The Banks Peninsula, Akaroa and Dolphins

Today I made a day trip from Christchurch to the Banks Peninsula, which was named by Captain Cook after the famous botanist Joseph Banks who sailed with him, and who particularly enjoyed taking samples of the area’s rich vegetation. My destination was the small town of Akaroa on the very tip of the peninsula. When I checked on my computer, the distance (85km) and time (90mins) for the trip were much longer than I had expected, so I hurriedly got dressed and set off. The trip took even longer than scheduled due to some extensive roadworks on the way out of the city. New Zealand roads are generally in excellent condition and driving is usually a pleasure – except when you run into their very frequent road repairs. I realised that I would not reach Akaroa in time for the morning boat ride I was targeting, so instead I booked a later trip and enjoyed driving through the rolling green countryside (reminiscent of England or Scotland) and made a coffee stop at a cute, quirky village Banks Peninsula village called Little River.

A quirky hotel made from agricultural silos at Little River

As I approached Akaroa the names of the settlements began to have a distinctly French feeling – Duvauchelle, French Farm. This is a reflection of the town’s interesting history. in 1838, a French whaler visited the place and bought land there from local Maori chiefs. He returned to France and recruited a group of prospective settlers with the aim of creating a French colony, and they set sail for their new home in March 1840. However, in May of that year, the British signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the main Maori chiefs, giving sovereignty over the whole country to Britain. The French ship made a stop on the North Island of New Zealand on the way, and the budding colonists let slip their plan to form a colony in a local tavern. Keen to quash any idea of competing territorial claims, the British immediately dispatched their navy to Akaroa and the French arrived to be welcomed by the union jack flying over the settlement and a warship in the harbour. After long negotiations, the British offered the settlers five acres of land each or safe passage back to Europe, provided they accept British rule. Most opted for the land and many of their descendants live in Akaroa to this day.

Akaroa, which means “long harbour” in Maori, is a very pretty small town strung out along a couple of kilometres of a….very long harbour. It was full of arty shops and cafes, and most of the street names were French.

I joined a small group of other tourists for my boat trip and we headed out to into a large arm of the sea, which stretched inland between tall mountains covered with lush vegetation. Millions of years ago, this had been the site of a huge volcano, about as high as Mount Cook. It exploded and its centre collapsed back into the ground, forming a huge caldera which is now underwater. Today this body of water is home to a big variety of wildlife, including the main target for our tour – Hector’s dolphin, the smallest and rarest of the different dolphin species. Onboard our boat was Buster, the dolphin-sniffing dog, who was supposed to bark at the smell of marine mammals.

I was not sure Buster was on top of his game, because he only barked twice – once at the start, for apparently no reason, and once when the captain’s assistant distributed cookies to the passengers. After half an hour we had the first of three encounters with a pod of dolphins. They seemed to busy feeding and largely ignored our boat.

With our main objective completed, the captain showed us some of the pretty coastline in the area, including interesting rock formations and some seals.

On the way back, we had two more encounters with dolphins.

The bay is also occasionally visited by killer whales and penguins, but we didn’t see any.

A view from the scenic drive, Banks Peninsula

On the way back from Akaroa I took a scenic route which led up to the mountains surrounding the bay, for some excellent views of the area. It was a good way to end a very laid-back, relaxing excursion to an area with a wonderfully colourful history.

Next Post: Kaikoura, lobster and blue whales

Previous Post: Christchurch

3rd April 2025 4

Christchurch (the one in New Zealand)

Today I said goodbye to Lake Tekapo. Before hitting the road to Christchurch, I headed up to the Astro Café at Mt John’s Observatory, situated on top of a steep hill just outside of town. The coffee was good and the views amazing, offering me one last look at Mount Cook.

From there I made the pleasant drive and uneventful drive to Christchurch, the biggest city on New Zealand’s South Island – albeit with only 400,000 inhabitants. I started by exploring the small but richly stocked botanical gardens.

Next, I headed into the city centre. Christchurch was devastated by a severe earthquake in 2011, which killed around 170 people and left extensive damage. It caused two major buildings to collapse and left many others badly damaged – around 1/3 of the city centre’s constructions had to be demolished and rebuilt as a result. On my visit, these efforts seemed to be nearing completion and had left an interesting mix of old and new architecture.

