Hello from "dohwn unda!"
We've been in Australia for about two weeks now - another country I've longed to visit for years. I just didn't know when it would happen. Now here I am!
The first week, we stayed with "mates" of Steve's in both Sydney and the Blue Mts. His friend (and now ours, too) Janet Harris met us at the Sydney Airport on January 12th and kindly helped us shuttle all our bike gear and everything else to her apartment in the suburb of Randwick. Janet is a professional organizer (one of the many things she does well!) and has a beautiful apartment overlooking the stunning Sydney skyline. We have most happily used her space as a base for exploring the city and later as a starting point for a 2 day excursion to her family's remote 50 acre spread in the nearby Blue Mts. where she and her mom Rosie royally wined and dined us. Late in the afternoon of our second day, after running errands in a nearby town, Janet took us to the local golf course where we saw at least a dozen kangaroos up close! And later that night, against an inky black sky untainted by any light pollution, thousands of stars and constellations, including the Southern Cross, shone brilliantly.
In Sydney, we bought day passes for the Sydney Explorer bus, getting a comprehensive overview of the city without driving or cycling. Since Steve's wife Cathy doesn't cycle and since driving our rental car on the left hand side of the road in a major city was new to us all, we thought the bus provided a good alternative. However, unlike most bus tours, the Explorer lets you get on and off at will, simply catching another bus along the prescribed route when you want to stop or spend more time in an area. Each bus is also equipped with a good sound system that provides interesting "canned" information about historical and other places of interest as you ride along... not to mention most welcome air conditioning!
My favorite city spot was the magnificent Sydney Opera House, where we stopped and took an hour long tour of the building. Later on, Dave surprised me with opera tickets for a world class performance of "La Boheme", which we attended after returning from the Blue Mts. (Fabulous!)
While in Sydney, we also spent several hours doing a coastal walk to the area known as the Rocks, then continuing onward to the famous Bondi Beach. The beautiful dramatic rocky outcroppings set against a backdrop of crashing ocean waves made me think of Big Sur, California.
Finally, we said goodbye to Sydney and headed south toward Melbourne, where we will fly back to the U.S. on Feb. 4.
More later...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Farewell from New Zealand!
It's after midnight, January 12, and we're once again back in Auckland at our friends Pascal and Kirsty's house, packing up our bike boxes and too much other stuff. In just a few short hours, we'll leave for Sydney to begin another adventure in a new place! Though I'm quite delirious with fatigue, I wanted to write one last post before the highlights of our time in New Zealand fade into pleasant - but distant - memory.
Dave and I have spent the past few days in the Coromandel Peninsula of the North Island. We were encouraged by our friends Carolyn and Brendan Morris to head there after returning from the South Island and a wonderful visit with them at their lovely home in Hamilton. (Carolyn is the daughter of friends Marge and Rob Walker, longtime Santa Barbara-ans and GPC members before retiring to Washington State). They kindly invited us to join them and their 3 great kids at their Cook's Beach "bach" or small holiday house as it's known here. (We call them "camps" in the eastern U.S.) The family has been spending summer holidays there for the past nine or so years. After our visit, it's easy to understand why they return yearly. The Pacific Ocean surrounding the entire peninsula is crystal clear and moderately temperate. Clean white sand beaches surround small coves and pristine harbors. There is little (or no!) commercial property development and not many people either! The numerous small islands off the coast, the gentle breezes, and the South Pacific atmosphere made me feel like singing "Bali Hai!"
Yesterday we cycled around the peninsula itself: first, to Cathedral Cove where we hiked down a couple of miles worth of lushly vegetated trail- I marveled at the number of shades of green that exist- to the bottom of the cove where we saw giant rock formations containing New Zealand's "Christmas trees", the pahutakawa, growing out of and on top of the rocks. (Trees growing out of huge rock formations reminded me of eastern Canada's Bay of Fundy). After our too short visit there, we continued on to to Hahei Beach and then Hotwater Beach, where we dug holes in the sand with about 50 other people (a big crowd in N.Z.!) and soaked in hot springs while the cool ocean and incoming tide lapped at the edge of the shore where we sat. A truly unusual and very relaxing experience.
Our cycle to actually reach the peninsula and Cook's Beach itself was challenging. We headed up the coast from Thames to Te Mata, where a local man and his family invited us to camp on their property for the night. Next day we continued on to Coromandel Town, where we spent the night at a truly international and well equipped Holiday Park. The following day, we cut across the rugged spine of the peninsula over lots of extremely steep uphill passes and hills, followed by slick switch-backing descents. It was raining, then later hot and sunny - kind of typical of much of the weather we've experienced in our 3 weeks here. Dave finished our tour today with a whopping 206 kilometer (124 miles!) ride from Cook's Beach to Auckland while I bused there and met him about 15 or so hours later!
