Although we have long wanted a sojourn in Australia (or Oz, as we are learning to refer to it) and New Zealand, we thought that Australasia was too far away, too many time zones away, and too vast to visit while I was still working. Now we think: If not now, when?
I confess to some anxiety about taking this trip: perhaps because of my sudden decline a year ago while we were in South America; perhaps because of the increased risk of developing blood clots on long flights (I've had two blood clots since I was diagnosed with cancer, and stroke is one of my greatest fears); perhaps because of the logistics of getting the airlines to permit me to take into their main cabins the syringes of Fragmin, a fragile blood-thinner that cannot be exposed to the temperatures of their luggage compartments; perhaps out of concern that we may have scheduled an itinerary that will outpace my stamina; perhaps because, by taking this trip, I am almost certainly foreclosing the opportunity to go other exotic places that are in season and that we also postponed visiting while I was working, such as Egypt, South Africa, Patagonia, and Costa Rica. But any trepidation is overridden by my awareness of how lucky I am to have this unexpected opportunity for extended travel.
As the trip nears, my anticipation grows. We plan to swim, snorkle, and go boating and deep-sea fishing in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef; walk in parks, gardens, cities, and villages; visit museums and art galleries (I especially like Aboriginal art); go to the opera in Sydney; go racing in Flemington for the second most important day of racing in Australia each year; drive the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne; visit zoos and otherwise view exotic flora and fauna; visit stud farms and wineries; play golf (my balky right shoulder permitting) at the Royal Sydney Golf Club, as guests of a friend; climb a glacier; go boating in fiords; fly in helicopters and small planes over spectacular scenery; stay in good hotels and resorts; eat well; and drink the local wine and beer. Of course, Australasia-- particularly Oz-- is so vast that we will not get to do many things that we would very much like to do, including visit the bush and the outback, as well as Tasmania and coastal cities that are not on our itinerary.
Our strategy for Australasia is to change hotels as infrequently as possible, sallying forth for day trips by car, plane, or helicopter. For those of you who have been down under, our itinerary is as follows:
February 24- 26, Auckland, New Zealand (staying at Mollies).
February 26- March 2, Lizard Island, Australia.
March 2-7, Melbourne (staying at the Park Hyatt).
March 7-12, Sydney (staying at the Park Hyatt).
March 12-15, Christchurch, New Zealand (staying at the George Hotel).
March 15-19, Queenstown, New Zealand (staying at Eichardt's Hotel).
March 19-22, Taupo, New Zealand (staying at Huka Lodge).
For the long flight down under, I am taking along to reread: Robert Hughes's epic of Australia's founding, The Fatal Shore; and Bruce Chatwin's account of Aboriginals' Dreamtime creation myths, The Songlines. I haven't figured out yet what to read on the flight back to New York: Maybe I'll just try to catch up on the news!
