Our April 2012 Travel report

April 2012 Travel ReportOur Australia and New Zealand Review by Zaneta Rochemont, Owner, Cruise Holidays of Clarkson Visit our Website About Us Our Travel Picks                          Welcome to the April edition of Cruise Holidays of Clarkson’s Travel Report. In March I returned from a month-long cruise tour of Australia and New Zealand. I traveled with a group of wonderful travel enthusiasts who made this one of MY favourite trips. Allow me to reminisce on this remarkable adventure, and perhaps awake the travel bug in you. Australia is the world’s oldest continent. Even though it was inhabited by the British only 224 years ago (1788), the Aborigines first settled in Australia 60,000 years ago. What started as a colonial penal country is now a vibrant, modern nation with a population of 21 million people.  It is a continent, but it's also an island, which makes it a great cruise destination for anyone looking for a longer, more exotic cruise. Going to Australia and NOT visiting New Zealand, would be an absolute crime. This smaller island nation also in the South Pacific offers spectacular natural beauty and some of the friendliest people on earth. The land mass of Australia equals that of United States or the European Continent. The landscape is like nowhere else, dominated by the dry Outback, the Great Dividing Range, the lushness of Tasmania, and the coral reef and rainforests in the tropical north. Because of its location, Australia is a land of plants and animals seen nowhere else in the world. Who doesn't think of koala bears and kangaroos in connection with Australia? The dingo was brought to Australia by the Aborigines, and is considered the country’s native dog. The vegetation is like a Hollywood movie setting. Most prominent is the “gum tree”, or the eucalyptus, which is widely represented through its 500 varieties. Its leaves are the only food the cuddly koala bears eat continuously for four hours of the day—the other 20 hours they spend sleeping. There is something very unique to the Australian trees—most varieties shed their bark instead of their leaves. The heart of the country is in the vast Outback—one of the oldest landscapes in the world. Its dramatic red rocks (Uluru being the most majestic one), ochre plains and purple mountains are topped by brilliant blue skies. A “dinner under the stars” at sunset and a visit to Uluru at sun rise is a must--nowhere else will you see such dramatic display of nature’s beauty. It is here that the indigenous inhabitants of Australia, the Aborigines settled 60,000 years ago. For thousands of years they hunted and roamed the vast Outback freely. This nomadic way of life was interrupted when the English settlers claimed wide plots of land. The early days of European colonialism proved disastrous for the Aborigines. Thousands were killed either in hostilities or by unfamiliar disease. During the 1850’s many of them were confined in reserves in an attempt to overcome widespread poverty. Nowadays, Australians are increasingly aware of the rich heritage of the Aborigines, and the society is trying to reconcile and make amends for injustice committed by their ancestors over 200 years ago. Even though the first European settlers were convicts, and Australia is known as a penal country, very few Australians have true convict origin. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Our group adventure was made up of a one week land tour and a seventeen  day cruise on Oceania’s Regatta. We started out in the bustling tropical city of Cairns, the gateway to the rainforests and the Barrier Reef. Just north of Cairns, we discovered the only place on earth where one can see two World Heritage listed sights side by side: the magnificent Great Barrier Reef and the ancient rainforest areas of Atherton tableland. This area is truly a tropical paradise of beaches, islands, mountains, rivers, waterfalls and lakes. A visit to the Outback followed; here we witnessed the most dramatic landscape dominated by Uluru. The highlight here was the dinner under the stars overlooking Uluru at sunset, and the dramatic sunrise at the footsteps of Uluru, followed by the Liru Walk where we retraced the paths of the Liru Ancestors through the bush land near Uluru. We then flew to Sydney, Australia’s largest city. Sydney embraces its harbour, taking the sea and natural waterways to its heart. The grand style of the Opera House has made the city the landmark of the South Pacific. We drove through the historic “Rocks” area where Australia was first founded with its maze of terrace houses, pubs and restaurants. Here we boarded Oceania’s elegant Regatta—our home for the next 17 days. Melbourne was our next port of call. We first embarked on a Savannah Walkabout adventure for a visit to the kangaroos and emus. We walked to the billabong and through gum trees; and we learned how to make delicious ‘Billy tea”—traditional tea of the Swagmen. After a day at sea, we docked in Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania. We immediately headed towards Port Arthur, undoubtedly the most historic and somber landmark