It's hard to beat Queenstown and Kaikoura worldwide for the combination of spectacular scenery and adventure sports. . .we didn't do everything, but it's hard to top what we did do. . .If New Zealand is on your list of places to go, it should start with Queenstown and Kaikoura. . .if NZed is not on your list. . .tear up your list and put it at/near the top.
We enjoyed Sydney quite a bit. . .in 1989, we really didn't spend much time in Sydney. . .Maddy put together a good list of "to do's" in her city. . .and, of course, the Great Barrier Reef is incredible.
Since we've been back, I've had no trouble driving on the right side of the road, but I do keep reaching for the turn signal on the wrong side of the steering column. . .I only drove on the wrong side of the road twice in New Zealand, and not at all in Australia. . .once wasn't a big deal, and once I had to cross a median after making a left turn into the right lane. . .on the way to the hotel in Christchurch, our last night in NZed.
New Zealand and Australia are VERY different (no duh, Glen!) -- New Zealand is all mountains and rivers and hills and beaches and cute animals that you can get close to. . .Australia has beaches and mountains, but is more tropical, with bigger cities, and plenty of hot, flat areas. . .There's a lot in Australia that can kill. . .avoidance of those creatures was once again a key goal, successfully met.
Since it was a relatively short trip (one night on a plane, ten days in NZed, five days in Oz, and one more night on a plane) I did not feel as connected to either country as 1989, when I worked six weeks in Perth and then we traveled two in the rest of Oz. . .couldn't expend energy caring about the Rugby World Cup, for instance. . .my longest vacay since 1984. . .when I traveled around Europe for one month after working in the British Parliament as a student.
The house called Muna Moke was the longest we've stayed in one place on vacation, except for renting beach houses on Fripp Island, Hawaii, and the British Virgin Islands. . .Certainly the longest of any of our big overseas adventures.
Yes, we were paying for services, but I was impressed with how friendly everyone was on the various activities we did. . .standouts were Alistair on the ATV tour. . .the Dolphin Encounter crew. . .Jules on the Fox Glacier. . .both Glenorchy Air pilots. . .and Mary/Marian on the Great Barrier Reef snorkel trip.
Love France and Italy. . .but, unlike there. . .we didn't have any snarly waiters at restaurants. . .best overall experience was Vknow, but didn't have a bad experience anywhere. . .and that's a good thing. . .it's funny, all the foreign tourists we met were spending at least one month in either NZed or Oz. . .or both. . .we need longer vacations in the US. . .or at least I do!
Didn't meet many Americans in NZed. . .saw plenty of Americans in Oz. . .lots of Germans. . .Asians in New Zealand at that point in the year.
U.S. banks have to catch up to the NZ system of EFTPOS. . .I don't know what it stands for. . .but I know it is easier and faster than our credit card pay system.
In Cairns, we drove 141 miles, whilst we covered just 18 the first day in LA (we should have cabbed to Venice Beach, although we were hopping from spot to spot). . .unfortunately I can't find a receipt in my email or on-line from Hertz in Christchurch. . .that was the car we picked up in Queenstown, drove through the Crown Range all the way to Kaikoura. . .and back to Christchurch. . .Will update that if I ever get the figure.
Not counting the four Glenorchy flights (two roundtrips), Carol and I flew a minimum of 24,582 miles (that's assuming a perfectly direct route each flight). . .The Glenorchy folks emailed back -- 408 miles, which leaves us ten miles shy of 25,000!. . .I know we landed from the North at Cairns, so that probably added close to ten additional miles -- not to mention the likelihood that other flights weren't perfectly straight at take-off or landing!. . .so I'm rounding up to 25k!
Monday, October 12, 2015
Back to the USA
We had a late morning flight from Cairns to Sydney, so I got up early for a non-spectacular sunrise (too many clouds) and a walk along the beach. I forded a river that emptied into the ocean, and then saw the signs warning not to go near the creek because of crocodiles -- which made the return crossing a little nerve wracking!
Fear not faithful readers, I did survive with no sign of crocs. It's likely they do not come that close to the mouth of the river because of the higher salt water content, or at least that's what I told myself. When Carol got up and we took our beach walk together, we went the other direction!
