"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part II

Once on board the Interislander, we made the 3 hour trip from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island, and in so doing, we passed through the Marlborough Sounds (pictured above). The Sounds protect the northern most end of the South Island and they reminded Callie of parts of Alaska: rugged and uninhabited. Once arriving in Picton, which is little more than a small fishing town that is also a terminal for the ferry, we picked up our rental car (a red Toyota Corolla hatchback) and made the drive to Kaikoura. We stopped in a little town called Blenhim for dinner, but since it was dark already, we could only make out the vague impression of our surroundings. The road was winding and narrow in places, but since I was already an expert on driving on the wrong side of the road (see the post on Adelaide and the Barossa Valley), we were able to arrive in Kaikoura without incident.

Kaikoura, literally meaning "crayfish" (lobster) in Maori, is a small resort town on the northeastern corner of the South Island and is famous for the abundant marine wildlife that inhabit the area. Again, we arrived late, so we weren't able to see anything, but when we woke the next morning, the picture above is what greeted us out our window. At this point, although Callie and I certainly had enjoyed Wellington, we instantly loved New Zealand and couldn't wait to see what else it had to offer. We stayed at a place called The Fairways at Ocean Ridge, which is a real estate development with a series of apartments that are rented out to tourists like us. We had breakfast in the morning and made our way into the town before our whale watching encounter after lunch.

 

The town of Kaikoura isn't much to write home about: there are some small retail shops and restaurants but not much else (although there was a 9 hole putt putt course that we did take advantage of). For the most part, Callie and I found ourselves looking at the snow-capped mountains and the deep-blue of the ocean. Callie said the color was like that crayon color "Cerulean"- if that is helpful. But people don't really come to Kaikoura to see the town, they come for the incredible marine life that lives along the coast. We visited a colony of NZ Fur Seals that lives at the south end of the town, and we were shocked to discover Blue Ferry Penguins alongside the road.  We have deer and possum (that's how they spell oppossum) on the side of the road in Alabama, but they have penguins on the side of the road in NZ. 

Anyway, we had planned to go out to see the Giant Sperm Whales that frequent the waters off Kaikoura in the afternoon, but since the whales were outside the tour's operating area, we took a Coastal Wildlife Tour instead. The reason the whales visit is because there is a 3,000 foot oceanic trench just a couple of hundred yards off the shore where warm equatorial waters mix with cold waters coming from Antarctica and thus provide an incredible volume of nutrients for sea life in the area. On our tour we saw fur seals, lots of sea birds- including the Wandering Albatross, which has the largest wingspan of any bird on the planet, and dusky dolphins. These dolphins travel in pods between 100-300, and they are very playful and sociable. The would do flips and jumps and one even seemed to have a great time splashing the people riding on the bow of our boat. While it was disappointing that we didn't get to see any of the whales, it was still a great opportunity to be close to some of New Zealand's incredible wildlife. 

    
After our time on the water, we returned to Kaikoura in time for dinner, enjoying the sun as it set across the mountains. The next morning was Easter, and we attended an early morning service at a small Anglican church where we lowered the average age of the congregation considerably. After church, we had a late breakfast and then headed south towards Christchurch, the "most English of cities outside England." 

"The Land of the Long White Cloud": Part I

Over this past week, Callie and I were on Easter Break, and in order to take advantage of our time off, we decided to visit New Zealand.  We traveled the country for roughly eleven days, and over that time, we concluded that there was simply too much to say in just one post. As a result, we wanted to write about our trip in increments. What follows is a reflection on our time in New Zealand, a journey in the "land of the long white cloud." 

We began our 11 day journey through New Zealand in "Windy Wellington," the country's capital and second-largest city.  Its nickname became very evident as our plane attempted to land safely, but looking out the window, we knew we were in for a treat.  Wellington is located on the southern tip of the North Island and is home to the Te Papa National Museum, the first place we ventured after our arrival. 

 The museum is designed to present the geologic, natural, and native history of New Zealand, and its signature exhibit is the world's only preserved giant squid.  We discovered how the convergence of the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates have created the mountains, volcanoes, hot springs, and, of course, earthquakes in New Zealand.  Additionally, we learned that the country is home to numerous unique bird species such as the kiwi and other flightless fowl, including the 9-foot tall, 450 lb. giant moa, which is now extinct.  These flightless birds flourished in the absence of predators for centuries because New Zealand broke away from Gondwana, the supercontinent, before land mammals had evolved.  But Wilson will have more on subjects such as these in future posts. 

