Day 1. So far, so good. After a surprisingly good 14-hour flight from SFO (arriving right on time), we breeze through customs with no problem (despite the cautionary warnings and tales of sniffing dogs), and find our way to the convenient Uber station to get us to our hotel in downtown Sydney , a very nice hotel in the CBD (central business district) where Doug can enjoy his THC. (Haha, Doug joke.)
Hey, it’s hot and humid here. We didn’t quite expect that in So. Australia. Plus, sunscreen is a must: We’re told the ozone layer over Australia is pretty thin so UV rays are extra harsh. Doug is all a-sweat.
First order of business: The Big Red Bus, providing us with a comfortable “lay of the land” introduction to Sydney. Our new friend at the hotel, Carlos the Concierge, actually walked us to the bus stop, giving us a little history along the way. Friendly and helpful!
Then a hop onto the ferry to North Sydney to meet up with Judy Davis, friend from San Francisco. A native of Sydney, she’s been a world traveler, spending much time in Japan – which shows in her lovely apartment. Judy gives us a delightful tour of scenic spots and lands us at the dock of the bay at the Sailing Club for a lively sunset supper of oysters, giant prawns, and Australian wine.
We’re enjoying the time with Judy – she’s great company! Fun, stylish, and adventurous. She’s curious about what the #!?! is going on in the US. We’re interested to hear what Aussies think of our new administration. (And, of course, we’re curious how it is that so many great popular actors in the US are from Australia: Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Margot Robbie, Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Geoffrey Rush, etc. ) Lots to talk about and explore. It seems very civilized and well run here.
After a full day we fall into our beds and sleep like rocks.
Musings: Paula: Why travel? I love it. It lets me step out of the routine of my life at home – 9 am coffee, connections/wordle/strands/crossword, the news; 5 pm G&T, Fritos and cottage cheese, TV; and the usual ADLs (activities of daily living) in between. Thanks to Doug (travel planner extraordinaire and boon companion) who ensures that the groundwork is laid and the outline is set, we can be free to be present in the moment, being extra attentive, respectful and considerate, and open to those serendipitous moments that come along.
Note: no AI was involved in the creation of this dispatch.
**
Day 2 & 3. We wake up refreshed and ready to go – off to Auckland, New Zealand! This time, at the airport, we are greeted by sniffing dogs, but they are such cute little beagles led by such nice ladies! No problem. We marvel at the efficiency and organization at the crowded airport, their expertise at people-moving, the helpful and cheerful guides along the way. Impressive.
Auckland is a lovely cosmopolitan city on the North Island, situated on 50 islands and 48 dead volcanoes, with the largest Polynesian population and more boats per capita than any other city in the world. We locate our hotel … inside another hotel. Two hotels in one building. Kind of odd, but the folks are nice and because the A/C is broken, they bring us extra fans. Luckily, it’s a bit cooler here, with a breeze. It’s a short walk along the harbour (with a 'u') to some trendy eateries, where we are to find the recommended restaurant. Full. Doug picks “Hello Beasty” nearby and we stumble in there. What luck! It’s a NZ "modern fusion" cuisine and it’s fabulous. Serendipity.
We fall into a friendly conversation with two women at the neighboring table, who give us menu recommendations. Paula opts for the prawn + crab toast with seared grain-fed eye fillet, sweet + sour sauce, Japanese mayo, green onions and Doug has the roasted Hapuka with Hokkaido scallop, South Island scampi, chive sausage, butternut pumpkin, edamame, yuzu, plus finger lime butter sauce. (food details with a nod to Ed and Claire.) Absolutely delicious! They also review and approve our NZ itinerary and give us some pointers.
A beautiful evening.
The next day, we have a leisurely morning, then stash our luggage at the hotel and set off with our day packs on the motor coach for the 4-1/2 hour bus trip to Paihia, where we're booked for two nights at the Paihia Beach Resort and Spa on the Bay of Islands. Drinks and dinner at the hotel served by a Canadian transplant who came "on a whim" and takes good care of us.
We turn in for the night and prepare for the dolphin watching cruise and visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds tomorrow.
**
Day 4. Paihia is on the north tip of NZ, the first place white people (Dutch) showed up, around the mid-1600s or so. They thought the natives were "untameable" and left, but not before naming it Nieuw Zeeland, after the coastal province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. It wasn't until the late 1700s that the white folks (British) came back and settled, Captain Cook anglicising the name to New Zealand. Ask a Māori, though, and he will give you the original name, Aoteaora.
