Sydney to Auckland

It was time to leave Australia, so off we went, pulling our wheelie cases behind us.  Robin has a new case with four wheels, and it certainly is much easier to manage than mine with two wheels.  My “I Love Quilting” tag was a gift several years ago from pen friend Elaine from Oregon.

Yes, I do love quilting!

Our trip through Security at Sydney Airport was a little stressful.  Both of us were directed to the body scanner, stand there and hold our arms up we were told.  Nope, that wasn’t right, and a female officer was called in to pat me down – oh dear.  The trouble seemed to be the passport and money I had in a holder around my neck, that had to be removed, put on a tray and through the bag scan, and I went through the body scanner one more time.  Robin was getting patted down too, and all the while people are looking on, wondering what these people had been getting up to!  When we were finally sent on our way, we waited, and waited some more at the correct terminal gate, and finally were called to board.   Oh look, Air NZ knows our names!

This flight was a much shorter trip this time, just under 3 hours.  Hopping aboard the Sky Bus at Auckland Airport we drove through the rain as it got progressively darker, luckily the driver told us when to get off.  Booked in at reception, and then we were informed that we had been upgraded to  King Room, so that was a nice surprise.  It was a bit of a wrestling match to peel those extra tight airline socks off, and then we could relax.

Our room for the next 3 nights

I was a bit foxed by these sockets by the desk, and plaintively told Robin there was nowhere to plug my lap top into.  But I was wrong, seems that these strange things were universal power connectors, my 3 pin plug had to be turned upside down, and then it would fit.  How was I meant to know that – it was all a bit too technical for me.

New fangled power sockets

Up to the 13th floor we went the next morning for breakfast, and there was a lovely view over the harbour.  The rain had eased and the weather was clearing.  The breakfast buffet was amazing, much more choice and so much nicer than our previous hotel.  Robin was in Honey Heaven when he found this delightful honey comb – liquid honey was ready and waiting to be poured into a dinky little dish and spread on his breakfast toast!  And I found some smoked salmon and fancy cheese, so I was extra happy too.

Some of the delightful breakfast choices

We were told that just  across the road from our hotel was The London Lolly Shop.  So while Robin was resting his sore knee after our day sightseeing I popped across to find out.  Sure enough, there it was.  Have to admit some Fry’s Bars and Acid Drops were very keen to come back with me.

The London Lolly Shop

And lo and behold, quite by accident,  I discovered a quilt shop, called New Zealand Fabrics and Yarn tucked down an arcade.   As I entered, the girl behind the counter called out, “I do like your bag”.  I was carrying my  blue denim raggy bag, with my little blue koala purchased last year in Sydney hanging from the handle.  I like to take this with me on holiday, as I have attached “dog clips” inside to keep my wallet and camera safe.  (My bag will need a good wash when I get home).

My ever so handy raggy denim bag

This young lady is a Bag Lady, she told me, and likes to make all sorts of bags.  She showed me two which she had recently completed.  And by the look in her eye, I think she will be making herself a shaggy denim bag before too long.

Self confessed Bag Lady

New Zealand Fabrics and Yarns

It was so nice to talk to somebody so crafty, pet some fabrics and yes, a couple of fat quarters did come away with me.  Some nice batiks with NZ designs, a dark purple paua shell design and the other printed with pale green kowhai.  I’ll need the purple one when I get back to work on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  That’s my excuse anyway.

New Zealand designed batiks

Christmas Day Onwards

Our Christmas Day at home started with the usual breakfast, croissants filled with ham and cheese and  warmed in the oven.  Yum, nice and tasty to start the day.  Do you think I look the part in my Christmas pinny?

 

Breakfast time

The pork roast was soon sizzling away in the Weber BBQ and was smelling delicious.  The inserted thermometer tells us via the cell phone when the meat is cooked.  I’m not sure how that works, it’s all a bit new fangled to me but Robin seems to understand the technology.

Roast Pork

We had a lovely Christmas Day. Friends Dot and Derek joined us for lunch, and with their food contributions as well, we had enough to feed an army.  Robin’s brother and his wife called around on the afternoon, and we all had plenty to chat about.  The time just flew by, so much so that I forgot to take any more photos.

