Month: March 2019

The drive to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park from Queenstown is not a short one, but it is full of remarkable views. The Sound is actually a Fjord and it is part of a larger area that makes up a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Te Wahipounamu, which is the Maori name for this vast area in the southwest of the South Island. We spent the first day traveling to the small village of Te Anau located on the edge of a large lake of the same name. The town borders the national park and is a logical stop for people who want to visit Milford or Doubtful Sounds. It is a quiet town with walking trails along the lake and a bird park where you can see the endemic and highly endangered Takahē and a few other rare native birds. 

The Takahē is a flightless member of the rail family that was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 1948. I like to photograph animals in the wild, but this species is so rare with only around three hundred birds alive today; I was going to have to be satisfied with photographing the breeding animals kept on the shore of Te Anau Lake. I was also able to photograph a few other captive birds that are native to the area and being used as breeding animals.

We booked a two-hour cruise on the morning of the second day in Milford Sound. The scenery is stunning and we were fortunate to have a sunny day. The sound gets rain about two hundred days a year. This rain provides the water that flows from the sides of sheer cliffs in spectacular waterfalls. The scenery changes by the minute with changes in light and rainfall. The water is clear and blue and the vastness makes it impossible to get an image that is true to life. I have taken a lot of photos, but I am not able to show you any that are as good as the picture in my mind’s eye. I tried, and have included the best photos that you can see by clicking here.

Also as part of the cruise we were dropped off at a large floating platform that had 64 stairs that led to an underwater viewing gallery 10 meters deep. I took some pictures of the unique fish and invertebrates that were present. We learned about the slow-growing black coral which is found naturally in the sound. Surprisingly, it is actually white when it is alive.

We dropped the rental car off very early in the morning and took a shuttle to the airport. It was raining hard when we arrived at the airport in Sydney and the weather delayed the airplane. Fortunately, the flight from Sydney to Queenstown is only about two and a half hours. When we approached the small airport just outside of the quaint town where we were to spend our first night, it was clear and sunny as the captain asked the crew to prepare the plane for landing. We were told that views through the windows for the remainder of the flight would be amazing, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, cradled by the mountains of New Zealand’s South Island. The airplane flew between the steep mountains of the Southern Alps for quite a while. Queenstown and the South Island are famous for this scenery and the adventure tourism that can get your adrenaline flowing. 

New Zealand gets its name from Dutch map makers that thought it reminded them of the coast off their homeland which was called Zeeland. The islands were the last country to be inhabited by people, though it was not the Dutch. The first people were the Māori. These indigenous people arrived sometime in the late thirteenth century from Polynesia. Today the country is a sovereign English-speaking country that traces its routes to a treaty in 1840 between the British and the Māori.

We started our adventure in a small hotel that caters to backpackers. It was a good place to start the last country on this adventure. The photo above is from the deck of the small restaurant at the hotel looking towards Queenstown shortly after sundown. If you would like to see more pictures click here.

After a few days inland, we decided to head back to the coast to see if we could find some consistent sunshine. We put Port Stephens into a hotel search and chose a couple of affordable places. After driving by them, we settled on a place located across the street from a beautiful stretch of beach called Shoal Bay. It is a leisurely few hours north of the airport in Sydney where we leave for the last country on this journey. We were to stay there for two nights, but it only took a few moments for my wife to fall in love with the place. 

The picture above is of a small flock of Rainbow Lorikeets that greeted us on our balcony after the first night’s stay. Shortly after that, we saw dolphins swimming in the blue water of the bay. One of the reasons we chose Port Stephens is that it is listed as a place where one of Australia’s iconic animals can be found in the wild. We have been asking people about Koalas since we got to Australia. We got similar answers from people, something like…they are really hard to find, or I have been living here a long time and have only seen them once or twice in the wild. There are plenty of yellow and black street signs warning you to drive carefully when you are traveling in places where they are known to exist. Koalas are in trouble. The reasons include habitat destruction, competition from invasive species, and disease, in addition to the road accidents that happen when the slow-moving marsupials explore their habitat for eucalyptus trees with fresh leaves. Most of the people we talked to tried to lower our hopes and gave us suggestions on where to look for wallabies or kangaroos. With time running out and expectations low, we set out for a community in Port Stephens where they have set up reserves for the Koalas. We went into the information center of one of those reserves and we were greeted by a husband-and-wife volunteer team that told us about the park and gave us a map. The man walked us out of the building and pointed to a path where he had seen one earlier that day. Maybe, we were in luck.

