Return to paradise

After a three-year absence, Garry and I finally returned to Fiji for a much-needed Spring break. The decision to return was an easy one after Garry secured another of his renowned deals at the Sofitel Waitui Beach Club on Denarau Island. We first visited this tropical paradise in 2018.

This trip was also Garry’s first commercial flight since March 2020. Little did he know that our flight back from a Melbourne trade show that year would be the last time he’d board a commercial airline for 2.5 years. Thanks to my flights to New Zealand in May last year, and again in April this year, it was my third international flight since the pandemic began.

Of course, this is the COVID era so our travel included a mandatory testing regime. Garry was required to register for a COVID RAT test at the hotel within 24 hours of arrival. I was exempted from this requirement after securing a waiver letter from my doctor. This advised the Fijian authorities that, in the 30 days prior to departure, I’d already had COVID and was fully recovered.

Garry successfully completed his test without incident. I’d already warned him that if he failed the test, I’d leave him to isolate in a designated quarantine room elsewhere in the hotel while I continued to enjoy our beach club room. However, karma almost got the better of me.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the staff kindly advised us that they’d “upgraded” us from the ground floor garden access room we’d booked. We took one look at the new room on a higher floor room and demanded they restore our original booking. Instead of the private tropical garden vista we’d booked, they’d moved us into a room with a tiny balcony that looked out over soul-destroying views of concrete paths and stairways. Below is the view that greeted us on our first morning in our restored booking. I’m so glad we made a fuss.

We then spent ten glorious days lounging by the pool. We had made plans to do a day trip to an island. However, in the end, we barely left the resort. The package Garry secured included a daily meal allowance, daily massages (or a spa treatment), high tea, and a cocktail hour. We honestly struggled to spend our daily food and beverage allowance and missed a few massage sessions. Our first high tea was a definite winner when our first day of sun-baking by the pool was interrupted by a dramatic tropical downpour.

As the final day of our vacation drew near, unbeknown to the other party, Garry and I had each researched options for extending our time away. We quickly realised that for a couple of hundred dollars, we could change our flights and extend by another week. We then asked the hotel if we could extend our booking. It agreed to accommodate us in the same room for another five nights with the same benefits at the same rate. We then booked the neighbouring Sheraton hotel for our final two nights.

The additional week of leave was a blessing in disguise. After more than two years of COVID isolation, business stress, and emotional fatigue the extra time off was just what we needed. We also enjoyed our time at the Sheraton. It gave us a feel for another resort on the island that helped benchmark our experience at the Sofitel. We decided that the food was potentially better at the Sheraton while the beach club pool and staff were better at the Sofitel.

I also took some time to restock my tropical shirt collection. I’m now officially the uncle that always makes an appearance wearing loud Hawaiian shirts.

Prime Minister No.9

Australia’s ninth prime minister in 15 years has just been elected. It’s been a bit of a revolving door at the Lodge since John Howard was defeated in the 2007 election. We now have Anthony Albanese as our new Prime Minister. Given the pace at which Prime Ministers have churned in recent years, I wonder how long he'll last? Watch this space!

UPDATE: 30 May

The new Labor Government will govern with a razor-thin majority of one seat. However, the talk of this year's election is the rise of the independent Teal movement. Six formerly safe Liberal seats in urban and suburban areas, held by the party and its predecessors for decades, were won by independents (who’ve adopted the colour teal as their distinctive branding), unseating Liberal incumbents, including Treasurer and Deputy Liberal Leader Josh Frydenberg. 

Seats that have progressively fallen to independents in recent years include those previously held by Liberal Prime Ministers such as John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. Urban voters are clearly turning against the Coalition's polarising right-wing conservatism. It'll be interesting to see how the opposition evolves over the next three years.

A COVID vacation

As the COVID pandemic slowly normalizes, international borders are reopening in the South Pacific. This month I took advantage of New Zealand’s decision to end mandatory quarantine for international visitors. As soon as the news was announced, I book flights over Easter to visit my mother. It’s been almost 12 months since I last saw her – and this last trip was my first visit in more than 18 months.

However, It would be fair to say that flying trans-Tasman again, is currently an expensive and bureaucratic process. Every airline was offering only one flight a day and each plane was heavily booked. The New Zealand government also required a fistful of paperwork that took days to prepare. In addition to my passport and e-ticket, I arrived at check-in with a New Zealand Government pre-departure clearance pass, an international COVID vaccination certificate, a negative PCR test report (only $300 for a same-day result – as you’ve got to fly within 72 hours of taking a test) and a copy of the testing laboratory’s international certification.

On Easter Saturday, I arrived at the airport early anticipating long queues and delays. I was pleasantly surprised to find the terminal almost empty. However, the paperwork made check-in a time-consuming experience. I watched a family of five checking in with the same pile of documents I was carrying. The poor staff member behind the desk spent 15 minutes reviewing, verifying, and processing everything before their tickets and luggage were eventually processed. On a more positive note, my early arrival gave me extra time to enjoy a leisurely champagne breakfast in the Qantas First Class lounge.

