Postscript: almost beating the ash cloud

My journey home was uneventful and very comfortable, as far as Heathrow. We landed ahead of schedule, at just after 5 a.m., and I made my way across to Terminal 5, looking forward to a relaxing hour in the business class lounge before getting my plane back to Newcastle. But it was not to be. We were met by BA ladies who told us that all flights had been cancelled, and we should collect our luggage, clear customs and then go to an 'incident area'; there would, they said, be a coach at about 8, in two hours time. In the incident area, the queues were so long they were literally out of sight at first. I ended up next to a lovely Canadian lady, and we minded each other's luggage whilst each of us visited the Ladies'. Then I went to the departures area to find a customer service person, who told me we could just make our own arrangements to get home by train and claim later via the BA website. So we did: we took the tube to Kings Cross, bought First Class seats and travelled back together, at least as far as Newcastle (my friend had to go on to Edinburgh and then change for a train to Montrose). So I hope I've made a new friend out of the adversity: and in due course I hope BA will pay for it all! But it's good to be home, and to take up the threads again after such a wonderful nine weeks. And with that I'll close this blog. Thank you to everyone who's taken the trouble to read it.

The last lap

I'm finishing this off having got back home: but I did want to complete the story. From Uluru I flew to Perth for the last part of my travels among Australian Quakers. After all the sightseeing in so many places, my knee was a major issue and so my sightseeing here was limited. But it was very good to be back among Friends and to have a chance to meet more people and to get the views of people living a long, long way from any other big town in Australia. I was met at the airport by my hosts, Tricia and Graham Wood: it turned out that even just as 'meeters' they had been subject to security, and put through some checks. A sniffer dog picked up where my banana had been: fortunately I'd eaten it shortly before landing, and had put the skin in the 'quarantine bin'. They are very strict in Australia about certain items including fruit, even on a state to state basis: imagine having your apples confiscated when you go from Tyne and Wear into Yorkshire!

Tricia and Graham took me home on the scenic route, and I was able to appreciate the beauties of the Perth/Fremantle complex. The river and its estuary looked very lovely, and we certainly had some good views from the heights above it. My first 'engagement' was a workshop with Perth Friends after Meeting for Worship on Sunday. This went very well, and as usual with Quakers, the discussion widened in several directions. The following day I had a discussion at a Friend's home on Eldership and Oversight in small meetings. The problems in Australia, where distances are so very great compared to the UK, are rather different to those at home, and we raised a number of issues about oversight of remote individual Friends. It was the first time I'd done this as a workshop, having previously worked with several small meetings in the UK on 'link' systems: and as I'd not been asked to do this one until I'd arrived in Australia, I had no paperwork to support my thoughts, so it was quite a challenge. However, it too seemed to go well enough. On my last day, we were invited to lunch with another Quaker couple who lived a little way south of Perth. It was fascinating to see the BP refinery at Kwinana, a place whose operations had featured a little in my first job. The house we were in had a marvellous view over the sea, and although the weather wasn't perfect, I could see how pleasant it must be to live in a place like that. Western Australia, about a third of the whole country, has a different feel to the rest of it, but the inhabitants seem fiercely proud of their state, and it certainly has a lot to offer. But all too soon it was time to go up to the airport to start my long journey home: and I said goodbye to my final hosts and to Australia as a wonderful nine weeks came to an end.

The Red Centre

After a night in Sydney and a pleasant meal with my sister's friend who lives there, we flew to Ayers Rock, known to the Aborigine peoples as Uluru. This is more than just one rock: in the middle of the Australian desert - in fact in the middle of Australia - there is the world's largest monolith (Uluru itself) and another outcrop of red rock in the form of 36 domes known as the Olgas or Kata Tjuta, To this has now been added a small tourist resort (four hotels of varying quality and a 'town square' with a few shops and a coupld of cafes) and an airport. As is usual in Australia, these are all quite spread out, so the resort is several kilometres from Uluru and further still from Kata Tjuta. This means that coach trips to the rocks are obligatory, thus making the place a cash cow for the operating company.

We had a trip to Kata Tjuta booked for our first afternoon, so after checking in and having a quick bite to eat (we'd had a minimal snack on the plane) we were off in the coach. We never did get told how these lumps of conglomerate came to be there, nor why they were dome-shaped: but we were able to walk down the Walpa gorge which takes you right in between the domes. I was having a 'good knee day' so I was able to walk almost all the length of the gorge, 25 minutes in and another 25 minutes back out. Then we were taken to a viewing point to see the sun setting on Uluru. We were led to expect changing colours, but in fact this was something of a let down as the colour remained stubbonly red, with just the lighting changing. However, we did get some wine and nibbles to keep us happy. After that we rested back at the ranch and made a light meal in our room: the local restaurants were inevitably expensive, given their captive market.

