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An Antipodean Adventure

January - February 2020
A 27-day adventure by Robert Read more
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  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    3
    Day 11

    Capital Canberra

    January 31, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Yet another 6am rise to catch the 07.12 train from Sydney Central to Canberra. We were going to visit my Aunt Jean and cousin Stuart who ironically only recently moved from Sydney to Canberra. Our 1st Class journey was pleasant enough, although not on a par with the wonderful Spirit of Queensland service. (Train nerd note: I noticed that the New South Wales trains run on the Standard Gauge Track of 4’6”, like the UK, as opposed to Queensland’s smaller 3’6” Gauge).

    The train passed through Campbelltown on the way, (but no sign of the Loch (or the whisky). Again there was only minimal sightings of bush fire damage on the 4 hour train trip, although generally everything looked hot and dried up, including some of the small rivers. The air conditioned carriage belied the fact that it was 41 degrees Celsius outside! No need for my sweater then today!

    We arrived bang on time in the nation’s capital city, Canberra, located in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory), separate from the rest of the State of New South Wales, just as Washington DC is a separate entity from other US States. Stuart and Aunt Jean met us at the station and it was good to see them again. Aunt Jean has recently turned 90 and is looking good.

    Stuart gave us a tour of Canberra - the planned capital city of what was the new Australian federation. The excellent visitor centre gave an overview of the planning of the city, and then we had a tour of the impressive Parliament Building. A trip up to Black Mountain Telstra Tower afforded wonderful views over the city and Lake Burley Griffin including, rather worryingly, a thick pall of smoke from bush fires just over the hills! We finished our tour with a trip to the National Arboretum, home to more than 44,000 trees from all over the world, including many endangered species.

    A visit back to Aunt Jean’s house for tea ended a lovely visit. Although Stuart offered to drive us back to Sydney (distance is no object here in Oz, he declared), we insisted on getting the train back as we had bought return tickets anyway. The 4 hour journey back was slightly delayed as the train was required to slow down due to excessive outside heat which was affecting the rails!

    We enjoyed an airline-style meal on the train back to Sydney. As we were eating, we heard a rather loud conversation from the elderly gentleman behind us, on the phone to his daughter: ‘Yes, I know honey that your new stepmother and I have been on another trip, and I can tell you here and now that there will be a lot more. What difference does age make? I’m not 80 yet and I know she still finds me attractive. I don’t care how much our trips cost, I’ll be damned if I am leaving anything for you to squander’. Still not sure if he was joking, but the call ended abruptly thereafter.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    21
    Day 12

    So Long Sydney

    February 1, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After checking out of our Sydney Hotel, we made our way to the Overseas Passenger Terminal where we caught sight of our home for the next two weeks - Holland America’s Noordam cruise ship. What a fantastic berth she had, nestling in between two iconic monuments - the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. We were able to drop our cases off, although it was only 9am, which left the rest of the morning free to explore a bit more of Sydney.

    Decided take one of the local ferries from the adjacent Circular Quay to Manly - Sydney’s other famous beach. It was a pleasant 30 minute sail through the lovely harbour area. Manly was named by Captain Arthur Phillip for the indigenous people living there, stating that "their confidence and manly behaviour made me give the name of Manly Cove to this place". Campbell and I thought therefore we would fit in well.

    Although most of the passengers on the ferry were your typical families and teenagers heading to the beach to have fun, there was one rough and ready family whom Australians would definitely call ‘bogan’. Mother and daughter were both shoeless, bra-less and toothless and covered in tattoos. Mother in fact reminded me of Susie B’s character Shirley in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Strewth! The son looked as if he hadn’t had a shower in quite some time, and father had a huge cooler crate in tow. ‘We’re gonna have a barbie on the beach’ he announced with a huge grin that revealed he attended the same dentist. From a peek inside his crate there was enough food and drink to feed a small army.

