KIA ORA (Welcome to New Zealand): Auckland October 7-10, 2010

Downtown Auckland

AUCKLAND

At the same time Pacific and cosmopolitan in flavor, with a sparkling though wind-blown harbor, scenic hillsides, wineries, boutiques, cafes, and art galleries, AUCKLAND was the perfect synthesis for the last leg of our trip.

It had been a wild ride all along, so we thought, why not cap the experience with an indulgent passion?  Thus, in the Fish Market, past thru the courtyard, and into the new exciting Auckland attraction called Big Picture Wine, we participated in an interactive wine adventure that began in the Aroma Room, enabling us to appreciate the language of wine.  Then, we viewed the 30-minute film that flew us over Auckland’s spectacular landscape and on to six - yes, six! - wineries within the region.  It was a creatively unique way of having the winemakers onscreen to join us for a personalized tasting of their wine.  As the euphoria of enjoying the rich, fruity aromas of the six featured red wines had set in, the rest of this paragraph would be unfinished...

Our final days were spent soberly browsing New Zealand’s collection displays at the AUCKLAND ART GALLERY and viewing rare Maori taonga (treasures) at the AUCKLAND MUSEUM.  We gazed at intricately-carved wood tikis and colorful weaving that covered a hotunui (Maori ancestral house) inside and out.  We ogled at tall pou whakarae (carved stockade posts) that featured the characteristic warrior-stance of glaring eyes and a stuck-out tongue.

Inside Maori ancestral house

Maori warriors intimidating enemy

 We learned a few things from this trip, among other things - that discarded things are thrown in the rubbish (garbage), milk is either full or slim, food ordered out is take-away, one punts in gondola boats and rides the lift (elevator), tap water is potable, Aussies and Kiwis are very friendly people, and that the best souvenirs of a trip are its memories (and maybe a carved shell heitiki pendant).

But as with everything else, all things must come to an end.  Besides, as Erma Bombeck says, it is time to go home once you start looking like your passport picture - so for now we say, KA KITE (goodbye in Maori)!

Wanna rumble?

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KIA ORA (Welcome to New Zealand): Christchurch October 3-7, 2010

The Garden City of CHRISTCHURCH

It took a while to get to CHRISTCHURCH, but the spectacular views on the way were a bountiful consolation.

A three-hour ferry ride on the waters of Cook Strait brought us from Wellington to Picton.  Out of Picton, we continued on with a five-hour transcoastal train ride traversing what was called the “real New Zealand.”  We were treated to picturesque sights crossing the Wairau Plains, over a pass to the coast of the Pacific Ocean that was lapping the rocky shores on one side of the train, past snow-capped mountains on the other side, went under 21 tunnels and crossed 175 bridges, then onto the lush farmland of Canterbury, and across the braided river of Waimakariri.  Finally, gliding past well-manicured suburban gardens, we knew that we had arrived.

First stop was the CATHEDRAL SQUARE - a hub of hawkers, bagpipe players, a jazz singer, a mini-bungee-trampoline attraction, chess enthusiasts strategizing their moves using life-size chess figures, and food stalls.  Radiating from the square were spokes of streets that were lined with shops, bars, restaurants, and sundry business buildings.

Giant chess match at Cathedral Square

Lording over it all at the center of the square was the CATHEDRAL, a stunning gothic edifice built in 1881.  Two large crosses that had slid down the wall of a back room and a scaffolding at the altar area were the only visible signs of damage from a recent earthquake.

All within walking distance were various sites of note.  At the CANTERBURY MUSEUM, we viewed intricate wooden carvings, tools, and weapons of the Aotearoa Maori settlers; and saw skeletal remains of the now extinct giant flightless moa bird, dioramas of rare and extinct native birds, marine reptiles, and fossils.

At the ARTS CENTRE, we negotiated interior passageways toward various artist studios where high-quality and equally high-priced New Zealand-made pottery, weavings, carvings, sculpture, and stitched fabric were on display.

A few buildings down was the ART GALLERY, a quasi-Louvre/Crystal Cathedral glass building that was impressively light and spacious, housing traditional as well as quirky-funky/, my-child-could-have-drawn-that kind of art.

