Warning! This post contains a lot of Schady and Muller family photos, which you may find boring, or may have puzzling names.
Auckland Skyline from the North – quite an impressive tower.
The 13 hour flight from San Francisco to New Zealand crossed the International Date Line, resulting in a lost day on our calendar, before we arrived in Auckland at 06:00 on Wednesday the 15 October. After picking up a rental car, we braved the morning rush hour through the city and across the harbour bridge to Browns Bay, where Annie’s brother Joe and his partner Mary lives.
Annie, Joe and Mary.
By midday we joined our round the world sailing friends Michele and Topher and Sarah and Mike for lunch in Devonport. Unfortunately, the intrepid Jonny and Tina who rounded Cape Horn on their way back to NZ, couldn’t join us. It was good to catch up with their news, as we all had by now become grandparents and settled down in our homes in Australia and New Zealand.
Julia, Sophia, Annie and Emilia.
Whilst in Devonport, we popped in at Annie’s niece Julia who had joined us on Esprit in the Mediterranean and is now the mother of two lovely girls, Emilia and Sophia. Cousins Julia and our Michelle who are about the same age, spent quite some time together working in London. Julia and husband James are back in NZ.
Penny, Annie, Joe, Dirk and Frank.
The next morning, we did the 2,5 hour drive down to Whiritoa on the East coast, to visit Annie’s sister Penny and husband Frank Tonetti at their batch (holiday home). The weather was still sunny and we did walks and Annie joined the local pickle ball players for a few games.
Annie nearest and the pickle ball crowd.
After a pleasant two nights, we did the short drive down to just north of Tauranga, where my niece Anneri, her husband Robert and two children Madison and Logan now live in a lovely house, overlooking a river estuary. They have settled down well in NZ and are working hard to put the kids through private school. We left early on Saturday morning for the 530 km drive to Wellington.
View from their front lawn to the estuary.
Robert, Anneri, Logan (on his way to cricket) and Annie.
Beauty and the one legged beast – Madison and Dirk.
The New Zealand countryside is absolutely beautiful and green with trees growing into leaves and blossoms with the approaching spring. We stopped a few times for coffees and snacks to give Annie some breaks, as she drove the entire distance. We arrived at our hotel in Wellington at 4:30 pm.
The drive South – approaching Mount Ruapehu.
Ruapehu is the largest active volcano in NZ and is located at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in Tongariro National Park. At 2797m high, it is the highest peak in the North Island. It has the North Island’s only glaciers and is a popular ski destination.
Coming abreast of Mt Ruapehu.
After a quick shower, we caught an Uber to Annie’s nephew Paulo and Shahlaa his new wife, for drinks. They treated us to dinner at a restaurant with an amazing nine course meal of small tasting dishes. Paulo and Shahlaa have recently returned from athree month overseas trip and we got up to date with their travels. The NZ Pinot Noir wines were tasty and lubricated our conversation until late, before taking an Uber back to our hotel.
The beautiful Museum of New Zealand on the way to Paulo and Shahlaa.
The Takina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The modest Victorian Circa Theatre.
We had a late start on Sunday and after lunch, walked down to trendy Cuba Street to meet Annie’s other niece Lisa, husband Saije and baby Peaches for drinks. It was good seeing them and were impressed with Peaches’ development at two years and four months old.
Saije, Lisa and Peaches.
Wellington downtown sculpture honouring the Maori’s.
Monday saw an early start for the 660 km drive back to Browns Bay in Auckland. This time I insisted on sharing the driving, boot and all, for alternating two hour driving stints. We got back to Browns Bay at 6 pm. Interesting to note: Having not paid for petrol for our EV in three years, it was a shock to pay more than $200 for petrol for a weeks driving a Toyota HYBRID vehicle! Petrol costs around $2.75/l.
Petrol stop on the way back to Auckland – some guy with a chainsaw cut some totem poles.
On our last day in Auckland we drove up to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, a suburban area about 50 km north of Auckland to have lunch with my late mom’s cousin Catie, and husband Pieter and their daughter Michele and husband Nico.
Catie, Michele, Annie, Dirk and Pieter. Catie and Pieter soon to be in their sprightly nineties.
Annie’s nephew Marco, came for dinner on our last night. The flight back to Sydney the following day was quick, but it was bit of a surprise to arrive to Sydney’s 39 degC after leaving Auckland’s 20 degC! So here we are back at home after seven weeks away. Expect a lull in our posts, as I still have a month to go in this damn moon boot!
