Homeward bound back to Oz.

Damn daylight saving! And don't tell me there is nothing new under the sun! Every time I turn around I encounter something new!

We booked a wake-up call with the motel desk for 4am. I also set my mobile phone and brand-new $5 travel clock I bought from the Red Shed (Warehouse) cos I had no watch to give me the time for the music leading up to the arrival of the bride. I never did get to hear either of the latter fire up.

The wretched motel phone rang at 3 am instead of 4 am. To say the occupants of the unit were disgruntled is the understatement of the year. Not happy Narelle. Miskeyed digit into the PBX operator's phone? Or forgotten to reset the PBX clock when daylight saving ended? I'm tipping the latter.

Once we recovered from that nasty surprise the rest of the trip proved uneventful and even quite pleasant!

I was vastly amused as I passed through Immigration into Brisbane Airport to notice a sign which said (in effect) "Channel 7 is filming Border Patrol here today. If you do not wish to be filmed please advise staff".

Mercifully as I passed through the final screening after picking up the luggage I passed the crew busy filming a whole mass of some lady's clothing strewn all over a counter. For once trouble didn't seek ME out! :)

Terry was there to pick us up bless him and after a fatiguing car trip made it back to the Bay in one piece. Back to life in the slower lane lol!

Rotorua on the boil

SATURDAY

D-Day at last. All the preparations were now falling into place!

Suffice it to say it Penny and Bede's wedding was grand. Only immediate family and some friends - but grand all the same.

I think I coped OK with the music- invariably some slips and skids and the organ turned up some vagaries- problems in the electric action somewhere meant that often times when I played a high F# on the Great it sounded an F natural on the Swell. Ouch. Discord to end all discords. However it is quite a nice instrument which is capable of plenty of expression filling St Josephs church fairly well.

The reception at Helen's home (Bede's Mum) was wonderful. A huge spread but best of all the chance to mix with Bede's family and friends getting to know them better and putting faces to names.

Now back to the unit and recuperate for the early morning flight to Oz. I will tidy up this blog and add some pics once back in Oz!

FRIDAY

The best laid plans of mice and men! I had purchased a prepaid SIM card for our mobile when we first arrived here and I was proud of my ability to keep on top of circumstances. Pride comes before a fall doesn't it?

One of our party lost their wallet, possibly at the restaurant or up the street! Off we went checking the spot where we parked, lodging a report at the police station, and then over to the Internet cafe to find the bank phone numbers in Oz to block the account. We finally staggered back to the Lodge to find the wallet had been found behind a bed shortly after we left. Had I given my wife that prepaid number much kerfuffle could have been avoided with one simple phone call to our mobile. Just goes to show I ain't as smart as I thought I was!

After a quick drink we checked out the mud pools in a local park passing up the the famous geyser because we didn't have the time for the pricey full show. Gone are the days when you could just pay to see the geyser up at the Maori village!

More practice back in Hamilton- almost feel now I am getting to know that organ! Helen had invited us around for a magnificent family dinner which was a splendid lead-up to the wedding!

Then THE wedding practice at night!

THURSDAY

Vastly amused the night before to notice a sign over the stove in our Hamilton unit- Fire extinguisher in office. Methinks it would be a tad late by then!

Hamilton is a busy place at the moment - the traffic is horrendous if you are staying in the city as we are. Balloons over Waikato is a gala event for the hot air balloonists and the V8s are on next weekend and already alterations have been made to the town streets for the V8 circuit.

ORF to Taupo and Rotorua fairly smartly. With the drought still rampant is it all up a much drier area.

Taupo township almost reminded me of a flatter version of Queenstown with its busy commercial districts overlooking Lake Taupo. The thermal fields were a real eye opener for me with massive lines carrying steam from a number of wells to thermal stations.

As we approached Rotorua you could see steam rising from all manner on unlikely places in the ground. Maori culture became much more evident.

The Utuhine Lodge was an interesting spot. I thoroughly enjoyed our comfy lodge - two bedrooms and kitchen/lounge room (except the heating had not been turned on for the winter yet- imagine going cold in a geothermal area with central heating running off a steam bore!)

