The world reopens

We've just witnessed the sun setting on the final day of 2022.  What a year it's been.  Tomorrow we venture out into Milford Sound before heading to Doubtful Sound and then on to Mount Cook. After three years of pandemic-induced isolation, it's wonderful to be back on the road exploring the wider world again. 

In the months ahead we have plenty of travel scheduled. In mid-January, we return to Europe for the first time since January 2020. We'll spend time in London and Germany reconnecting with key suppliers for our wholesale company. We're stopping in Singapore for a long weekend on the way over to help reset our body clocks.  

The stopover is much needed as we’ll literally go straight into our first business meeting after landing at 6:00am.  We kick off our time in the UK with a breakfast meeting near Heathrow Airport. We’re meeting a new strategic service provider. We'll then head into the city to attend the annual British Toy Fair. 

Once we've finished business in London, it's off to York for a quick weekend excursion before flying to Nuremberg. We'll be in Germany for a week filled with back-to-back meetings as we catch up with suppliers at Spielwarenmesse, the toy industry's largest international trade show.

March sees us flying the entire Artiwood team to Melbourne where we're exhibiting at the Australian Toy Fair.  It's been three years since this key industry event was staged.  A week later I'll then fly to Wellington for an extended weekend to attend a business networking event.  This will be my first time in New Zealand's capital city in more than four years.

A few weeks after that Garry and I head off to Tasmania for an extended Easter vacation. We're taking my brother and sister-in-law on a circuit around the Apple Isle. We're scheduled an itinerary filled with many of our favourite spots including Cradle Mountain.  However, Garry and I also get to enjoy a few new sights along the way.

It's nice to be back on the road again after being stuck at home for several years.

Lakeside R&R

Garry and I have just enjoyed five superb days in Queenstown. It’s been an awesome holiday. The weather also played its part with many fine conditions. We’ve based ourselves in a serviced apartment overlooking Lake Wakatipu. We’ve also enjoyed the company of my brother Matt, sister-in-law Shelley and their children. By sheer chance, we’d all booked a vacation in Queenstown for the same week.

While in town we’ve entertained ourselves with some of the region’s classic highlights including a ride up the Gondola to enjoy the stunning view on offer at the Skyline lounge. However, I couldn’t talk Garry into giving the luge run a try. The views from our apartment balcony proved equally spectacular. Twice a day we watched the SS Earnslaw steamer set sail. We were also entertained by an impromptu jazz concert on the foreshore one afternoon.

The penultimate day of the year proved particularly eventful. I started the day with an exhilarating jet boat ride along the Shotover River – something I’ve always wanted to do. I then got distracted buying new hiking boots in the post-Christmas sales (my last pair fell apart during our hike to Kim’s Lookout on Lord Howe Island in October). Garry and I then joined Matt and Shelley for a fun afternoon sampling wines and boutique beers on a small group wine tour.

We finished our day with dinner followed by sunset drinks at Perky’s Floating Bar. This quirky bar is located on a permanently moored boat docked on the town foreshore. However, the day also turned to tragedy when we realized I’d left my wine tour purchases at the restaurant after dinner. Fortunately, the staff spotted my errant goods and put them safely behind the bar.

On the final day of the year, we made our way to Milford Sound where we’ll base ourselves for the first two days of 2023. Once again, the weather played its part. We stopped several times to soak up the view as we drove along the shores of Lake Wakatipu before making a series of scenic stops along the road to Milford Sound. Today’s National Park highlights included a boardwalk at Mirror Lake, stunning views of the Eglinton Valley, the spectacular entrance to the Homer Tunnel, and Pop’s View Lookout.

We’ve now based at The Milford Sound Lodge. It’s a genuinely impressive facility in the heart of Milford Sound. Our room looks out over a tributary of the picturesque Cleddau River. While Garry relaxed, this evening I took a quick drive down to the foreshore to soak in my first view of the Mitre Peak. I’ve finally seen Milford Sound in picture-perfect weather. Without a doubt, it was worth the wait. This evening we'll see in the new year with a dinner featuring local produce at the Lodge's Pio Pio restaurant.

Skippers Road

In 1861 alluvial gold was discovered along the Shotover River valley in heart of New Zealand’s Otago province. Within months the remote hinterland’s population grew from 12,000 to 27,000 as men flocked to the goldfields in the desperate hope of finding their fortune. Throughout the region temporary canvas towns (tent cities), hair-raising roads, and ramshackle wooden buildings sprang up across the landscape. None was more famous than Skippers and its deep, narrow canyon with vertigo-inducing rock walls.

One and half centuries later all that remains of this pioneering era is a rugged gravel road and a handful of lovingly restored buildings. While staying in Queenstown, Garry and I booked a half-day 4WD tour of Skippers Canyon. We spent four hours in dazzling sunshine, winding our way along this infamous New Zealand road soaking in its dramatic scenery. I’ve always wanted to drive the Skippers Road, so yesterday’s excursion was another bucket list moment.

Our group consisted of five people. We were also on our own rather than part of a larger convoy. As a result, we made good time, arriving at Skippers restored stone schoolhouse before the afternoon crowd. We ultimately had the entire location to ourselves for almost 45 minutes. As we drive away, a dust cloud clad convey of at least ten 4WD SUVs came roaring into view. Our guide later told us that our private experience was almost unheard of at this time of year i.e. peak Summer tourist season.

Our small group also meant we had time to squeeze in a few extra activities. Highlights included a solo walk along the length of the famous Skipper’s Canyon suspension bridge and a brief river-bashing drive along the nearby Arrow River (which marks the start of the even more remote and rugged Macetown road).

