Sydney Monday 4th January 2010

Arrived in Sydney last night-absolutely exhausted for some reason. So much so that I mistook the huge mirror in the foyer for the reception! Not good but amusing. Anyway it's mid-morning in Sydney and before I get immersed in the city, I wanted to complete my New Zealand blogging.

I thought it would be interesting to write up some overall thoughts on my trip, so here goes. I had a great time, I must say, in what is a beautiful and extraordinarily varied country. It's young geologically and changing fast, sitting as it does on two geological faultlines. Hence the volcanoes, geysers and hot springs, earthquakes, avalanches and so on.

Would I like to live in New Zealand? It isn't going to happen of course, but the answer is probably not. It would be a very comfortable and peaceful location (I don't know about social security systems and so on, of course) and great for a couple of years. But it's terribly isolated and I like having big cities on my doorstep. It's a long way even to Sydney.

Nicest cities? Probably Auckland and Wellington (although the latter shares with the Butt of Lewis a lot of gales which whistle through the Cook Straits). They have beautiful waterfront locations and have exploited them to the full.

What were my favourite trips/activities/locations? In rank order, something like the following:
#1 Tongariro Crossing. My first real experience of walks in New Zealand and in beautiful weather.
#2 Arthur's Pass Village - just everything about it was terrific. The walking/climbing; the food in the Wobbly Kea-first time I've had two lamb shanks served on my plate [but subsequently found it common]; the coffee in the village store (best in New Zealand); my accommodation; and the assisistance of the Department of Conservation (DOC) staff, especially a man from Lockerbie. And..the weather was beautiful, most unexpected and one might go back another half dozen times and be faced with cloud and rain.
#3 Elm Wildlife Tour. Not simply the Royal Albatrosses and Yellow-Eyed Penguins but the wildlife in general - fur seals, waders (the Spoonbill is impressive in flight; it looks like Concorde), raptors (Australasian Harriers) - and the location on a hilly peninsula (I think some of our small group found the walking up and down hills to/from beaches a bit strenuous).
#4 Routeburn Track, even though I only had a day walk.
#5 Milford Road and Milford Sound: sites and sounds and very informative nature commentary.

Best YHAs. No problems anywhere. Apart from Arthur's Pass, Te Anau and Wellingon stand out for different reasons; the former was very small and peaceful, the latter big and bustling but the staff couldn't have been more helpful and my room was especially nice.

What would I do if I went back? Three things for certain: tramp one of the Great Walks (probably the full Routeburn or Milford Tracks); go walking on Mount Cook; and get to the South (the Caitlins, Invercargill and Stewart Island).

What would I do differently? Eat less junk food - New Zealand is big on big pies and sausage rolls, and muffins. I blame Tom Brewer for introducing me to blueberry muffins in Maine! Yesterday in Christchurch I had a chocolate and strawberry muffin. Wonderful! Of course I wouldn't eat less junk food-me a chocoholic and fat lover! Food portions, are, as you might expect pretty large, but food was fairly consistent in quality at the middle price range level. Coffee quality deteriorated as I went south from Arthur's Pass. Having thought I'd settled on my preferred coffee - 'flat white' - it turned into weak milky concoctions. This was particularly an issue because while I was driving I found myself salivating mid-morning thinking about an 'Arthur's Pass (or more generally North Island) coffee' stop! However things got better when I switched to cappuccino! Long story, but of course I wouldn't eat less junk food.

Misc blogettes to finish
1. Apropos the Hogmany celebrations in Dunedin. Saturday's paper claimed that there were 10,000 people in the Octagon (compared with my 1,500 estimate). Maybe somewhere in the middle would be accurate. I mentioned about the poor rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Just thinking that the lack of knowledge of the words would not please Rabbie Burns whose statue presides imposingly over the Octagon!

2. The contrast between 'Scottish' Dunedin and 'English' Christchurch was very striking. The Edinburgh street names in the former contrast with Oxford and Cambridge Terraces, punting (yes really) on the River Avon, Canterbury Museum etc. I came across one fascinating example on Saturday evening when I went to The Brewer's Arms on the recommendation of the Motel owner in the Merivale area of the city where I was staying. The pub was built in English village pub style; next to it was a (tiny) Merivale Village Green (maintained by a local society); and next to that Merivale Church. The latter was renamed from St Alban's Uniting Church Methodist -Presbyterian and originated in AD 1894. The history of the Christian churches in New Zealand is a fascinating story with lots of rivalry and intrigue.

3. Vocabulary. I'm sure there must be many differences, but here's an example. I was listening to the radio and there was a discussion involving a PR woman talking about the Tiger Woods Affair(s). She stated that it could have been handled better 'to avoid getting into a rolling maul' - I think she was talking about the way in which the press kept pushing on the issue (but it could have other interpretations!). Otherwise 'mince pies' become 'Xmas tarts', and packets of nuts & raisins become 'Scroggin Mix' for trampers. Incidentally, New Zealand Radio National was the only station I could get consistently while driving; apart from that station, I seemed only to come across random farming or rugby programmes.

Well that's about it folks. I hope you found something interesting here. I've enjoyed doing it for sure, and it has made me more aware of my surroundings as I've been travelling. So thanks to everyone who has encouraged me.

Now to get into Sydney...
Steve