HEADS HAVE IT ON WILD BORNEO JUNGLE CRUISE

david ellis

WE wonder if we're in some kind of a time-warp.

Snuggling up to our wharf in Borneo's jungle township of Sibu is an oddly-shaped little passenger ship with a circular bow and equally circular forward superstructure. She could, we think, be something straight out of a Kipling tale of Borneo's Raj, or Mark Twain's time on the Mississippi.



Behind us are chaotic old Chinese-style shop-houses. Rainbow-hued structures housing street-level cafés whose plastic tables and chairs litter the pavement, stores that are out of yester-year with everything from food to hardware and clothing vomiting haphazardly across floors and pavements, a mechanical centre at which a half-dozen oil-stained men tinker with 2-stroke motor-cycle and chainsaw motors that erupt erratically into deafening convulsions of life.

And by contrast a snappy Ladies Beauty Salon proudly proclaiming "air-conditioned facilities," and Borneo's biggest produce market.

It is July 2009, but it could just as well be any July in the middle of the last century here in south-western Borneo or in old Malacca or Penang or Phuket.

So we're not surprised to learn than we're amongst colourful little Sibu's just-2000 overseas visitors annually.

We join some fifty other Australian, British and American adventurers and go aboard our quaint-looking craft. But any idea that we are stepping into the hardships of travel of a colonial past are quickly dispelled: this is a brand-new, purpose-built river-boat crafted as meticulously as possible in the style of the ships of the old Irrawaddy Flotilla Company that once chunked the rivers here and "from Rangoon to Mandalay..."

And while the exterior design is yester-year, today's Orient Pandaw – as our ship is named – offers a luxury that Britain's 19th century Raj could only dream of.

Our air-conditioned and ensuited stateroom has a picture window, and we've our own little deck space immediately outside our door to further embace kaleidoscopic views and river breezes.

And Orient Pandaw also has a vast upper-deck viewing area furnished with Raj wicker lounge chairs and tables amid myriad potted plants and palms and under shade cloths… and a bar that dispenses no-charge local beers, spirits and soft drinks (premium imported beers and spirits and wines are available at optional cost.)

And there's a dining room that offers both Asian and Western fare, fusion dishes of the two, fresh local tropical fruits and vegetables, and home-made cakes, cookies and other treats for Orient Pandaw's 56-guests.

Our ship is the newest in a fleet of a half-dozen such teak and brass river-boats opening-up the rivers of Vietnam, Cambodia, Burmah, India and Borneo to tourists.

Scottish entrepreneur and South-east Asian historian, Paul Strachan was fascinated with the story of the original Irrawaddy Flotilla Company that was founded in the 1860s – and which burned all 650 of its ships to the waterline so Japan could not use them to move troops and supplies when it invaded Burma in 1942.



He discovered the remains of one, researched original plans and started building look-alike vessels, but with today's mod-cons (although he eschews in-stateroom phones, mini-bars and TVs.) He's now got a half dozen, with Orient Pandaw the latest and plying Borneo's Rajang River that's the longest in Malaysia.

Our July cruise is the first such in 67 years, and with her shallow draft, where there are no wharves, Orient Pandaw simply nudges up to riverbanks, beaches or jungle clearings and guests gangplank it ashore.

Onboard experts and local guides lead us through villages in which we are as much the centre of interest as these rarely-visited gems are of interest to us. We explore remote "heart of Borneo" forts of the 19th century British Rajahs Brooke, fruit and vegetable farms, sago-making factories, village schools where the kids sing us songs and show us their favourite games, and go on jungle walks.

And visit a traditional Iban longhouse in which 700 people live under one roof – each family's "apartment" fronting a communal verandah that appears to stretch into the mountain mist's infinity.

And to remind us that this was once headhunter country, the longhouse chief proudly shows us a basket of human skulls, trophies of conquests past.

Travel agents have cruise packages that include Malaysia Airlines flights and pre- and post-cruise Borneo and Malaysia stays; or phone Pandaw Cruises on (02) 8080 5622 or log onto australia@pandaw.com

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

[] WALK the plank: Orient Pandaw can nudge up to any shore for guests to gangplank it ashore.

[] AN Iban jungle longhouse: 700 people live under one roof and share a communal verandah that "stretches into the mountain mist's infinity."

[] HEAD count. A Pandaw guest checks out the longhouse's collection of skulls from battles past.

[] RAJAH Brooke's timber-built Fort Emma is 150 years old.