On the drive to the airport, Carol spotted several fields full of grazing wallabies. It wasn't quite a "they move in herds" Jurassic Park moment, but it had the advantage of actually being real.
It's funny how much easier it is to get through customs/immigration/security than it used to be. We had no problems getting back to Los Angeles, where we had dinner on the Santa Monica Pier with family friend Erin Vail and her cousin Marissa. The only problem came when we fly the US Air red eye back to Dulles -- a 40 minute wait to take-off, and then, inexplicably, a 20 minute wait on the ground for a gate -- after a late arriving red eye! How could they not have an available gate? Wow.
But, since Julia kindly drove out to pick us up at Dulles, it was a nice way to return from NZ and Oz to NOVA.
I feel a little like Bilbo Baggins -- waiting for our next adventure!
Sunrise, last morning Down Under
Island near our beach
Fear not faithful readers, I did survive with no sign of crocs. It's likely they do not come that close to the mouth of the river because of the higher salt water content, or at least that's what I told myself. When Carol got up and we took our beach walk together, we went the other direction!
Obligatory Palm Trees Shot
On the drive to the airport, Carol spotted several fields full of grazing wallabies. It wasn't quite a "they move in herds" Jurassic Park moment, but it had the advantage of actually being real.
Proof we were there. I'm sure it's still there.
It's funny how much easier it is to get through customs/immigration/security than it used to be. We had no problems getting back to Los Angeles, where we had dinner on the Santa Monica Pier with family friend Erin Vail and her cousin Marissa. The only problem came when we fly the US Air red eye back to Dulles -- a 40 minute wait to take-off, and then, inexplicably, a 20 minute wait on the ground for a gate -- after a late arriving red eye! How could they not have an available gate? Wow.
But, since Julia kindly drove out to pick us up at Dulles, it was a nice way to return from NZ and Oz to NOVA.
The last morning from our beach
I feel a little like Bilbo Baggins -- waiting for our next adventure!
More Than Just A Good Barrier Reef, A Great One!
Our last full day on this trip was spent reliving our (relative) youth. Carol and I were so amazed by our first time ever snorkeling, way back in 1989, because it was the Great Barrier Reef, that we had to do it again.
Instead of doing the larger (but still fabulous) Quicksilver reef snorkeling like we did in 1989, I found the smaller Wavelength cruise which takes a max of 46 people (I'm guessing it was 35-40 people for our trip).
We went out of Port Douglas, which I thought was a 25 minute drive up North from the resort, but was closer to 35 minutes because the winding road that followed the amazing coastline for most of it. Although FNQ is tropical, it reminded me of the road both south and north of Kaikoura to see the seals -- hugging the beach, with mountains (of green, not white this time) just to our left (west) as we drove the eastern coastline of the country (Australia this time, not NZ).
Carol spotted a van with the company's logo, or else I'm not sure we have found the office. We followed the people from the van, and got to the boat with less time to spare than I would have wanted. However, we did make it, so no problem!
They advised we take seasickness pills because of the waves, and it was good advice. I didn't get sick (unlike at LEAST two others), but I felt kind of green as the boat tossed and turned for 1:15 of the the 90 minute trip out to the reef! Carol, on the other hand, had no problem and is currently considering hiring on to work on some of the Deadliest Catch boats.
Carol had a great, lengthy conversation with one of the marine biologists on board -- Mary or Marian (Carol says her name is Marian, which is probably truer than my recollection of "Mary" -- mostly because Carol was closer to her during the conversation and I was fighting not to get seasick). Anyhow, she is from New Zealand and is working on the boat whilst traveling around Australia. In the meantime, I wasn't throwing up, so that's a moral victory.
Once we got to the last 15 minutes of the boat ride out, we were behind the protection of the reefs and the waves were no longer bouncing the boat, and my stomach, around.
We hit three different reef locations within Opal Reef. The coral is amazing, as is the fish diversity. My personal favorite are the giant clams, which are probably 4-5 feet long and several feet high. Even the dead clams are interesting to look at.
At the second location, we went out on a guided tour. Because I was having difficulty with my mask, Carol went out with Kelsey as our guide (another Kiwi, and a friend of Mary's -- or Marian's). I got out with the second group (Mary).