All arriving travelers are required to test two RAT tests after arriving in New Zealand. The first must be taken within 24 hours, while a second is required five days later. Free test kits are handed out as you pass through Auckland customs and immigration. Masks must be worn in the terminal in Sydney and onboard your flight. However, masks weren’t required within the Auckland terminal.

Mum and I decided to take a quick road trip after I arrived in Tauranga. We booked ourselves a three-day excursion to Taupo, home to New Zealand’s largest lake. I took advantage of my status with Hilton Honors and booked us into the Taupo Hilton. The hotel sits on a hill above the town. As a result. our room offered panoramic views across the lake from an attached balcony.

As a precaution, before I booked the hotel, I took my first mandatory COVID test. The result was negative, so we were all set to depart the day after joining my brothers for a family reunion lunch. Our Easter Monday meal was a fun-filled affair with plenty of laughs. 

The first day of our Taupo adventure was a full itinerary. We packed in plenty of activity including a wander through the Redwood Forest in Rotorua, a glass-blowing demonstration at the Lava Glass Studio & Sculpture Garden, and a stop at the spectacular Huka Falls.

Our second day was just as busy. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we kicked off the day with a cruise to see the famous Ngatoroiranga Mine Bay rock carvings, stopped at The Vine for a fancy lunch, and took Mum shopping for new clothes and bed linen. We finished our day with a long and leisurely soak in the hot pools at Wairakei.

On our final day, after checking out, we wandered the lake foreshore, visited the Wairakei Geothermal Power Station lookout, and watched the Aratiatia rapids in full flood. The rapids are an interesting phenomenon. In the 1970s a hydro dam diverted water away from the natural rapids that mark the start of the Waikato River’s journey to the sea. However, the popularity of the rapids is such that the dam schedules a controlled release of water three times a day. As a result, for 15 minutes the power of this spectacular water course is briefly restored for visitors.

After watching the rapids, we made our way back home, stopping briefly to admire the Okere Falls. These falls, located north of Rotorua were once the site of this city’s first power station. This facility has gone since gone leaving just a handful of artifacts for visitors to see.

It was shortly after returning from Taupo that Mum and I embarked on an unexpected COVID adventure. I completed my mandatory Day 5 RAT test after we got home. The positive result was a shock, to say the least. Mum invariably tested positive three days later. As a result, I had to change my flight home, isolate with Mum for seven days, and then isolate again for a further three days once Mum tested positive.

I’m pleased to report that Mum and I have recovered with no lingering after-effects other than a residual cough. My triple vax and Mum’s quad vax have clearly made all the difference. I still don't know how I contracted COVID. I tested negative three times before I flew to New Zealand (both RAT and PCR results), and again after I arrived.

I ultimately spent an extra week in New Zealand caring for my Mum before finally making my way home to Sydney. I had to rebook my delayed return via Brisbane as, with only one flight scheduled per day to east coast cities, vacant trans-Tasman seats were few and far between.

However, my travel adventures weren't quite over yet. My flight to Queensland departed three hours late. As a result, I missed the last connecting flight to Sydney. Fortunately, Qantas put me up for a night at the Siebel. I finally made it back home on a 6:00am flight the following morning.

ABBA fever

Every so often Facebook flicks an interesting advert my way. This year’s winner would have to be a promotion from an event organiser called Fever. Its offering includes a series of quirky candlelight concerts in some eclectic venues.

One concert caught my eye. It was a string quartet playing ABBA’s greatest hits in St Stephens, a classic Edwardian stone church in Sydney’s CBD. I was intrigued by the notion of 80s pop music being reproduced by a string quartet. On a whim, I booked a couple of tickets.

Garry and I kicked off our evening with dinner at District Brasserie in Chifley Tower. This set the tone for our night out. The meal was superb and the venue’s atmosphere had a quirky Wall Street gastro-pub kind of vibe.

The concert itself was a delight. The music really did sound like ABBA. The venue was surreal and by the end of the evening, the audience was tapping its feet and singing along to each classic hit. I’m not sure I’ll ever sit in a church pew again while sitting ABBA hits by candlelight. Our verdict; heaps of fun!  The following video gives you a taste of the experience.

Telling our story

We’ve all had one of those days when you walk into the office and wonder why you’re there. However, every so often there’s a magic moment that suddenly makes it all worthwhile. I’ve had one such moment this week. 

Reed Gift Fairs, one of the world’s largest tradeshow organisers, recently chose my company for a professionally produced video profile. The profile was published online this week in the latest edition of its "Big Book" show guide. I'm simply blown away by the exposure it’s given Artiwood. Words cannot express how much this incredible endorsement means to me and my team. 

You can watch it here on YouTube.

Update 20 August 2023

The Reed Gift Fair profile has now been viewed more than 9,500 times.

