The Longest Day

"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love...and then we return home." - Aboriginal proverb

I'm home. Have been home for a bit more than a week now, but have been unable to admit that to myself, much less to the world at large. Both the pedestrian and the profound have taken all attention until now. Laundry and mail on one end of the spectrum, association budget toward the other end, DREAM Act at the other end. And, of course, procrastination has been there too.

Was the trip wonderful? Absolutely! Do I want to go back? You bet. Next time, which I hope will be soon, will be all land--the cruise was nice, and the people were utterly terrific, but the land portions of the trip were really the highlights. Great Barrier Reef, the Great Ocean Road, the trek across New Zealand's south island--some of the best ever. Rotorua, Sydney, Auckland, and much more were all great too.

The down side? It's a looooong way there and back. Going to Sydney was longest--about 24 hours, counting the 3-hour layover in LA. Coming back was no slouch, but about 5 hours less, since we started in Auckland.

As discussed in an early entry, we lost a day crossing the international date line going over. But the international date line had an interesting effect on the return too: it made the travel day, quite literally, the longest day of my life. We arrived in LA about 9 hours before we left Auckland, and landed at Dulles only two hours after leaving Auckland, notwithstanding the 19-hour trip. If I'm doing the math right, the net result was a 43-hour day.

Body clock-wise I'm still trying to get back on track. With Christmas less than two weeks away, and much to do before then, I need to speed that process.

With respect to photos, I'm still working on editing and labeling. There's only so many pictures of koalas and snow-capped peaks one can ask her friends to look at. The good news is, Australia photos are ready to go.


I'm still working on New Zealand, and will post when that is ready. So, it's not goodbye yet.

Next: Kiwi-land photos

City of Sails

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." - Henry David Thoreau

Arriving in Auckland was both sad and wonderful. Sad because it was the last stop of of the journey, wonderful because that is what the city is. I'd been told that it evokes San Francisco, and can see why. It's a pretty city, with steep streets and a lively waterfront. It is different from SF as well--much more greenery and a slower pace.

Our arrival in Auckland also meant a departure from the cruise ship. The first order after to disembarking was to find some friends we had met on a cruise two years ago, who were boarding as we were leaving. Their hotel was on the wharf--literally--and so it wasn't hard to find them. We adjourned to their room to celebrate with champagne and some catching up.

We then sent them to the ship, and we checked into our hotel. We'd been amazed at the price we'd gotten at the Hyatt, and upon arriving found out why. On the map, the Hyatt is only a few blocks from most of the downtown sights. But in reality it actually is quite isolated, as it is at the top of a very steep hill, and there is no way to get to anything without going down at a steep angle. That tends to put a damper on one's enthusiasm for heading out for a quick anything.

Notwithstanding the descent (and corresponding ascent), the city beckoned. We started on a HoHo (hop on/hop off) bus, which circled two areas of the city and gave us a good overview: rose gardens, concert halls, parks, odd venues (an acquarium in an old sewer pipe), and views galore. Auckland is a clean, attractive city, with architecture from Victorian to modern, and an unusual dearth of architectural atrocities. There is a pretty shopping and cafe area called Parnell Village--very similar to The Rocks in Sydney. A highlight was Mt. Eden, from which one could see much of the city. From there, it is abundantly clear that Auckland is built on a volcano--you could see the series of volcanic cones. The most famous cone is One Tree Hill, so named for the lonely tree at its top. However, that tree no longer exists. Vandals cut it down, so it is now represented by an obilisk.

Our second day in Auckland was overcast, with rain threatening at any moment, so we spent much of the day in the Auckland Museum, which was well worth the time. It's a diverse museum, covering history and culture of the Maori and the people of the Pacific, as well as natural history and the designs and accomplishments of modern Kiwis. One favorite was a feature on Rudel Haywood, an early film director who made a number of silent movies and then developed his own sound camera to make "talkies" that were well ahead of their time.

Another favorite was a feature on volcanoes that brought home the fact that Auckland is built on a still-live volcano, making clear that the volcano will erupt again--be it tomorrow or 3,000 years from now. There was a room that simulated what would happen if it did erupt, a disturbing but fascinating feature.

