Australia Part Two

On Friday (10 April) the four of us travelled to Margaret River for the long Easter weekend. Margaret River is about 100 miles south of Perth and is the city at the center of the wine area of South west Australia. It was very busy since it was the beginning of the spring holiday for the local school children. Margaret River boasts more than 100 wineries where most of the popular wines get exported from, particularly white wines that are exceptional in the region. We visited 6 wineries and 2 breweries over the extended weekend. We stayed in a wonderful little two bedroom apartment that had full kitchen and two baths. More often than not we ended up having a large lunch somewhere then staying in for the evening, content with fine wines, cheeses, meats and conversation. Besides the wineries, we explored the coastlines of the Indian Ocean which had spectacular views. We stopped along the coast for a picture or two. Our favorite part was watching serious surfers riding serious waves. Our final stop was to the Leeuwin Point lighthouse.On the way back to Freemantle, we passed through some wildfire areas 40 km south of Freemantle. They were mostly under control, but you could still see some hotspots and we could smell the fire in the mornings from our bedroom. Hundreds of acres burned, but luckily they were able to keep it from jumping the highway to nearby houses. It is so sad - it was arson and it was devastating.

Tuesday was a stay-in day so we could catch up on laundry and replenishing supplies for the rest of the week and for our onward travels. That evening we enjoyed dinner at Ruocco’s, a nearby Italian restaurant. After hearing about them and seeing them for nearly two weeks, Tom indulged in a grilled crayfish. This was not the little freshwater creatures found in Michigan streams. Crayfish means Australian Rock Lobster, pretty much like the lobsters available in Maine, but without the large claws. On Wednesday morning we headed with Max to the downtown Perth area. Our first stop was the Swan River estuary and a delightful tour of it provided by Vicci’s father, in a wooden speed boat he had built himself, named Rascal, and the second of the three in his homemade fleet. Patti had the special privilege of steering the boat while Mr. Niven kept control of the throttle, primarily to assure that the boat didn’t go too slow. Our next stop was King’s Park which overlooks the Swan River estuary and the Perth City center. We walked the trails, enjoying the trees and flowers. Part of one trail is elevated, so that we walked between the trees at the canopy level, the better to see the leaves. At that point we parted company with Max and headed for the Museum of Western Australia.

Tom discovered a new obsession when we were in Denham at the Shark Bay Discovery Center: the Dirk Hartog plate. Hartog was a Dutch merchant sea captain who made landfall on the west coast of Australia in 1616. To record the event, he had a pewter plate hammered flat, inscribed on it the date and a few names, and nailed it to a post on the near shore island now named for him. Nine years later another Dutch merchant captain, Vlemingh, found the plate. He hammered out a new pewter plate from ship's stores, copied Hartog's inscription on it, then added his own. Vlemingh took the original Hartog plate with him, and it ended up in Amsterdam. Almost 200 years later a French expedition picked up Vlemingh's plate and took it back to Paris. The Discovery Center in Shark Bay said that the original Vlemingh plate had been returned to Australia in 1947, and that it resided in the Western Australia Museum. We didn't find it there. The museum staff said it was in the maritime museum. We didn't find it there, but we did find the next clue: the shipwreck museum down the street. We finally tracked down Vlemingh's original plate, and now Tom is aiming for Hartog's in Amsterdam.

Anyway, after visiting the museums, we walked along the harbor back towards Max and Vicci's house and stopped in at a delightful brewpub called Little Creatures. We had "chips" (fries)with garlic mayo sauce and Portugese sausage, and of course their house brews. Thus fortified, we returned to the house to finish packing. Following a simple pizza dinner, we said our goodbyes, not eager to leave because we had such fun with Vicci and Max in Western Australia.

Australia Part One

We lived through 9:30 am three times while en route from Auckland to Perth: in Auckland, in Sydney, and somewhere over the south central portion of Australia. We traveled 6 time zones farther west, which, somewhat counter-intuitively, reduced our time advantage over Eastern US time from 18 hours to 12. At least now we can reasonably expect to do the calculation without looking at the second time zone on Tom’s watch.