    Manly Beach was similar to Bondi - with even bigger crashing waves, and I enjoyed my swim. We returned in time to board our ship just after 1pm. The check-in process was quite slow as everyone had been told to come at the same time, and was delayed further when it was announced that all non Australian passengers required a Visa to enter New Zealand. This was news to most of us Brits and Americans, and it seems this change just came in in October. An hour later and $47 each lighter we had our NZ Visas and headed on board.

    Initial impressions of the ship were very favourable - and although a bit older than some we have been on - it has recently been updated and was clean and comfortable with a friendly Steward. Enjoyed a lovely lunch on board in the shadow of the Opera House - amazing!

    And now time for sail away to Tasmania!    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    112
    Day 12

    Life aboard the Noordam

    February 1, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Settling nicely into our cruise ship - Holland America’s Noordam. It has had a recent makeover and looks fresh and very comfortable with all new carpets and furnishings. We have a nice stateroom on the Upper Verandah Deck, with a large balcony. The bathroom even has a small bath as well as a shower, although I don’t know if I would get out of it once in! We have bathrobes and Elemis toiletries which is nice. Given the number of sea days, we decided to buy the Green House Spa Package, featuring hot mosaic-tiled beds, thalassotherapy pool, steam rooms and sauna - lovely to relax in with views of the ocean.

    The entertainment is not as varied as Royal Caribbean, and the emphasis is on more classical tastes, with musicians performing on the intimate Lincoln Center Stage or in BB Kings Blues Club. The Duelling Pianos are also very popular. There are a number of Coffee and Chat sessions with the personable Cruise Director Chris (beep!). He delivered a very interesting audio-visual presentation on the history and development of the Holland America Line, including its role during the war transporting troops. Interesting to note that the line’s first ship - the Rotterdam - was built in 1872 in Renfrew! All very different from our usual fare, but very enjoyable. The first full show in the World Stage Theatre featured the singers and dancers in a tribute to Billboard hits, and was of a very high standard.

    The food so far has been outstanding. We have a lovely table for two in the dining room (how anti-social!), but usually go to the Lido buffet for breakfast - great variety including excellent omelettes.

    Our Captain’s welcome toast was a poignant occasion as the the officers and representatives of all departments came on stage to pay tribute to Captain John Scott in this his final voyage after 45 years before disembarking in his home city of Auckland. The Captain delivered a heartfelt speech. He finished by saying that, as we will have noticed, the first day at sea had been quite rocky, and we can all claim to have sailed through a hurricane - defined as 64 knots, when we had experienced 64.5 knots.

    All in all a very relaxing and pleasant start to the cruise. Just arrived in Hobart, Tasmania. The ship has docked within walking distance of the town so we are looking forward to exploring it - hopefully no Devils! 👿    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    Day 14

    Handsome Hobart

    February 3, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We had a long time available ashore today - from 8am till 11pm. Tasmania’s capital city, Hobart, lies nestled between the peak of Mount Wellington and the River Derwent. A city of only 220,000, it is an attractive place with a dark history - apparently 80% of Hobartians are descended from the convicts sent here in the 19th century. Many of the warehouses around the port and Salamanca / Battery Point area have been gentrified, and there is now an abundance of coffee shops, restaurants and boutique hotels.

    We decided to take a hop-on, hop-off bus again to get an overview. The temperature had dropped to a cool 15 degrees (when we have been used to 30-40), and I needed my zipper for the first time. We were reminded that Hobart has strong connections with Antarctica (‘Oh, please!’ as the Drowsy Chaperone would say).

    We visited the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and enjoyed a pleasant walk around. Hobart is an interesting place to visit and spend some more time in.

    As we will be at sea / cruising fjords for the next 3 days it is unlikely I will be able to post any updates. Please be patient and normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. 😘    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    2
    Day 17

    Diversion to Oban!

    February 6, 2020, Tasman Sea ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Over the past two days at sea, we have continued to enjoy our relaxing time on the Noordam. We have made good use of the Spa, and the high standard of food has been maintained. There is complimentary Room Service, and we enjoyed breakfast served in our Stateroom. We have met some lovely fellow passengers including two nice couples from Germany who lamented our departure from the EU. Campbell and I have spent time people watching, and likening some of our fellow passengers to celebrities. So far we have encountered Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, an elderly Doris Day, and Theresa May enjoying her retirement!

