Papers plus sangos plus Black Ties

After the usual Saturday avalanche of papers, P. and I went into town for lunch at the NGV: yummy crotchless sandwiches. Thence to the Pavilion in the Arts Centre for a combined Maori/Blackfulla production of Black Ties. I exepected a romp in the yarn about a cross-cultural marriage, and it was funny, but it was also serious, though it fell apart at its resolution. I liked the taking of the piss out of the absurd idea of pan-Indigenality. All the performances were brilliant and it was (mostly) a brilliant script and idea. Home again for a scratch dinner of pea-and-ham soup plus baby cheeses and dips watching part of the Sydney Muddy Gras then George Gentley.

Shopping plus not much

As Harriet was busy, I picked up Barnaby the Yaris, brought him home, picked up P. and we went off to Victoria Gardens for the weekly shop, and dropped Noel's few things at his place and came home for lunch. It's all very boring. After dropping off Barnaby, I had a nap then cooked salmon fillets for dinner followed by Gardening Australia and Endeavour. What could be more conventional?

Novel

I've now got one third of the way through the novel which is quite gripping. P. has gone off to the first of the post-colonial lit. sessions for U3A. After lunch and a nap, P. and I went of to Superhiro for a good meal, then joined Sally S. at the Malthouse for The Importance of Being Earnest, performed, improbably, by two men. It was a virtuouso treat, breathing life into an old chestnut. It was our secoond dose of Wilde in a week, the first being Salome which was based on his play. Home again for the late news and bed.

Down to work

This morning, I finished reading the new chapters of the biography and sent a few comments off to the author who responded sounding pleased with then. Then I turned to the VAST novel and started reading it. As it is over 170,000 words, it will take a while. I got about a tenth of the way through before lunchtime which was the newly-made pea-and-ham soup which was not bad. Now for a nap. In the evening, I went off to Hawthorn for our regular Penguini dinner. A seven-people turn-up this time and good magging with Andrew, Pat, Carla, Julie, Jackie and Bryony.

Now really back to earth

This morning, I finished off the blogging on the holiday (see below) and worked out the costs (not too bad considering the number of tours and plush hotels). Then I settled into a quick read of the biography which I'll return to tomorrow. We had quiches for lunch and I'm on the way with cooking pea-and-ham soup, nearly finished. Now for a nap. To keep things really back to normal, P. and I caught the bus to town to meet Frank at our familiar Recital Centre (we had withdrawal symptoms in NZ) for a concert of Schubert's Schone Mullerin in the PP Salon performed by two Kellys, Douglas the tenor and Stewart on piano (no relation). It was a breathtakingly good concert with fine musicianship all round. We then had a very satisfying meal at Yoyogi who (yay) have put back beef tataki on the menu. Home again to wind down in front of the telly.

To Te Waipounamu Sunday

We cabbed to Tullamarina for a late-afternoon flight to Christchurch with Virgin, which went well with not-bad food. Then we caught a cab to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the centre of town. On the ninth floor, we had a good view and also had a good view of the toilet and bathroom, which inexplicably has a glass wall, which fortunately you can curtain off. The room was cosy and comfortable once we had worked it out so we fell into bed. Within a short time, the fire alarm sounded and we were instructed to evacuate. Down nine flights of stairs in our pjs to join the other denizens of the hotel, most of them in their towelling bathrobes, in the parking space next door. Two large fire trucks appeared and we were soon allowed back to bed.

Christchurch Monday Tuesday

In spite of the temptation of staying in our plush room, we ventured out. We tackled the tourist tram which is overpriced and went to the beautiful Botanic Gardens and the Art Gallery. The Gallery is a bit grandiose, all foyer and no art, or not much but had some good temporary exhibitions including one by Brent Harris who was born in NZ but, rejected as gay by his parents, moved to Australia where he has built an impressive career. He has donated a lot of works on paper to this gallery.. We had lunch at the gardens and dinner, not bad but not wonderful, at the Hotel. Next morning, we went up the road to Quake City, about the devastating earthquakes of a decade ago and to the Canterbury Museum which contains a lot of rather badly organised bric-a-brac. We lunched there, sparely, then went to the cardboard-constructed temporary Cathedral which is impressive. We also had an impressive dinner at 127 Steps above nearby shops with good service and exemplary food. It was definitely our best meal in NZ.

