Up the Mount

I took advantage of some relatively fine weather today. I decided to climb Mauao, something I haven't done in a long time. According to my blog, it’s been 15 years since I last summited The Mount. You can read about it here.  The summit, 232 metres high, offers a spectacular view over Mount Maunganui and the surrounding coastline. Climbing it was once a regular childhood ritual. 

I set out from Valley Road shortly after noon and walked the new coastal boardwalk to the base of the summit track. I climbed Mauao (slowly!) and then returned via Pilot Bay. The entire walk from start to finish took about three hours, and I clocked up 14,400 steps along the way. 

I subsequently learned that the Waikorire track I took to the top was the most challenging option. This eastern route involves more than 500 timber-framed steps, compared to the less taxing Oruahine track, an inclined trail with only a handful of steps. Not surprisingly, more experienced hikers recommend descending the mountain via the Waikorire track.

While I was admiring the view from the top of The Mount, Air New Zealand called and asked if I'd be willing to bring forward my domestic flight time. It was concerned about the tight connection I had in Auckland (approx 1:20 hours).  I agreed to change my flight. How ironic. My flight across the Tasman was subsequently delayed 20 minutes, thus leaving me with ample time to dine in the Strata Lounge before boarding my flight. We landed back in Sydney shortly before 10:00pm.  Along the way, I clocked up another 5000 steps, bringing my daily total to 20,272.

The Rotorua redwoods

On the edge of Rotorua you’ll find a six hectare grove of Californian Coastal Redwoods, part of the Whakarewarewa State Forest Park. The trees were planted in 1901 as part of an experimental program assessing the viability of various exotic tree species for commercial forestry in New Zealand.

Due to the rich volcanic soil, favourable climate and high rainfall in the area, they grew faster in New Zealand than in their native homeland of the United States. In the USA they rely on the west coast’s frequent fog to protect them from dry spells, when rainfall is not consistent. They even create their own ‘rain’ by trapping fog in their huge branches and absorbing the moisture.

In New Zealand, consistent rainfall throughout the year along with vast amounts of sunshine means the Redwoods grow rapidly year round. With the right amount of moisture they can grow almost a metre taller in a year. Currently the largest redwood in Whakarewarewa is 72m tall and 169cm in diameter. That’s approximately two-thirds of its potential full grown height.

On Saturday, Matt, Shelley and I took a day trip to Rotorua to hike through the Redwood forest. I’m currently in New Zealand for a five day weekend, in part to visit my mother’s grave a year after her death. I flew in on Thursday night, and depart again this evening.

I last visited the Redwoods while on a brief vacation to Taupo with my mother in 2022. It was my mother’s last vacation before she moved into full time residential care a few months later. Although, at the time, we had no idea it would be her last. It felt somewhat appropriate to revisit the trees while commemorating the first anniversary of her passing.

We walked an extended loop around the grove, before Matt and I went on to try the Treetops Walk. This is a dramatic canopy walkway suspended between the trunks of the redwood trees. It’s 700 metres long, and boasts 28 suspension bridges and 27 platforms that form an aerial circuit through the forest. At its highest point the walkway is suspended about 20 metres above the ground. Understandably, my mother and I never attempted this walk in 2022.

We finished our time in Rotorua with a brief visit to the lake itself. We walked the city’s recently completed lakeside boardwalk, then drove around the lake to enjoy a late lunch at the award-winning Okere Falls cafe. Apparently, it regularly wins the nation’s annual “best toastie” award. We made a quick stop at the falls before returning to The Mount.

The year that was

Yesterday, my brothers and I paused to reflect and remember the first anniversary of our mother's death. It was a day of conflicting emotions. I'm angry that so many memories are tainted by dementia in her final years. Equally, I'm grateful that her boundless curiosity and strength of character have had such a profound influence on my life. I'm sad that she's gone.

 
I fly to New Zealand to visit her grave tomorrow. A small part of me still lives in denial that when I arrive, she won't be there to greet me.

 
However, I cherish the memory that the last time she ever spoke to me was in a moment of pure joy. I will never forget the way she leapt to her feet when she saw me enter the room, burst into a flood of tears and embraced me warmly. In that moment, I knew I was loved and always would be.

Rest in peace, now and forevermore.

Vivid memories

Vivid Sydney is an annual festival held in Sydney. For the last 15 years, over five weeks, the cold, dark nights of winter have been transformed by an eclectic array of outdoor immersive light installations and projections throughout the central city. At times, the effect is simply dazzling.

