(NOTE: I belong to a private International e-mail list server group for seniors called, Senior World. My wife and I attended gatherings of this group in Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia in November, 2006. This is an account of our trip which I wrote up afterwards and sent to the group - there is a picture link at the end of the narrative. I have also put together a 30 minute slide presentation which I would be happy to show to any group that is inclined. Just send me an email with a few days advance notice.Tom Fisher)
Background: The genesis for this trip began about 18 months ago. At that time, our recent trip to Japan was still fresh on our minds and that had been inspiring enough to warrant further explorations. Previous S-W get togethers had taken place in cities where members lived and this aspect facilitated much local planning by said members and this in turn usually resulted in escorted tours and activities of at least a week's duration. However, due to the vast distances between S-W members in New Zealand and Australia, it became apparent early on that any such S-W get togethers at either of these places would have to be of a different nature. Which is to say, we would probably have to think of converging at a given point on a particular day and be limited to lunch or dinner together.
Considering all the logistics and great distances, it seemed to me that booking a commercial tour might offer some advantages - especially if such a tour included some "free" time in various locations. So, accordingly, I started looking at some packages offered by various travel services. In short, I found such a trip that was offered by Globus. It was what they called a South Pacific sampler which consisted of a 17 day trip that would include stops in Christchurch, Queenstown and Auckland, New Zealand as well as Cairns, Sydney, and Melbourne, Australia. Over a two week period, I traded emails with a Globus agent to answer a few questions. The price seemed okay and included all our hotels, transportation, transfers, and some meals including breakfast every morning. The real clincher, however, was that I was then offered a sizeable discount to book the tour by a given date. I talked it over with my wife and members of the S-W group who had expressed an interest. I also had elicited that there would be some free time in both Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. Ichiro san from Japan was the only one in our S-W group who would commit to going but he felt more comfortable going on his own rather than booking a commercial tour. So, to make a long story short, I accepted the Globus offer and sent them a retainer fee. It later turned out that we were able to schedule a get together for all the New Zealand members at Auckland on Friday, November 10th and the Australian members at Sydney on Wednesday, November 15th.
Friday, November 3, 2006: We leave for Indianapolis. Globus previously had sent me a package of materials for our trip. Among other things, this consisted of all our airlines tickets. We were booked on American Airlines from Indianapolis to Chicago to Los Angeles where we then switched to Qantas for the 12 hour flight across the Pacific. We flew to Auckland, New Zealand and then transferred to a Qantas flight to Christchurch which was where our tour was to officially begin. Our flight across the Pacific was aboard a Boeing 747-400 which we found to be not so comfortable. The flight from Chicago to Los Angeles had been on a Boeing 767 and this plane seemed a lot more comfortable as each seat seemed to have more space and leg room. But the Qantas flight crew really did knock themselves out in making sure we were well attended. There were two hot meals served, en route, and each seat has its own entertainment center. This consists of a small flat panel CRT on the back of the seat ahead of you and you have a nice selection of movies, TV, music or games at your disposal. The flight crew encouraged us to get out of our seats and walk around some. They also instructed us on doing stretching exercises while seated.
Somehow, we lost Saturday on the way to New Zealand. This all has to do with crossing the International Date Line and we were assured by the plane captain that we would get the lost day back on the way home. At any rate, we left the U.S. on Friday and, after a flight of some 12 to 13 hours, landed in New Zealand on Sunday. The only hitch on the way over was in transferring from the international air terminal in Auckland to the domestic terminal. Going through customs was fairly easy and transferring our baggage was okay. However, finding our way to the Qantas domestic terminal was an absolute nightmare. The signs were very confusing and several different people we talked to gave conflicting instructions.
But, finally, we did manage to find our way to where we were supposed to be and got on our plane for Christchurch. Once in Christchurch, our Globus tour guide was waiting for us. He introduced himself as Peter Wagner and his nice easy flowing British accent soon won us over. Lil said he reminded her of Michael Caine but to me, he looked more like Tony Bennett. Peter actually lives in Sydney, Australia and had spent considerable time in England and France. We immediately got on a Globus bus and made our way to the Grand Chancellor hotel. There were 32 of us - all from various states in the U.S. - in the tour group not counting our guide, Peter.
After we each were given keys to our rooms, the first order of business was a group meeting in one of the hotel guest rooms. Here, Peter simply went over the necessary rules and procedures that would be in effect during the tour. We then adjourned to the hotel dining room where were treated to a meal of our choice from the menu. As I recall, I had baked salmon which was very tasty. We were then dismissed for the evening and told to be ready to start our next day's tour at 9:00 AM in the hotel lobby.
Monday, November 6, 2006: We got ourselves up about 6:00 AM, showered and then went downstairs to breakfast. I normally am not a breakfast eater. However, considering the busy schedules we were facing, it was good that we had a nice breakfast to start each day. The breakfast menu at this and all the other hotels we stayed at consisted of serving yourself from a buffet of scrambled eggs (one place allowed custom made omelets and another offered eggs Benedict) bacon and/or ham, bangers, potatoes, pancakes, baked beans, and a variety of fresh as well as canned fruits. There was also bread for toast and a generous offering of croissants and Danish rolls. And of course, coffee, plus Lil was always able to get decaffeinated coffee. This particular day, we sat at breakfast with Paul and Joan Shaver from St. Louis. Paul is an Electrical Engineer and is retired from electronics manufacturing. He and Joan now spend much of their time in St. Louis as art patrons. Later, in Sydney, Australia, they attended a ballet at the Sydney Opera House.
