty boring if it just had birds and lizards to show. So they have brought in a couple of exotic animals like rhinos, tigers, monkeys just to spice things up a bit. This place is actually more of a conservation area for endangered animals than a zoo with cages. They actually create habitats for these animals – no steel bars or cement to be found anywhere. Very natural settings - so really, our visit was more of a delightful walk in the bush land sporadically populated with some cool critters. A nice break from the drive into Auckland.
We finally made our way over to the port in Auckland and boarded our ship just after 4pm. I won’t go into detail about the ship – but suffice it to say – it’s the Princess cruise line and I have discovered, there is a little bit of latent Princess in me. I took to this place like a fish to water:) We were able to secure a SWEET deal on this voyage (as with all our previous trips) www.vacationstogo.com is the site to check out people – I can’t stress enough the benefit of doing your destination vacations this way. Talk to me later if you want more details!
So, finishing up this blog tonight while being gently rocked to sleep in my stateroom. My eyes are already at half mast. Tomorrow we tackle Torangeau – tonight I visit sweet dream land:)
Until the next big adventure,
Robin
Art, mud and warriors!
February 9, 2009
Napier was indeed delightful. It is nestled in the middle of Hawke Bay on the east side of NZ. A long boardwalk stretches all the way along the beach and makes for a fantastic late evening and early morning walks on the shore of the South Pacific. Napier is known as an “Art Deco” town – best description I can think of – it is a combination of the eclecticness of Bank St. in Ottawa, the village feel of Whistler or Banff, BC and the color of San Juan, Peurto Rico. If you have never been to any of these places – this description won’t help you one bit. You ‘ll just have to trust me when I say it was beautiful on many fronts and lots of fun to wander around for a couple of hours. It was a great way to start another stellar day in NZ. We then hopped in the car and began our journey back up towards Auckland to catch our boat. I have determined that we should always travel with a bumper sticker that reads something to the effect of – “STAY BACK! This vehicle makes frequent erratic stops to secure must have photo ops!” Suffice it to say, one hour drives often take 2 or 2.5 hrs to complete when we factor in all the “necessary” scenic view pictures. Today was no different. We were able to capture another breathtaking natural waterfall erupting from a hidden gorge off the beaten path of the main highway, a huge release of water at the Aratiatia rapids, where they damn and mechanically release water from a nearby lake several times a day, two escapee/renegade sheep crossing the highway, another hidden botanical garden, sulphur geo-thermal hot springs/geiser and, my most favourite scenic view, a bubbling, burping, oozing, steaming gigantic pool of mud. Seriously, it reminded me of something you’d see in the “Land before time” movies. And the smell .... what do you think? Yep it was sulphur alright ... but with a distinct burnt flavour tossed in the mix. Lovely! Made me want to dive right in! Definitely something I have not seen anywhere else – nor will likely go and see any time again soon:)
We finally arrived at our intended destination of Rotorura. Nice new building we are staying in – the only common denominator in all our auberges is the lack of air conditioning – NZ is not use to this kind of heat – so they are not equipped to handle it mechanically. Ya –makes for some sticky nights – but really, who cares:)
Tonight we are headed out to enjoy a Maori experience – authentic dinner and show. Should be a blast. Here’s what they say about it:
“Enter the world of Mitai: Be enthralled by the natural bush setting, see warriors in traditional dress paddling a waka (ancient warrior war canoe) and don’t miss your only opportunity in Rotorura to see glow worms! " Oooo .... can hardly wait!
Just came back from our evening out – what a feast! I was initially thinking this “experience” may be more like a Hawaiian Luau with an “edge”, however, it turned out to be much more educational, authentic and interesting. We ended up doing a couple of “bush walks” where we witnessed Maori warriors returning from a battle in their war canoe, and the night walk in the darkness did indeed produce the much anticipated glow worms! FACTOID: Glow worms are the larvae of flies and their sole purpose for existence is to glow, eat and reproduce ... oh, and their lifespan? 72 hrs. Not a bad life, except for the 72hrs part. The rest of the evening included an authentic (scary!) welcoming ceremony and various training games and war games the Maori regularly undertook. Fortunately for us, the meal was NOT authentic Maori (which included RAT as a delicacy) rather it was COOKED the authentic Maori way – buried in the ground with hot coals for hours. Yummm .... it was all good!
All in all, a great way to end off another beautiful day in NZ – I know I’m repeating myself but really, start to finish NZ is simply just beautiful!
Things I learned today:
Napier was indeed delightful. It is nestled in the middle of Hawke Bay on the east side of NZ. A long boardwalk stretches all the way along the beach and makes for a fantastic late evening and early morning walks on the shore of the South Pacific. Napier is known as an “Art Deco” town – best description I can think of – it is a combination of the eclecticness of Bank St. in Ottawa, the village feel of Whistler or Banff, BC and the color of San Juan, Peurto Rico. If you have never been to any of these places – this description won’t help you one bit. You ‘ll just have to trust me when I say it was beautiful on many fronts and lots of fun to wander around for a couple of hours. It was a great way to start another stellar day in NZ. We then hopped in the car and began our journey back up towards Auckland to catch our boat. I have determined that we should always travel with a bumper sticker that reads something to the effect of – “STAY BACK! This vehicle makes frequent erratic stops to secure must have photo ops!” Suffice it to say, one hour drives often take 2 or 2.5 hrs to complete when we factor in all the “necessary” scenic view pictures. Today was no different. We were able to capture another breathtaking natural waterfall erupting from a hidden gorge off the beaten path of the main highway, a huge release of water at the Aratiatia rapids, where they damn and mechanically release water from a nearby lake several times a day, two escapee/renegade sheep crossing the highway, another hidden botanical garden, sulphur geo-thermal hot springs/geiser and, my most favourite scenic view, a bubbling, burping, oozing, steaming gigantic pool of mud. Seriously, it reminded me of something you’d see in the “Land before time” movies. And the smell .... what do you think? Yep it was sulphur alright ... but with a distinct burnt flavour tossed in the mix. Lovely! Made me want to dive right in! Definitely something I have not seen anywhere else – nor will likely go and see any time again soon:)
We finally arrived at our intended destination of Rotorura. Nice new building we are staying in – the only common denominator in all our auberges is the lack of air conditioning – NZ is not use to this kind of heat – so they are not equipped to handle it mechanically. Ya –makes for some sticky nights – but really, who cares:)
Tonight we are headed out to enjoy a Maori experience – authentic dinner and show. Should be a blast. Here’s what they say about it:
“Enter the world of Mitai: Be enthralled by the natural bush setting, see warriors in traditional dress paddling a waka (ancient warrior war canoe) and don’t miss your only opportunity in Rotorura to see glow worms! " Oooo .... can hardly wait!