Well, a cycling trip is certainly not for everyone, that's for sure! And I reckon I need to call this particular voyage a "modified" bike trip. Even so, under our time constraints, I'm not sorry for catching rides when I could. I still saw the same amazing scenery and cycled several hundred miles over difficult terrain in spite of myself! I encountered many wonderful people and places in an environmentally friendly way. I was blessed with the hospitality of friends and strangers, good health, safe travels, and mostly good weather. And hey - I'm fifty plus years old and pretty fit for an old lady! Pats on the back with the popular phrase "Good on ya" cheered me along the way!
As my inspirational and " hard act to follow" mother- in -law once said years ago, "I want to be as active as I can for as long as I can because one day I won't be able to travel like this!" Amen! Off to Australia! And bed, finally!
Dave and I have spent the past few days in the Coromandel Peninsula of the North Island. We were encouraged by our friends Carolyn and Brendan Morris to head there after returning from the South Island and a wonderful visit with them at their lovely home in Hamilton. (Carolyn is the daughter of friends Marge and Rob Walker, longtime Santa Barbara-ans and GPC members before retiring to Washington State). They kindly invited us to join them and their 3 great kids at their Cook's Beach "bach" or small holiday house as it's known here. (We call them "camps" in the eastern U.S.) The family has been spending summer holidays there for the past nine or so years. After our visit, it's easy to understand why they return yearly. The Pacific Ocean surrounding the entire peninsula is crystal clear and moderately temperate. Clean white sand beaches surround small coves and pristine harbors. There is little (or no!) commercial property development and not many people either! The numerous small islands off the coast, the gentle breezes, and the South Pacific atmosphere made me feel like singing "Bali Hai!"
Yesterday we cycled around the peninsula itself: first, to Cathedral Cove where we hiked down a couple of miles worth of lushly vegetated trail- I marveled at the number of shades of green that exist- to the bottom of the cove where we saw giant rock formations containing New Zealand's "Christmas trees", the pahutakawa, growing out of and on top of the rocks. (Trees growing out of huge rock formations reminded me of eastern Canada's Bay of Fundy). After our too short visit there, we continued on to to Hahei Beach and then Hotwater Beach, where we dug holes in the sand with about 50 other people (a big crowd in N.Z.!) and soaked in hot springs while the cool ocean and incoming tide lapped at the edge of the shore where we sat. A truly unusual and very relaxing experience.
Our cycle to actually reach the peninsula and Cook's Beach itself was challenging. We headed up the coast from Thames to Te Mata, where a local man and his family invited us to camp on their property for the night. Next day we continued on to Coromandel Town, where we spent the night at a truly international and well equipped Holiday Park. The following day, we cut across the rugged spine of the peninsula over lots of extremely steep uphill passes and hills, followed by slick switch-backing descents. It was raining, then later hot and sunny - kind of typical of much of the weather we've experienced in our 3 weeks here. Dave finished our tour today with a whopping 206 kilometer (124 miles!) ride from Cook's Beach to Auckland while I bused there and met him about 15 or so hours later!
Well, a cycling trip is certainly not for everyone, that's for sure! And I reckon I need to call this particular voyage a "modified" bike trip. Even so, under our time constraints, I'm not sorry for catching rides when I could. I still saw the same amazing scenery and cycled several hundred miles over difficult terrain in spite of myself! I encountered many wonderful people and places in an environmentally friendly way. I was blessed with the hospitality of friends and strangers, good health, safe travels, and mostly good weather. And hey - I'm fifty plus years old and pretty fit for an old lady! Pats on the back with the popular phrase "Good on ya" cheered me along the way!
As my inspirational and " hard act to follow" mother- in -law once said years ago, "I want to be as active as I can for as long as I can because one day I won't be able to travel like this!" Amen! Off to Australia! And bed, finally!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Happy New Year!
It's December 31st around 9 p.m. at Fox Glacier. I just wanted to say a quick hello from this beautiful place and wish all of you the very best in 2008.