Banks Peninsula Wednesday

I picked up our Corolla not far from our hotel and drove back to pick up P. We did the short but lovely drive through a volcanic (extinct) landscape to Ataroa which was first settled by the French and tries to retain that aura. It is on a lovely harbour but the lady at the boat tours said it was too rough that day for a trip but try again tomorrow. We settled into our motel, plain but serviceable, and had a good meal at Bully Hayes (an old pirate) recommended by Lonely Planet. A comment on NZ TV: it is awful. Rupert seems to have a monopoly on hotel TV and we were treated to, believe it or not, Peta Credlin and Andrew Bolt as our sole Oztralian representatives. The 'national' channels are dripping with ads, twice as bad as SBS in Australia. And they play Coronation Street in prime time several nights a week. Nuff said. Save the ABC and SBS!

Waitangi Day Thursday

The weather was good enough today to do the dolphin tour at Akaroa, which we did and saw Hector's dolphins, seals and penguins. We promptly named our Corolla Hector. We continued across the rather boring Canterbury Plains to Timaru where we stayed at our cheapest accommodation of the tour, which was not bad. It was in a well-preserved and renovated old hotel with heaps of rooms, obviously catering to tour groups (two Asian tours were there the night that we were). Being Waitangi Day, almost nothing was open, so we ate at the pub which was very hospitable but the food was at best pub-style. Though basic, the Grosvenor was a good place to stay with free parking opposite for Hector.

To Dunedin down the east cost Friday

Our first stop was Oamaru which has a waterfront of very well preserved historic buildings, mostly set up as tourist trappes, but very nice nonetheless. Even though it would have been a long drive, it might have been a better overnight stop than Timaru. We then stopped at Moeraki Boulders, a fairly unimpressive set of boulders/pebbles set into the foreshore. I'm sure they are of great significance to the Maori. Along the road to Dunedin with a stop at the wonderful Orokonui Ecosanctuary where we saw heaps of birds. Thanks brother-in-law Ian for the recommendation. In the centre of Dunedin was our lodgings, a not-bad motel/hotel. We walked to a local Turkish restaurant which gave out heaps of food, not very good, which I could hardly eat any of. It was part of our swings-and-roundabouts tour of moving from excellent to appalling meals.

Dunedin Saturday

We went to the Art Gallery first up and, like Christchurch, were a bit underwhelmed by the permanent collection which seems to pass modernism by. We then had a better time at the Settlers Museum, though the local Maori got fairly short shrift, whereas the suffering whities, facing weather and mud, were treated in much more detail. We then went up the Otago Peninsula which is a gorgeous drive. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Royal Albatross Centre there was a roaring gale which nearly blew us off our feet plus stinging rain. So we eschewed the offered tour and just looked at their display. Retreating to our cosy hotel, we then went round the corner to Bracken, a Scottish-themed and -decorated eatery which sold us a very good meal with excellent service.

The Caitlins Sunday

We left our very comfy accommodation in the heart of Dunedin and drove to Papatowai. On the way, we dropped into the very scenic Nugget Bay and Purakauniu Falls, which were flush with water. Then P. walked to McLeans Falls, but I wimped out of the 20-minute walk. Finally we arrived at the Whistling Frog 'Resort' where we had a comfy cabin and a pub-style dinner, not really gourmet as they advertise. We had a good night though. The whistling frogs are apparently imported and haven't spread anywhere else, but we didn't hear/see any at all. The Caitlins are really out-of-the-way with no mobile coverage but worth visiting.

Off to Stewart Island Monday

We left the Whistling Frog on the road to Curio Bay, where it was fortunately low tide so we could see the petrified forest on the foreshore. We also took a walk in the nearby forest which is supposed to be a remnant of what the petrified forest used to be before it was inundated. After a coffee we drove to Bluff where we temporarily abandoned Hector the Corolla (sob) and caught the ferry for the one-hour trip to Stewart Island. We booked into the spare motel units at the South Seas Hotel and had a not-bad meal in their restaurant. There are not a huge number of residents on Stewart Island and they are trying to eradicate pests which threaten the Kiwi population. Later in the evening, we took a 'kiwi' tour but unfortunately by about 11pm, no kiwis. One of the couples on the tour stayed on and finally scored a couple of kiwis by 1am. Ah well, you win some, you lose some.

