The Beauty and Terror of Loch Ard Gorge (Australia)

In sunshine, the Victorian coastline known as the Great Ocean Road offers panoramas of glistening blue ocean, natural beauty and a sense of serenity. The area is dotted with unusual and striking rock formations (several with evocative names like the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge and The Grotto) gradually being warn by the savage seas. When the weather is nasty, the ocean turns to a inky swirling maelstrom and the wind whistles in evil howls. For mariners, such weather must be hellish.

As such, the area is also known as Shipwreck Coast with over 700 ships recorded as lost through Australia's short history (less than a third have been located).

Days of thick fogs, grey skies, blustery winds and rough seas prevented the captain of the Loch Ard, an iron-hulled clipper sailing from England from completing his journey. Trying to navigate the brutal strait (threading the needle) between King Island and the mainland in the early winter of 1878, the Loch Ard plunged into a tiny rocky island just off the mainland called Muttonbird Island. Within fifteen short minutes, the ship sunk taking the lives of 52 of its passengers.

Miraculously, Tom Pearce, a young man of 18 clung to a lifeboat and was fortuitously swept through the narrow opening of Loch Ard Gorge onto a tiny peaceful beach. Hearing screams and spotting a young woman struggling in the waves clinging desperately to flotsam, Tom swam and rescued the only other survivor, the by-then unconscious Eva Carmichael. Revived by brandy from a washed up crate, both rested in a cave protected by a tiny strip of beach and surrounded by the suffocating cliffs of the gorge. After some rest, Tom climbed the steep cliffs (now a set of wooden stairs) to seek help and both were rescued. Neither saw each other ever after the rescue period, Eva returning to Ireland (Tom became a ship's captain!).

Today, visitors can quietly stroll the beach, visit the small cave, gaze at the vertical walls of the cliff and walk the pleasant trails around Loch Ard Gorge highlighting the peaceful triangle of water and the hidden gate to the Antarctic Ocean and open seas.

Nearby, people can see a living reminder of the unrelenting seas chipping away at the fragile limestone coast. Island Arch stood guard near Loch Ard Gorge for many centuries until in July, 2009 it collapsed leaving two pillars. These have been named Tom and Eva in memory of the two brave survivors of the area's most well-known shipwreck.

Similarly recent collapses lays witness to the continuing weathering and change in the area. Another of the Twelve Apostles toppled some years ago and London Bridge became London Arch in 1990.

For parts of this beautiful area, the road hugs the water as vistas of the rugged coastline open around each sweeping bend. Many rate it Australia's finest drive. Numerous stops and sidepaths highlight various rock formations and panoramic lookouts. Loch Ard Gorge is a highlight stop giving a glimpse into the feeling of desperation that young Tom and Eva, along with the passengers and crew of the Loch Ard must have felt as brutal weather, poor visibility and the savage coastline played in taking the lives of 52 people and how luck played such a part in saving two souls.

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The Trolls Way (Geiranger, Norway)

Everytime I think of the travel wonder of Trollstigen (the Troll’s Ladder), one of Norway’s and Europe’s finest drives, I am reminded of a great story told to me as a child.

It is the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff, a fable told to children around the world (but especially Scandinavia) for over a century. In this tale, there are three goats who have run out of grass in their field and to get to more grass, they need to cross a bridge guarded by a nasty old troll (a stout Norse mythology creature with an oversized nose) who likes to eat goats. The first goat is challenged and explains that his older brother is coming and the troll let him pass with the promise of a larger meal. The second goat wanders across the bridge and again explains that his eldest brother is following closely behind and is allowed to pass. The eldest goat crosses the bridge and as the troll goes to eat him, he is gored to death, leaving the bridge safe for all times.

Trollstigen is a snaking single lane road carved out of the mountainous path between Ǻndalsnes and the extraordinarily beautiful Geirangerfjord in central Norway – an aquamarine highway of water sandwiched between towering granite walls that stand tall even among the stunningly exceptional fjords which pockmark the west coast of Norway.

