Hello there,
Five weeks away from Saskatchewan's cold and snow has made us think this should become an annual event! Two days with Carolyn and Gary in Casa Grande before leaving for L.A. and thence to New Zealand were great. Again we went to the "Organ Stop" for pizza and entertainment--something I would recommend to anyone who heads for Phoenix.
We arrived in New Zealand on February 23rd to torrential rain and cyclonic winds. This was the edge of one of many small cyclones in the area. Two days in Auckland proved to be windy, but we did lots of sightseeing and began our diary of video and photos. From Auckland by coach we went to Rotorua, seeing glow worm caves, geysers, mud pools and sheep shearing. After those two days we returned to Auckland, picked up the suitcase that I had lost at the hotel, and continued to the wharf to board our "home" for the next 12 days. This was the lovely Diamond Princess, one of the largest cruise ships owned by Princess Cruises.
The cruise was great fun in spite of very high swells, rain, and rather cool weather. Lew was able to play bridge on "sea days" while I played Trivia, went shopping, and visited with others on the ship. There were about 3000 passengers with which to visit, so I never found myself bored! Unfortunately there were only a couple of days when suntanning was on the agenda, but we certainly partook of the food and the entertainment on board.
Land tours from the ports gave us greater insight into the two islands of New Zealand, the island of Tasmania, and the cities of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. We did indeed visit Christchurch 3 weeks before the earthquake, and we circumvented Cyclone Yasi in Australia. Our tours took us to several different zoos and animal enclosures, as well as farms, Maori camps, historic sites, museums, Aboriginal encampments, and a Cadbury chocolate factory.
We disembarked in Sydney and flew immediately to Cairns (over top of Brisbane and all its devastation). Cairns had been visited by Cyclone Yasi only two days prior to our arrival, so we were able to see the uprooted trees, toppled fences and chimneys, and massive flooding. Yet, it didn't screw up any of our itinerary, and we were able to proceed as planned. After 3 days in and around Cairns (Great Barrier Reef, Rain Forest, etc.) we flew into the Outback, landing in Alice Springs. There we very much enjoyed the bright sunshine, 36 degree weather, and 99% humidity. The "desert" was lush and green from having received more than 10 times the usual annual rainfall. Our tour group of 26 Canadians were a wonderful bunch, full of fun and silly ideas. They decided that Lew and I should not be living in sin, so they planned and carried out a "mock wedding" on February 13 at a cattle station, where we learned all about boomerangs, heard more about Aboriginal culture, and were served bush bread and barbecued steak outdoors, followed by entertainment that was provided by a balladeer. All of the gentlemen involved had bought into the 'wedding' scheme, so they fit it right into the entertainment. It was a lot of fun, and quite confusing to the other tour group who were there that night!
From Alice Springs we took a long coach ride through the Outback to Uluru, commonly known as Ayers Rock. Along the way we came upon several herds of wild camels. After touring around the Olgas (an outcropping of rocks with 38 "heads"), and the base of Ayers Rock, we were glad to get into our air conditioned hotel and enjoy a shower. It was extremely hot and muggy, and during the days the black flies were quite nasty. The evening, however, was lovely and the second night we were there, we took a small bus through kangaroo country to a "secret" place on the desert near the Rock for the "Sounds of Silence" dinner. There, tables were set with linen and silverware and candles, right out under the sky in the desert. Wine and beer were included and unlimited--not necessarily a good thing. This was our night to remember, since Lew felt that February 14th, Valentine's Day, was a good time to continue our backwards theme. Since traffic is on the wrong side of the road, the sky travels from East to West along the NORTH sky, and water swirls down the drain the "wrong" way, he decided that following a honeymoon, then a mock wedding, there should be an engagement. It was at the dinner that he presented me with a "rock" that he felt I might appreciate. (As an amateur geologist he is always dragging home rocks, and I'm not usually very appreciative.) We are now officially engaged. A wedding date has not been set, but we will keep everyone posted.
The morning following this celebration we flew back to Sydney, where we spent three days. While there we travelled throughout the city, went up to the Blue Mountains, and went to see "The Barber of Seville" at the Sydney Opera House. On February 17th we had our final dinner with the tour group, with many promises that we will meet together again in June of 2012 for a "reunion". February 18 we flew back to LA, and thence to Phoenix to spend another two days with Carolyn and Gary. Luckily my cousin Pat and her hubby, Dennis, (from Ontario) were staying in Quartzite and were able to drive over and spend a day and evening with us.
We left Casa Grande on a beautiful 70F morning, only to arrive in Saskatoon to -25C with a windchill. No wonder we are so glad we did our "once in a lifetime" trip.
All was well here, as my Mom (at 85) stayed and looked after the house, the cat, and the fish. She even did some of the snow-shovelling, but she was severely admonished for that!
That's our quarterly blog for now. Be in touch later!
Phyllis
