Scenic Sydney

Dear Friends,

The arrival in Sydney on the 6th July 2008 was both exciting and sad - exciting, as we were so much part of the build up to World Youth Day and the Pope's visit and sad as this was the last leg of our holiday.

In order to orientate ourselves in Sydney, Steffen and I decided to do a city sightseeing tour, including the Bondi explorer. It was the best introduction to what is where in the city and surrounds. It was fascinating, to say the least.

We drove past most of the tourist hotspots like the Sydney Bridge, the Opera House, The Rocks, Aquarium, etc. on the tour.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge

However, there were also some interesting sites like St Mark's Anglican Church in Darling Point where Sir Elton John married Renate Blauel on 14th February 1984. The church was also used for the filming of Muriel's wedding.

St Mark's Anglican Church, Darling Point

Bondi Beach was just as beautiful as was described with lots of activity all around.

With Steffen - Bondi Beach in the background

We were disappointed with the limited amount of Aboriginees seen in Sydney but we did manage to get a pic of one near the harbour.

Aboriginal entertainment

A tour of the Sydney Opera house was a "must see" on our to-do list... and we weren't disappointed. It has a fascinating history.

The Sydney Opera House is a masterpiece of late modern architecture. It is admired internationally and proudly treasured by the people of Australia. It was created by a young architect who understood and recognised the potential provided by the site against the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Denmark’s Jørn Utzon gave Australia a challenging, graceful piece of urban sculpture in patterned tiles, glistening in the sunlight and invitingly aglow at night. But there was much conflict and controversy during the building period - still incomplete but the final phase is at least in operation.

Due to major costs overruns, much public criticism and a change of government, Utzon resigned from the project in 1966. Local architects were used to complete the glass walls and interiors. Her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II offically opened the Opera House in 1973 and didn't mention Utzon at all in her speech. The Australians are still embarrassed about this omission and Australian history books have been blemised forever. However, in an act of reconciliation, Utzon was ask by the Australian goverment in 1999 to complete his original works and to consult on all future plans for the Opera House. He accepted but refused to put a foot in Australia. So, through the help of his son, Jan, he continued to consult until his death in November 2008 (aged 90) - 5 months after we had visted the Opera House.

The reception hall has been renamed the Utzon Room in honour of it's original architect

The interior of the Opera House is carpeted in purple. Now, we were told that when the late Luciano Pavarotti performed in the concert hall, he first did the tour of the Opera House and when he saw the purple carpets, he let out an enormous shriek as the colour purple is seen to be an unlucky colour to performing artists. In true Aussie style, the carpets have remained purple!

The steps outside the Concert Hall

Sydney, and in particular St Mary's Cathedral and surrounds were abuzz with the preparations for Pope Benedict XVI's visit for World Youth Day. I attended daily mass at the packed Cathedral where up to 10 visiting priests from all over the world concelebrated. It was a very special and spiritual gathering.

The front entrance to St Mary's Cathedral

The side entrance at night

Only 8 days to go!

We experienced a delay in our flight back to Johannesburg, so we were booked into the Hilton Hotel in Sydney for an extra night - nothing wrong with that...

Until my next blog, see ye later, mate.

Shaun

The City of Sails

Dear Friends,

After the delay at Melbourne airport, we finally arrived in the Land of the long white cloud. A special thanks to Mike and Alison who arrived at the airport at midnight to welcome us and take us to Peter and Lorraine at whose house we stayed for the first few days of this leg of our holiday. Peter and Lorraine played bowls with me in Cape Town and had immigrated to New Zealand some 7 years ago.

First things first... bowls. Peter and Lorraine live only a few metres from Mairangi Bay Bowling Club and we had to make a turn to see the locals in action.

Artifical green at Mairangi Bay Bowls Club

Mairangi Bay Bowling club has 2 grass greens and 1 artificial green - that's the one they were playing on as the grass greens were being worked on. I was asked to try out the green but refused at the risk of making a fool of myself on a green running at least 19 seconds... yikes!!!

We also made a turn at Browns Bay Bowling club. Browns Bay is where many, many South Africans have moved to. It is a suburb on the North Shore where one can hear Afrikaans being spoken freely in the streets. That part of Auckland has loads of beautiful beaches. We drove around Torbay, Browns Bay, Campbell's Bay, Takapuna and Devonport.



Note: Check out the clear blue sky! We experienced the most wonderful weather in Auckland.

We also went up Mount Victoria and North Head where we were saturated with the most spectacular, unobstructed views of downtown Auckland and across the harbour to the Eastern bays.

