Hardwired

Brisbane

New Zealand 2014: Christchurch and Aoraki Mount Cook

Oct 12, 2017 | , ,

 

Christ’s College was built in 1925 in the Gothic and Tudor perpendicular style. The structure was reenforce against earthquakes in 1987 and only suffered minor damage during the 2011 earthquake.

As I’ve mentioned in several blog posts, I am not a fan of long flights. After three hours, I’ve hit my limit for sitting in one place. But the flight from Brisbane to Auckland was quite pleasant—the seats roomy, the service excellent, and the food tasty. For once, I was a tad disappointed when we landed three and a half hours later.

And what I dislike even more than a long flight is riding in a puddle jumper plane. David tries to appease me by saying, “It’s a regional jet.” Regional jet or puddle jumper, being sandwiched in a seat on a small plane for more than an hour is murder. Thankfully, the “regional jet” from Auckland to Christchurch landed just twenty-five minutes over the one-hour limit. But who was counting?

With back-to-back flights and a layover in Auckland, we arrived in Christchurch at 8:00 p.m. and drove straight to our hotel—the George. Tired and hungry, we wanted to dump our luggage in the room and grab something to eat. The hotel has a fine dining restaurant, Pescatore, but we wanted light fare, so we ate at 50 Bistro—tomato bisque followed by grilled scallops. We finally climbed into bed at midnight and I snuggled up to George, the keepsake teddy bear left on our bed during the first-night turndown. A nice touch. I still have George and he is such a good traveling companion, always well-behaved and welcomed at lodgings worldwide. You can follow him on Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/TheGeorgeBear.

Christ’s College

We woke to a chilly, overcast day and walked into downtown Christchurch. There were still some signs of the 6.3 earthquake that hit the town in 2011, and I thought about the two thousand people killed in the quake. One shop owner shared her story and the deadly details hit home, as I’d had my share of earthquakes over the years—Mexico, South Africa, and a number in Southern California. We spent the morning exploring Christchurch and wished we had allowed more time for sightseeing. But a reliable source (David) told me we will return soon to explore some more.

In the afternoon, with David behind the wheel of our rental, we motored onto State Highway 8, the Inland Scenic Route to Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village, about a four-and-a-half hour drive. Before we set out, the receptionist at the George said, “This is New Zealand. The journey is as exciting as the destination. Take your time and enjoy.”  And indeed we did, driving past acre upon acre of farmland, pasture upon pasture of countless sheep, cattle, and deer farmed for domestic sales. I fell in love and wanted to take home a lamb.  

David will be the first to admit that he does not have the “farming gene,” so he surprised me when he said, “I could live here and I’d farm.” What? I asked him to repeat that statement, and he has, many times in the past three years. In fact, he liked New Zealand so much that we plan to return in 2018. And I can’t wait to head Down Under again.

For one, I missed out on visiting Lake Tekapo, an alpine spot at the foot of Mount John. I was captivated by the deep turquoise of the lake’s water, which is created by rock flour from the surrounding glaciers that is suspended in the water. The glaciers in the headwaters grind the rock into a fine dust as they make their journey down toward the lake. Lake Tekapo is set against a backdrop of snowcapped mountain peaks—a magnificent blend of white and turquoise. I also wanted to see the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo, so both the lake and the church are on my must-see list for trip two.

Nestled in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, the Hermitage Hotel was the perfect base camp for our hiking and ATV adventures, which is why we chose it. The building is not the typical log or timber lodge you’d see in the US or Canada. The commercial looking, blue-gray steel structure rises from the valley floor like a metal giant, and not everyone thought the modern architecture was appealing. “Military barracks,” I overheard one visitor say. Personally, I found the style intriguing, and we had a wonderful stay.

The first night, we ate in the Panorama Room. The porcini mushroom appetizer was good, but the entrées stole the show. I had smoked salmon with a potato mousse and baby peas. David ordered the venison with blueberry and juniper sauce and grilled vegetables—both meals cooked to perfection. For dessert, a sampler of homemade ice creams.

Damage to Christchurch Cathedral after the earthquake.

 

 

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Australia 2014: Cairns 

Oct 5, 2017 | , , ,

Monday morning, we killed an hour poolside at the Peninsula Hotel, then packed our bags for the drive from Port Douglas to Cairns. As soon as we arrived at the Pullman Reef Hotel in Cairns, the woman behind the check-in desk greeted us with “The pool’s closed.” Her pensive expression told us she expected a negative reaction, but David smiled and replied, “That’s fine. There’s an entire ocean just across the street.” She beamed. “You’re the first guests not to complain.” And indeed there was an entire ocean, and more, across the street from our hotel.

Cairns Esplanade.

