#854 Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

http://www.bluemts.com.au/

This is the view I remember, but when I saw it, I don't think there was a gondola sitting above the depths. It was my first experience of a hail stone storm -- I didn't understand how it could be so hot, yet with massive pieces of ice falling from the sky.

A short drive up from Sydney, the mountains encompass a large area of inland New South Wales. I remember how the mountains seemed to drop off, as opposed to rising up, and this would make sense considering they are a sandstone plateau with gorges being carved out of it.

The aboriginal legend is a Gundungurra creation story where the Dreamtime half-fish half-reptile creatures Mirigan and Garangatch fought a large battle, scarring the landscape. Many areas of archaeological importance are in the area (22,000 years old), with the rock shelter Red Hands Cave having ancient hand stencils and other areas having grinding stones and carved animal track images.

They were called the blue mountains because of the appearance from a distance, believed to be caused by mie scattering combined with ultraviolet radiation, and the terpenoids emitted by the many eucalyptus trees (though I admit I don't really know what that means!).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BlueMountains123.jpg

Source: http://www.bluemts.com.au/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mountains_(New_South_Wales)

#855 Pink and White Terraces (Otukapuarangi), New Zealand

John Clarke Hoyte painting. Pink and White Terraces, Lake Rotomahana and Mount Tarawera. Watercolor and gouache on paper. ca 1870s. Hocken Collections. Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago.
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewImage.do?id=223993&aid=135809

This is an unusual one: The pink and white terraces are an amazing place -- however they no longer exist. Actually, they no longer exist in the form that made them famous.

http://www.buriedvillage.co.nz/pink_and_white_terraces/p/49

The pink and white terraces were two sets of beautiful geyser formations of silica terraces in Lake Rotomahana near the dormant volcano Mt. Tarawera, around 25 km south of the New Zealand town of Rotorua, but they disappeared during an 1886 eruption of Mt. Tarawera. 800m apart, it is thought they had different appearances because of the amount of sunlight they each received, with the white ones being the larger set, around 50 layers and cascading over 40m in height, and the pink ones being the preferred area for swimming.

"The journey from Auckland was typically by steamer to Tauranga, the bridle track to Ohinemutu on Lake Rotorua, by coach to Te Wairoa by canoe across lake Tarawera, and then on foot over the hill to the swampy shores of Lake Rotomahana and the terraces." (Wikipedia)

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/whiteterraces.shtml

The eruption at 3am on 10 June 1886 caused the lake floor to explode, showering the area with liquid mud, ash, stones and other debris, not only reclaiming the terraces, but burying two Maori villages, Moura and Te Ariki. After the eruption, there was a crater where the terraces had been, which was eventually filled with the water of the lake

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/waterbasins.shtml

In Maori they were known as Otukapuarangi, "fountain of the clouded sky" and they were a popular tourist attraction from the 1840s, especially after Prince Albert, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited in 1870, but were a source of racist resentment from the white (pakeha) New Zealanders because the Te Arawa tribe that owned them became wealthy from their control and ownership of the area (they even had their marae (meeting house) in Hinemihi made with gold florins instead of paua (abalone shell) eyes. After the eruption killed and displaced members of the tribe, the New Zealand government unfairly converted the area into crown land in a payment-for-relief-assistance system, although much of this (including 13 lakes in 2006) has been returned to the tribe in the past decades as part of the Treaty of Waitangi tribunal.

Lake Tarawera before the eruption and today -- the eruption enlarged the lake. A narrow isthmus separates lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana.

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/laketarawera.shtml#

http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/lakes/rotorua/nz0277.shtml

I've been fascinated with the pink and white terraces since I was a girl and saw a beautiful painting of them. It was only after a while that I learned that they had been destroyed -- I had dreamed of visiting them!

In a marvel of modern science, the lowest two tiers of the pink terraces were rediscovered 60 metres underwater while mapping the lake floor in 2011, and it is thought that the rest may be buried under sediment, and the increased-level lake.

Sources: http://themeetingplacenz.blogspot.com/2012/07/pink-and-white-terraces-backstory-to.html 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_and_White_Terraces
http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/volcanic/terraces/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Rotomahana

#859 Cardrona Bra Fence, New Zealand

Today's post is tongue-in-cheek and also a bit of a memorial. Apparently, Cardrona Valley's infamous bra fence is no more (this happened a while ago, but I only just heard about it) -- someone got up in the middle of the night and stole all the bras!