Next day was the dawn tour: my sister decided not to go because of the flies we'd experienced the day before, so I set off at 5 a.m.to see the sun rise on Uluru and to walk round some of the base. This too was a little disappointing: the sunrise was much the same as the sunset the previous day, and I encountered my first fly as early as 5.35, well before dawn. I spoke to the tour guide about doing an hour's walk in view of my knee, and she said it was 'a little longer' - in fact an hour and three quarters! So I took the alternative of a coach tour round the base, with a short trip to the Mutijula water-hole, an unlikely little lake at the base of the rock (though apparently it can dry up in a really dry season - there had been rainfall the day before we arrived so we were fortunte). Then, after leaving quite a few people to join a party climbing up the rock, we went to the Cultural Centre where it was impressed on us why you shouldn't climb it! Uluru is 'sacred' to the Aboriginal people, though I was told afterwards that they had never had any idea of a God, so the word 'sacred' is perhaps a little inappropriate: 'special' might be better. The Aboriginal law, lore and culture is passed on in an oral tradition known as Tjukurpa. Some of this is kept strictly on gender lines: men are not allowed to know the women's lore, whilst women are not supposed even to look at the places where men's ceremonies take place. Little of the Tjukurpa is revealed to anyone outside the local tribes, let alone white settlers and tourists, so it is hard to understand the mindset of the original guardians of this place, and this may be part of the reason why climbing Uluru has not been banned. I found it hard to have any feel for what moves the Aborigine people: this contrasted strongly to the Maoris in Aotearoa, where I felt quite some affinity for Maori culture and beliefs (especially in looking after the planet).

In the evening, the culmination of our trip was the 'Sounds of Silence' dinner. This began with yet another view of the sunset! but with champagne and canapes. Then a short walk round a concealing dune brought us to our tables for the meal. We sat with some delightful people, some from England and some from Australia, and feasted on a lovely buffet meal with good wine and excellent company. The table had a small light on it, which attracted some fascinating insect life of many kinds! As the sky darkened, a lady astronomer talked us through the night sky of the Southern hemisphere, along with a little of the local mythology. It was an altogether delightful end to our holiday time.

Auckland without the bishop

Our journey from Rotorua took the long way round via the famous Glow-Worm caves at Waitomo. We'd decided to do just the main cave, as we had more journey to do. We were taken through a typical limestone cave - the ones at Cheddar came to mind at once - with stalactities and stalagmites, but nothing particularly special until the lights were turned out and you could see the tiny spots of light on the roof, hundreds and hundreds of them. We climbed into a boat and were floated downstream in the dark, with more and more glowing creatures visible, an amazing sight. Later we found there were several glow-worm caves in New Zealand and that this was by no means a unique phenomenon. But it was fun to do: the boat took us back out of the cave and we walked back to the car and continued our journey. We took the alternative route north, less direct but with much less traffic, and we were in Auckland by about three. We went straight to our guest house, and spent the rest of the day resting and going out for a very good meal. Next day we packed up, loaded the car and drove into the middle of the city to visit the Sky Tower, one of New Zealand's best known landmarks. In the entrance was a Maori style carving as a kind of symbolic entry point: and from the top we could see the whole city laid out beneath, including a view of a motorway junction to rival Spaghetti! Fortunately our route out avoided this: after taking a great many pictures we returned to the car and drove out over the harbour bridge which we'd seen from the tower, and on our way up to the Bay of Islands. The journey wasn't too far, so we decided to take a detour and visit the little village of Russell, once a notorious port and place of sailor's doubtful pleasures. This turned out to involve a long trip on a very winding road round some very pretty coast. My knee prevented a long look around, and my sister wasn't too bothered, so we stayed but briefly and then headed for Paihia where our final Homestay in New Zealand was. We followed the more major road, and suddenly found it ended abruptly at an inlet, where a car ferry would take you across! This wasn't marked on our main map, though we later found it on the little tourist leaflet we'd been given. We decided to take the ferry, which cost little and took only about ten minutes, and after this diversion we were soon at the Homestay. Our hosts were charming people: Sheelagh had been to a private girl's boarding school in Petworth, Sussex, and was very much in the English mould. We were invited to join her and John for wine and nibbles before we went out for a meal. In fact we'd been planning a DIY supper, and had bought supplies for it, but we felt it wasn't really appropriate in our beautifully furnished bedroom and so we went out up the coast a little and sat in deteriorating weather eating bread and ham and very little else. Next day we were booked on a cruise in the Bay of Islands. We were down at the quay in good time, but there was a huge organised tour there even earlier, so they all marched on board first and we didn't get very good seats. However, it was a good cruise to start with: we saw some bottle-nosed dolphins, though they weren't very playful, and then headed out to the famous 'hole in the rock'. The sea was a little choppy and we couldn't go through the hole, but we did back into it and had the sensation of being in a cave open at both ends. The journey back was a little long, with explanations about various islands about which we didn't really want to know. But on the whole it was an enjoyable morning. We did a little driving round in the afternoon, and then had some wine and nibbles with our hosts: then we went out for an excellent meal to one of the restaurants they'd recommended. We had a lovely roast with no fewer than six vegetables, very welcome as these had been rather in short supply over the last few days. Next morning it was an early start back to Auckland. We'd virtually packed the night before, and were a little dismayed by traffic in places: but we'd been shown a less busy route, and so it proved. We were at the airport in good time to hand the car in and check in for the flight to Sydney: and thus ended our holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Experiences of Rotorua

