Retreats

The Craft Cruise ended in beautiful Auckland, New Zealand, where I stayed a few days to regain my land legs and transition back to real life.

I was most impressed by Sky City, which is New Zealand’s answer to Seattle’s Space Needle, located right the middle of downtown.

It’s even more impressive close up. I got a neck ache looking up so high to take this photo.

For out final dinner, we ate in a restaurant on the 53rd floor to watch the sun set and lights go on across the city. But first we stopped on the observation deck, which had glass panels in the floors. I don’t recommend it if you’re afraid of heights.

What’s most amazing is that people pay $280 to free fall from the 54th floor, secured only by what I hope are very strong cables and some sort of break system at the end.

I wonder if this guy’s mother knows what did.

The view from our table was breathtaking.

And the food was spectacular!

The Craft Cruise made stops along the east coast of both the South and North Islands of New Zealand, including Port Chalmers (Dunedin), Akaroa (Christchurch), Picton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga (Rotoura), and finally, Auckland. I confess that I got a bit lazy when it came to taking photos and I don’t have any of Dunedin.

But I got out my camera in Christchurch when we were in transit to the Ashford Wheels and Looms factory. What beautiful scenery! Who wouldn’t want to live here forever?

Here is Richard Ashford himself guiding the tour of his factory.

There were completed wheels and looms to look at, but I was more interested in the textures created by stacks of the parts. Here are the bases of wheel legs in production.

And this is what they look like from the side.

I also took photos of the wheels in production. A lot of finishing is required to turn those squares into smooth circles!

After making stops in Melbourne and Hobart (Tasmania), the Craft Cruise sailed for two days to the southern tip of the South Island of New Zealand. I taught classes the four days we were at sea, but I got to enjoy the scenery the entire day we cruised Milford and Doubtful Sounds in Fiordland.

The rugged mountains, steep cliffs, and narrow waterways reminded me of my recent trips to Alaska and Norway.

The highlight of my stay in Sydney was visiting the Opera House. We got a view of it from a ferry. Although it was overcast and rainy, the structure was breathtaking.

Some of us opted to take a tour, which highlighted the difficulties in creating the amazing architecture. Most was difficult to capture on my cell phone, but I did get an interesting photo of some concrete support beams.

Most surprising to me was the exterior. I expected the white “shells” to be smooth. Instead, they’re made up of millions of 2″ tiles that make a stunning mosaic pattern.

After the tour, we had a light dinner at the Opera House cafe, then returned inside to see what I believe must be the most amazing production of Madame Butterfly ever! I managed to get a quick photo of the stage before the lights went out, the curtain lifted, and the audience was absolutely enthralled.

It’s been nearly a month since I returned from the Craft Cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, and I have yet to post any photos. It’s been a whirlwind of teaching and catching up since I returned and some things just had to wait.

Today, I want to show you some images from the first excursion we took in Sydney, Australia.

Here I am in the beautiful Blue Mountains forgetting all about my broken arm.

Here’s another photo of the Blue Mountains.

And another photo taken while riding an aerial tram. The waterfalls were amazing.

From the Blue Mountains, we visited a wildlife park, where I got to pet a koala! I’m the one with open eyes — koalas sleep about 20 hours a day. There must be opiates in those eucalyptus leaves they eat. Hmm, that might be better than hydrocodone….

I also saw tiny penguins and lots of kangaroos.

After cruising for a day (during which I taught a class), we docked in Melbourne, Australia. Most of the Craft Cruise participants took a tour of the National Wool Museum, where we saw the region’s wool story–from the sheep’s back to the clothes rack, and from the birth of the industry in the 1840s to its place in the world today.

Here’s a rug loom in action. I’m still kicking myself for not purchasing one of these rugs!

From the Wool Museum, we traveled to the Tarndie Homestead & Heritage Sheep Farm. This sheep farm has been run by the Dennis family since 1840. They developed the Polworth breed in the mid-1800s, which has since spread around the world to areas of similar climates.

We got to feed and pet these friendly creatures (I kept my arm in a sling in case one of them knocked me down).

We then set off to visit the Australian Tapestry Workshop, where we got to see huge tapestries in the making.

We also got to shop for the tapestry wool they use. I don’t know how many hundreds of color they have to choose from, but it was so overwhelming that I couldn’t make a choice and walked away empty handed.