Australia & New Zealand

	Down Under
	The term is used so many times in relation to Australia, it's people and it's lifestyle. But what does it mean? Even my "True Blue Guide of Australian Slang" does not mention it. Send me an email with your comments!

What did I do Down Under?
Do you really want to know? Click on the names in the picture in the middle to move to the stories and pictures related to the visits made.

In many stories on this page you will read the name of Dina (Cruz) who was one of my colleagues in the Australian implementation. She is from the Philippines and lived in Perth just like me at the time. She was a great travel companion exploring Western Australia.

A wicket game of runs and overs!

January 12th 2005: the first 3 hour cricket match is being played in the Western Australia Cricket Association stadium in Perth. The Warriers playing against Victoria. A perfect chance for me to learn about this (boring?) game that is one of the major sports being played in Australia.

Instead of a 1, 3 or 5 day test match that does not even give you a winner this is a short game with just one inning and 20 overs each! A perfect way for me to find out what I think of this typical English game. From 6 to 9 PM on a beautiful summer evening.

The Pinnacle Desert is an area about xxx kilometers north north east of Perth where thousands of rocks stand out of the ground. These Pinnacles are created by erosion that floated the softer rock away and left these strange formations behind. It is particularly nice to visit it in the late afternoon and early evening when the rocks are more colorful in the sunset.

Dina and I left Perth on the saturday morning and the first part of the trip we travelled north along the coast to see some of the beautiful beaches and suburbs of Perth. We had a stop at Yanchep National Park to look at the Koala's and then continued on a more inland highway. Long straight roads with less trafic every hour we got further away from Perth. We had a look at the beach of Wind Surfers Paradise said to be one of the seven best Windsurf spots in the world. As planned we arrived at Pinnacles at the end of the afternoon and went to the tourist information office. Good that we did this as accommodation was limited so we booked a 3 bedroom bungalow for the night. The village is rather small and 'dead' so before going to the Pinnacles we had a look at the next village; no difference. We thought about driving on to Geraldtown but as that was still over 200 km away we decided not to do so.

We did some shopping for breakfast the following day and after dropping that in the bungalow we drove the last 15 mile or so to the Pinnacles. To be honest: I am glad I saw the pinnacles with my own eyes but in the end I don't think it was really worth the long drive. (Am I a spoiled tourist already?) Agreed, it is a strange landscape you are driving through but after 20-30 minutes it feels like you have seen it all. We had to stay a bit longer as I wanted to take some pictures at sunset.
Back in the village we had a nice dinner at the Best Western motel and then went back to the bungalow to watch some tv and read a book. I was tired from the long drive so I did go to bed early.

The first weekend

After a five day stop at the Hong Kong and Shenzhen (China) offices I arrived in Perth on Saturday morning November 6th. An hour after moving into my apartment a lease car was deliverd there and around eleven I left the apartment to pick up Dina. She lived in the same street as where I am, just a few blocks away. We met for lunch at Mends street, a little shopping area about halfway between our apartments. Dina would be my guide the first few days around Perth.

During lunch we decided to drive south to Mandurah, a beach resort about 80 km from Perth. There we had a drink and a walk in the harbor/shopping area and then drove along the coast north. We had dinner at Rockingham in a nice restaurant overlooking the sea and the islands along the coast.

On Sunday afternoon we went to Freemantle. As it was the end of the season that whales move to Antartica and pass close to the coast of Perth/Freemantle we decided to take a 'Whale Watching' ride on a small cruiser/ferry. After an hour sailing in the area of Rotnest Island we met a few and the made it a worthy trip. Back in Freemantle we walked around the Fremantle Markets. Good to be out here feeling as a tourist before going to work!

We decide to have dinner in Perth: I have not even been downtown on my first days! After we park the car in a parking garage we see Monika! She was a consultant who also worked for SGS in Singapore and Monika and I have made some hikes there during the weekends. We catch up with her and then we have some drinks and dinner together. Again a nice day and I am already in love with the weather in Perth: Nice dry heat!

Melbourne

My first 'business trip' in Australia was to Melbourne. When I was told I was supposed to go there I asked if I could drive over there (during the weekend) s i could see something of the countryside. This caused some laughing from my colleagues and when they told me how far away Melbourne was I understood why! Australia looks like a small island on the globe but to drive from Perth to Melbourne I would probably need about 4 days! So I took a flight and got there the evening of November 17th.