The road is engulfed by a chessboard of mountains with evocative names like The King, The Queen and The Bishop. The pounding waterfall of Stigfossen finds a more direct way down the mountain cutting under the road in a few places, falling into a gushing dark stream where it is easy to believe that trolls have stealthily inhabited for centuries. Even road signs warn motorists (and cyclists – apparently trolls like cyclists) of troll crossings.



Having survived the climb of Trollstigen, its eleven hairpin turns and avoiding being on the troll’s morning tea menu, you are rewarded with a superb vista of Geirangerfjord. A ferry ride and a drive down the Eagles Road (Ørneveien) past some turf-roofed farms of yesteryear and you arrive at the delightful village of Geiranger and its extraordinary waterway.

Tourist boats ply these waters regularly in the warmer months. The steep walls of the fjord are punctuated by towering waterfalls several hundred metres in height. The two most notable falls are the lead players in another Norse tale. The elegant Seven Sisters is being wooed by a matching fall on the other side appropriately called The Suitor (these Norwegians have rich imaginations!).

Strangely on this most treasured drive, I am sure I spotted a few trolls in the distance but I didn’t see a single goat. Maybe the trolls still manage the Trollstigen crossings.

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The Curiosity Shop (Jenolan Caves, Australia)

At 380 million years, Jenolan Caves are thought to be the oldest visited caves in the world. Around two hours drive west of Sydney, ten caves are open to the public. This photo shows the mesmerising beauty of the Orient Cave visited recently with my close and treasured friend Kath. The cave features three exceptionally featured rooms evocatively called the Indian, Egyptian and Persian Cambers. The formation is appropriately called The Curiosity Shop and includes helictites that are the strange formations that grow in all directions defying gravity (and scientific explanation).

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A LAVENDER FARM

'The lavenders (Lavandula) are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia (Cape Verde and Canary Islands and Madeira) across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India. It is thought the genus originated in Asia but is most diversified in its western distribution.

The genus includes annuals, herbaceous plants, subshrubs, and small shrubs. The native range extends across the Canary Islands, North and East Africa, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, Arabia and India. Because the cultivated forms are planted in gardens worldwide, they are occasionally found growing wild as garden escapees, well beyond their natural range. However, since lavender cross-pollinates easily, there are countless variations within the species. The color of the flowers of some forms has come to be called lavender' .

Here are some beautiful photographs of Lavender farms.

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Thermal Wonderland (Rotorua, New Zealand)

Australians have always felt a close affinity with our New Zealand cousins. As a travel destination, New Zealand is one of the world’s most inviting destinations – dominated by extraordinary scenery of glorious mountain ranges, untouched forests, stellar national parks and sparkling oceans and complemented with a vibrant and deeply respected Maori culture (a lesson for the world) and an easy-going, unrushed population.

While Christchurch has started to rebuild from a devastating earthquake that caused untold damage, took over 150 lives and shredded the fundamental infrastructure of the city, travellers assumed that all of New Zealand was a disaster zone and closed down. Nothing could be further from the truth. An initiative of a group of Kiwi travel bloggers under the banner of Blog4NZ (twitter: #blog4nz) have encouraged over 100 bloggers worldwide to publish favourite stories of this vibrant country to encourage the world to visit. Tourism comprises around 10% of the New Zealand economy and so each visitor can help in a small way to help rebuild the South Island’s largest city and the impact on the country in general. Note that the Christchurch Airport continues to operate normally and is the perfect gateway to the South Island and its incredible natural beauty.

This article describes the unusual thermal region of Rotorua (visited in September, 2010) but readers can find other New Zealand stories on the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, the steepest street in the world and the thunderous Huka Falls.

The odorous rotten-egg gas hits me first. Within a few miles of Rotorua, the rich sulphurous air gives a taste of a remarkable landscape. Revered by the Maoris, the highlight of the area is Te Whakarewarewa which everyone confidently and loudly calls fa-ka (wh is pronounced f in Maori).

Presented almost as a mini-New Zealand, the area’s highlights are undoubtedly the spurting geysers, bubbling mud pools and steaming springs. Just past the symbolic entrance of raised wooden poles is the Kiwi House. New Zealand’s iconic bird forages in the semi-darkness, its plump body, matted feathers and strange long beak difficult to spot in the nocturnal conditions that Kiwis prefer. Sadly, there is little chance of seeing them in the wild so this is the best way to see this endangered fellow. Mating for life, the male Kiwi incubates the egg in one of nature’s more evenly shared breeding partnerships.

