Australia and New Zealand
Gale’s bucket list included a trip to Australia and New Zealand, so we planned it out and went. I kept a travel log of the trip. Hopefully
a few folks will be interested enough to read it.
January 31, 2017
Sydney
We flew business class both ways – expensive but worth it since the flights are 12 – 14 hours long.
We arrived in Sydney, were met promptly by our driver who took us to our hotel, the Intercontinental Sydney. Very nice hotel with a view of the Sydney harbor. We were in the hotel by 10:30 am, and our room wasn’t ready. We had booked
a club level room so we could go onto the Club Intercontinental on the 31st floor. The view from there was spectacular. Our room was ready in less than an hour; we dumped our stuff and went to the Taranga Zoo.
Gale wanted to see it, and even though we had just arrived and were spending three days in Sydney this was to be our only opportunity to go.
The hotel location is super. Two short blocks to the ferry docks which is how you get to
the zoo and pretty much everywhere in Sydney – on a ferry. We bought an Opal Card, which is like a credit card for all public transportation. We each put $10 on the cards, got on the ferry for the 15-minute ride to the Zoo.
I was somewhat disappointed by the zoo. It is not real well marked, the kangaroos were stuck out in right field, but are very cool, and there is lots of walking. We didn’t see the koalas as the main exhibit was closed and we missed
the talk and demo.
We were in the zoo about 3 ½ hours. Then we took the ferry back to the Circular Quay which is the main Sydney dock, walked back to our hotel, took showers, had an early dinner and went to bed.
In the morning Gale had booked a private walking tour of the Central Business District (CBD) of Sydney. Our guide was Michael Jarosky. He was very good. If anyone is interested contact Gale for his contact information.
We stopped in the lobby of the Customs House which has a large model of the CBD below you. It gives you a good understanding of what is where in the area. We toured The Rocks, which is George Street and surrounding areas. Lots of fun shops,
bakery, hot stores, outdoor markets, etc. This area used to be run down, seedy, don’t go, but is now the happening area. We had booked an 11:00 am tour of the Sydney Opera House. This is a must do if in Sydney. You get a good
feeling for the architecture, the difficulties in building it and the dedication it took for the city and the designers and construction teams and it is an UNESCO Heritage Site.
After the Opera House, we caught the ferry to Manly, which
is a burb of Sydney across the Bay. We had lunch at Hugo’s in Manley. I recommend it highly. Manley has a very nice beach where you can rent surf boards, paddle boats etc.
We had dinner at Manta which is on
finger Wharf at Wooloomooloo – not a typo or stuck key. Food was just ok and we had crying kids at the table next to us. There are about 10 restaurants next to each other on this trendy wharf.
Feb 4th,
we got up early and walked through sections of the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. This is a very large park right across the street from our hotel. The gardens are well maintained with hundreds of trees and plants, the Government House is at one
end of it, and is where the State Governor lives. It is open for tours at 10:00.
Staying at our hotel are many rugby teams. There is a world rugby tournament underway, the Rugby Sevens. Players from all over the world
are here. Big lads.
Also, I have not seen a single homeless person begging or sleeping, or graffiti or trash on the street.
It has been unusually hot and humid in Sydney. 38C = 100F is predicted
for tomorrow.
At 1:00 we were picked up by friends of friends who live in Sydney, Lynn and Nick. This was a real treat as they showed us Sydney through the eyes of someone who lives there. Nick drives an BMW 335i.
This is a very nice car. It should be, in Australia a new 335i costs $130k. Taxes were put in place to protect the local car industry increased the price by 2x or more. But now the local car industry is no more. But the taxes still are.
Our friends took us to the cliffs overlooking the ocean and the entrance to Sydney harbor. It is a spectacular view, not dissimilar to the entrance to San Francisco Bay but without the bridge. (Sydney does have a famous bridge, just not in this
location.) We then walked around Watsons Beach, and because it was so hot we had a beer in the Dunbar House at Watsons Beach. We then drove to another local famous beach, Bondi Beach but we didn’t walk around much because of the heat
and humidity. Then we drove to their air-conditioned house across the famous bridge to Mossman. Their house is lovely, multistoried in a very nice neighborhood. It has big windows and a large backyard jungle. It is apparently
very expensive even by California standards.
We visited for several hours and then went to dinner at the Bathers Pavilion in Balmoral Beach. I had an excellent local fish: barramundi. Fun fact: all
barramundi are born male, then turn into females when they are three to four years old. This means female barramundi can only be courted by younger men!