The motel grounds were a tad down at heel with some of the indoor hot pools neglected and inoperational. Outside a hungi type steam cooker was available for use. I noticed at least two steam bores in the ground- one spouting great quantities of steam and soda water into a pool which was MUCH too hot for swimming.

The hot pool nearest our room was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed a long hot mineral soak.

There was one uproarious episode organising dinner at Lone Star Cafe and Bar with my cycling mate Hoogie. Coral found the number and I rang it. However directions proved difficult. I couldn't find the Strand in the Rotorua map, and the Lone Star staff on the phone couldnt find Lake Rd. Finally transpired we had the wrong Lone Star- NZ white pages phone books are still divided into districts!

Dinner with Hoogie and Sharon and my family proved a treat. Hoogie gave us tantalising descriptions of cycling in the Redwood forests near Rotorua. He also told us that many people in winter used to heat their houses from steam bores- but the demands on the water table was depleting the geyser which is one of the town's big attractions so the Council restricted them! In winter steam even wafts up the grates in the town gutters!

Errr Hoogie also told us it is pronounced G eye ser - a "geezer" is an old man!

I had been relieved the Saturday night before we left to receive a text back from Hoogie confirming he was not involved in the Hamilton Cold store fire which injured every man in Red Watch of Hamilton station and killed the Senior Officer.

Whangerei and Whareora

WEDNESDAY

Sparrow peep and Bede and I have been to Pataua North beach to watch the sun rise. Superb little holiday village and wonderful beach spot. Lots of good pics.

Norm Gavin's brother is currently down at Noto deer hunting where they accessed the reserve by helicopter. So we don't get to meet Norm. Irene Gavin's mother has come out to the farm at Whareoara for the morning so it is a great time of catching up. Currently 9:30 and it is a hive of activity as a wide extended family swap notes and catch up. more later!

TUESDAY

Family- heaven or hell ! In this case heaven! Growing up as an only child with only rare forays out to extended family it has been an incredible experience driving up to Whangerei with wife Coral and my aunt and uncle to meet first and second cousins for the first time. Also it was great to meet Whitney and Darien - Gavin and Jolen's two lovely daughters and my third cousins (I think- I'm not strong on genealogies!)

My generation is spread out across 45 years. Doug in Melbourne was born is 1929, Penny the bride of the moment was born in 1974. Peter (blue shirt on left) who we have travelled here to meet was born in 1935 and his family emigrated soon after to NZ . One wonders how many people can be squeezed into a small farmhouse but Gavin (Peter's second son) and wife Jolene are doing a pretty good job!

Peter recently suffered a major stroke but he is recovering well and his- in-laws brought him down here to catch up with everybody. Jolene has spent the day cooking up a storm with endless cups of tea and heaps of food on the table Gavin worked in the cow shed in the evening milking nearly 300 cows in a 32 unit dairy.

It was an awesome sight watching 32 bovines lined up side by side at 45 degrees in a herringbone bails with 32 setS of teat cups milking away at one time. Also good to take a brief spin up the paddocks with Gavin as he shifted some cattle around. I can't get over the lush pastures with its high stocking rate. It seems the pasture is ploughed and replanted annually which would keep it fresh.

MONDAY

First day anywhere new can be a tad bewildering. However I coped better than expected. Picked up the hire car, bought a prepaid pack for Coral's mobile (mine is network locked because it is prepaid), "discovered" the organ I will be playing and engaged in some quality practice time. And enjoy some more sleep. I didn't find driving here stressful soon finding my way around.

We finished enjoying dinner out with Helen our hospitable host. We had planned on eating at Valentine's but they were booked out so it was Pizza Hut instead :)

SUNDAY

Good trip to the airport courtesy of Terry and Donna.

We were impressed with the service from Air NZ We went to the desk to check in then collected a wheelchair for Coral- were so well looked after. It was a quick and painless trip through Customs and security. I even got to tag along behind and dodge all the queues because we were together on the one ticket!

Well apart from dum dum me having a two-ring binder of music in my carry- on luggage. Ended up with security guy doing a manual search of my bags! The x ray of the folder had them worried because sharp blades can be stashed in the spine of such things But the security guy was very light-hearted about it all.

