The Norfolk Pine

These trees, originally from Norfolk Island in the southwest Pacific, are everywhere in both Auckland and Sydney. From the middle distance they look distinctive and a bit freaky:


Up close, you can tell that what look like huge, upward-pointing needles are actually branches that themselves contain hundreds of small needles:


From a distance, they stand out like sentinels:


They must have looked somewhat like that to Captain Cook, when he discovered Norfolk Island and excitedly reported to London that he had found a much-needed source of masts for ships. Alas, those huge straight trunks turned out to be as weak as carrots and the trees thus had no economic value.

Later, they were exported around the region for landscaping, but you can't plant them in the eastern United States, as they'll snap under a wintertime load of snow and ice.

The Long White Cloud ... Wrapping It Up

I've gone on long enough about this trip, so I'm going to leave you with just one final image from each country.

New Zealand's Maori name was Aotearoa, meaning "Land of the Long White Cloud." And it really is:


And from Australia, yes, I know it's trite, but I love it so:


Thanks for reading. I don't know when or where our next trip will be, but you can read all about it here!

Australia: Tasting Notes

The best meals of our trip were in Melbourne, hands down. If you're ever there, check out Seamstress, a cutting-edge Asian-fusion place on the edge of Chinatown, and Flower Drum, which proves that high-end traditional Chinese dining really does exist, at least outside America.

We didn't eat as well in Sydney, but that had more to do with having so much else to do that we often found ourselves either on a tight schedule or choosing restaurants based on proximity rather than ratings. I'm quite sure we can do better next time.

Even Australian sommeliers tended to recommend New Zealand wines, and it's true that Australian wines are, from our limited sampling, more variable. Aromatic whites (Riesling, Pinot Gris) were generally a good bet. We had a stunning aged Shiraz (vintage 1997) for only A$10 a glass at Flower Drum, and while I'm sure more like that exist, they're hard to find.

The only rule of thumb I can offer is that the best wines we had (both red and white) tended to come from Victoria state. However, I'm not sure how readily available Victoria wines are in the United States. Victoria, the southernmost mainland state, has a coolish climate by Australian standards (I like cool-climate wines) but a relatively small wine industry.

Unlike Kiwis, Aussies tended more toward beer than wine in their bars. Toohey's and Boag's were two brands we liked.

Oddly enough, we didn't see Foster's for sale even once in any bar we visited.

Big Ugly Fat ...

We didn't get to ride on the Airbus 380, but I did get a chance to look one in the face, both at LAX and at Sydney.

The 747, which we did ride, looks stately and a bit dignified.

While the 380 may be a perfectly nice airplane inside, up close from the outside, man, it just looks obese.

The Great War (updated)

World War I was a defining experience for both New Zealand and Australia, and memorials abound -- most of them, understandably but unfortunately, oversized and tasteless. Here's the "Bridge of Remembrance" in Christchurch:


This bridge and archway were erected to commemorate World War I specifically, and after World War II broke out they had to tack on a small extra plaque commemorating it, which you'll see to the lower right:


Melbourne's memorial is even more unappealing:


Sydney has a similar one as well, and (UPDATED 3/15) here is a picture:

The Harbour Party

The parade was good; the aftermath was bad; the Harbour Party, the next day, was sensational.

It is, in all important ways, the Pier Dance done right.

Like the Pier Dance, it starts in the late afternoon. But unlike the Pier Dance, you get there by walking through the botanical gardens, with thousands of bats circling overhead:


The space for the dance is at least as large as Pier 54, but much better equipped: there are food tents selling delicious lamb burgers, easily accessible bars (though, mystifyingly, there were only two beers on sale: an Australian brand, Hahn's, for A$5, and an imported, premium beer for A$7: Budweiser -- the American kind, not the Czech kind).

There's a picnic area for socializing, and plenty of room to dance. There is a station where you can refill your water bottle for free (imagine that!):


I found out later that this is mandated by law at Australian dance parties. (Again, imagine that!)

The crowd is as friendly as can be. You can pretty much walk up to anyone, smile and start a conversation.

But the best part is the setting: yes, it's that million-dollar view of Sydney:



Not a bad way to wind up a weekend.

Mardi Gras: the aftermath

As much as I liked the Mardi Gras parade, I've got to also report on the aftermath, which wasn't pretty. The streets along the parade route turned into a sea of broken bottles and broken costumes:


Many people who had brought along milk crates to stand on for a better view simply abandoned them in the street:


And the police, faced with a sea of yobs drunk and loutish to an almost British degree, reacted in kind. Twice on the way from the parade to the hotel, we encountered lines of mounted officers forming up, seemingly prepared to charge and clear the streets by force. It was all a bit scary and we left as soon as we could.

The next day, Sunday, a sign went up at the entrance to the neighborhood:


A bit too late, if you ask me.