    After a relaxing two days at sea, we were looking forward to arriving at Milford Sound in New Zealand’s fjordland today. However the Captain announced last night that due to recent flash flooding, resulting in landslides and hundreds of tourists being trapped in the area and having to be rescued by helicopter, a State of Emergency has been declared, and we were sadly unable to visit the area 🙁. However, as an alternative, the Captain was pleased to announce that we would instead be diverting and making an unscheduled visit to Oban! I thought at first that this was a bit much of a detour, until I realised it was the small port of Oban on Stewart Island, New Zealand’s largely forgotten third island. Although a reasonable size, the whole island has a population of only 400 and, with no predators, it is a bird sanctuary and home to hundreds of different species, including kiwis.

    To access the island required taking a tender to shore. The number of passengers coming ashore from the ship more than quadrupled the whole population. Today was a holiday - Waitangi Day - the national day of New Zealand. The main activity on the island appeared to be the annual Man of the Year contest. This involved burly locals competing in a variety of testosterone and beer-fuelled activities on the beach. Campbell and I were going to enter but didn’t want to show them up.

    I took a lovely (but steep) walk up to Observation Rock where I had fabulous views over Golden Bay towards the island of - wait forever it - Iona. We visited the tiny local museum, which reminded Campbell of the one at Invergordon - minus the major attraction of the Iron Lung.

    We were disappointed not to have made it to Milford Sound, but after seeing news footage on TV could understand why. We’ll just have to come back.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    1141
    Day 18

    Delightful Dunedin

    February 7, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Our ship docked this morning at Port Chalmers on the mainland of NZ South Island. This was where Scottish settlers first arrived in 1848 on the ship John Wickliffe. Rather than go on an official tour, we took the local bus the 13k into Dunedin - New Zealand’s oldest city - given the Celtic name for Edinburgh by the early Scottish settlers. It enjoys the status of being the furthest city in the world from London.

    A highlight for me was visiting Dunedin Railway Station with its ornate Flemish Renaissance-style architecture and gorgeous Minton tiles on the inside - apparently this is the most photographed building in New Zealand. Scottish names and influences are everywhere in this area - St Kilda, Portobello, Musselburgh - the museum even had a preserved cable car going to Maryhill!

    We enjoyed a walk round the central Octogon area, featuring a pride-of-place statue of Rabbie Burns, and the excellent Art Gallery which included interactive exhibits involving hammocks and free tea making. At the Chinese Garden we had more tea and dumplings (although these were not as good as Alice’s mum’s homemade ones). We finished up at the extensive and fabulous Otago Settlers Museum - almost as good as Oban’s Museum yesterday - and this one was free! 😂

    On our departure from Port Chalmers, the ship passed an albatross colony, and there was great excitement as almost all passengers, including zimmers and wheelchairs, clambered up to the Crow’s Nest bar for a glimpse of the creatures. I have to say they looked much like the seagulls at Largs who steal your fish supper.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    122
    Day 19

    Creative Christchurch

    February 8, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    This morning’s port was Akaroa - a charming town that strives to recreate the feel of a French provincial village, down to the names of its streets. The ships used to dock in Lyttelton, but since the earthquakes Akaroa has been a popular substitute.

    Given the weather this morning, which was cool and a bit wet, we decided to take a trip on a local tour coach to Christchurch, 1.5 hours away. Beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes en route reminded us of our homeland.

    Christchurch is in the middle of an epic rebuild that has completely reconstructed the city centre, where over 80% of buildings needed to be demolished after the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, which left 186 people dead. There are still lots of vacant lots and most buildings in the city are only a few years old. We took the historic tram ride around the city centre, visiting the ruined cathedral, Canterbury Museum and another Botanic Gardens (Ken, you would be proud of us!).

