So, how does one get up close and personal with such a large monolith as Uluru?  Stick with your intrepid guide, Rebecca!  She was with us this morning and came back for another dose of mostly the same crew in the afternoon.

She has an extremely respectful approach to her work and the environment in which she lives.  She taught us much about the sacred sites and was always mindful to stress the importance of this unique place to those who originally occupied it.  There is a climbing trail for those who want to climb the rock although the Aboriginals never climb the rock as it is sacred to their culture.  As a condition of the “handback” in 1985 the climbing path will be closed in 2020.  You can see the trail that has been worn in the rock by climbers.  Rebecca, out of respect for the land, has never climbed the rock.

Seen from a distance, Uluru has the face of an imposing monolith but once you approach you find out it is filled with nooks and crannies.  It is impossible to understand the scale of this “ROCK”.  And it is a solid piece of rock.

Here are some of the sights we saw this afternoon.

There is water at the rock.  When it rains it rolls down the side in a water falls and the algae that grows turns black.  You can see the water paths in the picture above and here is a water hole, one of the most valuable sites at Uluru.  Water attracted animals so not only did it provide hydration for the Aboriginals it made for a more fertile hunting ground.

And here is the reflection of the rock in the water hole.  As you can see, it was a very peaceful and contemplative place.

We then viewed some rock paintings that still exist after thousands of years.

After a day of hiking and much drinking of water, there was only one thing left to do – toast our incredible guide and another sunset.

Oh, an by the way, something just crawled across the floor of our room.  We think it was a lizard but are not sure.  One thing is a fact, there are some very different bugs here than in Chicago.

After a short plane trip yesterday flying over the vast wilderness of Australia we arrived at the Ayers Rock airport which has only one runway and no real taxiways.  Therefore the plane lands and turns round on the runway and goes to the terminal.

You can see that there are no roads here, only open space.  Where New Zealand had varied and richly different topography within the space of a few miles, here it is the vast open areas that are overwhelming.

I did catch one pic of our plane from the terminal.  Sorry for the focus but they are very snarky about taking pictures on active airfields so I had to sneak this pic.

Don’t say we weren’t warned!

Uluru which is what most people know as Ayers Rock is a sacred Aboriginal location.  Taken over by European and English settlers and turned into a tourist attraction is was only handed back to the Pitjantjatjara Aborigines in 1985.  It is one of only 29 UNESCO world heritage sites that have “dual” or “mixed” designations.  Uluru was listed for cultural and geological purposes.  Take a look at the link above for a full explanation of the unique geological aspects which created this place over millions of years.

The resorts here are all owned and run by the national park which helps keep them organized and reduces the impact on the environment.  The silence of the place creates peace and tranquility.  Here is a pic of the balcony off our room.

Last night we were scheduled to have a a dinner while watching the sunset over Uluru.  There was a rare thunderstorm which forced cancellation of the dinner but that was fine with us.  We got to see this incredible place with an unbelievable weather system passing through that created rare light and shadows.

A dingo wandered into our gathering, not sure if he was there for the food, wine, or us.

We were seated at tables in the open air but had to hurry and leave when the lighting and thunder started.

Who needs dinner when they can see this?

Not settling for a sunset, we rose about 4:45 AM this morning to see the sun rise.  We were again blown away even in our sleep deprived state.  The same weather system made the experience more stunning.  For those of you trying to figure out how we could see the sun rise and set over the same place, we were on the other side of Uluru for the sunrise.

After watching the sun come up we shared a breakfast and here is where the flies come in.  They are very intense, everyone has to wear a net and they still bother the heck out of you.

But you can’t beat the view

After breakfast we headed to the “Four Domes”.  Similar to the “big rock”, these were formed over millions of years.  It is impossible to understand the daunting scale of these incredible formations.  So I’ll be quiet now and let you enjoy the view.

The “pock marks” in the face of the stone are formed when boulders literally fall out of the face.  Geologists predict the next will fall in about 1,000 years.  Well after we are gone.

 Tonight we are off to another sunset dinner, maybe this time we’ll get to finish the dessert!  Please keep the comments coming and feel free to share.  We appreciate all the feedback and it seems that folks are liking the daily diversion.  Oh, and for you Chicagoan’s, it’s about 85 degrees today.  But it’s a dry heat!

We took a trip out to the preserves for Koala, Kangaroo, and Emu sightings.  Since I’m limited to this horrific wifi situation I’ll just let the pictures speak.  Keep in mind that I was taking picture without a tripod and a 26x optical zoom so I apologize for shaking and some issues with focus.  Tried to post a slide show but it wouldn’t upload

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DISCLAIMER:  The hotel has given me 30 minutes of WiFi time in the lobby so please excuse errors.  This is truly publishing on a deadline!

