Australia and New Zealand Whirlwind

Sunset at Waiheke Island, New Zealand

At the invitation of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia, a 4-city lecture tour was planned for me to introduce chiropractic instrument adjusting down under.  I’ve done this tour before and knew it would be a whirlwind of a trip. 

According to plan, I teach one-day seminars each on Saturday and Sunday in Sydney and Brisbane, have the week off in between where I would attend a spinal research conference in New Zealand, and then return to Australia do the seminars again in Melbourne and Adelaide the following Saturday and Sunday. 

Rock Bands on tour change their sets to deter monotony.  I have no such ability as my program is sequential … beginning with research, on to basic technique, and advanced chiropractic adjusting procedures.  I told the class that I felt like Bill Murray in the movie, Groundhog Day.  Here are the details of the tour’s itinerary.

2010 Australia Tour Schedule

Date	City / Schedule
07 April	Depart Phoenix, Arizona
09 April	Arrive Sydney – Tour Sydney
10 April	8 am – 5 pm Sydney Seminar; 6:30 pm flight to Brisbane
11 April	8 am – 5 pm Brisbane Seminar (8-5); 7 pm flight to Auckland, New Zealand
12 April	Tour Auckland and Waiheke Island
13-16 April	Scientific Conference, Auckland
16 April	5 pm flight to Melbourne
17 April	8 am – 5 pm Melbourne Seminar; 6:30 pm flight to Adelaide
18 April	8 am – 5 pm Adelaide Seminar
19-22 April	Tour Eden Valley and Barossa Valley Wine Regions
23 April	10 am flight to San Francisco
24 April	9 am – 6 pm San Francisco Seminar
25 April	8 am – 12 pm San Francisco Seminar 3 pm flight home to Phoenix

09 April - Sydney

Flying from LAX to Sydney has become a familiar flight for me.  I’ve made this trip once or twice a year for over a decade.  So, I know the drill.  The evening flight affords the opportunity to relax, watch a movie or two with dinner, get about 6-7 hours sleep, and soon, you are hovering over Sydney Harbor on approach to SYD at sunrise.  Sydney is a gorgeous city and Fourteen and a half hours doesn’t seem so long when broken down this way. The flight path over the Harbor is a highlight of the flight and it seems that the pilot almost purposefully tips the huge Boeing 747 to introduce you to the city.

An early Hotel check-in was arranged to accommodate our 8:30 am arrival downtown.  I suggested we take a few hours for a morning nap and freshen up prior to hitting the city at noon.  The whirlwind tour of Australia was about to begin.

Accompanying me on this trip were my cousins, Maxine and David.  Maxine’s father and my dad are brothers.  David began working with me this year as our new Implementation Specialist. David would handle our product sales and the implementation questions during the tour while I did the lecturing and adjusting.  Maxine and David took me under their wing when I first moved to Arizona and were patient numbers 1 and 2 when I opened my new Arizona practice in 1997. We’ve had more wonderfully fun family get-togethers than I can remember.  This would be their first time in Australia, so we had a lot to do in a short amount of time.

Our hotel was perfectly positioned to walk to Sydney Harbor, so we took a stroll through the park adjacent to the Royal Botanical Gardens in route to the Sydney Opera House – our first stop.  We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for our one-day tour of the city.

The Sydney Opera House with the Harbor Bridge peeking in the background.

It’s great to see the Opera House close up and view the over one million glazed ceramic roof tiles that make up the structure.

The building houses six venues. The two largest venues, the Opera Theatre and Concert Hall, are housed in the two larger sets of shells.  As one of the busiest performing arts centers in the world the venue provides over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.  Another 7 million people visit the Opera House each year.

From the Opera House we walked along the Harbor to Circular Quay – a popular pick-up port for the many ferries that service the harbor’s suburbs.  In my experience, this is the best way to view Sydney – from the water.  Tickets in hand, we boarded the ferry and secured outside seats on the upper deck for the best views.

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As we cruised the Harbor, we took in the scenic landscape with the crisp sea air in our faces.  We were in route to Watson’s Bay, home to my favorite Sydney restaurant – Doyle’s on the Beach.  This is the original site of Australia’s first seafood restaurant in 1885 and has been family owned and operated for 5 generations.

The paper menu contains the history of the restaurant and the listing of fresh daily fish and Australian wine list.  We began with a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which would pair well with the Oysters we’d start with.

Next, an un-oaked chardonnay from the Hunter Valley was sure to change the mind’s of my cousins who believed that they didn’t like Chardonnay.  For the main, I chose the red snapper which couldn’t have been better. It was a leisurely afternoon.  Having a terrific meal at a spectacular site overlooking the beach with the backdrop of the Sydney skyline was the perfect accompaniment.  Doyle’s on the Beach is a must, when visiting Sydney.

Back on the ferry, we cruised back to Circular Quay on the scenic route.  Upon arrival, we walked up to The Rocks, Australia’s first European settlement in 1788.  The area got its name from the shoreline combined with its sandstone buildings.  Today' the Rocks area is an upscale urban neighborhood – a great place to shop, people watch and explore.

We popped in to Sydney’s oldest pub, Fortune of War, for a short beer. 

The Rocks has cool shops and cafe’s that wind throughout the historic neighborhood.

Fortune of War Pub, The Rocks, Sydney

 

10 April – Brisbane

Saturday was the first seminar of my 2010 Australia tour held in Sydney.  After an action-packed day, we finished at 5 pm and went straight to the airport to catch our flight to Brisbane.  After checking-in, we headed for Eagle Street Pier, where I recalled eating last year.  We walked along the boardwalk of the Brisbane River checking out the sites and decided on Italian food for the evening.  Il Centro fit the bill.  We began with an Australian white Bordeaux blend with a mixed seafood starter.  David and I both had the Osso Bucco, and Maxine had pasta.  David and Max felt that it was one of the best Italian meals they’ve had – which speaks volumes as they are both excellent cooks!

After a good night’s sleep, our Sunday Brisbane seminar was on.  Then, it was again back to the airport to catch the evening flight to New Zealand.

12 April – Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland’s Sky Tower

We checked into Auckland’s Sky City Grand Hotel smack dab in the heart of the city.  You have to walk under the Sky Tower to get to the hotel.  While we’d stay in Auckland all week, I only had one day free (Monday) prior to the conference beginning on Tuesday.  So, I wanted to do something fun on Monday.  David and Maxine agreed.  After a good night’s rest, we met in the lobby for a debriefing of the day’s plan – Ferry over to Waiheke Island and rent scooters to see the island.  David and Maxine were all for it.

Walking down to the waterfront to catch the ferry, we came upon the Auckland Fish Market.  This place looked interesting, so we popped in to have a look.

The morning’s fresh catch was being displayed as we had a look around.

New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels

Salmon and Snapper

 More Fresh Fish

It was on to the harbor to catch our ferry.  The Ferry over to Waiheke Island is about 40 minutes.  Being out on the water on a beautiful day is always enjoyable.  The views of Auckland from this perspective was equally cool.

We disembarked at Waiheke and went to meet our scooters.

We were off … on the left side of the road, no doubt.

This was a great way to tour the island and aside from driving on the opposite side of the road, constantly going against your every driving instinct, we managed to aimlessly scoot along the coast taking in the fresh air and sights of the island.

Waiheke Island is known as the island of vineyards, so map in hand, we found our way to our first stop – Cable Bay Vineyards.

The entrance to this contemporary winery was its focal point of glass looking directly through the building with the backdrop of the city of Auckland in the distance.

“Stunning” is the word that came to my mind in seeing this picturesque property.

It was harvest time and the aromas of freshly crushed grapes and their fermentation filled the air.  After our tasting we were invited to take our glasses of Sauvignon Blanc along for our walk of the property. 

The estate vineyard is planted on a steep slope adjacent to native olive trees.  Airflow is enhanced and even in the Southern Hemisphere the North-South row orientation maximizes sun exposure.

The vista from Cable Bay Vineyards with Auckland in the background

Lunchtime was rapidly approaching.  From Cable Bay, in the distance, I saw an adjacent vineyard and asked about it.  The Cable Bay staff told me that it was a must visit.  Fortunately, we were able to secure a reservation at the nearby Mudbrick Restaurant and Vineyard with their assistance.  We set back out on our scooters to adventure around the bend to this beautiful spot.

