NEW ZEALAND
We knew little about New Zealand when we began planning to go there on a cruise primarily to see Australia. The cruise began in Auckland, so as is our practice, we flew in several days early to get on the new time zone and to have time to see this part of the world in more depth.
European, Polynesian, Asian and strong Maori heritages give Auckland its distinctive culture. The Maori have a strong Polynesian appearance, but they cover their bodies in tatoos and have a history of fighting their opponents by trying to scare them to death. We saw a Maori cultural show and it was pretty strange. It's easy to see their culture through Maori treasures at Auckland Museum and at Howick Historical Village and at Otara Market. The "European" settles for NZ came primarily from Scotland.
New Zealand is composed of two Islands. The North Island is tropical with great beaches and warm weather. Auckland is near the top of the North Island so it's weather is moderate. We spent the first day adapting to the new time zone and trying to drive a straight gear car set up for the left side of the road. We quickly found that shifting gears were on the left and completely disorientating to the driver. However, we put that into perspective so we could wander around the special sights we had identified.
We couldn't wait to get to Waitomo to see the cave covered and lit by glow worms:
http://www.waitomo.com/ This was one of the most unusual things we had ever seen and definitely worth the drive. On the drive back to our hotel, we stopped at Rosehill to look at the state park and have a lovely luncheon.
We definitely enjoyed one day on the beaches of the North Island...they really reminded me of Hawaii.
Once we were ready to leave Auckland on our cruise, we were treated by a tug boat in the harbor doing wheelies round and round and round...quite a sight! This indicative of the outgoing and charming New Zealanders.
Our cruise allowed us to see a lot of the varied landscape of New Zealand. One of the outstanding stops was approximately three hours south in Rotorua, New Zealand's geothermal and cultural epicenter. Here you can experience geysers, boiling mud pools, indulgent spa therapies and Maori culture.
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| Boiling mud...really cool and really smelly |
From the North Island to the South Island is like night and day. One of the most charming cities ever was Christchurch, but unfortunately many beautiful buildings were demolished during the earth quake of 2011. Christchurch was modeled after Oxford England with a boys school that looks for the world just like Christchurch College at Oxford. Downtown Christchurch was full of quirky people and a river full of Punting boats.
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| Christchurch Character |
We also ported into Dunedin and there we took an old steam train into the mountain gorges of the South Island. At various stops on this trip, we would get out of the train and the whole village had come and set up shop with crafts by the train track.
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| Gorge fromk the train |
As we rounded the bottom end of the South Island, we were into the Fiord National Park and it was just like stepping into something in Norway. The mountains plunged into the ocean deeply enough for a full size cruise ship to roam around in between them. I'm pretty sure I've never been colder in my life! We just packed for summer weather...even though it was January/Feb (the southern hemisphere summer) So we layered everything we had and wrapped up in blankets to sit on the deck to see this marvel.
New Zealand is a wonderland. If you have the opportunity either on a cruise or on a land journey, please go!
AUSTRALIA
What you may not know if you really haven't studied the map is that Australia is actually larger than the USA. Now I certainly have been to Melbourne, Sydney, and Alice Springs in the Outback, but to say I've really seen Australia is like saying you've been to Miami, New York, and Denver and now know all about the USA. So no I don't know a lot about a lot of this country, but I do know Aussies. They are a fun loving, gregarious people who put less emphasis on "success" than they do on having a great life style. And Boy do they know how to have fun! When you travel around the world and come upon a group of Australians, the gag is to yell, "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie." Invariably they will yell back, "Oy, Oy, Oy," don't ask me what it means just try it.
When I got home from Australia, I sent a letter to the Australian Tourism Board and told them they were missing a marketing tool by not coining the phrase, "Aussie Magic." I explained that as we traveled around their huge country and we ran into any kind of a problem, some Aussie took control and said, "No Worries, Mate", and fixed the problem immediately. This happened time after time to us and we just couldn't get over it.
MELBOURNE
Melbourne, is on the Southern coast of Australia. It is well known as being environmentally aware and green. One of their best known sights is the The Twelve Apostles, which is a rock formation in the sea along the Queen's Cliff.
We had a wonderful day at the Queen Victoria Market. I was on a mission to buy my daughter and her children a didgeridoo. The challenge was not in buying but in getting it home and this was in 2006. Imagine what those challenges would be today.
We also went to the Royal Botanical Gardens which were completely amazing.
SYDNEY
Sydney is a very expensive cosmopolitan city, but the first thing I noticed there was how well the races and nationalities mixed together. It all seemed to go so smoothly. We had a week there after our cruise and really enjoyed the atmosphere. The weather is very hot during their summer which is January and February.
Because Sydney is such a mixed culture and much like America there are few original natives (Aboriginals) and many "Europeans" as the Caucasian immigrants are called. In reality there is a huge Asian influence and all other countries and cultures are well represented. However, it was the English and Scottish who began to migrate there in the late 1700s.
The quintessential Sydney sight is the Opera House. If you go to Sydney you are REQUIRED to go to a performance there or at the very least a tour. I had planned our last night in Sydney as a formal night at the Opera house. It was amazing.
Another famous tourist sight is the Harbor Bridge. However, it is expensive...nearly $200 US and extremely challenging to those "of a certain age." Only the most fit and those definitely not afraid of heights, need sign up.
Plan to spend some time at The Rocks which is Sydney district full of interesting shops, cafes and bars. The Sunday we went there was a street market there and while I was shopping my husband was meeting all the crazy locals at the bar next door.
Not sure where these guys and their gals came from, but there were surely interesting.
When you first start out for Australia, you absolutely have in your mind that you will see plenty of Kangaroos. However, they are nocturnal and are not out and about except when you are usually asleep. We were determined, though, so we went to the Sydney Zoo. Please note that this country is blessed with many species of animals that we here in American have never heard of let alone seen, so be prepared for some strange animals.
What you can see plenty of are Wallabies, which is a smaller variety of the Kangaroo species. They are always up and about during the daytime.
A short train ride out of town is a lovely area called the Blue Mountains. The hour's ride is worth it to see the Three Sisters rock formation. The little town in also quite charming and full of real characters.
THE OUTBACK
As I was planning our trip in 2006, one of my friends who had recently spent three weeks in Australia insisted we must take the time to fly out to the Outback to see the Ularu or Ayers Rock which was recently named one of the seven natural wonders of the world: http://www.theworldwonders.com/new7natural/uluru.html
Here's the thing. You must fly from Sydney to Alice Springs, the closest town to Ayers Rock. You must then book a tour which will pick you up before daybreak, drive you there for several hours the 460 kilometers or 285+ miles which is nearly five hours on the bus. You get there and have lunch then take a walking tour around the rock. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful, but it doesn't compare to the US's Monument Valley in Utah. The Australians want you to stay until sunset and have dinner out in the desert because the rocks change color as the sun sets. THEN you have another give hour bus ride back to Alice Springs. Wow, for my money and time...not worth it. Certainly our time there was interesting, but very fatiguing.
The other issue in the Outback is the extremely hot dry weather. When we were there it was 120 degrees, and so dry that the Midges (tiny little flying insects) would fly into your eyes, mouth, and nose to get your moisture. Therefore you are advised to wear a full face netting to protect yourself. Not a high fashion statement for women much less men.
If you decide to go, let me know and I'll give you my netting! I certainly won't be using it again.
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