From the Fence's own Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/brafence

It's not an uncommon thing in New Zealand for strange objects to be on the side of the road, hung on fences.  A few years ago, the Shoe Fence near Fairlie (see copyrighted photos linked below) caused a bit of a protest as some people complained that it was a driving hazard to have something interesting to look at on the side of the road, and the same thing has been brought up by the local Queenstown council regarding Cardrona. I think this fence deserves a record on the 1000 Amazing Places list simply because it is a symbol of human ingenuity and creativity, and it was started with an even more noble thought in mind -- it was a memorial to a dear friend that died, sharing her clothes on the fence in a ritual of mourning. What is otherwise an uneventful drive, now brings a smile to all who pass, and many stop to take photos and send letters to the farm owners. I have no doubt that there will be more bras that emerge soon!

Source: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/248614/canvassing-support-new-bra-fence

http://www.conveyit.co.nz/yk-files/ae6c9e9e322b89d1b17adf7febd6b845/A%20Commonsense%20Fence.pdf 

http://weirdorinteresting.blogspot.co.nz/2009/11/cardrona-bra-fence-weird-or-interesting.html

http://www.timhaufphotography.com/Othercountries/Oceania/New-Zealand/12098219_VtQnv3/1406109268_4cW4zrP#!i=1406109268&k=4cW4zrP

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauanz/8530202372/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardrona_Bra_Fence

#885 Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

If I had to pick the most iconic and original piece of architecture in the world, the one I knew from a very young age, it would have to be the Sydney Opera House. A beautiful structure reminiscent of sails, and beautiful from afar, up close, and spectacular when lit up at night -- one day I might even climb it. When I first saw it at the age of 11, it was a real treat, something so awe-inspiring and special it made a memorable impact.

I think the era it was built (started in 1959 and finished in 1973) and the fact that it remains so iconic makes it legendary. Few recently man made structures in the world have had such a long-lasting effect other than the Eiffel Tower (#898) in Paris. It was designed by Jørn Utzon, and when construction commenced, many geometrical and structural issues with the design remained, not to mention funding and political support. We can only be glad that they all were resolved and the construction succeeded!  

Note: Apologies, but I do not have any of my own photos of the Opera House with me. Image is from http://famouswonders.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House

#888 Taranaki, New Zealand

On the western coast of the North Island of New Zealand, there is a point which sticks out into the Tasman Sea more than the rest. The gas and oil hub for New Zealand, this is the region of Taranaki. Crowned by a near perfect volcano (formerly Mt Egmont, but now Mt. Taranaki) above beautiful rolling farms and windswept beaches, New Plymouth, a quaint town, is the main hub. Why is it amazing? It's beautiful, it's west coast, it's traditional, it's true New Zealand!

#906 West Coast Glaciers (Te Wahipounamu), New Zealand

Fox Glacier ice cave

River emerging from Fox Glacier

People are often quite astonished to discover that New Zealand has growing glaciers -- it perhaps does not seem cold enough, but the Southern Alps provide a perfect environment for the mountain glaciers to feed the coastal ice flows that end in the rain forest not far from the ocean's edge.

Fox Glacier -- rainforest surrounding it

 

Very accessible in around an hour's walk from the main road, but surrounded by spectacular high peaks, they are a magical other-worldly place to visit. Like most other place's on New Zealand's West Coast South Island, there are minimal people living anywhere closeby allowing it to remain untouched and wild.

Franz Josef Glacier

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Glacier

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josef_Glacier

#921 Christchurch, New Zealand

My beautiful home port, Christchurch! While I am from Queenstown, it is almost impossible to get there without passing through Christchurch, the nearest international airport. It is also the biggest city on the South Island, so like a capital in some ways. 

Modeled on traditional English cities, when sitting on the banks of the Avon river it is easy to imagine oneself on a different continent. The calm placid river winds through flat Christchurch, with charming trees shadowing the banks while ducks float by.

When I was a child, the highlights of Christchurch were going to Orana Wildlife Park (which I think still exists), trying to catch a glimpse of the Wizard giving one of his nutty speeches, wandering the beautiful old former University of Canterbury campus (which housed the Arts Center), in particular the excellent market. We watched the Wild Things performed in an excellent small theatre -- in fact, all my early experiences of theatre occurred here. As Queenstown's theatre didn't really have much selection, we went to movies in the theatre or at the bigger Hoyts up the road, and later on, climbed the steep steps of the internet cafe that was on the corner. I loved driving past the Edmond's factory, and I even bloodied my nose in the parking lot of the cheap hotel we always stayed at -- wish I could remember the name.