I really appreciated the coaching Graham gave me in overseas travel when we flew to NZ two years ago to cycle the South Island. Coral is very experienced too after her Europe trip last year.
So good to get in the transit lounge to find Uncle Alan and Aunt Rosemary (parents of the bride) - like all of us getting older but still bright and cheery. I found it awesome looking out the plate glass windows of the ''sterile area" (I love the terminology) planes, tarmac vehicles- activity everywhere. Boarding the plane again we were so well looked after . Coral was identified early and a hostess came looking for her to board her first.

We taxied out ahead of time and were soon airborn. Initially I thought pda's would be banned for the duration of the flight however once we had climbed to cruising altitude non- transmitting devices were allowed. The lights of Brisbane were magic out to the left hand side.

Dinner was most enjoyable polenta with a vegetarian wrap of some sort for Coral & chicken something-or-other for me with a tasty Merlot wine.

NZ is always fussy about bio- security. Not surprising for a country so heavily dependant on primary industry. Last time Graham and I had our tents very thoroughly checked. This time at Hamitons new terminal Alan and Rosemary had the ''red aisle" treatment. Equine influenza is still a very real threat in Queensland and Alan and Rosemary had just left their farm to travel to NZ.

The drive into Hamilton took us right past the Icepack cold stores where the local Senior Station Officer was killed and several fire fighters seriously injured Saturday afternoon in a massive explosion. Clouds of smoke were still rising in the glare of flood lights a night later as a ladder truck hosed down the remaining fires in the Cold stores.

New Zealand here we come!

G'day. I am currently sitting at my bro/sis-in-laws in Wynnum chilling out before catching a large alloy pony to Hamilton New Zealand at 6:30 this evening. Cousin Penny is marrying Kiwi Bede next Saturday and a few of us plan to kick up our heels in the meantime. Uncle Alan and Aunt Rosemary, Penny's parents are flying across with us and generally hanging out with us.

Catching up with cycling mate Hoogie and Sharon; meeting cousin Peter and his sons Gavin (and wife Jolene) and Norm for the first time; plenty of organ practice; plenty of sightseeing- quite an agenda for just a few short days.

Stick around for the ride! No pics will go up until we return to Oz, and this blog will probably only be updated two or three times while in NZ- but no matter it will be fun!

Gold Coast Here I Come

Bird calls are often beautiful. At first light they are truly inspiring. Unless of course you are planning on sleeping in! Matt and I turfed out at 4.30 am so we quite appreciated our unknown avian friend across the road. A quick breakky and bikes loaded on the ute saw us heading for Milton then cycling over Grey St Bridge to South Bank .



I have heard cyclists comment on difficulties experienced riding en masse. Frankly I didn't find it too difficult. Maybe I was too far gone to realise the problems I was
causing others!! Certainly it was awe inspiring to see so many cyclists gathered at South Bank- around 4,000. While we cycled the 15ks busway with no interruptions from traffic lights the long unending string of cyclists was quite something to watch. Later as we waited at traffic lights with cyclists also clumping together in like abilities the ride broke up into peletons ebbing and flowing down the route.




There are many impressions of that ride. The whooshing of hundreds of cyclists around you as everyone hurtled through the tunnels of the busway riding roads normally forbidden to mere cyclists. Graham clocked over 30ks per hour here so top roadies would have averaged well over 40kps. Later as traffic lights changed there would be the snapping sound of countless shoes clicking into cleats.



I take time and distance to settle into a ride. I really struggled over the hill on the busway near Nathan Uni, but once over it my second wind had arrived with no further major stamina problems all the way to Labrador and Palm Beach. However cramps were entirely something else. By 70ks I was experiencing thigh cramps like never before. I scoffed Staminade until I was sure my kidneys would collapse before the ride ended. However I wasn't alone. There were cyclists everywhere by the side of the road at this point trying to stretch cramps out of their legs! Last
time I experienced cramps like this we were trying to walk to the Baptist Youth Camp at Currumbin in the mid 1960's. That time I made 27 miles (halfway I guess) before I finally gave in. No giving in this time!