Flashback! I found my video of the Niagara Falls, not included in our post from Toronto. Here it is – quite spectacular.
So, we landed at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans around midday on Monday 6 October. Stepping out of the airport onto the bus, we were greeted by warm and humid weather. The name Louis Armstrong, a native of New Orleans, will appear in this post, numerous times.
St Ann Street
Annie had managed to book us an AirB&B in St Ann Street, on the edge of the French Quarter, next to the Louis Armstrong Park. St Ann Street runs through the heart of the French Quarter down to Jackson Square, by the Mississippi riverfront.
St Ann Street history.
We spent the afternoon relaxing, before going around the corner to a small restaurant, to eat some local Cajun Food. Some Gumbo, a rich stew; Jambalaya, a rice dish with meat and seafood; Red Beans and Rice, a simple yet popular meal.
Cajun Food: Gumbo, Red beans and rice, Jambalaya.
Cajun culture is known for its unique French dialect, lively music, and bold, spicy cuisine characterised by ingredients like cayenne pepper.
Passing through Louis Armstrong Park – a jazz sculpture.
Houses on St Ann.
Banner on a balcony.
The next morning, we walked down St Ann Street to Jackson Square admiring the colourful houses, to catch the 9:30 am Hop on, Hop off bus to do a city tour. Now, these houses are mostly repaired or rebuilt structures after the devastating category 5 hurricane Katrina, struck New Orleans in late August 2005. There are grassed open plots, still unbuilt.
More rebuilt, colourful houses.
Mule and buggy.
Hurricane Katrina with winds of 280 km/h caused a storm surge of more than 4.3 m from the Gulf of Mexico and rainfall of around 250 mm in two hours, completely flooding New Orleans. The levees and walls surrounding the town were breached in many places. The result: 1,392 people killed and $125 billion worth of damage.
History of New Orleans.
The people of New Orleans are resilient and good humoured, having survived a number of hurricanes over the years. In fact, very friendly and helpful in their broad Southern accents. Riding on their streetcars (trams) which only cost 50c for a seniors day pass, serves the common folk and is like a party on wheels, with lots of shouting and repartee between driver and passengers.
A street car – this one built in 1920.
Driver at the controls.
Jackson Square – St Louis Cathedral and the statue of Major General Andrew Jackson.
Artists selling their creations next to the square.
Next to the square – Cafe du Monde. Street musicians already playing at 9am.
On the bus tour – the posh Garden district (also flooded).
Also on the bus tour – the severe World war 2 museum, built since Katrina.
Our day tour on the bus finished at about 12:30, so we stopped at the Cornet Pub on the corner of Bourbon Street and St Peter for a beer and lunch. I asked the bar lady what sizes their draft beer comes in: small, medium and large, she said. We ordered two medium lagers. The medium turned out to be one litre, the large, two litres!
You call that a medium size beer? You need two hands to lift the glass!
Carrying on down Bourbon Street, we heard some Zydeco music coming from the Bourbon Heat pub across the road. Zydeco is a dance-oriented music genre that originated with the black Creole people of Southwest Louisiana, blending traditional Creole and Cajun music with blues and R&B. Its sound is defined by the amplified accordion and the percussive washboard.
The guy playing here was not only good on the accordion, but played contemporary blues on his guitar. His singing, wasn’t too bad either. We enjoyed a few Hurricanes – a fruity rum cocktail and the potent and sweet, Grasshopper cocktail. Below are a few short video clips of the accordion and guitar music.
We stumbled home for an early night. The next day we bought two senior day passes for the streetcars, me heading off to the Jazz Museum and Annie to the French markets. Later, we did the St Charles loop through town to look at the streetscape and watch the people. Annie bought us a Crawfish Pie (crayfish pie) for dinner.
On the way back home, up St Ann Street.
Back through Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square.
At the Jazz museum, I learned that New Orleans Jazz had its roots in the Sunday gatherings of the negro slaves at Congo Square, to sing and dance. There is a lovely mural at the museum, as well as a statue in Congo Square depicting this.
Mural at the Jazz Museum.
Statue at Congo Square.
