We have the whole day to explore some of the better sights in Sydney. Our first stop is the Opera House for a tour. This is an amazing building, but the inside is less impressive. We learn that was a classic case of form not following function. The opera stage is really smaller than most and the orchestra pit claustrophobic. There are plans for remodeling. The concert hall is much better and we were able to sit in on a rehearsal.
The Opera House is right next to the botanical gardens with many wonderful old buildings. We were startled by the side of large flying fox fruit bats hanging in the trees. It is one of the larges bats in the world.
We loved the old Queen Victoria Building and the Strand. Huge marketplaces built in the 19th century and renovated for our time.
I never realized how stunning the architecture is in Sydney.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
OZ
Nothing prepares you for the sight of Sydney harbor from the air. It is huge with sparkling blue water and you wonder how such a big city could be so beautiful. The first thing you look for is the Opera House which looks like a giant ship getting ready to sail.
We are staying in the heart of the city to avoid renting a car and to be able to walk everywhere. The weather is great, but it's St. Patrick's Day. Our hotel is situated between St Patrick's tavern and P.D. O'Brian's bar. Oh, boy!
We are staying in the heart of the city to avoid renting a car and to be able to walk everywhere. The weather is great, but it's St. Patrick's Day. Our hotel is situated between St Patrick's tavern and P.D. O'Brian's bar. Oh, boy!
One of a kind...NZ
So many of our experiences have been unique here in NZ. Josie Martin's life, work, and house are just another example. She offers us her best room which spills out to a conservatory of ferns and grapevines with ripening grapes. The room itself is her creation which she calls the "rose room". At some point you have to sit in a comfortable chair and take-in everything around you. The next morning she brings us a beautiful breakfast in the conservatory. We don't want to leave, but we have a drive back to Christchurch and a plane to catch. Akaroa is a place not to be missed.
The Giant's House
What a way to spend our last night in NZ. Mike has booked us a room at a B&B owned by a friend, the artist Josie Martin. She bought this old house and has used both the indoor and outdoor space as her palette. Originally trained as a horticulturist, she created the entire garden and proceed to design mosaic sculptures throughout the outdoor space.
The house, built in 1880, sits on a hill overlooking the town and bay. As she dug up the garden, she found broken china and dishes. Strapped financially from renovation expenses, she couldn't afford the tile for a walkway. Instead she used the pieces of broken china as her mosaics. Thus began her artistic journey as a mosaic sculptor.
These mosaics evolved into many Alice-in -Wonderland style shapes and figures. She allows people to tour her garden for a fee. New sculptures are in the works and it is fascinating to see how she created here pieces from the skeletons in rebar, mortar and wire mesh.
As we tour the garden the sculptures make us laugh. Her work is so imaginative and whimisical.
The house, built in 1880, sits on a hill overlooking the town and bay. As she dug up the garden, she found broken china and dishes. Strapped financially from renovation expenses, she couldn't afford the tile for a walkway. Instead she used the pieces of broken china as her mosaics. Thus began her artistic journey as a mosaic sculptor.
These mosaics evolved into many Alice-in -Wonderland style shapes and figures. She allows people to tour her garden for a fee. New sculptures are in the works and it is fascinating to see how she created here pieces from the skeletons in rebar, mortar and wire mesh.
As we tour the garden the sculptures make us laugh. Her work is so imaginative and whimisical.
Une petite ville francaise sur la mer.
After a bit more sight-seeing around Christchurch, we took the time to drive about an hour and a half to the lovely former French colony of Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula. This is where we will spend our last night in NZ. The road is twisted and narrow, but what a view!
The Banks Peninsula sits at the bottom of a collapsed volcano. Akaroa sits at the bottom of the crater. One of the walls of the volcano eroded and was breached by the sea creating a long harbor. The early settlers were French and the town capitalizes on this fact, even going so far as to fly the Tricolor. I think this is one of the most idyllic spots in NZ - sea breezes, a Mediterranean climate, ocean and mountain views, and a small village atmosphere.
Many of the homes here are "baches" (vacation homes) owned by nearby Kiwis.
The Banks Peninsula sits at the bottom of a collapsed volcano. Akaroa sits at the bottom of the crater. One of the walls of the volcano eroded and was breached by the sea creating a long harbor. The early settlers were French and the town capitalizes on this fact, even going so far as to fly the Tricolor. I think this is one of the most idyllic spots in NZ - sea breezes, a Mediterranean climate, ocean and mountain views, and a small village atmosphere.
Many of the homes here are "baches" (vacation homes) owned by nearby Kiwis.
Black and White Stripes
We've seen all sorts of school uniformed students here in NZ. But the uniforms here in Christchurch are over the top. We saw young lads walking to Canterbury College ( a high school) wearing black and white striped blazers, black short pants, black and white striped ties and white knee socks. The only thing missing was a straw hat.
Christchurch on Avon
It's quite a drive to Christchurch from Dunedin, especially if you stop at all the great little towns along the way.
