After another good night’s sleep it’s an early start this morning. The first allocated exercise session for our intake is 7.20am, exactly the same time that breakfast is due to arrive. I do my ablutions and then prep for the walk choosing to have breakfast when I return. Seventy minutes and a seven km walk later breakfast is a piece of bacon and egg pie (unusual choice but I like variety) and a bowl of fruit salad. Morning tea consists of a carrot and almond muffin, a muesli bar and orange juice. The pie was ok – more egg than bacon but the protein is important. No photo necessary (or possible because I’ve eaten it).
The menu for lunch and dinner is here too. I’m having chilli beef nachos with tortilla chips, salsa and sour cream for lunch and dinner consists of roast lamb with tuscan roast gourmet potato – sounds divine.
Yesterday I wrote a review of the four earphone choices (very unscientific and amateur) but I woke up this morning and realised that I have a fifth headset that I completely forgot about – my Jabra Sport + v5.7 which are about five years old. Some might ask why do I own so many different headphones and why did they travel with me to Australia. That’s easy – they make an easy gift for someone who is hard to buy for and they don’t take up much room in the suitcase (except for the Beats) so why not? I will add the Jabra Sport to yesterday’s headphone review.
Lunch has arrived and the chilli beef nachos were supreme and worthy of a photo.
It could have been warmer, but considering it was delivered it was fine, and I knew not to muck around because it would only cool down more and get soggy. The kitchen has done well again. I’ve built up a good supply of milk (not soy unfortunately and it is the UHT type) so I think a couple of glasses of the white stuff will be in order.
I’m watching the cricket on Spark Sport (on my iPad) while I’m writing this and so far it’s going really well 73/5. It’s being played at home in Dunedin and it feels like home is now so close yet so far away. Another eight days to go…
I mentioned in MIQ: Day 5 that I had issues with headphone choices and I was going to write a separate blog post in the form of an unofficial headphone review. I have five options to choose from the basic Apple corded headphones, Apple Airpod Pros, Jabra Sport, Bose audio sunglasses and Beats Studio3 wireless over-ear headphones. This is quite the apples vs pears review because they are all very different types of headphones and are merely the options at hand.
Apple corded headphones
These are the only non-Bluetooth option in this review and obviously need to be attached to my phone. That is the first problem for me. The cable is long enough so that when the phone is in my pocket the cable regularly interferes with my arm movements. My hand snags the cable too often. A remedy for this can be to keep hold of my phone in my hand but during long walks this isn’t my preference with issues like sweat and the risk of dropping the phone. The other problem is that they are not noise cancelling.
The good thing that goes in their favour is that they do not need to be charged – speaks for itself really.
Apple Airpod Pros
Lauren gave me her set of these on the day I left Dunedin because they had an accessory that allowed you to connect into the airplanes media network. The expectation was that it would allow me to watch their media and listen to it on the Airpods but unfortunately I couldn’t make them connect. I applied the usual Woodhouse patience to this dilemma and used my Beats instead and watched a movie on my iPad.
A good feature of the Airpod Pros is that they are noise cancelling and another is that their stems aren’t as long as the regular Airpods. They are obviously Bluetooth and therefore no cables to tangle in
A problem for me is that they don’t stay in my ears when I am doing anything more than a standard walk. When I was running up and down the stairs one of them kept falling out – not ideal.
Jabra Sport + v5.7
These are at least five years old and no longer on the market. I think there was a global issue with quality because the original pair that I owned needed to be replaced by JBHiFi after about nine months because they ‘died’. I haven’t had any further issues with the replacement set since but they disappeared off the market around the same time.
These were the first pair of expensive wireless headphones I owned (I think I paid about $159) and were very handy for physical activities. At the time I was into aqua jogging as a form of low impact exercise as well as walking.
Some of the positives are that they stay on the ear quite well because of their shape and the sound quality was good especially for the time that they were purchased. There has been significant improvements since then. They have also been a safe choice for when I’m wanting to use earphones in the spa pool.
Some of the negatives are that they are not noise cancelling nor are they waterproof, only splash proof. The left and right earpieces are also connected by the neoprene tether which was the norm when new but now that technology is outdated – the modern style earbuds have taken care of that. The battery charge has never been good and would only be good for up to two hours before they go flat. You would expect 3 or 4 times that now.
Bose Audio Sunglasses
I was given a pair of Bose Frames Tempo sunglasses for Christmas 2020. I had never seen them before and was unsure about how and when to best use them. They have turned out to be a fantastic choice.