We set off on our cruise in the Bay of Islands and along the Rakaumangamanga Peninsula to Cape Brett, where a historic lighthouse keeps watch over Piercy Island/Motukōkakoe (a.k.a. our destination: Hole in the Rock.) But first, a stop at Russell to pick up passengers. Russell was the first European settlement and seaport in NZ, a rowdy whaling town, otherwise known as the "hell hole of the Pacific" – due to the "rapscallious" nature of the citizens – outlaws, whores, you name it. It was the first capital of NZ, but soon the capital moved to the more respectable Auckland, and eventually to the more centrally located Wellington.)
According to Māori legend, local warriors used to paddle through the Hole in the Rock in their canoes before departing for battle. Drops of water from the cave roof above were a good omen.
The brochure says "If conditions permit, your skipper will expertly guide the ship through the narrow space... and if you get dripped on, consider yourself lucky!" It's a good day, so we cruise through it, AND we get dripped on - whoop de doo!
Heading back, we’re accompanied by a pod of dolphins. The bay is so clear, we can see them gliding through the water, occasionally popping up as in this photo:
(Stock photo. Paula couldn’t get a good shot so you’ll have to trust us on this!)
Then a stop for an hour's R&R at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island:
Back at Paihia Harbour, we catch a shuttle to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This treaty between the British Crown and the Māori chiefs was signed in 1840, partly as a way for the Māori to have protection from the French. According to our guide, the Māori made agreements based on eye-to-eye contact, and assumed the British respected that also, putting their agreement in writing in both Māori and English. The Māori interpreted their version to be a partnership between equals, based on mutual respect, and recognizing Māori ownership of its lands and its rights. But guess what? The British basically ignored the Agreement. Their "interpretation" was quite different. Not until the 1970s did the Māoris resist. Ultimately, both parties recognized that they coexist in a type of marriage – where divorce is not an option – and came to an understanding of sorts
Next, a "cultural experience" at the meeting house by the resident group Pitowhenua:
Afterwards, we get to chat with the performers. Doug learns about the creation myth, and Paula learns about the origins of the dance and the meaning of their tattoos. The dancer pictured above has a tattoo depicting her ancestors and family members (see from her chin down to her chest).
A full day. Tomorrow, back to Auckland.
**
Day 5. Motor coach back to Auckland and our hotel. And back to the Harbour for an early dinner at Soul Bar & Bistro — lovely steamed market fish in soy-ginger broth for PJ and good ol’ mac&cheese (NZ-style) for Doug.
By the way, we’ve finally figured out the coffee here. Don’t order the Americano (it’s just espresso with hot water), or the Long Black (espresso with less hot water). Get the Flat White (espresso with steamed milk) not to be confused with a Latte (espresso with less steamed milk but more foam).
Onward…
Day 6. So, you may know that New Zealand’s North Island is where the Lord of the Rings was filmed. It’s a Big Deal here. A must-see. Thus, today we’re headed to Hobbiton, the place where the movie set has been preserved by filmmaker Peter Jackson (more on him later), and open to visitors — lots of visitors. Our tour guide, Damien, is a fount of information as we make our way down and back …. keeping up a steady flow of informal bits and bobs as well as historical info during the 2-1/2 hour ride.
The location of the film is the largest “green set” in the world and the Shire is only part of the set remaining in New Zealand. We wander along amidst 44 hobbit holes, the Mill and the Party Tree. Prepare to be amazed at the big tree above Bilbo Baggins' house — made by hand (taking weeks, if not months) by Peter Jackson's crew, according to detailed specifications, with thousands of individual leaves made, painted, and tacked on, then removed, repainted and tacked back on (This tree, which looks marvellously real, has a steel frame covered in expanding foam and silicone and 200,000 individual fake leaves (made in Taiwan) handwired on over 6 months).. Peter Jackson is famously perfectionist.
The interior of the hobbit hole is truly marvelous, showcasing Peter Jackson's obsessive attention to detail:
(Doug reading Hobbit Gazette whilst on Hobbit toilet)
Scrabble! Good on ya.
After our wander, we end up at the Green Dragon Inn for a stout/beer and hearty buffet lunch.
[Missing image]
For the afternoon, more magic: We head to the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves. Thirty million years in the making (but who's counting?), the caves are full of eerie stalactites ('t' for top) and stalagmites ('g' for ground), leading to an underground river where millions of little glow worms cling to the top of the caves. There, we climb into a boat and are instructed to stay quite so as not to disturb the inhabitants. We are also not to take photos, which will cause the little buggers to turn out their lights. The boatman pulls the boat by rope through the dark as the 24 of us glide absolutely silently for 10-15 minutes. Impressive what humans are capable of.