Just came back from our evening out – what a feast! I was initially thinking this “experience” may be more like a Hawaiian Luau with an “edge”, however, it turned out to be much more educational, authentic and interesting. We ended up doing a couple of “bush walks” where we witnessed Maori warriors returning from a battle in their war canoe, and the night walk in the darkness did indeed produce the much anticipated glow worms! FACTOID: Glow worms are the larvae of flies and their sole purpose for existence is to glow, eat and reproduce ... oh, and their lifespan? 72 hrs. Not a bad life, except for the 72hrs part. The rest of the evening included an authentic (scary!) welcoming ceremony and various training games and war games the Maori regularly undertook. Fortunately for us, the meal was NOT authentic Maori (which included RAT as a delicacy) rather it was COOKED the authentic Maori way – buried in the ground with hot coals for hours. Yummm .... it was all good!
All in all, a great way to end off another beautiful day in NZ – I know I’m repeating myself but really, start to finish NZ is simply just beautiful!
Things I learned today:
- I’m glad I was not one of the first explorers to be greeted or eaten by the Maori
- Maori bury their dead on hills (like they have any other options!). The higher you are on the hill the more “important” you are. Sounds like a logistical nightmare to me!
- Fresh water eels are slimy
Kiori friends!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
This Bird has flown to new heights!
February 8, 2009
What a difference a day makes. On a scale of 1-10 – this day was an 11 many times over!
My morning started with the overwhelming sound of cicadas buzzing in feverish unison, periodically interrupted with delightfully chirping song birds and punctuated by the undeniable sound of squirrel feet scampering across my little “cabin in the woods” rooftop. At least I’m hoping it was a squirrel – did not go out to check.
We started the day in Tourangi – dead centre of the north island and deep in mountain land. The plan was to head towards Napier on the east coast by evening. The journey, much to our delight, included many unexpected adventures along the way.
Tourangi is also at the bottom of the largest (of two) fresh water lakes on the north island. It reminds me very much of Lake Okanagan in Kelowna – minus the frigid glacier waters. FACTOID: Lake Taupo has 32 rivers flowing into it and only one flowing out – hence the size, depth and crystal clear freshness. Locals tell us you can drink the water right out of the lake – I decided to just take their word for it :)
First stop on the way to Napier was a fast flowing river stream known for the best trout fishing in NZ. Again, the memories of fast moving glacial rivers in BC came flooding back – minus the frigid temperatures. We hike over the river rock on the edge of the water and got some great pictures of a fly-fishermen (and dog) out in the middle of the white-capped waters working his craft – talk about a Kodak moment - very serene.
Onwards up the shore of the lake to the town of Taupo, we spotted some colourful skydivers gracefully hurling to the ground enmasse. John and I quickly looked at each other with a sparkle in our eyes and both said in unison – let’s do that! 30 minutes later, we were suited up in red flight suits with black harnesses and boarding a plane missing a door on one side. See, this is the type of thing you have to move fast on before logic and fear take over. It was definitely a “carpe diem” moment. 20 minutes later I was 12000 feet above the ground – strapped to a kid younger than my son – focussing on my “happy place” to avoid engaging in the reality of what I was about to do. I chose to be the first one out of the plane as I basically thought if I actually witnessed someone jumping out of a perfectly solid, safe airplane, my nerve to do the same would likely vanish in an instant. I opted for the “ignorance is bliss” methodology of sky diving. I did not want to know the odds of failure or death. I placed my faith squarely in the parachute of my 19 year old tandem partner Chris – who promised me that he had done at least 1000 jumps without much grief. I didn’t pry into what he considered grief. So, I was indeed the first one out of the plane – which wasn’t much of a problem, until I actually had to dangle there momentarily while my partner swung his legs out of the plane. Seconds later we were hurling to the earth at 200 km’s per hour in a freefall with arms, legs and bodies tumbling over one another (I’m fairly sure we did some kind of summersault - perhaps a few). Gotta admit – it was a bit of an adrenalin rush blur. Chris pulled the chute and then proceeded to be a skydiving tour guide of New Zealand for me. We were up so high we could see BOTH coasts of NZ. He pointed out Mount Doom and the other highest peak of NZ. We were higher than both of them. He talked about the fresh water lake beneath us and other local niceties. Not gonna lie – I actually don’t remember everything he said – I was just abundantly happy that the “flight” was playing out as he said it would. The landing was textbook and the rest is documented very well in a video. I am actually thrilled we did it – checked off one of my own personal bucket list items :) The spontaneity, adrenalin rush, breathtaking views of NZ and sheer joy at the experience made the adventure beyond worthwhile.