Riding the Hume

Our grand tour of the Murray River region is over. Heading home to enjoy Sydney (and its 40,000 daily COVID cases). Our vacation is done and dusted. You can relive all of the highlights here:

• Murray River Houseboat
• Murray River picnic paradise
• Darling River Airbnb
• NSW country life
• Koalas in the wild
• Bathurst & Cowra
• Christmas in the Blue Mountains

Memorable photo opportunities on our final two days include lunch on the ghostly shores of Lake Mulwala yesterday and two classic tourist pitstops on the Hume Highway at Gundagai and Holbrook earlier today.

Lake Mulwala was formed by damming the Murray and flooding the adjacent countryside. The flooded trees have subsequently died creating a beautiful yet eerie landscape along the lake shore for miles. As we ate lunch we watched several trailer boats weave their way through these ghostly limbs out into the open lake. I’m not sure I’d be keen on water skiing here any time soon.

In Holbrook we stopped long enough to clamber along the gunwale, and walk a full circuit, of HMAS Otway, a decommissioned submarine in the centre of town. Why you ask is there an Oberon class submarine sitting here, hundreds of kilometres from the sea? The town was renamed Holbrook in 1915 after Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook, a British submariner and Victoria Cross recipient. The town acquired the submarine to honour him in 1996.

As for Gundagai’s Dog on a Tuckerbox, his story is classic Australian folklore. In the early days the area was serviced by huge wagons hauled by teams of sturdy bullocks. With rutted tracks, river crossings, floods and extreme weather, bullock teams frequently became stranded or bogged. Whenever this happened, the teamster’s dog would guard its master's tuckerbox and possessions while he sought help. The town’s iconic statue, by a road stop cafe, was unveiled in 1932. However, we’d stopped on the way into town for an early lunch at McDonald’s.

Caravan with a propeller

The final highlight of our Murray River tour was three nights on a riverboat exploring its reaches around the historic town of Echuca. The town was once a bustling inland port on the Murray. At its peak, between 1865 and 1910, hundreds of steamers plied the river, opening up large areas in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. For many settlers, they were the only source of supply and contact with the outside world.

Today you still enjoy the steam-driven era courtesy of paddle steamers offering tourist excursions from the river wharves. However, these days Echuca and its NSW twin city of Moama are a popular destination for hiring private river boats. Garry and I joined the throng by renting a boat for three nights, based out Moama.

I’d pushed for a more spacious deluxe option on offer from Moama on Murray Houseboats. However, Garry was keen on the entry-level vessel thanks to its more generous outdoor deck area. The boat we ultimately chose I subsequently christened “a caravan with a propeller.”. Although, to Garry’s credit, it did offer all the mod-cons we wanted including a hot shower, air-conditioning, gas cooktop, BBQ and a reasonably generous fridge. The bed was also partially segregated from the living and dining areas creating two distinct zones inside.

The hire company provided a series of detailed river maps and gave a thorough orientation of the boat’s features before we set off mid-afternoon for our first cruising adventure. We followed their recommendation and made our way downstream past the town centre and bustling wharves. It suggested this route in part because the river has a speed limit through town and thus it's easier to become accustomed to the boat without battling endless ski boat wakes.

We eventually pulled up for the evening on quiet riverbank 100 metres beyond the Dhungala bridge. This bridge is still under construction and will become the region’s second river crossing. Berthing a riverboat is surprisingly simple. You simply reverse into the bank and tie the boat onto two of the nearest trees. Once moored we cracked open the wine and watched the sun go down while enjoying flocks of cockatoos swarming on the opposite bank.

Our first full day on the river was an ambitious one. We retraced our steps and continued upriver until we eventually found a muddy beach, kilometres from the nearest campsite. It proved to be a wise choice. This stretch of the Murry was almost completely devoid of the noisy ski boats we’d passed for much of the day. You can see our location on Google Maps below.

The next morning made our way at a leisurely pace downriver. Our aim was to base ourselves in a scenic spot that was close enough for us to motor home the following morning in time for our scheduled “checkout” deadline. By chance, we came across a sandy beach south of the Murray Goulburn River junction. It was a quiet spot on a gently curving bank free from ski boats on the river and campers on the shore.

We settled in for the afternoon and spent a wonderful time swimming for hours in the shallows, drinking wine, and watching the world go by. We were also visited by native ducks and other fauna as the sun dipped below the far bank. Perhaps the only thing that spoilt the experience was the hundreds of leeches that came out to play early the following morning. We’d had no idea they were residents in the general area.

We completed our riverboat adventure the following morning with a well-timed dash back to port. Three nights on the Murray was refreshing and a genuine highlight of our tour along this legendary river.

UPDATE: 24 October

The Murray River reaches its highest level in 100 years on 22 October causing widespread flooding across Victoria and inland NSW. In Echuca, the river peaked at 94.94 metres (above sea level) making it the third-highest flood in the town's history - only behind the levels of 1870 (96.20m) and 1867 (95.34m). Garry and I can hardly believe that some of the towering river banks we saw around Euchua have been overwhelmed.