Mary/Marian swam down to the bottom several times on the tour, including once to show us how shadows cause the giant clams to, um, clam up. She acted similarly to a fish that might want to eat the clam -- once her shadow was there, the two sides of the clam closed up.
She also brought up a sea cucumber for us to touch, as well as some coral that is not attached to the reef.
At the first reef, Mary said there were probably over 1,000 different types of fish at that reef, and I think I saw a good 600-800 different kinds (I did not count -- it would be as fruitless and hard to keep up as counting sheep in New Zealand!).
After the second stop, we had a lame lunch and an interesting marine life briefing from Mary/Marian. She focused on the different types of coral, and explained the difference between healthy and dying coral, including bleaching. The bright coloured coral is a sign of an approaching death, which I didn't expect.
Anyhow, all three swims were interesting -- personally I liked the first reef the best, although all three were great.
I had wanted to buy an underwater camera, but since we got the office with no time to spare, I ended up having to buy the memory stick with photos by Kelsey. So, any underwater photos you see here were taken by her, not by me. The photos are good, but don't do the marine life diversity justice.
If you haven't been to the Great Barrier Reef, think of the best snorkeling spot you've ever been. Okay, now that you've done that, it's not even close to the amazing wonderfulness that is the GBR.
The boat ride back from the reef wasn't as bad, because we were going with the wind and waves instead of into them, but there were a number of times it was still quite rough. At one point, going back up stairs to the second level, the boat pitched violently, and I managed to fall (despite holding on) and badly bruise my right knee. It's funny -- all the different adventures, and I only get hurt during the snorkel trip -- which you would think would be quite benign! (In 1989, we went in the summer time, and the water was like glass!).
We got back to resort in time to see the pair of agile wallabies again (I have no idea if they were same two as the day before, but that's what I would bet on). And, of course, we admired the 6:30 flight of the bats -- 800-1,000 strong. None of them veered right at us before crashing. I hope that bat had his radar adjusted!
We had dinner at the resort restaurant, where the food was good. It's an open air building, and we could listen to the cries of the birds and other wildlife. The animal/bird noises through the night and early morning were always entertaining (and a little freaky)
Reefs
Instead of doing the larger (but still fabulous) Quicksilver reef snorkeling like we did in 1989, I found the smaller Wavelength cruise which takes a max of 46 people (I'm guessing it was 35-40 people for our trip).
More reefs
We went out of Port Douglas, which I thought was a 25 minute drive up North from the resort, but was closer to 35 minutes because the winding road that followed the amazing coastline for most of it. Although FNQ is tropical, it reminded me of the road both south and north of Kaikoura to see the seals -- hugging the beach, with mountains (of green, not white this time) just to our left (west) as we drove the eastern coastline of the country (Australia this time, not NZ).
Carol spotted a van with the company's logo, or else I'm not sure we have found the office. We followed the people from the van, and got to the boat with less time to spare than I would have wanted. However, we did make it, so no problem!
The five pics above weren't taken on our
trip, but are certainly representative of
the types of marine life we saw.
This WAS taken on our trip.
They advised we take seasickness pills because of the waves, and it was good advice. I didn't get sick (unlike at LEAST two others), but I felt kind of green as the boat tossed and turned for 1:15 of the the 90 minute trip out to the reef! Carol, on the other hand, had no problem and is currently considering hiring on to work on some of the Deadliest Catch boats.
Mary/Marian
Carol had a great, lengthy conversation with one of the marine biologists on board -- Mary or Marian (Carol says her name is Marian, which is probably truer than my recollection of "Mary" -- mostly because Carol was closer to her during the conversation and I was fighting not to get seasick). Anyhow, she is from New Zealand and is working on the boat whilst traveling around Australia. In the meantime, I wasn't throwing up, so that's a moral victory.
Getting in the water
Once we got to the last 15 minutes of the boat ride out, we were behind the protection of the reefs and the waves were no longer bouncing the boat, and my stomach, around.
Coral
Blue starfish, but that's pretty evident, isn't it?
At the second location, we went out on a guided tour. Because I was having difficulty with my mask, Carol went out with Kelsey as our guide (another Kiwi, and a friend of Mary's -- or Marian's). I got out with the second group (Mary).
