Cairns, Australia

Cairns, pronounced Cannes, is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.  I guess a visit to the reef will have to wait until another time as the excursion was full and the weather wasn’t at its best for snorkeling the reef due to heavy rains during the past five days and a cyclone about two weeks ago.  The silt and sand gets stirred up decreasing visibility – plus the sky was heavy with dark gray clouds and high humidity.  We never did see any sunshine today.  They average 100” of rain annually, getting most of it during the summer rainy season.

Captain Cook was given credit for “discovering” much of the east coast of Australia.  That guy sure did get around. I don’t think there is any place he didn’t discover or wasn’t named for him.  The aboriginals had been here for centuries before being “discovered.”  Cairns was founded in 1876 as a port for exporting gold.  The area was swampland and mangroves but was eventually filled in for use in agriculture.  Today, tourism and agriculture are the major industries.  During WWII, Cairns was a staging place for military operations in the Pacific Theater and now has a large naval base here.

Enough of the history.  What I found interesting was the houses.  The Queenslander homes are built on stilts because of the floods and have large verandas surrounding the house.  There are plantation style shutters to protect the windows from flying debris, like coconuts and roof tiles, which are now banned.  Tin roofs are required by law.

By law, kids have to wear hats and sunscreen as Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.  I wonder how they get the little kids to keep hats and sunglasses on.  Sunglass stores have a large kiddie section. 

Michael and I took the Skyrail up the mountain and to the town of Kuranda.  This was a surprisingly delightful 4.7 mile gondola ride over the tropical rainforest canopy.  We saw cockatoos but no animals.  We got off the gondola twice and walked through the forest on a nicely maintained boardwalk.  At the second stop, we were treated to Barron Falls, which was really running at full bore due to the heavy rains.  The water was a red brownish color from all the silt from upstream.  We even got a bit wet from the waterfall spray.  The humidity was high and I was sticky and sweaty.  Why did I bother to shower and wash my hair this morning, and put on clean clothes???

After the gondola ride, the bus took us to a cute little touristy town of Kuranda.  Unfortunately, we had little time to explore as we were at the end of the line of seven bus loads of passengers and had to wait to board the gondola, so that took up the a lot time for Kuranda.  I did manage to get one souvenir – something called “lollys,” which looks and chews just like saltwater taffy, just not as sticky.  They said it wasn’t the same.  I was sold on the licorice flavor and even bought a small bag as a treat.  Then back to the bus for the curvey ride down the hill and a brief tour of the city before returning to the ship.

At this point, we were hot and needed air conditioning, and Michael was hungry.  So off for lunch – and where did we eat??  Outside!  I did not choose that.  Time to cool off again and rest.  The heat and humidity really gets to me and wipes me out.  On our way back to the ship, we passed a huge mall that was within walking distance from the pier and it had a Target store.  I wanted to get a spiral notebook for taking notes and some more pretzels.  Regent has most things, but not pretzels, so off we went to the mall.

I am stubborn and sometimes I wonder what in the world was I thinking to go off on this walk in the heat and humidity with my blasted foot hurting me.  I am afraid I might miss something; I think I have to prove that I am OK.  I had to stop and rest several times along the way; it must have been close to ¾ mile there (and then back).  Anyway, we finally got there and ah, the blessed A/C greeted us.  There were 180 stores and two levels so more walking, and of course, Target was at the far end.  It is the Target we know in the US, but it is not the same.  It is mostly clothing and bedding, housewares and toys.  No sundries, pharmacy and very few school supplies and such.  There were many empty shelves.  Wound up at a Big Lots type of store and found my notebook and the grocery store for pretzels. 

Then the trek back to the ship.  Uggh.  I made it and welcomed the A/C and the bed.  My foot is killing me and I don’t know what it is or how to fix it.  I have tried different shoes.  Resting it doesn’t always help and sometimes walking it out helps.  Any doctors or podiatrists out there with an answer????

Townsville, Australia

Somebody must have run out of ideas for the name of a town.  This is not one of the more memorable stops on our itinerary.  There were two important events that put Townsville on the map, but I am not sure why it was put on our itinerary.

The HMS Pandora was a British ship sent to round up mutineers from the HMS Bounty (remember Captain Bligh) and wound up wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791. The Museum of Tropical Queensland depicted the story and displayed artifacts from the wreck.  This was one of our stops today on excursion.  There was also a huge display of types of coral.