It was a clear sunny day and we could see Mt. Cook and the So. Alps as we drove north. As we approach the Canterbury plain the driving becomes easier with fewer twists and turns. This is a big agricultural area.
Christchurch is hidden behind the bare hills of the Banks Peninsula. It is the most English of New Zealand cities with the lovely river Avon flowing through. Straw hatted punters complete the scene. We are staying at the YMCA, quite cheap and comfortable and across the street from the Arts Centre and Botanical Gardens. Also across the street is the popular Dux de Lux restaurant. This was the former dark-paneled faculty dining room for Canterbury College and now is a lively restaurant with good affordable food.
CC is lovely city to walk about with several nice museums and plenty of English charm.
It was a clear sunny day and we could see Mt. Cook and the So. Alps as we drove north. As we approach the Canterbury plain the driving becomes easier with fewer twists and turns. This is a big agricultural area.
Christchurch is hidden behind the bare hills of the Banks Peninsula. It is the most English of New Zealand cities with the lovely river Avon flowing through. Straw hatted punters complete the scene. We are staying at the YMCA, quite cheap and comfortable and across the street from the Arts Centre and Botanical Gardens. Also across the street is the popular Dux de Lux restaurant. This was the former dark-paneled faculty dining room for Canterbury College and now is a lively restaurant with good affordable food.
CC is lovely city to walk about with several nice museums and plenty of English charm.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
A town of limestone
We stop for lunch at the town of Oamaru. It is famous for its buildings made of creamy limestone from a nearby quarry. Again, not a typical NZ town. With their neoclassical architecture and elaborate carvings, they almost look out of place in this small coastal time. The limestone is quite soft, so it encourages the carvers be intricate with their designs on the buildings and columns.
More rocks...
But these are actually boulders. The large, spherical boulders at Moeraki beach are famous. We walk down the beach a bit to take pictures of these rocks which look like the shells of giant tortoises. There are lots of theories about how they got here or how they formed, but no one is quite sure.
It is a warm sunny day and the beach is beautiful. The 10-15 people here are looking at the rocks. No one is here today (a Sunday) for a day at the beach.
It is a warm sunny day and the beach is beautiful. The 10-15 people here are looking at the rocks. No one is here today (a Sunday) for a day at the beach.
Otago Peninsula
We make the short drive out of Dunedin to the Otago Peninsula, driving all the way to the end to sit on the headlands and watch the albatross fly by. There are also penguin colonies to visit but
it is getting late.
Our inn tonight is wonderful, a small cottage build by the innkeeper who lives on the property. It has wonderful view of the garden and a large kitchen and sitting area. We wish we had more time here since it is such a special place.
it is getting late.
Our inn tonight is wonderful, a small cottage build by the innkeeper who lives on the property. It has wonderful view of the garden and a large kitchen and sitting area. We wish we had more time here since it is such a special place.
A wee bit o Scotland
That would be Dunedin, known as the Edinburgh of the South. Dunedin is the Gaelic word for Edinburgh. We had the weather to match as well - an overcast Scottish day.
This is a fairly large city for NZ and fascinating to walk around. After a brief time as a whaling town in the 1830's, a group of Scots were settled here. One town elder was the poet Robert Burns' nephew. They were an industrious lot and established NZ's first university here. There was a building frenzy fueled by a nearby gold rush in the 1860's. The Gothic-Revival architecture is its defining characteristic. Not your typical NZ city.
We walk for several hours seeing the Otago Museum, the botanic gardens and stroll through the University grounds.
This is a fairly large city for NZ and fascinating to walk around. After a brief time as a whaling town in the 1830's, a group of Scots were settled here. One town elder was the poet Robert Burns' nephew. They were an industrious lot and established NZ's first university here. There was a building frenzy fueled by a nearby gold rush in the 1860's. The Gothic-Revival architecture is its defining characteristic. Not your typical NZ city.
We walk for several hours seeing the Otago Museum, the botanic gardens and stroll through the University grounds.
A change of plans
We decided to cancel our plans to travel the entire south, southeast coast known as the Catlins and of course that included Stewart Island. These are places I would really like to see, but we simply don't have the time. Stewart Island is at least a 2-3 day experience. The Catlins require at least another 2 days. So instead we leave Te Anau and head for Dunedin.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Pounamu
This is the Maori word for greenstone. The Maori revere greenstone since during pre-European times it took the place of metals. Weapons, tools and jewelry were made from this hard, prized stone known officially as nephrite jade. The entire So. Island is know as "Te Wahi Pounamu", the place of greenstone. On our cruise thru Milford Sound we passed a beach near the sound's outlet to the sea. This bay was a great collection point for the stone. Greenstone was as valuable to the Maori as gold was to Europeans.
We learned just about all you could want to know about this stone in the small coastal town of Greymouth. The store was almost a museum experience. Of course all the tourist shops in most towns have a selection of greenstone. Most of it is quite expensive.