Once on the tour bus, we headed for Lyttleton Harbour while Peter clued us in with a brief history of Christchurch. Contrary to popular belief, the Maori were not the original inhabitants of New Zealand. When Maori tribesmen from the east coast of the north island first came to the Christchurch area about a thousand years ago, moa hunting people of uncertain origin were already there. The first Europeans came in 1815 and by 1840, whaling ships were operating out of what would later become Lyttelton Harbour. Then in 1850 and 1851, four ships with English settlers landed in Lyttelton Harbour and it was this group who formally platted the city of Christchurch.
Our tour bus stopped at Mona Vale - one of many beautiful little parks in Christchurch which is also known as the Garden City of New Zealand. We were given about a half hour to walk around this gorgeous little park sprinkled here and there with beautiful flowers in their mid spring bloom. (Remember, we are now below the equator - the seasons are reversed.) It was here that we talked at length with David (Red) Pierce who hails from Fairmont, Minnesota. David is a free spirited sort who sports a Mohican haircut with prominent tattoos of jungle cats on each shaved side of his head. He usually dressed in short sleeve and shorts so as to display his many other tattoos. This along with his full beard - well, frankly, I couldn't help but think of the character, Queequeg, from Moby Dick. While my first impression of Red was a bit reserved, he kind of grew on me. He is a welder back in Minnesota and he and I discussed at length some plans I have for restoring parts of an old car I have at home. Whenever we got to a new city, Red made it a point to scout out tattoo shops and always managed to get a new one.
From there, we motored on to Lyttelton Harbour - or, to be more precise, a mountain top from which we had a magnificent view of the harbor. We then drove back to the city and stopped at the entrance to the Canterbury Museum and the adjoining botanical gardens. Then, after telling us how to walk back to our hotel, Peter told us were we on our own for the rest of the day. The museum was free of charge so we spent an hour and a half looking at many Maori artifacts. There also was an Antarctic exhibit which showed many actual buildings and equipment that were used by early American expeditions to that frigid and icy place. The center of Christchurch is marked by Cathedral Square where, as you might imagine, is a huge stone church. This figured prominently in Peter's directions for the way back. It was then that I spotted an ATM machine which displayed the familiar "Plus" logo indicating my card would work. I was a bit apprehensive as I always have this horror fantasy of a strange ATM machine eating my card in some foreign land as I'm about to use it for the first time. But, while the format was a bit different than I'm used to, it wasn't really difficult to figure out and I got $200 of New Zealand currency. And the real good news (which I didn't learn until I got back home in the states) was that the transaction fee was only about one U.S. dollar.
We found a nice little side walk cafe‚ and had sandwiches and a cold soft drink for dinner. We also noted that the main thoroughfare of the city was blocked off to all but pedestrian traffic. This really promoted an unimpeded flow of people walking and shopping in all directions. Earlier, Peter had pointed out the Town Crier from the bus and imagine our surprise when we saw the fellow as we were walking. He was all decked out in exactly the kind of costume you've all seen in those old "period" movies - knickers, white full length stockings, low cut shoes with a buckle, ruffled white shirt, red coat with tails, and a "Paul Revere" three pointed hat. Oh, yes - and he was wearing white gloves. We stopped him and he graciously posed for a picture with Lil. We asked him how long he had been doing this and he said, "Seventeen years." Lil asked him what he actually did and he admitted that the job is largely ceremonial and consists mainly of walking about and answering tourist questions just as he was doing now. When dignitaries or prominent political figures come to town, he announces their names.
We got back to the hotel at about 7:00 PM and use the hotel Internet facilities to check our email and write brief messages to our kids. We relax and watch a CNN cable channel on a flat panel TV screen - which marks the beginning of several such TVs that we have at our disposal for the rest of the trip in both New Zealand and Australia. We need to get a good night's sleep as we depart by motor coach for Queenstown and the Southern Alps at 8:00 AM the next morning.
Tuesday, November 7, 2006: After a leisurely breakfast, we board the Globus motor coach and head for Queenstown. This is a trip of some four plus hours through some very scenic mountains which some have dubbed the "Southern Alps." It was in many of these mountain areas where several scenes of the recent movie trilogy, "Lord of the Rings," was shot. I quizzed Peter about this and he said that most of the movie locations, however, were done in very remote areas that were only accessible by helicopter or a vehicle with four wheel drive.
Peter also used this time to fill us in about some of the settling history of New Zealand. Apparently, the original English plans were to pattern new colonies in New Zealand exactly as they had been in England. However, it wasn't long before it became apparent that this strategy wasn't going to work. There simply was no infrastructure in place in New Zealand to facilitate that lifestyle. The unique circumstances in New Zealand did, however, lend themselves to raising farm animals. In relatively short order, it was determined that raising sheep was a business that did not require much experience and would be settlers were encouraged to pursue this. The rest was history as many families headed for New Zealand to seek their fortunes as sheep farmers. Whaling was still a big industry, too, especially among the Dutch and the French. A few of the early settlements reflected this.