On Thursday, my Achilles tendon injury was quite swollen and sore, so I decided to start on this post, while Annie went sightseeing. She managed to buy me a pair of gel heel supports to reduce the tension on the injury. By late afternoon we walked down to Bourbon and Canal Street to listen to some street music.
Bourbon Street late afternoon.
This place is buzzing with music – in every bar and jazz club. I wish my friend Jim Petrie was here to enjoy this. No wonder the New Orleans carnival which always start around the 6th January, sometimes carry on until Easter. The people just love to dress up, dance and make music!
Bourbon Street 2.
Early evening when it gets cooler, Bourbon Street becomes a hive of activity. People of all ages walk down the pedestrian street, with cocktails, wine or beer in hand (no glass allowed, therefore plastic containers), checking out their options for music and dinner. Whereas lunch times feature solo acts, groups now play in the pubs.
People watching from the balcony.
Two souped up EV wheelchairs.
The music is loud and is nowadays, mostly hard rock, with the few exceptions of Irish pubs playing Van Morrison. Apart from the usual Pat O’Brien’s, Finnegan’s and Molly’s Pubs, there is one that got me chuckling, called “Irish Daycare”. We opted for the quieter ambience of a small eatery where we could order a Po’boy.
The Po’boy fried shrimp sandwich.
A Po’ boy is a traditional New Orleans sandwich made with flaky French bread filled with seafood, like fried shrimp or oysters, or meat like roast beef. “Fully dressed,” it includes toppings of lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. Its name and origins are rooted in the city’s working-class history. A foot long (300 mm) sandwich sets you back $20 and is more than enough for two people.
Check the sign about money!
We also learned what Grits are – I always read about Jack Reacher ordering grits with his meals at truck stop diners. In SA we would call this no. 9 coarse mealie meal, but here it is flavoured with bacon chips or cheese.
Interesting sign!
Our last two days were spent visiting a museum about slavery and the 1960’s Civil Rights movement against segregation, here in Louisiana, led by Dr Martin Luther King. Also, just enjoying the street and music scene during the day and evenings. New Orleans has turned out to be the highlight of our trip so far and comes highly recommended. We fly to New Zealand tomorrow morning early and will post on that later. To sign off: Two photos below for ute lovers.
You call that a ute? No, a truck! Note the Subaru station wagon in front for scale.
My shoulders are the height of the bonnet! Imagine being hit by all that lovely chrome.
After taking a train and a Skytrain to Newark Airport on the 29th September, we had a short flight from New York to Toronto. A shuttle bus to Union station, then a subway train to Rosedale station and an Uber to 122 Roxborough Drive brought us to the house of Martin and Jane. We hadn’t seen Martin, Annie’s youngest brother for at least ten years, nor his two sons, John and Julian, or met his partner Jane.
Martin and Annie. The Maple trees are changing colour for Fall.
Our first day was spent catching up with news at home, relaxing and doing our laundry. Martin took us for a drive to show us their neighbourhood and for us to buy some wine. It was good to meet John and Julian and find out about their careers.
John, Annie, Martin and Julian Schady.
The following day we had an early start to catch a bus for a day trip to Niagara Fallswith a stop at the quaint town of Niagara on the Lake, for tea. Our bus driver was most knowledgeable and entertaining and took us to see all the main sights at the falls. The whirlpool with its overhead cable car, then the Horseshoe falls between Canada and the US and finally the US falls. Lunch was at a local restaurant.
Typical house at Niagara on the Lake.
Cable car over the Whirlpool.
Darby and Joan at the Whirlpool.
Top of the Horseshoe Falls.
How the Horseshoe Falls have eroded over time.
US Falls – Horseshoe Falls on the right.
Bridge between US and Canada.
The next day was spent walking in the local ravines as far as my boot would allow – about 4 km. On the Saturday, I pushed a bit harder and did about 7 km to the markets at the old brickworks and back. On our last day, we took a ferry out to Wards Bay on Toronto Island, a short distance from the city, to walk on the island and have lunch at a pub.
Map of Toronto Island.
View back to the City.
A typical island bungalow – shoo wow man, groovy – reminds me of Bakoven.
One of a number of yacht marinas on the island.
After seven days in Toronto, we took a flight to New Orleans in the US where we booked into a quaint Air B&B cottage for a six day stay. The music and Cajun food of the Mississippi Delta, are what we have been looking forward to. We will report back after New Orleans.