The City of Auckland from Mount Victoria

The Eastern Bays

These two hills, Mount Victoria and North Head, were honeycombed with fortified tunnels during a Russian invasion scare in the 1870's. We then made our way down to the Ferry Terminal in Devonport where we boarded a ferry to downtown Auckland. The ferry trip to the CBD is only 10 minutes (departs and arrives between Devonport and CBD every 15 minutes) and a wonderful experience, especially when passing the New Zealand Navy en route - all 2 ships!

With Steffen on the ferry approaching Auckland Harbour

We spent some time browsing the harbour and surrounds. There was so much to see.

With Peter at the Viaduct

We took a walk up the main street in the city, Queens street, and then headed to the casino where Peter treated us to lunch. At the casino, one also finds the cloud-piercing Sky Tower. It is the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere and the eighth highest in the world at 328 metres.

The Sky Tower

The following day we left for Rotorua for 2 days. It was a very scenic and relaxed 2-hour drive. (Thanks Lorraine for the driving). In 1934, George Bernard Shaw declared: "I was pleased to get so close to Hades and be able to return." Rotorua's tranquility is punctuated by intense hot and steamy thermal activity. We visited the Wai-O-Tapu (Moari for "Sacred Waters") Thermal Wonderland and spent a few hours admiring what the bubbling mud pools and roaring geysers hurling super-heated water into a sulpher-laden atmosphere had to offer. The smell was... um... yugh, but one gets used to it sooner than you realise.

Smelling, seeing and hearing was not enough for me and my curiosity took over...

We were fortunate to see the Lady Knox geyser "sing". This is not continuous and only happens at irregular times in the day.

The Lady Knox geyser "singing"

Other attractions included the Champagne Pool and the Bridal Veil falls.

The Champagne Pool gets its name from the constant bubbling of its waters

To me, Rotorua, Maori for "second lake", is largely a place where the earth's crust has disappeared. The hot mineral water has magical healing properties, especially for the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism but for most people it is a pleasant form of relaxation.

We stayed in a quaint resort right next to the lake in very comfortable accommodation, arranged by Peter. It was a bitterly cold night and we enjoyed our time soaking in a hot tub.

Our accommodation: Cedar Wood Lakeside resort in Rotorua

The next day we set off to visit a Maori village that was fairly close by. We enjoyed a tour of the area and were educated on Moari culture and tradition.

Competitive tribalism was the basis of Moari life. The family and hapu (sub-tribe) were the unit of society that determined who married whom, where people lived, where and when they fought other tribes and why. Tibal ancestors were venerated, as were the gods representing the natural elements (the earth, the sky, the wind, the sea, etc.)

Aunty Molly and the other tour guide

As a tour group, we had to elect a Tribal Chief to represent us at the Marae, the meeting house. From our group of about 30 people, Steffen was elected as our Chief and had to go forward and "meet" the warrior messenger from the host tribe. This is a very serious ritual and Steffen was informed that he was not, in any way, to smile, laugh or turn his back on the warrior. Any of these actions was a sign of disrespect and, in times gone by, would indicate an immediate attack on the tribes. The warrior drops a branch in front of the visiting Chief as a token of peace. If the branch is picked up, it is a sign of a peaceful visit.

Steffen accepting the branch from the warrior

The meeting house or Marae

The Marae is also seen as a sacred place and we had to take off our shoes before entering. Only men were allowed to sit in the front row with woman and children sitting in the rows behind them.

We experienced a very warm welcome from the tribe and were entertained with traditional Maori song and dance.

We were then showed how to do the haka warrior dance and had the opportunity to try it.

On the left trying to do the haka

Our Chief, Steffen, and the host

We returned to Auckland via Cambridge and Hamilton. The rural town of Cambridge sits on the Waikato river, 24 km southeast of Hamilton. The town's tree-lined streets and village green give it a very English atmosphere. Cambridge is also a major centre for the horse breeding industry and is populated by stud farms. It really is a beautiful, affluent town and also the parish of the Vicar General of the Hamilton diocese.

Hamilton, the capital of the Waikato district, is New Zealand's fourth largest city and 136 km south of Auckland. Around almost every turn in the road, we saw herds and herds of cattle, free-grazing on pastures along fertile river valleys... this was postcard beautiful.

Back in Auckland, we decided to get tickets for the musical "Priscilla, Queen of the desert". Unfortunately, we just couldn't get any tickets as all shows were sold out. The closest we got was to see one of the actors walking down Queen street and stopped to ask for a photo.