Yesterday, Garry and I caught the tram into town to experience this year’s festival. We picked the perfect night to be outdoors. The sky was clear, and the weather was unseasonably mild for this time of year, with temperatures hovering around 17C for much of the evening.

We began our evening in Chinatown. Here, we stopped to admire an installation called "While You Were Dreaming" at Darling Square. It’s a five-metre-high sculptural face, split down the middle to reveal a swirl of colour and light.

However, I was stunned by the redevelopment that’s gone on in this area. The new Darling Square and the nearby Tumbalong Boulevard have completely transformed a space once dominated by the Sydney Entertainment Centre. This precinct is now a bustling pedestrian mall filled with shops, bars and cafes that lead directly into Tumbalong Park and Darling Harbour.

For the next hour or so, we made our way through Tumbalong Park, the shores of Darling Harbour and on to Stargazer’s Lawn, part of the recently redeveloped Barangaroo Reserve. Along the way, we admired floating sheep, iridescent clouds, and a dazzling array of light sculptures. We even walked on water. Well, a floating pontoon walkway that spans Darling Harbour.

We continued our Vivid tour by walking through a projected display inside the Argle Cut and watching the sails of the Opera House light up. We finished with a final stop to enjoy the always impressive light show projected onto the front facade of Customs House at Circular Quay.

With more than 10,000 steps under our belts, we went for dinner at the recently refurbished Argle Centre complex. What was once a slightly sad array of market stalls and shops is now a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor dining and entertainment venues. We dined at The Cut, a new French steak house. The meal and service were a little underwhelming for the price we paid. I doubt we’ll be back anytime soon.

We completed the evening with a quick stroll around Circular Quay to admire the lights on the Harbour Bridge, before catching the train back to Redfern. Another few thousand steps on the walk home saw us finish the night with a tally of more than 14,000 steps.

Home sweet home

Last month marked 21 years living in our apartment in Redfern. It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since we bought the property. I never imagined we’d still be here after all this time. Why so long? There are so many factors that make it a wonderful home. 

First, the views we enjoy are superb. By day, we have an open and green outlook towards the city and across the neighbouring golf course, followed by a spectacular city skyline at night. Thanks to the heritage-listed properties between us and the city, this view will never be built out.

Second, the building is well designed, in an equally well-designed complex filled with greenery,  heritage buildings and communal amenities including a heated pool, a fully equipped gym and sauna. We’re also part of a caring community where neighbours look out for one another. Residents are proud of our collective home and strive to maintain it to a high standard.

Third, we’re surrounded by excellent local amenities, including two supermarkets across the road (and a third on the way soon), cafes, pharmacies, hairdressers, and public spaces that include a golf course, parklands, and sports stadiums. For example, we treated ourselves to another memorable meal at Ora last night. It's a superb Japanese Fusion restaurant on Danks Street, less than a six-minute walk from home.

Finally, our apartment has its own unique perks, including three balconies, one of which is a massive 64 sqm rooftop entertainment space. Its northeast aspect also means it’s flooded with sunlight all day. Next door, the neighbouring building houses our company’s office and showroom, thus offering the world’s shortest daily commute. 

I’ve annotated the photo above to give you a feel for our neighbourhood and its proximity to some of Sydney's iconic landmarks. I took this photo while flying out of Sydney airport a few months ago. As you can see, a 15 minute cab ride, or 30 minute walk puts us in the heart of the city. Oh yes, did I mention that the airport is a short 15-minute cab ride away? We love that we can be in the air within an hour of leaving home, or on a beach in the Pacific by early afternoon.

Coming up next

Surprise, surprise, we've got plenty of travel scheduled in the months ahead. This year is quietly morphing into something that feels like the initial stages of a transition to retirement. So, where to next?

Garry returned from his extended retreat in Thailand on Wednesday this week. Before he flew home, we decided to book sale flights with Qantas to Tonga. We're off to this laid-back tropical paradise for two weeks at the end of August. We're looking at basing ourselves for much of the time on Foa Island in the Ha’apai archipelago.

In June, I fly to New Zealand twice. First, to spend time with family over the June long weekend at the start of the month, then for business later in the month.  My EO Forum has a retreat scheduled in Queenstown. Once again, I'm responsible for organising the event.  We've lined up several impressive guest speakers, including a guy who sold his family business for millions.