Cantebury University’s old buildings (1917) survived the earthquake

Work was still ongoing to repair the cathedral, whose spire collapsed in the earthquake. A temporary replacement had been built a short distance away and is nicknamed the “cardboard cathedral”.

The sides of the newer buildings often had impressive street art, like the huge mural at the top of the page and lots of other examples throughout the city.

Christchurch seemed to have a very young population…….and a lot of bars and restaurants to keep them amused. I stopped to have a drink in one of them before heading back to my motel to cook dinner.

New Regent Street in Christchurch is lined with bars

Whilst Christchurch is not a place you would travel across the world to see, in the context of my New Zealand trip it came as a pleasant break from the succession of natural wonders I had seen so far, and I liked it a lot. It had a dynamic, young and above all resilient vibe to it – an impressive outcome after the destruction of the 2011 earthquake. My brief visit left me refreshed for more adventures in New Zealand…..

Next Post: The Banks Peninsula, Akaroa and Dolphins

Previous Post: More Mount Cook

1st April 2025 4

Yet More Aspects of Mount Cook

Today I made one last short walk in the Mount Cook area to the Tasman Glacier. An easy thirty minute stroll took me a viewpoint over the glacier’s lake where groups of tourists were being taken out on boat tours.

The glacier itself at the far end of the lake was a dirty gray colour; compared to my brilliant hikes of yesterday, today’s walk was rather disappointing, but at least the scenery around the lake was just as impressive as that which I had seen the day beforehand .

Soon it was time to head on to my next destination, Lake Tekapo. The road went back along the west bank of Lake Pukaki and then briefly along its south bank, where there was yet another great view of Mount Cook.

Mount Cook from the south shore of Lake Pukaki

Lake Tekapo was like so many of the other places I stayed in New Zealand – a sleepy small town located on a picturesque lake – in Lake Tekapo’s case the lake is fed by glacier water and is s striking light blue colour. On the lake shore stood the much-photographed and tiny Church of the Good Shepherd, built to commemorate the country’s early European settlers in 1935 (which makes it almost an ancient monument by New Zealand’s standards!).

Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo

On the beach near the church, travellers had amused themselves building towers of rocks and pebbles to mark their passage, some of which were strikingly sophisticated.

After checking in to my bed and breakfast I set off for my main activity of the day – a 50-minute flight around Mount Cook and over the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.

The weather was perfect – sunny, no wind and a few clouds and soon I was in the air in a group of sixteen tourists admiring some amazing scenery.

Our route headed up over Lake Tekapo…

and then up a mostly dry river valley……

….lined with the foothills of the Mount Cook Range….

…to the glacial lakes I had seen on my previous walks in the area.

Glacial Lakes at the foot of the Mount Cook Range

Then the plane flew over the huge snow fields on the top of the high mountains….

….that feed three huge glaciers – the Tasman glacier (the longest), which flows east, and then the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers which flow the other way, almost reaching New Zealand’s west coast (which was covered with cloud during my flight).

The starting point of the Fox and Franz-Joseph glaciers

Franz-Joseph glacier descending to the South Island’s west coast

Then we flew past Mount Tasman, New Zealand’s second highest peak…….

….before the pilot gave us a close up view of Mount Cook. It was a great way to remember the mountain that had followed me for the few two days.

I am only a week in to my New Zealand holiday but I think I can already confidently say that the flight will be one of the highlights. My only complaint was that it was over all too quickly, and we were soon touching down at Lake Tekapo airport to reconnect with normal life.

The day had one last adventure in store. I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting out the hundreds of photos I had taken from the flight, before having dinner in a local restaurant. Later that night I headed out again to enjoy the night sky. Lake Tekapo is part of a “dark sky reserve” where light pollution is kept to a minimum – even the town’s street lighting is specially designed to project light only downwards. The organisation Dark Sky Project offers nighttime trips to observatories out of town to see a night sky almost untainted by artificial light; I wanted to book a tour but I was too late and they had all sold out. So instead, I headed to the town’s golf course, parked my car and looked up to see the magnificent spectacle of the Southern Hemisphere night sky. To my surprise, I even manged to take a few photos with my phone.

