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Thanks to our great columnists this month!
NEW ZEALAND A ‘world in miniature’ is how NEW ZEALAND has often been described. From sub tropical climates in the North Island to Wintry snow capped peaks in the South Island, any time is the right time to visit … but most of the tourists arrive in our Summer months – October through to March. On the world map we appear ‘small’ compared with our western isle – Australia but because of our length there is diversity of landscape and climate and with this comes diversity attractions and adventure. New Zealand is not a country that can be seen in three days as some would imagine and whilst you can drive in a day from Auckland to Wellington there is so much to see on the way. You arrive into New Zealand through one of the main International gateway cities – Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch and at least, you would have travelled 3 hours by air to get here from any of our nearest neighbours - Australia or one of the Pacific Islands… and it is here that the adventure begins. Tourists are amazed at the friendliness of the ‘kiwi’ – our name for us. They cannot believe the small population size of the major cities – Auckland being 1.5 million and representing about a third of the population of the whole country! There is space; there are green vistas; and there is plenty of water. No place in New Zealand is more than 50miles from lakes or the oceans and this has lead to the country’s success in these sports.. albeit The America’s Cup. But hey how do you get around? Well short of hitch hiking, which is popular with the younger tourists who have no time constraints, there are the usual public forms of transport - coach, train, boat and plane. So let’s start with the network. For getting around the public transport offers a combination pass system and the more you pay the greater the combinations. This can speed up your point-to-point travel. Best of New Zealand Pass. It offers flexibility and freedom. Firstly the coach system throughout the country is the most comprehensive and will get you almost anywhere. Don’t expect to be with the one coach company though as the various operators in both islands work together in order to provide the network. The train travel is geared more to scenic point-to-point travel and is not really a network of rail lines. Some may say that the rail system is just ahead of steam - and that’s true but is comfortable, offers buffet and bar facilities while you enjoy the scenery. The 19kms of water that a separates the two main island is connected by a passenger/ car ferry service… both fast (105minutes) and slow (3-4 hours). There are many on-board facilities including a movie theatre on the slower Interislander and The Lynx, the high speed catamaran, has an observation deck as well as a café and bar facilities. Lastly there is air travel operated by two main companies – Air New Zealand and Qantas with smaller feeder airlines operating to the major city airports. For those who want to be completely independent of public transport most of the major world rental car companies are represented in New Zealand with the added value that you can drop off in Wellington, travel by ferry to the South Island port of Picton and pick up another rental there as a seamless operation. The same goes for air travel. The rental car operators do not want cars being ferried between the two islands in order that the hire agreement is continuous. In the summer months many tourist take the ultimate home on wheels so that they can go and stop without worrying about accommodation. New Zealand has a huge network of holiday parks but you can also legally stop and park overnight at any of the many public picnic areas, which are found mostly along the main highways. This is provided that your motor home has facilities for toilet and power. It is a national past-time, particularly amongst the more mature travelling Kiwi, to take a flask of tea and some food and stop at this lay-by to take a break with refreshments instead of stopping in busy main streets and trying to find a café or restaurant. Now that you have transport combinations how do you find what is available as you travel through the country? Naturally at the international gateways there are Visitor Information Centres, but throughout the country these is a network of more than 100 ranging from National Visitor Information Centres to Regional and Local Visitor Information Centres. The first two operate 7 days a weeks and make travel reservations apart from dispensing great amount of national information for further travel. The last centre would operate 5 days a week minimum but could be seasonal and may or may not provide a booking service. Suffice to say that ALL provide a needy service of information for the tourist and local travellers. So what is New Zealand? It is a combination of History (Short – we havent reached 200 years of European occupation); Culture (the Maori, a Polynesian race, have tremendous traditions); Scenery and natural wonders (unsurpassed in variety); Attractions and Activities (only limited by oneself to take advantage of); Unique fauna and flora (the flightless Kiwi bird of course); and then there is the genuine New Zealand Kiwi hospitality which permeates our lives and will be shared with the traveller as you voyage through the country. New Zealand is mono-linguistic – we only speak English. Today though, there are many younger Kiwis learning and speaking other languages. We drive on the left hand side of the road – like Asia and the UK/Ireland. We love our beer and world famous wines. Our local produce is exported to the world but where better to try it fresh but here – venison, lamb, beef (no mad cow disease), and the variety of seafood is second to none. New Zealand is inexpensive thanks to the poor exchange rate for our dollar and an absolute bargain for the tourist. But don’t wait too long before you come on ‘down under’ to the Land of the Long White Cloud – Aotearoa. Written by Warwick Hill Check out the Purple Roofs New Zealand Travel Directory for accommodations, travel agents and tour operators!