Photos: David Ellis

Santa Monica Pier Centennial

Recognisable through its cameo appearance in countless films and TV shows, in September 2009 the Santa Monica Pier celebrates its first century as one of California’s most iconic attractions.

Back in 1909, when the Pier was first built, no one could have imagined that the Pier would survive to greet its 100th birthday. It certainly has had more than ‘nine’ lives. The Pier has stubbornly remained a constant, weathering the ferocious power of storms unleashed by Mother Nature, ravages of change and progress and economic hardships - but it survived.

To the delight of national and international tourists, enthusiasm for the Pleasure Pier has never abated. A pivotal feature of everyday city life, every year the Santa Monica Pier attracts millions of annual visitors.

Ben Franz-Knight, executive director of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Company said, “The Pier today remains an icon – a single remnant of history on a coast that was once peppered with piers. It offers nostalgia for yesteryear, yet remains a commanding presence on the national landscape and a vibrant entertainment center that embraces the culture of today. It deserves the birthday celebration of a century.”

The Pier’s history is storied. First came the Hippodrome in 1916, a mixture of Byzantine, Moorish and California architecture, fascinating onlookers with its inside carousel of a circling menagerie of wooden animals. Among the last of its kind, the Hippodrome was adopted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

And eight years later, in 1924, the La Monica Ballroom opened – a vast and ornate palatial-like structure, floating magically above the sea on the Santa Monica Pier built with a footprint of more than 40 thousand square feet – the largest ballroom in the world – in an era when ballroom dancing had reached a fevered pitch. The ballroom was also the site of the famous Dance Marathons in the 1930s that offered cash prizes during the brutal early 1930s, a ray of hope for out of work people.

The Pier was, and is today, a magnet for Hollywood. A staple in a number of popular Hollywood pictures including Funny Girl (1968), They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), The Sting (1973), Forrest Gump (1994) and The Majestic (2001). Celebrity sightings run the gamut from Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus to US Congressman Kucinich and Hall of Fame basketball player Wilt Chamberlain.


About the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation
The Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation (SMPRC), established in 1983, is a non-profit, public benefit corporation made up of business and community leaders who represent the full range of community interests. It was created by the Santa Monica City Council to preserve and enhance the pleasure pier experience for people of all ages and for future generations and is funded by the City of Santa Monica. For more information, visit, http://www.santamonicapier.org.

For more information visit www.santamonica.com

THE TRAIN NOW ARRIVING IS A FORTNIGHT LATE…

david ellis

PASSENGERS were never led to believe that there was much in common between the official railway timetable and the actual time that the new-fangled mixed passenger/goods train from Adelaide would arrive in Stuart, a couple of days away in the Northern Territory.

So much so that on one occasion in the 1930s when it finally chugged into Stuart a fortnight behind schedule, rather than the driver, fireman, cook and guard being condemned as bungling public servants, they were actually lauded as heroes of the pioneering Outback.

Because when their train had become trapped by floods in the middle of nowhere, to feed their 90-odd hungry passengers, they'd hunted down, shot and butchered wild goats.

The narrow-gauge rail line from Adelaide to Stuart – that was later re-named Alice Springs – was begun in 1878, and somewhat like those timetables, was not finally completed until 1929, some fifty-one years later.

Prior to the arrival of that first service, the train for many years terminated at Port Augusta, and from there passengers continued on by road to Stuart.

And because the freight was transferred to camel trains operated by Afghan cameliers, on seeing dust in the distance, Outback property owners would telegraph word to others further north that "the 'Ghans are coming."

So there was little option but to dub the new train, The Ghan.

The first Ghan puffed into Stuart on May 1 1929 two days after leaving Adelaide – officially on schedule because it had arrived the day it had been expected, although somewhat after the scheduled hour.

And it wasn't long before The Ghan struck regular hiccups.

The steel rail lines often buckled so badly in daytime 40-degree-plus heat that trains would be held up for hours until the lines cooled at night, and settled back so that journeys could continue.

And drivers would report seeing rails simply parting before their eyes: voracious termites could chew through a hardwood sleeper in just days, so passengers would pitch-in with the crew to carry out emergency track repairs to get The Ghan to either Adelaide or The Alice.

And kangaroos and emus – for some inexplicable reason – would gather on the line at night to be mown-down in the darkness in their scores, causing more delays.

One jokester even quipped that The Ghan would often arrive at Alice Springs with more kangaroo fur and emu feathers plastered over the front of the engine than the Australian coat-of-arms.