While sheep raising is still very prominent in New Zealand, vineyards are rapidly gaining in popularity. We passed many of these as we found our way to Queenstown. One of the striking things that is noticeable as you see the vineyards from the road is the orderly manner in which the grapevine rows are laid out. And, at the head of each row is a conspicuous rose plant - usually with at least one rose blooming. The reason for this is that the rose and the grapevines are both subject to the same diseases - only the rose will usually display the symptoms first. This then affords the caretaker a chance to treat the grapevines long before they progress to any lethal disease stage.
Peter also mentions that today is the day of the Melbourne Cup horserace in Australia. This is the Down Under equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. Thoroughbred horse racing is a very popular sport in both New Zealand and Australia. Peter then suggests that it might be fun if we get someone to act as a "bookie" and have a betting pool for the race. Julie Dayvault from Lexington, North Carolina volunteers to be "it" and she proceeds to put together some numbers for a drawing. It is agreed that all participants will put in $5 for each number drawn. We find out later in the day that two Japanese horses, Delta Blue and Pop Rock, finish 1st and 2nd and, as I had Pop Rock, I win $30. Don't anyone tell the New Zealand Internal Revenue Service about this!
After a long bus ride and some scenery that was "out of this world," we finally get to Queenstown. The roots of this city came about back in the 1850s when gold was discovered in the area. Would be miners came from all over the world and there are still remnants of those old mining camps visible in the narrow valleys as you wend your way toward Queenstown, today. Now, the area is better known to ski enthusiasts, bungee jumping and river rafting. We actually passed the Kawarau bridge where the very first bungee jump in the world took place. The name, Queenstown, was chosen because it was felt that the city really was fit for Queen Victoria. We check into the Crown Plaza hotel and pick up our room keys. Let me say a word at this point about our accommodations on this trip. Without exception, the hotels that we were put up in were all absolutely first class (five star is the term for the discerning traveler, I think). I would hate to think what the daily room rates for these places would have been had we been traveling on our own. My hat is off to Globus for their excellent taste in hotel selection.
It is now about 5:30 PM in the evening and, after cleaning up a bit and resting, we board a boat on lake Wakatipu for an optional trip to Walter's Peak where we will dine and then be treated to a demonstration of sheep herding and sheep shearing. It is a boat trip of about 5 miles and along the way the mountain scenery is beautiful. The villa at Walter's Peak reminds me of some of the scenes in "The Sound of Music" with the mountains in the background. We have a buffet dinner (which wasn't the greatest) and then walk to a viewing area for the sheep herding demonstration. A rancher then comes out with his trusty border collie in tow. The viewing area is at the base of a mountain range and, at the beginning of all this, no sheep are visible. The rancher gives a command to the dog and she immediately runs out in the direction of the mountain where some scrub pines are growing at the base. Within a few minutes, about 10 to 15 sheep come running up toward us with the dog behind. Once in a while, an individual sheep will peel off and start to head off in some new direction. But the dog quickly sees this and runs over to steer the sheep back in place. With only a few whistles and grunts from the rancher, the dog easily guides the sheep into a designated holding area. It is a most impressive demonstration.
We then go to yet another area to watch the sheep shearing. The same rancher then brings out a ewe and explains what this is all about. A sheep apparently is a very docile and compliant creature. Even though the ewe is quite large, the rancher positions the ewe on her haunches and holds her by the neck and shoulders. Then he proceeds to start shearing her wool using an electric clipper. He is very adept and in less that three or four minutes he has sheared the sheep's wool coat off in one large piece. He then tells us that this is not really a very profitable business and that most ranchers also raise young lambs which is really where most of the money stands to be made. The return boat ride goes uneventfully and we go back toward the hotel and stop along the way to check our email at an Internet cafe that I had noticed while coming into town on the motor coach.
Wednesday, November 8, 2006: This is a day to ourselves with no scheduled Globus activities. The hotel has some coin operated laundry facilities and we choose the occasion to do some of our laundry. Queenstown is situated right next to lake Wakatipu which, according to Maori legend, has a very colorful history. Lake Wakatipu actually "breathes" - which is to say, the lake water level really does rise and fall up to 12 cm (4.7 inches) every 5 minutes. In reality, this is due to wind and variations in air pressure. However, the Maori have a different explanation: according to them, long, long ago, a monster named Matau carried off the daughter (Manata) of the Maori chief. A brave warrior named Matakauri (lots of "M" names to keep straight, huh!) went to save her. She was tied with a long cord plaited from hide of one of the monster's two-headed dogs. Try as he might, the warrior could not cut the cord with his knife. Manata then started crying and some of her tears fell upon the cord - and it parted, freeing her. Matakauri and Manata fled to safety. Then Matakauri returned to kill Matau, the monster. He found the giant asleep and piled bracken around him and set fire to it. The monster burnt to death and the fire burnt a deep hole in the shape of his body. Rivers then filled the hole creating lake Wakatipu. The legend says the giant's heart still beats under the water causing the constant rise and fall of the water's surface.