From the Kiwi House, the inhospitable primeval landscape lays in front of my eyes. Geysers spurt and steam billows erratically from several spots rebelling against the chilly wintry air. Several pools of mud on permanent simmer bubble, gurgle and froth under a veil of steam, belching their foul-smelling gases into the air like the worst of house guests.

Most of the geysers spurt from a multi-coloured lunar-like area called Geyser Flat. In a kind of thermal warm-up act, the grandly named Prince of Feathers geyser spurts before launching the most impressive Pohutu Geyser. Super-heated by molten rock under increasing pressure as steam builds underground, the boiling rainwater spurts many meters into the air with an impressive blast, before commencing the cycle over again. The active landscape is a reminder that geologically, New Zealand is one of the world’s youngest countries.

Strange holes seemingly lead to Middle Earth, the grey fringes giving a sense of foreboding about whether a geyser is about to shoot. Various activities utilising warming bore water for spas in the Rotorua area resulted in some geysers in the area stopping.

As an indicator of Maori reverence for this site, a Maori cemetery overlooks the main geyser area, plain white headstones and carved wooden statues marking the buried ancestors. Homage is appropriately paid to the Maori God of Fire.

Nearby, a permanently boiling water hole was used for centuries by the Maoris as a cooking area and currently highlights the innovative cooking methods with woven baskets making ideal “pots” for dunking the eggs and vegetables.A boiled egg with such little fuss.

The remainder of the site is a Maori cultural centre. With an area of pre-European Maori housing, a more modern marae or Maori meeting house and national schools for the Maori arts of weaving and carving, the Maori culture is well enshrined ensuring that their heritage and practices are not lost in modern society.

In the Maori weaving school, small clumps of the strands of the flax plant are expertly rolled across the leg forming long strings that are dyed and woven into clothing, baskets and other goods. Feathers and skins are often added for warmth or ceremonial appeal.

Around the area, I can strongly recommend completing a Rotorua day with a visit to one of several thermal pools (lose the silver jewellery first unless you want them all tarnished) for an incredibly therapeutic and relaxing experience.

Despite the odours, New Zealand's Sulphur City is a great place to visit, with the popular Whaka offering a chance to liven all the senses with the Earth's natural power in its rawest form across a thermal wonderland of geysers, boiling mud and venting steam. And to add the Kiwi flavour, a chance to experience two of the country's most identifiable images - to peer through the murkiness to witness a Kiwi scratching amongst the undergrowth and to watch a thriving Maori culture that harnesses the thermal area so harmoniously.

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Mount Ngauruhoe (New Zealand)

Published as part of the Blog4NZ campaign (twitter #blog4nz) to highlight the travel wonders of New Zealand and to promote that New Zealand is very much open to tourism despite the recent earthquake in Christchurch.

Mt Ngauruhoe is a stunning conical and highly active volcano in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand and part of the exceptional one day Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek.

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Photo of the Week: A Single Drip (Jenolan Caves, Australia)

Two hundred kilometres west of Sydney, Jenolan Caves are thought to be the oldest show caves in the world at an estimated 380 million years, well before dinosaurs roamed our planet.It is staggering to believe such beauty and richly decorated limestone chambers are built by the constant dripping of water such as the single drops landing in the spectacular Indian Chamber of the Orient Cave (undoubtedly one of the most spectacular caves in the world).

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Zealandia: Preserving New Zealand Wildlife (Wellington)

Only minutes from the centre of New Zealand’s curiously bubbly capital, Zealandia is an inspiring project to restore a valley to its pre-human state. This reserve has managed to remove major introduced predators to the area with novel fencing, including rabbits, stoats, possums, mice, rats and more, allowing endangered birdlife, insects and other animals to thrive, enhancing the survival prospects of several severely threatened species.

