Hamilton Island, QLD, Australia

 25 October 2012 -  (564 Nautical Miles from Brisbane) -

This tiny island in the Whitsunday chain is probably the most commercial, home to some resort hotels as well as residences. The rest of the chain, I hear, is fairly undeveloped and thus good for boat trips and snorkeling. 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitsunday_Islands

I walk to the closest beach, but there is a strong wind and lots of sand blowing around. The water is cold! Deciding to take a hike, I find a trail which goes up the mountain to a view point over the bay. In the interior, it is hot and still, and I hear, but do not see, lots of birds. 

There is a tiny wildlife park near one of the hotels, and I have the opportunity to hug and hold a koala. She is 4 years old and quite tiny. Her fur is dense and soft, and she holds onto me with her paws and long nails. She is a darling.

Brisbane, QLD, Australia

23 October 2012 - 550 Nautical Miles from Sydney
 
I've been to Brisbane before, prior to the major flooding of 2009, and had a magical morning in the Botanical Gardens which lie along the river and the mud flats, and thus are a magnet for the shore birds. This is where I saw an Eastern Curlew, with its long curved bill... such an exotic bird sighting for me. 

Today our ship docks outside the city, along a cruise ship wharf which delights with fish restaurants and coffee shops. Just a 500 yard walk along the river brings you to the city ferry, which plies its route up and down the river, from suburbs to University, with city in between. 

Brisbane is a lovely mix of old and new architecture, skillfully blended into a harmonious aesthetic. On the far side of the river is a series of parks which spill into the Museum and Opera House. Then there are more eclectic houses before the University. I see a lot of students, a multitude of nationalities.

Sydney, QLD, Australia - The Voyage Begins

Dateline: Sydney, Australia, 21 October 2012

How I love Sydney...the vitality of the waterfront, with the ferries going to and fro, the itinerant artists performing on didgeridoos, dancing, doing houdini-like contortions..every performer carving out his or her own space on the wide esplanade. The fragrant purple jacarandas dot the green spaces, and the Art Museum anchors one end while the Opera House anchors the other. 

Cafes provide outdoor seats for watching the endless parade, and the Botanical Gardens lie just on the other side of the Opera House.
The old city Rocks neighborhood lies just to the north, between Sydney and Darling Harbors. The buildings are rich in history, and the architecture a living memorial to earlier times. A large sculpture shows off the intertwined histories of Australia - an Aboriginal, a Miner, and a Jackaroo. 

As this is Sunday morning, a lively market of hand-crafted goods is displayed, and lots of dickering is occuring. Local artists are showing hand-painted silk made into dresses, floral 50s-style skirts, silver jewelry, windchimes, and carved wooden animals. Folks are also selling goods from other parts of the world, such as Hmong crafted bags, the sales of which benefit the displaced Hmong communities in Australia.

We spend the day enjoying all these sights, sounds, and aromas, and then the ship sails away at 6 o'clock, to begin the great Australian circumnavigation. First stop, Hamilton Island.

Port Lincoln, Australia; 15 November 2012

A major fishing port, Port Lincoln is also a crummy looks-like-its-been-used-hard sort of town. The locals are open and friendly, but down to earth and practical, especially in their creative approach to making money off of cruise ship visitors! Many vendors had set up shop right at the entrance to town, and were selling hand made items in support of local charities, for exorbitant prices.

I visited the local book shop, and had a nice chat with the shop's owner. She said the town does not get too many cruise ships visiting, but mainly relies on the commercial fishing industry for its economy. 

Haka, Hangi, and Hot Springs

We are fortunate enough to be invited to a Maori celebration which includes music - an older family member who sings and plays a mean clarinet - dancing, and feasting. We get to see the legs of lamb and whole chickens and sweet potatoes that have been buried underground and cooked with hot stones.

We walk into the forest and pass a clear pool of fizzing springs, then come to the river where the warriors in their canoe paddle down and greet us. They lead us to their village, and begin to tell us stories, interspersed with dance and song. They tell of the way they used to live, on this land, with fish from the sea, and vegetables and fruit from the forest. Each child knew her or his name and where s/he fit into the village and into his or her extended family. The women taught the girls their lore, and the men taught the boys how to hunt. 

As they grew, they tattooed their bodies with the stories of their families and their history. The women wear the owl tattoo under their mouths, to signify wisdom.

The women demonstrate their dexterity with a dance involving heavy balls on the ends of long strings. The men demonstrate their fierceness with the traditional haka dance, used to inspire fear in the enemy.

The feast is as delicious as it looks and smells...the traditional New Zealand lamb is a treat. Dessert is a Pavlova, which I think is a very British meringue type dessert ... so, a new tradition.

After dinner, we walk back into the forest, and see the glowworms shining around the spring. Tiny dots of light in the darkness. Then we do a night walk to see if we will see the elusive kiwi....and we do. Such strange creatures...almost more mammalian than avian. They look like fat soccer balls of fur, with funny legs and a very long beak, like a long straw. They have two ovaries, large ear holes, and other mammalian features. 

www.chemistry.co.nz/kiwibird.htm 

 After such excitement, it's off to the Hot Springs for a couple of hours of mineral soaking. Most of the springs in Rotorua sit next to the lake which is a bird sanctuary. How lovely to float in the water and see all the gulls and terns. The second day in the Springs it is cold and raining...a delicious feeling to be so hot and then have the rain cool your face and head. 

Rotorua, the town, is clearly geared towards the tourist industry. There are lots of 'adventure parks' offering different activities, like Zorbing, a new Kiwi invention where you roll down a hill inside a large plastic ball which is inside another large plastic ball...I know, I know! Totally bizarre, right? Remember, this is the country that invented bungee jumping!  