The diamond-shaped Southern Cross and the Milky Way

Stargazing was a great way to end a memorable and very varied day.

Previous Post: Mount Cook Hooker Valley Track

Next Post: Christchurch

30th March 2025 3

The Hooker Valley Track at Mount Cook – so good I did it twice

I left Wanaka in the morning, stopping briefly to photograph the now-famous “Wanaka tree”. This used to be a perfectly anonymous piece of vegetation until someone won a photographic competition with a picture of it, and since then it has been a magnet for selfie enthusiasts from all around the world. I was rather underwhelmed, but anyway here is my photo…….

I broke the roughly two-hour drive to Mount Cook at the Clay Cliffs, an interesting geological feature located 10km along a gravel road off the main highway. Entrance was by an unmanned gate with an honesty box requesting a $10 fee – which everyone seemed to pay (try that back home!)

Next, I stocked up with food at the small town of Twizel before taking the road north to Mount Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain (3724m). As I drove along the scenic Lake Pukaki, the mountain steadily grew bigger and bigger.

Approaching Mount Cook along Lake Pukaki

I checked into my hotel and looked forward to some interesting hiking the next day, with a forecast of sun all day. When I woke the next morning the weathermen had changed their mind, predicting sun and showers in the morning and rain in the afternoon. So I hurriedly got ready and set off along the Hooker Valley Track, a 10km walk that was supposed to give great views of Mount Cook. The promised sun was hidden by clouds and soon it began to drizzle – and later to rain. The overcast weather meant that Mount Cook remained stubbornly out of sight, but at least I could take some atmospheric photos of rainbows and mountains in the rain.

Hiking the Hooker Valley Track in the Rain

The track crossed three suspension bridges and ended at the Hooker Lake, at the end of the Hooker glacier.

Hooker Lake in the Rain, no sign of Mount Cook…

I returned along the same path, with the rain falling harder and harder, and was relieved to get back to the hotel. I spent the afternoon relaxing and writing my blog, until in the early evening I noticed that the sun had finally appeared. Being a very stubborn teddy – and determined to take some good pictures for my readers – I put on my (still wet) hiking gear again and hurried off along the same Hooker Valley Track I had walked in the morning. In the evening sun it was completely different, with magnificent views of Mount Cook.

The Hooker Valley Track in the sun this time, with Mount Cook visible!

I reached the Hooker Lake and took more photos, but headed back when it started to get cold.

The definitive photo of Mount Cook and Hooker Lake

Halfway back, just as my clothes had dried out, it started raining again, and once I again I reached home a rather soggy teddy bear. Still, I was happy – I had had a full experience of Mount Cook in two very different sets of weather conditions. Tomorrow I would experience New Zealand’s most iconic mountain in yet another, very different, way. Stay tuned!

Previous Post: Mount Aspiring

Next Post: More Aspects of Mount Cook

29th March 2025 3

Mount Aspiring and Wanaka

Today was a very full day, since I had to get from Te Anau in the south to Wanaka, in the middle of New Zealand’s South Island. On the way there was the usual pleasant New Zealand scenery, especially near Lake Wakitipu on the approach to Queenstown.

I made a brief stop for a morning coffee at Arrowtown, a small gold rush town that time forgot. It has one main street with traditional old houses……..and lots of tourists.

From Arrowtown, I continued my route north over the scenic Crown Range of mountains.

In the early afternoon I arrived at Wanaka, a popular tourist destination located on a lake. It seemed to be similar to Queenstown but on a smaller scale and more laid back. I found my B+B, quickly dropped my stuff and immediately set off again for the day’s main activity – a hike up to Mount Aspiring’s glacier. The road to get there was worth the trip in itself, and went through some beautiful countryside, with my destination often visible at the end of a long valley.

On the way there were some road hazards typical of New Zealand….

Just before the starting place for the hike I made a short stop at the incredibly scenic Wishbone Falls, where water tumbled down from cliffs into a lush valley with rich vegetation.