Steffen with Bill Hunter (Bob in the show)

We also took a ferry trip to Waiheke Island with our dear friends, Alison and Mike. Alison worked with me at Old Mutual some years ago. She and Mike decided to immigrate to New Zealand with 3 daughters and a mother-in-law... no easy task but Alsion is one of the most determined people I know. It was wonderful spending time with them.

With Alison and Mike on Waiheke Island

We took a brief tour around part of the island and then stopped off at a restaurant for lunch. The beaches around the island are spectacular and one could see people strolling along the unending beaches and taking their dogs for walks. A few years ago, the majority of the inhabitants were artists, potters, architects, authors and the likes. These days, because of the only 35 minute catamaran ride to Devonport and 45 minutes to downtown Auckland, the profile of the island's population has changed. Where simple cottages stood previously, now one will find architect-designed houses sprinkled on the slopes overlooking the many beautiful bays.

We continued exploring Auckland, during our last couple of days and were not disappointed by the friendliness of the Kiwis. We also saw the market, Ponsonby and hundreds of coffee shops, not to mention watching the rugby test between the All Blacks and the Springboks (played in Wellington) in which the All Blacks won.

Although it was sad to leave our friends and the city that we grew to love, we were excited to fly to Sydney on the last leg of our 3 cities, 3 weeks holiday.

Until next time... keep smiling.

Shaun

Memorable Melbourne

3 cities, 3 weeks... that's what Steffen and I called our June / July holiday to Australia and New Zealand.

Despite a few glitches along the way, we eventually boarded flight QF304 to Perth. It was a night flight but, alas, it wasn't easy getting sleep in economy class. We landed in Perth on transfer but only to miss our connecting flight and had to wait 6 hours for the next flight. That gave us time to get a sim card and do some extra planning for the trip.

We arrived safely in Melbourne and were very blessed to have stayed with my dear friends Ashley and Gordon. They have a beautiful house which somehow never runs out of delicious red wine. We thoroughly enjoyed our very comfortable stay with them.

Steffen, Ashley & Gordon

The first place we visited was St Patrick's, the Roman Catholic Cathedral. We were fortunate to take a few photos as, unbeknowing to us, we weren't allowed to take photos in the cathedral. The cathedral is truly beautiful and well maintained. It was also wonderful to see the Cathedral and other churches standing open for people to visit, worship and pray.

Beautiful stained glass windows in the Cathedral

After being asked to leave the Cathedral due to the photos being taken, we headed off to the Queen Victoria Market which was such an interesting experience. It looks like nothing from outside but it's a thriving and vital place pulsating with life. Visitors, who come not only to shop, can be entertained by buskers who perform on the surround. The vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere of this historic site has endeared the Market to Melburnians for 130 years.

The Market is probably best known for its huge variety of fresh produce. Almost 50% of the Market area is dedicated to the sale of fresh produce, including fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, chicken, seafood and delicatessen products.

And it is marketing at it's best....

We also visited Melbourne Central shopping centre, one of the largest shopping centres and saw the huge clock open at the hour whilst playing "Waltzing Matilda". Although I had seen it before, it is always wonderful to see and a big tourist attraction.

We also managed to get to the Melbourne Museum where we visited the flora and birdlife, the History of Melbourne and the Aboriginal section.

Ashley and Gordon treated us to a very memorable and special evening at a restaurant in a tram coach called The Tramcar Restaurant. These glossy, burgundy restaurants on wheels were the first travelling tramcar restaurants in the world. This travelling restaurant takes one around the city of Melbourne while enjoying a delicious 5-course meal with copious amounts of champagne and wine. It was a wonderful evening and a good time was had by all.

With Gordon, Steffen and Ashley

We also managed to get up the Eureka Skydeck 88 (88th floor) where we experienced spectacular views of Melbourne. It is the southern hemisphere's highest viewing platform.

At the Eureka Skydeck 88 with Steffen and Ashley... Yikes!!!

Melbourne is full of little alleys with so many coffee shops, restaurants and retail shops. That is an experience on its own and makes for wonderful retail therapy.

On our last day in Melbourne, we were taken to Prahran markets where the locals do their weekly fresh produce shopping. It was yet another fantastic experience. I just had to take this photo as it reminded me of my friends in Cape Town, Pete & Ro.

I was very sad to leave Melbourne, particularly my dear friends Ashley and Gordon who were the perfect hosts. But we were also excited to start the next leg of our holiday in Auckland. Alas, we were delayed for 8 hours at Melbourne airport. Thanks to those Qantas engineers who went on strike. However, I used some of my meal vouchers to buy Robin Sharma's new book while I waited to board flight QF25 to Auckland.

Until next time... keep smiling.

Shaun