If you would like to see what we saw on those last few days in Australia, click here. We hope we will be returning to this part of Australia soon. Australia was as welcoming as it was beautiful. It is too bad it is on the other side of the planet from where we live.

After four days in the Sydney area it was time to head to the mountains. The region west of the city has a UNESCO World Heritage designation. The weather did not cooperate, but we did the best we could to see what we could see  We did not have a very good plan other than head the rental car in the direction of clear skies and seek out beautiful scenery and Australian wildlife.

The first stops were in the Blue Mountains where I got some photos of colorful parrots, sandstone cliffs and waterfalls . The weather made photography difficult. It rained a good part of each day we were in the mountains. Fortunately, the Hunter Valley between the mountains  is known for scenic vineyards that produce excellent wines. Even in the rain we were able to get some exercise hiking some of the scenic trails.

For more photos of this area click here.

We arrived late into Sydney Airport and went straight to our Hotel; Simpsons of Potts Point. It is a small place with only 12 rooms. When I booked, Keith, one of the owners of the hotel, talked me into booking an extra day, saying that Sydney is the most beautiful harbor in the world and there are too many things not to be missed. Our hotel is ideally situated for a walking tour of the city and for the last few days we have been doing plenty of walking. I have to agree with Keith, it is the most beautiful harbor (at least that I have seen). On the first day, the weather was great, but even on the days that have been rainy, the harbor and its many landmarks still shine with things to do. My wife and I are not really city people, but Sydney is different. It has beautiful scenery and not just buildings. Even though there are crowds at the famous sites, compared to other cities, it just does not feel crowded. Without having to worry about parking, we have just followed our good old-fashion paper map and we have gotten almost everywhere we have wanted to go on foot.

If you would like to see more photos of this lovely city and the surrounding area, click here. It has a little something for everyone. Thanks to everyone at Simpsons for their hospitality and good advice.

On our last full day in Queensland we went back to the Tableland in search of one of Australia’s iconic animals, the Duck-Billed Platypus. We went to several places and saw a beautiful waterfall. We were told at the first place that they had quite a few on their property and the young ladies that manage the restaurant on the grounds were very helpful. They told us what to look for to find them but also said that if the Sea Eagle flies over the property, they will hunkerdown for a few hours and be difficult to find. Just as we approached the water, the huge bird flew over and we knew our chance of seeing any platypus diminished. We looked for a while and saw some photo-worthy sights, but decided to move on to another location. We found Millaa-Millaa Falls and it was beautiful. While there a lady pointed to a spot below the falls where she saw something moving she thought was a platypus and indeed it was one. She said it had a baby swimming with it but I only saw the adult. It was in a hole in the bank before I could take a picture and so I only got a photo of what was probably the entrance to the den. I wish I got a better shot but it does not always work out. My wife was happy to say she saw it.

On the last morning, we went to the Cairns Botanical Gardens near the airport. They are extensive, lovely, and free. To see pictures from the Botanical Gardens click here. To see pictures of Milla Milla Falls and other areas we searched to try to find platypus click here for the updated Tablelands photos.

After the short stay on Milln Reef in the Great Barrier Reef system we headed north until the pavement turned to gravel. At that point we knew we had taken our rental car a bit too far and immediately turned around and headed back to the turn we missed to Cape Tribulation. The whole area of North Queensland is extraordinary. Though we did wind up crossing paths with a couple of new friends we made on the sailboat, the walks were by no means crowded. The weather was pleasant, though you did have to be prepared for a shower at any moment. We stopped for lunch at a place in the middle of the rainforest set on the side of a clear stream and had a taste of an Australian native fish called barramundi. It was quite good but even better was the setting.

If you would like to see more from this section of Australia click here. Hopefully, the photographs can transport you to that moment in time.

I started scuba diving more than 40 years ago. At that time the Great Barrier Reef was said to be the world’s best diving. Some claim it still is, but others say the reef is a system in decline because of global climate change. This adventure allowed me my first opportunity to observe it firsthand.  Even though my wife and I only snorkeled a small part of the reef out of Cairns, I would say it lives up to its name. I would also say, along with Ian, the skipper and owner of Coral Sea Dreaming, that global climate change is having an impact.