Zealandia is named from the sub-continent that broke away from Australia some 80 million years ago taking a number of species unique to New Zealand. Without the existence of mammals at the time, fauna developed without defence mechanisms (a number of bird species lost their ability to fly) when such animals were introduced in the last several hundred years. A number of species continue to fight for their very survival.

Zealandia is rightly proud of two Takahe, plump flightless birds with blue-purple plumage believed extinct last century. Only around 250 of these highly endangered species exist anywhere mainly on small predator-free islands where their slow reproduction continue to pamper their survival. The lively takahe peck around grasslands, their oversized scarlet beak hunting for tiny insects and moist shoots.

The kaka are similarly endangered, brown plumage being setoff against a russet breast. Excitable in groups, they delicately eat berries, fruit and nuts, taking them in their claws much like typical parrots. Ingenious feeders encourage them to certain areas of the bush. Zealandia has much success in breeding kaka, the lack of predators keeping the eggs and mother safe through the long incubation period.

Tui flutter overhead among the thickets of bushland. Their iridescent blue-green breast glimmers in the dappled light highlighted by strange white tufts of feathers hang as a lace collar from their throat like dice from a rear-vision mirror. Tui are noted mimics of human sounds with their dual voiceboxes able to master a wide variety of vocalisations. Their curved beaks rummage among the fruits of trees and shrubs for nectar.

A number of other endangered birds including the famed kiwi and other species of parrots enjoy the Zealandia area.

Zealandia have a number of tuatara, a living fossil measuring just over half a metre, with a spiny ridge up its back. Over 200 million years old (from the time of the dinosaurs), they are the only survivors of an ancient type of reptile which vary considerably from lizards despite their appearance. Many ancient aspects are noteworthy including a third eye at birth (which disappears after several months), no ear (though an ability to detect sounds), teeth that are simply pointed parts of their jawbone and no penis (they reproduce more like birds). Rats have devastated the tuatara population with most existing on a few remote predator-free islands. Notoriously slow to reproduce (one lot of eggs every few years), tuatara are poorly understood by scientists with many mysteries about their existence still to be unravelled.

Zealandia is a wonderful tract of land with numerous well-signed paths to wander the heavy native New Zealand forests, spotting and listening for a variety of endangered native birds. A small boat chugs along a dam which once provided Wellington with its drinking water offering a superb vista across the verdant valley. Birds swoop and glide among the trees, visitors pointing enthusiastically as another species is spotted. The walks are supported with an excellent display showing the botanical history of the area and Zealandia’s 500 year ambition to return the preserve to its pre-human state, expected in the yehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifar 2500. I’d suggest not waiting that long…

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The Marine Wildlife Wonderland of Kaikoura (New Zealand)

Majestically set as the Southern Alps approach the bay-lined coastline, Kaikoura is world famous for its marine tours. Geologically freaky, the continental shelf plunges over 2000 metres deep only a few miles offshore creating the perfect feeding grounds for the Sperm Whale. These leviathans, measuring up to 18 metres and weighing in at up to 70 tonnes, dive for up to two hours into the inky depths (any semblance of light in seawater disappears at around 500 metres) to snaffle giant squid among their dietary luxuries.

Sadly on my visit, the rough conditions cancel any chance of seeing these charismatic giants, but a tour of the more coastal areas still offer a chance to see a variety of marine life.

The robust craft is six seats wide with viewing platforms all around and on the top deck. Within a few minutes of the journey starting, Hector Dolphins, the world’s smallest species of these playful sea creatures, twist and dive in small groups. Entering the bay in which Kaikoura is situated, New Zealand Fur Seals appear to relish the chilly conditions basking on favourite rocks oblivious to the brisk spring winds.

A little further out to sea, acrobatic Dusky Dolphins leap clear of the water or thrash their tail in a manoeuvre unexplained by science. Petrels shoot the gusty winds while albatrosses gracefully soar the breezes.

Perfectly suited to flying long distances, the three-part wings stretch metres wide while their wings can lock into their shoulders, expending no energy to soar the wind currents above the ocean surface for hours or days on end. The two largest albatross species, the similar Royal and Wandering Albatrosses both appear around Kaikoura, spending their time just off the coastline at sea. Albatrosses appear equally regal swimming on the surface, ready to launch in an ungainly takeoff while unfurling their huge wings.

