Up bright and early at 6:30 am to get a ride with my brother to the airport. Sinuses bothering me a bit, but I'll try chewing on gum and see how I feel by LA.
10 cm of fresh snow had fallen overnight, so by the time I reached my plane's gate around 9 am, plows were busy everywhere. At 9:15, we were on our way, on a full flight. I was seated beside two guys from Longueuil who were planning to spend several weeks in Australia with a car - doing the bed and breakfast routine. One spoke next to zero English, so we conversed in French.
12:30 pm on-time arrival in Los Angeles. Caught the "C" shuttle (after a 20-minute wait) for the 15-minute (free) ride to the "transit centre". There are two roads joining the horse-shoe shaped loop of air terminals in LA - one above the other - both one-way, and both counter-clockwise! At the transit centre, I found the Santa Monica bus, paid my 50 cents(!) and arrived in central Santa Monica in about 30 minutes.
I spent about 3 hours walking around - mostly along the boardwalk to Venice Beach and back again. At 16:45, I took the bus back for an hour long ride.
20:25 - seem to be no more sinus problems - maybe drinking lots of liquids helped. My 747 departs for the 14.5 hour flight to Sydney. I had a choice seat - an aisle seat just behind the first class compartment, next to the stairway and flight attendant's area. Absolutely no one walking past me down the aisle all night. An empty seat beside me - the guy in the window seat hardly said a word, and never got out of his seat for the entire flight! Slept well - ignored the 4 movies which were shown.
Sydney: partly cloudy, 12 C Melbourne: a.m.: sunny,17 C Melbourne: p.m.: sunny,35 C
Arrived 30 minutes late in Sydney - unfavourable winds - at 6:30 a.m. Customs was done quickly, and I boarded the Ansett shuttle bus for my ride to the domestic terminal. It's a long ride via the regular roadways, but this bus took a more direct route - right across the tarmac, carefully stopping at runways to allow landing planes to zip by.
My 8 am flight to Melbourne was only half full for the hour or so ride (500 miles my road, 12 hours by train!). By shortly after 9 I was on the 30-minute shuttle bus to the Melbourne bus depot (conveniently located two short blocks from my hotel!).
No rooms ready until noon, so I dropped off my bags, had a look at the new stadium built on old railway lands across the street, visited an Internet cafe, and roamed the streets for the rest of the time. Finally checked in, and bought a $5 tram/bus/train day pass. Virtually no buses in the downtown area - all trams and trains.
Turning into a hot day, so I made sure I took an air-conditioned tram for the (more-or-less) "express" ride to St. Kilda - a waterfront suburb about 30 minutes to the south. Walked along Ackland St. and found some cheap and plentiful Chinese food. Then a walk along the beach, before walking past Albert Park, where the Grand Prix will be held in a couple of weeks time.
Took another tram to Chapel St., where I found a large "Borders" book store, which I had been to on previous visits. Tram to "Southgate" (shopping/restaurant area on the Yarra River - across from Flinders St. station). Walked back to my hotel - which is across the street from Spencer St. station. Hundreds of trains pass through these stations daily - luckily my room was at the back of the hotel.
Flinders St. station is probably the most photographed building in the city - architect also designed Bombay's (or was it Calcutts's?) railway station - much of it still retains the flavour of the early 1900's - long corridors lined with (graffiti-free) bathroom-like tiles, with periodic "Do Not Spit" signs painted on them.
Melbourne: a.m.: few clouds, 17 C Melbourne: p.m.: sunny, 33 C
Found a nearby McDonald's and had breakfast around 7:30 am. The streets were deserted, but the weather was great for a walk. I bought a transit day pass at Flinders St. station, and took the 9:40 train for the 30-minute ride to Williamstown ("change at Newport, please"). I actually got off at "Williamstown Beach" - about a mile short of the terminus (Williamstown). Newport was (and still is, to some extent) the site of a large railway shops complex. I had a good walk along the above mentioned beach, and continued around the point of land upon which the town is located, until I reached "downtown" Williamstown. There was a large Sunday bazaar in the main square, with your usual "crafty" products for sale. After a bite to eat, and more roaming around, I took the 1 pm ferry across the bay to St. Kilda (where I was yesterday - a 20-minute ride). Another, much bigger bazaar here - stalls set up for over half a mile between the road and the beach. Around 1 pm, I took a tram back to my hotel (stopped right across the street!), and got some sleep. Around 4:30, I had some good pizza, and walked a couple of miles to Fitzroy Gardens. An IMAX show attracted my attention, and I saw the 6 pm "Alaska" show. Afterwards, a few blocks to the east was the district of Fitzroy, and Brunswick St. - described as "funky" by the guidebooks. The Melbourne Chess Club was in this area, so I dropped in for about half an hour. Tram and walk back to hotel around 9:30.