I said goodbye to Dave and Steve early this morning as they headed off to Haast, about 120 km down (actually lots of mountain passes up!) the road. We've been cycling in the Southern Alps for the past several days and I'm pooped! Night before last in our Okarito campground after 8 hours of cycling some big passes from wherever the heck it was we started, some French women - Florence and Gaelle - and I befriended each other. They're traveling with a van and two bicycles and have been taking turns cycling and driving. Florence is becoming a permanent resident here and her best friend from the Haute Savoie region of France (the Alps) is visiting her for a couple of months. They offered me a ride from Okarito to the Franz Josef Glacier and the great full service campground where we all are staying. Since we hit it off so well, I decided to hitch another ride with them tomorrow to Haast and then maybe to Wanaka, where I'll connect again with Dave and Steve on Wednesday, catch a bus to Christchurch, then to Picton, take the ferry, and arrive back in Auckland on the 5th of January in time to meet Steve's wife Cathy.
Wish we had more time here! The landscape is stunning... glaciers, mountains, rivers, waterfalls. The people are friendly. The prices are high! Today I decided to do something special and took a half hour helicopter ride over the glaciers. It was breathtaking! I had a big smile on my face for the entire ride.
Off to drink some champagne with the French. I've been speaking lots of French (and there are a lot of other French tourists here besides!) the past couple of days and have to sometimes remind myself where I am! More later!
Love,
Judy
I said goodbye to Dave and Steve early this morning as they headed off to Haast, about 120 km down (actually lots of mountain passes up!) the road. We've been cycling in the Southern Alps for the past several days and I'm pooped! Night before last in our Okarito campground after 8 hours of cycling some big passes from wherever the heck it was we started, some French women - Florence and Gaelle - and I befriended each other. They're traveling with a van and two bicycles and have been taking turns cycling and driving. Florence is becoming a permanent resident here and her best friend from the Haute Savoie region of France (the Alps) is visiting her for a couple of months. They offered me a ride from Okarito to the Franz Josef Glacier and the great full service campground where we all are staying. Since we hit it off so well, I decided to hitch another ride with them tomorrow to Haast and then maybe to Wanaka, where I'll connect again with Dave and Steve on Wednesday, catch a bus to Christchurch, then to Picton, take the ferry, and arrive back in Auckland on the 5th of January in time to meet Steve's wife Cathy.
Wish we had more time here! The landscape is stunning... glaciers, mountains, rivers, waterfalls. The people are friendly. The prices are high! Today I decided to do something special and took a half hour helicopter ride over the glaciers. It was breathtaking! I had a big smile on my face for the entire ride.
Off to drink some champagne with the French. I've been speaking lots of French (and there are a lot of other French tourists here besides!) the past couple of days and have to sometimes remind myself where I am! More later!
Love,
Judy
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Hello again,
It's officially Christmas Day in the U.S. and my best wishes go out to all of you as you spend time with loved ones, wherever you may be. I phoned my family in Albuquerque this morning and experienced the joy of instantaneous cell phone connection halfway around the world.
It's Dec. 26th here - Boxing Day. All of New Zealand closes down for Christmas but most things, save government and public institutions, are open today. Not a bad idea, I must admit... unless you've been traveling by bicycle for 8 hours and were hoping to find at least a pub open in Murchison for a turkey sandwich and a glass of cheer. Ah well. At least we drank in the views of the spectacular alpine scenery as we made our way from Nelson to Murchison en route to the west coast.
I learned 20 years ago, thanks to my cycling fanatic husband, that enjoying scenery from a car, bus or train is much different than actually feeling like a part of it on a bicycle. On a bike, you really get to see things up close, feel the wind in your face, hear the sweet chirping of many varieties of birds, smell the pine trees, and stop for occasional photos as you see them. The downside though, is saddle soreness and aching aging bodies, things we didn't have to contend with years ago. And in this remote part of New Zealand, it's important to plan ahead due to the lack of services along the way.
Because of our time constraints and our desire to reach the west coast and cycle south at least to Fox Glacier, Dave and Steve decided today would be a minimum hundred kiometer day - taking probably 10 or 11 hours on fully loaded bikes. I decided instead to take a bus from Murchison to Westport. Though I'm quite fit these days, I want to "save myself" for the coast. And blog to you all from internet spots (and towns) that are few and far between!
On yesterday's 8 hour trek from Nelson to Murchison, we cycled over many steep mountain passes as well as lots of moderate hills along the Totora River. We began in a light mist which turned to rain and then to hot late afternoon sun. We passed many sheep and cattle along the way as well as at least one or two farms where deer are raised for venison markets. People and cars were scarce - a real Christmas treat! The verdant and lush landscape looked especially so when wet, contrasting dramatically against the dark bark of the trees.
I'll connect with Dave and Steve tonight. Need to be on my way now as this cafe is about to close.