At the end of July, I'll then fly to Melbourne for our company's annual participation in the industry's largest gift-related trade show. Garry will then take his father to Far North Queensland for a vacation with Garry's brother and his family. Ten days after he returns we’ll depart for Tonga.

Then, finally, in December, Garry and I will fly to New Zealand for a week before embarking on a round-the-world ticket largely for business. We'll fly to New York to meet with at least one supplier and a potential business prospect, followed by flights to Germany for the toy industry's largest international trade show and a second week in London meeting suppliers. We then return to Sydney in February to finalise preparations for exhibiting at the local toy industry's annual trade show in Melbourne.

Oh yes, did I mention we're also taking a cruise in the Caribbean during January, in part to celebrate my 60th birthday. We'll visit a dozen countries over two weeks.  Add in Tonga, and my tally of countries I've visited will reach 86 destinations, or 88 if you count two fleeting border crossings.

Landslide election

Australian politics was transformed by last weekend’s Federal election. Against all expectations, the Australian Labor Party returned to power with an increased majority, a higher primary vote, and a decimated opposition. Vote counting is still underway, and some of the most tightly contested seats may take another week to declare.

However, one thing is clear. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defied the so-called "incumbency curse" to be re-elected Australia's prime minister in what can only be called a landslide. Heading into the election, the current Government had a majority of one seat. On current projections, Labor will finish with more than 90 seats in the Lower House, at least 14 more than the 76 seats required to secure a majority Government.

The Coalition opposition will struggle to finish with more than 40 seats in the Lower House. Furthermore, the current opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has lost his seat. This is the first time in Australian history that an opposition leader has lost their seat in an election. Equally, this is the Coalition’s smallest caucus since Federation. The state of Tasmania now contains only Labor MPs (and one longtime independent), while most capital cities have at best one or two Coalition MPs in the metropolitan area (Adelaide and Brisbane have none). 

Since WWII, only four incumbent Governments have increased their primary vote during an Australian federal election, but none at the level of the current Government, and none have increased their majority. Albanese becomes the first prime minister to win back-to-back elections in over 20 years. It’s all too easy to forget that Australia churned through nine prime ministers during this period. Before that, we'd experienced 12 years of relative stability under John Howard.

The result is even more extraordinary given how badly the Government was trailing the opposition in opinion polls four months ago. In January, the polls predicted a resounding win for the opposition, with the opposition leader beating Albanese as preferred Prime Minister. Australia looked set to follow the rest of the world and back a more conservative, right-wing Government. Two factors have swung the vote in favour of the Labour Party.

First, Donald Trump’s global trade tariff war has boosted the fortunes of incumbent parties as voters seek stability during a time of growing uncertainty. Just two weeks ago, the incumbent Canadian Government was returned to power after trailing badly in the polls earlier this year. In more recent months the nation has endured sustained rhetorical attacks by the American president and been subject to rising tariffs. In response, Canadian voters rallied behind the flag and rejected the opposition's strongman style of divisive politics.

Here at home, Dutton also tried playing the strong man card. He occasionally mimicked Trump's style, adopted elements of his conservative policies and provoked regular culture war debates. For much of 2024 and the early months of this year, this approach appeared to be a winning strategy. Support for Dutton and the Coalition grew steadily stronger in the polls. 

That is, until Trump’s chaotic first one hundred days in power progressively turned Australians against him in record numbers. By late April, polls reported more than 70 percent were concerned Donald Trump would make them worse off financially this year. As a result, once tarred with the Trump brush, Dutton struggled to shake it.

Second, the Coalition has run an extraordinarily complacent and often dysfunctional election campaign. Spokespeople regularly contradicted their leader, sometimes within hours of a policy announcement. More than one policy was dropped or amended on the fly, while others lacked substance when scrutinised by the media. The apparent lack of preparation caught many by surprise.

Whether you support Labor or not, the possibility of a stable Government and stable leadership for the first time in two decades offers plenty of potential. As the Sydney Morning Herald stated a week or so ago, Albanese is the better option for Prime Minister, but only if he starts doing something bold with his mandate.

I couldn’t agree more. We’ve had five years of “small target” politics where both sides of the house have played it safe. The reforming zeal of the Hawke/Keating years, and even the tax reforming initiatives of the Howard Government, are long overdue. Australia desperately needs tax reform, more efficient Government and budget discipline that brings its Federal budget back into sustained surplus. Let’s see what happens next.