SAN FRANCISCO ON A SMILE AND A SHOESTRING San Francisco. Sing it any way you want and it's still a vibrant, cosmopolitan city filled with exquisite vistas and a notorious sense of excitement, but planning on taking an enjoyable stroll is a virtual impossibility! You always find yourself struggling up one of those legendary hills and just when you think youíve achieved a steady pace and you've come in sight of that daunting and elusive hilltop vantage point when one of those ever present gusts comes hurtling across the bay, lifting you off your feet and knocking you sideways. Make getting around the compact city easier and head for the Hallidie Plaza fare-pass booth at Market and Powell. You'll know you're there when you notice the throngs of the cityís notorious panhandlers and homeless badgering and cajoling the line of tourists waiting to board the Powell Street cable car at its turnaround. In spite of some negative aspects to the overly charming city by the bay, its numerous and intriguing assets keep bringing me back for yet another visit to attractions I've missed before. On my most recent trip to sourdough-bread central I made the effort to visit Alcatraz Island, site of the once legendary and now-defunct prison now a Federally protected historic site. Tickets are a hot item and must be bought in advance (call the Blue & Gold line for reservations) during peak tourist times.The dungeon-like prison, small by current standards, is a shocking indictment and revelation of the history of incarceration in this country. The next day I scheduled a day trip to bay side Tiburon, like Sausalito, an expensive suburban town now earning income from tourists and daytrippers (cyclists, skaters, cyclists). Most of those enthusiasts take the local ferry across the bay for brunch at one of the several nouvelle-cuisine bay- front restaurants with open air-decks for the weather-resistant among us who want to view the magical panorama of the city's expanding skyline contrapuntily pointing above the bay along with their meal. For greater insights into the city's varied and checkered past, wander the city's historic districts... the Haight, Chinatown, North Beach, SOMA, etc., by foot. And don't forget to catch a great ride on bus #30 up Stockton through the colors and smells of Chinatown and North Beach to Fisherman's Wharf. Contrary to popular rumor, you needn't go broke eating well in San Francisco. Nearby places for hearty Italian dining and desserts include: the Caffe Puccini or the Caffe Figaro, and on Grant, the Cafe Trieste, Ristorante Ideal, Pizza Cucina or North Beach Pizza. Chinatown's famous restaurants offer vibrant, innovative menus and elaborate preparations seldom available back home. For a taste of a ìtruerî Oriental cuisine sample the mouth watering options on the menus at the Great Eastern on Jackson or House of Nanking on Kearny. About three years ago MUNI (The Municipal transit authority) finished extensive renovations on the Market Street trolley lines, rebuilding the tracks, installing new, palm-studded traffic islands and pedestrian-safe raised boarding platforms. San Francisco found the line's old trolley cars across the States and in Europe, bought them cheap and retrofitted them with modern machinery and bright paint to an unbelievable and highly enjoyable time-warp dignity. Market St. has begun a slow, major clean-up campaign that has brought new business, retail meccas and a revitalized government center and office construction to the formerly sleazy edge of downtown. Beyond the I-280 overpass Market Street becomes the chic, breezy introduction to the Castro, the center of the city's gay community. You'll find an inexpensive but hearty menu at the Patio Cafe at 531 Castro. If your energy level is still holding up head back Market and take the Fulton Ave. bus for a fifteen minute ride to San Francisco's answer to New York's Central Park, Golden Gate Park. Located within the greenery of the expansive park are the pavilions of the Academy of Science and the Steinhart Aquarium, and situated directly across the large plaza is the M.H. de Young Museum and its satisfying collection of Asian art By the third day it's time to escape the confines of the city's charming Victorian gingerbread homes and architecturally daring, earthquake resistant skyscrapers and explore some of the outlying districts. For an unusual back-to-nature experience, rent a car and head south for about 1.5 hours on I-280 down the coast to Ano Nuevo State Park and the large colony of northern elephant seals which haul out on the gravely beach just a snort and a growl beyond the fringes of civilization.. Follow meandering state route 84 West up and over the coastal range and hang left on the coastís route 1. The entrance to the state park is five minutes down the road. Once through the gate and into the parking lot it's a hearty 1.7 mile trek on rocky trails to the beaches where the beasts lay about flipping the damp sand over their large, sausage-like bodies to resist the wan sun's bothersome rays. If the weather's right you'll find young bulls practicing their fighting skills in the crashing surf along the shoreline. When winter's more turbulent ocean currents force hundreds more of the animals further onshore for safety and shelter amidst the coastal dunes your agility is tested to its mettle when you're forced to dodge the snarling creatures to avoid their threatening lunges! Call ahead to the park's ranger station for information about whether seals are on the beach. If the answer is yes!, take your long distance lenses, sunscreen and drinking water, and go! After the long drive and the morning spent observing these unique animals, a good way to continue exploring this tantalizing region is to head further down route 1 to Santa Cruz. This once quiet farm town dotted with the bold geometric designs of Aztec Revival movie theaters and Art Deco building facades along its main streets, is now home to an old-fashioned boardwalk amusement park fronting on the panoramic expanses of Monterey Bay, and the bustling branch of the state university whose students now outnumber and