Finally, we went to Sky City, the tower that dominates the Auckland skyline, which provides panoramic views of the city and its more distant environs and from which a person can bungy jump if s/he so wishes. We ate in the revolving restaurant near the top, and enjoyed the view with the meal. The overcast day actually enhanced the viewing, and we were able to see the city clearly, as well as the mountains in the distance and all in between.

However, the body hurtling past us as we ate was a little disconcerting. Yes, people were bungy jumping. You could see them go down in their harnesses, and then a minute later, could see the empty harness being raised. Which left the interesting question: what did they do with the "body"? We had seen bungy jumping in Queenstown: there you would either get towed back up (if you did it from the mountain) or get picked up by a raft (if you did it from the bridge). Here, we never could tell how the person was released. After our meal, we went up to another viewing platform that had a glass floor, and saw more jumpers. But, again, we couldn't see what happened to them.

But we could see no blood splatters on the pavement below. We could have asked, but decided to leave their fates a mystery.

After the fun of Auckland came the bad news: "E noho rā" which is the Maori for goodbye (the goodbye said by the one leaving). It was time to return home.

Next: The Longest Day

Walking in a Thermal Wonderland

"What time does the volcano go off?" - visiting tourist

(If you've been following this blog, look back at past entries--some photos have been added. I'll be posting a link to the full album in the near future.)

One of the most anticipated stops on our trip was the town of Rotorua, and the nearby Wai-O-Tapu thermal "wonderland."

But before we reached there, the ship had a day at sea, which produced its own thermal surprise. We passed White Island, a small, privately-owned island that contains New Zealand's only active volcano. It was a slightly overcast day; perfect for volcano viewing. On this day, the volcano was fairly lively, producing considerable mist as well as pools of ooze that could be seen from the ship with binoculars. There was also a shelf of white that we at first thought was produced by the volcano. But, no, on closer inspection it proved to be a nest of many thousands of gannets--birds we'd viewed earlier (and discussed in an earlier blog). The ship circled this island for a while to give us all a view, then pushed off to more thermal activity.

The town of Rotorua boasts the Wai-O-Tapu park, New Zealand's answer to Yellowstone. We first saw a geyser spew. Unfortunately, it is not one of the those great wonders where you have to be in the right place at the right time. Each day, precisely at 10:15 am, they seed the geyser with something akin to soap powder to force it to spew. It's an impressive sight, but still carries that tinge of inauthenticity even though it is a legitimate geyser.

But the rest of the park was the real deal. Smoke vents, boiling mud pools, sulphur streams, and the inevitable smell dotted the walks around the park. At the center was a giant sulphur lake, full of weird arrays of color and a hot and smelly breeze. There also was a beautiful pool of a lime green shade. All things nature creates in its most uneasy atmosphere.

That day also brought a visit to a wildlife park. Unlike Australia, New Zealand's wildlife is less of the mammal variety (unless you count sheep, which are hardly wild), and more of the bird and reptile family. That was reflected in this park, as we saw a variety of birds and reptiles (but, thankfully, no snakes). The highlight was seeing the elusive kiwi bird, the national bird that is in danger of extinction.

From there we rode yes another gondola to yes another fantastic view. Two in our party (not me, I assure you) took the occasion of being on the top of a mountain to ride a giant swing attached by bungy cords. Not as daring as bungy jumping, but not for the faint of heart either. Apparently, the specialty of NZ is for people to hurl themselves off tall buildings and cliffs in rather shaky apparatus. Hmmmmm.

Next: Auckland

Sheep, Possum, Birds and Scenery

"Blossom, blossom, you're my possum." - Jethro Bodine's valentine greeting

As we make our way up the east coast of the north island, spectacular scenery is again the order of the day. In Wellington, we took a lengthy drive along the "storm coast"--a rugged and beautiful bay coast where many a ship has met its end. On one side, mountains rise up quickly to lovely peaks. On the other, waves lash the rocks in many spots, making "no swimming here" an obvious response. But at other points, families had come out to enjoy the day in the water at pleasant beaches. They obviously knew where to go and not to go.

The drive ended with a steep ascent to a sheep station atop one of the peaks. From there, we could see across Cook's Strait (where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet) to the south island. At the sheep station, we watched sheep dogs herd the sheep, and enjoyed a cup of tea by the fir.