Townsville was strategically important during World War II, so much so that General MacArthur had an office here.  Townsville was a principal staging area for the Battle of the Coral Sea and as such was home to many bomber bases.  You can still see the runways that have since been converted into city streets.  Townsville was actually bombed three times by the Japanese, but the destruction was limited to one palm tree!  Townsville still has military value for the United States as war games for our Japanese based fleet are regularly held here.

We also stopped at the Great Barrier Reef Headquarters AKA Reef Wonderland.  Built into the harbor, this is an aquarium that has the world’s largest living coral reef (in captivity) in the world.  We had a guided tour that was an unorganized mess.  However, we saw some incredibly beautiful reef fish, like the parrot fish, with brilliant colors and some with unusual shapes.  There were all kinds of coral; we learned that the bright colors you see in aquariums and photographs are not what you would see in the daylight.  Algae covers the coral and prevents the colors from showing through with day time light; it’s the bright, artificial lights that make the colors pop.  So what we saw today is what we would see if we went off shore to dive and snorkel.  It’s a good thing we saw this today as we are not getting a chance to snorkel the reef.  There is only one boat load of people going and the escort or passenger slot wasn’t even in the cards for either one of us.  It saddens me that we will miss this great opportunity.





Townsville was hit hard from a cyclone that came through about two weeks ago.  We could see the damage and debris still evident from the storm.  There were lots of downed trees and limbs, and I saw several homes with tarps on the roof, missing siding, and gutters hanging loose.  We were supposed to stop at the Palmetum (a palm museum?), a botanical garden of over 300 species of palm trees, but it was closed because of severe damage.  This part of Australia is considered dry, sunny and tropical, but I guess somebody forgot to tell Mother Nature that as there was severe flooding as well.

The one item I noticed about all the homes and even apartments was the large size of the veranda or patio.  This is a place where being outdoors and putting a steak on the Barbie is the order of the day.  The beach front, or The Strand, is an outdoor enthusiasts dream with a nice sandy beach, park area, cafes, hotels, and the coolest water park for kids I have ever seen.  I can see Isabelle playing in this marvelous park.

Brisbane, Australia

It was a very good day!  I finally got on an excursion I wanted, and it was FABULOUS!  First things first…

The city of Brisbane is located in the state of Queensland and is upriver on the Brisbane River from the Coral Sea.  This area was hit hard by recent floods, but on the surface everything looked just fine except for the color of the river.  It is muddy brown and they expect it will take up to 18 months for the silt to clear out.  Many businesses, boats and docks were destroyed.  There is now a five year delay on infrastructure projects because they need the manpower and money to fix flood damage.  The population of Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city, is currently two million and growing rapidly.

Brisbane is home to some of the most English of gardens in Australia; this is because the English settlers wanted to recreate the gardens to remind them of home.  Gardens and parks are abundant here as outdoor life is very important.  The children’s play areas I saw looked to be so much fun with many types of equipment I have never seen at home.  On the way from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, we passed water parks, amusement parks, sea world, and Warner Brother’s movie studios.  We drove on the M1 freeway which encircles Australia and is 12,000 kilometers long (you can do the conversion!).  The freeway sound barriers are decorated with murals drawn by taggers; the judges figured if you can’t beat the graffiti artists, then enlist them!

We didn’t spend much time in Brisbane proper as we went to the famous Gold Coast, which is known for its dazzling white beaches, surfing, swimming, shopping, and waterways with some incredible McMansions.  It gets real hot in summer (Queensland is subtropical), but today we had a perfect day as summer is winding down and autumn is right around the corner, starting on February 28. 

The Gold Coast (this is the name of the city as well as the area) looks a lot like Miami Beach.  The ocean is on one side of a strip of land and the river/canal system is on the other.  High rise hotels and condos are crowded into the area called Surfers Paradise.  We took a sight seeing boat along the river and canals.  Boy oh boy, did we see some fancy schmacy homes that ran from $2 million to about $11 million.  All had docks and white sandy beaches along the retaining walls.  Large power boats were docked in front of most homes.  This area has one of only two six star hotels in the world (the other one is in Dubai).

Michael was escorting this tour and I was just a passenger.  I left him and went to the beach with Pepper and Jim, while Michael had to stay with the tour.  He went to the Q-Deck, a residential highrise that has a spectacular 360* viewing tower on the 77^th floor. I enjoy seeing the results of his pictures, but I hate heights so he can ride on all the high viewpoints he wants (like Dubai, Sydney, and now Brisbane).  The picture included here shows the beach where we went swimming and the river where we took the boat ride.