A few minutes’ drive further on from the waterfall was the end of the road and the car park for hikers walking to Mount Aspiring. The path was quite easy and went through even more beautiful countryside…

Mount Aspiring’s glacier beckons in the distance

….and then rose more steeply through a forest.

Ahead, the Mount Aspiring’s glacier played peek-a-boo with me as it ducked in and out of sight.

A final steep climb brought me to the upper viewing station, which gave an uninterrupted view of glacier in all its glory and about a dozen waterfalls falling from it. Unfortunately, since I had set off late, the glacier itself was in shade so my photos were a bit disappointing, but it was still an amazing sight.

The return trip brought out the positive side of my late start – the evening sun brought out wonderful colours in the mountains ahead of me. Sometimes I thought I was looking at a huge canvas of abstract modern art, painted with bold, broad brushstrokes on the cliffs.

The drive home was just as beautiful as the outward trip, but looked quite different in the fading light. It had been a very good day and one of the best hikes I had ever done – alpine pastures, mountain streams, forests, waterfalls and a glacier all in the space of a fairly undemanding 11km walk. As a reward I treated myself to a very good dinner in one of the few restaurants still open in Wanaka by the time I got back, and contemplated the wonders of nature over monkfish and some excellent New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Previous Post: Milford Sound

Next Post: Mount Cook and the Hooker Valley Track

27th March 2025 5

The Amazing Milford Sound

From Queenstown I drove to the small town of Te Anau, which sits on the lake of the same name (actually the biggest lake by volume of water in Australasia). It took a 2 and half hour drive to get there. Although I had heard that the road was boring compared to others in New Zealand, I found it quite pretty.

Typical NZ scenery on the way from Queenstown to Te Anau

On arrival I used my time to make an interesting trip across the lake to see a cave inhabited by thousands of glowworms. The cruise was scenic…..

……and the glowworm cave visit very atmospheric. There was an interesting explanation about the glowworms, which are the maggots of a fly called the fungus gnat. They make a nest of sticky threads and then light themselves up to attract flies and moths, which get stuck and are then eaten. The cave visit was conducted mostly in silence, with filming or use of mobile phones prohibited. The highlight was a boat trip, during which we floated in total silence and darkness through a tunnel, admiring the cave roof with its glowworms. It was like looking up and admiring the constellations of the night sky.

However, my main reason for coming to Te Anau was not glowworms. The town is one of the main access points to New Zealand’s Fjordland National Park, and in particular to Milford Sound, one of the world’s most famous scenic spots. This “sound” is more accurately called a fjord, since it is a long, deep inlet of the sea, with very steep walls, formed millions of years ago by the action of glaciers. It is possible to visit the area on a very long day trip from Queenstown, but I preferred to not to be in a rush and to have more time to explore. I had booked an 11.15 boat trip along Milford Sound, wanting to avoid the midday rush, when lots of tour groups arrive from Queenstown. I set off early along the Milford Road that leads to the fjords. It was incredibly beautiful, but on the way there I only had time to make a couple of stops.

I arrived in good time, parked my car and strolled through an empty parking area for buses to the ferry terminal. On the way I stopped to admire Mitre Peak, an iconic landmark of Milford Sound.

Soon I was on my way on a modern cruise ship, admiring some fantastic scenery.

I don’t think my sailing was sold out, so as we passed Milford Sound’s famous waterfalls, it was possible to take pictures without too much jostling from other tourists.

The cruise headed down the fjord to the beginning of the Tasman Sea, which separates New Zealand from Australia.

There, it turned around to head back to port. On the way back I could see why Milford Sound remained undiscovered for many years – from the open sea, the tall mountains of the shore appear to be continuous. It was only discovered in 1812 by accident by a Welsh captain, whose ship had been blown close to the shore in a storm. He named it after his home town of Milford Haven.

The time flew by as one spectacular vista followed another, and after 90 minutes we were back at the ferry terminal to disembark. It was now rush hour; long queues were waiting to board the ships moored there, and the parking area which had been empty earlier was now full with over a hundred buses. I drove back to Te Anau at a leisurely pace, pausing to visit some scenic spots I had had to rush past in the morning. These included the well-known Mirror Lakes, whose water reflects the surrounding mountains on a still day.