Giant clam
Mary/Marian swam down to the bottom several times on the tour, including once to show us how shadows cause the giant clams to, um, clam up. She acted similarly to a fish that might want to eat the clam -- once her shadow was there, the two sides of the clam closed up.
She also brought up a sea cucumber for us to touch, as well as some coral that is not attached to the reef.
At the first reef, Mary said there were probably over 1,000 different types of fish at that reef, and I think I saw a good 600-800 different kinds (I did not count -- it would be as fruitless and hard to keep up as counting sheep in New Zealand!).
After the second stop, we had a lame lunch and an interesting marine life briefing from Mary/Marian. She focused on the different types of coral, and explained the difference between healthy and dying coral, including bleaching. The bright coloured coral is a sign of an approaching death, which I didn't expect.
Anyhow, all three swims were interesting -- personally I liked the first reef the best, although all three were great.
I had wanted to buy an underwater camera, but since we got the office with no time to spare, I ended up having to buy the memory stick with photos by Kelsey. So, any underwater photos you see here were taken by her, not by me. The photos are good, but don't do the marine life diversity justice.
If you haven't been to the Great Barrier Reef, think of the best snorkeling spot you've ever been. Okay, now that you've done that, it's not even close to the amazing wonderfulness that is the GBR.
The boat ride back from the reef wasn't as bad, because we were going with the wind and waves instead of into them, but there were a number of times it was still quite rough. At one point, going back up stairs to the second level, the boat pitched violently, and I managed to fall (despite holding on) and badly bruise my right knee. It's funny -- all the different adventures, and I only get hurt during the snorkel trip -- which you would think would be quite benign! (In 1989, we went in the summer time, and the water was like glass!).
We had dinner at the resort restaurant, where the food was good. It's an open air building, and we could listen to the cries of the birds and other wildlife. The animal/bird noises through the night and early morning were always entertaining (and a little freaky)
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Two Wallabies = Cute. Hundreds of Bats? Not So Much
On Wednesday, Carol and I flew to Cairns, which is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in Far North Queensland (FNQ).
It was supposed to be a relaxing beach day at the Kewarra Beach Resort. The resort was beautiful, but the weather wasn't very cooperative. It was overcast and windy -- so windy that the flying sand chased us off the beach for a while. So, we went to the pool. It started to rain nearly as quickly as we got settled in our lounge chairs, so we headed back to our bungalow. We sat on the deck and read for a while, listening to the waves.
The resort is a beautiful setting -- rainforest meets the beach. We weren't far from the beach, but there were beautiful trees surrounding our bungalow. Suddenly, Carol started -- "kangaroos!" Turns out the two were actually Agile Wallabies, which are part of the kangaroo family. They were wandering nearby, eating leaves from bushes and grasses.
I stalked them with my camera, and Carol shot a short movie of them. After ten minutes or so, they seemed to finally get nervous around me, and they hopped off quickly. I didn't make them that worried, because there were numerous times when they looked at me and then went back to eating.
The wallabies were quite agile.
Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Looking out my front door.
It was supposed to be a relaxing beach day at the Kewarra Beach Resort. The resort was beautiful, but the weather wasn't very cooperative. It was overcast and windy -- so windy that the flying sand chased us off the beach for a while. So, we went to the pool. It started to rain nearly as quickly as we got settled in our lounge chairs, so we headed back to our bungalow. We sat on the deck and read for a while, listening to the waves.
Our bungalow, on the edge of
the beach in the FNQ rainforest.
The resort is a beautiful setting -- rainforest meets the beach. We weren't far from the beach, but there were beautiful trees surrounding our bungalow. Suddenly, Carol started -- "kangaroos!" Turns out the two were actually Agile Wallabies, which are part of the kangaroo family. They were wandering nearby, eating leaves from bushes and grasses.
Kewarra Beach
A while afterwards, the wind had died down enough that I went swimming -- the only person in the water on the whole large beach. There were some people from town walking their dogs, but I had the Pacific Ocean to myself. We then walked along the beach, watching the dogs play and the waves crash.
Our charming dinner location. The bat crash
came on the other side of the roof.
