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While looking for some documents, I came across a file from the 1990s containing notes on a trip I took in December 1994. I had previously included some of this material in an employee newsletter, but now I feel inspired to translate and expand upon these notes, as well as scan the necessary images.
Here are the details of the trip:
Oct 29 – Dec 15, 1994 Bali / New Zealand / South Pacific Islands
FRA – BKK – DPS – AKL – (WLG) – CHC – AKL – TBU – VAU – TBU – APW – HNL – LAX – FRA
Gopal's Restaurant
The Hare Krishnas [1] are still around - even "down under". While walking through Christchurch, someone handed me a flyer for an inexpensive lunch. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time and just tucked it away, continuing on my path since it was still far too early for lunch. Around the corner was a mall, to which I returned a little later. As I sat there, two Hare Krishnas - dressed in Indian-style clothing and carrying a "mridanga" (drum) and cymbals - came chanting through the mall. They approached the person who had handed out the flyers, whom I only then recognized as a fellow Hare Krishna. I looked at the leaflet and - lo and behold - discovered "Gopal's Restaurant" [2] nearby; I immediately knew exactly where it was. I headed straight there to feast on vegetarian food - "prasadam", in fact. I wasn't disappointed; the dishes were genuinely vegetarian - a far cry from the unrefined, thoughtless cooking that used to be common in Hare Krishna circles. It seems enough "health enthusiasts" must have converted to Krishna, bringing a more mindful approach to food. Otherwise, maintaining a meat-free diet during my travels would have been quite difficult. By that time, I was already living a meat-free life, with the exception of family gatherings; my last non-vegetarian meal was a fish in Baldersheim (Norway) in 1995, which my youngest brother had caught there.
Here are the details of the trip:
Oct 29 – Dec 15, 1994 Bali / New Zealand / South Pacific Islands
FRA – BKK – DPS – AKL – (WLG) – CHC – AKL – TBU – VAU – TBU – APW – HNL – LAX – FRA
Gopal's Restaurant
The Hare Krishnas [1] are still around - even "down under". While walking through Christchurch, someone handed me a flyer for an inexpensive lunch. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time and just tucked it away, continuing on my path since it was still far too early for lunch. Around the corner was a mall, to which I returned a little later. As I sat there, two Hare Krishnas - dressed in Indian-style clothing and carrying a "mridanga" (drum) and cymbals - came chanting through the mall. They approached the person who had handed out the flyers, whom I only then recognized as a fellow Hare Krishna. I looked at the leaflet and - lo and behold - discovered "Gopal's Restaurant" [2] nearby; I immediately knew exactly where it was. I headed straight there to feast on vegetarian food - "prasadam", in fact. I wasn't disappointed; the dishes were genuinely vegetarian - a far cry from the unrefined, thoughtless cooking that used to be common in Hare Krishna circles. It seems enough "health enthusiasts" must have converted to Krishna, bringing a more mindful approach to food. Otherwise, maintaining a meat-free diet during my travels would have been quite difficult. By that time, I was already living a meat-free life, with the exception of family gatherings; my last non-vegetarian meal was a fish in Baldersheim (Norway) in 1995, which my youngest brother had caught there.
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| This picture has been shot in 2013. |
Kea
One of the bus drivers spoke about the "kea" - a species of parrot he described as "mischievous little birds". The driver had worked on the construction of a road - a project spanning 120 kilometers - where the keas would frequently steal tools and other items left lying around. One of them would get fed every morning through the kitchen skylight - specifically, biscuits spread with butter and honey. One morning, the butter and honey were missing, and the biscuit came right back through the skylight. I first encountered them at the transfer point for Doubtful Sound. Warning signs there advised people to watch out for the keas, and the guidebook noted that they would even tear through tents with their sharp beaks to get at food. I found myself glancing back and forth between the birds and a young Asian-American woman - she possessed such perfect proportions and beauty in her figure, face, and movements. I had to make an effort not to stare too intently. Well, the keas were staring too, but they certainly weren't interested in aesthetics.
I returned there again in 2013 [3].
One of the bus drivers spoke about the "kea" - a species of parrot he described as "mischievous little birds". The driver had worked on the construction of a road - a project spanning 120 kilometers - where the keas would frequently steal tools and other items left lying around. One of them would get fed every morning through the kitchen skylight - specifically, biscuits spread with butter and honey. One morning, the butter and honey were missing, and the biscuit came right back through the skylight. I first encountered them at the transfer point for Doubtful Sound. Warning signs there advised people to watch out for the keas, and the guidebook noted that they would even tear through tents with their sharp beaks to get at food. I found myself glancing back and forth between the birds and a young Asian-American woman - she possessed such perfect proportions and beauty in her figure, face, and movements. I had to make an effort not to stare too intently. Well, the keas were staring too, but they certainly weren't interested in aesthetics.