South for Summer

Garry and I have flown across the Tasman for this year’s annual Summer vacation. We kicked off our time away with five days in Mount Maunganui. Here we enjoyed some quality time (and quality wines) with my brothers and their families after spending last weekend with Garry’s family in Sydney.

Sadly Mum was unable to enjoy us for our family Christmas lunch. Her rest home is in the midst of a COVID outbreak and has been locked down for several weeks. Mum tested positive the day before we flew out which automatically reset the lockdown clock for a further ten days.

On Boxing Day we flew to Queenstown via Auckland where we’ll spend the next 14 days exploring some of the South Island’s scenic highlights. Our itinerary includes two nights at Milford Sound and two nights at Mount Cook. However, our first stop involves five days of doing “bugger all” at a lakeside apartment in Queenstown. Click on the stunning panorama below for a taste of our spectacular location.

 

Our trip south was a rather stressful start to our southern adventure. We had a tight connection in Auckland that subsequently grew even tighter when our Connecting flight to Auckland departed 20 minutes late. We had less than 15 minutes to make the transfer. Fortunately, there were nine passengers on our flight from Tauranga making the same change so Air New Zealand held the flight for us.

While we made the connection our bags did not. However, they arrived 90 minutes later on the next flight. Garry and I spent the intervening time at the supermarket stocking our apartment larder for days of wining and dining on the balcony. The rental car company has also upgraded us to a full-size SUV. We’ll be traveling in style with room enough for a family of seven.

Year of the Foodies

Those who know us well will gladly testify that Garry and I are passionate foodies. Over the years we’ve been progressively ticking restaurants and memorable dining experiences off a forever-expanding bucket list. The last year or so has been filled with plenty of new foodie memories.

For the last seven years, we’ve gone to Melbourne on business twice a year. Each time we spend a week exhibiting at a major trade show by day before booking ourselves into some of the city’s finest restaurants at night. Over the years these culinary highlights have included Kobe Jones, Dinner by Heston (since closed and relocated to London), and Vue de Monde. Without a doubt, Vue de Monde remains one of Garry and my greatest culinary hits of all time.

This year we made the most of our return to Melbourne after a COVID-induced absence of more than 2.5 years. We finally got to sample the Teppanyaki grill at Koko in Crown Casino and spent a memorable evening at Attica. Attica was particularly interesting. For many years it was considered Australia’s best restaurant. It reimagines a range of recognisable dishes using native Australian ingredients.

For example, when we dined at Attica, we enjoyed pastrami made from Emu (it tastes like regular New Yorker pastrami), and crispy snacks made from saltbush. While the experience was unique, I personally found it a little underwhelming. The restaurant itself is rather spartan and the concept of regular food made differently wore a little thin as the evening progressed.

For me this year’s Melbourne highlight was Koko. I love the theatre of Teppanyaki and the chefs at Koko delivered in full. The menu was also peppered with plenty of unexpected flavour bombs. I’d have to say it was even better than the Melbourne institution, Kobe Jones.

This year we’ve also enjoyed lunch (twice) at Mimi’s in the Coogee Beach Pavilion, including a farewell meal for a departing staff member. On both occasions the food was superb. Caviar and Dom Perignon are always a match made in heaven, and nothing beats a towering platter of crispy Pommes Allumettes. We also enjoyed the theatrical unveiling of a neighbouring table’s salt dome baked Mud Crab. One, I’ve never seen a crab so big, and Two, I’ve never seen a salt crush so thick and hardy!

However, my ultimate foodie experience of 2022 has to be Margaret, the new Neil Perry restaurant in Double Bay. Garry and I enjoyed a memorable belated birthday dinner for myself in early November. Every dish we sampled was heavenly, including Neil’s almond-based Wedding Cake dessert filled with layers of fluffy Swiss Meringue. I subsequently attempted to recreate this dish for Garry’s birthday a few weeks later

My new EO Forum group also enjoys a meal together once a month at one of Sydney’s many reputable restaurants. To date, this has included the highly rated Botswana Butchery, Hubert’s, and the Menzies Bistro at Shell House. Garry and I have also found time to entertain a key customer at Cottage Point Inn, a waterside venue I last visited in 1998.

Finally, before I sign off, a shout-out to Automata. We enjoyed its degustation menu over winter last year before the city went into total lockdown for four soul-destroying months. The restaurant has subsequently announced it’ll be closing in early 2023. However, the meal Garry and I enjoyed was a genuine treat from start to finish. No wonder we’re constantly doing battle with an expanding waistline.

Beachside birthday

We’ve finally dined at Jonah’s, a top-rated restaurant overlooking Whale Bay on Sydney’s northern beaches. This restaurant is something of a local institution. The venue is part of a boutique hotel complex that offers luxe weekend away packages. I shouted Garry and me for an overnight stay to celebrate Garry’s birthday in style.

The northern beaches are a unique part of Sydney. The scenic coastline, bush-clad harbour views, and laid-back lifestyle are a world away from the hustle and bustle of central Sydney. Yet they’re less than an hour from home. In fact, it takes less time to drive here than it does to reach any other coastal retreat we’d normally consider an oasis from city life.

So, was the two decades wait worth the effort? In my humble opinion, “not really”. While the ocean views were exactly as advertised, I found the French-influenced menu very salty and carb-heavy. However, our room was cozy and spacious and the views from our balcony were a joy to wake up to the following morning. We can tick this venue off our foodie bucket list but I doubt we'll return.