The purpose of the visit was a business unit unique to SGS: Health Care Services and My Planet, nappy recycling! Had to find out what would be the solution for those units (if any). Also the main unit of our certification services is in Melbourne so I could help them as well while being there. The Superuser for that business unit was also over from Perth and during the weekend we did explore some of the (night)life of Melbourne! Wow, another lifely city that is in the top ten of places I have been to! St. Kilda is the place to be for dinner and drinks! Next time I will make sure I will stay in the St. Kilda Novotel and not in that dull motel they did put me in! Too far away from anything except the offices.

Must admit that for my health and working performance the motel is probably better; needed most of the Saturday to recover form the night out on Friday! Sunday we visited the botanical gardens and I made a walk through the city (from Lonely Planet guide). The city is so different from (dull, sleeping) Perth. With the National Galery and the theather there seems to be enough to attract a diverse crowd to live in this city. Hope I get a chance again to come back later in the project.
The second week in Melbourne was dedicated to work with only dinners in St. Kilda. The Friday of the second week we flew back to Perth again.

New Zealand

On Sunday evening December 5th I flew to Adelaide for a 2 day meeting with (Super)users. The only thing I have seen of the town was the route between the hotel and the office and the downtown area around the Holiday Inn hotel. On the Wednesday I travelled to Auckland, New Zealand with a stopover and change of flights in Melbourne. It was one o'clock in the morning when I arrived in Auckland but I was out of the airport quickly in my rental car. Driving on your own in a strange city to find your hotel is a challenge and for sure in the dark! I think I have been drib=ving around in circles (even after asking directions) and it was way after 3 o'clock before I was in bed!

After a difficult Thursday at the office because of the short night I was recovered on Friday and on Saturday and Sunday I found my way out of town to the Waitakere Ranges, a National Park at the Tasman Sea coast (east of Auckland). There I made two hikes. On Saturday following tracks through the bush with nice streams and waterfalls. On Sunday on the coast with steep cliffs and waves breaking on the rocks! What an amazing sites so close to a metropole like Auckland.

Auckland harbour is the centre of yachting. Lots of big sailing boats and a lifely area with restaurants and pubs overseeing the marina. When you walk around the Hilton Hotel on an old freight pier into the harbour you see boats and yachts all around you in the water. The maritime museum is there as well and off course the memory of the New Zealand victory in the America's cup; for details see on the right.

My favorite dinners I have at the Thai Restaurant almost just across the street from the Crown Plaza hotel; fresh vegetables, spices, curry and peppers! I must say that this is what I miss in Australia, there are plenty of asian restaurants but the dishes are not as spicy as they should be. Adjusted to the Australian taste apparently. During my stay I tried to book a hiking holiday on South Island around Christmas/New Year. The Queen Charlotte walk a five day walking (one day rest) track of 71 kilometers. Unfortunately because of the holiday season it cannot be arranged.

The 'America'sCup"

I first learned about this event when I was 'sailing' as a second mate on an american drillship; the Sedco 445. This was from 1982 till 1986 and there were lots of Australians and New Zealanders working in the drilling crews. I don't recall which year it was but it was when Australia won the race in New York! For the first time in it's over 100 years existance the americans lost the cup to a foreign nation! Imagine the competition on board of the drillship I was on between the Americans and the Australians. All listening to radio broadcasts to follow the reaces!

Due to all my travels I have never actually followed the three year event but I do believe that the cup went back to the US after the races in Perth when Australia was the defender but then then in 1996 New Zealand won the cup and it was brought to Auckland where it was successfully defended in 2000. In 2003 New Zealand lost the Cup with a dramatic score in the finals to the Swiss Alinghi, representing the Geneva Yachting Society. So now the cup is in Europe and preparations and qualifications are underway for the 2006 event that will be organised off the coast of Valencia in Spain. I will follow this more closely also because SGS is now co-sponsor of the Alinghi.

In April 2005 I went back to Auckland on my way from home (Netherlands) to Perth for some additional user training. I arrived in Auckland on the Saturday and then booked a trip on the Sunday afternoon race between 2 boats formerly competing in the America's Cup and now maintained in Auckland as Team New Zealand 41 and 42. With a crew of 4 or 5 tourists can join to race against each other and do the simple work of crewmembers (working the grinders) on these race machines.