We would drive out to the beach or up into the hills for a view from the extinct volcano. It was a long straight road over the Canterbury plains, with farms and tree breaks and more traffic! Often, we were on our way to Hamner Springs, but Christchurch was the closest place to shop and I loved the shops there!

In February 2011 a powerful earthquake hit Christchurch and they were wracked by many aftershocks and the trauma of liquefaction, homes declared condemned, the loss of their beloved cathedral, and lives lost or forever altered.

#925 Russell, New Zealand

When I was a child I read a lot of historical New Zealand fiction including Jacky Nobody (1984 winner of the Esther Glen Award) about the Bay of Islands area when it was first settled, with the famous chief Hone Heke and various tribes and groups. I particularly remember the trials that Jacky Nobody (the Maori identity-challenged main character) had with going barefoot with sensitive pakeha feet. My mother's family has a farm near Okaihau between Kerikeri and Kaikohe and I spent many a school holiday there, and my favorite thing to do was visit the Historic Places in the area, which after having travelled further afar are really not that old, but to me they will always be my first dose of history.

One thing that I was always shocked about was when I heard that Russell used to be the capital of New Zealand. It's such a tiny, isolated village now -- though charming and quaint -- that it seems impossible that it was New Zealand's first capital (before both Auckland and the current Wellington) even if that was only from 1840 to 1841. It is possible to drive there, but it's quite a long trip because it is at the end of a long peninsula. Most local visitors take the Opua ferry, but even that is a shortcut. When I visited as a child, we often only took the passenger ferry across from Paihia.

However, the capital was actually Okiato (Old Russell), 7km south of present-day Russell (which was then Kororareka). New Russell (which adopted the same name as Old Russell became deserted) was, however, the first European settlement. Russell was named after the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Lord John Russell). Originally a whaling and sealing community, Russell was infamous, known as the 'Hell Hole of the Pacific' rife with prostitution and being lawless, despite being named literally as 'How sweet the penguin is' (Kororareka). It's most significant part of history was for the flagpole on Flagstaff Hill, which was cut down by Hone Heke (John Heke) several times in protest that the British were no longer welcomed by many tribes despite the Treaty of Waitangi.

In a nice connection, this is also where my parents went on their honeymoon in May 1973. They fondly tell stories of emptying all the confetti from their suitcases on Russell beach. Such is the connection to the place in our family that my cousin, Tina, also got married here in Pompelier House in 2010.

Aerial view of Russell from jasons.co.nz

Map of the lower Bay of Islands with Russel at center. From maps.google.com

Acknowledgements: Most of the photos on this page are taken by Brian Marquand.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell,_New_Zealand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Islands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Glen_Award
http://www.russellmuseum.org.nz/books.htm
http://www.zoomin.co.nz/map/nz/far+north/russell/-whangamumu+peninsula/
http://www.zoomin.co.nz/map/nz/far+north/kerikeri/-purerua+peninsula/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Brett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okiato

#932 Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

Can't believe this is only my second post about my beautiful home, New Zealand!

The Otago Peninsula will remain forever in my bones and soul. I have childhood memories of a crib (cottage) with stiff wooden kitchen drawers filled with someone else's cutlery, spartan 70's furniture, and a car load of groceries to ensure we wouldn't have to leave or starve. It was located on a freezing-cold windy stone beach at the end of a winding hilly track, surrounded by muddy green paddocks and the force of the southern Pacific on a blustery day. My brother and I played lots of cards!

There were other times, like when visiting Larnach Castle with my Nana, New Zealand's only castle, always a romantic historical place in my mind, but really only a big stately house high on a hill surrounded by trees, serving scones and tea. There was a tower, more of a stairwell really, but grand enough for untraveled me.

Otago harbor, like many kiwi harbors, originated when a massive volcano blew its top (and middle), and the hills are strewn with leftover rocks, which the stoic early farmers turned into quaint stone fences. Settled by hardy Scots who came from a similar climate, the region is rich with farmland, and framed by picturesque wild beaches and small towns. A view back to Dunedin on a sunny day is beautiful, and you can see where the dredges made a canal in the harbor. The small country road winds over the hills and there are no villages, only farmhouses, fields, and windbreaking hedges.

Map of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula from http://www.visit-dunedin.co.nz/map.html