See, it's not just wine.
I had arranged for dinner on the beach at 6pm. With the wind, they moved us back a bit (but still by the beach). At 6:30, the sky filled with bats -- hundreds and hundreds. We freaked out a bit as they flew past us. Suddenly, one flew right at us, ramming into the thatched cover above us.
Dinner pre-bat fly-by
It slid down, falling to the ground, where it crawled to the nearest tree and shimmied up, presumably to fly off. We were too scared to run, because we didn't want to attract their attention. Apparently, according to our waitress, they fly at the same time every night (and, we watched for them the next night, and they did!).
Just a few of the bats. When the first huge groups
flew past, I was more focused on not getting
attacked then of getting a good picture!
Dinner was great on the beach, but we were a little on edge after the bat fly-by. Since bats in FNQ live in colonies numbering in the thousands, it is possible we saw more than 1,000 fly past us.
Freaky.
A less freaky dinner companion.
Put Another Shrimp, er Steak, on the Barbie
For our last dinner together with Maddy, we took Gene Ulm's advice and went to Phillip's Foote in the Rocks. It's a grill your own meat (they have the meat) place with lots of courtyards. It was a pretty male-dominated place, but we still enjoyed it.
Lots of businessmen boozing and steaking it up. Carol and I each had the Sydney cut -- commonly called a New York strip in the States, while Maddy had a marinated kebab. I handled the grilling duties, and finally had my first beer in Australia since 1989. A lot has changed -- I'm not sure Foster's is even brewed anymore, as I did not see it for sale anywhere, or advertised anywhere.
I googled Foster's, but the only information alluded to a massive failure late last decade, before it was bought in 2011. Weird.
After dinner, we cabbed over to Darling Harbour to walk around and get dessert. It's quite the lively spot as well. After that, we grabbed another cab, dropped Maddy off by the Town Hall train station after saying our goodbyes. We won't see her again until December 1st, when she returns from her great adventure.
It was tough to say goodbye. One minute we were exploring New Zealand together, or seeing her favorite city (Sydney) through her eyes, and then she's off. Like Julia in South Africa, it was great being with her. There was never a sense of "I'd rather be with my friends than my parents" -- partly because we had such great adventures in NZ, partly because she's no dummy -- we were footing the bill for meals, stays, and activities, and partly, I assume, because she did miss us.
After she got out of the cab, our driver inexplicably tuned from classic rock to rap. He sorely misjudged his riders. After a few irritating moments of that crap, I punch the off button to stop the caterwauling. It cut into his tip.
Lots of businessmen boozing and steaking it up. Carol and I each had the Sydney cut -- commonly called a New York strip in the States, while Maddy had a marinated kebab. I handled the grilling duties, and finally had my first beer in Australia since 1989. A lot has changed -- I'm not sure Foster's is even brewed anymore, as I did not see it for sale anywhere, or advertised anywhere.
I googled Foster's, but the only information alluded to a massive failure late last decade, before it was bought in 2011. Weird.
After dinner, we cabbed over to Darling Harbour to walk around and get dessert. It's quite the lively spot as well. After that, we grabbed another cab, dropped Maddy off by the Town Hall train station after saying our goodbyes. We won't see her again until December 1st, when she returns from her great adventure.
It was tough to say goodbye. One minute we were exploring New Zealand together, or seeing her favorite city (Sydney) through her eyes, and then she's off. Like Julia in South Africa, it was great being with her. There was never a sense of "I'd rather be with my friends than my parents" -- partly because we had such great adventures in NZ, partly because she's no dummy -- we were footing the bill for meals, stays, and activities, and partly, I assume, because she did miss us.
After she got out of the cab, our driver inexplicably tuned from classic rock to rap. He sorely misjudged his riders. After a few irritating moments of that crap, I punch the off button to stop the caterwauling. It cut into his tip.
A Good Walk, Unspoilt
Carol was feeling the double hit of the heat and her bad foot acting up for the first time on the trip, so it was just Maddy and I for the famous Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.
Rather than spend an hour taking the bus from Circular Quay to Bondi Beach, we took a cab. Maddy felt some college student guilt at doing the transport the easy, more expensive way, but I was footing the bill and did not want to spend an hour on a bus!