Where do you go from there? Back into our lovely green vehicle and continuing up the shore of Lake Taupo. A brief stop to enjoy the wild life up close and personal and for me to get bitten by a black swan (long story), we then dropped into a famous tourist site to view the Huka Falls – some EXTREMELY fast moving water that channels down a short gorge and drops 11 meters into the river that drains out of Lake Taupo. WHERE was my kayak when I needed it!!!! Just joking ... although, some nuts have actually traversed the intense rapids and waterfall and lived to tell the tale. This is also the place where Tourism NZ set up a booth to record free “video-postcards” to send to friends. I have it posted, along with some choice pics, on FB for those of you who want to see it. Very cool idea and technology! After trekking around the waterfall in the mid-day sun, the call of LakeTaupo could no longer be resisted. We donned our bathing suits and proceed to take a plunge in the most refreshing, clear, delightfully satisfying fresh water lake I have been in for months – even nicer than our Canadian Muskoka lakes – yep – I said Muskoka lakes – get the picture yet?
Finally headed back to the car for last leg of the day to Napier. Passed some gorgeous vistas of rolling hills and valleys dotted with NZ livestock. Discovered, to our amazement and delight, that our hotel in Napier is located directly on the beach – that means tonight we will have the sound of the South Pacific Ocean waves lapping at the shore to lull us to sleep. Does it get any better than this? Hard to beat even on the best of the best of days!
Finally, what I learned today:
What a difference a day makes. On a scale of 1-10 – this day was an 11 many times over!
My morning started with the overwhelming sound of cicadas buzzing in feverish unison, periodically interrupted with delightfully chirping song birds and punctuated by the undeniable sound of squirrel feet scampering across my little “cabin in the woods” rooftop. At least I’m hoping it was a squirrel – did not go out to check.
We started the day in Tourangi – dead centre of the north island and deep in mountain land. The plan was to head towards Napier on the east coast by evening. The journey, much to our delight, included many unexpected adventures along the way.
Tourangi is also at the bottom of the largest (of two) fresh water lakes on the north island. It reminds me very much of Lake Okanagan in Kelowna – minus the frigid glacier waters. FACTOID: Lake Taupo has 32 rivers flowing into it and only one flowing out – hence the size, depth and crystal clear freshness. Locals tell us you can drink the water right out of the lake – I decided to just take their word for it :)
First stop on the way to Napier was a fast flowing river stream known for the best trout fishing in NZ. Again, the memories of fast moving glacial rivers in BC came flooding back – minus the frigid temperatures. We hike over the river rock on the edge of the water and got some great pictures of a fly-fishermen (and dog) out in the middle of the white-capped waters working his craft – talk about a Kodak moment - very serene.
Onwards up the shore of the lake to the town of Taupo, we spotted some colourful skydivers gracefully hurling to the ground enmasse. John and I quickly looked at each other with a sparkle in our eyes and both said in unison – let’s do that! 30 minutes later, we were suited up in red flight suits with black harnesses and boarding a plane missing a door on one side. See, this is the type of thing you have to move fast on before logic and fear take over. It was definitely a “carpe diem” moment. 20 minutes later I was 12000 feet above the ground – strapped to a kid younger than my son – focussing on my “happy place” to avoid engaging in the reality of what I was about to do. I chose to be the first one out of the plane as I basically thought if I actually witnessed someone jumping out of a perfectly solid, safe airplane, my nerve to do the same would likely vanish in an instant. I opted for the “ignorance is bliss” methodology of sky diving. I did not want to know the odds of failure or death. I placed my faith squarely in the parachute of my 19 year old tandem partner Chris – who promised me that he had done at least 1000 jumps without much grief. I didn’t pry into what he considered grief. So, I was indeed the first one out of the plane – which wasn’t much of a problem, until I actually had to dangle there momentarily while my partner swung his legs out of the plane. Seconds later we were hurling to the earth at 200 km’s per hour in a freefall with arms, legs and bodies tumbling over one another (I’m fairly sure we did some kind of summersault - perhaps a few). Gotta admit – it was a bit of an adrenalin rush blur. Chris pulled the chute and then proceeded to be a skydiving tour guide of New Zealand for me. We were up so high we could see BOTH coasts of NZ. He pointed out Mount Doom and the other highest peak of NZ. We were higher than both of them. He talked about the fresh water lake beneath us and other local niceties. Not gonna lie – I actually don’t remember everything he said – I was just abundantly happy that the “flight” was playing out as he said it would. The landing was textbook and the rest is documented very well in a video. I am actually thrilled we did it – checked off one of my own personal bucket list items :) The spontaneity, adrenalin rush, breathtaking views of NZ and sheer joy at the experience made the adventure beyond worthwhile.
Where do you go from there? Back into our lovely green vehicle and continuing up the shore of Lake Taupo. A brief stop to enjoy the wild life up close and personal and for me to get bitten by a black swan (long story), we then dropped into a famous tourist site to view the Huka Falls – some EXTREMELY fast moving water that channels down a short gorge and drops 11 meters into the river that drains out of Lake Taupo. WHERE was my kayak when I needed it!!!! Just joking ... although, some nuts have actually traversed the intense rapids and waterfall and lived to tell the tale. This is also the place where Tourism NZ set up a booth to record free “video-postcards” to send to friends. I have it posted, along with some choice pics, on FB for those of you who want to see it. Very cool idea and technology! After trekking around the waterfall in the mid-day sun, the call of LakeTaupo could no longer be resisted. We donned our bathing suits and proceed to take a plunge in the most refreshing, clear, delightfully satisfying fresh water lake I have been in for months – even nicer than our Canadian Muskoka lakes – yep – I said Muskoka lakes – get the picture yet?
Finally headed back to the car for last leg of the day to Napier. Passed some gorgeous vistas of rolling hills and valleys dotted with NZ livestock. Discovered, to our amazement and delight, that our hotel in Napier is located directly on the beach – that means tonight we will have the sound of the South Pacific Ocean waves lapping at the shore to lull us to sleep. Does it get any better than this? Hard to beat even on the best of the best of days!
A few factoids for those who need to know:
- NZ has the highest number of flightless birds in the world – go figure!