I got back to Te Anau in the late afternoon. It had been a very special day; Milford Sound fully deserves its reputation as one of New Zealand’s highlights, but I think I might even have preferred the spectacular drive along the Milford Road to get there.

Previous Post: Queenstown

Next Post: Mount Aspiring

26th March 2025 2

Welcome to New Zealand – Queenstown, Ben Lomond and jet boating

From Melbourne I flew to New Zealand, where I planned to spend three weeks travelling. It was already deep into New Zealand’s autumn, so I decided to visit the South Island first and then make my way up to the North. The flight into Queenstown gave a spectacular introduction to New Zealand’s amazing scenery.

Views from the flight Melbourne-Queenstown

Queenstown is a small city sitting on a lake, which is a major transit hub and tourist destination. From my hotel I strolled to the lakeside, the heart of the town. On the way I passed travel agencies offering every imaginable type of outdoor sport – bungee jumping, parachuting, canyoning, mountain biking and more. There were shops selling the requisite gear for these activities, including several outlets selling goods for the upcoming ski season. The streets were full of tourists, some slim and in sporty outdoor gear, and some plumper and in normal casual clothes. The vibe was like a French ski resort in high season, and indeed in winter Queenstown is also one of New Zealand’s most popular ski destinations.
I spent my first afternoon making a short walk along the lake and then chilling on a floating bar back in town.

Drinking by the side of (or on) Lake Wakatipu is a popular activity in Queenstown

The next morning, I woke up early and enjoyed sunrise from my hotel’s terrace.

My body was now totally confused – Melbourne had been 11 hours ahead of the UK, but the time difference with New Zealand was 13 hours. I didn’t think that more than 12 hours was possible but then realised that New Zealand, unlike London, was still on summer daylight-saving time. Profiting from the cool morning air, I set off on Queenstown’s most interesting walk, the ascent of Ben Lomond. At first, I was a bit disappointed, because the forecast sun had not materialised, but as I made the steep climb up, I started sweating and was happy for the shade the clouds provided. As my climb progressed, the views got better and better.

At roughly the halfway point there was a rather special toilet for hikers, painted so that it blended into the mountain landscape.

An original toilet for hikers on Ben Lomond

The summit offered 360° views. In the west I could see Queenstown far below, whilst to the east mountains towered out of a bank of approaching dark clouds. The mountains to the south, in the Fjordland National Park (subject of a future post), still carried the vestiges of last winter’s snow. I enjoyed the views and snacked on some chocolate bars until the first drops of rain on my fur announced that it would be a good time to head back down.

The climb and descent had taken me around four and half hours, so I had plenty to time to try some other typical Queenstown activities. First, I had a coffee in a trendy café, then I decided to try a jet boat ride.

I chose one of the operators offering tours from the main jetty on the lakeside and was soon whizzing across the lake and then up the Shotover River at speeds of up to 95kmph.

To add some excitement to the speed, our pilot entertained us by making several 360° spins.

Our boat returned to the quay with happy passengers. On arrival, we could see almost the whole range of Queenstown boating options – a traditional old wooden ferry, a jet boat, and a strange two-seater shark-shaped vessel (just visible in the photo below), part way between a boat and a submarine, which was apparently capable of great speed.

My first day had been an encouraging introduction to New Zealand. On the way back to my hotel (a slow walk with stiff legs after the climb) I bought a bottle of Pinot Noir and an obscenely large pizza and enjoyed both on the terrace of my hotel.

Previous Post: Melbourne

Next Post: Milford Sound

24th March 2025 5

Melbourne – the Botanic Gardens, NGV, Victoria Market and Mornington Peninsula

On the next couple of days I visited some of Melbourne’s more traditional sights. To the southeast of the city centre is a large expanse of green parkland along the banks of the Yarra River, which houses the Rod Laver Stadium , Melbourne’s iconic Cricket Ground and its Botanic Gardens…….

Melbourne also is home to the NGV or National Gallery of Victoria, which has two centres, one devoted to international art and one to Australian works. I visited the latter, of which the highlight was the aboriginal art collection.