Now for the BEST part:  I finally, finally made it to the beach!  I got wet and sandy, and I even got all my hair wet.  Woo hoo.  After a quick lunch, the three of us headed to the beach, found a spot to lay our stuff down and ran into the water.  I was prepared for it to be cold; I was just going to go up to my knees.  But the water was so warm… since this is a surfing beach, the waves were a bit strong and there was an undertoad (oops, the undertow).  The sandy bottom was smooth and pretty shallow so we had to wade out quite a bit.  The three of us were like little kids, playing in the surf, getting knocked down or having the waves crash over our heads.  I HAD FUN!  I was a little bit worried about my back as I had to work hard to keep on my feet (most of the time), so I got out and called Michael on the walkie talkie to let him know where we were.  He finally found us and only had about 20 minutes in the water, but boy, they were a good 20 minutes.  He is ready to come back here.

We had a short tour of central Brisbane on the way back to the ship.  To end the evening, we had a romantic dinner outside on the fantail as the ship left the dock and headed out to sea.   I am exhausted and sore, but it was well worth it.

Sydney, Australia

Michael:

I really don’t have too much to report today as we have been to Sydney before, and today’s tour was mostly a “refresher.”  Luckily, no escort was required today, so I was just one of the guests.  We began with a tour through some of Sydney’s most opulent and/or trendy neighborhoods.  We stopped at some spectacular lookout points to get some pictures.  It was then on to Bondi Beach, Sydney’s most famous beach, for a stroll along the waterfront.  The bus returned us to the city, where I left to find Beverly (by using our walkie talkies, which really worked!) and have lunch at KFC.  We then walked through Hyde Park and returned to the boat. 

Beverly:

The day started out a bit gray and looked like it might rain.  I put an umbrella in my bag then went for breakfast.  By the time I got back, blue sky was above, so I took the umbrella out of my bag – who needed the extra weight.  I took the shuttle into the city along with a couple of friends and, of course, it started to rain.  I hate it when I outsmart myself.

My goal today was to get my nails done and find a special yarn shop I have been waiting to visit for about a year.  I took a class with the owner, bought her book and wrung my hands in anticipation of buying the yarn for one of the delicious designs in the book.  But it was not to be.  The shop had no address but a phone number.  I asked one of the hospitality people where the shop was.  It was too far away and there was no way I could get there by public transportation.  I was so disappointed.  So I wound up at a yarn shop downtown and bought some alpaca to make a scarf for when we are in China.  My lace shawl will just have to wait until I get home as it is just too complicated to do on the ship.  The no brainer scarf will at least keep my hands busy.

Upon leaving the knitting shop, I went in search of an umbrella.  You would not believe how much they cost here – from $12 to $25 for some plain Jane cheapie umbrellas.  I finally found one on sale for $5, a throw away, but one that would do the job.  By the time I got my nails done, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  How do you say dummy.

We spent a delightful evening walking to Chinatown with Jim and Pepper, and had dinner (at BBQ King) and pleasant conversation.  The evening was warm and pleasant and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to the shuttle bus stop.

Melbourne Day 2

Michael:

Beverly and I went our separate ways again today.  She went on the tour I escorted yesterday, and I escorted an excursion called “Melbourne Past & Present.”  Things did not start off on a high note as the guide was quite disorganized.  I had to take charge and change the order of activities and the time spent at each.  Once this was done we had a good time starting at the Shrine of Remembrance.  We had visited here before and I didn’t go in but this is a magnificent tribute to all of those who fought for Melbourne (actually all of Victoria) in its various wars.  We also paid a very brief visit to the Botanical Gardens next door.

Our next stop was the Melbourne Museum where we had exactly one hour to sample a museum easily worth investing an entire day in.  We did get to tour the original Exposition Center, built in 1879.  This huge Center is now an “exhibit” and part of the museum.  The history of the place is amazing.  In 1888-89 it was home to the Melbourne Centennial International Exhibition which attracted two million visitors. What is amazing is that there were only one million people living in all of Australia at that time, and it took a good six weeks to get here from Europe.

We also got to briefly explore the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Center where we learned a bit about the 50,000-year-old culture of the Aboriginal people.  We were allowed to handle some of the actual objects they used in daily life such as eel traps and opossum fur coats.  The highlight of the museum, at least for me, was the chance to view “Phar Lap.”  Phar Lap was unquestionably the best thoroughbred horse in the world until his untimely, and some would say highly suspicious death around 1930.  Anyway, here he was, in all his glory.  OK, he was stuffed, but he was as real as he could be.  He was truly a super horse; his heart weighed 26.4 pounds whereas the average thoroughbred heart weighs only 17.6 pounds.