Then there was that day in the 1930s when the usually dry Finke River erupted in flood, trapping The Ghan between the raging river before it, and the countryside going underwater behind it.

After more than a week, the stranded train ran out of fresh food so the driver shot wild goats: for the next five days the 90 passengers and crew sat in the train in a desert that had become a lake, dining on goat and tea for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

When the Ghan finally got into Alice Springs two weeks behind schedule, a journalist of the day noted: "Timetables are a matter more of hope than fact… not only is the hour of arrival indefinite, but also the day.

The government-operated Ghan was sold after nearly 70 years to a private company, Great Southern Railways and in February 2004 a train made the first complete journey from Adelaide to Alice Springs and on to Darwin – over 125 years after being first mooted, and at an estimated cost over the years of $1.3-billion.

The 2,979km journey takes 48 hours and is considered one of the world's great train trips, linking Australia's southern coast with its north; and today's "new" line from Adelaide to Alice Springs runs about 160km west of the original, that was closed in 1980 due to regular flooding.

Interestingly that original line followed the route of the Overland Telegraph, that in turn had followed the footsteps of explorer John McDouall Stuart during his historic crossing of Australia from south to north in 1862.

Fares Adelaide to Darwin (or v-v) start from $730 for a Daynighter Seat (online bookings only,) $1340pp twin-share Red Sleeper Cabin and from $1973pp for Gold Sleeper Cabin, with substantial CSHC/pensioners discounts available. For full details including meal inclusions see travel agents or phone 1300 657 045.


PHOTO CAPTION: 

[] THE kilometre long Ghan weaves its way through the great Australian Outback

[] FIRST Class sleeper aboard The Ghan

[] NO kidding – there's no wild goat on today's menus on The Ghan

[] RUINS from the train window of the ill-fated settlement of Farina in South Australia's far north   

 

STRUTH ! Fit for a tychoon

IN his continuing search for the more weird, whacky and wondrous in the world of travel, DAVID ELLIS says that for something totally different you can now hire Rupert Murdoch's 56m (183-feet) superyacht Rosehearty for the holiday of a lifetime.

Whether Rupert has put his boat on the charter market because of tough economic times or just to help defray its running costs we don't know, but Rosehearty comes complete with accommodation for ten guests in five queen-bed staterooms (each with plasma screen TVs,) and if you're the hirer you'll get the Owner's Suite and therefore the opportunity to sleep in Rupert's king-size bed.

There's also a "technogym" with personal instructor, and deep sea diving gear that'll give you a better view of what's under the sea than your snorkelling mask and breathing tube (and again with instructor, of course.)

A chef will prepare the meals you want (just give him an idea in advance of your likes and dislikes,) and there's a bar (with steward) for any necessary liquids to stop the skin cracking under the Caribbean sun (or wherever else you want the yacht delivered to in America, Alaska or the Mediterranean.)

All this will cost you from just $373,500 a week, and hopefully it includes tips for the nine crew who will look after your every need – although if you can afford the charter price we guess the tips aren't going to worry you.

SHOOTING OF EARLY EXPLORER – THE CAMEL DID IT

david ellis

IT was 163 years ago next month that a young colonial explorer, John Ainsworth Horrocks died in one of the more bizarre events in our early history.

Horrocks and his brother Eustace had sailed from England in late 1838,  arriving in Adelaide on March 22 1839 – John's twenty-first birthday.

The young adventurer ran into explorer Edward John Eyre in Adelaide, and when he mentioned his desire to "settle on the land," Eyre suggested rich agricultural country he'd discovered about 160kms north of Adelaide.

Leaving his brother in Adelaide, the comfortably-off John took a man servant with him, and in the upper Hutt Valley pegged a claim on which he quickly established a profitable cattle and sheep run.

He also made several forays into the unexplored wilderness further to the north, and finding even more agricultural treasures, soon had eager settlers following in his footsteps; within a few years he'd established a little community around his own property, naming it Penwortham after his birthplace in Lancashire.

Then in July 1846 he set off on his last, ill-fated journey. Included in his party were the artist S.T. Gill to record their travels on canvas, H. Theakstone as 2-I-C, a driver for their carts and drays, a tent keeper, and an Aboriginal goatherd named Jimmy Moorehouse.

They had six horses, twelve goats, a camel named Harry that was the first-ever used in the Colony on an expedition, and supplies that included flour, tea, arrowroot, kegs of water, rice, sago, hard-tack biscuits, medicines, tobacco and one tent for the men, and another for Horrocks.