Rest spots were well organised. . The early rise had thrown my body routines with the "dogs barking at the door" by the time we reached South Bank. So I was glad to reach that first rest spot at Eagleby State School at 40ks. There was quite a line of people heading for that building down the back so maybe others were having trouble with those "dogs" too! Food and water top up and off again. Many of the roadies bypassed that first rest spot improving their times; thus consigning many of we sluggards further down the line!

I was still making good time at this point- off the busway at 6:44 and into rest spot 1 at around 8am. By rest spot 2 at Coomera (76ks) after a very pleasant ride through farmlands at Alberton (and some huge industrial estates as well) I was slowing- 10:45 arrival. Well there were quite a few hills too! Here at Coomera State School by Dreamworld theme park there was a huge tank of
Gatorade on the back of a ute. Very popular!

Finally somewhere around midday we passed through Loders Creek (again a blast from the late 60's- every Christmas there used to be a CSSM Beach Mission operating from Loders Creek camp ground which is still there).



Of course arriving at 12:30 at Labrador was only the start. Next was the 20k ride to Palm Beach to Kirsti's family. This ride was a HOOT. Slap through the middle of Surfers and down the Indy Circuit being built for the next weekend. At Nobby we swung onto a cycle path which followed the beach. At Palm Beach we were feted like royalty with a celebratory lunch.




However there was a catch- the car was at the Gold Coast and the keys were in Brisbane! Suffice it to say- from my perspective- after a walk to Tallebudgera surfing beach, AND reading the Sunday Mail, AND watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- we bade farewell to the Gold Coast somewhere around 7pm. 1 am into bed after a superb memorable weekend!

YeeHah- Big Ride Here I Come!

Well quite a Saturday! Currently sitting at the computer of Spanish Redneck aka Matt (see link bottom left sidebar) - camped at his place for the night with my bike prepped and gear sitting ready in the hallway downstairs ready for a 4.30 am rise and rapid departure.

David and Kay picked me up from home around 8 am. My bike had already sprouted wings and left for Brisbane Tuesday per kind favour of Kirsti. We made a speedy trip to Brisbane with no stops and I was here by around 11.30.

Matt was busy for a while creating a mounting on the rear tray of his ute to carry the two bikes (pics below) and I busied myself with a natty cassette style chain cleaner removing several pounds of Central Queensland bulldust from the chain.



Mid afternoon we drove into the Brisbane CBD to drop off a parcel. What a trip down memory lane! Driving through Chermside I discovered that my old PMG tech training school of 1969 has vanished entirely- the big open space complex being completely built over with extensions from Chermside shopping centre.

Later in Elizabeth St I found the City Training School of Hesketh House had also disappeared replaced with St Stephen's Cathedral facilities. Of course Central Exchange built in 1920's and loaded with memories from my training days has long since gone replaced with some modern low building.

Down in Fortitude Valley the old Light St bus depot has been replaced with modern complexes- change everywhere. Doubtless the Repatriation Department Sisters Quarters has also been demolished down there- couldn't see.

Matt asked me when I had last been to Redcliffe- goodness only knows- decades. Well at least one and some years anyway. So over the new Hornibrook Highway taking a Cook's Tour through the Peninsula suburbs. Sutton's Beach with its memories of childhood seaside holidays. Some of the old houses remain.

When we reached Scarborough we dropped in to Morgan's Seafoods. What an establishment! The fresh seafood area had refrigerated counters ranged around in a huge square- I prowled the entire circuit noticing seafoods I had only heard of. Down the fish'n'chips area huge volumes of orders were efficiently processed in a minimum of time in a small space. It was mindboggling watching the speed and organization!

We took ours out to a picnic table by the seaside. Trawlers rocked in the water only feet away. Further out in the marina lay the pleasure vessels. I'd never eaten calamari like it- so fresh! None of this breadcrumb-coated-rubber-band stuff out of the freezer! Tea was definitely worth waiting for!

Heading back to Matt's place we found Trevor's old home at 175 Scarborough Rd. More memories. Trevor and I trained together in the PMG tech school in 1969 and we have kept contact on and off ever since. Later we passed North Lakes where Coral and I had turned for Trevor's place at Mango Hill a year or so ago. I have vowed to ring Trevor again next week- must be a year or so since we have talked. My heart had really been set on attending his son's wedding soon- until a family engagement party turned up. Perhaps a visit is in order again before too long!