Our day in Melbourne began slowly with a leisurely breakfast at our hotel before heading off on a walking tour of Melbourne “Lanes and Arcades”.  I didn’t really know what to expect from the tour because I had not researched the city of Melbourne before we headed off on our adventure.  Little did I know that the charm of this unique urban environment would win me over so quickly.  The tour was organized by Hidden Secrets Tours.   At their website you can see maps and additional pics of our day.  Our guide was Lisa, who at one point called our group a herd of cats.  I loved that.

We met at the Federation Plaza that was originally built in honor of the 1901 federation of the Australian states and territories.  The recent renovation was quite controversial as you can see with very modern buildings in a Frank Gehry style, with everything askew and all angles.  Which brings us to the current architectural mood of Melbourne which Wayne describes as, “dramatic but won’t stand the test of time as the countless building from the late 19^th and 20^th century (there are many deco buildings that South Beach would kill to have).” 

Under the Flinders Street station is a coffee shop called the “Cup of Truth“.  A small business that serves coffee by the gallon and simply has a jar for people to pay, many which pay additional because of the concept.  There shop was closed on Saturday but here is their sign.

The tallest building is called the “Eureka” building.  Like the Sears (Willis) Tower in Chicago it has an “Edge” attraction with glass floors eighty floors above the ground.  The architectural inspiration of the building is the gold rush which propelled Melbourne into a world-class city and the top stories of the skyscraper are clad in 24 carat gold film.

Lisa got our group underway and immediately bowled us over with the incredible lanes and arcades filled with shops and restaurants owned by small businesses.   As in New Zealand, the majority of citizens work in firms with less than 20 employees.  One special shop introduced us to the Melbourne City Rooftop Honey.  A project that encourages rooftop hives to ensure the health of their honeybees.  Many restaurants maintain their own hives and harvest their own honey for use in marinades and salad dressing.  Melanie gave us a tasting of two types and explained the project with a clear passion.

We continued on foot exploring all sorts of nooks and crannies, including an arcade shop called “The Switchboard”.  Named so because it inhabits the space that formerly housed the 1930’s building switchboard and includes only a postage stamp kitchen on one side and two tables on the other. 

We stopped for a morning tea at Koko chocolates , where I enjoyed an original Hot Chocolate and Wayne had Chocolate Affogato, a carafe of double espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  Totally indulgent!  

While we saw so many remarkable things, I’ll let these pictures tell the story.

We made our way to a most special place, the Nicholas Building.  Insert link if possible.  This building has now been repurposed to house small studios for artists to share, take on their own, work, sell their wares, rent as small a space as one clothing rack to display their designs, and is a warren of creativity and inspiration.  From the macabre to the oldest button store you could find just about anything.  Most of the artists protected their work by limiting the taking of photos.

We ended up sharing luncheon with Robert and Jennifer in the city plaza.  Robert is from Chicago and actually knows our upstairs neighbor.  Here we are halfway around the world and still barely a degree of separation.

We ended the day riding the free city trolley around the Central Business District and viewing the sites from an antique tram.  All in all, a day of surprises, secret finds in the most surprising places, and Melbourne showing all its charm on a sunny, warm fall day. 

We are staying at the Savoy Hotel and they want an arm and a leg for internet connection which really ticks me off.  So for the next couple of days we will be dependent on hunting out free WiFi at cafes and coffee houses.  It was a shock to land in such an urban environment after our time in New Zealand.  Please forgive the spotty blogging in the next few days.  I promise I’ll make up for it.

For our final supper in New Zealand we headed down to the water front to a lovely “localvore” restaurant named, The Public

I love their sentiment, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”.

Wayne had another plate of plump oysters.

And I had a beet and watercress salad

Our table had a perfect view.

New Zealand and Queenstown gave us  a stunning final sunset.

This morning we had an hour to walk along the shore and a special Kiwi, Stella, came to give us good bye licks.

Now we board the plane to Melbourne

We have a bittersweet feeling in our hearts tonight as we leave this remarkable county and people tomorrow morning.  So we are not way farewell, we hope that this bit of paradise “Fares Well”.  We wish New Zealand and the Kiwi’s every opportunity and happiness that we have felt as a guest in their county.  Kiwi’s have a connection to their land inherent in everyone we met.  They do not consider themselves environmentalist but everyone  we have encountered has a respect for the land, their produce, and their way of life.  While they are not completely organic in every farm, before they will spray a pesticide they will endeavor to find a way for the land to heal itself rather than impose a quick human response to make the land eke out more produce for processing.  Everyone we have met here has been nothing short of the model of congeniality and we are grateful but sad to leave them behind.