Birds and more birds Tuesday

We spent most of the day on more Ulva tours. The first involved a boat to Ulva Island, which is a 'pest-free' sanctuary with well-formed paths and lashings of birds in the rainforest. Our guide, Emma, was excellent and complimented P. on his bird spotting. The weather stayed good today, fortunately. We were then picked up by a boat which took us on a pelagic tour of many birds on the water, mainly beautiful large albatrosses. Our guide, Matt, was very knowledgeable about birdies and the sea, and our four companions were trigger happy on their cameras. We had dinner at the bar of the hotel after one of the highlights of the tour. The pub is not bad either.

Te Anau and glowmaggots Wednesday

We had a good breakfast at the South Seas Hotel (there weren't many grass skirts) then caught the ferry back to the mainland where we picked up the lonely Hector. It was a longish drive to Te Anau where we arrived just in time to do the cruise and glowworm tour. Our guide said they weren't really worms but rather sinister cannibal maggots but that glow maggot tours would hardly pull in tourists. It was fun going in the pitch dark in a boat past rushing water. We then booked into our lodgings, the Keiko Cottages with a Japanese flavour, which had beautiful gardens tended by one of the proprietors, Keiko, which were a change from the various rather sterile environments we'd been having. We had simple fush'n'chups for dinner.

Milford Road at Te Anau Thursday

We left the cottages and headed up the Milford Road. We were of course stopped at the end but on the way saw magnificent scenery including the beautiful Mirror Lakes which were set in soggy beech forest. Back in the afternoon, we dined at Redcliff Cottage for one of the meal highlights of our tour. Home again in a cab to the cottages.

To Queenstown Friday

It was a fair drive from Te Anau to Queenstown. Queenstown is a victim of its own popularity. It is impossible to park in the CBD, so we retreated to our hotel which we had some trouble finding, down the lake. It is an offshoot of the Hilton, next door, called Doubletree on Hilton. We had a magnificent view of the lake though it was odd having a transparent bathroom window facing onto the street and a stove with a griller at floor level! We went on an excellent lake cruise in the arvo which viewed the million-dollar houses in plush Queenstown, then, because it was Valentine's Day, dined at the bar, not badly.

Arrowtown Saturday

The Hilton does good breakfast as well as having whining customers. In spite of dire warnings about hordes of tourists, we headed to nearby Arrowtown, an old mining settlement, They have a very good outdoor re-creation, not too kitsch, of a Chinese settlement and a not-bad museum. We had pies for lunch at the bakery. Back at Doubletree on Hilton, we dined rather well at their eatery though the staff seemed run off their feet.

Queenstown to Haast Sunday

It was a longish drive after the excellent Hilton breakfast, through lakelands and rainforests of great beauty. We had a good lunch at a cafe in Wanaka before arriving in Haast, which really is the arsehole end of the earth. There is little there and we dined at a joint called Hard Antler, the only eatery, festooned with stuffed deer and antlers (!). I asked the cook for a small serve of venison stew (of course) but still couldn't eat it all, nor could P. eat all of his spare ribs. But you get the general idea. Also, it drizzled the whole time we were there which added to the sense of misery.

Haast to Fox Glacier Monday

We left Haast with few regrets, though the motel was a lot better than a jaundiced Yank had implied on Trip Advisor. It was another drive through beautiful misty rainforest. We had a coffee and a sandwich at a salmon farm. P. had a salmon pancake. We passed by Lake Moeraki, one of the many beautiful lakes on this southern journey. On arrival at Fox Glacier we drove through an even steeper rainforest to Gillespie's Beach and an old mining graveyard. On the way, the clouds parted and we got a long-distance view of the glacier which was lucky. Fox Glacier was heavily booked. The motel was the most expensive we stayed in, even though it was nothing special. We dined, not badly, at the Lonely Planet recommended eatery run by sub-continentals. How did they wind up in this really remote place?

Fox Glacier to Greymouth Tuesday

A longish drive today through Franz Josef Glacier where we visited the Wildlife Park to peer at a rare kiwi in the gloom and a couple of fairly dour tuatarus in bright light; we also had a coffee, then lunched at a very one-horse town Ross (there are a few of these in the South Island). We arrived in Greymouth which P. misnamed Greytown, which is not inappropriate. We checked into our motel then had dinner at a nearby Indian eatery where we over-ordered. On the way home, we were shouted at by a couple of hoons (this is the wild west). I couldn't figure out why, then realised it was because we both had man-bags, obviously not yet fashionable in Greytown.