As well as art and cultural life, Melbourne is famous for its food scene. Eateries range from top end places, ranked amongst the best restaurants in the world, to the incredibly cheap Asian options cramming Chinatown’s streets. It would be silly not to indulge, so I visited Melbourne’s foodies paradise, Victoria market, to buy some food for the evening and had some cheap Ethiopian street food for lunch.

Having explored Melbourne’s centre for a couple of days, I next ventured further afield– first on a long tram trip to the beach neighbourhood of St Kilda. The route went through a residential area, amazingly composed almost entirely of quaint one- and two- storey houses – as surprisingly small as the centre’s skyscrapers seem excessively tall.

Typical house outside of Melbourne’s centre

After the crowds of the city centre, St Kilda’s beach was a pleasant place to chill, with a view over the sea – flat like a mirror – all the way back to the city centre.

I also made a longer trip by hire car to the Mornington Peninsula. The city’s suburbs stretch for miles, but after an hour of driving I found myself in pleasant countryside – an area with farms, craft breweries, gin distilleries……..and lots of wineries. It would be a crime to come to Australia and not do a wine tasting, so I visited the well-known Red Hill Estate and tasted a range of excellent wines made from cold climate grape varieties like chardonnay or pinot noir.

Wine tasting at the Red Hill Estate, Mornington Peninsula

The peninsula also houses two pretty national parks, where I went for a brief walk before rain started to fall (the first rain of my Australian trip).

Cape Schanck Lighthouse, Mornington Pensinsula

Coastal scenery on the Mornington Peninsula

On my last night in the city, I had time for one last typically Melbourne experience – a private members club. The Savage Club sits in this impressive building which dates from the city’s 19th century boom years.

Inside (no photos allowed sadly) there were lots of the rooms typical of clubs back in London, with huge leather armchairs so deep, soft and comfortable that once seated with a glass of port in my paw it was hard to move. Fortunately, the seat I had chosen allowed an excellent view some extraordinary Polynesian and Melanesian tribal art, tastefully displaced around all four walls of the bar room. The foundation of this collection came from a past member who had been a governor of Papua New Guinea and had received many gifts from the local people there, which he later donated to the club. The Melbourne Savage Club is modelled on its London namesake and attracts writers, musicians and painters. Some of the regular members came up to welcome an unfamiliar face (something that would not happen in a London club!) and chatted about my impressions of their city. The club was a wonderful way to end my exploration of Melbourne – a place which rewards those that spend a few days to dig under its surface.

Previous Post: Melbourne Street Art

22nd March 2025 8

Melbourne – street art and hidden gems

Melbourne was very different to Sydney. The streets were busy and slightly scruffy, and there were roadworks everywhere. The population seemed very young and very Asian. The city was laid out on a neat grid, but its buildings were an anarchic mix of elegant old constructions from Melbourne’s boom years in the late 1800s (with the Victoria gold rush) and improbably tall modern skyscrapers, sometimes built right next to modest two-storey houses.

My accommodation was a flat in one of the skyscrapers and I dropped my stuff off and went out to explore.

The city teamed with life, like an anthill on steroids. A lot of the modern architecture was very successful, like this shopping arcade….

Amongst the modern skyscrapers were some glorious old buildings.

The Forum, a Melbourne institution and performance venue

Some of the old buildings had semi-hidden entrances that an intrepid bear could walk through to admire the stylish interiors.

Melbourne turned out to be a city where the best things are hidden and need to be searched out – in contrast to Sydney’s in-your-face Opera House and harbour. Leading off the main streets are small arcades, filled with small shops, bars and cafes.

Gog and Magog guard a swanky arcade in Melbourne

Walking around and exploring this chaos was a lot of fun, and a good way to build up a thirst for another Melbourne tradition – the roof top bar, of which there were dozens. I dropped into one to enjoy the early evening atmosphere. I was half-way through my first beer, when five o’clock struck and suddenly a wave of visitors clambered up the stairs to join me – it seems that many Melburnians do not work a minute more than their contractual hours.

Another of Melbourne’s hidden attractions is its amazing collection of street art, mostly hidden away down dingy alleyways. An incredible diversity of art is mostly painted….

….and sometimes stuck onto the walls of the city.

Some of these art installations are in popular places that are firmly on the tourist trail, like the famous AC/DC Alley, and others are in quiet, edgy neighbourhoods where drug addicts and graffiti artists hang out.

