The Sounds to Sydney

One of the cool things about this cruise is that other than the two day trek across the Tasman Sea, we are fairly close to land the entire time, circumventing New Zealand and Australia.  As such, we are often able to see the lights from shore at night, and during the day, we see some beautiful coastline.  Such was the case when we spent an entire day cruising in and out of the sounds of south western New Zealand.

They call them the fjords of New Zealand, Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford Sounds.  Carved over millions of years by glacial activity, the sounds were discovered by Captain Cook (though he did not want to fully venture into them for fear that his ship would get stuck).  Today, with sophisticated mapping, GPS, and depth finders, the world's largest ocean liners make easy passage through the narrow gorges. The sheer mountainsides drop rapidly into the salt water, thus providing hundreds of feet of ocean depth at the bottom of the narrow canyons.  Smaller tour boats can get right to up shore to allow their passengers to be sprayed by the mists of the many cascading falls. 

With over 60 feet of rainfall per year (yes feet, not inches), the steep mountains are lush, and there are dozens of waterfalls gushing from high above.  Though they are slowly vanishing here, glaciers still can be seen on the towering peaks when the weather is clear.   We were lucky, because although it was somewhat overcast, there was no rain, and the geologist/historian on board kept remarking what an unusual day it was weather wise, one of the best he had seen here.

Of the three sounds, only one has a very small town on it (Milford) with a hotel, and landing strip. This is a popular spot for locals to visit, though the accommodations are spartan.  And while the sounds of New Zealand are truly magnificent, we didn't think they quite measured up to the Scandinavian fjords which were breathtaking.

The sounds were the last stops in New Zealand before heading west over the Tasman Sea to Australia.  Before we set sail, we had heard horror stories of sailing over the Tasman.  It, apparently, is one of the roughest bodies of water in the world.   Some Australians that we have met on this cruise and who have been on the Tasman before recalled one cruise where the swells were so huge, the bow of the ship constantly was submerged as it plowed through the towering waves.  All activities and meals had to be cancelled.  For us, again, we were lucky.  It was a little rough with a few good rollers, but overall, not that bad.  In fact, the first night out of Auckland was worse.

The ship docked at Sydney harbor at 6:00AM Tuesday.  We weren't scheduled to arrive until 9:30, but because the port is such a busy place with commuter ferries, the port authority wanted the ship to be docked prior to the morning rush hour commute.  When we opened the curtains in our stateroom, this is the view we had ... We were docked right in front of the Sydney Opera House. Passengers on the other side of the ship had a full view of the Sydney bridge.  Most cruise ports in most cities are either miles from the central part of town or at the same dock as cargo ships, providing for a less than spectacular view or convenient location. But like the harbor in Vancouver, BC, or San Francisco, Sydney's cruise ship terminal is right in downtown Sydney and adjacent to the ferry terminal.  You walk off the ship, and you are in the midst of one of the most contemporary and metropolitan cities in the world.

Not big on organized tours, we walked the city, took local buses, and got a great feel for the city.  We even stumbled upon a three story Apple store where we were able to buy a photo adapter for a mini iPad that we have not been able to find anywhere else.  

Since the weather was sunny and warm, we took a bus out to Bondi Beach, famous for surfing competition and people watching.  Being a perfect summer day here, the beach was packed, and I will admit, I've never seen such a parade of pretty people who were happy to show off their Australian attributes.  Bondi beach puts St. Tropez to shame!

Overnighting in Sydney, on Wednesday we met up with a friend we had met on a cruise three years ago to the Baltics.  He lives in nearly Manly, and is a docent at the Sydney Opera House.  He gave us a 90 private tour of the Opera House, behind the scenes, back stage, and all over.  It is really a work of art and an engineering feat.   While I always thought it was modeled after egg shells, the Danish architect came up with the concept after slicing up an orange, then stacking the pieces together.  While hailed as a contemporary design masterpiece, the architect never visited the Opera House to see his project completed.   When the Australian Democratic Party which commissioned the opera house lost office, the incoming Conservative party no longer had interest in it and cut the funding.  The Danish architect left in disgust.  When the liberal party came back into office, they refunded the project, hired a local Sydney contractor, and completed the opera house 23 years after it was initially started ... 20 years late and more than 100 million dollars over the original budget of seven million dollars (the estimated cost back in the 1950s when it was first proposed).

The Sydney stay was rounded out with a 30 minute ferry ride to the beachside community of Manly, a quintessential resort town wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the inlet where Sydney is located.  It hasn't changed much in the 30 years since I was last there, a clean laid back spot with great restaurants, shops, and spectacular views.  

The people of Sydney are extremely helpful and truly interested in helping people who visit their beautiful city.  Ask someone on the street for directions or information, and in some cases, they will stop what they are doing to make sure you find what you are looking for.  You see little homelessness, the streets are impeccably clean, the parks and historic sites are well maintained.  

As we sailed out of Sydney harbor at sunset, we looked back at the disappearing skyline and remarked how this is a place where we could live ... if we had the money.  It is tremendously expensive, both property and living expenses. Maybe we'll just need to save up and visit again.

Now, we're off to Hobart, Tasmania, where if I can find a good Internet spot, I'll get this blog sent out.