The next day was more fabulous scenery. This time, we'd docked in Napier, and took a "safari truck" through more Lord of the Rings country, past more sheep and cattle, around winding roads and trails and up steep ascents. The ride would be reward in and of itself, but there was more reward awaiting--the nesting site of some 7,000 gannets (a bird in the booby family). They are white with yellow heads and what looked like blue eyes. And there they were, some flying, some sitting on eggs, some pursuing courtship rituals. We were told that soon they'd be leaving for Australia, and would return in 2-3 years.

This was all at a spectacular cliff, under which was another cliff where several thousand additional gannets were nesting. The "scent" was striking, and the shoes needed a good cleaning at the end of the day, but it was worth it all to take in this scene.

Afterward, we went to the town of Napier, a pretty city with an interesting history. In February 1931, the city experienced a 7.8 earthquake, which brought down many buildings and which started a fire that destroyed most of the rest of the city. With only a few of the old Victorian buildings standings, and in the midst of the Great Depression, the city rebuilt in the style of the era--art deco. So, the city is mostly art deco with a few Victorian buildings tossed in here and there. They preserve it well, and it was a nice place to spend an afternoon.

If one is in a city, what is the obligatory thing to do? Well, shop of course. And what does Napier offer by way of shopping? Craft shops, the major department store of NZ, Farmers, souvenir shops, book stores, the obligatory Starbucks, and much more. But the highlight had to be Opossum World. All I can say is that, while it was a rather odd store, it was not as odd as one would have thought. And I now know much more about the possum than I did before. But I will spare you the details.

Next: Rotorua and the Thermal Wonderland.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

"It takes an earthquake to remind us that we walk on the crust of an unfinished earth."
- Charles Kuralt

Visiting Christchurch, NZ in November of any year means taking in lovely gardens in full bloom--Christchurchians (is that a word?) apparently pride themselves on their gardens, and rightly so.

But visiting Christchurch in November 2010 also means looking at pockets of destruction, as we're here mere weeks after a 7.1 earthquake hit the city, and after weeks of constant aftershocks. Fortunately, no one was killed in the earthquake and only two people were injured. And, tooling around the city one starts to think that there was no damage. Then you come across a road that is closed because it has completely buckled, or a house or block of buildings that are either crumbling or are being razed because the damage is too severe. And telltale blue tarps on roofs are painfully common.

Christchurch itself is a lovely small city, with a lively town square and an active city life.

Beyond the city--actually, just opposite its airport--is an interesting Antarctic Center. It is from this area that a joint U.S./N.Z. project to study Antarctica is launched. And the Center provides exhibits and simulations to give an idea of what Antarctica is like. There we rode an ice truck over simulated Antarctic conditions. It's a massive truck that can climb, ride across crevices, float on water if the weather gets "warm" enough to weaken the ice, and generally cope in frigid conditions. We donned parkas and stood in a simulated storm. And saw a film of brilliant cinematography of the Antarctic.

We are now back on the ship, and bound for Wellington, which will be the next installment.

It's About the Journey

“The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can, pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet." - J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

Sailing into Milford Sound at daybreak, our cruise ship passed the majestic waterfalls and giant cliffs and peaks that surround this fjord, as we were led by some leaping dolphins and laughed at by some seals on the shore. Thirteen of us stood on a deck, waiting for a small boat to come alongside and let us step off into an entirely different journey. As our little boat chugged to a pier in the sound, the cruise ship turned and left us behind.

We boarded a van, and for the next two days, we made our way across the South Island of New Zealand, stopping frequently to take in one magnificent sight after another. We were in Lord of the Rings country, traveling through Fjordland National Park. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks and majestic mountains, my jaw stayed open for hours as I marveled at some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. The first stop involved a short walk in the woods, accompanied by the sound of roaring water. It wasn't until I turned a corner and looked down that I saw the source of the sound: a giant chasm in the earth, with water rushing through and around the rocks that the water had carved into amazing shapes.

From there, we headed to waterfalls, mountains, mirror lakes, and other visions to a mountain where we rode up a gondola to see them all from above. We also watched while a young man bungy jumped from a platform next to the gondola. The piercing scream was how we knew he'd jumped.