Mudbrick Restaurant and Vineyard, Waiheke Island, New Zealand

A garden graces the entrance of the restaurant.  Lavender and flowerbeds expand into Potagers, a French term for vegetable patch where herbs mingle with vegetables, cleansing teas and edible flowers.

We enjoyed a leisurely tasting at the Cellar Door before moving on to lunch.  We couldn’t have had a better table if we had made reservations weeks in advance.

The table overlooked the vineyard slope below with views of the garden in the foreground and Waiheke Bay and Auckland in the backdrop.  We all agreed that this was the appropriate way to enjoy a Monday afternoon.

 

Starter:  Filo wrapped Prawn & King Scallops
Sweetcorn puree, lime jus paired with 2009 Mudbrick Reserve Viognier

 

  Taste of Waiheke Lamb, eggplant mille feuille, olives & sauce Vierge paired with 2008 Mudbrick Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

The food was as good as the spectacular views from our vantage.

Back on the motor bikes, we continued our journey to sightsee around the island.

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Along the ride, we came upon a public beach that I found particularly intriguing.  The daily catch limits that were posted looked more like a restaurant menu than a public beach sign.

I grew up with a love of fishing and I imagined returning here to spend a day doing exactly that.

We ventured back to the Ferry dock and returned our scooters in time to catch a sunset ferry back to Auckland after a day on Waiheke to remember.

Arriving back in Auckland we strolled along the Viaduct Harbour and its restaurant district.  We happed upon a busy restaurant that smelled fantastic and we able to get a table on the terrace.

New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels served two ways (Curry and tomato sauces) at Degree, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland.

Degree was the place for us to relax and unwind with some New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels and some Sauvignon Blanc.  This place also had a unique approach to serving meats.

Four our mains, they brought out beef on a hot stone, which we would then cook ourselves at the table.  Local scallops decorate the meat.

We found Viaduct Harbour to be a great place to take in the fresh sea air, people-watch and take in the sights of the city.

13-16 April

The scientific conference in Auckland afforded me the opportunity to update on the latest research relating to the spine.  The short 6 minute platform presentations are just enough time to be appraised without overkill.   I’ve been a member of the society for almost ten years now which has provided the opportunity to visit many far-away places, as the annual meeting is hosted in a different country each year around the world.

The Society also plans social events in conjunction with the conference, one of which being a trip to the National Maritime Museum in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour.  The museum has many exhibits that tell the tale of the seafaring nation.  I enjoyed looking at the America’s cup yacht the most, though.

Several years ago, some friends and I began each bringing a bottle of wine to share with each other to represent our respective countries.  As the word got out, each year has grown a bit bigger and this year’s get-together was the largest – with over 20 of us attending with an incredible spread of wine to share.

Favorites of the group included:

 

 

~ 2009 Saint Clair Family Estate Pioneer Block Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)

 

 

 

 

~ 2005 Ben Glaetzer Amon-Ra Unfiltered Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia)

 

 

 

~ 1994 Fox Creek Shiraz (McLaren Vale, Australia)

 

16-17 April

Friday afternoon, we flew back to Australia to continue my seminar tour.  Auckland to Melbourne is an easy direct flight.

 

Melbourne is a bustling city with the charm of parks and old world European buildings combined with contemporary city flare.

 

After getting the seminar room ready, we set out for dinner in Melbourne.

The Saturday seminar was another great day of study and sharing.  Again, I finished at 5 pm, and we caught a 7 pm flight to Adelaide, our last stop on the tour.

Adelaide, South Australia

Adelaide in South Australia, is my favorite part of the country.  Maybe its the small town feel, or the countryside with its rolling hills where sheep graze among ancient gum trees, or maybe its the vineyards of the Barossa and Eden Valleys.  It was the place I had selected to end the tour, give a final seminar, and spend a week in wine country.

I’ll end here, as the tour of the Barossa and Eden Valley are a blog in an of themselves.

~Chris