Hello to Melbourne

February 23, 2009

When we left Alice Springs a few days ago, we were used to seeing vast stretches of empty, rust-coloured landscape. A couple of hours later our airliner set us down into a bustling city of several million people. At the airport to greet us was Terry, one of the three Aussies who rode with Doug on the cross-Canada cycle tour. Through roaring freeways and confusing back streets he drove us back to his house where we made the delightful acquaintance of Kathleen and their two boxers, Harvey and Lonnie.

Their home has been our base ever since. Well, it’s perhaps more a place to pause as Terry and Kathleen have taken us to see wonderful sights in and around Melbourne (quick lesson on the pronunciation of place names: Australians call it “Melbin”).

On our first full day we did a walking tour of the downtown, taking in such things as the striking Flinders Street railway station, the trendy Southbank area, and the impressive reading room of the public library. We took the free tram that circles the downtown, hopping on and off as we saw something of interest. One of the most curious was the cow in the tree, a sculpture near the waterfront in the city’s Docklands area. Don’t ask.

For the next few days we visited the gorgeous beaches and little towns along and near the Great Ocean Road west of the city. Many of the towns in the area are swollen with vacation homes, some quite precariously perched on the bluffs high above the rolling surf. Built in the Depression as a make-work project for soldiers returning from WWI service, the Great Ocean Road offers absolutely stunning coastlines and vistas. Small wonder it is among the premier tourist attractions in the country.

We popped into a local winery, Scotchman’s Hill, for a tasting of their products, trying to look knowledgeable about what we were doing. After that, we went to another winery for lunch, the blue waters in the bay below us, and the skyline of Melbourne off in the distance.

We pulled off a kind of coup on the trip when Pat spotted a koala in a tree beside the twisty road we were travelling. Terry doubled back and we got out to take pictures, only to discover about five or six more koalas in the tall eucalyptus trees. Terry and Kathleen were impressed, because this was their first ever sighting of koalas in the wild. Other creatures like kangaroos and wombats have eluded us, so we’ll fill that gap with a trip to the Melbourne zoo.

Tony, another crazy Aussie from Tour du Canada, and his partner Virginia joined us for a delightful Sunday cycle around the city on municipal recreational paths. Terry and Kathleen cut a fine figure on their Bike Friday tandem. The trip of course included lunch and people watching by the Yarra River. Whenever the ladies made shopping forays into shops and markets, the men kept watch over the bicycles and tried their best to look like fearless hunter-gatherers.

We have to say something about the serious bush fires that you have probably read about. Yesterday was a national day of mourning for the over 200 people killed in outlying towns. Because of the dry brush and eucalyptus trees and the isolation of some of the outlying towns, many people were trapped and could not get out in time. Sad.

The Outback

Rules for the Outback:
1) Make sure you take your fly net because those little suckers will love your face. We felt like Charlie Brown’s friend Pigpen.
2) Don’t take your mistress. We were sitting in the resort at Uluru (called by its Aboriginal name now instead of Ayers Rock) and a voice said hello Doug and Pat. It was Savoy friend Sue Hall and family. The world is a small place!

More answers to questions:
1) The water circles counter clockwise here when it goes down the drain.
2) Aussies don’t eat shrimp. It’s prawns down under….they do say barbee for barbecue.

We first visited the Olgas (Kata Tjuta in Aboriginal parlance), rock formations not too far from Uluru, went out and took the requisite walk. Those of you who have visited the American southwest and Bryce or Zion will understand the redness of the rocks here.

Uluru was quite amazing, one of the sites to see before you die. We watched it at sunset (they even served wine) and sunrise and then toured up close and personal to some of the caves of the area. Climbing the rock is allowed but unwelcome by Aboriginals who consider it sacred. While we were visiting, no one was allowed up on it because of the winds.

Our tour took us next to King’s Canyon to do some trekking up the canyon early in the morning. We chose the wussie walk along the canyon bed, mainly because we didn’t want to get up at 5am again. Distances here a long and the bus ride into Alice Springs took most of the day. The land is interesting with red earth, very blue skies and foreign to us shrubbery. They use controlled burning to keep fires from destroying large areas and it is amazing how quickly areas grow back.

Yes Emily, Kate, Jasmine and Zoe, Grandma and Grandpa (Papa) rode on camels, just so we could send you a picture. Mine was quite a nice old lady as camels go and enjoyed her head scratch.

Good Dye Mite – Christchurch to Uluru

First thing,

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Kate – 11 years old now
Happy Birthday to you.

Also a belated Happy Birthday to Jennifer

And, although it is not celebrated here……….Happy Valentine’s Day to all our Valentines!

Where were we?

We left Christchurch after first checking out vistas from above the city by taking the gondola up the mountain and then dropping Rhoda the Road Maggot at the airport. The previous night we happily grabbed back $50 each for our bikes, especially UBPofS (see previous entries).