We took the ferry back to the Circular Quay, walked back to our hotel,
arriving at ~10:00. A very lovely day.
Feb 5th – 6th. On the ship
We got on our ship, the Celebrity Solstice at ~1:00pm. It
is a very large boat. It’s inaugural date was Nov 28, 2008 but it has very recently gone through a complete refurbishment. It is clean and new. It holds 2850 guests and is apparently full. It is 122,000 tons displacement, 1000
feet long, 121 feet beam, draught is 27 feet and it’s top cruising speed is 24 kts. It has more bars and places to eat than I can count. The sail away from Sydney was pretty spectacular: blue sky, enough clouds to make a nice sunset
behind the receding skyline of Sydney as we went through the bay entrance, which is guarded by rocky cliffs not unlike the entrance to SF bay, but without the bridge. We had dinner in the main dining room. I had prime rib, which was excellent.
Gale had veal spaghetti bolognaise. She liked it too. The wine was just ok. Kendell Jackson Pinot for me and an ok chard for Gale. We need to work on this.
We slept well in our very small room and had breakfast
in our room. We got ready to watch the Super Bowl in the main theater, showing live at 10:30 am on Monday. It was a very exciting game. The Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.
Feb 7th. Melbourne
We did an excursion. Left on a bus at ~9:00 and drove 55 Km to Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary. This was one of my favorite things we did on the
whole trip. We spent 1 ½ hours walking around and getting up close and personal with Australian animals. Kangaroos, several sizes and types. There were many koala bears in trees quite close to the walkways were on – good photo opportunities.
They eat eucalyptus leaves just like we have in CA. We saw wallabies so close that we could pet them. And there were Tasmanian Devils and duck billed platypus. I highly recommend this park. It is much better than the Taranga zoo in
Sydney.
We then drove further into the Yarra Valley, which is wine country, a little like the Napa Valley, but far fewer vineyards. We went to Rochford Vineyards for a tasting and lunch. We tasted a very nice sauvignon
blanc, a fair chardonnay, a marginal cab merlot blend. But they served a very good cab merlot blend with lunch. We had salmon which was good. Others at our table had beef which they found to be gamey and kind of tough, although it was
supposed to be filet.
The tour went through much of Melbourne on the way back. There are many architectural styles varying from old to new and from weird to wonderful. Gale wants me to point out that Federation
Square on the CBD is the place to stay, shop and dine in Melbourne.
Gale and I had a really fine meal in one of the specialty restaurants on the ship – the Tuscan Grill. Our table was at the extreme aft of the ship overlooking
the wake. I tracked our progress out of the harbor using my phone and Google maps. The route out from Melbourne is complicated and exits to the Tasman Sea through a narrow opening. Our waiter was impressed. The meal was outstanding
and we enjoyed Italian wines in prodigious quantities.
Feb 8th – 9th At sea on the way to New Zealand
We failed to set our clocks
ahead one hour so Gale missed her 9:30 spa appointment. Today is a sea day so missing a spa appointment isn’t a big deal. They rescheduled her for 3:00. The two day at sea trip from Australia to NZ was spent relaxing on the covered
pool area. It was very cool and windy in the other two outdoor pool areas. Gale got her spa treatment and said that it was great and very beneficial. I don’t get it.
Feb 10th
New Zealand
On the morning of the 10th we started our great overland adventure. It didn’t start great, I couldn’t find my toiletries which I had packed the night before so well that
they were lost, and then we couldn’t find our chip cards without which we were not going anywhere. Turns out Gale had secured them in one of her travel bags. Because we were almost late we forgot the phone chargers and our Canon camera.
Pictures of the excursion will be phone only. (Gale’s iPhone 6 does have a great camera, so that is good. Not so good is the fact that here phone and probably mine will die without charging.
Anyway, we made the
tender to go to Milford Sound. Spectacular scenery! Very green almost vertical glacial sculpted walls and deep blue water. Vertical waterfalls everywhere. This is one of the rainiest places in the world – 24 feet per year.
We were met by busses – there were 200 people on this tour in 5 busses, but split up going to somewhat different places so it didn’t seem too crowded anywhere – and drove a short distance to a spot where we went on a walk through rain forest,
ferns, moss covered trees and views of the sound. It was raining a little and there were small flying bugs so Gale stayed on the bus. We then drove a little further to “The Gorge” which was a water sculpted granite stream. Very
pretty and showed the power of water in the way the granite was smoothed and shaped. Then back on the bus to the top of the pass.