We learned just about all you could want to know about this stone in the small coastal town of Greymouth. The store was almost a museum experience. Of course all the tourist shops in most towns have a selection of greenstone. Most of it is quite expensive.
Fresh water/ salt water
We board a 3 masted ship and set out for a cruise of the Sound and a bit of the Tasman Sea. There are numerous waterfalls that would be even more plentiful if it were raining. But I prefer the sunny day. We pass fur seals lolling on the rocks and sea birds. No penguins in sight today, though.
The water is not the deep blue you might expect. There is a 2 meter layer of fresh water that rides atop the sea water in the Sound. This water has a lot of tannins in it from the lush rain forest all around us, so the water has murkier look.
There are no beaches, only sheer 2000-3000 ft cliffs plunging straight into the waters. Several of the permanent waterfalls are over 500 ft tall.
This tour does a good job with the natural history as well as the boxed lunch. The scenery is a 360 degree wonder, looking somewhat different on the return trip through the sound as the light changes.
While out on the Tasman Sea we got a glimpse of the whole coastline and felt a good 2-3 meter swell.
The water is not the deep blue you might expect. There is a 2 meter layer of fresh water that rides atop the sea water in the Sound. This water has a lot of tannins in it from the lush rain forest all around us, so the water has murkier look.
There are no beaches, only sheer 2000-3000 ft cliffs plunging straight into the waters. Several of the permanent waterfalls are over 500 ft tall.
This tour does a good job with the natural history as well as the boxed lunch. The scenery is a 360 degree wonder, looking somewhat different on the return trip through the sound as the light changes.
While out on the Tasman Sea we got a glimpse of the whole coastline and felt a good 2-3 meter swell.
Sheep may safely graze...
but not in National Parks. Recently the department of conservation removed the sheep from this particular park.
Sheep are everywhere in NZ, both north and south island. We have seen all varieties, white, off white, black, and white and black. We have even been on hiking trails with them. Most of the sheep are Merino and NZ woolen goods are superb. NZ has over 45 million sheep. It is on most menus no matter where you go to eat.
Sheep are everywhere in NZ, both north and south island. We have seen all varieties, white, off white, black, and white and black. We have even been on hiking trails with them. Most of the sheep are Merino and NZ woolen goods are superb. NZ has over 45 million sheep. It is on most menus no matter where you go to eat.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Fiordland
As you make your way along the road to Milford you enter Fiordland National Park. This route is as spectacular as the Sound itself. We are traveling up glaciated canyons, with cascading waterfalls, and dense forests.
We first drive through NZ silver, red and mountain beech forests. These trees can get quite large - 90 ft. tall and up to 600 yrs. old. They don't look like No. Hemisphere beeches as their leaves are quite small. Surprisingly, they are evergreen, like most native NZ trees. As we get to the other side of the pass where the rainfall is more abundant, the understory is so dense it would be impassable.
Most of the streams have the color of a clear aquamarine gemstone.
We first drive through NZ silver, red and mountain beech forests. These trees can get quite large - 90 ft. tall and up to 600 yrs. old. They don't look like No. Hemisphere beeches as their leaves are quite small. Surprisingly, they are evergreen, like most native NZ trees. As we get to the other side of the pass where the rainfall is more abundant, the understory is so dense it would be impassable.
Most of the streams have the color of a clear aquamarine gemstone.
Trip to Milford
Today is devoted to an all day trip to Milford Sound. On the map the road from Te Anau to Milford looks quite short. But because of the narrow twisting road and a climb through an alpine pass, it can take about 2 hours. Our journey involves a coach trip to the sound, 2 1/2 hours on the water and the ride back. It is a fine, sunny day. We are so lucky since only 2 days out of 5 are sunny here. This area receives up to 275 inches of rain and over 200 rainy days a year.
Te Anau
It's a short drive today from Queensland to Te Anau - gateway to Fiordland National Park. We have 2 nights booked at the youth hostel here so we came prepared to cook. The hostel is one of the nicest we've stayed at with a lovely outdoor sitting area, herb garden, and a spotless kitchen. The best part is that it's about a block from the center of town.
Lake Te Anau is the 2nd largest lake in NZ . At the end of the lake is the end of the Milford Track - a 3-4 day hike from Milford Sound. It also has a famous glo worm cave that is a big attraction.
Lake Te Anau is the 2nd largest lake in NZ . At the end of the lake is the end of the Milford Track - a 3-4 day hike from Milford Sound. It also has a famous glo worm cave that is a big attraction.
Glacier out wash ...
for the Fox Glacier. This was our very rainy day. I would have more pictures but it takes a long time to upload individual pictures here and we usually have limited computer time.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Little Paradise
Another fabulous inn! It's located between Queenstown and Glenorchy, right in the middle of nowhere. The house is one of a kind and I'm surprised it hasn't been written up in some glossy magazine. Although they tell me it's in the Lonely Planet guidebook.
The gardens are magnificent with numerous pools and waterfalls. The couple who runs it have displayed true artistry. The creator of the wood and stone work originally comes from Switzerland.
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