Good features: They are Bluetooth and they have remarkable noise cancelling ability considering nothing is plugged into the ear. The sound quality is fantastic and non-intrusive to other people.
Negative features: The main issue is that they are chunky in the arms but they need to be if you want to hear really good audio. Another issue that only becomes obvious is when you are wearing a face mask properly and sunglasses at the same time. The sunglasses fog up when you exhale. Another issue is that the battery life is good for about 6-7 hours before recharging becomes a consideration.
Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-ear Headphones
I have owned these headphones for two years and mainly are used for when flying (do you remember what that was). I wouldn’t normally wear them for walking but with other issues as mentioned above they have been given increased priority.
Positive features include being Bluetooth and also noise cancelling. They stay on the head and ears and work well as earmuffs in the cold.
Negative features: The Beats Studio3 are the largest option of headphones in this review and when everything else is working towards smaller it is very difficult to achieve anything small in the over-ear headphone option. Another issue is that when wearing a facemask the loops behind the ears and the headphone earmuffs become uncomfortable. The final issue is that when wearing them on a hot day there is a build-up of sweat.
Summary
The simple choice comes down to what the weather is doing, the length of the activity they are needed for and what time of the day it is.
I don’t need sunglasses first thing in the morning nor at night. Therefore Beats at that time because they increase warmth around my head (like earmuffs) when it is a cool climate.
I would wear the Airpod Pros if I wasn’t doing any stair work.
I would only rely on the Jabra Sport if they were fully charged and the exercise was definitely going to be under two hours. A good choice for the spa pool.
I would wear the Bose sunglasses when I wasn’t wearing a facemask.
I would wear the Beats, corded headphones or the Airpod Pros if I was not overly active and just wanted audio.
Overall they are all good but my most favourite are the Bose sunglasses.
I gave myself a sleep-in this morning and woke up 5 minutes before breakfast was delivered to the door at 7.20am. A solid eight hours sleep. Breakfast is a ham, cheese and lettuce croissant (which I would have preferred to be warm but there isn’t a microwave here) and a very unusual fruit salad (maybe passionfruit) but I’ve not had anything like it before…it was ok. Morning tea consists of mandarins and apple juice.
The menu for lunch and dinner is here too.
I’m having a smoked salmon chicken on a wholegrain bǎtard for lunch! What the heck is a bǎtard? I’m going to need to Google that…no result! Is it a typo? Is the salmon bullying a bastard or a retard? I’m worried, especially about my insensitive thoughts towards the categories of alternative options. Likely a photo for you will be available in about four hours time. Dinner is grilled chicken with a garnish of little trees.
Exercise today looks awesome.
It will be the most amount of outside time yet with just over three hours in total of walking – very similar to what I was achieving on average in Sydney. This requires a bit more planning around the choices of footwear, sunscreen and headphone choice – major decisions when there’s nothing else to do. I have four headphone options to choose from: the basic ‘in the box’ Apple corded headphones, Apple Airpod Pros, Bose audio sunglasses and Beats Studio3 wireless over-ear headphones and I think I’ll write a separate and specific headphone review blog this afternoon. I’m also going to be using plenty of hot water today with at least three showers. I’m paying over $3000 for this retreat so I’m making sure I get my money’s worth.
The kitchen is a bit slow today but lunch finally arrives at 12.40pm. So its time to find out what a bǎtard is…
It turns out that a bǎtard is a fancy name for a type of bread but you probably knew that. It’s a little like sourdough bread.
I need to check my phone to remind me of what day it is, as my sense of the days of the week has gone. Thursday 18 March. I had a much better night’s sleep, but the alarm needed to be set for 5.50am. Why? Unfortunately the first rostered exercise session for our intake was to start at 6am until 6.50am. I don’t mind that because afterwards I am able to do my ablutions before breakfast arrived at 7.30am. It’s cereal and fruit again but I don’t mind because its muesli which I enjoy. Morning tea consists of an apple and a small muffin. You don’t need a photo…
The menu for lunch and dinner is here too. I’m having a chicken burger with chips and salad this afternoon and tonight is beef stroganoff – both worth looking forward too. The food is really really good! Last night’s Thai chicken curry was so good that I made a call to reception to pass on my appreciation to the kitchen regarding just how good it was. I could feel and hear the positive shift in the demeanour of the woman on the other end of the phone – this wasn’t another call from a disgruntled MIQ resident complaining about this or that etc. I felt good about making the call too. Being kind comes in different ways, plus you should never piss off the person who makes your food!