The following morning we rode Wellington's historic cable car up the hill (see first photo) for a lovely view of the city and a visit to the botanical gardens.  Just like Australia, New Zealand seems to have an abundance of green space throughout its cities, and Wellington is no exception.  Though we could have wandered along paths in the gardens for hours, we decided just to hit the highlights, such as the enormous rose garden pictured below.  After our botanical trek, we sought rejuvenation at Sweet Mother's Kitchen, which just happened to serve down home Creole cookin' straight out of N'awlins.  (Sidenote: Of course we ordered the cornbread - I haven't eaten cornbread in a year!  They don't even sell cornmeal at the grocery store over here.)  

Anyway, our time in Wellington drew to a close as we ventured over to the ferry passenger terminal and awaited our call to board the Interislander, which transported us across the Cook Strait over to the South Island.

"Nash"-ional Lampoon's Australian Vacation

Words can't actually convey how excited Wilson and I were to see Mom, Dad, Walton, and Molly here in Sydney.  I had been counting down the days since we came back after Christmas, and they finally arrived on Friday, March 13th!  They climbed the Harbour Bridge soon after they arrived, which was ambitious considering their jet-lag, but they all agreed that it was definitely an appropriate introduction to the city.  We had a guided tour of Sydney on Saturday followed by a lovely dinner with John and Kathy Blahut.  Sunday, after a tour of the Opera House (see post below), Rob and Sue Segart were kind enough to take us all sailing in the harbour, providing an opportunity most tourists don't have to see Sydney.  We made time for a trip to Gladesville Sunday evening, which probably wasn't terribly impressive compared to the glamorous neighborhoods we toured Saturday, but Wilson and I were proud to introduce everyone to our apartment, our favorite pizza place, and the Aussie reality show "Border Security."  The four of them left for a short trip up to Port Douglas, Queensland on Monday to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef and explore the Daintree Rainforest only to return to Sydney last Thursday afternoon.

After a picturesque dinner on the harbour, we attended the Sydney Symphony's performance of  "The Best of the West End" in the magnificent Concert Hall in the Opera House, and it was all I could do not to sing along to the scores from Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins, etc.  We revisited the Blue Mountains Friday, and fortunately we were greeted by nicer weather this time as you can see in the photo of The Three Sisters below.  We also had the chance to stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park on our way up to the mountains, where we all had a great hands-on experience with quintessential Australian animals like kangaroos, koalas, emus, and a variety of exotic birds.  We weren't allowed to pet the wombat, pictured above, because it bites, but it is still tied with the koala as my second-favorite animal despite its aggressive tendencies (otters are my favorite).  After lunch in the lovely garden village of Leura, we rode the "steepest railway in the Southern Hemisphere," which was disappointingly short, into the Jamison Valley and then took the sky bucket back up the mountain over the tree tops.

We rode the ferry to Manly Beach on Saturday, and in the afternoon Wilson gave us a tour of the University of Sydney - from the Oxford-style Great Hall to the extremely modern law buildings, stopping by the lawn tennis courts for Molly.  We celebrated a successful trip by dining at The Summit, a revolving restaurant on the top level of Sydney's tallest buildings.  Wilson was so impressed by the food and the view that he already wants to go back!  Unfortunately, Mom, Dad, Walton, and Molly had to fly home Sunday, but it was a great week and we were glad for the opportunity to share this fantastic city with them.

The Sydney Opera House: The Spirit of Australia

This past Sunday, Callie and I (along with the rest of the Stone family who arrived on Friday morning) took a behind the scenes tour of the Sydney Opera House. Having yet been inside the architectural masterpiece that graces the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, this was a chance for us to see the Opera House in a different way- to discover the incredible difficulty associated with its construction and to appreciate the uncompromising ingenuity of its design. 

Planning for the Opera House began in the early 1950s, and 233 entries from 32 countries were submitted into the competition. The winner was a Danish architect named Utzon whose drawings were more of an aspirational idea than an architectural blueprint. Nevertheless, construction began in 1959 and 16 years later, after an estimated 102 million Australian dollars, the Sydney Opera House was opened. It is worth mentioning that construction delays, cost overruns and political imperatives ultimately led to Utzon being dismissed from the project; he never returned to see his completed work.  

Inside the Opera House, there are actually five separate performance spaces from a small experimental venue called "The Studio" to the 2,700 seat Concert Hall. In each area, however, there is a common emphasis on the harbour thanks to a tremendous amount of glass that allows multiple unique experiences with the water. And while the exterior of the Opera House is obviously beautiful, it is equally stunning on the interior. 