Our final stop was the 92-story tall Eureka Skydeck, the tallest apartment building in the world.  We took a 38 second ride up to the viewing platform on the 88^th floor.  The views were striking and the weather was good enough to get some awesome pictures.  We saw a lot of Port Philip Bay, the second largest bay in the world after the Bay of Bengal.  We could also see the Dandenong Mountains that I visited yesterday.  I returned to the boat with the full intention of taking the shuttle back into town for a final “walk about,” but since it was windy and threatening to rain I thought better of it and wrote this little note instead.

Beverly’s Turn:

One thing we don’t get on the ship is an accurate weather forecast for local conditions.  I sorta got it right yesterday, but today, hoo boy I froze this morning.  I went back up to the mountains to ride the Puffing Billy train again, only it was cold and raining.  This is an open sided train and I used my umbrella to keep the rain off my legs.  I thought about buying a sweatshirt in the gift shop before we left, but the prices were ridiculously high and the shirts weren’t even that nice.  We only had to suffer the ride for half hour before we got on the bus.  Crank up the heater, please!

The rest of the tour was as Michael described yesterday.  Wine tasting, lunch (no chocolate dessert like he had yesterday – rats), and then on to the wildlife sanctuary.  Fortunately, it stopped raining while we toured the park.  However, the mosquitoes were out in full force and we stopped to get sprayed down with “Off,” which I conveniently had in my backpack (courtesy of the ship).  We had a delightful tour, and yes Marilyn, this one was a good one.  I enjoyed seeing the animals in their natural surroundings and our guide was excellent.  The park was so beautiful that if I was one of the animals, I would never consider leaving there.  The highlight of the day was seeing not one, but two, of the elusive platypus.  FYI, the plural of platypus is platypus.

I will spend the rest of the night lying flat on my back.  The past two days have been quite busy; after toting a backpack and camera all day, riding on trains and buses, and walking I don’t know how many miles, it’s time to heed nature’s call to rest and recuperate.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, pronounced Melburn, is Australia’s second largest city with four million people and is quite a fascinating place.  This is my second time here and I liked it just as much as the first time.  The most noticeable feature of this cosmopolitan city, to me, is the architecture.  Modern glass high rise condos are mixed in with quaint Victorian homes with lots of gingerbread; new office buildings, stadiums, modern art bridges are housed right next to the old Victorian train station.  Somehow, the contrasts seem to work in this city.

This is the culture, fashion, entertainment and sports capital of Australia.  The biggest casino in the southern hemisphere is located here and you can play the “pokies” (slot machines).  This casino is so big, there is a four lane highway running right through it!  There are beautiful gardens everywhere, and the Yarra River runs through the center of the city with parks, paths and monuments along side.  Gas is very expensive ($5.60/gallon) and the median price of homes is $500,000 making this a very expensive city to live in.  Bananas are going for $4/pound.  There is a GST tax of 10% on everything but it is included in the price.

Australia has the world’s highest rate of skin cancer; by law, children must wear hats and sunscreen in the summer months.  It is also host to fires, floods and droughts.  If you live in the bush, it is mandatory to clear the underbrush and have a fire escape plan.  One of the areas the guide did not give us much history about was the Aboriginals.  I would have liked to hear about it, but I am sure it is a blight in the history of Australia and something they probably don’t like to dwell on.

Oh, and before I forget, I found out why the “Blue Mountains” of southeastern Australia are blue.  They aren’t really blue.  When the sun hits the Eucalyptus trees, a vapor is given off into the atmosphere causing a haze so that the mountains appear to be blue.  Mystery solved!

My tour was a ride on “Puffing Billy,” a narrow gauge, Victorian steam engine train in the Dandenong Mountains and a brief bus tour of the city.  Michael’s excursion also included a ride on the train, so we actually got to spend some time together today before his tour went one way and mine the other.  I will let him describe the train ride.  Michael noted that I am so much better and can do more and more things as my back surgery heals.  I actually climbed up onto the engine for photo opps and didn’t have any problems doing so.  When the doctor said a cruise would be great for recuperation, I don’t think he envisioned some of the things I have been doing.