overwhelm the local suburban population. Further down and around the bay is the town of Monterey, worth a day's visit itself. Its scenic 17 mile drive along some of the country's most famous golf courses, and its inventive, dramatic bay-front aquarium (and orphaned baby-otter nursery) is one of the peninsula's most popular attractions along the Cannery Row made famous in the writings of John Steinbeck. Continuing a bit further down the coastal road is Carmel, once an Eden-like retreat where cuteness is deified with pristine, storybook prettiness that defies reality, now has become a town filled to overflowing with tight restrictions that separate the wealthy residents from the parvenu tourists. Elegantly decorated stores, overly designed galleries and cluttered boutiques offer tourist-level bric-a-brac, melodramatic oil paintings, cloyingly decorative sculptures and intricate gewgaws, and after a long afternoon of high pressured sales pitches from aggressive doyennes of the arts it's time to head back, post-rush hour, to the city by the bay. If day in the countryside leaves you eager for more exploring, consider Lake Tahoe and Reno to the east in the Sierras or pursue the Big Sur route south toward Los Angeles with a stop at William Randolph Hearst's Herculean efforts at recreating a majestic European-style castle novelty, San Simeon (now a State Park ) at Morro Bay. Peak travel season demands you call ahead for reservations and tour choices Beyond is Santa Barbara, famous for its colonial Spanish mission and historic district and in the hills beyond, its growing vineyards district. But for serious wine aficionados the direction to follow is due north on rte. 101 from San Francisco over the glowing Golden Gate Bridge via Marin County (stop off in San Rafael to see Frank Lloyd Wright's stunning county center building) to Sonoma County. Stop in Roehnert Park at the countyís wine center right off the highway for maps and travel information and aim toward Santa Rosa-Healdsburg for its concentration of great wineries and the architecturally stunning tasting rooms where you can sample the elegant whites and robust reds, delicate dessert and sparkling wines, and relish the incomparable vistas of vineyards carved out of the fertile soil and the miles of vines strung with wires and cords to support posts curving across the gently rolling hills. Take your pick from mega-wineries or boutique vintners, and stroll around the charming towns like Healdsburg with palm-studded central plazas surrounded by charming shops and elegant restaurants. For the strong-of-heart a great way to boil out the accumulation of all wine tastings is to indulge yourself at one of the new-age spas in Geyserville at the top of Sonoma Valley, or carefully drive over the hills to Calistoga in Napa Valley to one of the town's new thermal spa centers for a relaxing volcanic mud-bath and restorative massage. The drive back to San Francisco, sparkling beyond the twin towers of the Golden Gate Bridge in the eveningís twilight, is a small effort to make for a rewarding visit to one of California's most captivating regions. SAN FRANCISCO: TRAVEL NOTES Getting into town from the airport is easy. Various shuttle services, municipal buses with connections to the Bart, the Cal Trans Depot in the financial district, and other suburban connections leave from clearly marked kiosks on the upper level (departures!) Super Shuttle charges $11.00 to most hotels. Once in San Francisco, head over to Hallidae Plaza corner Market and Powell, and pick up a 1, 3 or 7 day transit system pass (also good for discounts at museums and attractions) to get around town without running up an exorbitant tab. There are many activities to pursue and sights to see. Group them by area and go! SOMA, South of Market Street, is newly revived with the Museum of Modern Art and Moscone Center; Great new retail emporiums line Market Street. Alcatraz Island, of course. Take the Market St.Trolley toward the Castro. Ogle the antique stores, chic clothing stores, and the intriguing bistros and the shoulder to shoulder crowds of great hunks. In the other direction is the Embarcadero, a financial center / ferry terminal with departures to Sausalito (a bit commercial) and other cross-bay stops. North Beach and Chinatown: great food, of course, great stores...the famous book stores of the Beat Generation's halcyon 60's.Continue on to Fisherman's Wharf and its circus-like atmosphere of performance artists, musicians, beggars and touts. Sourdough bread and seafood cuisine are the specialties at many tourist-oriented restaurants. Come back via Van Ness. New movie theaters, the opera and orchestra, (more great guys, of course) and new ,glitzy stores. Back on Market take the bus to the Golden Gate Park for a weekend of rollerblading and cycling, or visit to the de Young Museum of Asian Art, the Natural History Museum and Steinhart Aquarium. In-town the place for good lunch is Lori's, a chain of 60's style rock 'n roll decorated restaurants where the accent is on atmosphere and full stomachs. In Chinatown, just about any of the restaurants is the place to have great Chinese cooking. A block past Chinatown is the Italian accented North Beach. Bring layers of clothing to combat the fickle weather and gusty winds rolling in off the bay, sun-block to battle the direct sunshine in bright blue skies, and good shoes to tackle the hills. SpecialDepartures.Com, a comprehensive travel service for the gay and straight traveler, offers over 125 worldwide adventure and special interest travel links and more than 400 travel companies' brochures, dramatically lower priced international airfares from our preferred consolidators and other great travel services: maps, weather, currency, insurance, and detail travel planning. Check out the Purple Roofs San Francisco Peninsula Travel Directory for accommodations, travel agents and tour operators! |
| Editor's Notes | Travelers' Articles Expanded Listings | Innkeepers' Columns | Late Availability Classifieds: Special Offers | Accommodation Announcements | Travel/Tours |
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