You know that feeling when you walk into a space and you feel instinctively that there is something special, something inexpressibly majestic, about where you are . . . well that's how you feel when you walk into the Concert Hall. It's not that it's large- although it certainly is- but it's grand and powerful in a way that is overwhelming. Like walking into the sanctuary of a gothic cathedral, the Concert Hall envelops you, it captures you from every angle. The walls and ceiling are made of special lightweight wood to carry the sound, and many performers elect not to use a microphone, which might seem a little difficult considering that the organ has 10,000 pipes! Nonetheless, the acoustics effortlessly blend the vocal and musical elements of a performance, and I can't imagine what it must be like to observe in person. (Fortunately, we will not to imagine for too long because we are planning on attending a concert with the Stones this next week.)

  
Needless to say, the Opera House is a masterpiece: it is distinctive, yet functional; it adds to the beauty of an already beautiful city and it seems to capture the essence of Australia. On our tour, we were told that the Opera House hosts a variety of activities from the fine arts like opera and ballet to more unusual performance mediums like burlesque and stand-up comedy. Luciano Pavarotti, Andre Bocceli, Sting, Coldplay, The Foo Fighters all have performed at the Opera House. It annually hosts the finals of Australian Idol and was recently home to an acrobatic circus. It is available for corporate gatherings and is used for school performances. (Imagine doing a school play on the stage of the Concert Hall!) Perhaps most unusually, it was used for the finals of the World Bodybuilding Championships in 1980, a competition that was won by now California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

When one thinks about an opera house, the image that inevitably comes to mind is a place for stodgy and elitist benefactors. It is a place for formal attire and expensive cocktails, a place where you need to know French or Italian to understand the performance, and a place where the uncultured are generally unwelcome. Except not in Sydney. Despite its reputation as a world-class performance venue, despite its World Heritage listing, despite being the most recognizable building of the 20th century, this iconic structure offers an inviting and laid-back experience where all are welcome. There is not even a dress code. The Opera House is unpretentious and accommodating, its tickets are affordable (which is unusual in Sydney), and its doors are open to those who are willing to walk through. As a result, the Sydney Opera House forms a perfect reflection of Australia: warm and hospitable, open, tolerant and gracious. And just as the Sydney Opera House has become the unique, recognizable image of Australia, so too does it capture the spirit of her people.   

Back to School

This past week, after a lengthy summer break that afforded opportunities to enjoy Australia's natural abundance, I had to start class again, and to be quite honest, it was nice to be back at work. This semester I have four classes (just like last semester), and as of now, I am taking courses in International Security, Globalization and Governance, China and the World Economy, and Development Dilemmas in Southeast Asia. Given that I have somewhat limited knowledge in several of these subject areas, I am excited about what I will learn this semester, and it was good to see classmates and friends from last year. 

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet here in Sydney. The days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting cooler, and you can tell that fall is on its way. This past weekend we did have a chance to see friends from home as Randall and Nancy Wells were in Sydney on a two week tour of Australia and New Zealand. The Wells are family friends from Highlands United Methodist Church, and we met in the city for breakfast this past Saturday. This upcoming weekend, Callie's family will arrive from Birmingham and so we are very excited to have all these familiar visitors arriving in the Great Southern Land. Before long, it will be our turn to head back home, but in the meantime and in an effort to see as much of this part of the world as possible, we are looking forward to upcoming trips to New Zealand and Canberra. More on those plans later, but for now, it's back to school.

And for me this week, it was back to cakes (thank goodness).  The gateau above is a Feuille D'automne, which translates as "leaves of autumn."  Beneath the ruffles of dark couverture chocolate are layers of rich chocolate mousse and crisp almond meringue.  The composition is very similar to that of the Gateau Concorde, so needless to say, Wilson was in love.  I'll admit that the chocolate ruffles (or flower - it's open to interpretation) were a bit of a challenge, and some of my classmates ended up with mounds of chocolate shards in the center of their cakes.

We also made a Buche de Noel this week, which is otherwise known as a Chocolate Christmas Roll/Log.  Recipes vary, but the Le Cordon Bleu version includes an almond dacquiose (sweet, moist sponge) surrounding layers of Cointreau and chocolate mousse and covered in a chocolate ganache.  It is traditionally garnished with meringue mushrooms, chocolate "bark," and a plaque reading "Joyeux Noel" as pictured here.  The dacquiose is delicious on its own, and Eddie and I managed to consume every scrap that remained during the lesson.

This week we'll be making the final preparations for the afternoon tea that our class will be serving on Wednesday, and rumors have it that Andre Cointreau, the owner of all Le Cordon Bleu schools, will be arriving on our campus this week.  Hopefully our products will be up to his standards!