I returned to the ship, dropped off my stuff and headed back out to catch the 2 pm shuttle from the ship to city center.  There was a huge outdoor market that I wanted to revisit but time was running short as they closed at 4 pm.  Jim and Pepper were on the shuttle and wanted to go to the market, too.  After getting directions, we determined that it would be faster if we walked rather than taking the trolley to get there.  Well, after all the bus riding I’ve been doing, I needed a good walk.  And walk…. Did we walk and walk and walk …. at a fast clip.  I didn’t know I could move that fast.  We got there with time to shop and alas, there was very little I wanted to buy (I got a cheapie tote bag).  At this point my foot was really hurting; we took a snack break, and then decided to walk back to the shuttle, but at a comfortable pace.  The sidewalks were crowded as I think all of Melbourne was downtown shopping today.  Finally made it back to my stateroom, but I paid for my energetic walk.  My foot is killing me.  The back – is great.  Freaking foot….. I am icing it as I type this and hope tomorrow is better because I am going on the same excursion Michael did today.

Michael’s turn:

What a great Sunday I had in Melbourne today.  I escorted an all-day excursion that began with a ride on “Puffing Billy.”  Yes, the Puffing Billy Railway, a 2’6” gauge line, opened in 1900 and ran until 1953.  Its original purpose was to provide efficient shipping of lumber and produce from the farm areas into Melbourne.  After 1953, it was restored and became a recreational railroad that is successfully run by an all volunteer army of 500 people.  Today, only four out of 17 engines are left.  It is probably the only conveyance in the world where riders are allowed, even encouraged to hang their feet, legs, and sometimes half their bodies out of the car as it rambles through the forest.  The kids love it as you can imagine!  We boarded Puffing Billy in Belgrade and rode for about 30 minutes to Menzies Creek.

In Menzies Creek we re-boarded the bus for a short trip to the Rochford Winery, located in the Dandenong Range.  We began our visit by tasting five reasonably mediocre wines, although the non-oaked Chardonnay was enjoyable.  The “fortified” Cabernet Sauvignon (which tasted like a tawny port) was awful.  However, this was followed by a two-course lunch which was very good; in fact the best lunch I have had in a few weeks.  The winery was really jumping as they were preparing for a Joe Cocker concert this evening expecting some 7,000 people.

After lunch we traveled just a few miles along the Great Dividing Range to the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Australia’s leading parks.  We actually passed a “wombat crossing” sign on the way there.   Healesville features over 200 species of native wildlife in a very natural setting.  Highlights were the kangaroos, koalas, emus, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian Devils and Dingos.  Best of all were the Platypus.  Do you know where they keep the platypus?  Yes, in the platypusary.  I love it!  What I didn’t love were the mosquitoes.  It rained just before we arrived and this created a perfect environment for them.  Luckily, I happened to be carrying a spray can of “Cutter” and this saved the day.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

We survived Mr. Toad’s wild ride – AKA the Bass Strait*.

Oohhh what a nasty day we had today.  We had 50 knot winds and 15 foot seas.  The ship lurched, bumped, shuttered and made all kinds of unwelcomed noises.  Yours truly was at the bridge table all day (for lessons and game), and when east/west had to move, it was like playing bumper chairs while trying to stay on your feet.  There was one time when I almost landed in a gentleman’s lap!  It was better to play bridge and try to concentrate on something other than the sea conditions than to lay in bed waiting for it to be over.  I admit I did get queasy. The bridge room is on deck 4 so there was less movement there than in our stateroom.

Again, our Captain made a wonderful decision on the best possible route today from Hobart by sailing on the west side of Tasmania instead of the east due to heavy NE winds.  Instead of getting beat up all day, we were only in the slop for about eight hours.  As a bonus, he made Melbourne Harbor (Port Phillip) by 8 pm so we could tie up at a dock and have a nice calm night instead of arriving tomorrow morning.  I like Captain Scala.

For dinner tonight, I had pretzels and Gerald’s peanut butter.  Still waiting for my stomach to calm down.  What a whimp I have become.


*Bass Strait is the body of water between northern Tasmania and southern Australia

Hobart, Tasmania

It was a grey and cool day in Hobart, and it matched my mood.  I thought I was going on a really interesting excursion with Michael, who was the escort to Port Arthur Historic Site and Bonorong Wildlife Park.  We went to the excursion desk the night before and Michael got his assignment and I didn’t get one; I was told a ticket had been sent to my room.  OK, cool.  This morning, Michael happened to check our onboard account and found a charge for $159.  There was no mention of this last night.  I could have gone on the excursion, but wasn’t willing to pay the money.  So I decided not to go and instead was given a panoramic tour of the city.