In the late afternoon, we had planned on walking to a botanical garden but it started raining - and it starts to turn uncharacteristically cold. Remember - this is ski country. It actually starts snowing intermittently and heavily up in the mountains. Out our window we can see the mountain top gradually turning white. Instead of doing the garden tour, we then walk to the Internet cafe‚ and check our email. We then had a bite to eat and headed back to our hotel for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we fly to Auckland.
Thursday, November 9, 2006: After breakfast, we board the bus for the short ride to the airport and check in with Air New Zealand for a 1 1/2 hour flight to Auckland. The view of the snow capped mountains as we leave the Queenstown area is spectacular. We arrive in Auckland on schedule and proceed on a tour of the city by motor coach as we wend our way toward downtown and Kelly Tarlton's Undersea Encounter. The cool weather seems to have followed us. We later find out that about 1/2 hour after we landed, the airport was closed for 2 hours due to high winds and storm conditions. Kelly Tarlton's turns out to be a rather thread bare aquarium that has seen its better day and really verges on being seedy. When we come out to re-board the motor coach for the rest of the trip to our hotel, the wind has really picked up and is blowing at near gale force. We finally arrive at the Sky City Auckland hotel and get settled in our rooms. Our baggage arrives shortly thereafter.
I had just tipped the bellboy for delivering our bags when the phone rang. Picking it up, I guessed it might be the hotel calling to welcome us with some sort of automated message. Imagine my surprise to hear Rob Houison's voice introducing himself and welcoming us to Auckland. Rob went on to tell me that George Katzer was in town after having flown up from Wellington and that he was, at that very moment, looking for Ichiro Nakano who had just flown in from Japan. Rob gave me George's cell phone number and suggested that I call him and arrange for he and Ichiro to join Lil and I for dinner at some agreed upon location. Rob further suggested that he would call me again the next morning and arrange to pick us up for a day of him showing us around. (Remember, the next day was one of those "free" days when we had no scheduled Globus activities. This was the day that we had planned for a dinner meeting that evening.) That sounded good so I thanked Rob, hung up, and then called George. George's cell phone was not in active mode so I left a brief voice message for him to call me at the hotel.
Lil and I then cleaned up a bit and were watching CNN on TV when George called me back. He said that he and Ichiro were in the hotel lobby and would love to have Lil and I join them for dinner. We then went downstairs and found George and Ichiro right away. We knew Ichiro from previous trips and George looked just like his picture on Jakob's "Rogues Gallery" page. It turned out the George really didn't know his way around Auckland and was at a loss as to recommend a place to eat. Lil and I suggested eating in a small restaurant right here in the hotel and George and Ichiro quickly agreed. We each order from the menu and then had some nice conversation. I guess the only thing about George that I hadn't allowed for was his decided Czechoslovakian accent. But, remembering that that is where is spent his formative years, I quickly adjusted and listening to George tell about his life in Wellington was quite enjoyable. It was also good to hear Ichiro san talk about his situation back in Gyoda, Japan and that his wife, Junko, sent her regards.
In the course of the conversation, we learned that George and Ichiro were staying in hotels that were within walking distance and Ichiro also indicated that he had seen an Internet cafe‚ on the way here. We all agreed that we would meet Rob the next morning. As I wanted to get to that Internet cafe, Lil then excused herself to go back to our room and I accompanied George and Ichiro in the direction of their hotel. We found the Internet cafe‚ about three blocks from the hotel and I said good night to George and Ichiro. I then went inside and spent about ten minutes checking my email on hotmail. The rates at these Internet cafes were always quite reasonable - usually only a dollar of so for up to a half hour. I then easily found my way back to the Sky City hotel.
Friday, November 10, 2006: After breakfast, Rob calls and says he will pick us up in front of the hotel at 10:00 AM. We do this and Rob arrives on time with George and Ichiro already in the car. Rob takes us on a tour of the city. Rob (who I had never met, previously) is a very talkative chap who really seems to have the gift of gab. We got to a dock area on Auckland harbor which Rob had helped renovate and redesign a few years before. It was here that he also had opened up an ice cream parlor. We then drove to a museum and immediately had lunch in the museum cafeteria - and, as I recall, Rob insisted that it was "his treat!" Afterward, we toured the museum which seemed heavily oriented toward Maori artifacts. The presentations and displays throughout the museum well very well done and Lil and I found the visit to be very informative and enlightening. Rob then drove us to the top of Mount Eden where we were treated to a dramatic panoramic view of the Auckland skyline. We get back to the hotel at about 3:30 PM. George and Ichiro will get a taxi and pick Lil and me up at 6:45 PM to go the Ruan Thai restaurant where we will meet some others and have dinner.
