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On 3 March 2023, she departed for Oceania on a 4-week voyage via Australia and New Zealand. A small impression of my beautiful trip.
By Anas Stop
With a suitcase and a backpack, I boarded the train on my way to Schiphol for a 24-hour journey with a stop in Dubai. I arrived in Melbourne, south-eastern Australia, and headed straight to bed just after 1am with the prospect of a bike ride across the city the next day. I walked quietly around a city with tall buildings but also a pleasant street atmosphere. In the evening we had dinner with the group and got to know each other a little. A mixed group, young and old, traveling solo or with a partner or friend, all accompanied by Eric, the treasured tour guide.
Bus tour along the southern coast of Australia
The next day we start a bus journey on the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. It turns out we are dealing with very rare koalas in the trees along the way. In a patch of forest we walk among the largest ferns I have ever seen, about three meters high and wide, and in the sea there are large rock formations that have been given the beautiful name “The Twelve Apostles.” We actually got over the time difference and in the following days we walked more and saw koalas, emus, wallabies and baby kangaroos. Everywhere we were reminded by signs: “Gather here in case of emergency or fire” that it was humid now, but there were other times when intense fires could ignite.
Inland Australia and Sydney
In Adelaide we visited beautiful gardens but also visited a museum of Aboriginal art. I totally enjoyed it. How can the artists create such beautiful paintings using their dot technique and they are also good at woodworking for arts and utensils.
In the afternoon, we boarded a plane to the outback, central Australia. The next day, we spent a long time on the bus through the red sands, on the way to Uluru, a large mountain sacred to the Aboriginals rising from the flat red sand. Together with another travel companion we flew around by helicopter at sunset, which was very impressive. The next morning, we walked around a bit to see, among other things, the petroglyphs.
From there I set off to Sydney to try and experience that city. Besides the Opera House, there is a lot to see, which I also did from the Bridge Climb. You walk safely over the highest bridge arch in central Sydney with a beautiful view of the city. Very nice experience.
Flying to New Zealand
After two weeks in Australia, we flew from Sydney to Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand. The inspection at the airport was very thorough and long, they are afraid of harmful animals and plants. While touring the city, we passed a simple but beautiful memorial in memory of the victims of the 2005 earthquake – a place with 158 empty white chairs.
New Zealand is greener than Australia and full of cows and sheep. I couldn't get enough of the ever-changing landscape. On the way from south to north we also visited an albatross colony. What big birds! I visited the History Museum in Queenstown. Unfortunately, there was not much interest in Māori there. Sea lions, dolphins and even a whale were spotted on a boat in the water between the two islands, which was cold.
North Island finally
I sailed from the South Island to the North Island and visited a very nice museum in Wellington where attention was paid to the destructive actions of the English towards the Maoris at that time. The North Island is home to the kiwi, but you don't encounter them in the wild anymore. Fortunately, we were able to admire them in private gardens. I always thought they were small birds, but they are actually the size of a large chicken. After a week-long trek along a crater lake, a hike between mud springs and geysers, and a Maori evening with a show and food, we arrived in Auckland. Here was, among other things, a very nice museum with apparently a very large newly equipped Maori art and history department. One of the guides who accompanied us around the city did not know about this. In Auckland, we also came across a warning sign: Gather here in case of tsunami.
And then return home, more than 24 hours against the wind, with a head full of impressions and an unforgettable experience.