Arrival in Cairns was late in the evening and we still broke out in a sweat! At this time of year you don’t want to do much physical exercise. Happily, the hotel air conditioning kicked in quickly. Up early to catch the bus to the Kuranda Scenic Rail, an antique-type train that took us up into the rainforest. After lethargically wandering around the village – we will no longer complain about Ottawa’s humidity index – we grabbed the Skyrail (another gondola) down over the rainforest to sea level. Amazing! After lunch we visited an Aboriginal cultural centre where we had various shows and demonstrations. Sir Douglas again found himself on stage dancing away…is there a theme here?

Yesterday was spent on the Great Barrier Reef snorkelling off a platform our boat motored/moored to for the day. Aside from having to wear what they call Stinger Suits (a defence against jellyfish in the area but which made us look like giant blue telly-tubbies), it was one of the most fantastic experiences we have had. The reef is incredibly beautiful with all sorts of fish darting here and there.

Today it was up early in bucketfuls of rain and into the interior where we sit waiting for our trip to the Kata Tjutas (the Olgas Gorge) and Ayers Rock, now called Uluru, its Aboriginal name. It is hot and clear here with the vibrant colours of the red earth. The only drawback is the flies that will get up your nose and mouth if you don’t wear nets around your face until sunset.

On to OZ

February 10, 2009

Time to say goodbye to New Zealand.

But first, apologies for no pictures. The computer connection in Christchurch is not cooperating.

Tomorrow we fly out to OZ and we are getting excited about the next phase of our journey. Before we go we need to tell you that New Zealand is a most wonderful country to visit. The people are open, helpful and friendly, the landscape is truly spectacular and changes more quickly than we ever imagined from seacoast to rainforest to alpine peaks and glaciers. We have especially enjoyed the South Island and would return in a minute were it not so far.

We took time visiting Dunedin and checking out the Scottish heritage they speak of. It’s true that in some places you would almost think you are in Scotland with the stone crofters cottages along the road. Cousins of those old Ottawa area stonemasons also emigrated to southern NZ. In fact, a lot of our immigration heritage was paralleled here with British subjects colonizing the area. The difference we have found is that the Maori seemed to have gotten a better break than our North American natives, and have a stronger presence in society. Very interesting history, the Maori colonization of NZ.

Forgot to mention – some time in Dunedin was spent visiting a walk-in clinic where Dr. Katherine Somebody-or-other gave me some antibiotics and prednisone (singing bass now) to clear up the ear infection so that I can fly tomorrow. More on that later!

We visited the globular Moeraki rocks on the coast north of Dunedin. Fascinating! They were formed millions of years ago, pushed up with the volcanic activity and then when the land eroded next to the shore, they just popped down on the beach.

On to Mount Cook, figuring that since we had been SO lucky about the weather that perhaps we wouldn’t see it at all and would have only another potentially beautiful view. But lo, there it was! We took too many pictures of course. The Tasman Glacier next door is apparently the largest one outside the Antarctic. Beautiful ride in and out.

On to Christchurch where we are now. Today was spent touring the city central after having ridden Doug’s trusty steed and my Ugly Bikey P of S into the city. UBPS decided to have numerous flat tires on me today but heh heh, we get to sell her back to some other poor fool this evening. Christchurch is an interesting town with the Avon River running through it and little boats punting along it. We took some time to go to the city museum where Pat tried out the penny farthing bicycle. We then attended the Evensong at the Christchurch Cathedral, directed by Brian Law, former director of the Ottawa Choral Society. We met him, had a handshake and gave him hello from early OCS members. He produced a beautiful sound with his boys’and men’s choir.

Now, on to OZ!

Into Middle Earth

February 7, 2009

Anyone who has watched The Lord of the Rings will probably recognize this scene. It is one of many on the South Island that could have – and probably did – serve as the backdrop for the Hobbits, Orcs and other creatures of Tolkien’s imagination brought to screen life in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy. In fact, on one of our excursions up and down the Dart River near Queenstown, guides were able to point out spots where LOTR scenes were shot – and where about three commercials a week are filmed. More later about the Dart River outing.

We have spent the last three days at Queenstown, the happening centre of NZ for anyone into outdoor, usually strenuous activities. Bungy jumping was invented here, along with a number of other crazy pursuits geared to people who are usually young and consider themselves immortal. Geezers like us are welcome, but our bodies pay for it.

First, a little aside. We forgot to mention our visit to Lake Matheson, which offers spectacular reflections of Mount Cook (Aoraki in Maori), NZ’s highest peak – that is, if it’s a clear day. It wasn’t, and so we were content with admiring what we like to call potentially beautiful views through a thick bank of mist and cloud. Doug claimed that the mountain had been taken away for cleaning, but few believed him.