All the best.
Love, Judy
It's officially Christmas Day in the U.S. and my best wishes go out to all of you as you spend time with loved ones, wherever you may be. I phoned my family in Albuquerque this morning and experienced the joy of instantaneous cell phone connection halfway around the world.
It's Dec. 26th here - Boxing Day. All of New Zealand closes down for Christmas but most things, save government and public institutions, are open today. Not a bad idea, I must admit... unless you've been traveling by bicycle for 8 hours and were hoping to find at least a pub open in Murchison for a turkey sandwich and a glass of cheer. Ah well. At least we drank in the views of the spectacular alpine scenery as we made our way from Nelson to Murchison en route to the west coast.
I learned 20 years ago, thanks to my cycling fanatic husband, that enjoying scenery from a car, bus or train is much different than actually feeling like a part of it on a bicycle. On a bike, you really get to see things up close, feel the wind in your face, hear the sweet chirping of many varieties of birds, smell the pine trees, and stop for occasional photos as you see them. The downside though, is saddle soreness and aching aging bodies, things we didn't have to contend with years ago. And in this remote part of New Zealand, it's important to plan ahead due to the lack of services along the way.
Because of our time constraints and our desire to reach the west coast and cycle south at least to Fox Glacier, Dave and Steve decided today would be a minimum hundred kiometer day - taking probably 10 or 11 hours on fully loaded bikes. I decided instead to take a bus from Murchison to Westport. Though I'm quite fit these days, I want to "save myself" for the coast. And blog to you all from internet spots (and towns) that are few and far between!
On yesterday's 8 hour trek from Nelson to Murchison, we cycled over many steep mountain passes as well as lots of moderate hills along the Totora River. We began in a light mist which turned to rain and then to hot late afternoon sun. We passed many sheep and cattle along the way as well as at least one or two farms where deer are raised for venison markets. People and cars were scarce - a real Christmas treat! The verdant and lush landscape looked especially so when wet, contrasting dramatically against the dark bark of the trees.
I'll connect with Dave and Steve tonight. Need to be on my way now as this cafe is about to close.
All the best.
Love, Judy
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
On the road again...
Holiday greetings from New Zealand to all of you!
After only two weeks back in the U.S., Dave and I and our good friend Steve from Salt Lake City, are traveling throughout New Zealand and Australia for the next 7 weeks. We connected in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Dec. 16th, and began the long trek back to the Southern Hemisphere. Neither Dave nor I had fully decompressed from the excitement of our recent adventures in East Africa before being caught up in frenzied preparations for another big trip... this time with bicycles!
As many of you know, this is a very special travel year for us, though not without time constraints because of Dave's business obligations. He needs to be back in California by the first week of February. So wanting to capitalize on seeing and doing as much as possible while visiting such far away places - plus coordinating times and logistics with Steve (and his wife Cathy in a couple of weeks) as well as our friends and acquaintances in both New Zealand and Australia - meant leaving sooner than we might have otherwise. And since New Zealand and Australia have long been on my list of places to visit before I die, I was thrilled when the plane actually touched down in Auckland.
Our preparations to leave, though, exhaust me to think about them. It was a wild road trip to LAX after spending the better part of at least four days packing lots of gear, disassembling bikes and making them fit the weight restrictions for flying internationally, pulling all-nighters, and coordinating plans with many other people. Finally, upon arrival exactly three hours before the flight, we met Steve who had already checked in and was waiting to help me with our gear -two large bike boxes and oversized (and overweight) duffle bags-while Dave went and parked the car.
Steve and I wheeled all of Dave's and my stuff over to check-in for the flight. Time ticked away. A very kind employee of Pacific Air sensed how frazzled I was, took pity on me, and rapidly shepherded us through check-in (where we had to pay extra for the bikes but not the bags!) and then over to a "secret" baggage screening area, bypassing hundreds of queued passengers, also flying out that night. I slipped my God-sent helper a tip with my heartfelt thanks and prayed that Dave would arrive in time to catch our flight.
Suddenly he was there! Another generous friend, at whose house we were leaving our car, had graciously offered Dave a ride to the airport. With no baggage, he quickly and easily checked in. The three of us then made our way through a long security line, expecting to make a dash for the plane which was supposedly boarding. We hurried to the gate, only to find the plane delayed about two hours! Once onboard, we all fell asleep, exhausted but happy to be en route.