- Lake Taupo was once a volcano that last erupted in 186 AD and is big enough to fit Singapore inside it
- You can freefall drop from a plane 7000 feet in 45 seconds
- Population of NZ 4.1 million people – 47million sheep – 70 million possums
- NZ has no squirrels ... which means it was likely a possum that ran across my roof this morning – good thing I didn’t go look!
Finally, what I learned today:
- It’s very important to look to the right AND the left when crossing roads in NZ – I’m still fairly backwards in my driving orientation – some scary close calls
- Some of the best laid plans are no plans at all
- Some of the least expensive and most tasty meals can be found at the “Returned Serviceman’s Association” aka in Canada - the local Legion!
- Oh ... and one more ... having a "happy place" to go to in your mind enables you to do the most illogical, non-conformist, life-on-the-edge adventures that most sane people only dream about!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Country roads ... take me home ... to the place I belong!
Mmmmm .... today was definitely an mmm... kind of day. The kind of day you want to savour and imprint and remember forever. No sooner did we pack up all our worldly goods and throw them into the back of our trusty camry (something refreshingly simple about that) then we hit the road and headed for the coast. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good “pulsating” city as much as the next person, however, if I had a choice between that and drinking in the natural beauty of sand, sea, sky and trees .... well, is there really a choice? Natural beauty wins out EVERY time. And New Zealand does NOT disappoint.
We quickly opened the map to gather a few bearings that would send us in the general direction of the coast, then we promptly closed it and allowed our spirit of adventure to take us off the beaten path towards the sea. Turns out it was a good move as we quickly discovered that though NZ has spent some considerable effort charting beautifully clear maps to aid in directions, they seem to have run out of money for signage on the roads indicating (read reassuring!) confirmation of corresponding locations. More often than not, our travels started on 2-lane paved roads, however, they quickly led to one-lane gravel roads and in some scary cases. led to dirt paths better suited for walking than driving – all on the edge of cliffs with no barricades and little humanity to assist in case of emergencies. Memories of Hawaii came swirling back in my mind as we creeped along a coastline with hairpin turns, emerald green water, black rocky cliffs cascading down to white sandy shorelines and tropical vegetation reaching onto the road or hanging overtop our vehicle as we travelled along. Not gonna lie ... the reward of breathtaking vistas and penetrating natural beauty made up for any moments of “how are we going to get back” feelings that I had to suppress every once in a while. Highlights of the journey ... we found THE best place in NZ to surf and though briefly tempted to do so, we opted instead to wander out to the water and dip our toes in the Tasman Sea (well ... John went all in as usual and I documented it with pictures). The tide was completely out so we had to walk for quite a way over the burning hot sand and out onto the sea bed floor before reaching water. I was struck by the pristine cleanliness of the sand and seabed – no driftwood, rocks, garbage or even shells – just miles and miles of whitish/grey, soft silted sand – so fine it would fly away in the breeze the moment I attempted to lift it up in my hand. I was also struck by the feelings of space within the miles of natural, unspoiled beauty – although there were quite a few people around, the coastline was so vast, there was more a sense that we were the only ones on the beach directly contrasting the often overcrowded, commercialized beaches in some tropical resorts. It was so refreshing and soul-filling. Yep – there is no substitute for unspoiled, natural beauty – it can’t be fabricated by humanity no matter how hard we try - the “real deal” satisfies like nothing else.
We continued on our journey along the coast and hit one final spot before heading inland to the mountains. Bridal Veil Falls was so worth the brief trek through the bush to view. 55 meters of cascading white water delighted our senses. The coolest part was we were able to view this natural beauty from three vantage points. The first stop had us literally standing overtop the water fall watching it come out the little stream, flood over the rock cliff and crash down to a pool of water 55 meters or so below us. You can’t be afraid of heights from this view .... it literally was mind over matter as I stepped to the edge of the viewing platform and recognized there was only some very flimsy metal mesh preventing me from plunging to my certain death in the beauty of the crystal clear water J Good thing my mind was working well this day! Next vantage point allowed us to see the full impact of the falls from a bit of a distance – and yes much to our viewing delight – there were rainbows abounding. The final vantage point had us looking up the falls from the bottom. Wow .... that’s all I can say .... WOW!
Back on the road and after several “wrong” turns later, we made our way inland towards the mountainous region of NZ and our resting stop for the night. The landscape reminded me very much of the foothills of Alberta or the Kamloops region of BC – extremely hilly and dotted with specs of fluffy white sheep or black cows. We have determined that it would suck to be a cow in NZ – most of your life you are standing sideways on a hill – it’s got to be a killer on the joints! The hillside, we were told by a local, is uncharacteristically brownish instead of lush green this time of year. NZ hasn’t seen rain in 3 weeks and the temperatures are hovering around 30 degrees – very unusual for this part of the island – normal temps throughout the year get as low as 10 degrees in the winter and 25 degrees in the summer. The upside of this heat though is an offsetting gentle breeze that is constantly flowing off the water. And it is really quite a “dry heat” – not the energy sapping humidity found in Ottawa. Of course, we just smile and nod when the locals “complain” about the weather - seems to be a universal phenomenon. They have no idea what it’s like to deal with the -30 degree weather we left behind – this is paradise for us!
