Australia: Noosa Heads

With AU$0.50 bus fares, we couldn't resist checking out Noosa National Park, almost 100 miles from Brisbane by train and bus. The closest "low price" we have seen before would be French departmental buses that cost 1 or 2 euros. Regardless of the fare, I couldn't believe there would be a 50 km bus route through suburbia, even going by a number of golf courses.



Noosa Heads itself was another surprise. Being the 1st Saturday of the two week Easter school holiday, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people surfing. On our walk in the headlands, we must have seen more people with surfboards than without.



We had a very enjoyable walk with a little rain in the afternoon. This hike we brought umbrellas. It started to pour as we got on the bus - good timing, a rare luck.



On the train in the rain from Brisbane to Nambour we passed by the striking peaks of Glass House Mountains National Park, and then in Nambour we changed to the bus to Noosa.


Noosa Heads Main Beach.




We continued to walk around the headland, passing Tea Tray Bay (below).


The views to Granite Bay from opposing headlands.




Hell's Gates. No surfers here!


The coastal trail ends at Alexandria Bay Beach (below)


We took the Tanglewood trail back to town, passing more than a few Grass Trees.


Back at Noosa Head Beach, the surfers were ignoring the rain and looking splendid in patches of late afternoon sun.

Australia: Brisbane

From Auckland, the best airfare to the east coast of Australia was to Brisbane, so we started our mainland Australian tour in Brisbane, home of the 2032 Olympic Games. They look to be ready even now.

Auckland has lots of housing, even more public transport. Last year the liberal Queensland government introduced a flat 0.50 AUD (0.32 USD) transit fare regardless of distance on trains, buses, and ferries. That's even more extravagant public spending than French departmental buses. So we went joy riding on the river ferry. And took the bus to Mount Coot-Tha Lookout, then walked to the very expansive botanical garden.

We only scratched the surface of the museums at the Queensland Art Gallery. I was very happy to see Brisbane, such quality of life is rarely seen around the world.

Brisbane Metro Tri-Articulated Bus


The Brisbane River snakes through the CBD (Central Business District). Riding the CityCat catamaran ferries is a fun way to spend a morning.










There are more than several iconic bridges over the Brisbane River: Kangaroo Point Bridge (1st below), Story Bridge (2nd and 3rd below). One can "climb" the Story Bridge.








There were food stalls in the City Botanic Gardens. We had some tasty vegetarian Korean street food: Vegetarian Japchae (Korean Noodles -Top) and Vegetarian Dong-gi (with Tofu - Bottom).


We were surprised to see more than several black-headed ibises at the City Gardens, then later figured out they're everywhere in Australia.


The jaw-dropping dome of the Brisbane City Hall Auditorium.


We rode the bus from the CBD to the Mount Coot-Tha Summit Lookout (1st below). Wow! Then walked down to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.












The QAG (Queensland Art Gallery) was hosting the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Some pretty cool stuff. First and second below are stills from videos by Kawita Vatanajyankur. Captivating.


"Tunnel" by Thai Artist Mit Jai Inn


A Textile Mandala by Yim Maline


Not to mention our introduction to painter Ian Fairweather. Below is "Cafe in rice field".


Queensland Brewery Company Building.


McWhirter’s Building


Hotel Orient


Tofu Noodle Salad at Black Drip Coffee Vietnamese Resto


The Regent Theatre Entrance Hall and Grand Foyer.


And finally, another shot of Brisbane CBD from the Mount Coot-Tha Summit Lookout.

New Zealand: Auckland

Auckland, population 1.5 million, a true metropolis at long last, a good place for museums and restaurants. On my birthday we had an excursion to the Coast to Coast Track, which crosses the isthmus between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific. It is exactly the kind of panoramic walks we love to do to get to know a city. The trail took us to all manners of places, from volcanos to neighborhoods to parks to universities. Auckland is very cosmopolitan, compared to the rest of New Zealand.

John says: The Coast to Coast walk could also be called the Auckland Volcanic Activity walk as there are 50+ volcanoes in the area and the walk goes to the top of several with views to others.

Wikipedia says: The Auckland volcanic field is an area of monogenetic volcanoes covered by much of the metropolitan area of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, located in the North Island. The approximately 53 volcanoes in the field have produced a diverse array of maars (explosion craters), tuff rings, scoria cones, and lava flows. With the exception of Rangitoto, no volcano has erupted more than once

Auckland is said to have the most boats per capita of any city in the world. Checkout this view from the bus window as we roll into town.


The view of the 1076 foot tall Sky Tower from our hotel room.


We walked the 16 km Coast to Coast path across Auckland, from Manukau on the Tasman Sea in the south to Waitematā Harbour in the city center. From our hotel in the CBD we rode the suburban train from Waitemata (Britomart) Train Station (below) to NewMarket to Onehunga.




At the start of the walk we looked across the water to Māngere Mountain Volcano. Sporting two craters, it's 106 meters high and was the site of a Maori fortified settlement.


However we were not headed south to Mangere, but north towards the craters and one monument at One Tree Hill Volcanic Peak (182-meters), passing through some older neighborhoods. On the top of One Tree Hill, in addition to the monument to the Maori people, there are 360 panoramic views including a view to Rangitoto Island Volcano (3rd below) which last erupted 600 years ago.










From here, we walked through the One Tree Hill neighborhood, with a spiffy modernist Greenlane Clinical Centre (1st below), towards Mount Eden, the most famous volcano in Auckland. On the way, the walking route took us through the very green Melville Park, built on top of a lava field as a public works project during the Great Depression. The perfect lunch spot!








The boardwalk around the rim of the Mount Eden crater was more than awesome!




The Mount Eden Lookout was a very popular photo op.






From Mount Eden we deviated off the prescribed route, crossing the busiest road in New Zealand IMO, to Newmarket Central to see a Modernist building.




Back on route to the Auckland War Memorial Museum (1st below) and nearby Domain Wintergardens (2nd and 3rd below).






Not quite finished with the walk, we stopped for dinner at Khu Khu Vegan Thai to celebrate Sun-Ling's birthday. Followed by takeout dessert from a French bakery.




Resuming the walk the next day, we stopped by the former Railway Station (1st below), and Ferry Terminal (2nd(, on route to the end of the walk at Viaduct Yacht Basin (3rd).






And always a great sunset view from our hotel window.


Finally, the Threads of Time: Travel, Trade and Textiles exhibit at the Auckland Art Gallery was a refreshing survey of European art from the 15th to the 18th centuries.