We freshen up, rest for a while, and are waiting as planned in front of the hotel to be picked up at the appointed time. George and Ichiro arrive by taxi and we proceed on to our dinner meeting. At the Thai restaurant, we are joined by Rob's partner, Noi; Noi's daughter, Samorn and her husband, Paul; Rob's daughter, Janeen and her partner, Clive; and Bernice Hall, a friend of Rob's. We are then escorted to a long table that had been reserved for us. Lil and I had never eaten Thai food before and thus really didn't know what to expect. The food was served to us in stages, however, and we found everything to be quite tasty and not nearly as spicy as we thought it might be. But the conversation was the best thing about the evening and Rob's friend, Bernice (or "Bernie" as we came to affectionately call her at her insistence) was the hit of the party. Bernie also had the gift of gab and was one of those persons that you could listen to for hours. I will always remember listening to Bernie tell of her adventures abroad in the latter stages of WWII. By about 10:00 PM, we had to reluctantly say goodbye as we had to get back to our hotel and have our bags packed for our flight to Australia early the next morning. Rob took us back to our hotel and there we said our goodbyes. Rob, you are a true gentleman!
Saturday, November 11, 2006: Our next scheduled tour stop is Cairns, Australia. But, since there are no direct flights from Auckland, we must first go to Sydney - which means going through customs since we will be entering a new country. The flight to Sydney is about 2 1/2 hours and clearing Australia customs turns out to be rather painless. Actually, the Australian customs is a model of efficiency that others would do well to learn by. We transfer to the Qantas domestic terminal and soon find ourselves on the 3 hour flight to Cairns (Australians say, "Cans" - as in tin cans). The modern history of Cairns traces back to about 1875 and was linked to the newly discovered gold fields west of here. Older habitation by Aboriginal tribesmen of the area - and Australia in general - dates back by some estimates 40,000 to 50,000 years. Cairns turns out to be a rather small but very upscale city. In short, it is a very trendy place and happens to be one of the chief access points to the Great Barrier Reef - an immense expanse of undersea coral stretching for nearly 2000 miles along the coast of northeast Australia. The area is also well known for sugar plantations. We check into the Shangri-La Hotel which has to rank up there among the poshest of the posh. The hardwood floors are of mahogany and the bathroom is trimmed in teak. We have a balcony which looks out over a palm tree studded courtyard with walkways sporting all sorts of tropical plants. We go for a walk around an adjacent marina that is right next to the hotel. If this isn't Paradise, it's about as close as anything I've ever seen on planet Earth.
That evening, we go with the Globus group to Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park. Here we witness folklore, culture, and an interactive portrayal of Aboriginal ways. The plaintive sound of the didgeridoo plays in the background and it becomes easy to comprehend the aboriginal concept of what they call "the dream time." We are in an outside area and it is well past dark. We stand in a big circle and, in the center, five Aboriginal tribesmen engage in a chant while two of them start a fire by rubbing sticks together (it's a variation of a spindle or drill technique). Finally, they get a glowing coal in a bed of tinder and, after blowing on it gently, they soon have a roaring fire going. Then one of them starts an audience participation sing-along. Afterward, we are treated to a buffet dinner. This is then followed by yet some more Aboriginal entertainment - but of a lighter and more entertaining note. We get back to our hotel about 9:30 PM - and I can still hear the sound of the didgeridoo.
At last night's outing during the dinner, I had excused myself to go to the bathroom and I was directed by one of the staff to walk outside the building to a special building next door. The sidewalk was covered with huge cane toads that had obviously learned that hanging around an artificially lit area at night was a good place to catch flying insects that were attracted to the night lights. These critters mark one of Australia's sadder chapters in environmental management. In 1935, after hearing sugar cane farmers complain about beetles that were ravishing their crops, several Hawaiian toads were shipped in on the mistaken notion that they would start feasting on the beetles. It was later discovered that the toads (scientific name Bufo marinus) can't jump very high so they did not eat the cane beetles which stayed up on the upper stalks of the cane plants. So the farmers had to go back to using chemicals to deal with their beetle problems. Meanwhile, the toads were forgotten about - at least for a while. The toads were on their own and they proved to be very hardy survivors. They turned out to be a lot more than were bargained for and it didn't take long to find out how well the toads would do in their new Australian home. They breed like flies, as the saying goes. Each pair of cane toads can lay 33,000 eggs per spawning (some published references estimate they produce as much as 60,000 eggs!). Their 'toadpoles' develop faster than many Australian frogs so they can outcompete Aussie frogs for food. Toads and toadpoles seem to be resistant to some herbicides and eutrophic water which would normally kill frogs and tadpoles. All stages of a toad's life are poisonous so they have no natural predators to keep their numbers in check. Toads not only eat the food normally available to Australian frogs, there is growing anecdotal evidence that they eat frogs as well, especially metamorphs. Fish who eat toadpoles die. Animals who eat toad adults die. Since 1935, they have spread across most of Queensland, they are almost entirely across the Northern Territory. The final chapter concerning the cane toad has yet to be written.