of Australia’s penal past. This open air museum exhibits many of the prison’s original facilities. After cruising the Tasman Sea for two days, we reached the western coast of New Zealand’s South Island and sailed along the fjords of Milford Sound. Our first port of call was Dunedin—New Zealand’s oldest city well known for its Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Next, we called on Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city and most northern port in the South Island. Apart from the stunning bays and botanical gardens, Wellington is the home to Te Papa-- New Zealand’s national museum. The museum is famous for its amazing display of Maori heritage, and its interactive exhibitions. We then sailed to the North Island and called on Napier, nestled in Hawke’s Bay, for an introduction to New Zealand’s most popular wine region with over 70 wineries. Bursting with taste sensations, Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s leading food and wine destinations. Tauranga was our next port of call. Here we visited the Elms Mission House (the oldest European heritage site in the Bay of Plenty), and we stopped at the Kiwi360 for a tour of the kiwi fruit orchard. Our cruise journey ended in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, home to over 600 dormant volcanoes, the most significant being the youngest volcano of Rangitoto Island. There are a number of cruise lines that offer cruises of Australia and New Zealand. If you are planning to visit Downunder, call our agency at 905.855.1700; we will be happy to go over the itinerary details and suggest the best option for you. Stay tuned for Cruise Holidays of Clarkson’s May Travel Report.  Joe is currently on tour with a group of Classical 96.3 listeners accompanied by their on-air host Bill Anderson. They are touring Slovenia and its picturesque country side, cruising on the Danube and admiring elegant Prague. In the mean-time, have a wonderful month of April and a Happy Easter. Stop by our office at 1739 Lakeshore Road West in the Clarkson Village, or send us an e-mail at info@clarksontravel.ca. If you have made arrangements for your 2012 holiday, now is the time to start planning your 2013 vacation, especially if you are thinking of a river cruise. Most river cruise companies are sold out for the rest of 2012 and are now booking their 2013 itineraries. Don’t wait--the time to travel is now. Cruise Holidays of Clarkson’s 2012-2013 Travel Picks: Russian Waterways SOLD OUT 12 Jun 2012 AmaWaterways Alaska: Seward to Vancouver LIMITED SPACE 20 Jun 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Black Sea: Athens to Istanbul LIMITED SPACE 03 Jul 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Baltic Sea: Stockholm to Copenhagen LIMITED SPACE 12 Jul 2012 Oceania Cruises British Isles 06 Sep 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Enchanting Rhine w Floriade Expo incl.ONLY TWO STATEROOMS LEFT 12 Sep 2012 AmaWaterways Black Sea: Istanbul to Vienna (River) LIMITED SPACE 07 Sep 2012 AmaWaterways Iberian Interlude: London to Barcelona OPERA ON BOARD 16 Sep 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Provence and Spain SOLD OUT 16 Sep 2012 AmaWaterways Magnificent Europe from Amsterdam to Budapest TWO STATEROOMS LEFT 29 Sep 2012 AmaWaterways Enchanted Grandeur from Athens to Rome 14 Oct 2012 Oceania Cruises Eastern Caribbean NYC to B'dos 22 Oct 2012 Silversea Cruises Byzantine Byways: Rome to Istanbul  24 Oct 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Barcelona to Las Palmas, Canary islands 29 Oct 2012 Silversea Cruises ESCORTED: Deluxe Orient Experience: Bangkok to Singapore, Hong Kong and Bali 02 Nov 2012 Cruise Holidays of Clarkson Arabian Adventures: Luxor to Mumbai (with optional pre and post cruise excursions) 14 Nov 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Brazilian Medley: Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires 26 Nov 2012 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Passage to Panama: Miami to Los Angeles w Panama transit 04 Dec 2012 Oceania Cruises 7-Day Eastern Caribbean on Disney's Fantasy 29 Dec 2012 Disney Cruise Line Between Two Oceans: Miami to Lima (Machu Picchu) 05 Jan 2013 Oceania Cruises South Pacific: Cook Islands and Society Islands 12 Jan 2013 Paul Gauguin Cruises South Pacific: Tahitian Breeze: Papeete to Papeete 16 Jan 2013 Oceania Cruises 'Round trip Cape Town: Mozambique, East London ... 25 Jan 2013 Silversea Cruises Indonesia and South East Asia: Bali to Singapore 23 Feb 2013 Crystal Cruises Caribbean Hideaways: Eastern Caribbean 28 Mar 2013 Oceania Cruises Malabar Coast Journey: Bangkok to Mumbai 01 Apr 2013 Regent Seven Seas Cruises Panama Passage: Miami to San Francisco 22 Apr 2013 Regent Seven Seas Cruises British Isles: and Copenhagen 16 May 2013 Silversea Cruises Eastern Mediterranean Istanbul to Barcelona 18 May 2013 Crystal Cruises Black Sea and Russia - Copenhagen to Stockholm (ESCORTED) 15 Jun 2013 Crystal Cruises Best regards, Zaneta Rochemont President, Cruise Holidays of Clarkson T: 905 855 1700 | F: 905 855 1701 e: info@clarksontravel.ca | w: www.clarksontravel.ca