Time for bed- 4.30am rise for the Wilson HTM Brisbane to Gold Coast ride- all 100ks of it. Leaving South Bank at 6am! Pics tomorrow all going well- if I can stop long enough to take some!

Thursday Goin' home- back to the Bay!

How time flies when you are having fun! Thursday - time to go already! I had barely woken this morn when I heard diesel engines barking through town. I scarpered outside to watch a quadruple header pulling coal empties heading west for Minerva mine south of Emerald. As the train passed it slowed, presumably for Comet River bridge. An incredible succession of loud metallic bangs shuddered down the length of the train as the couplings closed together. Stereophonic sound from way out of sight on the right to almost out of sight on the left!

As I slowly wandered back to the house memories came back of nearly 50 years ago.
Nan's house on the railway reserve was right behind the gangers shed on the eastern side of Comet. I loved going down to the edge of the track by the gangers shed to watch the Garratts and other locos thunder past. This time Dad and Frank were on the verandah watching the fun. As the loco approached Dad yelled out something like "Let off steam!".

Of course the driver didn't hear Dad- but he had exactly the same idea. As the loco rumbled past me a sudden raucous blast of steam saw me spin around flying back into the house as fast as my legs would take me!

It was an interesting Thursday morning chasing up family history. Lloyd had rocked up to the party on Saturday with a loaded packhorse as a welcoming committee for Alan! Alan was a drover for many years so Lloyd’s role was significant for two reasons- he claims Alan taught him as a young fella all that he knows now about cattle, and also Lloyd now owns the four blocks where the second family home stood (until mid 1930s) when my father and another brother built huts on those blocks.

I can remember Frank living in Dad’s hut in the 1950’s. Finally Alan owned those blocks and the next two before selling them to Lloyd's family in the early 1960s. Plus my Dad had his blacksmiths shop (which was his fathers initially) on one of those blocks behind his hut in the 1930’s.

I was supposed to return on the Spirit of the Outback train Thursday evening- however a message that morn scotched all that – there had been a derailment near Ilfracombe so three buses were running the Western leg instead. Errk! Somewhere east of Gogango Range all three buses pulled over while the drivers tried to fix the air-conditioning on the second bus. Over one hundred people milling around in the dark on a dirt embankment.

Something up in the roof space had come adrift drenching the back few passengers (and their hand luggage) in foul smelling water. So those with wet seats (in more ways than one) were spread out over the other two buses- obviously I lost my second seat and I found myself wedged in a space so tight you couldn’t have slipped a piece of photocopy paper in with me.

QR stood us dinner at Mobil in Rockhampton- fish, chips and salad was very nice…but the servo was creaking keeping up with the queue which stretched for ages. Then over to the railway station where the buses were completely emptied (and more added)- a full bang tail muster bit like a roll call in Gulag Archipelego. Then we had to reload in different buses sorted by destinations.

Mercifully the milk run bus Gladstone to Gympie was never completely full. I think if I had lost that extra space for the last of the trip I wouldn’t have walked next day. I was in agony with a cramped back by the time I reached Bundaberg. Every time we stopped to drop off/pickup/organize passengers we seemed to be stationary for HOURS.

We pulled up at the truck rest area north of Maryborough (to save time) some time after 4am Friday- two hours late- it must have been a massive logistical exercise suddenly converting a passenger train trip into a bus trip. A wealthy dowager beside me was grizzling about how 40 of them had paid for first class fares (tour to and from Longreach) and LOOK how they ended up.

I subscribed more to the pragmatic view of a couple of labourers working for a railway contractor- they had had first class fares paid too (by their boss!) – but what can you do about a derailment? Precious little! Some events DO occur outside our control. Although I was a tad peeved to miss my long anticipated train ride we were basically commuting all the same- getting from point A to point B. Spose wealthy dowagers are on the train for the whole experience- whatever that is!

Thus ended a superb family time away. Next trip within the next couple of years hopefully- maybe I will have some mates with me to ride that extended loop around Springsure. Check out my thoughts on that in my Crazyguy cycling journals- look for the link on the lefthand sidebar.