From Taupo to Rotorua isn't too far, and soon we were at our first port of call: the thermal area of Wai-O-Tapu. Here there was various walks one could do, so I settled on the shortest one whie my sister went rather further. It was yet another amazing place, with hot springs, craters and steam coming out of everywhere! After a light lunch here, we went on to our destination. There was nobody in at our B & B when we arrived, so we drove down to the lakeside and enjoyed the sun while investigating what we wanted to do. After a bit we went back to the B & B and this time the owner was in, a Scots - born South Korean with some charming eccentricities. Our room was rather small, with a bathroom opposite, but we had leopard-skin robes provided for wandering about in decency! The place had its own little geothermal pool, which we both tried: the water was very hot and needed stirring to mix the hot top layer with the cooler waters below before you could get in comfortably. We had a full day's sightseeing next day, and went first to Te Puia, another place with a mixture of local culture and geothermal activity. There was a mini-Maori Village, a Kiwi House where we saw, in the dim light of simulated night, one of these nocturnal birds that are the symbol of the country, and then the mud pools and the geyser. This last blew spectacularly while we were there, and I was able to get some good video of it. After Te Puia we went on to the Paradise Valley wildlife park. Here there were trout to be seen in very clear streams and pools, and a huge variety of other wildlife, though mostly in captivity. We saw alpacas, goats, wild pigs, wallabies and many more - a photographer's paradise! Again, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But the best was yet to come: we'd booked on a Hangi, a traditional Maori feast. We weren't disappointed. We went by coach to Tamaka, a small village a few kilometres outside town that we'd seen on our way in. We had to choose a chief for our coach: this was Zak, a pleasant Canadian man who performed his duties on our behalf well enough. We watched the welcome rituals, and then were taken into the village itself to see examples of Maori craft and games. Then we went to the Marae, the Maori meeting place, for a performance of song, dance and other traditional skills: and finally to the dining room for a sumptuous feast, some at least of which had been cooked in a Hangi oven over hot stones underground. It was altogether a lovely evening, and we felt we'd really been given the Maori hospitality which is an important part of their tradition. Rotorua, then, was certainly a place of experiences. Next, we were to visit the Waitomo Glow-worm gaves before heading for Auckland: and I'll put that in the next post.

