New Zealand….So far…

We have had 3 days and New Zealand and it has been very impressive

The Fjords were magnificent especially as the date cleared and we were able to appreciate the beauty of the second and third Fjords..Port Chalmers and Dunedin as equally as impressive with Dunedin showing its Presbyterian and Scottish background and traditions.

Not only are the communities of Port Chalmers and Dunedin impressive but Port Chalmers is very active and attractive town. Dunedin is a very beautiful area downtown with the railroad station and the cathedral being the two focal point. But there is a lot of shopping and a lot of tourist attractions so well worth 3 or 4 hours

The day in Christchurch so far has been a major attraction in that you see first hand evidence of what an earthquake can do and how a city can recover.

But the other part of the Christchurcharea is the drive over and back where you get to see the real beauty of the South island

 

Wellington, New Zealand

Today was a most interesting day in Wellington we have just pulled away from the dock and it was very interesting to see the tugboat help get us out of the dock area with these winds as strong as they are.

Today we started by taking the shuttle into the center of town and then walked to the New Zealand museum for the Galilippo  show exhibit. It was outstanding. From there we walked back through the town and rode the cable car to the top…. walked around at the top then road the cable car back down and walked to the building of the clock, which  was built in an old bank building completely redone. We then walk down to the Beehive and the Parliament and the State Library then to the old Cathedral which was remarkable and then was all done in wood and was very very beautiful. We then walked by the railroad station stopped and had a McDonalds coffee and sweet then back to the shuttle.The thing about today that was worth remembering for the strong winds in downtown Wellington

Wellington is a gorgeous remarkable modern setting with this huge Harbor Bay area and very impressive with a lot to see  and really too much for just one day.

 

 

Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia

Port Arthur is a most historical town just to the north of Hobart, the

capital of Tasmania. As we approached the bay of Port Arthur it became very

obvious that this area was incredibly heavy wooded….which started to

verify that 90% of Tasmania is wooded…..

  1. The Bay is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and was

discovered in the early 1800’s for its timber…and in 1930 became a timber

outpost for Australia , 2. Needing workers, the Australian government in

cooperation with the local business people in the lumber business, decided

to bring convicts to the area as laborers…and in 1833 created a

Penitentiary for convicts that then became the labor force. It grew from

there for the next 40 years….thus the current ruins and remains of the

original town as well as the small current town, Carnarveron,Tasmania, Australia.

  1. The Ship docked in the bay and we got on the Ship Tenders to go ashore…and

this entire procedure was orderly and well done…with about a 12-15 minute

ride in to the dock. From the dock it is easy to go to the Visitors Center

and from there take a leisurely 2 or 3 hour walk around all of the buildings

which have been renovated and modernized as much as possible, still making

it a kind of museum…

  1. The detailed history of Port Arthur is well documented, and info on the

prison, the prisoners, and their work and activity is well presented. Very

well done.

  1. Included in the Ship package was the 25 minute boat tours around the

Bay…where you can see where the Boys prison was, as well as the Island of

the Dead, which was their cemetery.

  1. This is a great one day stop…..just enough time to see this beautiful

area.

  1. In summary, so far Tasmania has been a must see spot if you enjoy natural

beauty  with mountains, beaches, wooded areas, and little towns right down

to the waters edge….one of those best kept secrets.

  1. Another factor about Tasmania is that it is one of the southern most

points before you get to Antarctica. I am told the part of Antarctica that is

easiest to reach is from South America….but if you look at the world map

you can see that Tasmania is almost as far south. One of the slogans in

Burney was “welcome to the edge of the World”…..and seems to be true. But,

also one of the most beautiful that we have seen in that you have the

feeling of the tropical areas along with the mountains and the trees…

We are in Hobart now….which is about a 2 hour ship journey south from Port

Arthur. Gorgeous wooded mountains coming right down to the city of Hobart,

which has 200,000 people….and as I write I am looking out on acres of

labeled logs ready to go on ships for export. Probably 500 containers here

either filled or empty but extremely well organized and all seem to be in

order. We will spend 2 days here…should be interesting.

All for now,

Burnie, Tasmania, Australia

Burnie was our first stop in Tasmania..and as we approached the island in the early morning we saw a very beautiful green colored area…and as we approached the port…we saw the evidence of a huge timber-lumber industry…..as we docked we were next to a huge wood chip pile….with huge conveyor belts and loading cranes….and even though it was a Sunday….obvious that this is a big port for lumber. We were told we could take a shuttle from the ship to the three stops downtown….and we got on one to the downtown area. Very beautiful small town of 20,000….that has some very impressive exports, such as opium for the medical industry. (Morphine)….largest poppy growing area in the Southern Hemisphere, etc….

the first stop was the Makers market, which, in essence, means an indoor museum where there is some artisans, etc…and a large visitors center….very impressive. From there to stop #2 is a 5 minute bus ride, or you can walk the boardwalk….about a 15 minute walk to stop #3 areas, which is in the downtown. Even on Sunday, some very nice small shops in the old town area…..very attractive area.

Stop #2 has a very fine museum, and we were fortunate to see the National Geographic photo display which the city of Burnie now owns. We had an hour there…very impressive.

So, in summary…

  1. A small town with some great leadership that has compensated for the loss of 3 main industries….by taking advantage of tourism.
  2. Great weather with a low temperatures of 40 degrees….lots of tropical growth….beautiful beach area.
  3. A good example of a small town that is very pleased to be part of the tourism industry…with about 35 cruise ships coming in during the year.
  4. Population has remained constant….replacing the 3 larger industries with small businesses.
  5. The three industries that left…Caterpillar to Indonesia; Chemical company that polluted the ocean beaches to a red color…..closed…. And the lumber mill, which is now a wood chip operation, in that 80% of the island is wooded.
  6. Shuttle bus service is excellent….very friendly and helpful and many around the port and the city to help with answers and tourist tips. The Makers Market info booth is outstanding, with some very nice displays.
  7. Tasmania is a very unique area that has survived as a thriving smaller city in a world wide industry…