The Cairns Esplanade features an outdoor amphitheater, a large swimming lagoon, grassy picnic areas, walking tracks, public barbecues, shops, restaurants, children’s playgrounds, and the departure terminal for the Great Barrier Reef tours. A long promenade stretches the length of the waterfront, and as soon as we unpacked we made a beeline for the boardwalk, interested in finding an outdoor café for a bite to eat. We chose the Wharf One Cafe, mainly for the location, and ended up eating a very late breakfast rather than lunch. Both of us ordered the cane-cured salmon on toast with two poached eggs, a light meal that wouldn’t ruin our appetite for dinner. We walked off the meal and spent the afternoon touring the waterfront and the cruise terminal.

That night, we dined at Tamarind in our hotel—Thai cuisine. David ordered grilled snapper with turmeric and mint and a side of papaya salad. True to form, I ordered the Penang duck curry with caramelized pumpkin, roasted peanuts, chili, coriander, and served with scented rice. For dessert, a good port, and we called it a day.

Green Island day excursion

Dundee’s restaurant

The next morning, we headed to the Reef Fleet Terminal to board a double-decker boat for a half-day excursion to Green Island. We snorkeled, toured the island, and then queued up for a glass bottom boat cruise—arriving back in Cairns for a late lunch at Mondo On the Waterfront. After an active morning, I was ready to relax on their outdoor patio and people-watch as I enjoyed my squid salad.

For dinner, we ate at Dundee’s Restaurant, both of us ordering the fish special, trout with a dill and crème fraîche dressing.

Mondo On the Waterfront.

We woke early on our last day in Cairns, and rather than use the fitness center at our hotel we power walked the pier for exercise, the morning a pleasant sixty-eight degrees, cool by Texas standards.

That afternoon, we caught a flight from Cairns to Brisbane, where we would spend the night. The three-hour plane trip passed quickly, and soon we were checking into the Novotel at the Brisbane Airport.

We freshened up and took a cab to the Reserve Restaurant Milton for one of the best meals we had during our Aussie and Kiwi vacation. The restaurant is housed in “an old terrace building” very reminiscent of historic homes in the French Quarter in New Orleans—plenty of ornate ironwork, crystal chandeliers, and stunning river views.

We started the night with drinks in the upstairs parlor overlooking the Brisbane River before moving downstairs to the dining room. From the prix fixe menu, we chose the pheasant terrine. For mains, David had the lamb rump and I had roasted duck. For wine, we decided on a pinot from the Yarra Valley called Giant Steps, a vintage we fell in love with and had a difficult time finding back in Texas. Of course, it was the name of the wine that initially sold us. Dessert was a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate tart. I could have eaten two or three, but I had to save room for the cheese platter and port that followed dessert.

And I’m sorry to write, in 2015 the Reserve Restaurant Milton closed. According to the owner and chef, Kieran Reekie, there has been “a radical change in diner habits, including a shift towards cheaper meals and trendy chains, like the recent influx of burger joints,” which made his award-winning fine diner unsustainable. He went on to say, “The younger generation doesn’t want to sit down for dinner. They want to stand in a queue and have a drink and snack here, then go for a burger, and maybe dessert somewhere else.” That is indeed a shame. For us, the Reserve offered an indulgent dining experience—one of our most memorable in 2014.

Giant Steps Story

A month after I returned to the US, I finally tracked down a wine distributor for Giant Steps and drove into Dallas to buy the pinot. When I placed the order, the store owner informed me that I had to buy an entire case, as it was a special order. I asked if he could order two cases. I wanted to have extra bottles to give as gifts. He sounded exasperated when he replied, “O…kay.”

The website had the store opening at 9:00 a.m. I arrived at 8:45 a.m. At 9:20 a.m. a postal worker dropped off the mail and said, “They don’t open until ten. I know what the website says, but you won’t see the owner until ten.”

At 10:00 a.m. sharp, two men showed up. They worked for the store. I called the owner to ask if he was on his way. He was finishing breakfast and would be there by 10:30 a.m. I reminded him that his website said 9:00 a.m. Yeah, he knew—he had never gotten around to updating the store hours. Thank goodness this is far from the norm for Dallas establishments, and fortunately for me, I was successful in locating a more reliable liquor store for my Giant Steps purchases.

 

 

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Australia 2014: Port Douglas

Sep 14, 2017 | , , ,

After all the business travel my husband David had done during his career, I thought he would be content to stay stateside when he retired. I realize work travel is not the same as traveling for pleasure, but I was surprised his wanderlust hadn’t waned one bit. Often I would meet David at the end of a business trip and we would spend a few weeks touring whatever country he happened to be  in, as well as neighboring countries. We both hoped he could swing a trip Down Under to visit the company’s division in Australia, but that never happened, so in 2013 we mapped out our plans to visit Australia, including Tasmania (know colloquially as “Tassie”), and New Zealand.

Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, Australia.

What had kept me from making the trip was the 17-hour flight, and most of it over all that ocean. To add to my dread, David booked a night flight. Imagination can be wonderful for an author, but your mind can also conjure up a lot of bad scenarios, all of which added to my anxiety. But my desire to see these countries finally outweighed my nervousness. 

September 15, we boarded an evening flight from DFW International to Brisbane, Australia, and settled into our seats on the upper deck of the Qantas 747 Longreach. I occupied my time during the long flight the way I often do with my free time—writing the next book in my thriller series or the next blog post, enjoying every word I jot down—doing it the old-fashioned way by putting pen to paper. “I’m not interested in hauling along my laptop—too much trouble with all the security checks, never mind keeping close tabs on it. I seldom breeze through security these days, not after 911 and a knee replacement. I seem to be on everyone’s radar for a pat down, but I don’t mind—I’d rather arrive safe than not at all.

After a late dinner of sea bass, broccoli, and pickled radish salad—not bad for airplane food—I dug out my notepad and set to work on writing blog posts. Hubby slept, a luxury I rarely indulge in during any flight—I’m too keyed up. And even though I had a window seat, I couldn’t see anything, as it was nighttime. To the sound of several passengers snoring, my gaze wandered to a burly man in a bright orange jacket sitting in an exit seat. He stood and observed the passengers. Federal marshal, I wondered?

At some point in the endless flight, I must’ve dozed off. David tapped me gently on the arm and asked if I was interested in breakfast. No, I wanted to land, to feel earth beneath my feet.

We finally landed in Brisbane at 5:00 a.m. on September 17, having lost a day when we crossed the International Date Line. In Brisbane, we had a five-hour layover, giving us ample time to clear customs and catch the train shuttle to the domestic section of the airport, where we boarded a 737 Air New Zealand flight to Cairns—a two-and-a-half-hour airplane ride, the best kind in my book since it’s short. I picked at my lunch, enthralled with the miles of neon-turquoise waters that shimmered below, the aqua surface dotted with coral reefs and broken by a sea inlet.

Back of Peninsula Hotel facing Four Mile Beach. Our room was on the top level, blue section on the lefthand side.

In Cairns, we had prearranged for a chauffeur-driven car to take us to Port Douglas, an hour-and-a-half trip north of Brisbane. Len, our driver, kept us entertained with suggestions for sightseeing and general folklore. As we motored along the east coast of Australia, I was stunned to see acre upon acre of sugarcane fields and commented about this to Len. “It’s one of our largest and most important industries. We grow up to thirty-five million tons of sugarcane every year,” he said. I had no idea Australia cultivated sugarcane, and on such a grand scale. The first time I had seen a sugarcane field was when we lived in Trinidad.

Intrigued by Len’s comment, when I returned to the US I researched Australia’s sugarcane industry, which is Queensland’s largest agricultural crop and a billion-dollar business. The cane fields are located mainly along Australia’s eastern coastline from Mossman in the far north of Queensland to Grafton in northern New South Wales. There are approximately 4,400 sugarcane farms. The vast majority are owned by sole proprietors or family partnerships. Depending upon seasonal production, Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of raw sugar, after Brazil. About 80 percent of the raw sugar is exported mainly to East Asia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, the US, and New Zealand. The remaining 20 percent is for domestic use.

Len dropped us off at the Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel, and we checked in. Our corner room was on the top floor, private and quiet, with two balconies: one overlooked Four Mile Beach and the other a narrow walkway that led to the beach. We unpacked, changed clothes, and strolled along the shoreline for about an hour before we freshened up for dinner at the Watergate Restaurant & Lounge Bar. The restaurant’s entrance is down a flame-lit path off Macrossan Street—romantic. We arrived early for our dinner reservations, so we sat in the lounge to sip a pre-dinner drink and to unwind.

Four Mile Beach at sunset.

Watergate Restaurant & Lounge Bar.

Per our request, our server showed us to an outdoor table. We felt as if we were eating in a lush rainforest, and as an outdoorsy person, I loved the setting. David ordered pan-seared local reef fish with crispy duck fat chips, sautéed greens, and a malt vinegar beurre blanc. One glance at the menu and I knew exactly what I wanted. Both of my favorites were being served together—duck leg with garlic mushroom risotto, and seasoned, parmesan greens. Dessert was also an easy choice. We shared a flourless chocolate cake with white chocolate ganache and roasted almond gelato.

 

 

 

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