Greymouth to Christchurch Wednesday

We departed our fairly basic motel and visited the art gallery in an old bank, which, as well as contemporary exhibitions, has a very valuable collection of carved art by both Maori and other artists. After a stroll down the very unimpressive main drag and a coffee we headed to the station where we sadly returned Hector the Corolla and lunched at Speight's Alehouse nextdoor. The train was an hour late departing but the wait was worth it. It is a magnificent train journey through the alps and a long tunnel. We arrived in Christchurch and got a cab, lickety-split, to our B&B, which has an eatery attached, which is why I picked it, so our last night in Christchurch would be an easy one. However, as often in NZ, the serves were good but too big. Neither P. nor I could finish our meals. The B&B was comfy with a nice garden, though the shower was one of those puzzles where architects give you a mystery to solve: this time, how to turn on the shower. In spite of that, we had good night's sleep.

The new normal

After a few frenetic days, post arrival back in Oz, today seems back to normal. I should be able to start posting about our travels, backwards, so they appear in the correct sequence. Amazingly, though it now seems normal, on arrival back I received a very large novel for review and comment and a new instalment of the biography. It's as though the authors were waiting to pounce, but, in fact, I am very grateful to be occupied with something worthwhile. Meanwhile, back on our last day in Te Waipounamu, we had a very good breakfast at our B&B, Pomeroy's on Kilmore. The joint is a redevelopment of an old factory which now houses the B&B, some units, a bar and eatery and a corner cafe. We then taxied to the airport, where we had to fill in a few hours in a very sterile environment with P. not feeling very well, and cursing the paucity of toilets. Our gate lounge was, of course, the very last one, five hundred miles from the entrance. We had a very good Virgin flight to Melbourne with not-bad food, but the shit really hit the fan in Melbourne where it is a trek from passport control (very efficient) to customs (miles and miles of queues and sniffer dogs) then another trek to a cab to take us home. It is obvious that airport owners don't have to care about passenger comfort and they don't.

Crossword plus picnic plus baroque

After doing the crossword lickety-split, P. went on with making salads for the Family Barbecue. It wasn't huge and we missed Aunt Ellen who had a stroke last week. She is the last remaining member of her generation. But there was a reasonable rollup, including three Coupers, three Churchills and four Simses (this includes various appendages). As usual it was good to catch up on the gossip which these days often revolves around matters medical and travelling. Home again to drop Harriet the Corolla off; now for a nap. After that P. and I wandered over to the Convent for a Genesis Baroque concert, this time a compilation of music by various composers including Locke, Vivaldi and Purcell with bits of Shakespeare and Spenser interspersed, read by the incomparable John Bell. It was gloriously done. Then salmon for dinner followed by the Adam Goodes doco.

Shopping plus Strauss

Busy, busy, busy, so no time to blog about the trip to NZ. P. and I picked up Barnaby the Yaris this morning and did the shopping and dropped Noel's off to him. He is okay but doing battle with the NBN. Now, after a quick lunch, a quick nap, before meeting Frank at the bus to St Kilda. We had a good meal (as usual) at Cicciolinos, then to the Palais for the Victorian Opera doing Strauss' Salome. It was a fairly senseless production but the playing and singing was good. Congrats to all, but less silliness next time, please folks.

Home again

We arrived home last night (Thursday) after a quite good plane journey with Virgin and less-than-delightful experiences at the airports at either end. Airports don't seem to have a priority of keeping customers happy and comfortable. Just shove 'em through. Exhausted, we did the minimum and blobbed. This morning, we roused ourselves into action to go to Teresa Pitt's film course, this year Film Noir. Today's film, Stranger on the Third Floor was a triumph in the temporary, but luxurious, venue of the Old Colonists in Rushall Crescent. More travel tales to follow in the next few days as we settle.

Very humid

...and hot. I won't be sorry to escape from this. More packing and washing this morning mid a mountain of papers all excoriating Scummo. Nick and Sarah have gone off for a run in the heat, poor things. They are now off at the movies in a desperate attempt to keep cool. P. made bacon and eggs for lunch in an attempt to use up stuff and has started packing. Now for a short nap. P. and I joined Frank at Trotters for a good meal then we went to the Courthouse for this year's edition of Homophonic. It was excellent as usual, though I shouldn't take such a treat for granted. The highlight was Laila Engle's tour-de-force in a commissioned work for amplified piccolo and bass drum (I kid you not). As P. said afterwards, 'What did the poor little piccolo do to deserve that?' Other works were just as engrossing and the Consort of Melbourne acquitted themselves well as well. Home again feeling good.