Yep - it was an mmmm ... kind of day – definitely mmmm:)
What I learned today:
· Eating freshly picked field berries (strawberries) in February is imminently more satisfying and a treat not quickly forgotten by this Canadian
· Trust your instincts to take you to places you need to see – it will never steer you wrong
· Treasure the simply things in life
We quickly opened the map to gather a few bearings that would send us in the general direction of the coast, then we promptly closed it and allowed our spirit of adventure to take us off the beaten path towards the sea. Turns out it was a good move as we quickly discovered that though NZ has spent some considerable effort charting beautifully clear maps to aid in directions, they seem to have run out of money for signage on the roads indicating (read reassuring!) confirmation of corresponding locations. More often than not, our travels started on 2-lane paved roads, however, they quickly led to one-lane gravel roads and in some scary cases. led to dirt paths better suited for walking than driving – all on the edge of cliffs with no barricades and little humanity to assist in case of emergencies. Memories of Hawaii came swirling back in my mind as we creeped along a coastline with hairpin turns, emerald green water, black rocky cliffs cascading down to white sandy shorelines and tropical vegetation reaching onto the road or hanging overtop our vehicle as we travelled along. Not gonna lie ... the reward of breathtaking vistas and penetrating natural beauty made up for any moments of “how are we going to get back” feelings that I had to suppress every once in a while. Highlights of the journey ... we found THE best place in NZ to surf and though briefly tempted to do so, we opted instead to wander out to the water and dip our toes in the Tasman Sea (well ... John went all in as usual and I documented it with pictures). The tide was completely out so we had to walk for quite a way over the burning hot sand and out onto the sea bed floor before reaching water. I was struck by the pristine cleanliness of the sand and seabed – no driftwood, rocks, garbage or even shells – just miles and miles of whitish/grey, soft silted sand – so fine it would fly away in the breeze the moment I attempted to lift it up in my hand. I was also struck by the feelings of space within the miles of natural, unspoiled beauty – although there were quite a few people around, the coastline was so vast, there was more a sense that we were the only ones on the beach directly contrasting the often overcrowded, commercialized beaches in some tropical resorts. It was so refreshing and soul-filling. Yep – there is no substitute for unspoiled, natural beauty – it can’t be fabricated by humanity no matter how hard we try - the “real deal” satisfies like nothing else.
We continued on our journey along the coast and hit one final spot before heading inland to the mountains. Bridal Veil Falls was so worth the brief trek through the bush to view. 55 meters of cascading white water delighted our senses. The coolest part was we were able to view this natural beauty from three vantage points. The first stop had us literally standing overtop the water fall watching it come out the little stream, flood over the rock cliff and crash down to a pool of water 55 meters or so below us. You can’t be afraid of heights from this view .... it literally was mind over matter as I stepped to the edge of the viewing platform and recognized there was only some very flimsy metal mesh preventing me from plunging to my certain death in the beauty of the crystal clear water J Good thing my mind was working well this day! Next vantage point allowed us to see the full impact of the falls from a bit of a distance – and yes much to our viewing delight – there were rainbows abounding. The final vantage point had us looking up the falls from the bottom. Wow .... that’s all I can say .... WOW!
Back on the road and after several “wrong” turns later, we made our way inland towards the mountainous region of NZ and our resting stop for the night. The landscape reminded me very much of the foothills of Alberta or the Kamloops region of BC – extremely hilly and dotted with specs of fluffy white sheep or black cows. We have determined that it would suck to be a cow in NZ – most of your life you are standing sideways on a hill – it’s got to be a killer on the joints! The hillside, we were told by a local, is uncharacteristically brownish instead of lush green this time of year. NZ hasn’t seen rain in 3 weeks and the temperatures are hovering around 30 degrees – very unusual for this part of the island – normal temps throughout the year get as low as 10 degrees in the winter and 25 degrees in the summer. The upside of this heat though is an offsetting gentle breeze that is constantly flowing off the water. And it is really quite a “dry heat” – not the energy sapping humidity found in Ottawa. Of course, we just smile and nod when the locals “complain” about the weather - seems to be a universal phenomenon. They have no idea what it’s like to deal with the -30 degree weather we left behind – this is paradise for us!
Yep - it was an mmmm ... kind of day – definitely mmmm:)
What I learned today:
· Eating freshly picked field berries (strawberries) in February is imminently more satisfying and a treat not quickly forgotten by this Canadian
· Trust your instincts to take you to places you need to see – it will never steer you wrong
· Treasure the simply things in life
Left, Left ... Ahhhh! Stay on the LEFT!
Flavourful – that’s the word that comes to mind when I think of day 2.
It started early – very early. 1:30 am my eyes popped open and everything in my body was raring to go. The problem was ...the rest of the country was just crawling into bed for the night.
I forced myself to doze in and out of sleep for another hour and a half until I could resist no more. 3:00 am it was – my feet hit the floor and the only thing I was able to do in the pitch black darkness was to quietly begin this travel journal.
Sunrise eventually came and 7am had us waiting outside our hotel door for the shuttle driver to take us to the airport. We needed to do one final leg of the journey to take us to Auckland, NZ for a few days before we boarded our ship. An invigorating 1hr ride through the back alleys of Sydney with an overconfident shuttle driver got my adrenalin flowing. That was thankfully followed by a quick and uneventful 3 hr flight to another beautiful location on the North Island of New Zealand.
First order of business was to secure a vehicle that would transport us for the next 4 days. Oh, did I mention, New Zealanders and Aussies drive on the left-hand side of the road. Main goal of this adventure today was to acclimatize quickly to a new way of driving, stay left, and pray – lotsa prayer! Word to the wise ... left-handed driving is not for the faint of heart, weary of body or mind, or seriously sleep deprived human. John’s job was to sit behind the wheel and stay alert. My job was to keep the driver calm, verbally remind him to keep to the left, and navigate – yep, did I say navigate? Big mistake! Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am directionally challenged at the best of times. Ya – so because of my great skill at going the opposite direction we are suppose to, we ended up taking the scenic route through Auckland and surrounding neighbourhoods. Didn’t someone once say life is about the journey – not the destination? Well, I have taken that to heart quite literally and consequently have enjoyed a few great journey’s in my day.