This whole area is glacial U shaped walls, quite high on both sides of the winding road.
There is snow or glaciers on all the peaks around us. Up and then more up we went to the mouth of a tunnel that was drilled through the granite. The tunnel was built in the 1930 – 1940 time frame, and made possible a road connecting Milford
sound on the west to the more populated and warmer eastern side of the NZ South Island.
There is lots of spectacular scenery, numerous photo stops along the way. The road descended to dryer and flatter farming land with many
sheep and cattle and deer farms.
We had lunch in Te Anau – lamb shanks peas and mashed potatoes. I am beginning to see a trend in vegetables in NZ: they like peas.
When we returned to the bus it wouldn’t
start. A mechanic was summoned who tried to jump start it. It turned over fine but wouldn’t start. I began to get involved and saw air getting into the glass bowl fuel water trap at the bottom of the fuel filter. Put a finger
over the drain, stopped the air leak and the bus started. The mechanic put electrical tape over the drain port, held in place by a cable tie and we were on our way.
We continued thru gentle rolling terrain, with high peaks
on both sides. This area would have been something to see 10,000 years ago when the glaciers were melting. The valley was obviously an ancient river bed at least ½ mile wide. (Why did the glaciers melt? Global warming –
but not man made. Is there something to learn from this?)
Anyway, we went to Arrowtown, a cute old gold mining town, and then on to Queenstown. We checked into our hotel, the Heritage and then went into town for a little shopping.
Green stone jewelry for Annie and others. This is a traditional stone carved by the Maori. It looks like the serpentine rock we have around our house in San Jose, but is harder. The name here is New Zealand Jade.
We
then boarded the oldest working coal fired river / lake cruiser in the world. It was built in 1911, the same year that the Titanic was launched. The ship is well preserved and quite smooth. It is named the Earnslaw and the lake at Queenstown
is Lake Wakatipu. We went over to Walter Peak Farm for a BBQ dinner and sheep dog/shearing demonstration. Walter Peak Farm is a miniature Buchart Gardens with flowers and manicured lawns. Very pretty. Finally, back on board the Earnslaw
and cruise back to Queenstown, a piano sing along and our hotel. 12:30 am. Up at 6:30 for breakfast and day two of the excursion.
We went to a bungee jumping site – an interesting and beautiful river gorge with
a high bridge over it from which people hurled themselves with lines tied to their feet. I didn’t do it! We then visited Gibbson Valley Winery. Good Riesling, ok Pinot Gris, fair Pinot Noir. I think it is too cold in this area,
at least this year for grapes to ripen correctly. The temperature was in the 60’s at 11::00. Then lunch, more bus riding and got to Dunedin at 5:00pm. Much very attractive 19th century architecture.
Dunedin was the main port in the South Island where all the gold and gold miners passed. Scottish in nature and weather. Cool and windy. Back to the ship. Tired.
Feb 12th..
Christchurch
Today we took a tour of Christchurch and another sheep dog and sheering demo. The bus ride from our port – Aharon to Christchurch took almost two hours when it should have been less than 1 ½ hrs. The
transmission was balky, also the guide/driver’s microphone didn’t work so we had no commentary. We didn’t have much time in Christchurch due to the slow bus, but we did get a good view of the earthquake damage. The second and most destructive
of two earthquakes inside of 6 months took place on Feb 22, 2011. 185 people were killed. There was widespread damage to central Christchurch. Many buildings were damaged and now there are still many buildings just fenced off, including the Cathedral
and there are many more undergoing renovations. Many more have been torn down. Upside – there are now lots of parking spaces.
The sheep station we visited was on the side of a hill, quite steep. They
use a mixed breed of dog to herd the sheep. Part hound and part ?? – not Australian sheep dog. The mixed breed has more stamina for running up and down the hills.
This countryside looks like our East Bay hills.
Golden grass and green trees, rolling hills and nice views. Very pretty.
New Zealand animals – Before the Europeans arrived there were no mammals, except for bats here. There were many birds, including the Moa,
which was a very large, 7 – 8 feet tall flightless bird. Except they were extensively hunted by the Maori and were extinct ~400 years ago. They apparently had the bad luck of tasting very good. There are many species of flightless
birds. They didn’t need to fly because there were no predators, and flying takes more energy than walking, and they lost the ability to fly. The Kiwi is the most famous example of this. There was only one specie of reptile, a small
lizard, and a few frogs. I find it interesting that there are so many ecological niches that are unfilled – like large herbivores. There is lots of grass, nothing to eat it. So the plants don’t have thorns or spikes. There are
no predatory or poisonous animals.