To us, the city’s striking features were its expansive stretches of flora and greenery along sidewalks, on house fronts, and eminently at the 500-acre HAGLEY PARK and the BOTANIC GARDENS - the latter brilliantly colored by heathers, daffodils, primula, giant azaleas, magnolias, cherry blossom trees in full bloom, and a host of others.  The garden was a crazy patchwork of fountains, several duck ponds, nooks, meandering pathways that had seemed to go nowhere but ended in “secret” gardens, a hidden bower of a giant tree inside of which children hid and swung from smaller branches, and many more areas that we did not explore. 

In retrospect, we thought that after braving the prospect of what could happen while staying on the site of a caldera, hearing stories about volcanic eruptions that had formed the areas that we visited, experiencing earthquakes (even if simulated), and valiantly facing some days of blustery weather, do we dare try our luck with an Arctic adventure?  Christchurch, after all, was known as the gateway to Antarctica.

As the Penguin Bus dropped us off the ANTARCTIC CENTRE, we knew that there was no going back.  How was it?  It was a most enticing, exciting, and “ex-chill-arating” experience - seeing 26 Little Blue penguins, known as the world’s smallest penguin.  There was just something magical about them - stretching tiny wings in a yawn, wobbling knock-kneed, carrying on with their swimming antics, or taking time out to be hand-fed like babies.

There was the magnificent audiovisual of a seasonal arc from sunrise to sunset, interwoven with stunning shots from a camera mounted on the underside of a helicopter. 

The most thrilling of all? -  entering an ice crystal cave, being blasted by an antarctic blizzard, riding the steps of an ice shelf, and being blown away by 24 mph winds and frozen to the fingertips by -18 degree Centigrade temperature (do the math on that in Fahrenheit).

But we Zonies survived, rewarding ourselves afterward with the culinary delight of 2.2 lbs. of mussels steamed in white wine, celery, leek, and thyme at the 1920’s styled Belgian Café.  With a side of crispy fries served with mayonnaise and a glass of Hoegaarden beer, lunch by the window with a view of the Avon river made for a perfect afternoon.

Tomorrow, on the final leg of our vacation, we’ll be going round circle - back to AUCKLAND to savor its sparkling harbor and off-shore islands, beaches, and wineries!  Did we say… wineries??!!  Ah, yes.  Wine, glorious wine!  

KIA ORA (Welcome to New Zealand): Wellington October 1-3, 2010

About the only similarity Wellington has to Hongkong is its curved harbor surrounded  by hillsides dotted with houses and elegant high-rises. 

As we made the trek toward the BOTANIC GARDEN, surveying the scenery around, we noted that Wellington was actually very picturesquely verdant, broken up by multi-level areas occupied by a variety of buildings and offices. Negotiating a winding road bedecked on either side with historic tombstones, we soon came upon  the leafy enclaves of the garden.  Although the roses corralled in 106 formal beds were not in bloom yet, the riot of colors from tulips and flowering trees everywhere was dazzling.

Flower people still around?

The PARLIAMENT building, just a few blocks from our suite, was a curiosity.  Shaped like a beehive with a puny flag atop, it looked like a bonnet that Olive Oyl would have sported.  Indoors, very impressive was the Maori Affairs Committee Room which was ornately decorated with wooden carvings and native weavings.  However, down in its basement was a most interesting sight - the building foundation that sat on rubber bearings.  Using the noted base isolation technique, the building will actually be able to move up to 12 inches sideways, thus reducing the impact of an earthquake.

At the Parliament building

Wellington’s cultural jewel, in our mind, was the TE PAPA TONGAREWA museum.  Reputedly one of the largest national museums in the world, it did not fail to impress with the variety of inter-active and audio-visual media in which artifacts and migrant stories of the New Zealand peoples were presented.  We felt the tremor of an earthquake, walked barefoot on the floor of a wharenui (house structure), saw the carcass of a colossal squid specimen, and experienced a walk-on satellite map of New Zealand that triggered images.

Maori carving at museum

To CHRISTCHURCH it will be tomorrow!

KIA ORA (Welcome to New Zealand): Napier September 29-October 1, 2010

NAPIER, like the phoenix, rose from the ashes of a destructive earthquake in 1931 that demolished the entire town and nearby Hastings.

Surveying the scene during a walking tour, we were impressed by the rows of elegant art deco and Spanish mission-style buildings and sunken gardens that were bountiful with daffodils and blooming spring annuals.  The renovated landscape was surely a far cry from the images that were displayed on a street corner sign commemorating the devastation.

Municipal Theatre

Equally impressive was the broad expanse of Hawke’s Bay that curved along the town.  Although the morning was cold and gray, we could see yonder the glistening promise of sea and surf.