Superior So Far

My Superior Patisserie course is now fully under way, and during the second week we created a chocolate box and a variety of hand-dipped chocolates, both of which will be required for our final assessment in a few weeks.  Predictably, I chose to adorn my box with a large bow molded from white modeling chocolate, and I'm tempted to repeat the design on my assessment piece.  Below you can see the various chocolates we produced:  nougat, marzipan, and raspberry fruit paste.  The only thing the pictures don't convey is the enormous mess I made along the way (which required hours of soaking my uniform in a bleach solution).

Last week, the third week, we focused on marzipan modeling.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with marzipan, it is simply a combination of ground almonds and sugar (powdered, or "icing" sugar as it is called here).  The quality of marzipan varies depending on the almond content;  marzipan with a high almond content (and therefore a better eating quality) would be used to top cakes or for chocolate dipping, while marzipan with a low almond content is used to mold the figures seen below.   

My friend Eddie and I decided to make little marzipan bakers wearing pink pants - again, predictable.   

My little baker is rather beefy from rolling out pastry, whipping cream, kneading dough, and whisking egg whites.

As you can see, the lessons in Superior have focused on more artistic tasks, and the creative students in our class have had a chance to shine (not me).  This week we each completed a chocolate showpiece, and because the choice of chocolate molds was quite limited, most of us ended up with a holiday themed piece (mine had an Easter bunny on top).  I'll admit that I prefer making the gateaus, tarts, pastries, and breads, but I've accumulated a range of skills I never expected to possess.  While I probably will not need to make an Easter-themed chocolate tower in the future, I suppose it is satisfying to know that I could.

Still Intact: Our Great White Adventure

This past weekend, in a somewhat strange observance of Valentine's Day, Callie and I traveled to Port Lincoln, South Australia in order to dive with the great white shark. Port Lincoln is a small coastal fishing town and is close to the Neptune Islands, which is home to a colony of New Zealand fur seals, a favorite meal of the "white pointer." Needless to say, we were both excited and nervous, but now that we have returned to Sydney in one piece, we can safely recount our adventure.

We left Sydney on last Friday morning for an early flight to Adelaide. For regular readers, you will recall that we spent some time in Adelaide on our last trip, but this time we had only a short layover before catching a small regional flight to Port Lincoln. Port Lincoln is about 35 minutes by air from Adelaide and is home to a large proportion of Australia's tuna fishing industry, yet another reason that it is frequented by the great white. We arrived mid-afternoon and spent the remainder of the day walking along the harbour foreshore and enjoying the lovely weather. We had dinner at the hotel and went to bed soon thereafter given the early start the next morning.

The Neptune Islands is about two and a half hours from Port Lincoln by boat, which meant that we had to be at the dock at 6:30 A.M. The journey out was a a little rocky and some of our companions (there were about 20 of us in total) began to look a little green around the gills. Callie, on the other hand, had taken two dramamine and was having trouble staying awake, but once we reached the Neptunes, things began to get exciting. The crew began chumming the water with a mixture of fish innards, blood and tuna pieces while making as much noise as possible in order to attract the sharks. This ritual continued for about forty-five minutes before the first visitor arrived and the cage was in the water.

To say that the great white is a large animal is a gross understatement. Not only is it long-the ones we saw averaging about 15 feet- but it is thick and heavy, and given how powerfully it moves through the water, it is no wonder that we are afraid of it. However, after observing the sharks once they arrived, they did not seem to be overly aggressive or violent; rather, they appeared to be curious- like a really big dog with really big teeth. Nonetheless, when we got in the cage (yes, Callie got in as well), it was hard to not be somewhat overwhelmed by their presence. 

 

We were the fourth group to get in the cage, which was good because it gave Callie enough time to see that others had survived the experience without incident. There were four of us in the cage at once and we each had a regulator (like on a scuba system) to breathe through that was connected to an air compressor on the surface. The cage sits near the top of the water and is attached to the stern of the boat so that you are always close to help. Each group was in cage for about forty-five minutes, and during that time, sharks would come and go, circling the boat and trying to eat the bait in front of your face. In what was probably the most aggressive moment of the day, a shark went for the bait and instead bit down on the corner of the cage where I was standing, which prompted all of us inside to move back a little bit. You could hear the grinding of the teeth and the violent thrash of the jaws shook the cage in the water, but we returned with all our limbs and extremities intact. 

*Please note: that is a large black garbage bag in the bottom left corner of the picture- just so you can appreciate how large the shark is. 

Over the past several weeks, many people have asked me why I wanted to do this, and I always say that ever since I found out that we were going to Australia, this was something I just had to do. I have always loved the ocean and the chance to see arguably the world's most sophisticated and lethal marine predator in person was something that I couldn't pass up. Having safely returned to Sydney, we again feel extremely lucky that we could have an experience like this one, although I'm not sure that Callie will entertain the thought of another high adrenaline Valentine's Day next year.