Surprise!

Judy. OK—I admit it.  I really wasn’t expecting much from Sydney.  New Zealand had been such a joy, and, frankly, most of the people I asked about Sydney said, “Opera House, The Rocks, the harbor there. That’s about it.” I figured a couple of nice Servas visits and that would be that.

Surprise! As we sat at the bar at the Queenstown Airport, I got an email from my brother introducing me to his friends Brian and Mandy, and a second email from Brian, welcoming us to Sydney and offering to show us “The Most Beautiful City in the World.” Done!

After an easy train ride from the airport to the city, we checked in, connected with Brian, and made arrangements to spend Sunday with him and his wife Mandy. We found a tiny, delicious Syrian restaurant for dinner, and crashed.

They were at our hotel at 9:30 the next morning, tucked our bags in the boot, and took us to Shelly Beach for a yummy brunch. Then we walked down to Manley, took in a weekend street market, and drove from one amazing view of the harbor to another, meanwhile learning history, culture, and geography lessons about Sydney.  They even drove us to the home of our first Servas hosts, Peter and Inge, and we made tentative plans to meet during the week.

Peter and Inge live in Hornsby, a suburb of Sydney, and their back yard is actually part of the bush (forest). With their neighbor, we hiked down into their yard via a slate path. The neighbors are replanting native species, and creating something of a park, with sculptures and benches. Ted and Peter went a little further, and brought back leeches on their socks as souvenirs.

After a delicious dinner Inge prepared, we headed off to bed. Our rooms backed up to the bush, and in the morning we were awakened by the cries of cockatoos, magpies, miner birds, and butcher birds. If New Zealand LOOKS like Jurassic Park, Australia SOUNDS like it!

Peter and Inge work as school counselors and psychologists, so we met Brian the next day and did a walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach, followed by lunch at Watson’s Bay. He dropped us off at Peter’s school, Sydney Grammar, where Inge met us as well.  We had a short tour of Peter’s office and some of the school, then headed to a chic Indian fusion restaurant for dinner.

The following day we rested up, then headed to our second Sydney hosts, Neryle and Geoff, who live in the suburb of Wahroonga.  Neryle is a retired school librarian, and had wonderful stories and book recommendations, while Geoff is a killer gourmet chef who made the most amazing dinners—risotto, prawns, and squid in squid ink, lamb with pomegranate seeds, wonderfully unusual salads, and a citrus posset.  A last day around Sydney, Victoria Hall is a jewel, visited St. James Anglican Church—beautifully proportioned church, Botanical Gardens, the Rocks, and Circular Quay. Met Brian for one more lunch, walked to the Opera House, then headed to Neryle and Geoff’s.

They had told us about RSL Clubs—“Returned Service League”—clubs that provide relatively inexpensive meals and alcohol, as well as poker machines. These are open to members as well as anyone who can prove they live more than five kilometers away. At six each evening, no matter what is going on, an announcement comes on to stand in silence facing west in memory of those who lost their lives in wars. It’s a very touching ceremony; recognition of servicemen and –women is very strong here.

T

So Sydney, our so-so destination, turned out to be a lovely visit to a beautiful city. Thanks to all of you who made that happen.

Quote du Jour

“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”

- G.K. Chesterton

Milford Sound

Ted. It’s a law that when you come to the Fiordland of New Zealand, you must take a boat cruise on Milford Sound. 

Dubbed by Rudyard Kipling as The Eighth Wonder of the World, it is one of the top tourist destinations on the planet.

So what can I possibly say about this place that hasn’t already been said more skillfully by others?

I can only add a few of my humble snapshots to the thousands you will find on that greatest of world shrinkers, the internet. 

Tramping on the Tracks!

Ted.  New Zealand is a sparsely populated country and 30% of all Kiwis live in Auckland, the largest city. So, there are vast stretches of farms and woodlands. With their love of nature, it makes sense that there are many hiking trails. Several famous ones are near Te Anau in the Fiordland National Forest; notably the Milford Track.

 

To paraphrase Shaw, “New Zealand and America are two countries separated by a common language. “ So, when I say that we tramped three times along two tracks in the bush, that means we have taken three hikes on two different trails in the woods. Got it? 

We did two days on the Kepler Track and one day hiking from The Divide to Key Summit on the Routeburn Track. Search them on Google or YouTube for better photos and videos.

To minimize the impact of humans on these trails, no trailside camping is allowed. For an overnight stay, you book a bed in a “hut”. 

The hikers seem to respect the trails more than in our country and we saw virtually no “rubbish.”

What we did see was a landscape that was totally different from anywhere that we had ever been.

This area gets a ton of rain (like the Pacific Northwest) but the vegetation is unique. 

Most of the trees are beeches and everything is covered with moss but what really looks alien are the ferns the size of dogwood trees!

A dinosaur would not look out of place.  Another unusual aspect is that the tree line/snow line is just 3,500 ft above sea level so mountains in the 4,000-5,000 ft range get a fresh dusting of snow every time it rains.

While we were at elevations that we see in Georgia, the landscape looked more like the high country of Colorado. 

And then there are the birds. We don’t ever recall having heard so many birds singing merrily away as we hike through forests in the States.

.

Yes, it is a hassle traveling with our hiking boots and poles but the payback is priceless!