The enticing array of unique boutiques and wineries divided our pursuits for the rest of the afternoon.  Window-shopping and small purchases were in order for the shopaholic (guess who?).  For the other, the adventure of what was alleged as “the ultimate wine experience” in the New Zealand Wine Centre became the chosen route.

Aaah.... glorious New Zealand pinot noir!

Tomorrow, we’re bound for WELLINGTON, reputedly a miniature Hongkong.  We’ll see about that!

KIA ORA (Welcome to New Zealand): Rotorua September 27-29, 2010

KIA ORA (Welcome to New Zealand)!

After a couple of bus rides from Auckland, the City of Sails, through Manukau, we touched down on  Rotorua.  Talk about living on the edge, literally: in Costa Rica, we stayed in an inn close to the foot of the rumbling and lava-spewing Arenal volcano; in Rotorua, we descended into a volcano’s mouth (caldera) that was the entire town!  We knew as soon as we smelled the characteristic sulphuric aroma that exciting things were to come.

For starters, we re-lived the volcanic tremor that the inhabitants of Rotorua experienced during the eruption of Tarawera Mountain in 1886, while watching the state-of-the-art cinema that was part of the Museum of Art and History tour.  We kid you not, at the exact retelling of the event, our seats rocked and swayed.  For a while, we thought that an actual eruption had occurred.

Rotorua Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw a preview of the treasures of the Te Arawa Maoris, the Bath House rooms that previously had been visited by people from all over the world  to indulge in the curative “electric baths” in which electric currents were fed into the mineral water.

Then, back to the hotel for a quick dip into its natural thermal pool - ahh, hot and relaxing - before immersing ourselves in indigenous Maori life later that day.

Hot hot hot mineral pool

The cultural experience was earthy, real, and raw.  In the actual village site of Mitai, we were face-to-face with tribal members who had canoed down in an ancient warrior waka (canoe).  In a natural bush setting, we learned about their art and at moko (tattoo art), were awed by displays of weaponry and combat, coupled with the grace of the poi dance and a spine-tingling haka finale.

Warrior canoe

War dance

The grand finale to it all - food, what else? - cooked hangi-style.  We feasted on ground-cooked lamb, chicken, and kumara potatoes, a variety of Polynesian salads, and desserts - the best of the latter being a visual feasting of the eyes on an outdoor gathering of glowworms.  In the sacred fresh water of the village, we had the magical experience of seeing tiny points of light shyly beaming their way into darkened waters.

This afternoon, we’re looking forward to yet another memorable time in Napier.

WALTZING AUSTRALIA: Sydney September 23-26, 2010

Sydney’s landscape is a cubistic study of intersecting lines and framed spaces brightened by glistening dots of light. 

We walked onto the footpath of the colossal 1, 650 foot-long Harbour Bridge, a monumental engineering feat when it was built in 1932, and were enveloped in its giant iron grids that formed a canopy over two sets of railway tracks, eight road lanes, a bikeway, and a footpath on both sides.

We stood in awe, from every possible angle - gazing at the glistening rind-like slices of the Sydney Opera House rooftop. 

Sydney Opera and Harbour Bridge

We delighted in the colorful patches of its China Town, the specialty shops on the Pitt Street Mall, and the open market at the Rock Square.  We saw glistening glimpses of water from the Bondi waterfront and enjoyed a ferry ride from the Circular Quay to Manly Beach.  We smelled the intoxicating flora and followed the rainforest walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens. 

"Chandeliers" at Royal Botanic Garden

We enjoyed the reunion with long-time St. John’s friends, Evelyn and Ben Liquete, now residents down under, and celebrated friendship with stories at a memorable dinner of signature dishes of beef rendang (Indonesian-style curry), Singapore noodles, chicken curry, and sticky-sweet and crunchy Szechuan eggplant that was so good it may just be the food of the gods.

With professional tour guides Ben and Evelyn Liquete

An ultimate treat on our last night in Sydney, one of the items off a bucket list, was to revel as an audience to the performance of Mozart’s opera Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) at the opera house.  We re-lived the bawdy atmosphere of a philandering count, the merry chase of a maid, the finale of restored relationship, and the triumph of love and marriage in a melange of much-ado-about-nothing, comedy-of-errors, all’s well that ends well sort of way.

This afternoon, we depart for the Polynesian paradise that is New Zealand!