We are now away in our caravan, staying at the NZMCA Park Plimmerton, a handy place to stay if you want to visit Wellington.  The railway station is just a short walk away from the camp, so we planned a day in the Big Smoke, traveling in style on the trains.  Using our Gold Cards, train travel is free.  But wouldn’t you know it, the trains were off the rails for the next week or so for track maintenance, and the services were replaced by buses.  When  we arrived in Wellington City I was keen for a quick visit (my first) to the large David Jones Department Store (formerly Kirkcaldie and Stains).   I really wanted to see their Christmas Shop, but nothing took my fancy so we were just in and out in no time at all.   A cruise ship was in town, and there were people everywhere. 

Perhaps a trip to Wellington Airport for lunch would be fun, we decided, so we boarded the bright orange Airport Flyer and went on our way.  Robin used to drive these buses to and from the airport some years ago, and quite enjoyed the interaction with travelers.

Airport Flyer Bus

There were all sorts of things to see at the airport.  Lots of Christmas Trees decorated by various businesses on display.

Christmas Trees galore

Then there were some  entries from the recent “World of Wearable Art Awards Show”, a big glitzy show which runs in Wellington during September and October.

Entries of Wearable Art

And flying high over the eating area were a pair of  giant eagles, one of them had Gandolf riding on top.  Made by Weta Workshop, one of them was shaken loose during an earthquake and had to be re-installed using a new hanging structure that is able to handle considerably higher loads.

Giant Eagles built by Weta Workshops

We sat in front of the large picture windows, watching the planes arrive and depart.  Perhaps we will have another trip away soon, we hope.  Lunch was Pie and a Pint for him, and Salmon Pasta for her, all very nice and tasty.  It was a great day out, and stress free as we travelled by public transport.

It’s always busy at the airport

Hello, Perth

Another adventure –we are now in Perth, Australia  – and the Indian Pacific train journey later in the week which has been on our bucket list for some time.  As it was a reasonably long seven and a half hour flight to Perth, we decided to treat ourselves and upgrade to Premium Economy.  A good decision we felt, a lot more legroom, comfy seats, beautifully presented meals chosen from the menu, hot towels, and great service.  If this is what they do in Premium Economy, goodness knows what Business Class passengers get. 

I must admit that I’m always happy to swap our caravan trips for a stay in a posh hotel.  It doesn’t happen very often, so I’m always more than ready to make the most of it.  So for  the next two weeks  there will be no more cooking meals, just sightseeing, and maybe just a tiny bit of shopping.  I made the bed in our room this morning before we went out for the day, but obviously I didn’t do a proper job, and came back to find the housemaids had remade it!  (I always feel guilty if I go out leaving the bed unmade).  

Our hotel in Perth

One of the best things to do when arriving in a new city, is to take a sightseeing bus tour, we think.  It’s a great way of getting an overview of the area, and these hop-on hop-off buses mean that you can get off to explore what takes your fancy.

We enjoyed the views from the top of the Perth Explorer bus, as we travelled around the city and to outer areas.

Enjoying our bus ride

Who would have known that a little piece of Tudor England was alive and well in the middle of Perth and tucked away between modern city buildings?  This was London Court.  Built in 1937 as a combination of residential and commercial premises for wealthy gold miner and financier Claude de Bernales, Perth’s London Court is designed using the architectural features present in Elizabethan times.  I love anything to do with this period in history and joined the other tourists and shoppers, all gazing at the shop fronts with awe and snapping photos.  Banners with the faces of notable people of the time were hung, the likes of Queen Elizabeth 1st, Mary Queen of Scots, William Shakespeare, and Henry 8th.  Certainly an amazing place to explore.

London Court

With this being a short trip away, just two weeks, I didn’t pack and hand stitching.  But I do have a new Jack Reacher book to keep me happy in my spare time.  And if you are wondering what has happened to our new kitten Gemma, she is back with her breeder getting bed and board.  We miss her happy little face and all her crazy antics, but this trip was planned before we knew we were getting a new kitty.  Hope she remembers us when we get back home.