Melbourne: a.m.: few clouds, 20 C Melbourne: p.m.: few clouds, 35 C
Breakfast at a sidewalk cafe around 7:30 - much more activity on a working day. Headed down Swanston St., across the muddy Yarra River, and down St. Kilda Blvd. (2 traffic lanes, narrow grass median, 3 more traffic lanes, more grass, 2 tram tracks, grass, 3 traffic, grass, 2 traffic) for a short distance to the War Memorial. This happened to be the anniversary of the bombing of Darwin, so I stayed for the memorial service. Lots of schoolkids in their school uniforms.
Walked back across the river to Finders St. station, and took a train to Spotswell - abour 20 minutes away - to visit the nearby Science Centre (I had to get out of the heat and sun!). Excellent tour of the "Archives" amd a good planetarium show.
3 pm - took the train to Spencer St., and a tram to St. Kilda - more Oriental food on Ackland St. More trams back to Borders bookstore on Chapel St. Back downtown, a quick peek into the Casino, and bed around 10 pm.
Melbourne: a.m.: few clouds, 25 C Sydney: p.m.: few clouds, 25 C
Breakfast at McDonald's at around 7:30, and walked around for a while. Checked out of my hotel, and took the 9 am shuttle bus to the airport. My flight left a little late for the short run to Sydney - arriving there at 12:25. Shuttle bus stopped a few feet from my hotel in King's Cross - a unique part of town with classy hotels mixed in with the strip clubs as fast-food places.
After settling in, I bought a "Green Travelcard", which was good for 7 days (almost) unlimited use of trains, buses, and ferries. It was worth it - even though I only was going to be there 4 days.
I walked a couple of miles to the ferry docks (Circular Quay) - walking was usually the fastest way - too much traffic slowed up the buses, and trains involved a lot of escalators and a change of trains. I had a 50-minute ride to Homebush Bay - a couple of miles from the Olympic site. A bus took me the remaining distance. Excellent hour-long stadium tour (they are removing about 20,000 seats, and have closed it for several weeks), and had a look at some of the other sites.
At 6:30 pm, I took a train back to Town Hall (long, slow ride), and walked over to Darling Harbour for a bite to eat. Another walk along Oxford St., and back to my hotel via side streets (getting lost along the way, and having to refer to my trusty maps).
Sydney: a.m.: light rain, 23 C Sydney: p.m.: few clouds, 25 C
Breakfast at my hotel (included with room!), and experienced my first rain on the trip.
9 am - took a bus to Circular Quay, and visited the nearby Museum of Sydney, with the hope that the rain would stop. Good collection of maps and photos of old Sydney.
12:50 pm - yes - the rain stopped, so I took a 30-minute ferry ride to Watson's Bay. A 30-minute walk took me past a couple of sandy beaches (including the infamous "Lady Jane" - a nude beach) to "South Head" - at the entrance to Sydney harbour.
2:50 pm - took a ferry back to Circular Quay, and had fish and chips sitting on a park bench, admiring the "Oriana" (a huge P&O cruise ship) which was in port.
4 pm - took a ferry to Manly (25 min.), and walked along the beach. I did not take the optional climb to "North Head" (a couple of hundred yards across the water from the previously mentioned "South Head") - I have done it before, and the walk was not particularly scenic.
6 pm - ferry back to Circular Quay, and a train back to my hotel. Spent the rest of the evening walking around, and getting something to eat.
Sydney: a.m.: sunny, 22 C Sydney: p.m.: sunny, 28 C
Breakfast at my hotel, followed by a walk to Circular Quay through the Botanical Gardens. Found the bus for the 30-minute ride to "Coogee" - one of the several "southern beaches". The object of this trip was to walk along the coast (via a marked path) northward to Bondi beach (several miles) before it got too hot.
Coogee beach was full of people - even though it was 10 am on a weekday. High cliffs seperate the beaches (Coogee, Bronte, Tamarama, Bondi), so a lot of up and down climbing was involved. The path passed though a cemetary - lots of early 1800's tombstones.
About 90 minutes later, I arrived at Bondi - a stretch of sand about a mile long - also full of people (including some topless ladies!). I relaxed a bit, and at 1 pm I took a bus for the short ride to Bondi Jct. train station, and a 2-stop train ride to Kings Cross, and a little sleep at my hotel.