    Christchurch is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes and seems to have a burgeoning Arts scene, with numerous art galleries, museums etc. It’ll be nice when it’s finished.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    Day 20

    Picture Postcard Picton

    February 9, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Woke up this morning to a beautiful view from our balcony as we sailed up the Marlborough Sound into picturesque Picton. It was a beautiful sunny morning, so we had breakfast out on deck surrounded by rolling hills covered in trees, and the aquamarine of the water.

    From the small but attractive village we were spoiled for choice for activities both on and off the water. We opted for a scenic tour in a comfortable Mercedes van (again the tour was similar to that offered by the ship but at half the price). Regrettably there was an issue with overbooking on our 6 passenger vehicle, resulting in a bit of a stand-off between two posh Australian retired schoolteachers and the rest of us. The school ma’ams pushed their way on board, and proceeded to correct our friendly local driver at every opportunity - teacher knows best! Our driver (who had relocated from Newcastle to New Zealand ten years ago - I can’t think why!). pointed out there were wild pigs and goats all round. ‘I would kill them all off if they are not indigenous to the area’ declared the elder Miss Jean Brodie. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if she was Aboriginal and therefore indigenous to Australia.

    The surrounding viewpoints our driver took us to were nothing short of magnificent - breathtaking vistas and a stunning ancient Maori site.

    It is from Picton that the only ferry services operate to Wellington on the North Island. We had a long time ashore today from 9am till 7.30pm, so we had plenty of time to explore and sit with a coffee and let the world go by. What an idyllic place to visit and on such a perfect day.

    Back on board we noted that we had been joined by a few more ‘celebrities’ - Liza Minnelli, Don Estelle, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rolf Harris, and several prominent members of the Glasgow Light Opera Club.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    31
    Day 21

    Wonderful Wellington

    February 10, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Arrived in NZ’s capital city this morning. Often known as Windy Wellington, we were blessed with another beautiful day. We took a free tour of the Parliament Building known as The Beehive (for obvious reasons), and designed by Scottish architect Sir Basil Spence. Although based on the British system, it now operates on a system of proportional representation with only one house (of Representatives) - UK take note.

    We then took the famous Wellington cable car one way up, and walked all the way back via the beautiful Botanic Gardens, stopping for coffee in the lovely rose garden on the way. Our final attraction was the fabulous Te Papa Tongarewa - the National Museum of New Zealand, and we benefitted from a great guide who showed is the highlights of New Zealand history and Maori treasures. A highlight of our visit was a special exhibition telling the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War 1 though the eyes of NZ soldiers. The exhibition featured huge lifelike figures (2.5 larger than life size) with amazing detail. I remembered that my Mum’s Uncle John fought in the Dardanelles in 1915 and wrote a poem about the experience which was published. I still have a copy somewhere.

    Another ‘character’ has emerged amongst our fellow passengers, who reminded us our dear departed friend Jean. Dining alone (table for one, please), she was always surrounded by young waiters, entertaining them with her stories. Last night we had a film showing of BBC’s Life on Earth 2 accompanied a live orchestra. ‘Of course you realise I’m a founder member of the World Wildlife Fund’ announced Jean to anyone who would listen ‘and David has painted me lots of pictures which I have shown in my gallery’. David, it emerged was none other than Mr Attenborough himself!    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn Antipodean Adventure
    1
    Day 22

    Notable Napier

    February 11, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    A lovely morning visit to the town of Napier - almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in the modernist style of the day - Art Deco. We took a small tour with one of the town’s Art Deco experts who gave us an interesting history of the town both pre and post earthquake. It seems the ground was raised by 2 metres, and a huge area of new land was created from a shallow lagoon and swamp area. Some fabulous buildings including the Daily Telegraph and National Tobacco Company.

    On our return we joined a Q&A session with the singers and dancers and had a backstage tour of the theatre. Question from an audience member to the cast: ‘Can you tell us the topics Holland America does not allow you to discuss with the passengers?’ Duh...

    It was very hot today and we were glad to get back on board to the AC. Jean was asked by a helpful crew member if she was going to the dining room for a late lunch and was heard to reply: ‘No, I’m dining on my balcony!’ Hopefully there was no forced laughter! (Ken and Bill - you’ll recognise that).    Read more

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