Highlights of the Vacation – Brian
Best Meal:
Golden Snapper at Dundees on The Pier, in Cairns Australia. A tasty and moist fish grilled to perfection.
Most Scenic:
Milford Sound New Zealand. These majestic mountains rising out of the fjord easily equal any mountain range we’ve seen before, this includes Inside Passage in British Columbia, the Glacier Passage in Chile or the Alps in Europe. A close second would be the Great Ocean drive along the southern coast of Australia.
Favourite Location:
Kangaroo Island, Australia. The wide variety of native animals that you can see there is wonderful. What impressed me was the way the islanders have recovered from the devastating wild bush fires earlier in their summer. Just as the plant life has begun to regenerate itself, so have the parks that are home to the wildlife.
Favourite Memory:
The penguin parade on Philip Island, Australia. It was amazing watching these little guys leave the water and return to their burrows. They do it with military precision and timing, including scouts and manageable sized groups to ensure the safety of colony. What stands out for me was watching two penguins embracing. You would swear that there was a true emotional attachment between these two birds. I’m not sure if it was an adult and child relationship or two adult mates.
Highlights of the Vacation – Marg
Best Meal:
Lobster during the farewell dinner on the Celebrity Solstice because lobster is my favourite meal. Also, the prawns prepared by Ellen during our stay at the Kelly’s home
Most Scenic:
Bay of Island on the North Island of New Zealand. I loved the aquamarine colour of the water and the palm trees. It easily matches up with the Caribbean Islands.
Favourite Location:
John and Ellen Kelly’s home. It was unsurpassed for hospitality and comfort. We were treated like royalty and they went out of their way to provide us with a memorable stay.
Favourite Memory:
This was the trip of a lifetime and there are too many memories to mention just one. Among the highlights were the Glow Worm caves, holding a Koala, dinner at the Sky Tower in Auckland for a belated Valentines meal, the March of the Penguins on Philip Island, and meeting many new friends on both the Celebrity Solstice and the Globus land tour.
Trip by the numbers
Distance travelled 54,000 Km
Number of days 54
Countries 5
Cities and towns 58
Beds Slept in 17
Airports 16
Pictures taken 2,002
Final impressions:
First and foremost a tip of the hat to the best hosts anyone could ever want, Ellen & John Kelly. They went out of their way to provide us with an enjoyable and authentic Australian experience. While staying with them we got to see local attractions that the normal tourist would not even be aware of. The dinners and wine that they provided were five-star calibre. They also provided us with suggestions on what to see while in their country during our tour of Australia. Their hospitality will never be forgotten.
Aussie and Kiwis are among the friendliest, easiest going people you could ever meet. They always seemed to have a smile on their face and an easy patter. Even the Covid 19 pandemic didn’t seem to interfere with their love of life, at least until the strict regulations of the Covid 19 Measures Legislation came into effect. The natives of Fiji are always greeting everyone with a loud “Bula” and a wide smile. All this made for a very relaxed and enjoyable vacation.
New Zealand has the most scenic landscape because the islands consist of multiple small volcanic mountains. It is very much like Lord of the Rings movies with meadows, valleys and mountains. It is too bad that they are having one of their worst droughts in recent history. If all those brown meadows were green, it would have been even more spectacular.
New Zealand seems to be more in touch with the Maori culture than Australian are with the Aborigines. Today Māori make up 14% of the New Zealand population and their history, language and traditions are central to New Zealand's identity. On the other hand, we saw both the best and worst of the Aborigine way of life in Australia. In Sydney we had a lesson from an Aborigine professor, where we learned that her culture teaches both respect and responsibility for all living things. In the Northern Territories, we saw multiple incidences of drug abuse and alcoholism among the Aborigine. It was so bad we did not feel safe in downtown Darwin and at the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Kakadu National Park.
Both New Zealand and Australia are environmental conscious and seem to enjoy the outdoors more than North Americans. Hiking is a very popular pastime in both countries. Indeed, Ellen and John had us a new trail almost every day that we visited with them. Until the Covid 19 regulations came into effect, the beaches, such as Bondi Beach, were normally packed. Surfing is very popular and can be compared with skiing in Canada. We were told that a regular holiday in New Zealand consists of camping for most Kiwis. We also noticed that there are not as many obese people in these countries as you would see in North America.
Public transport here is cheaper than in Canada. The commuter trains in Sydney are about twenty five percent cheaper than you would find for a comparable distance with the GO Train system in Toronto. Indeed, in Melbourne public transportation is free in the inner core of the city, or what is usually called the CBD (central business district).
Australia is more advanced in moving to a cashless society. It seems anywhere that you could spend money, the preferred option is “Tap and Go”. Especially in the Covid 19 world, many vendors are now reluctant to accept cash. During the eight weeks we were on this trip, I took out about $500 in local currency and did not use it all, as my Mastercard took a beating. One of the downsides of this payment method is that the rarely does the terminal allow you to enter a tip. Even though in Australia tipping is not considered mandatory, it still would be nice to recognize exceptional service and not have to find cash.
Most of the pubs and casual restaurants that we went to do not have table service for ordering food and drink. You go to the bar, order your food and drink there and pay at counter. Then it is served to your table, when it is ready. I like this method because it eliminates the need to wait for a waiter to bring your bill and collect the payment, which always seems to take an eternity.