Kereru, Poppies, and Holiday News

It’s a busy life while on holiday in the caravan, driving here and there, staying at interesting places.  I found a little time to sit and stitch for a while.  Some stitching over several days and I’m happy to say that I have completed my kereru – one of two native birds I’m doing to hang in the caravan.  The kereru is a large native pigeon, with feathers in shades of green, and a snowy white breast, and gorge themselves on fruiting trees.    Please excuse the unpressed condition of the stitchery – I don’t have an iron in the caravan.

Kereru – native wood pigeon

Crochet in a Airfield Museum?  Why not.  I came across this lovely crocheted giant poppy displayed at the New Zealand Warbirds Museum in Ardmore, Auckland.  (Once more, apologies for the photo, as overhead lights were reflected on the glass).  400 crocheted poppies were made by a group of local ladies to commemorate the 2015 Centenary of the Gallipoli Landings in 1915.  This battle was a disaster for our troops and among the dead were 2779 New Zealanders, about a sixth of all those who had landed on the peninsula.  The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance the world over, and in New Zealand it is most commonly seen around Anzac Day, 25 April.

Poppies to remember the fallen

And now for a little news from our holiday.  As already mentioned, we visited the New Zealand Warbirds Museum, dedicated to the restoration of service aircraft.  All kinds of interesting planes were on display.

On view at the NZ Warbirds Museum

We spent the weekend at a caravan rally enjoying good company, a delicious Pot Luck meal, and we all gathered around the raging bon-fire on Saturday evening to celebrate Guy Fawkes night.  It was our wedding anniversary too, this year it is number 34!

Fine dining indeed at the pot luck meal

And while we were there we visited the historic local pub.  At 153 years old, The Riverhead is thought to be New Zealand’s oldest riverside tavern and holds New Zealand’s second oldest liquor license.  Nestled on the shores of the upper Waitemata, The Riverhead is steeped in local history and played a part in the development of early New Zealand, with thousands using the wharf and hotel as the gateway to lands in the north prior to the completion of roads and railway.  

The Riverhead, historic pub

We walked through to  “The Landing” bar and restaurant and settled down to enjoy a drink looking out over the muddy Waitemata.  Later a walk through the doors took us down onto a large deck surrounded by 100 year oak trees.  It was such a lovely peaceful setting.

Looking down from the deck

We are heading home this week but there is sure to be another adventure or too, and interesting sights to see.  And hopefully a little more stitching will be achieved too.

Home Sweet Home

We were up bright and early with the alarm set for 4.00am on the morning for our trip home from Oz.  A quick shower, dressed, including a pair of long compression socks each.  I was recycling my white  “hospital operation socks”, if they were good enough last year for surgery, they’ll certainly do for a three hour or so flight home.  With bags packed, a quick look around the hotel room to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind, we were waiting downstairs on the footpath to be collected for our shuttle ride to the airport at 5.00am.   After offloading our cases, we went through Customs and I was selected as a “random” for testing for explosives.  The flight over the sea was uneventful, with just a little turbulence, and soon we were flying into Wellington, looking out over the harbour as the plane swung around to make it’s approach.

We collected the car from the Long Term car-park, loaded the bags and headed for home.  We had a great holiday, but it’s always nice to return home safely.

My best buys of the holiday were bargain priced indeed.  Such as the pair of jandals I purchased at the Night Markets in Cairns, and my lovely blue sunhat, also from Cairns – neither items I had thought to take with me.  The hat was really necessary in the hot sunshine – it may have been winter over in Oz but the sun was rather fierce, and then I could squish it up to put in my bag between times.  And after walking all day, it was so nice to take my sandals off once we returned to our accommodation, and slip those cool jandals on my hot feet.  And Robin’s favourite purchase was his Akubra hat.

My new jandals and two new hats

I always need a book to read, even while on holiday, and I love nothing better than a book about the turbulent Tudor times.  Wolf Hall is all about the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII and all the other major players of the times.