From there, we settled for the night into Queenstown, a pretty resort town on a lovely lake. Were it not for the unique Remarkables mountains that surrounded us, it probably could have been a resort town anywhere in the world, but it certainly had its charms.

The next day, we set back out, this time through different terrain. We'd left behind the rugged peaks for green mountains and valleys, and herds of sheep, cows and deer (here in NZ, deer are raised like livestock, in large fenced areas where they roam and graze). We stopped to watch more bungy jumping, this time into a deep river gorge. We then made stops in a number of charming small towns, passing through idyllic countryside until we reached Dunedin, a lovely town on the east coast of New Zealand. After a stroll around town, we rejoined the cruise ship, where we set sail up the eastern coastline.

We'd crossed from the west to the east coast at a leisurely pace in only two days, to give some idea of the width of this island. It was a spectacular trip.

Next: Christchurch, New Zealand.

"A koala walks into a bar..."

"SYDNEY - A koala has caused a stir at an Australian pub, wandering inside during a stormy evening, and taking up a position above the bar before promptly falling asleep. The furry male marsupial stunned drinkers on Saturday night when he entered the Marlin Bar on Queensland's Magnetic Island, approached barman Kevin Martin and ended up climbing up a supporting wooden pole and settling on a beam. 'I asked him for ID and he didn't have any so that's when he got a bit disgruntled and climbed up a pole,' joked Martin on Wednesday." - from an Australia Today news story

Koalas, kangaroos, cockatoos, wombats and other creatures uniquely Australian marked the past three days. We saw very little of Melbourne in the two days that, officially, were our time in that city. The little we saw was of a clean, apparently vibrant, city of attractive architecture and lively lifestyle.

Our time was in fact spent in the surrounding countryside. Day one was spent on the Great Ocean Road, a coastal highway of hairpin turns, breathtaking beauty, and lovely coastal towns. Four of us had hired a driver/guide for the day. Neil turned out to be a gem, explaining all we saw, and taking us on whatever diversions he thought might interest us. Our excitement at seeing a group of kangaroos hopping amongst a copse of trees led him to conclude--rightly--that we were interested in wildlife. That led to a diversion to a golf course (that's right, golf course) to see some 'roos lazing in the sun on the third hole. The golfers simply played around them.

Our next stop was a country lane, where we stopped to look at the beautiful birds: cockatoos, parrots and others whose names escape me now. Once I am able to download photos (probably not until I get home), you will see what I mean. But the highlight here was a couple of koalas in the tree, one of which had her baby in her pouch. (I will admit that, at least on my camera's preview screen, that's my favorite photo of the trip so far). Koalas apparently sleep some 20 hours a day, so it was quite a treat to see one doing something else.

The ocean road itself was a trip of extraordinary beauty. It is somewhat along the lines of the coastal highway in California, but with its own special flavor. The beaches are rugged, and the rock formations off shore were astonishing. Best was the group of rock formations known as the "twelve apostles" (though there are only eight of them, and no one can remember when there were 12). Another highlight was a a gorge where a shipwreck had once claimed the lives of all but 2 on board. That two survived its sheer cliffs and brutal waves was the astounding part.

The second day of Melbourne was also not in Melbourne. This was a trip into the mountains known as the Dandenongs, and a ride on "puffing Billy," an antique steam train, through the eucalyptus and fern forest. This was followed by a winery visit, and then a trip to a wildlife park to see many of the animals native to Australia.

After this, we were back on board our ship, and set sail for Tasmania, where we have been today. What did we do in Tasmania? You guessed it--more critters. After a visit to the charming little town of Richmond, where preparations for Christmas are well underway, we visited a wildlife sanctuary devoted to the rescue and rehab of injured animals. Here we saw, in addition to the koalas, kangaroos, wombats, emus, wallabies, and other Aussie animals, a number of Tasmanian devils. These dog-like animals have some 20 tons of crushing capacity in their mouths, but are scavengers rather than hunters. Nevertheless, we saw no one offering their arms to a devil.

We are now back on the ship and getting ready to sail for New Zealand--a two-day voyage. Australia has been a wonder. My only complaint is that I did not have enough time here. I'll be back.