Marg is gluten intolerant, which can be a problem finding options for meals in restaurants. Celebrity Solstice was amazing. During dinner they would give Marg and Gail, one of our fellow companions on the cruise, the menus for the next day. They could then order any item on the menu and it was prepared using a gluten free recipe. In Australia, Marg very rarely had any problems finding gluten free options in restaurants, even in the remote areas, such as the Outback. This contrasts with the lack of these options in most restaurants in Canada.
One of the things we like about travelling to a foreign country is that we get to try new foods. In Fiji, other than the tropical fruit, the food was very familiar. The only distinctive item was the Cava drink, which I think is overrated by those looking for a cheap thrill.
While in New Zealand, most of our food was served on board the Celebrity Solstice. Cruise ships are notorious for not taking any big chances with their meals, so although the food was excellent there was nothing exciting.
In Australia we did have some quite different meals. For lunch one of the favourite meals of Australians is “Pie”. This is a stew that is loaded into a small individual pie shell and eaten with your hands. We also had BBQ Kangaroo. Kangaroo tastes a lot like venison, but I’m told it should be marinated to make it less chewy. I had a crocodile burger for lunch one day. Crocodile is very tasteless and rubbery. I would not have it again. One of the favourite fish dishes to serve in Australia is barramundi. It is very moist and delicious. I also enjoyed a local beer called XXXX Gold. Many days for lunch I would have it instead of a glass of wine. One of the highlights of the trip was an after dark BBQ in the shadow of Ayres Rock. They served grilled Kangaroo, shrimp and steak. It is no wonder that I packed on the pounds during this trip.
The Celebrity Solstice kept up the gold standard service, we have come to expect from the Celebrity cruise liners. The food was tasty with a wide variety and the portions were the right size. My only complaint was that their wine list was substandard. Hopefully this is not an indicator of future cruises.
Cell phones plans with mobile internet are much cheaper in Australia than what is offered in Canada. The plan I was using in Australia cost twenty-five dollars. It provided unlimited calling anywhere in the world and 10mg of data. A similar plan on Rogers would cost over a hundred dollars. Canadian providers always say it is the cost of providing service in a remote and disperse country such as Canada. Well, Australia is just as remote and disperse.
I find it interesting that many young Canadians seem to gravitate to Australia to work in the seaside resorts, while young Australian gravitate to British Columbia and Alberta to work in the sky resorts. I guess the cultures are similar but different enough to be exciting. I am kind of reminded of the quote by Winston Churchill, “Two nations divided by a common language.”
Our land tour with Globus had an interesting and extensive itinerary, but it was just too hectic. Many days we started getting ready before sunrise, which meant that there were too many early evenings. The hotels we stayed were usually four-star caliber with the one exception being the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Kakadu National Park. It was showing its age. One of the nice things about this trip, is that at the end of a day's tour you were not dropped off in a shopping area for an hour or more. Our guide, Sophie, was excellent. She told us that she had worked with the diplomatic corps and had served as a personal guide for many visiting senior foreign dignitaries. She had an extensive knowledgeable of Australian history, botany, and zoology.
Men Sheds are a great idea. I was surprised to find out that the organization is active in Canada. The goal of the men sheds is to be accessible to all men and whose primary activity is the provision of a safe and friendly environment where men are able to work on meaningful projects using a wide variety of proper tools. There is also a social component, where men are encouraged to talk about personal issues, and this helps in their mental well being. It is a shame that the Australian Association ordered the Men Sheds closed because of Covid 19. It seems to me that this will have a serious detrimental effect on the mental well being of those men who live by themselves.
If we went again:
- We’d go to more wineries
- We’d go back to ChristChurch
- We’d spend more time on the Gold Coast
- We'd stay longer at a destination and take day trips, so that we don't pack and unpack as often
- We’d wouldn't go back to the Outback because of the thousands of flies that will swarm you. Any place where you need netting for protection should be avoided.
- We’d avoid Fiji during their rainy season, it is just too hot and too humid.
It always surprises me that number of people who read our blog. I can understand relatives and close friends wanting to see how we are and what we have been doing, but if Google stats are to be believed there are many more readers. Over the life of this blog, the entries have been read close to 4,000 times. It is no big surprise that the audience has mainly come from Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. But there have been people from Indonesia, Vietnam, UAE, Iraq, Italy, German, and Russia who have also read the blog. I have no idea who they are, but they must have been directed to the blog through a Google search for some keyword that occurs in the blog.
One of the first entries in this blog contained a press release from Celebrity Cruise Lines about the isolated Corona virus in China. Somehow it seems fitting that we conclude with comments about the Covid 19 pandemic and how we viewed it during our vacation. Covid 19 rules in Australia and New Zealand are much stricter than any province in Canada. In New South Wales, for example, gatherings of more than two people were forbidden. The list of essential services that were allowed to remain open was much smaller than what you would have found in Ontario. Interstate travel was being shut down in Australia when we were leaving. New Zealand’s ban on international travel caused about half of the people on our Globus tour to cancel their New Zealand vacations. We were lucky that only problem that we had was in finding a return flight home after our initial flights home were cancelled.
We would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers, while we in Australia waiting for our flight home to be arranged. It meant a lot to us. I must admit, and maybe I am being naive, but I never felt we were in imminent danger. Everyone that we could see was practicing social distancing and the number of cases of Covid 19 in St. Georges Basin, even now is less than ten. So even though it changed life as we know it, it didn’t stop us from enjoying a fantastic vacation.