Back to Queenstown. Our first activity was a horse trek in the nearby Hunter Valley, led by Chris, a young American freshly graduated from college and doing the fun job abroad thing before settling into a career. For two hours we walked, trotted and cantered (well, the horses did) through breathtaking terrain, up and down steep slopes, and through shallow streams. Pat’s horse Morgan could best be described as a trotter which her backside can attest to, while Doug’s horse Dudley insisted on snacking on every tuft of grass within reach instead of concentrating on the task at hand. Neither one of us had ridden for quite a few years, so we had a few tender bits on our bodies when the excursion was through. Again, though, it was worth every bone-shaking moment.

And so to our second day’s activity in Queenstown, an obligatory visit to Milford Sound, a gigantic glacial fjord on the west coast where about 6 metres of rain falls per year (yes, that’s 6,000 mm!). As other friends who visited Milford previously told us, they had to deal with heavy rain and mist. We expected no less. But what to our wondering eyes should appear but one of the sunniest and brightest days of the year, an occurrence that even had the tour boat crew marvelling. Result: spectacular views of sheer rock walls, cascades, fur seals lazing on the rocks, deep aqua waters against snow-capped peaks, all under a brilliant sun. The bus and boat tour from Queenstown and back took 13 hours, but every moment was worth it.

Finally, we signed up for a jet boat ride up and an inflatable canoe ride down the Dart River. What a blast! First the jet boat pilot, Bill, raced along at speeds in excess of 60 km per hour in water no more than 8 cm (3 in.) deep, slaloming around sand bars and monster-sized rocks, and then topping it off from time to time with a 360 pirouette that gave all of us a good soaking. Then it was onto shore to pump up the canoes (called funyaks) and paddle our way downstream on the cold waters of a glacier-fed river. The river was down quite a bit, so we often had to climb out and drag our crafts over gravelly bits, but it was a huge amount of fun. Of course we discovered muscles we had not used in some time. We should have received the award for steering the straightest course, two old Scouts plowing on while others spun here and there in the wind. We also made good friends with a denizen of NZ fauna, the sandfly. It is apparently a relative of the Canadian black fly, and it has the same talent at finding and biting any bit of skin not protected by insect repellent. Our trusty bottle of Muskol got a hefty workout.

We are now in a campground in Dunedin, the Edinburgh of the Antipodes where this afternoon we visited yellow-eyed penguin adolescents in a nature reserve, where local naturalists are struggling to save this endangered species. We now have our sights set on Christchurch where our NZ adventure will end and we will fly to the next chapters in Australia. The memories are accumulating fast.

From sea to ice

Well, here we are on the west side of the south island after driving through what is called Buller Gap, complete with a “swing bridge” (what we would call a rope bridge) over the chasm. I (Pat) have to confess I walked out as far as the drop off started and immediately turned back. Sir Douglas the Fearless continued on his swaying way across while I was content to stand with the sand flies and other fearful ladies and watch from afar. After that we visited Pancake Rocks where the limestone was laid down in thin layers was exposed in pancake-like stacks by the eroding action of the sea.

Before I go on, for our friend Carol, yes we have visited a winery, the Mission near Napier and bought some of their Syrah. Yum!

Some of you have asked about Rhoda the Road Maggot, our trusty VW 2004 6.6 metre camper van, complete with stick shift on the left. It is actually fairly easy to drive and handles well on the hills. We just put it in a lower gear and off and away! The benches inside make up into a bed at night. There is a gas stove and grill, a microwave, fridge and lots of storage space. We even have an office (front of the van). The table becomes part of the floor of the bed. Quite well planned out actually.

Yesterday we motored up toward Abel Tasman Park, up what is called Takaka Hill to Nguara Caves. We are not sure, but the twisty and steep road to the caves may have inspired the Maori to say “takaka” (roughly translated as “saintly defecation!”). During the cave visit our group arrived at the section called The Cathedral where the guide asked for a volunteer to sing to demonstrate the great acoustics. Silly question! Sir Douglas sang Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem. Being of the shy and retiring type, I shut up. After our slalom downhill we drove to an amazing beach where I immediately ran for a swim to ease the tension.

The south island is not crowded at all and the fact we are going in the opposite direction from most traffic helps. Campgrounds are plentiful and never full. We stay mainly in the Top 10 Holiday Parks, all of which are well equipped.

We’ve been getting our heads around the NZ accent. Mainly, they have different vowel sounds. I am Pet over here. Someone mentioned the other day ‘Oh, to be young and futt (fit)’. Car sounds like “cah”, although people in the south add a rolled R. Day is dye-e with more of a diphthong even than we use. You write with a pin and stick with a pen. And the other day we heard our first ‘Goo-dye-mite’.

Today was glacier day, a time to find out if the NZ variety match Columbia back home. We hiked up to both Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers and much preferred the latter. We stayed at the bottom of both, unlike others who take tours to walk on top of them. The Fox Glacier valley reminded me a bit of Yosemite in California with the huge glacial cliffs.

We are in total agreement that New Zealand is an amazingly beautiful country where the topography can change within minutes. The west coast is rainy and the rain forests are full of ferns and moss while at the same time you have towering mountains above you or are two minutes from a beach………and………there are fewer people who live in this country than in greater Toronto!