Nothing beats a good book at bedtime

Although I never took any hand stitching with me, I did take my blocks made with Australian fabrics.  These may well look familiar, as I took them away last year to Australia when we went on the Ghan rail trip and only used half of them.  Each night I would get my Micron ink pen out and write down where we were staying, trips we had taken, and sights we had seen.  Even memorable meals – after all, a holiday is always about trying new and exciting food, isn’t it.  I can’t wait to get the blocks all stitched together

Australian quilt blocks

We had such fun, travelled to new places, saw all sorts of interesting things and had wonderful adventures.  Australia is such a vast country, so very different to New Zealand.  We had a wonderful holiday, but it’s great to be home again. 

Arriving in Tropical Cairns

It was a long day indeed, getting up at 1.00am and driving into Wellington Airport.  With our flight to departing at 6.00am, we had a long drive to arrive at the airport by 4.00am.  Our first flight of the morning, from Wellington to Brisbane, had a spot of bother.  Try as they might, the ground crew couldn’t detach the air bridge from the plane.  So we waited as they tried, and tried some more, and finally, after a delay of half an hour, we were good to go.  Luckily the time was made up, as we had a connection to make.  And we made it easily, boarding our second Virgin Air flight of the day.

Landing safely in sunny Cairns, we were really starting to get into holiday mode.  And what’s this, a great big cassowary waiting in the airport terminal to get into some holiday photos.  He was very popular and when he had been snapped by many other tourists, I finally got the chance  to say hello.  These huge birds live in the rain forests , but have been known to attack people with their lethal clawed feet, goodness me, better keep well away from a real one!

Our shuttle bus finally arrived to take us to our hotel, and this is our room, cooled down by a large ceiling fan spinning quietly around.  Cairns is a tropical city, so I presume that ceiling fans are a necessity in this part of the world.  We could hardly wait to take our shoes off and remove our compression socks which we had worn while flying.  No carpet here, just nice cool tiles underfoot.  Robin had donned his shorts as quick as a flash, much too hot to wear long trousers here.  And we have the bonus of a lovely little balcony overlooking the pool.

Our room, and the pool looking down from our balcony

Cairns is a delightful place, and is teaming with tourists.  Although the temperatures are very warm, there is a gentle breeze blowing which is very pleasant and cools things down a little.  We have already seen some interesting sights, such as this spectacled bat nursery in the middle of the city.  And there they were, just hanging about, and making quite a noise indeed. It seems there was quite a controversy about the bats and their trees and some of the large trees had been felled.  But then the council reversed their decision, the remaining trees were saved and the bats protected.  We had never seen anything like it!  Our New Zealand bats are small and secretive.

Spectacled bat nursery in a large fig tree

Another unusual tree was found in the adjacent park, with large hanging fruit, or maybe nuts, about the size and shape of rock melons.  Seems the tree is known as a Cannonball Tree, and originates from South America – never seen one of these trees before.

 

Cannonball Tree

We went to the “World Famous in Cairns” Night Market and the place was full of people all looking for bargains, or just looking to see what was available.  There was everything from clothes, souvenirs, a Food Hall, and calls of “come and have a massage” as we walked quickly by.  I did buy a pair of jandals (Aussies call them thongs) which I thought would come in handy to slip on after I slip out of my sturdy sandals after a hard day’s sightseeing.  Or even better, wear them when we finally get to have a dip in the hotel pool.  They were very inexpensive, as most things are at the Night Markets, and came with a special message.  “These sandals are one of the Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami Recovery Programs – buying them shows that you care, thank you very much”.  I’m so pleased I chose these from that particular shop, every little bit helps, doesn’t it.

Helping the tsunami recovery

I didn’t bring any hand stitching to do on this trip, as I thought we would be kept too busy with sightseeing.  But I did pack this bag – who can remember this?

What’s in the bag?

You may remember that last year when we embarked on the Ghan Railway trip, I brought along this bag full of little blocks I had stitched from Australian fabric.  I’m using  the blocks as a memory travel quilt, writing down where we had been, and  places we had stayed.  As I had plenty of “unwritten” blocks left, I decided to use them in this Aussie holiday too. And here is our first day’s travel recorded.

First block of this trip

So that’s what we have been up to so far.  We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, 11 hours travel, and need to be outside the hotel for an early pickup at 6.30am.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed, as they say, for a great day’s coach trip.  More about that next time.

Remember – you are very welcome to log on to our travel blog at www.romanyrambler.com for a fuller version of our holiday travels.