Street art in edgy part of North Melbourne

I ended my tour of Melbourne street art in yet another rooftop bar. My initial impressions of the city were a bit negative, but after a couple of days of walking around exploring hidden arcades and alleyways, I am getting to like it a lot.

Previous Post: Sydney Indoors

Next Post: Melbourne, traditional sights

22nd March 2025 4

Indoor Sydney on a baking hot day

Today the weather forecast was for a cloudy day of sweltering heat, with afternoon temperatures of 38°C – a full thirty degrees higher than back home. There was only option for such a day – Sydney’s air-conditioned museums! I left my club early and strolled through the Botanical Gardens, stopping briefly to take a shot of Sydney Opera House in the morning light…..

…..and to continue to my first destination, the UNESCO-listed Hyde Park Barracks. This was built in 1817-1819 on the orders of Governor McQuarrie, the fifth governor of the fledgling settlement of Sydney.

Its original purpose was to house convicts, but shortly after convict shipments stopped in 1840, the barracks were repurposed to accommodate female immigrants, particularly Irish women escaping the great famine. Today the site is a museum with interesting displays that recount the harsh lives of the convicts, and also the devastating impact the expanding colony of Sydney had on the indigenous aboriginal population.

Where the convicts had to sleep in Hyde Park Barracks

The museum was very well presented……..and despite being an old building it also had powerful aircon to keep visitors cool. I left the barracks and stopped briefly at Hyde Park, one of Sydney’s many green spaces….

….. before continuing on to my next destination, the Art Galley of New South Wales, which has a collection of Australian art. Rather than display their collection chronologically, the curators mixed art from different periods in the same rooms, a successful idea that produced many interesting contrasts.

The gallery has a new annex, where they displayed their extensive collection of aboriginal art.

Aboriginal Art in the Art Gallery of NSW

I spent a pleasant hour wandering around the gallery, enjoying its aircon. As noon approached however, it was time to brave the outside air to walk back through the Botanical Gardens to my next destination, a tour of Sydney Opera House. On the way I managed to see a couple things I has missed on my earlier visit to the Gardens, like Government House, the official residence of the Governor of New South Wales.

The opera house tour lasted an hour and was full of interesting facts about the construction and operation of what is now an iconic landmark and the most recently built UNESCO world heritage site. I learnt that the competition for designing the Opera House was won by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, but that he did not then have a plan for constructing his inspired but technically challenging design. A solution was only found once work had started, and this and other difficulties led to delays and cost overruns. Eventually Utzon was forced to quit the project and left Australia, never to return or see his finished masterpiece. The Australian Peter Hall took over the project, and was primarily responsible for designing the building’s interiors, which our tour focused on.
It was good to see inside such a famous building, but in my humble view, the interior is far less impressive than the magnificent exterior. The most interesting room by far was the huge concert hall, which can house 2,500 visitors – but sadly photos were not allowed there. Opera and ballet are presented in a different venue, the much less impressive Joan Sutherland Hall.

The Joan Sutherland Hall, Sydney Opera House

Highlight of the trip was going out onto the roof and seeing the famous white “sails” up close. They are made from a mosaic of 1,056,006 white or off-white tiles, of which only 10,000 have needed to be replaced since construction finished in 1973 (fifteen years after it started in 1958).

When our tour finished, we were released back into the baking afternoon sun, and I did the only thing possible on such a hot day – head back to my room for a bear nap and to start writing the first posts for my blog.
In the slightly cooler evening air, I ventured out again to the western part of the Rocks area, which gave me yet another perspective of Sydney’s skyscrapers.

Sydney as seen from the Rocks, Barangaroo

I visited a historic pub – the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, Australia’s oldest pub brewery – for a cold beer before heading off for dinner in a local restaurant.

Cold beer should be available on prescription on days like this!

It has been one of those days where the crushing heat had made it hard to do much. Temperatures were forecast to drop on the next day, but I would be leaving Sydney for next destination, Melbourne, which would turn out to be a completely different type of travel experience.

Previous Post: From Bondi to Coogee

Next Post: Melbourne Street Art

19th March 2025 4