My guide gave us no useful information at all.  I take notes on tour, but came back empty handed.  “Here’s the brewery that makes the best beer in all of Australia,” and “my grandfather lived in this house.”  That was the type of information we received on my tour.  I sat in the rear of the bus (only seats available) and it was noisy, and rumbled and vibrated.  We stopped at the botanical gardens (sigh, pretty but not another one!) and was given a very short time to see what was there.  Then we went to an overlook and stayed there for 40 minutes with nothing to do.  We drove to another lookout and stayed there, too.  Then mercifully we came back to the ship.  I spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry.

Michael’s turn:

As is becoming all too common, it appears that Beverly and I had very different experiences.  I told Beverly that when she publishes her blog for the trip she should rename it “A Tale of Two Cruises.”  Anyway, I escorted a small group of 24 to the Bonorong Wildlife Park and then on to the infamous penal colony at Port Arthur. Both stops were great, but the tour was poorly organized and the guide and driver were terrible.  And, it was a long, long drive.  For three hours of touring we had to drive four, and listen to the guide and driver who bantered the entire time.  I think they fancied themselves as Regis and Kathy Lee.

First a little about Tasmania and Hobart.  They are small, with only 209,000 people in the city and 508,000 on the entire island.  Guess who their number one citizen is?  None other than the old swashbuckler himself, Errol Flynn, who was born and raised here in Hobart.  They have quite a lot of culture for such a small place including a new museum which that is devoted entirely to sex and death.  By way of contract, as I was passing the Civic Auditorium, I saw a sign advertising “The Wiggles,” a kiddies group, who will be here next week. I bet you didn’t know that Tasmania supplies 40% of the world’s medical opium, or that 67% of the population of Tazmania can trace their ancestry back to a convict sent over to the penal colony.  Nearly 100 percent of the homes here have colored metal roofs. 

Our first stop, the Bonorong Wildlife Park, is home to rescued kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils, Koala bears, and some other unique animals.  The kangaroos roamed free and would come up to you to be petted and fed.  You had to watch out for the Tasmanian Devils as they would bite the hand that feeds them given the chance.  It was then off to Port Arthur with a stop along the way at the Fox & Hounds for lunch.  Lunch was boring but the Sticky Date Pudding was to die for!

The Port Arthur penal station was fascinating; a real piece of history.  It was established in 1830 as a “timber-getting” camp.  From 1833 it was used as a punishment station for repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies.  It grew quickly and by 1840 more than 2,000 convicts, soldiers and staff lived at Port Arthur.  The colony finally closed in 1877 after having been home to over 10,000 convicts.  It was a brutal place.  The living conditions for the prisoners were barbaric, with beatings common.  Some 200 prisoners attempted escapes over the years and none succeeded.  Just a stone’s throw from the prison is a little island where the boy prisoners were kept, and where 37 of them are still buried.

When you were sent here from Great Britain it was for 7 years, 14 years or life.  If you survived you got out but they didn’t send you home; you simply made a new home in Tasmania and that is why so many of today’s residents can trace their ancestors right back to Port Arthur.  Among the former convicts were the individuals who founded Tasmania’s first botanical garden, its first newspaper and its first vineyard.  It is interesting that from the day the prison closed it has been a tourist attraction.  Today it is a major attraction in this country and you can easily spend a full day here.  One other sad note about Port Arthur is that in April 1996 a crazed gunman took the lives of 35 people and physically wounded 19 others in and around the Port Arthur Historic Site.

   

Tasman Sea and Milford Sound

Holy rollercoaster!!!  Fasten your seatbelt.  The Tasman Sea is one nasty body of water.  You needed a seatbelt for the toilet.

We are fortunate that our “early to leave port” Captain is going to get us off this ride and into port (Hobart, Tasmania) tonight instead of tomorrow morning.  Yipppeee!  I have had a hard time sleeping (and others I have talked to as well) as the past two nights have been rather bumpy and lumpy in a beam sea.  We have had periods of relative calm in the morning hours, but the winds pick up in the afternoon giving us the unwelcome ride. I didn’t have to play bridge today so I thought I would catch up on my beauty sleep with a little nap.   Everything jiggled and wiggled – boat, bed and belly.  We will sleep in peace tonight. 

I must say that the crossing wasn’t all that bad; the last time we crossed it was terrible, and in the middle of the night our ship had a fire and all power was cut off.  There was no propulsion, so there we were, dead in the water bobbing around like a cork.  There was nothing to do, so we went back to bed.

