Australia and New Zealand (2008)

                                                                                                                                                                               

One of the farthest trips recently undertaken was the one that took Tarbatu to Australia and New Zealand in the February of 2008. We went there with six dance couples, instructors and with a band called Lindpriid. We took off on the 12^th of February and returned on the 2^nd of March.

We went there by plane and had a pit-stop in Dubai. On a long journey such as this one it's normal to have to spend hours in the airport and sleep whereever you can. We picked the floor.

In Australia we primarily stayed in Sydney. Some of the more famous sights such as the Sydney Opera House were visited even at night.

When visiting a place so far away from home one just has to leave the city and enjoy the countryside. The sights are completely different from what one could see in Estonia. There are mountains which are much greater than our Munamägi and valleys which are much deeper than our Kalvida old valley.

The weather was great! -  that’s why we spent lots of time on the beach. Experiencing the ocean is something one cannot do in Estonia. But still - we came to Australia to give performances. Obviously we didn’t want to leave the beach so the rehearsals took place on the sand and in bathing suits.

In Sydney we also stopped by the Estonian House where we celebrated the 90^th anniversary of the Estonian Republic. After the public ceremony Tarbatu performed together with Lindpriid.

After we had spent enough time in Sydney we also visited an Estonian village which had been built by Estonians - chicken farmers of a time long past. Nowadays it’s a pleasant place for retirement.

We also didn’t think it too much to see the places that we've all seen in the TV series Home and Away. A special occasion since the series has been on Estonian television for over 10 years.

The last few days in Australia were focused on sport and the competition was rather fierce at times.

We visited several Estonians who were living abroad – among them was one wine producer in Hunter Valley. We tasted the wine and all the evenings were really pleasant – wine and music go well together. Lindpriid never quite dropped their musical instuments and just kept on playing.

On the 23^rd of February we left Australia to see New Zealand. Our hosts Tiina and Madis accompanied us to the airport.

In New Zealand we had an opportunity to meet The Māori and see their old traditions and abodes. Luckily we arrived at the right time because they were just having their song concert which we could conveniently enjoy.

New Zealand is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and we decided to take full advantage of it by taking a swim.

At the end of our journey we flew through Singapore where we could relax and rest our feet.