Finally arrived at our next place of rest (I use that term loosely). Downtown Auckland. We hit the streets quickly to catch the essence of where we were. Turns out we were very close to Chinatown. Here’s where the flavourful part of the day comes into play. Of course, when in Chinatown, we need to eat like the locals ... and so we did – I think. We found an amazing “hole in the wall” sushi place that offered the most beautiful, flavourful fare I have savoured in a while. Don’t ask me what it was ... no idea .... probably better off not knowing. Definitely a feast for all my five senses. After satisfying our palates with exotic delicacies we continued on our journey deep into the heart of Chinatown We discovered a vibrant area of town teeming with life, noise, color and sound. Boisterous youth cat calling back and forth to each other, wary shop keepers surveying the hoards of humanity herding past their windows, gaggles of giddy girls linked arm in arm and moving as a solid pack of felines, music blasting through open door night clubs – enticing passers-by to join the excitement inside and, of course, the ever present brilliant red Chinese lanterns hanging from every lamppost on the street in preparation for the Chinese new year festivities. Yep – this place had a heartbeat and a pulsating rhythm lively enough to wake the dead (or massively sleep deprived). As “luck” would have it – all this excitement was percolating just outside the window of our hotel room and continued well into the wee hours of the morning – hence my earlier reference to why I loosely call this a place of rest J Oh well, the day will be remembered fondly for all the flavours imbedded in my brain. And life is nothing if not seasoned with unique flavours to spice things up a bit.
Things I learned:
· My husband is a cool cucumber under intense pressure – of course I already knew that, but just had it re-confirmed – he is married to me after all :)
· When your hairdryer turns orange with green flames shooting out – turn it off quickly!
· People can communicate with each other regardless of language barrier – animation and smiles assist greatly in the process
It started early – very early. 1:30 am my eyes popped open and everything in my body was raring to go. The problem was ...the rest of the country was just crawling into bed for the night.
I forced myself to doze in and out of sleep for another hour and a half until I could resist no more. 3:00 am it was – my feet hit the floor and the only thing I was able to do in the pitch black darkness was to quietly begin this travel journal.
Sunrise eventually came and 7am had us waiting outside our hotel door for the shuttle driver to take us to the airport. We needed to do one final leg of the journey to take us to Auckland, NZ for a few days before we boarded our ship. An invigorating 1hr ride through the back alleys of Sydney with an overconfident shuttle driver got my adrenalin flowing. That was thankfully followed by a quick and uneventful 3 hr flight to another beautiful location on the North Island of New Zealand.
First order of business was to secure a vehicle that would transport us for the next 4 days. Oh, did I mention, New Zealanders and Aussies drive on the left-hand side of the road. Main goal of this adventure today was to acclimatize quickly to a new way of driving, stay left, and pray – lotsa prayer! Word to the wise ... left-handed driving is not for the faint of heart, weary of body or mind, or seriously sleep deprived human. John’s job was to sit behind the wheel and stay alert. My job was to keep the driver calm, verbally remind him to keep to the left, and navigate – yep, did I say navigate? Big mistake! Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am directionally challenged at the best of times. Ya – so because of my great skill at going the opposite direction we are suppose to, we ended up taking the scenic route through Auckland and surrounding neighbourhoods. Didn’t someone once say life is about the journey – not the destination? Well, I have taken that to heart quite literally and consequently have enjoyed a few great journey’s in my day.
Finally arrived at our next place of rest (I use that term loosely). Downtown Auckland. We hit the streets quickly to catch the essence of where we were. Turns out we were very close to Chinatown. Here’s where the flavourful part of the day comes into play. Of course, when in Chinatown, we need to eat like the locals ... and so we did – I think. We found an amazing “hole in the wall” sushi place that offered the most beautiful, flavourful fare I have savoured in a while. Don’t ask me what it was ... no idea .... probably better off not knowing. Definitely a feast for all my five senses. After satisfying our palates with exotic delicacies we continued on our journey deep into the heart of Chinatown We discovered a vibrant area of town teeming with life, noise, color and sound. Boisterous youth cat calling back and forth to each other, wary shop keepers surveying the hoards of humanity herding past their windows, gaggles of giddy girls linked arm in arm and moving as a solid pack of felines, music blasting through open door night clubs – enticing passers-by to join the excitement inside and, of course, the ever present brilliant red Chinese lanterns hanging from every lamppost on the street in preparation for the Chinese new year festivities. Yep – this place had a heartbeat and a pulsating rhythm lively enough to wake the dead (or massively sleep deprived). As “luck” would have it – all this excitement was percolating just outside the window of our hotel room and continued well into the wee hours of the morning – hence my earlier reference to why I loosely call this a place of rest J Oh well, the day will be remembered fondly for all the flavours imbedded in my brain. And life is nothing if not seasoned with unique flavours to spice things up a bit.
Things I learned:
· My husband is a cool cucumber under intense pressure – of course I already knew that, but just had it re-confirmed – he is married to me after all :)
· When your hairdryer turns orange with green flames shooting out – turn it off quickly!
· People can communicate with each other regardless of language barrier – animation and smiles assist greatly in the process
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Land Down Under
Hey Everyone,
I have heard from at least a dozen of you that travelling to the land of AUZ/NZ is on your wish list/bucket list/must do in this life-time, etc.,etc.,etc. Well, in the spirit of generosity, I've decided to "live out loud" with this adventure and take you along via travel blog. Know that I am doing this simply to share the adventure with you through my eyes. I am in no way an expert on this, simply a fellow traveller hoping to encourage you to tick off your list an adventure to the other side of the world. So pack your imagination bags and come along. I have no idea where we'll end up, but at least we can go there together :) Enjoy!
February 5,2009
Well, we have finally touched down in the land of OZ – 25 years, 28 hrs and one tenacious sniffer dog later. The flights were surprisingly pleasant and, though the final 15 hr leg from LA to Sydney was originally feared as potentially “death” for me, it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant – having slept for a majority of it and also being fed some surprisingly tasty food for “free” by an airline – which I haven’t encountered since, well I can’t remember when!