WALTZING AUSTRALIA: Cairns September 20-23, 2010

Bound by Marlin Marina, Trinity Bay, and a backdrop of green mountains, Cairns, about three hours by plane from Melbourne, was a jewel of a city that seemed to be all about suntanned bodies promenading on the Esplanade, sunshine, pier shopping, sailing, sand, and shore.  But beneath the warm waters of the Great Barrier lay its true treasure.  During a memorable cruise on a five-star catamaran to Michaelmas Cay - while snorkeling or enjoying the view from an air-conditioned submersible -  we peered into a dazzling array of colorful, sometimes odd-looking but always interesting species of marine life: parrotfish with its beak-like mouth, surgeon fish with scalpel-like fins on its tailbone, eerie-looking live coral that looked like a tangle of spaghetti or wrinkled cauliflowers and giant mushrooms, and countless other awesome sights.  Alas, we searched in vain for Nemo, but saw only distant relatives and look-alikes. 

Ready to snorkel

Great Barrier Reef

All the while, we were regaled on board with drinks, a hot and cold lunch buffet, afternoon tea, presentations by marine biologists, live musical entertainment on the way home, and a final glass of champagne.

Post champagne euphoria

From the depths of the Barrier Reef, the following day we were  back on land, on a historic scenic railway ride through tunnels, waterfalls, and rain forest to Kuranda, famous for its arts and crafts and aboriginal artifacts.  Scouting for interesting cuisine for a light lunch, we found it simply irresistible to not try a kangaroo pot pie for lunch, so there!

Ready to board

Filipino Crocodile Dundee

Then, on by skyrail above the canopy of a dizzying array of gigantic kauri pines, we continued on to Tjapukai.  It was an interesting immersion into the ancient culture of Australia’s indigenous clans.  We learned how to throw a boomerang, enjoyed a multi-media holographic and live performance on aboriginal legends, listened to didgeridoo music, and sang, clapped, and stomped our feet to ceremonial dances and songs.

Aborigine playing didgeridoo

Kauri pine

And what better way to end the day than with an exotic Balinese cuisine consisting of crocodile satay, fried bean curd in turmeric sauce, and mie goreng.

Tomorrow, on to Sydney; but for now, we say DJIRRI NYURRA! (G’Day, in Tjapukai

WALTZING AUSTRALIA: Melbourne September 17-20, 2010

An endless gray hovered over Melbourne’s skyline as we scanned the landscape on our first day out; but, perhaps, it only seemed so, after spending the last 15.5 hours on air travel, reversing day into night as we crossed the International Dateline.  From the Southbank where we were situated, a chill emanated from Port Phillip Bay below, but we were set on uncovering the heart of the city center in the next three days.

We quickly found out that a leisurely way to do just that was to hop on and off the free City Circle Tram from where we got a sampling of the sights: Parliament House, the grand Windsor Hotel, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Princes Bridge, Federation Square - all the while getting glimpses of the Yarra River that framed these sights.

Then, it was time for an up close and personal look.  We hobnobbed with the local folk and tourists, strolling along Federation Square, visiting the National Gallery of Victoria that featured not-well known Australian impressionists and modern artists - even stopping for possibly a starving artist who used the sidewalk for his canvas.

Street artist in Southgate

We negotiated the unending maze of vendors at the Victoria Market, ending up with a bagful of gifts and souvenirs.

Flagstaff Park on the way to Victoria Market

We joined the throng of locals that swarmed the suburban railway on Flinders Street.

We celebrated mass and Holy Eucharist at St. Paul’s Cathedral that boasted of a sumptuous yet tasteful array of stain-glass altars and windows and ornately-designed tile work on its aisles.

St. Paul's Cathedral

And just so there was an even mixture of the spiritual and the profane, we crossed the street to Chloe’s Bar, now famous for its life-sized painting of a nude Parisian model that was immortalized as Chloe.

Walking toward Richmond, we joined the lively scenery on Bridge Road, a shopper’s paradise of clothing shops and cafes.

Yarra River

Topping it all off was the dizzying array of cuisine that we sampled - but no kangaroo platter or crocodile satay.  In the buzzy bistro of the Richmond Hill Café and Larder, we lunched on ham and pea croquettes and eggplant and chili-topped goat cheese on multi-grain sourdough bread.  In the food court at Southgate, we enjoyed a plate of jasmine rice with chicken curry, tom yum soup, and pad thai noodles.

But enough of Melbourne, tomorrow we fly to sultry Cairns.