Feb 17th Wellington
This city is on the most southerly tip of the North Island. The weather is bad. Very windy and raining and
overcast. We cancelled our planned early morning cable car to the Botanical Gardens, city tour and exceptional views tour. Low clouds and wind would not have made this a very compelling tour.
By 1:00 it had stopped raining
and the clouds had lifted somewhat, it was still windy but we decided to go into town. Wellington is a fairly large city with a bustling CBD. There are major shops and high rise office buildings. We got there on a 5-minute shuttle bus ride.
We walked around and found the famous cable car to the top of the botanical gardens. $7.50 round trip. They make a big deal about the cable car. They apparently have never been to San Francisco. This one is a two car straight
shot up the hill in 5 minutes. As we were ready to descend after walking around and enjoying the view Gale decided that she had to use the restroom. We then got on the CC and began the descent. Gale discovered that she had left
her iPhone in the loo. We hopped off the CC at a mid point stop and got on the next car going up. Fortunately someone had found it and turned it in at the small restaurant at the top. Woo Hoo!
Back to the ship for
a snack, early dinner and the show. We have been to three shows. They are pretty good. Apparently there is a contingent of entertainers who make a living flying from port to port and ship to ship putting on shows. Sounds like a tough
life.
Feb. 14th Happy Valentine’s Day
An at sea day as we are on the way to Tauranga, on the east coast of the North Island.
Feb. 15th
Tauranga
We did an excursion that involved jet boats and sulfur springs. The jet boat was very much fun. It held ~20 people, had two 350cu in Chevrolet engines each making 400 HP. It is basically two big water pumps.
Each engine is driving a pump that spews 100 liters per second out the back. It has a very shallow draught with no propellers or keel. We roared up a narrow river that was surrounded by steep tropical forested walls. It often seemed
that we would hit a fallen log or snag, but at the last second the skilled driver would pitch it sideways and punch it and zoom out of the impending disaster. He did 360 degree spins, fast stops and starts and hit speeds above 40 mph. We got a
little wet but had big smiles.
We then went to Hells Gate, a sulfur volcanic area. The guide took us around and explained about bubbling pools and mud. George Bernard Shaw visited here about 100 years ago and named many
of the features. The Mauri let him because he apparently had learned how to speak Maori. Then back to the boat. Missed lunch again but made up for it by having a delicious dinner at the Tuscan Grill.
Feb. 16th
Bay of Islands.
It is raining. I did an excursion – ride bus to the Glow Worm caves. The cave is wet, has stalagmites and tites, but isn’t particularly pretty, mostly brown mud color. But the glow worms are
very cool. They live on the ceiling of the cave. When the guide turned the lights off they are really spectacular. They look like thousands of small blue LED lights. The worms are about 2 cm long and have a bioluminescent tail.
The worm hangs from the ceiling by a short web and dangles a longer web down. When a mosquito, gnat or small fly, being attracted by the light and gets stuck in the sticky web the worm pulls it up and eats the fly.
The worm
lives this way for 11 months, eating mosquitos that hatch in the cave’s water, or other flying bugs that get into the cave. It then spins a cocoon and turns into a fly. The fly spends the next three days finding a mate and laying eggs that
will hatch into worms to do it all over again. The flys don’t eat; they don’t even have a mouth. Actually many of them probably get stuck in other worm webs, and we know what happens then.
Gale did a different
excursion to a winery and a chocolate factory. We both went to an old house and mission church where the document was signed ending the British/Maori war. Pretty (wet) countryside.
Feb. 17th
Auckland
We got off the ship by 9:00. The cruise was over. We found our driver / guide in the mass of people at the dock. And he gave us a tour of Auckland. Big city, very interesting; lots to see and do. We
checked into our hotel, the Sofitel which was very modern. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time there as we had a 5:00am pickup for the ride to the airport for the 3 ½ hour plane ride to Sydney, where we had a 5 hr layover prior to catching
our Qantas flight back to SF. Business class all the way though so even the layover was ok. Free food, drinks and WiFi.
I recommend going to both Australia and New Zealand. We definitely enjoyed both the sights
and getting to know much more about the history and culture. A cruise like the one we went on is very convenient, and as we did, can be coupled with extensive land tours at every port so you do see much of the country interior, at least New Zealand.
Australia is as big as the continental US so seeing it takes a more concentrated effort than we put into it on this trip. Maybe later down the road.