The morning has been quite slow, probably because of the early start and no outside time between breakfast and lunch didn’t help. I felt tired and bored, ending up by having a morning nap. I don’t normally nap in the morning and could feel myself feeling flat…this is only day 4 of 14 and this bothers me. The early analysis is that my day should be better planned. If there is going to be a significant gap between eating and exercise then I need to have a task available to do, and that will probably involve design aspects of the Port ‘project’ house. I still need to finalize the design of the kitchen and the master bedroom and have enough resources with me to achieve this.
I also think that now is the time to start binge watching a series on Netflix. This will give me something that I can continually look forward to.
Lunch arrived at 12.30pm and was quite good for a hotel burger and chips mass produced and staggered delivery to rooms. The welcome surprise was that it came with a can of coke, which I chose to keep for after the 8km walk and as a nice reward for the workouts.
My Day 3 Covid19 test has now come back negative but I expected nothing different.
Dinner will be here soon and a 30 minute walk to finish the day. Bring on Day 5!
This place is really quiet but last night I had a broken night’s sleep so ended up watching cricket for an hour or so. Breakfast arrived at 7am and is different again today. A serving of pancakes with cream and jam and a smoothie too, morning tea consists of mandarins and a pastry. I can only have a small part of it (one pancake) because our first exercise slot is scheduled for 7.30am until 8.50am and ate the rest of breakfast afterwards.
The menu for lunch and dinner is also here and it looks like I’m going international again…tacos and Japanese mayo and Thai curry. No complaints from me. I’m probably not going to post photos of either.
So lets talk about the exercise system here. Each MIQ facility will be arranged differently and The Sudima has a great setup based on the size of their carpark. It is fenced off from the outside world, and to be honest it wouldn’t be difficult to make a break for freedom. The outside world is a Countdown supermarket and right over the fence is a large café The Coffee Club and that is a problem. The first exercise of the day is impacted by the cooking smells wafting over the fence and the smell of bacon is irresistible…maybe Ardern and Bloomfield should have thought about that when they told us all to be kind!
The carpark is large enough to walk or run circuits and there is also a flight of stairs at one end that increases my options. They provide us with a daily schedule of when our group is allowed to leave our rooms for exercise and the first session of the day is 80 minutes, followed by two shorter sessions of either 30 or 40 minutes, and I have made it my goal to be out and walking for every minute of it. I had been doing plenty of walking while in Sydney (between 12 and 26 km daily depending on the weather) and to be able to continue this while in isolation was both a surprise and a real benefit. This means I can achieve between 10 and 15 km each day and I supplement this by adding sit ups, press ups and prone holds throughout the day.
As I’m writing this I am patiently waiting for the Day 3 Covid test which is the first of two that we receive while in isolation (the second is Day 12). After the second test we are not allowed out of our rooms (i.e. no exercise) and that is for our own protection so that there is no risk of contamination with recent arrivals.
I’m also looking forward to Americas Cup sailing today hopefully for the last time, go ETNZ.
Another solid night’s sleep because this place is really quiet. No one is moving around at night, no late arrivals or early checkouts, and doors aren’t being slammed shut (because they’re not being opened) and no inconsiderate hallway banter that usually disturbs sleep in hotels. I like isolation.
Breakfast is different today. A ham, lettuce and cream cheese bagel with juice and yoghurt, and morning tea consists of apples and a muesli bar.
A menu has also been provided for what lunch and dinner are to be, and today we get three opportunities to exercise outside.
To be honest all I have to write about is what I’m eating and the fact that I am able to walk around in circles so this might get boring for some readers.
7km walk this morning and now lunch has arrived and also a wee surprise of a chocolate fish.
I watched a movie this afternoon and another 4km walk before settling in to watch the Americas Cup. Now we’re one win away from retaining it – go TNZ. Hopefully tomorrow! Dinner arrived a bit late tonight, a bit closer to 7pm. The lamb was ok but the spud wasn’t any good nor were the bread rolls (especially because they came with no butter this time). The dessert was good – carrot cake.
Now its time for my final exercise for the night – a 30 minute walk before I wind down for the night.
When we arrived into Christchurch on Sunday night it was just after 6pm. We were taken by bus a very short distance to the Sudima Hotel by the airport and we waited for about 40 minutes before we were allowed to disembark. The NZDF personnel are now in charge and my first impression of them is really good as they are more efficient than the Air New Zealand staff and border security people. Their uniform says that they mean business but they also showed the human side to all this and are able to see and enjoy humour.