We started this day before the sun rose with the moon and Venus as our guardians.

In the middle of a country field our team of eight intrepid ballooners got to work getting our kind and gentle ship in the air.

Once the balloon was filled with air it was time to turn on the heat.  At the top of the balloon the temperature will reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees celsius.

We all climbed aboard the basket of the balloon and took off.  Once again we had a trusted pilot, Carrick, from Scotland.

He flew the balloon to a height of 5,000 feet but also took us on low flying to the astonishment of the local cattle.

Here is a view of the interior of the balloon.

And one of our reflection in a pond while crossing.

The views, as in all of New Zealand were astonishing.

After our sunrise balloon ride we came back to the view from our room.  Since we got up at 5:00 AM naps were in order.

As a farewell, we took dinner down at the local harbor, oysters, a beet salad, and a shared chicken dish, while looking at the view from our table

So, we bid farewell and hope that this precious land “fares well”.

It appears that my videos were too dense to be posted directly on the website so I sent them to YouTube where you can view.

Waterfalls.  More Waterfalls and . . .

More Waterfalls.  This one is professional with music.  It is a “Calgon Take Me Away” experience.

Aaron, our trusted pilot safely landing us in Queenstown.

The only other experience I’ve had where someone told me to close my mouth and move along was in the Tutankhamen exhibit at the Egyptian Museum.  Well, today rivaled that experience.  We were picked up at Brown’s Hotel, where the innkeepers are on vacation.  I volunteered Wayne and I for the next vacation watch to no avail.  After a short bus trip we arrived at the Queenstown airport to catch our flight to Milford Sound.  The airport was alive with activity since no flights to Milford Sound had taken off for the last two days due to weather.  Our pilot explained that they depend completely on visual flight rules so an overcast day could ruin many a vacation.  We were exceptionally fortunate that today was saturated with sunlight.  In Milford Sound, the home of the Milford Track, a quite well known hiker destination, the trees cling to the sides of the mountains and do not have a root structure.  Since the mountains are pure rock, when it rains the water collects into multiple waterfalls that tumble into the sound.  It is spectacular.  So spectacular that words do not do justice so I will leave it to the visuals to tell the story.  After landing, we boarded a boat to cruise around the sound, ate a brief lunch, and then flew back to Queenstown.  I lobbied our pilot, Aaron, with every flight terminology I knew and was able to needle my way into the co-pilot seat for the return trip.  Simply amazing.

The web server won’t let me load videos so I will post to YouTube and post the links here.

We woke this morning after our day in Akorora and had time to explore Christchurch on foot.  Sorry to be a downer here but the city center is still akin to a war zone.  We took off on foot and had an intriguing three-hour walk.  I previously commented on the difficulties of rebuilding after the earthquake but today we saw the visual effect upfront at almost every turn.  For those of us who are not old enough or had the experience of seeing  a city after a war, this is what I imagine that to be.  More than 80% of their city center buildings were demolished by or after the earthquake.  Lot after vacant lot presents while you walk through once verdant gardens and walks.  They vow to rebuild but somehow, Wayne and I think they have lost something forever.  That sense of history that lay in architecture and city plans that is no more.  These were apartments that are now vacant.

Everywhere on the sidewalks you see spray painted codes for underground  telecom, electric, water and sewer.  They have had to reconstruct over 350 miles of underground infrastructure

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The downtown area is one vacant lot after another.  Some still with the first responder codes of categorizing buildings the were not suitable for habitation.

While this seems desolate, the Kiwis have come up with creative ideas to fill the empty lots.  Here is a temporary structure that houses a cafe and garden but is made out of pallets.

It has only 13 days to go before it is taken down.

There is not a more compelling visual of the impact than that of the cathedral.  As this city was founded as the home of the Anglicans it seems to pierce the heart of the city.

Here is a record of what the cathedral square was like just after the earthquake with the chess pieces tumbled on their sides.

But not all is lost, there is still quite a bit of beauty left in the city which we were able to absorb with a trip to the Botanical Gardens.  Where the trees are so large you can walk inside them.  Here is Wayne at the door of this evergreen.

And here is the structure “inside the house”.

Fuscia was so prodigious that it was the size of a small tree.

And the central rose garden had a plethora of varieties.  The rule is, a new rose must prove itself for a period of no less than six years before it can qualify for planting in the garden.

After a quick trip to the airport we boarded our flight to Queenstown and checked into the most lovely, spirit filled room with a remarkable view.

