New Zealand: March 2017

Video of the view of Bay of Islands, from the terrace of our hosts

Grant and Iris Bartlett, in Paihia.  We've sailed often with them 

in Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines

Iris, Grant and Jing, on the last day with them, Orua Beach, north of Paihia

Iris, Grant and Jing, at their "batch" at Orua Beach, north of Bay of Islands 

First stop (19 March) after Orua was to Waipu and its museum.  Fiona and Donna were there
to greet and help us.  Donna gave us a "Pedigree Chart" of the McKenzies, going back
to early 19th century.  It shows clearly that  -- via Mutti -- we're direct descendants of
Duncan McKenzie, builder and Captain of the "Highland Lass".
I'll post the Chart to all relevant, in due course..... (promise!)
Waipu and especially Waipu Cove are pretty spots. All accommodation full when we
were there so we had to stay in Maungturoto, 20km out of town, in a really horrible hotel...

Above top is our progenitor, Captain Duncan McKenzie, known as "The Prince".
Handsome devil, isn't he?  (or not?...).  Born "c. 1808" on Prince Edward Island, Canada
He married (not sure who to) "Abt 1839". His daughter Margaret McKenzie was born "Abt 1842"
in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.   He set sail for Waipu* in 1852, with his
mother and daughter on the ship he'd designed and build: the "Highland Lass".
Duncan died on 29 June 1893 in Waipu.

* (Duncan and his flock first sailed to Adelaide, but thought it a bit "racy", so they continued on to NZ.  

There, they landed in Russell, in the Bay of Islands, then known as the "Hell-hole of the Pacific", 

bawdy wenches and so on.  Sounds fun to me, but clearly not to dear Great-Great Grand-daddy Duncan. 

He took the "Lass" on Waipu. Clearly they were a rather prudish lot).

Duncan McKenzie, "The Prince", Captain of the "Highland Lass" in 1852, is as follows:

• Great-great-great grandfather to: Jane, Anna, Meredith, Alex and John
• Great-great grandfather to: Peter  (me!) and Anne (and our cousins Mark and Richard)
• Great-grandfather to: Mutti  (Margaret, née Anderson) and her three sisters, Betty, Ruth and Kitty.
• Grandfather to: Bruce Anderson (Mutti's Dad. Son of Margaret and James Anderson)
• Father to: Margaret McKenzie (married to James Anderson)

A little bit more on the ship "Highland Lass" on which
"The Prince" McKenzie came out to Waipu.
There's a book still in print, with the story of these original 900 Highlanders
to arrive in Waipu: "The Gael Fares Forth".  Another book, "The Highlanders
of Waipu" is said, by Donna (above) to be "not too reliable"....  

Our cottage at Bethells Beach Cottages. It's west of Auckland and
what we got to in the first day from NZ's "Northlands".
Distances in NZ are not really that great!

From our back patio at the Bethells Beach Cottages

Our cottage at Bethells Beach cottages

Trude, John and Jing at the front of their own cottage

This is the "Big Tree", in the Kauri forest.  It's said to be
over 3,000 years old.  In real life, it's amazingly impressive.

Getting out of the "glowworm caves".  You can't take any pictures inside.
They're really teriffic and worth all the time to get there.  Behind are the
boats, they pull along with ropes, as you keep silent and watch the
glowworms on the cave roofs, like lime-green stars

From our motel room in Taupo, looking west over the lake. There's plenty
to so around the lake: sailing, fishing, thermal walks,....

And the glassblowing place, with it's "statue garden" nearby Taupo

In Cambridge, on the way to Auckland, we stopped by Cambridge, where
Mutti spent her childhood. Her house was near the primary school.  100 years
later and the school's still going, and the house might be this one above, or...

... this one....

... or this one.  Mutti?

In Cambridege: an honesty system book exchange.  Our motel
in Taupo had the same for beer and wine: an honesty system bar.
How wonderful!

The old Post Office in Cambridge, over 100 years old, now an
Italian Restaurant, but still with its charming aspect

From Auckland's One Tree Hill looking over the whole city

Jing and ex NZ America's Cup yachts, by the central wharves and
the Marine Museum

At St Helier's lookout: there's a twilight race happening on the harbour

At "modern Italian", Bazurro, by the wharves in Auckland

Australia: March 2017 (I)

Anna, Jane and Josh at the nice little place in Rye, 3 April 2017

On on of the Mornington surfside beaches

The first Sourdough made with Anne.  I come home to find that my own
8-month old Starter has died and struggling to get another one going.
It's a bit of an art....

A model of colonial Hobard, just outside Hobart

Freycinet Peninsula.  Spiky beach, looking across the big bay

Coles bay beach. Not a soul.  I had a swim, the only one on or in...

One of the many cellar door sales wineries on way to Freycinet

One of the little cottages that Jing and I stayed in, when we drove
aournd Tassie in Jan 1996.  (Forgot the name; but was full anyway)
Just near Swansea, north of Hobart.  Has famous restaurant, also full...

Drive north from Hobart to Freycinet.  Lovely drive

One of the weird paintings at the great Museum of New and Old Art, a
20 minute ferry ride from central Hobart.  A must for any visitor

And another.  Check out its website

View from the roof of my B&B in Hobart, Battery Point Manor.  Yacht Racing
every evening in the Harbour

Laos: December 2016

Vientiane, the old Australian Embassy / Residence.  Pa and Mutti
Served here in mid seventies. Now unoccupied,
but well maintained.  Jing with our guide for the next four days.

Looking back at the tennis court at the Embassy.  We didn't figure out
why it was unoccupied, but well maintained, eg, here with the groundskeeper

Front of the old Oz Embassy.  Now the Oz Embassy shares
with the Canadian Embassy, modern building with nice tennis court.

This was the garden of Buddhas, a weird folly, on the outskirts of Vientiane
Don't think Mutti and Pa were able to visit it when they were here

View from our Hotel in Vang Vieng, over tributary to the Mekong.  This
is an adventure playground for young backpackers: kayaking, rock-climing,
paragliding, tubing, skydiving.... cheap drugs....

Again from our hotel, across to another high-end hotel
at the other side of the river.  Very pretty place

The boats going up the Mekong, from Luang Prabang

Kids swimming in the muddy Mekong, just outside Luang Prabang

Contemplative monk and cats

The something or other falls, just outside Luang Prabang.
You could swim and I wanted to, but too slippery for me...

Jing and our guide, Lok

In the crystal water by the caves

With a cool bridge to the water filled caves

Jane at Ai Weiwei / Andy Warhol exhibition

Gordie at home

Gordie on the terrace of his place on Parrawi St, Mosman. Yesterday. Had lunch down by the Middle Bay Yacht Club

George and Sabrina

On the terrace of their apartment, Sutherland Cres, Darling Point. Overlooking Double Bay

Cairns layover on way to Sydney

Merkel’s open door for migrants takes Europe towards ruin

Douglas Murray. Clear and brave thinker. My thoughts exactly. 

/Snip:

Has the road to modern Europe's future been paved with good intentions? Or did the opening of the continent's borders to the rest of the world constitute one of the most cynically destructive acts ever carried out on a democratic public? 

These are just a couple of the questions now being tossed around among European publics. But whichever answer you veer towards — naive decency or cynical destruction — there can be little doubt that the path on which its leaders have put the continent tends towards hell.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/merkels-open-door-for-migrants-takes-europe-towards-ruin/news-story/c72b6b60cca15c3c518a3882f2b0289f

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