At 2:30, I took a train to Town Hall (10 minutes), and walked around the stores, and did some Internet work. Went to Darling Harbour, and saw an Imax movie about the Cirque de Soleil.
9 pm - train back to Kings Cross, and walked around for an hour or so.
Sydney: a.m.: few clouds, 21 C Sydney: p.m.: sunny, 27 C
Breakfast at my hotel at 7:30. At 9 am, I took a bus to Circular Quay, walked under the Bridge, and up the hill to the old Observatory. I waited a few minutes until it opened, and spent some time walking around inside. Unfortunately, I was not able to see everything, due too many school kids around.
Back onto the Harbour Bridge - I keep getting tempted to do the "Bridge Climb" - a 2+hour climb along the curved arch to the middle, safely harnessed to a strong wire - probably not worth the $100 cost, however. Walked across in 15-20 minutes, and took the train to Edgecliff. From there, a long bus ride to Watson's Bay, where I walked to South Head along the opposite coastline.
At 1:30, I took a bus back to my hotel, and got some sleep. Then, I walked to Darling Harbour, had something to eat, and found an Internet place on George St. Walk back to Circular Quay - just in time to see the "Rotterdam" pulling out - quite a process.
At 7, I took a bus to Bondi, and watched the sun set (well...it didn't quite set over the beach, but fun just to watch the people as the beach gradually darkened). Unfortunately there were still too many lights to get a good view of stars in the sky, but I could pick out a few.
8:45 - bus to Bondi Jct., and train to Kings Cross and my hotel.
Sydney: a.m.: few clouds, 22 C Christchurch p m: few clouds, 25 C
Breakfast at my hotel at 6:30, then the 7:15 bus to the airport. After checking in, I made use of the free Internet termanals scatterd throughout the airport.
At 9:15, we departed for Christchuch, New Zealand - 3 1/2 hours away. My seatmates were a couple from Johnston Island - a chunk of coral 800 miles from Honolulu, turned into an air force base. These two are involved in the destruction of chemical weapons (by incineration). Very interesting talking to them!
Arrived in Christchurch at 3 pm (2 hour time change), along with 4 others who were staying at my hotel, and would be part of my tour group the next few days. Our three rooms were each 2-bedroom suites, with complete kitchen - with washer and dryer!
I went out for a walk, and found some good Indian food in the centre of town. Saw a huge crowd in a downtown park, and found out that there was to be a free concert there in half an hour. Stayed around, and heard some excellent music and singing - mostly from old musicals. Luckily I was prepared for a sharp drop in temperature, as it was about 15 C by the time it ended around 10 pm.
Christchurch a m: cloudy, 15 C Christchurch p m: cloudy, 20 C
Breakfast at my hotel at 7:30 - still not sure whether it's included or not - will contact various people over the Internet.
8:45 - had a 4-hour city tour, including about 45 minutes at an excellent museum, specializing in the Antarctic. Good views from the "exclusive" suburb of Cashmere (named by Indians, and someone spelt "Kashmir" wrong).
1 pm - back to the hotel, and walked through the Botanical Gardens. Bands were playing all over the place - it was the closing of the "Flower Festival". A "carpet" of flowers had been laid in the Cathedral - I climbed to the top of the tower (150 or so steps).
At 7:30 pm, our group boarded a streetcar (from Melbourne!) for a "tramcar dinner". There is a 2 or 3 mile tram loop around the downtown area - over which we passed about 15 times during our meal! I had an excellent lamb dinner - normally it costa about $30 for the meal. All over by 10 pm, and we walked the short distance to the hotel.
Christchurch a m: cloudy, 15 C Christchurch p m: cloudy, 18 C
Breakfast at my hotel at 7 am, and then we got picked up by a bus at 7:45 for a 3-hour trip ro Kaikoura to see some whales. Very few straight roads (I would travel the same route by train a couple of days later - they simply blasted out tunnels for the railway), and light drizzle most of the way.
Boarded our boat at 11, and were guaranteed to see at least one whale - the average was 2 - we saw 6, as well as a number of seals. Quite difficult to take pictures of the whales. For three hours we cruised around.
At 2:30, our bus returned us to Kaikoura, where we had an hour for lunch. Our trip back to Christchurch was dry, but very windy. Souvlaki for supper, and walked around before bed.
Christchurch a m: cloudy, 15 C Christchurch p m: few clouds, 20 C
Breakfast at my hotel at 7:30, and then we were off to Akaroa to see dolphins. Akaroa was a French settlement, and the streets have French names "Rue ...", and most stores have French names (although the French seems to be half the size of the English names!). Lots of time to eat and walk around.