This morning we are off to explore Milford sound via plane and boat.  Thank you for all your comments and I hope this brings a little diversion to you each day.

In 1838 Captain Jean-François Langlois made a provisional purchase of land in “the greater Banks Peninsula” which contained the town now called Akaroa.  Unfortunately, from the time of his purchase, return to France to rustle enthusiasm for his idea of a naval outpost in New Zealand, and his final return with Frenchman in tow, the Maoris had sold the place several times over and his deed was no good.  Then just two years later the Treaty of Waitangi was signed which ceded the country to the British crown.  The Brits let the French hang out in Akora and still today the village has France written all over it right down to the street names.  We started by bus in Christchurch and traveled through mountain ranges to reach Akora.  Sorry that the map is difficult to read but click to enlarge.  Christchurch is up to the right of the scan code upper left.

We followed the yellow and red lines over the summits to Akaroa.  We left the driving to our trusted and skillful driver, Stuart.

With these kind of roads, you want to leave the driving to someone else and just enjoy the view.  The drop off the side of the road would surely do you in and there were no guard rails.

As we were approaching the top of the ridge he told us about a hotel on the summit that burnt down and was rebuilt in 1936.  He said he was very familiar with the hotel as he now owned it.  His daughter Elena runs it so it truly is a family business.

We settled down for a coffee and a chocolate chip cookie while attempting to absorb the view from the hilltop terrace.

We also met “Jill” whose job it is to keep down the grass.  Her companion named “Jack” passed away last year but she is still as nice as can be and has a penchant for paper bags with cookie crumbs which she immediately grasped from my hand and it was clear she was not nearly as interested in the grass meant for her gestation.

Here she is looking for more.

We disembarked our coach in Akaroa and headed to a wonderful lunch on the coast.  Wayne had salmon and I had an incredible chicken salad with four different nuts and a local honey vinaigrette.

Up next on the agenda was an “Akaroa Bay Nature Cruise”.  Sounds ridiculously touristy.  We didn’t care it was breathtaking.  We boarded a catamaran and slipped out of the harbor into the Pacific.  The scale of the topography was overwhelming.  In addition to the stunning scenery, we saw rare birds, Hector Dolphins, and New Zealand Fur Seals.

We made our way back to shore and the charming town of Akoroa with secrets hidden around every corner, flora and fauna still in bloom (with bees getting in their last bit of work), and the special flair that only “Gaiety” can bring.

Oh, and by the way, we found the perfect RV for next trip to New Zealand.

Tomorrow we are on to Queenstown!

I had an interesting conversation with our hotel staff this morning after inquiring about the delays in rebuilding Christchurch.  The devastation is still so palpable and in juxtaposition to everything else in New Zealand being so neat and tidy I wondered what was causing the paralysis in rebuilding.  First off, New Zealand’s economy is built on small businesses.  Over 97% of businesses employ fewer than twenty people.  That in itself is an indication of the ability to tackle such large-scale projects.  Second, the devastation of the quake was much deeper than us Westerners were able to perceive through our limited CNN lens.  Third, nothing on this scale had ever happened before and while almost all homeowners had earthquake insurance, the insurers held back payments for rebuilding until almost all claims were filed so they could sort through and categorize the scale of the claims.  To further complicate matters, New Zealand is a country that doesn’t “build” like the Americans, Chinese, UAE, or Japanese.  They don’t even have enough large construction equipment in the country to take on this size of work.  So hence three years after the quake the rebuilding process is moving at a snail’s pace.

The only activities of today were to wrench ourselves out of the perfection of the Marlborough Vineyard Hotel and onto the scenic train from Blenheim to Christchurch.  Wayne and I both feel that no one would really believe the trip through our words so we will let pictures tell the story.  The Kiwi Rail train had an “open air” car.  Literally, an open air car where we could open our senses beyond the singular visual sense looking through windows.  While outside, we could smell the salt air, see the coast line, hear the Pacific ocean, and feel the vibration of the locomotive as we traveled down the coast through pastoral sheep pastures, rocky Pacific coasts, seal colonies, and tunnels through mountains.  To start off, here is a video I posted to YouTube.  They compress the quality so I apologize for that but it gives you an idea of our experience.  The rest will be said with pictures.

The station at the start of our journey.

Of course we had a bottle of wine, cheese and dried fruits along the journey.

We were so close to the ocean at times it felt that the waves may crash into the train.

The road and the train tracks kept switching sides, sometimes on the left of our train and sometimes on the right.

The views could not have been more remarkable.  Yes, these photos were taken from a moving train.

H&A there were several campsites along the route, anyone care to camp here?