First impressions of Australia – flying over it – beautiful lush greens on the coast with miles of deserted, white sand beaches. Stepping off the plane – hit by a wall of tropical heat (31 degrees Celsius- didn’t help that I was still wearing fleece!), palm trees and tropical vegetation abound. The people –very friendly, gregarious, teasing, helpful, beautiful (seriously – tanned and buff!) and generally quite pleasant. First order of business was to clear “quarantine” (AUS version of customs) – John had an apple at the bottom of his backpack that a deceptively cute beagle/sniffer dog would not give up on. Well, you thought he had found a bomb! John had to sheepishly stand there while the inspector unloaded the full contents of his backpack in the middle of the airport floor and then proceeded to profusely praise and reward the little beagle as if it had found the buried treasure of gold (well, it was a golden apple, so maybe warranted). Anyway, that special find delayed our entry into this land by about an hour or so as we had to now go through various special lines/x-rays, questioning, etc. Fortunately, we didn’t have to pay the 250.00 fine that is usually slapped onto guilty fruit smuggling bandits. Suffice it to say, Aussies are very protective of their island – and rightly so – I guess. I actually support due diligence – just not when it involves me – directly or indirectly - or after I expressly warned John to remove any food from his carryon before we hit quarantine :)
After a rather warm ride to our hotel, we were told there had been a flood in our reserved room and arrangements had been made for a hotel room a block up the street - which ended up being an upgrade – so no complaints! Quick change of clothes and we hit the streets of Sydney with the full enthusiasm, wonder and delight of explorers encountering a new land. After sitting for far too long on airplanes we opted to walk to the botanical gardens and head to the harbour front, where the famous Sydney Opera House is located. It was a great choice:) The golden sun was brilliantly shining in a cloudless blue sky- kissing our lily white Canadian skin with warmth and, in my case, significant shades of red:), a gentle breeze was blowing up from the water to cool our rapidly rising body temperatures, tropical smells from the beautiful public botanical gardens wafted through our noses, sights of couples cuddling under huge Banyan trees, readers curled up on wooden benches engrossed in their latest great novel, and glistening bodies jogging, walking and talking along the breathtaking views of the harbour front assisted greatly in resurrecting the long forgotten, cob-webbed memories of all that is spectacular about summer days. I love walking barefoot through soft green grass (especially in February!) until I suddenly remembered that 12 of the worlds deadliest critters call Australia their home. Note to self: Stay on the well worn beaten path. No telling where those spiders, ants, snakes, etc. are lurking - I've heard they are especially fond of naive north american tourists!
We leisurely took our time heading towards the opera house. The wait and the walk were worth it. The Opera House is indeed one of the most unique buildings I have encountered to date – such imagination in the creation of it all. The entire outside (the white part of it) is actually just whitish, 6”X6” ceramic tiles! Seriously! And you thought your bathroom reno was a headache to complete! The idea behind it is low-maintenance – all they need to do is wait for a heavy rain and the entire outside of the building is squeaky clean. Brilliant! One surprise was the amount of steps leading up to the entrance of the Opera House – very reminiscent of the St. Joseph’s oratory in Montreal (for those of you who have been there) – or about 100 steps or so for those of you who haven’t been there. It seems like it is built on a hill – and you need to climb it to get inside! The other thing that was a surprise was the cost for all of the tours inside the building – we are talking just a “walk around tour” – ridiculous! So, we decided that we would simply step inside the building to use the facilities and take some pictures of the really cool washrooms – just to say we were there:) (we travel on the cheap remember?) Actually, there was nothing playing that day and we could peek in the windows from the outside to get a good view of what the inside was like – so why drop some coin to see the same thing available to you with a little creative effort. We were happy with that:)
After a brief respite, we headed back towards our hotel room to re-group a bit. Along the way, we popped into a magnificent, gigantic Catholic Cathedral, St. Mary’s, just to sit for a moment and take in awe and splendour of the glorious craftsmanship. It was all very reminiscent of the European beauties – big, ornate, humbling, sacred feeling. It never ceases to amaze me to think of the perseverance, creativity and ingenuity of humanity to build such incredible master pieces without the aid of modern day machinery. Hmmm.... kinda makes you wonder what our legacy will be from 2009. Regardless, it was a gloriously reverent pause to cap off a phenomenal afternoon.
Once we arrived back at the hotel – we crashed – literally. The intent was to rest a bit and head out for some night life – but we never woke up until 3:00 am – Oh well, these Canadian bodies will get with the swing of things soon enough!
Three things I have learned on day one:
1. All you need to do is stop – open up a map – stand there – and you will be surrounded by Aussies offering their assistance to guide you in the right direction. (5 times in the span of a couple of hours). As a woman, I found that quite comforting. From the male perspective, however, John was quite insulted:) You know how it is with guys asking directions!
2. The reason for John’s internal compass not working as efficiently as normal – we are in the southern hemisphere – shadows are cast on the opposite side of the trees, thereby throwing off his orientation of north and messing with his sense of direction. He tried to explain it to me – I just smiled and followed his lead. I’ll never get directional stuff – that’s why I married John :)
3. Human’s have a universal call to beauty – that’s why you’ll find them hanging out by the water, drinking in the lush flora, seeking out the peaceful spaces. It doesn’t matter what culture you are from –there is a deep satisfaction to experiencing natural beauty.
K - that's it for today ...more to follow!
I have heard from at least a dozen of you that travelling to the land of AUZ/NZ is on your wish list/bucket list/must do in this life-time, etc.,etc.,etc. Well, in the spirit of generosity, I've decided to "live out loud" with this adventure and take you along via travel blog. Know that I am doing this simply to share the adventure with you through my eyes. I am in no way an expert on this, simply a fellow traveller hoping to encourage you to tick off your list an adventure to the other side of the world. So pack your imagination bags and come along. I have no idea where we'll end up, but at least we can go there together :) Enjoy!