We've had no internet for three days! So I'll try to condense again into a couple of postings the incredible things we've been up to in North Island. If South Island was about scenery, North Island is about experiences. So I'll start with our second full day in Wellington, when I elected to go round Te Papa, the National Museum of Aotearoa New Zealand. I particularly wanted to go on the 'taste the treasures' tour, which has a Maori culture theme: when it came to start the tour, I was the only person on it! So I had the guide, a lovely Maori woman (mostly Maori, she said, there are virtually no pure bred Maoris left now) called Mariah to myself. Mariah was lovely, and she really gave me an insight into the traditions and mindset of these fascinating Polynesian people who came to Aoteroa, the Land of the Long White Cloud, over a thousand years ago. Though regrettably war like at times, the Maori have a strong sense of honour, ritual and indeed of peace. Their symbolism is fascinating - I'd bought a pendant of a carved whalebone Koru, the curled up young fern, which symbolises peace and also new life. They particularly value the Greenstone jade, known as Pounamu (South Island is called Te Wai Pounamu in Maori), and stones of it can still be found on the beaches near Hokitika: but Mariah explained that you don't find Pounamu, it finds you. I told her about my crystal from Glastonbury which found me, and she was delighted with this mutual understanding, a common wisdom about the relationship between humans and their planet. Mariah also explained to me that when James Cook was making his first contacts with the inhabitants of this land, he was under instructions to communicate and understand, and trade, rather than subdue. Aoteroa New Zealand is an example to the world: two totally different cultures can meet, co-exist and eventually integrate without fear or problems if they simply have the will to do it. It is the fear between Catholic and Protestant, between Sunni and Shia, between Israeli and Palestinian, that makes such integration impossible: lose the fear, begin to trust and the problems can begin to be solved. The visit ended with some Maori food - bread with a pesto made from young fern fronds (Koru) and some Manuka honey, a potato rice cake and tea brewed with leaves from the Koa Koa tree. I felt really privileged to have been shown this wonderful museum by someone who was truly a soul mate, culture reaching out to culture and finding a commonality, for are we not all one? I'd been hoping to go later in the day to a Choral Eucharist in the Cathedral, but my knee was so bad I felt I had to stay at home and rest it. Later we went out to a nearby pub for a meal, our last in Wellington. Next morning we set off for Lake Taupo, our longest drive on one day so far. We stopped at a couple of scenic spots en route, including one place for lunch opposite Mount Ruapehu, a snow capped peak towering above the rest (and used in 'Lord of the Rings' for Mount Doom). We found our B & B easily enough, and the lady who ran it was simply delightful. Bonny couldn't have been more welcoming: she took us through to the patio at the back of the house and there was a stunning view of the river! If you ever want to stay in Taupo, I recommend 'Riverview' very highly. Alas we were here only for one night: we sussed out the local waterfall (Hoka Falls) and the Aratiatia Dam before going to eat, and next morning were up at the dam for the opening - literally - of the floodgates at 10 a.m. This produced some fantastic rapids, and I filmed some of them (silly me filming sideways for part of the time!). Then it was on to Rotorua for yet more experiences which I'll put in the next posting.

From South to North

I'm getting behind with the blog, so I'll condense a little. Blenheim is an amazing place, wall to wall vineyards! We were taken to seven, at the first of which we had a very tasty lunch with a glass of one of the wines we'd just tasted. Most of the places were quite similar: one was organic and 'biocultural', and so more expensive, but I can't say the wines tasted anything particularly special. One was a small vineyard, Bladen, was owned by a couple fulfilling a dream, and they had an agent in the UK who delivers there. Their wines, mostly white, were very good and not over priced as so many are, and I was on the point of ordering: what held me back was a prospect of something even better later. But in the end they were the best of the day, and I wished I'd followed my instincts and spent £150 on a case. I still can, though, once I'm home. Another vineyard was Cloudy Bay, well known on supermarket shelves at home, with several brand names including Nobilo. I think you pay for the name here: Our last port of call wasn't wine at all, but chocolate! We went to the Makana chocolate factory, where they hand made the most delicious truffles, and I bought three very expensive boxes, one of which is now half a box! Next day, we drove up to Picton for the ferry to North Island. We'd planned to go the 'pretty way', but we had no detailed map of the Blenheim area and got a bit lost, ending up at the chocolate factory again! We both felt that North was the way to go, but the road took us back to the main state highway. So we went the short way to Picton, arriving in very good time, and then took a detour along the sound, on the most twisty turny road we'd been on yet! But the scenery was delightful and it was well worth taking the trip. Back in town, we found the ferry, checked in our cases and then went for lunch. We handed in the car and boarded the ship, a largish car ferry and not at all crowded. We had a very smoorth, sunny crossing - it's a three hour voyage - and on disembarking collected our luggage and another hire car in short order, and drove to our B & B. This was more like a cheap hotel than a 'homestay' that we'd had up to now, but the owner was friendly enough and it's very conveniently placed. On our first full day in Wellington we visited the lovely modern cathedral, which is quite reminiscent of Coventry, with a similar modern altarpiece and light, wide nave. It was good to sit here for a little and reflect on all the blessings of this holiday. Then we looked at the 'Beehive', the modern building for MPs attached to the parliament building: but we didn't want to wait the 45 minutes for the next tour, so we went on into town, and then up in the cable car (more a funicular tram) to the botanic gardens. We walked through these back to Tinakori Road where our B & B is, and reached home for lunch. After a nap we drove out to the Lookout Point, the top of a hill in the south of the city, from which you can see a long way in all directions. Then my sister dropped me in town so I didn't have too far to walk, and met me again at the cafe where we were meeting Quentin and Marion, Quaker friends who used to be in Newcastle Meeting. We enjoyed a meal together and exchanged a lot of news. We had one more day in Wellington, which I'll describe in the next post.