(Green screen and stock photos, of course)
On the way back to Auckland, Damien keeps us informed and entertained. Having heard of the previous Prime Minister who made a big splash on the world scene, we ask about Jacinda Ardern. Damien happily launches into a seminar. He's clearly a fan. She brought the Labour party back to prominence from its previous all-time low, and when the previous PM stepped down, Jacinda stepped in, a complete unknown — and trounced the opposition. She was the youngest person ever elected PM, at the age of 37, in 2017. In 2018, she had a baby while in office, which didn't slow her down much. She addressed almost every controversial issue that previous PMs had put into the "too hard" bucket. In her first 3-year term, she was named among the top three people in the world, on the short list for Time magazine's Woman of the Year.
Jacinda was so successful, she got 87% of the vote in the next election. Hugely popular. Then, Covid hit. Speaking to the public, she admitted she didn't know what she was doing (nobody did at that time) but vowed to save as many lives as possible: You could fix the economy later, she said, but you couldn't bring back people's lives. She immediately closed the borders; everyone had to quarantine for 10 days until they tested negative three times. The country went into lockdown. 97% of New Zealanders got vaccinated when it became available, but the 3% who didn't lost their jobs. Every employed person received a subsidy, but it still wasn't enough. People got angry, protesting the severe mandates. A small group of complainers loudly dominated social media.
Jacinda appeared on TV every day at 3:00 for 2-1/2 years. Still, the attacks continued on social media. Ultimately, she stepped down, not seeking a third term; the attacks were affecting her family members. In an emotional speech, she said that she had signed up for the job, but her family hadn't, and they were being personally attacked and threatened. She couldn't carry on under those circumstances.
New Zealand was one of the few western countries to successfully contain the Covid virus. Jacinda had saved 80,000 lives.
**
Day 7. We embark on the first of our three scenic rail journeys in New Zealand. We'd read about these wonderful train trips in the SF Chronicle a while back and were sold immediately. The Northern Explorer goes from Auckland to Wellington, a 12-hour trip through the heart of the North Island. We'll be taking the Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine later in the South Island.
The Northern Explorer takes us over the Waikato Plains, through the rolling hills of King Country, past the snow-capped volcano Ruapehu, through the Tongariro National Park, over the high plains of Rangipo Desert, along the cliffs of the Kapiti Coast.
One of the defining features of this trip is the historic Raurimu Spiral,designed in 1898 to make the 456-foot ascent onto the plateau possible without a lengthy diversion.
Another is the series of dramatic viaducts (long bridges) along the route.
New Zealand is about 2/3 the size of California and has a total population of about 5 million, compared to California's 39.5 million (7.5 million in the Bay Area alone). The largest city is Auckland, with almost 2 million. The capital, Wellington, has roughly half a million. So, there is a lot of space, much of which is taken up by sheep. Sheep used to outnumber people by about 22 to 1 (back in the 1980s) but that ratio is now around 5 to 1. Some of the reasons for the decline are
• Land previously used for sheep farming has been converted to forestry for carbon offsetting, reducing the area available for sheep grazing
• The global market for wool has seen a decline, affecting the profitability of sheep farming.
• Recent droughts and other weather events have also impacted sheep numbers, particularly in certain regions.
• Farmers have been switching from sheep to cattle, as prices for beef have remained strong
NZ is also known as the "adventure capital of the world," offering an array of adrenaline-pumping activities, from jet-boating to sky diving, bungee-jumping, whitewater rafting, trekking, ziplining, etc. etc. We leave that to the kids. One of our guides (Damien) told us about the "DOC huts" scattered throughout the bush. The Dept of Conservation (DOC) manages about 950 of these huts, which are available for free or at a very low cost. The huts include bunks, toilets, candle holders, wood, and water. Stay as long as you like, just leave it clean and tidy. We're also told that there is nothing dangerous in the bush. NZ is safe ("Nothing can hurt you," says Damien); there are no predators (snakes, venomous insects, crocodiles, etc.) Wow. (If you do get a non-poisonous bite or scratch, though, just go get some local Manuka honey, which has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It'll fix you right up.)
However. NZ did have a serious "bird problem." The British had introduced weasels and ferrets to New Zealand in the mid-1800s to control a growing rabbit population (they had brought in rabbits for food earlier, there being nothing other than fish to eat). The rabbits got out of control, causing damage to farmland, so the Brits believed that the weasels and ferrets, as natural predators of rabbits, would help manage the pest issue. This strategy backfired, however, as the introduced predators also began preying heavily on native bird species, causing massive ecological damage.
Leave it to Jacinda to solve this problem! She put innovative practices in place to trap and remove the predators, and effectively shelter and protect the birds — Result: the predators are gone and the bird population is growing back.