February 5,2009
Well, we have finally touched down in the land of OZ – 25 years, 28 hrs and one tenacious sniffer dog later. The flights were surprisingly pleasant and, though the final 15 hr leg from LA to Sydney was originally feared as potentially “death” for me, it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant – having slept for a majority of it and also being fed some surprisingly tasty food for “free” by an airline – which I haven’t encountered since, well I can’t remember when!
First impressions of Australia – flying over it – beautiful lush greens on the coast with miles of deserted, white sand beaches. Stepping off the plane – hit by a wall of tropical heat (31 degrees Celsius- didn’t help that I was still wearing fleece!), palm trees and tropical vegetation abound. The people –very friendly, gregarious, teasing, helpful, beautiful (seriously – tanned and buff!) and generally quite pleasant. First order of business was to clear “quarantine” (AUS version of customs) – John had an apple at the bottom of his backpack that a deceptively cute beagle/sniffer dog would not give up on. Well, you thought he had found a bomb! John had to sheepishly stand there while the inspector unloaded the full contents of his backpack in the middle of the airport floor and then proceeded to profusely praise and reward the little beagle as if it had found the buried treasure of gold (well, it was a golden apple, so maybe warranted). Anyway, that special find delayed our entry into this land by about an hour or so as we had to now go through various special lines/x-rays, questioning, etc. Fortunately, we didn’t have to pay the 250.00 fine that is usually slapped onto guilty fruit smuggling bandits. Suffice it to say, Aussies are very protective of their island – and rightly so – I guess. I actually support due diligence – just not when it involves me – directly or indirectly - or after I expressly warned John to remove any food from his carryon before we hit quarantine :)
After a rather warm ride to our hotel, we were told there had been a flood in our reserved room and arrangements had been made for a hotel room a block up the street - which ended up being an upgrade – so no complaints! Quick change of clothes and we hit the streets of Sydney with the full enthusiasm, wonder and delight of explorers encountering a new land. After sitting for far too long on airplanes we opted to walk to the botanical gardens and head to the harbour front, where the famous Sydney Opera House is located. It was a great choice:) The golden sun was brilliantly shining in a cloudless blue sky- kissing our lily white Canadian skin with warmth and, in my case, significant shades of red:), a gentle breeze was blowing up from the water to cool our rapidly rising body temperatures, tropical smells from the beautiful public botanical gardens wafted through our noses, sights of couples cuddling under huge Banyan trees, readers curled up on wooden benches engrossed in their latest great novel, and glistening bodies jogging, walking and talking along the breathtaking views of the harbour front assisted greatly in resurrecting the long forgotten, cob-webbed memories of all that is spectacular about summer days. I love walking barefoot through soft green grass (especially in February!) until I suddenly remembered that 12 of the worlds deadliest critters call Australia their home. Note to self: Stay on the well worn beaten path. No telling where those spiders, ants, snakes, etc. are lurking - I've heard they are especially fond of naive north american tourists!
We leisurely took our time heading towards the opera house. The wait and the walk were worth it. The Opera House is indeed one of the most unique buildings I have encountered to date – such imagination in the creation of it all. The entire outside (the white part of it) is actually just whitish, 6”X6” ceramic tiles! Seriously! And you thought your bathroom reno was a headache to complete! The idea behind it is low-maintenance – all they need to do is wait for a heavy rain and the entire outside of the building is squeaky clean. Brilliant! One surprise was the amount of steps leading up to the entrance of the Opera House – very reminiscent of the St. Joseph’s oratory in Montreal (for those of you who have been there) – or about 100 steps or so for those of you who haven’t been there. It seems like it is built on a hill – and you need to climb it to get inside! The other thing that was a surprise was the cost for all of the tours inside the building – we are talking just a “walk around tour” – ridiculous! So, we decided that we would simply step inside the building to use the facilities and take some pictures of the really cool washrooms – just to say we were there:) (we travel on the cheap remember?) Actually, there was nothing playing that day and we could peek in the windows from the outside to get a good view of what the inside was like – so why drop some coin to see the same thing available to you with a little creative effort. We were happy with that:)
After a brief respite, we headed back towards our hotel room to re-group a bit. Along the way, we popped into a magnificent, gigantic Catholic Cathedral, St. Mary’s, just to sit for a moment and take in awe and splendour of the glorious craftsmanship. It was all very reminiscent of the European beauties – big, ornate, humbling, sacred feeling. It never ceases to amaze me to think of the perseverance, creativity and ingenuity of humanity to build such incredible master pieces without the aid of modern day machinery. Hmmm.... kinda makes you wonder what our legacy will be from 2009. Regardless, it was a gloriously reverent pause to cap off a phenomenal afternoon.
Once we arrived back at the hotel – we crashed – literally. The intent was to rest a bit and head out for some night life – but we never woke up until 3:00 am – Oh well, these Canadian bodies will get with the swing of things soon enough!
Three things I have learned on day one:
1. All you need to do is stop – open up a map – stand there – and you will be surrounded by Aussies offering their assistance to guide you in the right direction. (5 times in the span of a couple of hours). As a woman, I found that quite comforting. From the male perspective, however, John was quite insulted:) You know how it is with guys asking directions!
2. The reason for John’s internal compass not working as efficiently as normal – we are in the southern hemisphere – shadows are cast on the opposite side of the trees, thereby throwing off his orientation of north and messing with his sense of direction. He tried to explain it to me – I just smiled and followed his lead. I’ll never get directional stuff – that’s why I married John :)
3. Human’s have a universal call to beauty – that’s why you’ll find them hanging out by the water, drinking in the lush flora, seeking out the peaceful spaces. It doesn’t matter what culture you are from –there is a deep satisfaction to experiencing natural beauty.
K - that's it for today ...more to follow!
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