Sunday, November 12, 2006: We have breakfast on the veranda of the Shangri-La Hotel. It really is an open air situation and we soon learn that if we leave our food unattended for a few minutes, opportunistic weaver finches (many people erroneously call them "house sparrows" in the U.S.) quickly help themselves and steal a morsel or two. We then join our group and get on a boat for a 15 minute ride to Green Island, a coral outcrop about 10 miles out from the coast which marks the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Once there, we are situated about 50 miles south of where Steve Irwin tragically lost his life about a month ago in a freak accident with a stringray. Some people in our group have opted for a glass bottom boat tour. Lil and I, however, have opted for snorkeling with a snorkel tube, mask and flippers. We have never snorkeled before but I have seen lots of it in TV documentaries and am convinced that it can't be that difficult. Besides, as I explain to Lil, this is a literally a chance in a lifetime as we may very well never be here again. Peter had forewarned us about the possibility of being stung by the deadly Irukandji jellyfish. He said it would be a good idea to spend the extra money for a protective suit to wear while skin diving. However, as it turned out, the consensus among our group seemed to be that Peter was probably being his overcautious self and since the people passing out the gear didn't seem concerned, we elected to skip the protective suits.
So, we pick up our gear from the supply depot and head out to a designated area for snorkeling. I, frankly, am not expecting a lot as I'm sure the water will be shallow and there really won't be much to see. Lil and I take our clothes off (we had our swim suits on underneath) and place them in a pile under a palm tree at the edge of the beach. We then go to the water's edge and put on our equipment. I explain to Lil how I think all this equipment works. We find that walking forward with the flippers on our feet is very difficult and awkward - it is much easier to walk backwards. As we go on out, the water gradually gets deeper. We start to see some grasses. Then we start snorkeling in earnest - and it turns out to be quite like I had expected. But, whereas I really wasn't expecting to see much, I was soon quite surprised to come upon some brain coral. And as I looked, lo and behold, there were some colorful tropical fish swimming in and around the coral. And as we went further out, there was more brain coral and even some tube coral - and more and varied colorful tropical fish. Finally, we came upon a rather big and very beautiful five pointed starfish. It was bright orange and had big dark blue splotches running down its spines. Don't get me wrong - this was nothing like you would see on a Jacques Cousteau documentary. The water depth at most in the area where we snorkeled was probably only about 5 feet and anytime we stopped we could easily stand with our heads above water. But, for us Midwesterners who had never had on snorkeling equipment before today, it was like being in another world. And now we could honestly say that we had been snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Now is that cool - or is that cool! The boat ride back to the mainland was anticlimactic to say the least.
Once back, we immediately got on a tour bus to visit a crocodile farm. While this was informative and mildly interesting, I still had trouble concentrating as the snorkeling experience was still very front and center in my mind. That evening, Lil and I go for a walk and find a sidewalk cafe‚ that sports an Italian look. Lil orders fettuccine Alfredo with avocado and I order spaghetti Bolognese. Then, as we walk on our way back to the hotel, we discover a huge shopping market. We quickly determine the prices are very good and buy lots of souvenirs.
Monday, November 13, 2006: We board a plane and fly back to Sydney - only this time to visit and stay a few days. Sydney is a huge metropolitan and very modern city of about 5 million people. The modern history of this area dates back to 1770 when it was discovered and explored by Captain James Cook. He claimed the entire east coast of Australia and named it New South Wales. We check into the Sofitel Wentworth hotel and try to get our bearings. Our room sports a balcony from which we look down upon a courtyard which, itself, is located several floors up from street level. It is evening and we are hungry so we decide to walk around the hotel block looking for a restaurant. Finding none, we end up coming back to the Wentworth and present ourselves at a hotel restaurant that we had noticed on the way in. We each ordered iced tea and sandwiches. As we discuss the day's events, we each have a 2nd glass of iced tea. Finally, I ask for the cheque and am shocked to see the total comes to about $70. The iced tea, alone, is $8 per glass! Needless to say, we will endeavor to find a different place to eat from now on.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006: At breakfast, it turns out this is the place where we can have an omelet made to order. I have one with onions, green pepper and mushrooms. By now I have grown very accustomed to this breakfast routine. I am not at all sure how this will play out when we get back to the states and I have to get back into my daily work routine which does not include breakfast. Our first stop is at an exclusive opal dealer's. We go in and are seated in a small reception area. A woman by the name of Fionna introduces herself and welcomes us. She then tells us a bit about how opals are mined and shows us a short video. She then takes us on a tour of the facility and shows us the store's pride and joy - a one million dollar cut and polished black opal which is kept in a special vault. We are then given about 15 minutes to shop and when I see Lil has her eye on a particular ring, I decide that Christmas comes a bit early this year. I buy it for her and as we are arranging to have it sized, Fionna herself suggests that Lil try it on. Lo and behold, it fits like a glove - no resizing will be necessary.
We then depart for a tour of the Sydney Opera House. This is, of course, a world famous place and one that is in the opinion of many one of the modern "wonders of the world." Peter had arranged for us to be shown this place by a separate tour guide who is actually on the opera house staff. This fellow really knew his stuff and we spend about an hour looking the place over. In 1957, as a result of competitive bidding, a design contract was awarded to Jorn Ulzon from Denmark. Ulzon settled on a design calling for a grouping of shells each of which had been cut from the same sphere. Each shell would be pre-cast of concrete and assembled on site like a giant lego set. The whole idea was predicated on the notion of flying buttresses with no upright columns to impede any view throughout. It was a radical design, to say the least, and several eyebrows were raised by other architects who were dubious about the design from the start. But construction was begun in the late 50s and by the mid 60s, the project was well past the "point of no return." Then, due in large part to the constant bickering and design changes that invariably result in such a big project, Ulzon resigned and went back to Denmark - never again to return to see the finished product. A new team of architects saw the project through to its completion. The Sydney Opera House was officially opened in 1975. This was a marvelous tour and one that we would certainly recommend for anyone visiting the opera house for the first time.