Update: 20 May

Vote counting has finally concluded. Labor secured 93 seats, giving a 38 seat majority in the lower house. The Liberal National coalition finished with 43 seats. Another 12 seats went to independent candidates and The Greens. In the upper seats, Labor only needs the support of The Greens to pass legislation in the Senate.

The man who saved my life

Few people have heard of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislava Petrov. He was a system engineer assigned to Servikov-15, a command-and-control bunker outside Moscow that housed the Soviet Union’s brand-new early warning system for detecting Western ICBM launches. I learned this week that this man potentially saved my life and the lives of countless millions in September 1983.

I was living in Upstate New York, in the city of Syracuse, as an exchange student at the time. As I’ve previously posted, 1983 was a year of heightened Cold War tension. President Reagan had called the Soviet Union an evil empire in March. He’d also announced the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), better known as ‘Star Wars’, in the same month.

Then, on 1 September 1983, Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down by Soviet fighter jets, resulting in the loss of 269 lives. The plane had strayed into a region filled with Soviet naval bases, which months earlier had been subject to mock attacks by the US Navy during FleetEx 83, a huge maritime training exercise involving three aircraft carrier battle groups.

So, how did Petrov save my life? On 26 September, alarm bells started ringing inside Servikov-15 shortly after midnight. The early warning system had detected the launch of an American Minuteman ICBM, which was heading straight for the Soviet Union. Petrov determined the warning a false alarm as ground radar hadn’t detected a launch. Then, soon after, the system detected another four launches. Petrov calmly decided to ignore standard protocols and declared this another false alarm.

Petrov didn’t normally run the control centre. A colleague had called in sick that night, and he offered to stand in. As luck would have it, Petrov knew the new system intimately. He was conscious of its shortcomings and felt strongly that it had been rushed into service. As a result, when alarms began ringing, he was hesitant to accept their data.

Petrov wisely concluded that a five-missile attack made no sense. Training scenarios always assumed a first strike consisting of hundreds, possibly thousands, of missiles. He saw no logic for the reported launches. Thanks to his in-depth knowledge of the system and conflicting information from other sources, he prudently concluded the system had suffered a computer glitch. He showed extraordinary presence of mind amid pandemonium.

Months later, it was confirmed that an early warning satellite had picked up the flare of sunlight glinting off clouds. Had Petrov simply followed orders, reported the attack without caveats and encouraged a pre-emptive counterattack, a devastating nuclear war would have started two days before my eighteenth birthday. Upstate New York contained several first strike targets. It was also due east of the jet-stream passing over the ICBM fields of North Dakota. As a result, Syracuse would have been smothered in deadly radioactive fallout. 

I’ve always thought that Australia and New Zealand were the perfect place to hunker down after a nuclear holocaust. How ironic, then, that I was living in the USA when the world came closest to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis. It wasn’t until the fall of the Soviet Union years later that we learned of Petrov’s actions that September night.

I've illustrated this post with photos I took during a private tour of the Titan Missile Museum outside Tucson, Arizona. Garry and I visited this extraordinary facility in September 2011.

Thailand done and dusted

I've finally found time to publish a series of posts about our time in Thailand. While our trip was primarily for business, we managed to fit in a few Bangkok tourist attractions. We also had a week of meetings cancelled, leaving us with time to fill on the Andaman coast.

Our visit coincided with Songkran, the national Thai New Year holiday. As a result, we also experienced one of Thailand's most famous festivals. Garry commented later that the experience made him keen to try more of the world's iconic celebrations such as La Tomatina, a Spanish festival celebrated in Buñol, near Valencia, where revellers throw tomatoes at each other.

Here's a series of links that take you through the highlights of our trip.

• Exploring Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 
  
  
• A walking tour of Bangkok's iconic Royal Island
  
  
• Songkran festivities in Bangkok
  
  
• Downtime in Krabi
  
  
• Cruising the Hong Islands
  
  
• Life along the canals of Bangkok
  
  
• A sky-high cocktail hour we'll never forget
  

You can also relive our first time in Thailand by following this link. This earlier visit included a weekend on the River Kwai and a sombre visit to Hellfire Pass, where thousands suffered and died as prisoners of war. It seems apt to revisit these posts as we celebrated ANZAC Day yesterday.