After another delay in Fiji, we finally arrived in Auckland. At customs, we were assisted by a lovely airport volunteer named Margaret. She helped us navigate New Zealand's strict environmental entry restrictions and showed us where to go to be re-screened before being allowed to enter the country. She also gave us information on catching a shuttle to Herne Bay where our friend Kirsty was expecting us.
So here we are! We crossed the international date line and "lost" a day but only three or four "actual" hours time difference (just a day later)! So the jet lag has been manageable. We're really enjoying our time here with Kirsty, her French husband Pascal, and daughter Lilly. Today we rode our bikes all around Auckland, exploring different parts of the city, which seems similar in many ways to Seattle. Dave is assembling our bikes and shopping for a better front wheel for his. I'm catching up on email and beginning a new blog for this trip, though I don't know how much time we'll have to access internet as we ride.
We head for the South Island early tomorrow a.m.; (it's now Thursday, Dec. 20th and I can't seem to figure out how to change the date-heading)! First we'll take a 12 hour train trip to Wellington, spend an overnight and a day there, then a ferry to Picton on Saturday. Then down the rugged west coast, toward mountains and glaciers - classic storybook New Zealand. Can't wait! To be continued ...
Merry Christmas everyone!
Love, Judy
After only two weeks back in the U.S., Dave and I and our good friend Steve from Salt Lake City, are traveling throughout New Zealand and Australia for the next 7 weeks. We connected in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Dec. 16th, and began the long trek back to the Southern Hemisphere. Neither Dave nor I had fully decompressed from the excitement of our recent adventures in East Africa before being caught up in frenzied preparations for another big trip... this time with bicycles!
As many of you know, this is a very special travel year for us, though not without time constraints because of Dave's business obligations. He needs to be back in California by the first week of February. So wanting to capitalize on seeing and doing as much as possible while visiting such far away places - plus coordinating times and logistics with Steve (and his wife Cathy in a couple of weeks) as well as our friends and acquaintances in both New Zealand and Australia - meant leaving sooner than we might have otherwise. And since New Zealand and Australia have long been on my list of places to visit before I die, I was thrilled when the plane actually touched down in Auckland.
Our preparations to leave, though, exhaust me to think about them. It was a wild road trip to LAX after spending the better part of at least four days packing lots of gear, disassembling bikes and making them fit the weight restrictions for flying internationally, pulling all-nighters, and coordinating plans with many other people. Finally, upon arrival exactly three hours before the flight, we met Steve who had already checked in and was waiting to help me with our gear -two large bike boxes and oversized (and overweight) duffle bags-while Dave went and parked the car.
Steve and I wheeled all of Dave's and my stuff over to check-in for the flight. Time ticked away. A very kind employee of Pacific Air sensed how frazzled I was, took pity on me, and rapidly shepherded us through check-in (where we had to pay extra for the bikes but not the bags!) and then over to a "secret" baggage screening area, bypassing hundreds of queued passengers, also flying out that night. I slipped my God-sent helper a tip with my heartfelt thanks and prayed that Dave would arrive in time to catch our flight.
Suddenly he was there! Another generous friend, at whose house we were leaving our car, had graciously offered Dave a ride to the airport. With no baggage, he quickly and easily checked in. The three of us then made our way through a long security line, expecting to make a dash for the plane which was supposedly boarding. We hurried to the gate, only to find the plane delayed about two hours! Once onboard, we all fell asleep, exhausted but happy to be en route.
After another delay in Fiji, we finally arrived in Auckland. At customs, we were assisted by a lovely airport volunteer named Margaret. She helped us navigate New Zealand's strict environmental entry restrictions and showed us where to go to be re-screened before being allowed to enter the country. She also gave us information on catching a shuttle to Herne Bay where our friend Kirsty was expecting us.
So here we are! We crossed the international date line and "lost" a day but only three or four "actual" hours time difference (just a day later)! So the jet lag has been manageable. We're really enjoying our time here with Kirsty, her French husband Pascal, and daughter Lilly. Today we rode our bikes all around Auckland, exploring different parts of the city, which seems similar in many ways to Seattle. Dave is assembling our bikes and shopping for a better front wheel for his. I'm catching up on email and beginning a new blog for this trip, though I don't know how much time we'll have to access internet as we ride.
We head for the South Island early tomorrow a.m.; (it's now Thursday, Dec. 20th and I can't seem to figure out how to change the date-heading)! First we'll take a 12 hour train trip to Wellington, spend an overnight and a day there, then a ferry to Picton on Saturday. Then down the rugged west coast, toward mountains and glaciers - classic storybook New Zealand. Can't wait! To be continued ...
Merry Christmas everyone!
Love, Judy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)