Milford Sound

Two days ago, we left Dunedin and sailed around the bottom of New Zealand toward Fjordland, the area on the west coast dotted with many fjords. I originally didn’t post about it because, well, it was rather ho hum by Northwest standards.  It you have never seen a fjord, it was nice; but we have been to Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia, and at the headlands is magnificent Chatterbox Falls.

The Captain placed the bow right into the waterfall at the head of Milford Sound and that was the most exciting part of the trip.  Milford Sound is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its “superlative natural phenomena and outstanding example of the earth’s evolutionary history.”

Dunedin, New Zealand

Dunedin was “founded” in 1848 by 320 Scottish people.  However, Captain Cook came in 1770, the whalers in 1831, and the Maori was here 900 years before the Scots.  So who really founded Dunedin? From what I can gather, this was not one of the Maori’s favorite places as they preferred the North Island (New Zealand is made up of the North Island and the South Island).  Maori prisoners from the north were sent here for punishment and they built volcanic rock walls all over the place.

Dunedin lost much of its industry so what keeps it going?  Higher Education.  The University of Otago (founded 1869) is located here as well as technical, medical and dental schools.  Most of Dunedin is built on the hillsides.  Much of the commercial downtown area is built on reclaimed land.

I must be a magnet for bus rides on crazy, narrow, twisty, winding, uphill/downhill one-lane roads that have absolutely no shoulder or passing room.  Whew, what an experience today.  New Zealand bus drivers are pretty darn good maneuvering those big rigs without hitting anything or going over a cliff.  I must say the views were breath taking, especially since we had beautiful sunny weather with nary a cloud in sight.  

My tour went out to Taiaroa Head on Otago Peninsula to view a Royal Albatross breading colony at the Royal Albatross Center.  Taiaroa Head is the wildlife capital of New Zealand, and is a perfect breeding ground for the albatross with lots of wind and flat spots on the land for nesting.  We drove along the harbor passing lush green pastures dotted with sheep, bays and inlets, and then along the spine of the rugged mountains where we could see the Tasman Sea and Otago Harbor at the same time. This peninsula is New Zealand’s most renowned eco-tourism area.

An albatross has a 9 foot wing span.  Royal Albatross’ depend on the wind to give them lift.  They do not fly, they glide on wind currents.  They walk to the end of a cliff, spread their wings, and wait for the wind to take them up. Their shoulders lock, preventing the wind from moving the wings.  They spend most of their life at sea and come to shore every other year to mate (they lay only one egg).  They are monogamous, mating for life.  It takes one year to raise a chick and when ready, the chicks fly – they don’t have to learn.  They spend the other non-parenting year flying around Antarctica. Chicks take three to five years to mature; during this time, they never touch land.  They feed and rest on the water.  They are scavengers, eating octopus and squid debree from the surface of the water.  When they mature, they come to shore looking for a mate, which can take several seasons for this to happen.  Just like people, some have better luck than others.  They have a survival rate of 95% and usually die from old age; they can live up to 60 years! 

My surgeon would either be proud of me or astonished that I was able climb up the hill to the viewing tower.  The path from the information center went up at least at a 30* angle with one big switchback!  OK, maybe I exaggerate a little bit, but it was so steep that several people could not make it up to the tower. I was huffing and puffing by the time I got to the top.  I paused along the way to take pictures (that was so I could catch my breath – pretty sneaky, huh).  It was worth the trip because I got some excellent pictures of the Royal Albatross doing its thing.  Wind conditions have to be right for them to fly, and right they were. 

After the hair-raising trip along the mountain spine, we arrived at Larnach Castle for lunch and a tour.  Boy, what a view.  This private 40,000 sq ft home has lovingly been refurbished.  We had a nice lunch in the ballroom, and mercifully, they were organized and quite civilized (not like the lunch in Rotorua).  I only toured a few rooms as I must admit I have seen my share of castles, and it was so lovely outside I ducked out and sat in the lovely gardens.

Michael’s turn:

Well, and not to be outdone, I had an exciting day as well.  I escorted 39 people on a wildlife safari.  We left the wharf and traveled to the Albatross Breeding Colony as described by Beverly.  We just passed by and so no albatross for me.  Just beyond though was “Natures Wonders,” from where we would take our safari.  First, we received a safety briefing on the Argo, an 8-wheel drive vehicle built specifically to “go places no man has gone before.”  We then proceeded to take the lumpiest, bumpiest ride of our lives along rocky paths, swamps, 45 degree hills both up and down a 650 foot mountain.  It was great fun, and I remember thinking that it was good that Beverly did not try this one.  A number of guests were either frightened or very uncomfortable.