(Btw, it's a GOOD thing Maddy is college student cheap!)
We hopped out of the cab in world-famous Bondi Beach. It was packed (which, on a Tuesday afternoon, makes you wonder how these people make a living!)
As the website says:
We started out on the coastal walk and I was immediately wowed. Maddy had done it once before, during the winter, so she was shocked how many people were out and about. Being on the coast, it was not quite as hot as Sydney (probably 92 degrees!), with a nice breeze and no humidity.
The views along the walk were amazing, as we went from cliff to beach to cliff to beachtown. It reminded me a bit of Southern California, with the spectacular views and the homes piled up on top of each other for the views.
Our first swim came in Bronte -- there were multiple beaches before then, but they had narrow swimming areas because of the riptides. The water was cold, although warmer than it had been in Manly two days earlier. We didn't swim long, as we were only about half done with the walk.
We also swam in Gordon's Bay and Coogee (at the end of the trail). We walked past the most spectacular setting for lawn bowling fields (if that's the right terminology), through Tamarama, Gordon's Bay, and Clovelly Beach (Clovelly is quite lovely),
It is about a six kilometer walk. With our three stops to swim, and numerous photo ops, it took longer than a six K walk normally would, but the beauty of the day and the views were priceless. We rewarded ourselves with ice cream bars before Ubering back to the hotel.
Our Uber driver was quite conversant with the NFL, so we talked football and rugby on the way back. He was understandably quite proud of Jarryd Hayne, a superstar rugby player currently doing well for the San Francisco 49ers.
Rather than spend an hour taking the bus from Circular Quay to Bondi Beach, we took a cab. Maddy felt some college student guilt at doing the transport the easy, more expensive way, but I was footing the bill and did not want to spend an hour on a bus!
Bondi Beach. There were many surfers in the water.
The coastal walk alternated between
stunning cliffs and beautiful beaches.
Sandstone and Bondi in the background.
Another of Bondi
(Btw, it's a GOOD thing Maddy is college student cheap!)
We hopped out of the cab in world-famous Bondi Beach. It was packed (which, on a Tuesday afternoon, makes you wonder how these people make a living!)
As the website says:
Combining beaches, rockpools, parks and spectacular coastal views, the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk winds its way along 6 km of picturesque coastal paths at the edge of Sydney's eastern suburbs. Starting by the iconic Bondi Icebergs, just above the Bondi Baths, the walk takes between 1-2 hours at a leisurely pace, offering plenty to see and do along the way.The website describes it well. We brought our swimsuits along, so I changed in the smelliest bathroom I've been in on this trip (I'm not kidding -- all of the men's rooms have been clean in both New Zealand and Australia, whether in restaurants, gas stations, tourist attractions). Given my luck so far, I suppose one terrible bathroom isn't worth complaining about (even though I am).
Bronte Beach. Or Tamarama Beach.
I AM certain it is a beach.
We started out on the coastal walk and I was immediately wowed. Maddy had done it once before, during the winter, so she was shocked how many people were out and about. Being on the coast, it was not quite as hot as Sydney (probably 92 degrees!), with a nice breeze and no humidity.
The views along the walk were amazing, as we went from cliff to beach to cliff to beachtown. It reminded me a bit of Southern California, with the spectacular views and the homes piled up on top of each other for the views.
As I admired this formation, Maddy
told stories of people out on sandstone
dying because it broke off. Cheerful!
Our first swim came in Bronte -- there were multiple beaches before then, but they had narrow swimming areas because of the riptides. The water was cold, although warmer than it had been in Manly two days earlier. We didn't swim long, as we were only about half done with the walk.
I think this is Clovelly Beach -- it's a quiet
cove full of families with young kids.
It is about a six kilometer walk. With our three stops to swim, and numerous photo ops, it took longer than a six K walk normally would, but the beauty of the day and the views were priceless. We rewarded ourselves with ice cream bars before Ubering back to the hotel.
Secluded Gordon's Bay
Our Uber driver was quite conversant with the NFL, so we talked football and rugby on the way back. He was understandably quite proud of Jarryd Hayne, a superstar rugby player currently doing well for the San Francisco 49ers.
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