To supplement their rations they shot emus and kangaroos – including one 1.75m tall that the unfortunate Jimmy Moorehouse was forced to carry five kilometres back to their camp on his shoulders. And when part of a cart axle broke in rough country, one of the drivers walked back to a cattle station they'd passed two days earlier to seek a spare part.

The party hauled their carts and drays through creeks, into bush that often had to be hacked down to make a way, up hills and into valleys, and in September – about six days north of the upper reaches of Spencer Gulf –  came upon a broad lake that Horrocks named after the artist Gill.

Sighting a large bird in scrub, Horrocks decided to shoot it for food and began loading his shotgun. Someone called for Harry the camel to sit so they could access another shot-belt, but when it knelt it lurched to one side – and in a bizarre million-to-one chance part of the saddle struck the hammers of Horrocks' shotgun.

His middle finger was blown off and several pellets smashed into his face, wounding him badly; the driver Kilroy set out for a station over 100kms away where he would ask them to summon a doctor from Penwortham.

With Horrocks alternating between signs of improvement and deterioration the remainder of the party also headed back to Penwortham, remarkably covering up to 40km a day.

They arrived there three weeks later but John Horrocks, still just 28 years of age, died at his home on September 23 1846 and was buried on his property.

And interestingly for inquisitive holidaymakers today, when he'd first started travelling between Adelaide and Penwortham, Horrocks would overnight in the-now wine-rich Clare Valley at a place local tribes called Mundawora (meaning "Two Ponds,") and around which a cattle and sheep station was established 40 years after Horrocks' death.

Today it's owned by John and Gayle Barry who live in the original circa-1880s main house and operate a B&B called Mundawora Mews in the historic stone one-time stables, workers' rooms, dairy and kitchen.

Each of today's cosy four guest suites has either 1- or 2-bedrooms, queen beds, large ensuites, a lounge/kitchenette with wood fire, electric oven with cook-tops, fridge, TV, and dining setting; daily breakfast supplies include cereals, local bacon and fresh Mundawora eggs, bread, juice, milk, home-made jam and tea and coffee.

There's also a complimentary $16 bottle of Jim Barry Watervale Riesling; prices start from $160 per night for two, and guests are free to wander the 50ha property that has sheep, cattle and alpacas, vineyards and abundant bird and wildlife… and the two ponds where John Horrocks regularly camped.

Phone (08) 8842 3762 or visit www.mundaworamews.com

                                                      ………………………..

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

[] GILL's painting of explorer John Horrocks leading his camel Harry away  from Mundawora on his last ill-fated journey

[] JOHN and Gayle Barry (and 18 months old Fred) with the painting in a  guest's unit at their Mundawora Mews B&B

[] MUNDAWORA Mews (circa 1880s;) note the interesting "art" piece on the building – silhouette of a utility cut out of galvanised iron

JILTED AUSSIE INSPIRES GREAT EXPECTATIONS

david ellis with malcolm andrews

TOMBSTONE Tourists, those who get a kick from prowling cemeteries on their holiday wanderings, find many a treasure in an historic little Sydney suburban cemetery - including the grave of lady who is both virtually unknown, yet at the same time is a key figure in one of the greatest works of English literature.

Eliza Emily Donnithorne was the sole remaining child of a retired East India Company judge, James Donnithorne who moved to Sydney Town in 1836 after losing his wife and two teenage daughters in a cholera epidemic that swept Calcutta four years earlier.

Despite a licentious life in which he fathered several children in adulterous liaisons with Indian women, Donnithorne wanted Eliza to marry into respectable Sydney society.

But the headstrong Eliza rebuffed the well-bred young men invited by her father to Camperdown Lodge, their grand home in Newtown, a small community amid farming fields on the outskirts of Sydney Town.

And instead she fell for a lowly shipping clerk named George Cuthbertson, a worshipper at Newtown's St Stephen's Anglican Church that was attended and patronised by the Donningthornes.

Despite his fury, James Donnithorne could do nothing about the blossoming romance, that included Eliza inviting George to Cambridge Hall when her father made regular business visits to Melbourne – acts that sent neighbour's tongues into overtime.

When he died aged 79 in 1852, James Donnithorne was buried in the cemetery adjacent to St Stephens.

Four years later, Eliza and George decided to marry at Camperdown Lodge, but according to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, "on the morning of the wedding the bride and her maid were already dressed for the ceremony, the wedding breakfast was laid in the long dining-room... the wedding guests assembled, the stage was set, but the chief actor did not keep his appointment".