The Otago Peninsula headland is arguably the most precious wildlife habitat in New Zealand, and while I did not get to see the albatross I did see the world’s rarest penguins, the yellow-eyed hoiho, along with a bunch of little blue penguins.  Next, we stopped at a breeding colony of New Zealand Fur Seals and saw their adorable pups.  We also got to see some Spotted Shags and a breeding colony of cormorants.  Along the way be must have seen hundreds of animal traps.  I inquired and learned that these were to protect the seals and penguins from rats, cats, opossum and other predators.  This safari was followed by a most unmemorable lunch (opossum burger?) and then the long trip back to Dunedin.  We toured a bit of the town and then it was back to the ship for a well deserved rest, which I decided to take in the pool and hot tub. 

Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch is the largest city in South Island and is the second largest city (350,000 population) in New Zealand.  It is very English in character as settlers from England came here to establish a Church of England colony in1820s.

The ship docked at the Port of Lyttleton, which serves Christchurch.  The harbor and the city are separated by a mountain range, and the two were connected by a steep, narrow and very winding road over the mountain (which we got to experience today in a big bus – not for the faint at heart).  It wasn’t until 1964 that a tunnel connecting the two was built through the mountain cutting travel time from hours (in bad weather) to 20 minutes.  The reason the city was built over the mountain was that there was very little room for a settlement on the harbor side; it is very steep and hilly and receives the bad weather from winter storms from Antarctica while the mountains protect Christchurch from the brunt of these storms. 

South Island is very mountainous (it is called the Southern Alps) and has an extremely rugged coastline that is indented with bays and inlets; it is a very narrow island and only takes four hours by car to cross from the eastern to the western shore.  Our bus stopped at the very top (a place called The Sign of Te Kawa) and our driver told us that on a good day we could see Australia.  However, since Australia is about 1,000 miles away I think he might have been exaggerating.  There are fjords on the west coast, and we hope to see these in the next few days if the weather cooperates.  On our last trip to New Zealand, the weather was so bad the captain scrubbed our excursion into Milford Sound.  Keep your fingers crossed….

Christchurch is the jumping off point for expeditions going to Antarctica and the McMurdo Ice Station.  There is an excellent International Antarctica Center located near the airport where several countries have their own Antarctica research and supply centers.  Here you can experience what a winter storm feels like in Antarctica – 20* below zero with a howling wind.  They even provide the parkas.  We did not go here today as we went last time we were in Christchurch.

What I did not know was Christchurch is called the garden city of New Zealand.  International floral competitions are held here and it is a big deal.  Many varieties of flora and fauna were brought here from England, and while not native, they seem to flourish here.  Pine trees, also non-native, thrive here including the unusual Norfolk Pine.  We saw forested mountains covered in pines.  The trees are harvested after 20 years and the logs are exported for use in house framing to China and Korea. 

There were large parks and gardens throughout the city and yards were meticulously maintained.  Both Michael and I escorted the same city tour today and it was mostly gardens.  The weather was cool and overcast, which was too bad because the light for taking pictures was too “flat.”  The colors of the flowers didn’t pop as much as when the sun is shining.

 

We viewed all the usual city highlights including the Christchurch Cathedral, but the highlight of our tour today was the Mona Vale Gardens.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.  It was truly a tranquil and beautiful place.  We finished off the tour at the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. Flowers, flowers everywhere; such beauty to behold.

Last night we had dinner with Lynne and Ron.  Lynne is one of Michael’s bridge students and believe it or not, we did not discuss bridge all evening.  Lynne and Ron have a romantic love story and I so enjoyed hearing about it.  Both of them were widows on a cruise, each by themselves.  They were assigned a dinner seating at the same table along with two very elderly busy body women.  Each night they would vie for who would sit by the gentlemen.  One night, Lynne got fed up with the old biddies and announced she would sit by Ron.  Well, one night led to many nights and finally, marriage.  THE LOVE BOAT magic really works!

I managed to find a Sunday flea market with interesting native crafts, but not interesting enough to buy anything.  You might remember hearing about a significant earthquake centered in Christchurch last September (it was 7.1).  While they have certainly cleaned up most of the mess, you could see evidence of the magnitude of the destruction incurred on almost every block.