At 1:30, we started out on the dolphin cruise for an hour and a half - many dolphins, as well as lots of albatrosses and more seals. Then another 20 minutes in Akaroa, and back to Christchurch by 4:30, where I did more Internet work.
At 8, the 5 of us went to the "Palazzio del Mariana" (I think that's the name) with our $35 vouchers. After finally seeing the manager about accepting our vouchers, we had excellent fish, and good dessert. 10:30 - walk back to the hotel and bed.
Christchurch a m: few clouds, 17 C Greymouth: cloudy, 23 C Christchurch p m: cloudy, 23 C
Breakfast at my hotel at 7:00. At 8:00, our group boarded a taxi for the 15-minute ride to the train station (another ciry, like Ottawa, that moved its railway station away from the centre of town). At 9:00, we departed on the "TraNZalpine" train for the trip across the Southern Alps (via Arthur's Pass) to Greymouth.
All track in New Zealand is narrow guage (see Wellington exception below) - 3'6". Thus the cars seem to be about one seat narrower than normal guage cars (2-2 seating with a very narrow aisle). Our train was over 10 cars long - including an outdoor observation platform (which was closed off when we passed through long tunnels - the longest was over 5 miles long) - diesel powered, with an extra one added to push us up the steeper parts.
Very scenic mountain views - lots of bridges and tunnels. Arthur's Pass was about 2500' altitude - most mountains were 5000-6000' high, some with glaciers/snow on them.
1 pm - arrived at Greymouth. Only an hour to walk the main street, and get some lunch, before the return trip. Lots of people getting on and off at the half-dozen or so stops, and we arrived in Christchurch at 7 pm - 30 minutes late. Taxi back to the hotel. I had some supper, and had a quick peek into the Casino before bed.
Christchurch a m: cloudy, 17 C Wellington p m: cloudy, 23 C
No breakfast this morning - I was to be picked up and taken to the train at 6:30 am. At 6:45, a car which I had seen parked down the street approached. Turns out the driver arrived at 6:15, didn't see me, and decided to get some sleep. Arrived at the station in plenty of time for my 7:30 departure.
A 5-car diesel powered train this time, plus an observation deck. The first part of the trip roughly paralleled Monday's drive, so we were able to see a few dolphins and seals between tunnels. Very scenic ocean views most of the way. Breakfast on board.
12:50 - arrived at Picton, where we walked the short distance to the ferry (baggage had been checked through), and soon began the 3-hour journey ro go 12 miles(!). Potentially very rough water, but less so today. I had lunch (on the good ship "Ararua"), but very windy outside, so stayed inside (and slept) most of the time. Maybe 500 people (and 100 or so cars) aboard. Land was always visible - sometimes both the North and South islands simultaneously - but many little islands in between.
4:30 - arrived in Wellington. Hotel shuttle waiting for me - 20 minute ride through a horrendous ruch hour. Visited the nearby Te Papa museum for a couple of hours (free) - good volcanic and earthquake exhibits. Walked around, had dinner, and back to the hotel.
Wellington a m: rain, 20 C Wellington p m: cloudy, 20 C
Woke up to a heavy rain - I was on the top floor, so I could really hear it on the roof. Waited until it stopped, and took a short walk to McDonald's for breakfast around 7:30. Took the 20-minute walk to the train station to check schedules - pouring rain again when I wanted to leave. Decided to take a 5-minute walk up the hill to the Parliament Buildings to see if any tours were available. Next one was at 10 - still half an hour away. walked around in a light drizzle.
10 am - Parliament buildings tour. Too much emphasis on the earthquake protection recently built in to the foundations (about one 5+ quake every year or so). Back to the hotel, and contacted the Harpurs about going to see them.
Back to the station, and took the noon train to Paraparamua - about 35 miles from downtown. Electrified suburban train, with two very long tunnels (about 3 miles each). Scenic views - along the ocaean, about 100 feet up. 12:55 - arrived at Paraparamua - Harpurs there to meet me. Had lunch in a nearby shopping centre, and we drove around (in a light drizzle).
They live about 7 miles to the north - quite near the water (walking distance) - lots of fruit growing in their garden. Stayed with them until the 5 pm train, which got me back to Wellington by 6.
No rain, so I took the cable car up the hillside to the Botanical Gardens. Looks like it runs on standard guage rail. (I noted extensive trolleybus routes in the downtown area, as well). About a 30 degree angle, and 2 stops along the way - corresponding with the 2 stops made by the downhill car (they are on the same cable - if one stops, the other must stop as well). Many locals use it - not just tourists. Walked around, and back down the hill. Good Asian noodle dinner. Back to hotel and bed.