But back to the train ride. Over the course of the day, in our "scenic plus" carriage, we get seven meals/snacks — each coming with a new set of biodegradable wooden cutlery. We are installed at a table, with two other passengers seated across from us. Doug has no problem engaging in lively conversation with our tablemate Tim, a native of the UK who lives now in the Czech Republic with his Czech wife. They cover a lot of ground — from politics, world affairs, conspiracies, to explaining the baffling intricacies of rugby and cricket. Doug notes: one thing about British commonwealth people is that they are never at a loss for conversation. They are Interesting, well informed, well spoken and love the art of conversation.
One source of entertainment is our train steward — warm-hearted, demonstrative (to a fault), and lots of fun.
At the end of our journey, he breaks into a lovely Maori song to bid us farewell.
**
Day 8. Wellington. Upon arrival at our hotel last night, we learn that there is a large group coming in, so they've upgraded us to a suite. Sweet! Serendipity!
Today we are met in the lobby by our guide, Merv, who takes us on a tour of the capital. First, up to the top of Mount Victoria to see panoramic views of Wellington's city and harbour.
Then through the main café and entertainment part of Wellington, where the red carpet area was laid out for the premiere of — you guessed it — Lord of the Rings, with a stop at Weta Studios for more LOTR experience/memorabilia.
Merv made me do it.
Now a word about Peter Jackson. Merv gives us the lowdown. Here's an incredibly rich and successful guy who really gives back to his city and country: He has contributed to charitable causes like Epilepsy Research, the GiveLife organ donation awareness charity, and the 14-18 Aviation Heritage Trust; he purchased the site of BATS Theatre in Wellington, securing its future; he has been involved in supporting stem cell research; he has contributed his expertise and support to the 48 Hour Film Festival; he and his wife Fran Walsh invested $10 million in Colossal Biosciences, a company working to revive extinct species like the dodo bird; he has helped the Roy Castle Foundation, a charity that supports children with disabilities; he established a charitable trust that supports charitable causes in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.
Merv takes us to the beautiful art deco Roxy Theater. Built in 1928 to screen silent films, it fell into disrepair and lay vacant for years — until Peter Jackson purchased it and restored it to its former glory:
We continue on to the War Memorial Park, featuring this beautiful work of art:
If you look closely through the branches, you can see the silhouette of a WWI soldier.
Move over, San Francisco -- Wellington has cable cars, too!
Taking us to the top of the city for more views:
Finally, a visit to Old St. Paul's Cathedral, a gorgeous Gothic revival structure, built with native New Zealand timber — kauri, rimu and totara.
We'd heard about kauri back at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds - an extremely hard wood that the Māori used to build their canoes:
Folks standing on top of a kauri stump. This canoe was built to mark the centenary of the Treaty of Waitangi's signing and was built by members of Māori tribes. Holding up to 80 paddlers, the waka is launched every year in February as part of Waitangi Day commemorations.
We end the tour with a run by the Parliament buildings:
Old
New
Merv has been so good to us during our tour (treating us to Whittacker chocolates, flat whites and sandwiches, and being so kind and friendly) that he's earned the endearment of "Uncle Merv." He's told us about his life and his family. Merv was a career detective, and was one of the responders/rescuers of the 1968 wreck of the Wahine, a passenger ferry, on Barrett Reef in Wellington Harbour, during one of the worst storms in NZ history. 51 people died. Now, when he's not giving tours of his beloved Wellington, Merv is a neighborhood watch volunteer doing good works. Merv's two sons are hardworking, moral, and successful: one an owner of a large engineering company and the other a school principal. He's either grown fond of us, or he is just simply an exceptionally good guy, as he extends our tour and even drives us to our hotel and then to the ferry to Picton, carrying in our luggage and making sure we're all set.
Merv's love of Wellington and New Zealand is contagious. We exchange information — he will be a great resource when we move here!
**
Yes, we really like it here in New Zealand. The people are welcoming and friendly; there seems to be a thriving community spirit, with mutual trust and respect; it’s well run and efficient; quality of life is high; it’s clean and safe; there’s so much natural beauty; and commitment to protection of the environment, a low crime rate and great healthcare system. NZ consistently ranks in the top 10 in world rankings on anti-corruption, gender equality, economic freedom, rule of law, peace, safety, and happiness. And the food is delicious. Added bonus: there's no tipping in NZ!
**
Day 9. We're on the Coastal Pacific train from Picton to Kaikura. Our tablemates today are Vivian and Warren. When they first sat down, we thought we were in for a bit of a dull ride, but they soon opened up…. They had just come off the 5-day Freedom walk along the Queen Charlotte Track opposite Picton: