World Travels

Photos: Pickering & Toronto

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 6 Jun 2010 00:56:00 GMT

Our home for 4 months!

Photos: New Years Eve 2009 Trip

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 6 Jun 2010 00:03:00 GMT

New York, Chicago, Niagara Falls

Gallery: Los Angeles

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:19:00 GMT

Gallery: Vancouver & VIA Rail

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:43:00 GMT

Vancouver & VIA Rail

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:23:00 GMT

Before we came away everyone had advised us that Vancouver and British Columbia in general was the warmer coast, the city with the milder winters. So imagine our surprise to step off the plane into -13 degrees celcius and one of their coldest winter storms on record. The taxi driver showed us some residential streets that the city's snow plow didn't reach, you would have needed a 4X4 just to get out of your driveway.

Our hotel, the Holiday Inn, was really nice, not bad for a pick off an airport notice board. The room had an excellent view of the street below to sit and wait for the snow to fall. We braved the temperatures to go for a walk through the city, down one long street and up the other was all we could manage before becoming very concerned as to whether our toes might fall off.

Mum and Dad had mentioned a bar at HoJo's called 'Wings', so we set off in search of some spicy chicken wings and a toasty fireplace - we found both.

The following day was departure day for our big train trip. The train wasn't leaving until the evening so Vancouver was ours for the day. The snow was falling thick and fast now, there were huge snow drifts everywhere! Like two excited kids on Christmas morning, we ran, jumped, strolled, fell (well at least I did, unceremoniously twice) through the snow for a good 6 hours.

Vancouver, everyone says, is a great city, but to be honest we didn't see much of it because it was all under metres of snow and ice. Vancouver's old town was beautiful but I'd like to see more of it so it's been added to our 'To Return To' list for when the weather is a bit warmer adn we have more time. All snowed out we made our way back to Pacific Station to await our carriage to Toronto.

The 'Canadian No.2'

At Pacific Station we waited in the Silver & Blue Class lounge where hot drinks (very welcome) and live music entertained us while we waited. We met a lot of our fellow travellers including a mother and daughter duo, Julie & Lucy Rose, from New Zealand and as it turns out most of the lounge was full of New Zealanders and Australians.

We boarded the train and met our porter as he showed us which seats we would be in for the journey. Our seats were two couch style seats facing each other with a huge picture window that we could sit next to and watch the scenery pass us by. The seats were big enough so that we could sit next to each other and watch in one direction or face each other. At night the seats pulled together to create one bed and the second bed came out of the ceiling of the train. A small ladder attached to the top bunk to give access and heavy curtains covered both beds so the people walking down the corridor could not see in. The beds were very comfortable and sleeping wasn't an issue, but then it never is for us!

The dining car was basically what the day revolved around, up in time for breakfast, tidy up and watch some scenery before lunch, then read a little, nap a little, watch some more scenery before dinner. We ate and ate and ate, it was all about eating and the quality of the food was excellent.

We only made it to Kamloops on the first day and then we were stuck there for 4 hours. Unfortunately the problem was on the last carriage which was our dome car and park car (the bar!) and the car had to be left behind. We found out later that the brakes had frozen and as we were about to navigate the Rocky Mountains we were disappointed that we lost the dome car but didn't really want a car without brakes as we climbed and more importantly descended the mountains.

The scenery was beautiful, there was a lot of snow, the lakes were frozen and the icicles hanging off the rocks next to the tracks were huge. We got off the train to stretch our legs and get some fresh air at Jasper. At 26 below it was SO COLD! Our nostrils froze, despite wearing thermals, gloves, hat (toque as they call it here) and scarf it was unbearable! Edmonton was the next stop but at below 30 we merely watched out the window.

After multiple delays we arrived into Toronto 6 hours late on the fourth day but happy. Despite Warren not wanting to be on a train for four days, it was great, we met a lot of interesting people and really got a good feel for Canada's countryside.

Los Angeles & Disneyland

andrewp-melissar — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:29:00 GMT

During a brief trip home (and too brief it was too!) we turfed the summer singlets and shorts worn in the sunny Whitsundays for the more appropriate thermals and woollen jumpers required for a North American winter.

The 13 hour flight to LA was good although the leg room in Qantas economy is abysmal, it's the first time I recall being really cramped on a plane.

Anaheim was just as I remembered, all hotels and Disneyland as the central point. We forced ourselves to stay awake until at least early evening in an attempt to adjust and limit the effects of jet lag later. We walked through the main plaza of Disneyland and through Downtown Disney to get our bearings and to give Warren his first taste of Disney. Needless to say, despite all that was against us, the cold, the grey and the wind, we both had smiles from ear to ear.

The following morning I had set the alarm for 6:30am, we were going to be out at 7:30 and on our way to the park. The alarm went no problem, I jumped out of bed like a 6 year old, threw the curtains open and then that's when it hit me. The very loud noise that I could hear outside the window was torrential rain. Now I'm not talking about your average rainfall, I'm talking about a Hayman Island wet season downpour where the carpark is flooded and the drains can't cope. I dragged Warren out of bed anyway, I was going to Disneyland today!

When we went to the breakfast tent (the hotel was under major renovation) and half of that was a puddle I began to realise that going to the Park may not be practical, I conceded and we returned to the hotel room. By midday it had cleared and to Disneyland we went! The rest of the day and the following was working our way through the two ranks because the weather was so damp there were next to no lines. Perfect!

The next morning we collected the rental car, time for Andy to show me what he is made of as we tackled the streets and freeways of LA. First stop Mimi's for breakfast to relive old times with Mum and Dad however what was most disappointing was there was no 'short stack' (small stack of pancakes for the un-initiated) on the menu.

Downtown LA was big and confusing, in fact we never made it to real downtown at all - Hollywood with the Kodak Theatre, Graumann's Chinese Theatre (that was all closed off due to the premiere of 'The Spirit'), no handprints to be seen. Of course there was the famous Hollywood sign the came and went between the rain clouds. Yes, it was still raining. The fancy Beverly Centre was next with it's ritzy shops and where a game show was being filmed, which we declined to be a part of (my hair was a mess and I was in a raincoat!). We took ourselves on a tour of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood to see the mansions, or at least the gates in front of the mansions. Andy proceeded to crack it because I'd had him driving in circles for so long and he couldn't see the road markings for the rain. We headed back to Hollywood to catch a movie at Graumann's Theatre complex and a look through the Ripley's Believe it of not museum.

Another day on the road took us to Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier first up. While the street vendors and homeless were out in force the true crazies were not, no muscle men and only a few roller bladers. Santa Monica was a beautiful area, the pedestrian only streets and the famous pier of course. If only we weren't all 'rides' out.

Next port of call was the Queen Mary, the ship that is. Reason for visit: to check out whether we could handle cruise ship work and life or not. She's an amazing ship even after all these years of retirement. The propellers are bigger than you could imagine, the corridors so much longer and while no 'I'm the King of the World' moment could be had, she was still a grand old lady.

As the sun was setting I was getting antsy - the whole reason for coming to South Orange County was to get to Newport Beach for it's Annual Boat Parade. No ordinary boat parade either, this one is a Christmas Light Boat Parade where the aim is to have the most lights and the most amazing display on their boat. It was beautiful and it could have been a very romantic evening had I been sharing it with someone who understood romance rather than Andy who insisted on ridiculing the pure delight I was taking in the twinking lights shaped like Santa Claus.

Our final afternoon was spent none other than at Disney where, because it was friday, Andy got to taste what Disney is really like, people, crowds, lines and strollers. My favourite ride is still Space Mountain (for these unfortunate non-disney goers - a high speed roller coaster through the dark ie like space) and Andy's was Indiana Jones (a rough ride in Jeeps dodging and lurching through potential disasters like a rickety rope bridge or an enormous snake). I think however our most memorable will be the Hollywood Tower of Terror. Happily joining the line without really understanding what it was we were queuing for, it soon became ubundantly clear as a storyline was laid our for us to build the moment. We were ushered into an elevator that was according to the story known for dropping from great heights without warning - bad choice of ride..?? The elevator rose with no difficulty but when the doors at the top suddenly opened and Disney lay out a long way down in front of us we could do nothing about what was about to happen. Sure enough it dropped and then rose, dropped and then rose, over and over again while being lifted from the seat having your stomach in your mouth - fantastic! Well, at least I thought so. Andy, not a huge fan of rollercoasters was helped on by the fact that he didn't know what he was getting on to, however there were no more big rollercoasters during our trip to Disney.

The light show and fireworks and the parade really are something Disney does well and no matter how old you are it is very exciting to see Mickey, Minnie and friends.

That was LA for us, we saw a fair bit but there is always so much more to see - next time we come this way it'll be San Francisco I think. In the meantime our next stop, Vancouver and our VIA Rail trip.

Update on our travel plans

andrewp-melissar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:45:00 GMT

Hello everyone, we thought that we should update you on our travel plans given that we have had a few changes to the original plan of late. Andy's Executive Chef suggested to him that the best thing for his career would be to complete one year here at Hayman and so we have decided that we will stay until the end of November.

So to all those people that we promised we would catch up with in early October, we're sorry! we will see you in December!

The itinerary is as follows:

30 Nov - Leave Hayman Island for Brisbane

01 Dec - Melissa leaves Brisbane for Auckland

03 Dec - Andy leaves Brisbane for Melbourne

08 Dec - Andy leaves Melbourne for Auckland

14 Dec - Both leave Auckland for Los Angeles

20 Dec - Los Angeles to Vancouver

21 Dec - Board 'The Canadian' train for Toronto

25 Dec - Arrive Toronto Christmas morning

30 Dec - Leave Toronto for New York

03 Jan - Leave New York for Chicago

06 Jan - Leave Chicago for Niagara Falls

08 Jan - Leave Niagara Falls for Toronto

At this point we have to think about where we are going to go to get work!

So, if this reaches our friends and you are going to be in any of these places during these times, please let us know!

Trust everyone is well,

Love, Mel & Andy

Guests for a night

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:48:00 GMT

After what seems like months we had two days off together and were actually able to make something of it. On our first day we booked on to the Cruise Whitsunday tour to the Outer Reef, something we had been meaning to do since we arrived. The boat picked us up in the morning for the two hour trip to Knuckle Reef. At Knuckle Reef there is a pontoon that has a sun deck, a massage 'castle' with a therapist, sun loungers and tables and chairs, semi-submersible boat, a water slide and diving and snorkelling facilties, we were determined to make use of as much of it as we could.

About 20 minutes into the trip the first sighting of whales was announced, swimming just off the side of the boat we watched the whales breach and dive (we saw one tail flick!) for about 10 minutes before we moved on. Naturally of course, after the first 3 photos the camera battery died - so much for charging it Andrew! Thankfully the boat sold underwater reusable cameras..not perfect but certainly adequate, and let's face it, our only option. We saw several water spouts on the horizon as we motored and hoped to see more closer to the boat further on.

We signed up for a scuba dive, Andy's first ever, we had a briefing on the way out and were to be one of the first groups in the water once we got to the pontoon. The weather was sensational, it was still, the waters calm and perfect for someone who thinks they're going to be sea sick at the drop of a hat!

The diving was excellent, we were suited up and walked down to a platform that is about waist deep in the water, the new divers are introduced to breathing with a regulator slowly before getting into the water.

As we enter the water, the first thing we see is a giant Maori Wrasse who comes straight up to us to say hi, Andy was so focused on getting used to the fact he was breathing underwater that he wasn't quite as taken with the fish as I was. The instructor was excellent as he took them (Andy and another first timer) along the edge of the reef, I was fortunate enough to be able to freely swim along around them as long as the instructor could see me. This also meant I could take several photos of Andy as he experienced his first scuba dive! I got up close and personal with a lot of the corals and various fish types, the colours were stunning in the sunshine and the visibility was much better than it was around Hayman.

After the dive we took our turn on the water slide being spat out into the lagoon, because the tour was not full by any means, we had maybe 50 people on our boat with a capacity of 350, we were able to do whatever we wanted when we wanted.

Once out of the water it was quite cold in the breeze so we dressed and headed for lunch. A big buffet lunch was laid out in the boat, beautiful seafoods, salads and cold meats - this naturally lead to a desire to nap!

We went to the upper deck and were idly watching the horizon as a huge whale jumped clear of the water and smashed back down with a gracefulness unexpected from a creature of the that size. From the first jump it continued for nearly an hour and half with up to as many as twenty whales visible at the same time. Unfortunately with only a disposable camera at my side they were just a little too far away to actually snap any decent photos.

I went on a semi-submersible ride and saw a turtle right outside the window I was sitting at as the marine biologist gave a commentary of the reef we were seeing. This was the last activity for the day as we all boarded the boat and left the platform behind to head for home. What a fantastic day we had, I can now only hope that the little disposable camera has actually produced some reasonable pictures.

Once back on Hayman we continued our fantastic day by checking into the resort for the night as a part of an offer I had taken up earlier in the year, I took three days leave and received several vouchers in return, one being my ticket on Cruise Whitsunday and one for a nights stay in the resort. The first exciting part of staying in the resort (after popping a bottle of bubbles and toasting the fact we were on the other side of the road for the day) was a bubble bath! It was heaven.

We went for dinner at La Trattoria, sat next to a Duke and Duchess and enjoyed an evening in a restaurant I am so used to serving in. A friend was leaving the next day so after a few drinks with him we went back to our little slice of luxury for the night.

The next morning as the sun filtered through the shutters I dashed down to the Hayman Pool for a swim. Swimming in the big Hayman Pool is usually something that is forbidden for staff so I had to make sure I crossed it off my list while I could.

We went for breakfast at Azure, enjoyed a leisurely morning with coffee and everything we could possible want at our fingertips. Sitting at the breakfast table watching the stunning view over the Hayman Beach it's easy to see why the guests love it here so much.

After a casual morning, strolls down to the marina, shopping at the retail stores and sitting in the sunshine we went to Beach Pavillion for a late lunch before I had to head to work.

A fantastic couple of days that actually felt like a holiday, if only we could do that more and work less!

Gallery: Staff Events

andrewp-melissar — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 21:13:00 GMT

Gallery: Dining Out

andrewp-melissar — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 20:54:00 GMT

Gallery: Anna and Jamie's Visit - March 2008

andrewp-melissar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:10:00 GMT

Gallery: Hayman Island

andrewp-melissar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:29:00 GMT

The island resort where we work and live

Mum and Dad's Visit - May 2008

andrewp-melissar — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:18:00 GMT

After months of planning, in fact I think we were planning it before we even left NZ, Mum and Dad arrived in the Whitsundays. With my little rental car I drove out to Proserpine airport to collect them. As the plane landed and the passengers started to disembark the tears were welling in my eyes and I realised once again how excited I was to see them and how much I had missed them. It was superb weather, hot and sunny, and the aim was to get to the B&B so they could get changed as quick as we possibly could.

They weren't coming to Hayman until the following day so they could arrive as guests on their 25th Wedding Anniversary. We had a quick tour of Airlie Beach, I showed them the major sites, of which there are few, before taking the bus to Shute Harbour so I could catch the taxi back to Hayman.

The next morning as the boat came into the Hayman marina (they travelled on the flash boat) we waited by the pontoon for them to officially arrive on Hayman. They received the grand tour before we relaxed with lunch, French champagne to celebrate in the afternoon and a special dinner in a little cabana on the beach side. Too much food! As it turns out this was to be a trend for the rest of their stay.

Mum and Dad had two nights stay in the resort and two nights stay in the staff village. We ate out every night - tried all the restaurants with the exception of La Fontaine due to having the first dinner on the beach. By the time the last night came around, we were eating at Andy's Restaurant, I got home and was so violently ill, not because the food was bad, in fact it was beautiful, but I had eaten so much in 4 days it was ridiculous!

It wasn't that we hadn't tried to work it off, we went Scuba Diving around at Blue Pearl Bay II, visibility wasn't excellent but it was great to see Mum back in the water Scuba Diving again. We walked to the top of the island, to Cook's Lookout to see the spectacular view, and we managed to get some sun-bathing and swimming in also (well Mum and Dad did).

It wasn't until the fifth day that Andy finally got leave and so leave we did, we went back to Airlie Beach and stayed in an apartment for three nights. Ahhh, some normality! A lounge and kitchen for us to laze about in, takeaways for dinner and a street filled with strangers. All these things that may sound a bit strange to most of you, but I assure you after living on a small island where everyone knows everyone it is excellent to get away.

We didn't do too much, just relaxed really which was perfect. We walked around the boardwalk from Airlie Beach to Cannonvale - right along the waterline (through a marina just for Dad!). We drove a lot.

Up to Bowen on the first day, went out to Horseshoe Bay and bought icecream for a Scottish street vendor who didn't know how to stop talking. Either that or he was hoping if we stood there long enough we'd buy another round.

Down to Mackay also, saw the dead kangaroos on the side of the road - were hoping to see live ones at dusk but alas, nothing. The highlight was going to the shopping centre, boy had I missed shopping centres - it was excellent, bought things like socks and underwear and work trousers (how crazy is it that we get excited about that!?!

Drove to a few local scenic spots also, because we could really and because we felt we should. Exciting moment though: We saw live wild kangaroos! Andy got so excited, Dad slammed on the brakes, spun the car around, sped back to the farm and sure enough about half a dozen of them hopped across the grass into the bushes. So they are real! I don't think Andy was convinced until that moment.

We had to leave the next day - back to the island to work, it had been so brilliant having a bit of a holiday and of course seeing mum and dad. I didn't want them to leave but we'll see them again soon, back at home in NZ.

Anna and Jamie's Visit - March 2008

andrewp-melissar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:39:00 GMT

As a few of you are aware we had two of our good friends come and visit us on the island for a week or so in early March. Anna and Jamie were on their way from NZ to London with a few stops along the way, one of which was Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef, our current home.

It was so great to see familiar faces after our first 3 months of getting used to the island. They stayed with us in the staff village, enjoying the delights that the staff village has to offer. Unfortunately we really didn't have the most perfect weather while they were here, and while the photos suggest that the sun was shining, the boats to the outer reef were cancelled, the visibility in the water was shocking due to the bad winds so diving was out....we just had to make our own fun!

We did manage to eat out a lot, we went to La Trattoria (Mel's restaurant), we all went to Oriental and then they went to Azure (Andy's restaurant) one night by themselves. Unfortunately we both had to work during their stay but we still got to do a few things.

We spent one afternoon on Langford, a sand spit that at very low tide connects with Langford Island, which is located directly across from Hayman. When it's not too windy it is sensationaland if you are the first one there (and sometimes the only one there all day) it is your own private beach. With the combination of some snorkeling, some sunbathing, watching crazy daytrippers play tug of war in the water and a few drinks....it all equals a perfect afternoon.

We made it around to Blue Pearl Bay II, a secluded bay around the back of the island, one of the most popular snorkeling and diving spots in the Whitsundays, and a spot wherhe their newly purchased snorkeling equipment was put to good use, you were glad for those booties on that coral beach aye guys? While the visibility wasn't great I think the reef and more so the fish life made a great impression. See some of the photos that they both took on their new underwater camera for a glimpse of what we saw.

And finally after all our planned trips being cancelled we decided to splurge, we weren't going to do it again and now was as good a time as any....we took a helicopter (at a huge expense!) out to a pontoon in the outer reef to do soe more snorkeling and see the Whitsunday's from the air. The weather predictably wasn't spectacular which made the snorkeling a bit rough, but still sensational, however the helicopter trip was amazing, the views and the flight and the whole experience was phenomenal.