I returned there again in 2013 [3].
Fox Glacier
Without rain - a rarity, it seems, for the West Coast - the landscape looks magnificent. Bathed in the vibrant colors of the morning sun, I gazed out at pastures, forests, and the snow-capped mountains, which loomed not far away.
As we approached the glacier, a rain began to fall again. However, we had been equipped with rain jackets and waterproof, hobnailed mountain boots - heavy, those boots! Each of us was also given a walking staff tipped with an ice pick. On the way to the glacier’s face, we had to wade through several streams—and would you believe it, there were even tourists heading that way in white tennis shoes! Afterward, the route led up over slippery rocks to an entry point about 150–200 meters higher in elevation. Once on the glacier, we continued our ascent, and the valley below grew smaller and smaller. At times, the rain would freeze upon the ice. Deep blue lay within the glacial crevasses.
By 2013, the glacier had already retreated by 2–3 kilometers - a process that continues due to climate change.
Without rain - a rarity, it seems, for the West Coast - the landscape looks magnificent. Bathed in the vibrant colors of the morning sun, I gazed out at pastures, forests, and the snow-capped mountains, which loomed not far away.
As we approached the glacier, a rain began to fall again. However, we had been equipped with rain jackets and waterproof, hobnailed mountain boots - heavy, those boots! Each of us was also given a walking staff tipped with an ice pick. On the way to the glacier’s face, we had to wade through several streams—and would you believe it, there were even tourists heading that way in white tennis shoes! Afterward, the route led up over slippery rocks to an entry point about 150–200 meters higher in elevation. Once on the glacier, we continued our ascent, and the valley below grew smaller and smaller. At times, the rain would freeze upon the ice. Deep blue lay within the glacial crevasses.
By 2013, the glacier had already retreated by 2–3 kilometers - a process that continues due to climate change.
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The Bridge
After spending a long time traveling through areas with only 100–300 inhabitants, I found this small town to be a true marvel. A few kilometers further on, however, we reached a single-lane bridge decked with timber. Railway tracks indicated yet another use for the structure. Yet, contrary to what one might have expected, there was no traffic jam.
After spending a long time traveling through areas with only 100–300 inhabitants, I found this small town to be a true marvel. A few kilometers further on, however, we reached a single-lane bridge decked with timber. Railway tracks indicated yet another use for the structure. Yet, contrary to what one might have expected, there was no traffic jam.
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Paihia
In the Far North, the colors shifted back to something subtropical. The weather was perfect for a voyage aboard the "R. Tucker Thompson", a sailing ship [4]. Propelled solely by the wind, we glided across the turquoise ocean. Dolphins broke through the water’s surface. The uninhabited islands rose from the sea, adorned in the white of their beaches and the green of their forests.
In the Far North, the colors shifted back to something subtropical. The weather was perfect for a voyage aboard the "R. Tucker Thompson", a sailing ship [4]. Propelled solely by the wind, we glided across the turquoise ocean. Dolphins broke through the water’s surface. The uninhabited islands rose from the sea, adorned in the white of their beaches and the green of their forests.
Links and Annotations:
[1] The Hare Krishnas are devotees of ISKCON [1a]. I was interested in knowing more about them in the 1970ies, when I met with a journalist (Hans Conrad Zander), who worked for STERN magazine at the time; we developed a lifelong friendship, travelled together and are still in contact, actually he called me from Switzerland today. Recently I looked up A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada [1b], the founder acharya of ISKCON, as I knew that he was buried sitting upright in sugar. And actually the Hare Krishnas were also active in Cologne, Germany. I found out later as they were and are still operating a temple near Layla, my Afghan hairdresser.
[1a] The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, is a Hindu religious organization.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISKCON
[1b] I met him and Hans Conrad Zander in 1974, when Zander wrote a critical and widely noted article for STERN magazine (issue 28/1974) titled “The God Who Devours Money and Hair” [„Der Gott, der Geld und Haare frißt“].
[2] I just realize that ISKCON had a Restaurant also called Gopal's in Cologne, where they now have the temple.
[3] Details of the 2013 trip:
Nov 9 – Dec 8, 2013 New Zealand
Cologne – DUS – DXB – BKK – SYD – CHK – Akaroa (Flea Bay) – Lake Tekapo – Queenstown – Manapouri (Milford Sound) – Nugget Point – Lake Hawea – Okarito – Arthur’s Pass – CHK – BKK – DXB – DUS – Cologne
[4] Still operating in the Bay of Islands for instance.
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