Wellington a m: cloudy, 18 C Auckland p m: clear, 22 C
7:30 am - no breakfast - took the shuttle to the train station. At 8:45, we left (electric powered - following the same coastal route to Paraparamua) - 5 or 6 cars long. No observation deck on this train, but a glassed-in area in the rear car. Girl beside me was from Kiel, Germany.
At Palmerston North - end of electrification - we switched to a diesel, which promptly broke down. Half an hour to hook up another one. Lots of food on board, so had lots to eat (at reasonable prices).
Passed through a set of spiral tunnels - like the Rockies in miniature. Switched back to electric power, and shortly after, something caused a loss of all overhead power. Took an hour to trace it to a circuit breaker somewhere down the line. Arrived in Auckland at 10:30 pm - three hours late. Took a taxi to my central hotel, and roamed around the Casino before bed.
Auckland a m: sunny, 18 C Auckland p m: sunny, 25 C
8 am - found the nearest McDonald's for breakfast - looked like the only place open. Walked down the hill to the ferry docks, and checked the schedule for departures to Rangitoto Island. It was a volcanic (inactive) island 60 minutes away - around 10 miles in circumference.
Took the 11:45 ferry (via Devonport) - arriving an hour later. Boarded an open, tractor-pulled "bus" for a quick tour of the island. Bumpy, gravel roads, but interesting scenery. We stopped for about an hour, and most of us climbed to the highest point - looking down into the crater, and across the bay to Auckland.
3 pm ferry back - detouring around a yacht race in progress. Arrived back in Auckland at 4:15. Back to my hotel - just in time to watch the end of the Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne).
Supper on Queen St. (lots of Asian restaurants), and spent most of the evening in Borders book store - 2 blocks from my hotel. Had cookies from "Ma Murphy's: cookie store.
Auckland a m: cloudy, 20 C Auckland p m: sunny, 24 C
8 am - breakfast at McDonald's. Checked out bus routes and fares. Bought a $7 daypass (includes Devonport ferry - which cost $5 one way!), and took a 20-minute ride to the Zoo. The rain held off, so was able to see all the exhibits. Good lion and wallaby displays, and the inevitable kiwi.
1:30 - walked to the nearby MOTAT (Museum or Transport and Technology), and saw lots of old trains, planes, busses, trams, etc., in a light drizzle. Not too many schoolkids around. 3:30 - bus back to hotel.
4 pm - skies clearing. Had a bite to eat, and took the 5 pm ferry to Devonport (25 minute ride - every half hour). Walked around there for a while - climbed up another couple of volcanoes. One was the site of some WW II defences - some remains can still be seen. Old naval base by the water being phased out - long beach walk.
7:45 - ferry back to Auckland, and another session at Borders, before bed.
Auckland a m: few clouds, 19 C Auckland p m: few clouds, 23 C
8 am - breakfast at McDonald's. Bought another daypass. Took the bus to the base of "One Tree Hill". Passed a large sheep farm (in the centre of Auckland!), on my way to the top. The "one tree" died a few years ago. Another inactive volcano.
Continued down the other side, and walked the two miles to Mount Eden. A steep climb, with lots of sheep droppings to avoid. Good view from the top. Down again, and a mile to "Auckland Domain". Hundreds of kids playing cricket. Visited the excellent Museum (good military displays), and back to my hotel about 4 pm.
Supper at 5 pm, and another ferry ride to Devonport. Walked some distance down the main road - ending up at Narrow Neck Beach. Back along various beaches to the base of Mt. Victoria, and to the ferry. Back to Auckland by 8:30, and more Borders, and Ma Murphy's cookies.
Auckland a m: cloudy, 17 C Auckland p m: cloudy, 20 C
The usual 8 am McDonald's breakfast. Checked out of my hotel at 9:30, leaving my bags there. Went up the Tower (close to the height of the CN tower) in the Casino complex ("Star City"). Good views, with an outdoor viewing area. Walked around downtown - in and out of stores.
2:30 pm bus to airport, where I had plenty of time before my 6 pm (12-hour) flight to Los Angeles. Left on time, and I was able to get a similar seat as on my LAX-SYD flight. My one seatmate was American, who didn't want to talk much. Three movies later, we were in Los Angeles - at 9:15 am, the same day!
My flight for Las Vegas finally left at noon - an hour late. After several days in Las Vegas (National Open chess tournament), I had uneventful flights to Los Angeles and Montreal - even though I had to get up at 5 am!