Then they had to leave.....it was awful to see them go but it was excellent having them here and we'll see them very shortly in New York or Canada and definitely London...eventually!

A day in the life of us...on Hayman

andrewp-melissar — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 14:24:00 GMT

Everytime we talk to someone that we haven't spoken to in a while they always ask, what is it like living on Hayman? What exactly do you do? So I figured that even though this is probably a wee bit late and that I should have written this months ago, I'd tell you what it is like, better late than never right?

Hayman is a small island, let's get that cleared up straight away, there are three parts to it, the Resort - where the guests stay and where we work, the Staff Village - where we sleep, eat, play, do just about everything and the Rest - the island is a protected environment and the majority of it is natural vegetation and wildlife.

Andy's day would go as such - get up (usually late except when he's feeling guilty and he gets up to go the gym or a fitness class), eat something at 'The Diner' - as an aside the diner is where we eat, we are fortunate enough not to have to cook, we have 3 meals a day provided to us by a team of chefs responsible just for feeding us - by us I mean the 250 to 500 staff that are on island at any one time. He then heads to the kitchen. He works at Azure, the restaurant serving modern Australian cuisine with a focus on seafood. So quite simply he cooks a lot of steak and seafood. There are a team of 5 chefs that work in Azure, between them they spend their day in the Main Kitchen (said to be the second largest kitchen in the Southern Hemisphere) preparing for the dinner service. They trolley the food on the 'Queen Mary's' to Azure through the tunnel system ready for service.

Despite what many of our guests think, we don't actually live in the tunnel system. It is merely a system of tunnels that link unattached buildings. This way things like moving furniture, large trolleys of food, tradesmen, etc can move about the resort without roaming through the resorts gardens.

My day is similar in that it revolves around dinner service. As 'F&B Attendants' (this is our title) we do split shifts, 3 hours during the day for breakfast, lunch or setting up the restaurant for the evening and then the bulk of our hours in the evening during dinner service. I work at La Trattoria, an Italian bistro style, themed restaurant. It is a busy restaurant with a crazy pace at times but it's really enjoyable and I have learnt a lot about 5 star service standards that I knew nothing about before.

So as we both finish work around the 11pm time, that's our day.

Now the most important part of the week, our days off and just what can we do on our days off? Well we're quite fortunate in that those in charge encourage us to use many of the facilities and activities on the island. There are a few exceptions, however, we can go to the retail shops, make use of the spa treatments, use the sports and watersports facilities.

Our staff village provides us with everything that we need, it has the diner as mentioned, an office filled with staff who spend their days trying to keep us all in line and organised!, they also run a DVD club which works like a video rental store, a cinema room, a corner store (selling all the essentials)including a post office, a staff bar 'The Sand Bar' which grosses the most revenue of any bar in the Whitsunday region would you believe!?!, a gym, a training room for scheduled fitness classes, a swimming pool and several laundries.

Probably one of the most popular things to do on a day off is go on a 'drop-off'. This means that watersports will take us on a speedboat out to one of the nearby islands/beaches and leave us there for the day to sunbathe, swim, snorkel, eat, drink and be merry! We arrange with them a time to come and pick us up in the afternoon and just kick back and relax.

The second most popular thing to do, and the one thing that makes us feel like we're living a normal life is dining out. We can eat at each of the restaurants in the evening and the Beach Pavillion for lunch and cocktails. The restaurants are our two, Azure and La Trattoria, and also Oriental (Asian cuisine) and La Fontaine (French cuisine). We're good at eating out, pictures attached!

The other option to get 'off the rock' as such is to head to the mainland for the day. Our boat takes us to Shute Harbour and we then bus in to Airlie Beach, approx. 20 mins. This way we can experience all those things we miss on the island, cafes, shops, cars, traffic lights... If you have a couple of days off at a time you can visit the other islands in the area, we're yet to do that, getting a day off together ...... another mission entirely.

So that's our life on Hayman, made up of eating, drinking, sleeping, scuba diving (sometimes), squash (occasionally), sunbathing (quite a bit) .... oh and occasionally work!