And, the sheep were ever present grazing on what seemed to us, precious lands and views.  I wonder if they know how lucky they are?

We ended the day by checking into our hotel at Christchurch.  Sadly, the devastation from the 2011 earthquake is still ever present with empty lots, boarded up windows, and large, tall buildings in the downtown still vacant.  More on that tomorrow.  Have to get some shut eye.

There are 23.000 acres of vineyards in this area of New Zealand.  There used to be 63 million sheep here but since the wine trade has proved to be successful their numbers have been reduced to 23 million (many of whom we saw today).  The wine industry is only 30 years old and previously all these lands were covered in orchards, farms, and grazing fields.   We were picked up by Allen,  the nicest guide (everyone in NZ is NICE) whose family name is Graham, the same as Wayne’s middle name.  During his varied career he has owned an orchard, an airline, flown as a pilot for Air New Zealand, has been a builder, and now in his retirement is sharing his experience with people like us.  We happen to be here at the beginning of the grape harvest and activity is picking up.  Here is the harvesting machine that shakes off grapes from the vine.

We started our tour with an incredible tasting at Cloudy Bay.  Their grounds were exquisite as their wines.

Then we headed to a vineyard owned by two doctors and had a tasting with their convivial staff.

I bought a bottle of “black bubbly” which is named “Bubbly for Beth”, a red champagne  created for their daughter upon earning her masters degree.  Wayne and I both noticed the abundance of rose bushes occasionally planted at the head of a  vine line.  We thought they were for decoration but come to find out, they are the “canaries in the mine”.  They have a greater susceptibility to the same diseases and pests as the vines so if the roses go, they have time to save the vines.

While serving a purpose you can’t help but appreciate their beauty and glorious scent that has not been diminished by hybridization as in the states.

These actually had the sweetest smell of bananas.  Seriously, bananas!

And this one smelled of, what else, apricots

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After leaving the vineyards, we took a 25 minute drive to the coast.

This port launches the “green mussels” cruise as well as the green mussel farmers and also contains a facility that processes up to 100 tons ofthe mussels a day.  This is the only location on earth where these mussels are available.  This was our trusty vessel, the Galileo, for our “three hour tour, a three hour tour.  Thankfully the weather didn’t get rough, it was stunningly beautiful

The trip to the mussel farms was overwhelming in natural beauty.

Soon enough we arrived at the mussel farm and settled for our lunch.

The mussels kept coming, the wine kept being poured, and I just ate until I thought I would burst.  We were told to just throw our shells over the side of the boat as they would become nutrients for other mussels.

John, our trusty skipper, told us all about how the mussels were raised, farmed, and harvested.

After sitting on the bow and chatting with new friends it was time to head back into port.

Allen drove us back to the vineyards and our hotel where we sat and watched the sunset, sipped wine, and nibbled cheese.

One mystery was solved today.  We kept hearing what sounded like fireworks being set off and didn’t know what to think.  Come to find out, they shoot airguns to scare of the birds who needle into the grapes with their beaks.

So all is well, the grapes are safe for harvest and we celebrated the sunset.

Tomorrow we leave for Christchurch the site of  the 2011 earthquake.  We are taking a train  down the east coast and are looking forward to the leisurely trip.  Many have told us that they have only begun their recovery process, so we shall see.

Thanks again for all your comments and interest.

Our day began in Auckland where we got up before the sun rose to be ready for our flight to Blenheim, in the heart of the New Zealand wine county.  Upon arrival at the Auckland airport we saw Brent drive up in his 1967 Corvette that he bought in Maine.

He came to the airport to check on his business, Retro Espresso, which renovates old Airstream trailers and turns them into coffee kiosks at airports.  As he said, “I treasure anything that is old”.  Here is his “shop” in the Auckland airport.

After being paged to slim down our luggage weight, we boarded the prop plane for the short trip to Blenheim, the heart of the Marlborough wine country.

After a short flight we were soon to be at our new location, the Marlborough Vintners Hotel.  A place that is to us, is completely remarkable in it’s perfection.

The vines are straight and bearing their fruit.

Our accommodations are nothing short of remarkable in terms of design and sense of place, a beautiful resort parked among vineyards as far as you can see while being elegantly minimalist.  Mountains are silhouetted in the distance at every direction.  If Auckland was San Francisco, then we are now in Napa.

After a trek through some of the other vineyards this afternoon, seeing their beautiful flora juxtaposed against their antique motorcycles  we hung out in our courtyard and caught up on email while sipping (swilling) the local wine.

We finished it off with a light dinner of small plates and toured the beautiful vegetation of the kitchen garden.