Back on land, a short walk from the town centre towards the peninsula, fur seals pull themselves onto the rocks only metres from the end of the road. Closely related to sealions, their small ears are visible (most seals have hidden ears) from only a few metres and their mobility is highlighted by their capacity to walk on all four flippers. One path leads over the lush hills offering an overview of the rocky shoreline and relaxing seals while the other navigates the coastline itself presenting seals at eye level.

A few kilometres north of town, Ohau Point features a mating colony where seal bull males compete for the chance to reproduce, mothers guard their cubs while trying to bask on their favourite rock. Baby pups either sleep in a convenient crevice in a rock or play joyously with their new mates in a small rockpool diving and jumping as the waves wash through the pools. Hundreds of seals line the shoreline, waves pounding the harsh coastline of volcanic black sands and jagged rocks.

Kaikoura is a marine wonderland with opportunities to view at close quarters remarkable creatures as the albatross, Sperm Whale, dolphins and seals combining a boat journey and a lively walk at any time of the year. While all this wildlife are permanently resident, migratory whales from Antarctica also settle in these waters during the New Zealand winter months to calf, before returning south at the onset of spring.

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Lewis Pass (New Zealand)

Lewis Pass is one of just three alpine passes on the South Island of New Zealand allowing a path through the central spine of mountains that cuts the long narrow island in two. It was named after the surveyor who discovered the path through in the 1860s, though was exploited by the native Maori for many centuries before that, especially for the exchange of the valued greenstone. It provided a vital thoroughfare for the passage of produce. Highlighted by snow-capped mountains, rugged scrubby bushes, sharp beech-forested valleys and alpine lakes, the pass contains a number of fine walks (or tramping as the Kiwis describe it).

I travelled as a guest of Qantas Airways on The Great Crusade, a promotion highlighting the best of New Zealand while following the endeavours of the Qantas Wallabies to win the Rugby World Cup. The journey can be followed via Twitter hashtag #greatcrusade.

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Majestic Marlborough Sounds (New Zealand)

The tangled maze of aquamarine waterways and tiny islands makes the Marlborough Sounds, gateway to New Zealand’s South Island one of the most idyllic and rewarding island passages anywhere in the world. Verdant green land and glistening blue-green waters combine for a journey of visual splendour.

While a number of options are available to experience this marine travel wonder, the Interislander ferry makes multiple trips each day from the capital city of Wellington through the Marlborough Sound to Picton, regularly travelling within metres of the rocky outcrops and jagged foreshores. The coastline is so pockmarked with bays and inlets that the Marlborough Sounds are less than 200 kilometres long yet the coastline of the area is over 1750 kilometres, more than the length of Portugal’s coastline.

The wooded islands rear sharply out of the water, their deep black-green foliage highlighting the geological history of the area when waters flooded the unshapely river valleys millions of years ago at the end of the ice age. Walking tracks also crisscross the region, the 70 kilometre Queen Charlotte’s Walk being highly recommended.

Tiny bays define the rugged coastlines, small holiday houses sitting in idyllic verdant patches overlooking the majestic waters. Small marine farms in the area produce the envied green-lip mussels though a decent share of the area is preserved in conservation zones.

While the Maoris have navigated these waters for centuries, Captain Cook skilfully mapped the area in 1770 on his circumnavigation of New Zealand, claiming the lands for England and assuring sailors for years to come of the passageway between New Zealand’s two main islands. He immodestly named it Cook Strait! Cook returned to the area on all three of his remarkable world journeys.

Wildlife is regularly sighted from the various vantage points of the ferry including whales, dolphins and abundant seabirds. Playful tiny Hector Dolphins, only seen in New Zealand and the world’s smallest dolphins, leap playfully in small groups, their backs sharply arched almost turning on themselves as they leap along the water’s surface.

Nearing the sound, splendid vistas of snow-capped mountains complete the panoramic views.

Gliding quietly through sparkling waters and weaving around tiny bays, I can imagine no better way to greet New Zealand’s less discovered stunning South Island.

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