Our good friends Vicci and Max

were kind enough to pick us up from the airport, and kinder still to offer us the hospitality of their home in Fremantle. We enjoyed their company and a great meal from the barbie while watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean—all from the back deck of their home. Vicci and Max made us feel very much at home and it was delightful to stay with them.

The next day (Sunday 05 April) we started our road trip to Shark Bay, about 500 miles north along the west coast of Australia. Our primary goal was the living stromatolites in Hamlin Pool at the southern end of the bay. The drive for us was interesting, although Vicci complains it is too dull. It had the desert southwest look to it only with bright red soil. We had to constantly be on the lookout for kargaroos. They are like the deer in Michigan both in number and nuisance- prolific along the highways, especially at dusk and dawn. We never saw any live ones, but there were about 12 dead ones along the roadside on the way back. Ewwww....

The stromatolites, while not very exciting to look at, were awesome to ponder.

Starting about 3.5 billion years ago, there was little oxygen in the atmosphere. Then came the stromatolites, and their waste product, oxygen. After a couple of billion years iron in the seas had precipitated into the oxides now mined, and the atmosphere had become “polluted” with 22% of the element necessary to most life on earth.

Our visit to Hamlin Pool was made more memorable by the plague of flies. Conditions in the early autumn bring out the tiny flies, about half the size of your average Michigan housefly, searching for moisture, especially in one’s mouth, nose, and eyes. Fortunately Vicci had provided insect spray which kept them from landing wherever we used it, but it didn’t discourage the flies from buzzing around our faces. For that we had mosquito nets to cover our hats and faces.

We felt a bit ridiculous at first

but soon saw them on some people, and a look of longing on the others who did not have them. The flies had arrived only a few days before we did and every shop was already sold out of their supplies of nets. We could enjoy the outdoors without constantly waving flies away from our faces, although with the nets on it sounded like we had stuffed our heads into a beehive.

We stayed that night in Denham, about 60 miles north of Hamlin Pool and on the coast of the west arm of Shark Bay. As we pulled into our hotel we could hardly miss the 4 emus strutting in and along the street, pecking away at food in the grass.

We had a delightful dinner of local sea food and watched a breathtaking sunset.

The next day we tried to sign up for a half-day fishing charter, but there weren't enough other customers to meet the excursion minimum. Plan B was a short drive to Monkey Mia. Mia (my-ah) means camp in the aboriginal language, and Monkey has several origins among the pearl divers who first put the place on the map. We signed up for nature cruise in Shark Bay and just before boarding, got a pretty good show from a group of 3 dolphins swimming close to shore. The sail boat we were on was huge. We sat at the front where we had an excellent view of the wild life.

From the boat we saw more dolphins,

a manatee-like sea mammal called a dugong, 3 sea snakes, jellyfish, and a really interesting fish called a longtom, which escapes predators by shooting up out of the water and then propels itself vertically along the surface by paddling its tail. Unfortunately, we couldn't snap pictures fast enough when the creatures appeared, but trust us, it was great!

On Wednesday we began the drive back to Fremantle. Our half-way stay was in the coastal town of Dongarra. We stayed at the Old Rectory B & B,

which is a century-old former Anglican rectory, charmingly restored to its original period. Here is the foyer, complete with church pew.

On Thursday we enjoyed another fine evening with Vicci and Max. We grew particularly fond of the hammock!

Finishing up New Zealand then on to Australia

Our next big adventure was to Milford Sound where we boarded the Pride Of Milford cruising vessel. The views from the bus and the stops we made were beautiful,and Tom was especially happy that he could be observing instead of concentrating on driving. On the way, we had a number of adventures from a traffic jam of sheep to a small bus crossing the white line on a curvy mountain road and sideswiping our bus, leaving the driver’s mirror missing and a huge pane of shattered glass. We had to pull over so the driver could punch out the pane before it splintered into his lap. He never missed a beat in the tour discourse as he continued with the history and high points of Milford Sound.

Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) is a Fiord of spectacular beauty and natural grandeur. It is a deep, icy blue waterway flowing into the Tasman Sea and is part of the majestic Fiordland National Park. Carved over time by glaciers the deepest part of the Fiord is 400 metres, and the actual length of the Fiord is 16km from St Annes Point.

The Pride of Milford is the latest addition to the Milford Sound Red Boat fleet, and is a catamaran designed with extensive viewing decks where we could enjoy the magnificent scenery in relaxation and comfort. The flat bow design enabled us to get up close to nature and the large panoramic windows ensured unobstructed views of the Fiord. It was in a word spectacular!

The next big tour was of the wineries in the region of Queenstown. Queenstown is an international resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin lake formed by glacial processes that is shaped like a staggered lightning bolt, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains. We thought of Matt when we saw that for no particular reason, there was a bungee jumping gnome hanging in the corner of the vintners lobby. Bring back memories of Hope, Matt?
Locally, Queenstown has a reputation as one of New Zealand's wine and cuisine centers. For four hours we taste tested magnificent wines and toured the surrounding vineyards. We were able to observe the waterway where they filmed Lord of the Rings scenes, the King’s Columns in the first movie in particular. Principal photography for all three films was conducted concurrently in many locations within New Zealand's conservation areas and national parks between 11 October 1999, and 22 December 2000.

Directly across the highway, we were able to see bungee jumping off the Kawerau Suspension Bridge. Billed as the first commercial bungee site in the world, it is 23km outside of Queenstown. The Kawarau Bridge Bungee is situated on the main road between Queenstown and Cromwell, near the Nevis Bluff and the Gibbston Valley. The bridge platform is 43 metres above the Kawarau River and the jumper has the option of a head and shoulders splashdown in the river if he/she feels like cooling off.

On the bus ride back from Queensland to Christ Church,we saw some truly stunning landscapesand observed Mt. Cook. New Zealand's highest peak was named Mt Cook (after the British explorer Captain James Cook) by Captain Stokes of the survey ship HMS Acheron. Mt Cook sits at the heart of New Zealand’s Alpine country, within the 700 square kilometres of Mt Cook national park, and is almost equidistant from Christchurch and Queenstown. At 3764 metres, it is the highest of the country's 27 mountains over 3000 metres. It is called Aoraki (or Aorangi, ao meaning land, rangi meaning sky or heavens) by the Maori.
We flew from Christ Church back to Auckland then on to Perth via Sidney where our friends Vicci and Max were there to greet us. We have been staying in their home which has a balcony with a spectacular view of the Indian Ocean. More fun to follow…

Sunday in Christ Church ( works on so many levels, doesn’t it?)

March 29th

We awoke the next morning in time to make the 10:30 Mass at St. Mary’s. The congregation for this Mass reflected the demographic we have seen throughout New Zealand: about 50% European descent, 35% East Asian, and 15% sub-continent Indian. The Mass began as if by a script for “Father Ted.” The lector spoke with a thick accent and placed the wrong sheet of song lyrics on the overhead projector. The choir sang the proper words while the congregation sort of hummed along. After the priest entered he went to the lectern to try to sort the mess out. Several sheets were presented in rapid succession, ending with the 3rd verse to the song. By now the choir was into the 4th verse, so the priest looked up to the choir and moved his hands in a gesture which we took to mean stop. The choir was unstoppable and proceeded without pause to the 5th verse. The priest flashed a “Why me?” looked, dropped his hands, and resigned himself to the situation. When the song came to its merciful conclusion, the priest invited the children to assemble around him for an opening prayer. Three times he started the prayer as children drifted forward slowly. Again he resigned himself to the situation and finished it on the 4th try, as a few children still trying to make their way to the front of church were swept away by the dispersal of the lucky participants. You can’t make this stuff up.
As we walked back to the hotel we noticed a Burmese restaurant holding fast to its territory as the horde of Thai restaurants surrounded it. We resolved to eat dinner there after a visit to the museum and maybe doing some laundry.

On the way to the Museum, we took a wrong turn and ended up on an amusing street. There was an Irish pub, open of course, flanked by “Absolution” on the left (don’t have a clue what kind of establishment it is) and “Dream Cones” on the right. All the vices one could want even on a Sunday, followed by absolution!