Most of the people I see who are not tourists, are Maori...Rotorua is also the central homeland of the Maori people.

Tarawera Eruption

We are in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, in the New Zealand section of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the Pacific Tectonic Plate meets the India-Australia Tectonic Plate....earthquake and volcano territory! This zone features relatively shallow depth - only a few kilometers below the surface is where large masses of molten rock reside.

Mt. Tarawera has erupted five times in the last 18,000 years, most recently in 1886. Causing major destruction and significantly changing the landscape, this most recent outbreak initiated a new region of surface hydrothermal activity...native forest has since regrown naturally and is the only extant example in New Zealand of a bio-system re-establishing in an area following its complete destruction by a volcanic eruption.

As we walk through the Waimangu volcanic valley we are struck by the fragrance of the sweet flowers and ferns, underlaid by the sulfuric smell of the hot pools. The forest is lush, and filled with birdsong. We know there are many native birds here, such as the Korimako (Bellbird) and the Matuku (Bittern), but we don't see them, only hear their delicious songs.

Nothing has been planted by humans in this forest...birds, wind, and the eruption itself have deposited the seeds and spores here, and this accounts for the exotic species that are present along with the native species. The volcanic eruption deposited new soil up to 20 meters thick throughout the valley. All of the new plants developed tactics to cope with heated soils.

In hydrothermal areas, many different kinds of bacteria live in dense mats together with blue-green algae. Patterns created by these carpets of minute plants enhance the beauty of the termal areas with vivid splashes of contrasting colors - dark blue, greens, browns, pinks, reds and orange. The most conspicuous growths are formed in overflow paths below the hot springs and geysers with neutral or alkaline water chemistry.

We discover that the Maori used many of the plants here for both food and medicine. The rahurahu (bracken fern) yields its underground stems for food. This was the most sustaining nourishment for warriors and had the added advantage of being light to carry. The toe-toe's fluffy seed heads were applied to wounds to stop the bleeding. The koromiko was used as a muscle relaxant to facilitate labor, and also to promote healing of rashes and abcesses.

It is wondrous to wander through this landscape of fumeroles, boiling lakes, spouting geysers, and seemingly solid rock walls that are really calcified ash. Later, as we drive through the larger area, we see grass-covered landscapes of bumps and ridges that we surmise are deposits of ash from the eruption that now are fertile and support the large sheep industry. We see the tiny lambs scampering up the hills in play.

Today we will experience the hot springs that abut Lake Rotorua, and tonight a Maori display of dancing and story telling, as well as a traditional Hangi feast cooked in the ground. Can't wait for the lamb and sweet potato, as well as the Haka!

Aotearoa welcomes us

Aotearoa, the long white cloud which is New Zealand, welcomes us back into her arms. We arrive Thursday morning quite early, the sun is not quite up. We go directly to the ferry dock where we take a boat over to Waiheke Island, a twenty minute boat ride from Auckland. Our friends Anne and Carlo have recently moved there with their four children. 

Waiheke is charming and fertile...lots of orchards, vineyards, sheep and cattle, oysters, clams, vegetable gardens. Although a small island of 8,000 people full time (which jumps to 35,000 in the summer), Waiheke boasts several gourmet restaurants, some attached to vineyards; several art galleries; a film festival; a writing festival; a sculpture walk; two charming small towns...all amidst a stunning natural landscape of rolling hills, dramatic cliff drops to the ocean, and gorgeous bays.

Waiheke Island 

Jumping into a new time zone, after breakfast we immediately go to Whakanewha Beach to dig for clams for dinner. When you understand that the Maori sound 'wh' is pronounced 'f', you'll understand why all Americans get such a kick out of the name of this beach! 

At low tide, you merely dig into the sand with your hands and always come up with 5 or 6 clams. They are small yet, but quite delicious when Carlo prepares them this evening with a simple white wine, garlic, and parsley sauce. We are really tickled by the fact that we can see the Auckland skyline while up to our knees in the warm water of the bay!

We lunch at Te Fau, a winery/restaurant, while gazing out at cattle on the rolling hills. I have venison, which is outstanding.

Friday morning we drive around the island and see a beautiful piece of land where Anne and Carlo will build their home. It sits on a beautiful bay, where there are two oyster beds. There are 16 bee hives on the property, as well as a perfect spot for a vegetable garden. The children pull the rowboat beyond  the mudflats and fish for snapper.  Then we have another lunch at another vineyard restaurant, also delicious. Matteo falls off a small cliff and suffers a concussion, so lunch is cut short and we go to the emergency room. He comes home the wounded warrior, with big scrapes on his cheek and knee, and a chipped tooth.

We are invited to a local party and meet so many interesting New Zealanders. Many have lived on Waihiki for 20+ years. Mary tells us that Waihiki has been a sanctuary for many families over the years...even the Rothschilds came here in 1880 and have maintained a cottage here since. There are also many people from other countries...Italy, Germany, Holland...so even though a tiny island, quite cosmopolitan.

Saturday morning the weather has changed dramatically, and it is grey, rainy, very windy and gusty, and there are whitecaps visible from the house. When it clears in the afternoon, Anne and I take the children to the town beach. The waves are large, and apparently not usually so. The surfers are out! The water is freezing but Luca, Arianna, Isabella and I brave it and jump and splash in the waves for a good 40 minutes. Refreshing!

Sunday morning is still windy, but we take a wonderful walk along the coast, which dips down into the bush where we see bright orange flowers, and back up to the top of the cliffs overlooking the water. There are huge Pakahaweka trees that grow right out of the cliffs.

That night we take the ferry back to Auckland, eat yet another meal at the hip "The Depot" restaurant (why does hip always mean uncomfortable stools to sit on?) which includes lots of local oysters, and leave for Rotorua the next morning.