Gradually the embarrassed guests quietly excused themselves, and the distraught Eliza ordered that the wedding breakfast be left on the tables and the dining room locked.

But she had the front door of the house kept ajar in case Cuthbertson should return, a chain preventing it from blowing wide open and a determined Mastiff deterring would-be intruders.

And, legend has it, Eliza wore her wedding gown until the day she died 30 years later, leaving Camperdown Lodge only to wander its grounds after dark, and speaking only with her two trusted maids, and the rector of St Stephens and her lawyer.

No one knew why George had jilted her, and he was never seen again.

Does much of this sound familiar? If you've read Charles Dickens' famous novel. Great Expectations first published four years after Eliza was jilted, it is.

Because like Eliza Donnithorne, one of Great Expectations' principal characters, Miss Havishman was deserted on the day of her intended nuptials, like Eliza Donnithorne she left her wedding breakfast untouched, and again like Eliza she wore her bridal gown for the rest of her life.

How Dickens heard of Eliza's story is unclear, but it is known that he had numerous widely-read researchers… and one of his sons worked for the East India Company, James Donnithorne's one-time employer.

After her death in 1883 Eliza was buried with her father, and her name added to his gravestone.

Some 80 per cent of headstones at Camperdown Cemetery were fashioned by John Roote Andrews, great-great-great-grandfather of co-author of this feature Malcolm Andrews, and said to have been the first monumental mason to come to Australia of his own volition, rather than as a convict.

He too is buried there, as are explorer and NSW Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell, Isaac Nathan who composed and produced Australia's first opera, and the victims of the Dunbar, a clipper that foundered off Sydney Heads on a stormy night in August 1857 after a voyage from England, taking with her all but one of the 122 people aboard.

Tommy, Mogo and Mandelina, the first Aborigines to be given a Christian funeral also lay there, as do the children of Anthony Hordern, the founder of one of Australia's most famous department stores, and those of Sir Henry Parkes.

Tourists interested in colonial history regularly journey to this last resting place of Eliza Donnithorne and those many other interesting colonial Australians; the cemetery surrounds St Stephen's Church in Church Street, in Sydney's inner-suburban Newtown.



[] ON her death Eliza was buried with her father, and her name added to his headstone in Sydney's Camperdown Cemetery.
[] MEMORIAL in Camperdown Cemetery to the victims of the wreck of the Dunbar.
[] ONLY known lithograph of the Donnithorne's mansion in then-rural Newtown on the outskirts of Sydney Town.

"Hey mum - this is me!"

STRUTH !

IN his continuing search for the more weird, whacky and wondrous in the world of travel, DAVID ELLIS if you've ever wondered what its like to be up front actually flying that jet plane – instead of sitting down the back just wishing for the flight to end – you can now do so in Malaysia Airlines' jet simulator.

Just three people at a time go aboard an actual flight simulator at Subang airport, with off-duty pilots and engineers explaining the mysteries of how it's all done.

The 1-hour experience costs RM500 (approx AU$170) per person and after you've chosen a destination to fly to, you'll get a bit of "hands-on flying" under the supervision of real pilots and engineers.

And to prove to your mates that you have "flown a passenger jet" you'll even get a certificate to show them.

Wine, water and luxury the perfect mix in New Zealand

Source: Tourism New Zealand

With luxury travel now one of New Zealand's fastest growing tourism sectors it’s no surprise that the well-heeled are seeking out their growing list of luxury travel possibilities.

Luxury travellers have almost tripled their spending in New Zealand in the past decade and, as high-end lodges and tourism experiences notch up international awards and recognition, New Zealand is now firmly fixed on the luxury radar.

For the world-weary, well-travelled superyacht set, New Zealand offers a genuinely refreshing approach that's strongly linked to the landscape and all about creating personal and unique experiences - world-class accommodation, wines, service and transport delivered in an intimate and engaging Kiwi manner.

Drawn firstly to the unspoilt landscape, international visitors are often blown away by the sophisticated infrastructure and services providing all the trappings of a first-class experience topped off with priceless treasures like peace, privacy and safety.

Discerning travellers are continually voting New Zealand their favourite destination. Condé Nast readers recently voted New Zealand their favourite country in the world for the fifth year in a row. And, even in times of economic downturn, those with money to spend are spending it in New Zealand showing they're prepared to go the extra mile for a quality experience.

As a relative newcomer to luxury tourism, New Zealand has had the benefit of hindsight, able to draw from the experience of others and create a world-class product with a truly unique Kiwi flavour. Locally grown fine foods, award winning wines, exclusive accommodation and tailor-made activities all exceed the expectations of the most discerning five-star traveller.