And just to be politically correct and open minded, the Druid Center and local Lodge were directly across the street.
The Canterbury Museum advertised its section devoted to Antarctic exploration and that kept Tom quiet and happy for a couple of hours. He was particularly interested in Robert Scott based on his readings, as well as the gadgets and utensils used in the excursions. One thing Patti was interested in was the medical kit sent along.

But mostly, she was a polar widow and found other interesting displays in the Canterbury Museum to explore. These included such things as the reproduction of the tent in which the first surgeon of Christchurch lived and worked with his wife and 8 children for two years before a house could be built, and skeletons of the three species of moa that inhabited New Zealand until about 500 years ago. A relative of the ostrich, emu, rea, and cassuarie, the largest moa topped out at around 8 feet. It is generally accepted that the moa were hunted to extinction by the early Maori settlers.

We strolled briefly in the large botanic garden adjacent to the museum. This garden was created deliberately to foot a planthold from the Mother Country, England. Why else have a Rock and Heather section? It is beautiful and it’s easy to understand why so many were enjoying their strolls under a cloudless autumn sky. Of course, Tom's favorite spot in the park was at the statue of Scott, whom he had just spent hours studying in the museum.
When dinnertime rolled around we walked to the Burmese restaurant Bhandi. It is a small place and was busy, so busy that the hostess said all of the tables were booked for the evening. The one possibility, if we could finish in 45 minutes, was to share a 6-seat table with two women. The hostess checked with them and we were welcomed to sit down. We enjoyed conversation about work, family, and travel over an excellent meal of dishes with names we could barely pronounce, let alone remember. (We thought about Ja and wondered if she had made any of these delectable dishes for the Langs.) We will remember how unexpectedly delightful the evening became thanks to the flexibility and a random act of kindness by two strangers. More adventures tomorrow!

Ferries, Trains and a New City

March 28

So, within a month we had visited the top two windy harbors in the world: Hilo, Hawaii and Wellington, NZ. Luckily, by morning, when time for our ferry to Picton, the wind had settled down considerably. The ferry Kaitaki was enormous—10 decks and capacity for nearly a thousand passengers, plus vehicles. The crossing of Cook Strait to Queen Charlotte Sound, Shakespeare Bay, and the port of Picton took about 3 hours. We spent almost that entire time on the open deck 10 so we could enjoy the scenery. Once we entered the Cook Strait the wind drove the more rational passengers below. We took a few short breaks from the wind, but no apologies for our choice. It was a very pleasant ride despite the wind, and a highly detailed map of the passage was mounted outside so we could watch for the landforms. After disembarking in Picton we made our way to the train station.

After checking in we enjoyed a pint at a neighboring bar, then picked up sandwiches at the adjoining Subway, which was the only provider near enough to assure we made the train. We try to avoid US franchise eateries if we can, but were pleasantly surprised to find grilled lamb as one of the meat choices, and that made ours.

The TrasNZ Coastal runs for about 200 miles along South Island’s east coast between Blenheim and Christchurch and took us past many large vineyards outside of both cities. The train included an open observation car—roof and railings only—where Patti spent about half the trip taking pictures of the beautiful coastline and mountains. For a brief section we skirted evaporation ponds for the production of sea salt. Several of these had a magenta coloring which the conductor announced was due to the same algae which give the Red Sea its color.

A young mother set about fixing lunch for her 3-year old across the aisle. She pulled a liter jar from her bag, explaining that she had just visited friends who aqua-farm fish and mussels in the Marlborough Sounds near Picton. It was a jar of fresh but clearly unrefrigerated Sound mussels, shells removed. Tom passed on this generous offer.

We arrived on time in Christchurch at about 6:20 pm. We had a fashionably late dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. It was made very romantic without our even asking – it was Earth Hour, a city-wide (world wide?) agreement to turn off all the lights in a place of business for an hour and function only by candle light. As it happened, it was the hour we sat down to dinner. Everything was bathed in a soft glow (the kitchen continued in full light and power) and everyone seemed to get into the spirit of the evening.