From there, we go on to the Taronga Zoo. This turns out to be an old zoo that has probably seen its better day. But the staff is very professional and group is divided up into smaller clumps so as to get a more personalized view as we walk about. Along the way, we see most of the marsupials that are indigenous to Australia - the kangaroo, wallaby (the difference, BTW, between a kangaroo and a wallaby is simply one of size - the wallaby is decidedly smaller), platypus, echidna, koala, wombat, dingo (which is not a marsupial), a Tasmanian devil and several bird species. The only animal that we don't see is the possum which is a furry creature and is quite different from the opossum that we have in the U.S.
Next we go on a boat tour of Sydney Harbour. This is an hour long excursion on a sizeable boat. As we go around the harbor, a pre-recorded tape plays pointing out the items of merit as we pass by. It is an impressive tour and one that shouldn't be missed by any first time travelers to the area. We get off the boat tour and walk back to our hotel looking for an Internet cafe‚ along the way. Finding one, I check our email and dash off some quick messages to our kids back home.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006: This is a free day where we have no scheduled Globus activities. We had arranged to meet several other S-W members at the Center Point Tower restaurant - which is one of those "needle point" places high in the city from which you can look down for some spectacular views. And this place also was built on a revolving platform so as to rotate around in a circular fashion once every 70 minutes. It turns out that the entire area around the base of the Center Point Tower is a huge shopping mall and, as Lil and I had arrived early, we spent considerable time walking around window shopping. It was strange to see Christmas displays and hear Christmas music in a place that is going from spring to summer. Finally, we went to the waiting area that is designated for people who have reservations for eating at the revolving restaurant. After a while, I look up and there is Jan and John Hokin checking in with the attendant. I recognize them from some pictures I had seen on Jakob's web site. We quickly introduce ourselves, embrace, and easily launch into conversation just like old friends. Such is the way S-W get togethers typically unfold. In short order, Brian and Jennifer Schurr arrive and following them is Jean Will. Margaret Spedding joins the group shortly thereafter and then we board the lift for the long trek up to the top of the tower (I frankly forget how many stories up it is). Once there, the eight of us are seated around a table and told to help ourselves to a buffet any time we feel up to it. To say the view of Sydney from this vantage point was spectacular would indeed be an understatement - I mean it was simply breathtaking.
But, of course, the whole point of the gathering was to really get to know each other in person which was not a difficult task as most of us pretty much already knew each other from our email group. Jan and I had traded some private emails in regard to setting up the meeting and I felt I already knew her. And her husband, John, was an easy chap to talk to as he and I hit it off comparing the differences between rugby and what we call football. (BTW, Lil and I grew really fond of watching rugby matches on TV.) Jennifer and Brian were a lovely couple and we enjoyed their company very much. Margaret Spedding was a joy to talk to and she gave us a copy of Banjo Patterson's "The Man From Snowy River" as a present. And Jean Will was precisely as I had pictured her to be in my mind's eye. She is the type of person who "never met a stranger" and I couldn't imagine in a million years of anyone who wouldn't have enjoyed meeting and talking with her. Jean also gave us a little bag of goodies that included a sachet of perfumed soap. And when I asked about her grandson, Hamish, I knew I had struck a good chord as she just happened to have several pictures to show us. I think close to two or three hours passed in no time at all and it was with great reluctance that we finally had to draw this meeting to a close. We said our goodbyes but this meeting will be with us forever in our memories.
Lil and I had to get back to our hotel to get ready for a farewell dinner of Globus group that evening as several people in the group were flying back to the states the next day. The dinner was in an exclusive restaurant down on the wharf overlooking the harbor - the Sydney Opera House was conspicuously present on the other side. We ordered from a menu and I had baked Tasmanian Salmon which was very tasty. Before the evening was over, Paul talked Peter into leading us in singing all the verses to "Waltzing Matilda."
Thursday, November 16, 2006: Today, we fly to Melbourne - another huge cosmopolitan city of about 4 million people. We check in at the Sofitel Melbourne hotel and it turns out our room on the 39th floor offers a fantastic view of the city facing east. Peter did not accompany us, here. Instead, we are met by a new Globus person, Jytta, who hails from Denmark. She is very professional and cordial but seems a bit colder than Peter. We are then excused for the rest of the day to amuse ourselves. Then we walk to a tourist information center where were told there was an Internet setup in the basement. We find the place a few blocks away and quickly check our email and send off a few brief messages.