Another element of the New Zealand luxury experience that moves international visitors is the chance to interact with the indigenous culture in an authentic sense. Whether joining a Māori guide to walk in ancient Kauri forests or meeting a contemporary Māori artist in their own studio.

New Zealand's first luxury property is still the best known - the multi-award winning Huka Lodge in Taupo that's hosted heads of state and Hollywood stars, and become world famous for its seclusion, unique environment and luxury experience.

Newer properties like The Farm, at Cape Kidnappers in Hawke's Bay, have quickly earned world class status. The Cape Kidnappers golf course was recently voted top in the world by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

At no extra cost is New Zealand's natural asset, the landscape, with mountains, crystal-clear lakes and rivers, wide open spaces and miles of sparkling blue seas.

Luxury yachts and launches provide travellers with an exclusive floating option to explore New Zealand by water, and there are hundreds of islands and secluded moorings within easy reach of the main centres.

As well as the chance to cruise the subtropical waters of the Bay of Islands in the north of New Zealand - where dolphins and whales are a common sight - many vessels, large and small, take passengers on a dramatic journey into Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park where bush-clad peaks rise from the still blue waters, waterfalls cascade hundreds of metres into deep coves, and wildlife abounds.

Escaping the rat race is one of the main reasons luxury travellers come to New Zealand and visitors list the seclusion, easily achieved privacy, restorative health benefits and infectious warmth of the people as key factors.

One of the mistakes visitors commonly make is not allowing enough time to enjoy the New Zealand experience and, despite the ease of travel and accessibility of facilities, people frequently say they wish they could stay longer.

With the chance to walk for days and not see another soul, fly in to a remote fishing spot hours from civilisation, soak in a spa under the stars, entertain in a private lodge with your personal chef, dine on your own freshly caught seafood and escape into anonymity - it's easy to see why.

New Zealand wines taking the world by storm.

As a perfect adjunct to a stay at any of New Zealand’s world famous lodges, enjoying the country’s signature wine style is another experience only available in New Zealand. New Zealand's 10 wine producing regions span 1600kms, almost the entire length of the country's coastline, resulting in a variety that is as wide and varied as the country they grow in.

Winemaking in New Zealand came from humble beginnings. Prohibition and the influence of the British who preferred beer and spirits, meant wine wasn't really appreciated in New Zealand until the arrival of the first Dalmatian migrants at the turn of the twentieth century.
They brought with them knowledge of viticulture and an appreciation of wine, never seen before in New Zealand. Their years of hard toil and expertise have made the industry what is today.

From Pinot noir to Pinot gris, New Zealand wines are winning awards all over the globe, punching well above their weight on the international scene.

Some of the hundreds of New Zealand vineyards are now even growing the rare Viognior white wine grape - a grape which almost became extinct in its native France due to a pesky insect - with splendid results. Because of New Zealand's cooler climate the Viognior grape produces a different taste than its French equivalent, a taste that has made it the new trendy white wine in New Zealand.

As well as producing top class wine, the New Zealand wine industry is also making a commitment to protecting the environment. Grove Mill Winery has become the first winery in the world to achieve carbon zero certification.

The certification involves addressing climate change impacts with the aim of adding no net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere in the production and distribution of its wines.

This approach has made New Zealand one of the most exciting New World wine-producing countries. Winemakers are applying innovative ideas to traditional winemaking bringing intensity, freshness and complexity to the wine.

Chardonnay is the most widely planted variety but is definitely not a boring standard. New Zealand's distinct Chardonnay is complex and fruit-laden in character, and fruity, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc is the icon wine of Marlborough. Pinot Noir is the darling of the wine world. It's a difficult and challenging wine to produce and each mouthful speaks of its complexity. Marlborough and Central Otago vie for the title of most notable region currently producing Pinot Noir.

New Zealand leads the international field for producing sparkling wine, and the Montana Brancott winery owns the only Coquard Champagne press in the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand's sparkling wine surprises many a traditionalist with its unique flavours and aromas. Montana's Lindauer and Cloudy Bay's Pelorus, both from Marlborough, are fine examples.

The gravel soils of the Hawke's Bay region favour robust, stylish and elegant reds, and winemakers' individual blends perfect the final product.

Before you sail on from the glorious waters of New Zealand, you’ll find it hard to resist stowing a few cases of classic Kiwi wine down in the hold. Who could blame you?