Like many people of my generation, Jacques Cousteau had an important impact on how I see the world and my realization that it is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to keep the planet well. Even though I originally set out trying to become a marine biologist and that did not come to fruition, I still have an interest in the creatures of the waters of the world. Taking pictures underwater has additional challenges, and I have to admit that I am far from mastering that realm. If you are interested in seeing more from my attempt to try and see it all, click here. I have pictures from both the deck of the motor-sailer and from below the waves. Once again I found myself more impressed by the people I met on board than by what I actually saw.    

We arrived in Cairns, which is in Queensland in the northeastern part of Australia. We have a place just south of the city, which is nice except for the lack of Wi-Fi access in the room. We have not had great weather but it is about what one should expect in the wet season in the wet tropics. We have been here a few days and I have taken plenty of pictures, but because of the lack of internet access I have not been able to post. To use a phrase that you hear a lot in Australia–no worries. This is one of the many phrases my wife and I like to hear in the Aussie accent.

Australia is a splendid place. The unique wildlife and scenic beauty is reason enough to make a trip, but the country offers even more than I expected. I have been wanting to come here for a long time. I have read about the creatures and have seen plenty of documentaries, but nothing can replace being here in person. Most people know about the Great Barrier Reef and we plan to see it, but so far we have been visiting another UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Wet Tropics of Queensland. We have spent three days driving on the winding roads that lead from the coast into the mountains where the rainforest is primarily located.  There is plenty to see and we have only scratched the surface. It is already clear that it will take more than one trip to see what we would like to see. As you can tell from the lead photograph we have seen one magnificent creature. It is listed as endangered in Australia and there are steep fines for harming them. It is called a Southern Cassowary. I have more photos of it and pictures of other things that can be accessed by clicking here.

Though you see plenty of yellow signs warning you of their presence, the large birds are not easy to find. After getting several tips on a good place to look, we headed to the location. We parked the car and looked for a while with no luck. We did not see any. I did see a set of tracks in the sand and took a photo of one of the prints, like I did with the tiger tracks in India, hoping for the same result. When I pointed it out to my wife, at first she thought I was kidding. It was much bigger than she was expecting. It looked like a dinosaur track larger than my hand and it left a deep impression, indicating a heavy bird. She said she had never heard of a cassowary before and apparently did not know what she was looking for. After seeing the print she showed a little more enthusiasm and read about them when she found a sign. We looked for about an hour until it was beginning to get dark. We had a long drive ahead before we were back at our place; so, a bit disappointed, we got back in the car with only the digital image of the footprint on my camera. As I rounded the first turn, I noticed some bright colors that seemed out of place. I stopped the car and stared. I pulled up the parking brake, asked my wife to roll down her window. I turned the motor off and I started taking photos.

One of the most impressive things to me so far is how much effort goes into making sure their national parks are accessible and well maintained. It is obvious that they are a source of pride to the people and a gift to the world. 

On our last day in Lovina we got up early and met with Wadi, the same man who took us on the snorkeling trip. It is the low season right now, and things get pretty tight for the local people. My wife took a liking to Wadi, because he is a hard worker and though by western standards not well off, he is rich in kindness and generosity. He really wanted us to see his dolphins and the sunrise over his island. We paid more than we should have but were happy to help. Like all the places I have visited, Bali is full of people willing to welcome people and share their culture and knowledge of their home. I only brought the GoPro (a gift my colleagues gave me for my retirement) and that allowed me to get an underwater shot of the dolphins you see above. It was a hard shot to get from a boat that was moving pretty quickly. The animals kept their distance from the boats that were jockeying to be in position when they surfaced. If you would like to see a few more pictures click here. I also included a few shots from the long trip back to the airport with Lorenzo, our main driver while we were in Bali. We stopped at one of the tallest waterfalls and at a morning market on our way to Denpasar. We had such a good stay on arrival that we booked the Grandmas Plus Hotel again to relax before our flight to the next destination, which I hope to post about soon.

It will be good to be back in a developed country, but I will have to start driving for myself again for the first time in a few months. This is the longest I have gone without getting behind the wheel since I got my driver’s license. The last four countries I have been in, they drive on the left-hand side of the road and the same will be true of the next country. For me, that will be a challenge–not the first time, but it has been a couple of years. There is no way I could have driven safely in the last three countries. The roads are crowded; road lines and signs mean nothing and you have to know how to use a horn as a signal of intention. Just walking across the street was an adventure.