Friday, November 17, 2006: After breakfast, we board the tour bus and, under Jytta's guidance, stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral and grounds. This is a magnificent huge building replete with reflection pools all around and very well manicured flower gardens. Next, we make a stop at Victoria Market. This is a huge shopping market and the prices are very reasonable. Among other things, we get Lil's brother an Akubra hat made out of kangaroo hide. This is the type of wide brim hat popularized by Paul Hogan in the Crocodile Dundee movies. After that, we go to Fitzroy Gardens and spend about an hour walking through this very scenic and well taken care of park. Among other things, we see an old house which is the oldest building in Australia. It is a house which originally was built in Europe and then brought here in pieces. Here, it was the home of Captain Cook's parents.
Next we stop at the Shrine of Remembrance. This is a huge stone monolith that was built to commemorate the people who served in Australia's armed forces during WWI and WWII. November 11, 1918 marks the formal end to World War I when the armistice became effective at 11am. Originally know as Armistice Day, November 11 was renamed Remembrance Day after WWII to commemorate people killed during both world wars. At 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month each year, they now pause to remember the sacrifices made by Australians during all wars and conflicts. Each year at this time, sunlight shines in through a special opening in the roof. A sphere of light then passes over an inscription that reads, "Greater love hath no man" - and precisely at 11 am on this day, the light passes over the word, "love."
Jytta also tells us about the city tram which circles the downtown area about once each hour. The tram is free to ride and we are encouraged to use it as often as we wish. We later hear that there is a special room at the state library where there are computers and an Internet hookup with the outside world. So, that afternoon, Lil and I ride the tram to the state library and check it out. Everything is exactly as we had been told and we dash off some emails to our kids. We then hop back on the tram and complete the loop of the downtown area.
That evening, we take the tram to Russell street and walk a few blocks to Lygon street which, according to our map, is Melbourne's "Little Italy." There we find a nice sidewalk cafe‚ called La Spaghetteria and a person who introduces himself as Antonio seats us. Lil orders fettuccine avocado and I get my usual spaghetti Bolognese. The food is excellent and reasonably priced, too. On the way back to the tram station, we stop at an ice cream parlor and each get a double dip cone which we eat while walking down the street.
Saturday, November 18, 2006: Today, we are free until about 1:00 pm in the afternoon. So we take the tram back to the state library. I want to get a copy of "Waltzing Matilda" off the Internet and Lil wants to check out some aboriginal things. We complete our tasks and as we are leaving, I notice a group of demonstrators outside the library. We knew that a G20 Summit Meeting was being held here in Melbourne and we also knew that it was forecast that there might be several demonstrations by various protest groups. We had seen several special police units prior to this. I sensed that this was someplace where we shouldn't be and said as much to Lil. We quickly made our way to the tram station and were back at our hotel in fairly short order. We later found out that a riot of sizeable proportions had broken out in front of the very state library where we had just been less than a half hour after we were there. Several people, including some police personnel, were injured and bloodied up.
At1:00 pm we get on a Grayline tour bus and head for Phillip Island where we will see the little penguins come ashore this evening. Our destination is about 100 miles south of Melbourne and the bus driver, Darryl, entertains us en route. Along the way, we stop at a game preserve and see several kangaroo and koala. The deal with the penguins is that this is the only place in the world where these little creatures - known officially as the Little Penguins - live. (We later learned that the original name for the penguins was "Fairy Pengins" but, sometime before we arrived, a political correctness controversy had broken out and the name "Little Penguins" was decided upon as an acceptable compromise.) They spend their days at sea feeding and only come ashore after sunset at night where the cover of darkness affords them some protection from predators as they scamper across the beach and head for the safety of their burrows where their mates are waiting for them. Just as advertised, the little penguins come ashore in small groups of about 15 to 20 just after sundown. They waddle across the beach and up the various trails to where their burrows are. It is a sight to behold. Once inside their burrow, they regurgitate the contents of their stomachs so their mates and/or young ones will have something to eat. Isn't nature fascinating? And aren't you glad you're not a penguin?! We get back to our hotel very late and hit the sack. Tomorrow we head for home.
Sunday, November 19, 2006: We head for home. Our Qantas flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles is delayed by 1 1/2 hours due to some malfunctioning baggage handling equipment. Finally, our bags all make it to the plane and we start taxing out to our takeoff area. We get there - and wait. Finally, the plane captain comes on the PA and says, "Well, mates, I guess this isn't our day." He then goes on to tell us that the wind has shifted and since we are in a very heavy plane, we must now taxi to the opposite end of the airport (which will take nearly a half hour in itself!) so as to get to a longer takeoff strip. Finally, we take off and the rest of the trip home is pretty uneventful. The only hitch - a small one - is when we get to Indianapolis and there waiting for us is our son, Ted, and his wife, Caroline. However, we don't find our bags on the unloading carrousel. We learn that our bags didn't get on the same plane with us but that there are coming on the next flight which will be about a half hour behind us. We have a cup of coffee with Ted and Caroline and, sure enough, our bags come in about 45 minutes later and in short order we are on our way to Ted and Caroline's house to pick up our car. Ted and Caroline surprise us with a couple of bags of groceries so we won't have to stop on the way home. Isn't that thoughtful of them?! Once home, our kitty meets us at the door and lets us know that she is hungry and wants petted. And so our big adventure comes to a close and, yes, the universe continues to unfold as it should.
fishertrin@gmail.comCopyright © 2006 - Thomas R. Fisher, All Rights Reserved.
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