I was the last to be processed and y the time I am in the room it is after 8pm. They have given us a bag for ‘dinner’ and the main food was a filled roll with some biscuits and fruit bar added. The room is actually very nice and is far more quiet (and darker) than the apartment I’ve been at for the last eight weeks. I watched the end of the movie on TV and crashed for the night.
The Monday morning breakfast was a small box of corn flakes with milk and fruit, and an additional muffin for morning tea. It was nothing special but also not a problem either – 6/10. Today we get to go outside twice for exercise and I’m delighted. I’m treating the two weeks as if I am in a kind of fitness/health camp and hopefully I survive. I was able to do an 80 min walk in a circuit around the fenced-in carpark, and normally this would look and feel really weird but not today. We were all in the same boat and all wanted to avoid cabin fever, suited me down to the ground. After I had finished my walk my lunch was delivered to my door. All food will be provided in brown paper carry bags and in disposable trays – no dishes which seems wise to me. Crumbed fish served on a mixed salad and bread rolls. Very nice – 8/10.
After doing paperwork and some blogging I watched exciting Americas Cup racing and had another 30 minutes of walking outside. Dinner was delivered at 6pm. A chicken dish and cheesecake for dessert – 6/10 for the chook and 9/10 for the cake.
I’ve enjoyed my first day and I have very little to complain about!
It was a 4am start on Sunday morning because of the necessary ablutions before hitting the road. I needed to move 50kgs of luggage up Merriwa St and along to the train station – about a kilometre but it was dark, drizzly and very muggy. I knew that once I got to the train I was going to be ok and fortunately the plan worked fine. I got there in the time I thought it would take and without complications but I was already hot and sweaty and it wasn’t even 6am yet, it’s a good thing my fitness is good at the moment! Two train trips and I’m at the airport. I really am impressed with the Sydney network.
The airport is absolutely empty at this time of the morning and it’ll probably be no different all day. Disappointingly the Air New Zealand Lounge wasn’t open so I had to mingle with common people – queue the eye roll emoji.
The plane is about 2/3 full and it was a really quick trip across the ditch because I think we had a strong tail wind leaving Sydney. A pity that the wind couldn’t reach New Zealand to help out the Americas Cup racing. As we flew into Auckland we could see all the boats out on the Waitamata, but it was about two hours out from the hopeful start time (that didn’t eventuate).
We landed and sat at the gate while they organised the next phase which took us into MIQ mode. They announced that we were going to be processed and then flown to Christchurch, and the reaction was mixed with some celebrating (like I did) and those who just shook their heads – too bad. For the next 14 days I’m going to share my MIQ experience…
Lucy was surprised that Hungary Jacks is just Burger King in disguise and the story behind it but that’s for another day. We were there so that I could try the Rebel Whopper burger (with the 100% plant based meat pattie) and whether or not it was anything like beef. It certainly looked like beef when it arrived and the burger comes with a good stack of other ‘healthy stuff’.
Does it pass the taste test? Yes. Does it taste like beef? No. Would I buy it again? Maybe, but not for healthy choice reasons because the nutritional numbers don’t stack up much better than the real deal. It really is only there for those who want to veg out…
The Metro back to Chatswood and the train trip to Gordon was our last hour together before Lucy jumped onto the bus to Terrey Hills. A very sad time but I know she has settled in well here and we are leaving her in good hands.
I’ll write a post about the trip back to New Zealand and that will lead into 14 days of me posting about MIQ.
My final couple of days in Sydney went really quickly. The usual process of packing, giving the apartment a general clean and getting rid of rubbish wore me down a fair bit because it also kept reminding me that I was coming to an end of my time here with Lucy. It has been a very quick eight weeks and I have enjoyed the privilege of being her support during her transition to Australia. I also wanted to make the final day enjoyable for both of us.
We began by meeting up for morning tea at Chatswood and then took the train into town and to Circular Quay. It was Saturday and the forecast was for just over 30° therefore the perfect conditions for one of my highlight activities in Sydney – taking the Manly ferry across the harbour and to spend time at Manly Beach. The ferry journey takes 30 min and there is always something to look at whether it be yachts, speed boats or the odd pirate ship! The amount of people at the beach gave it a great atmosphere however we weren’t there for a swim. We walked around to Shelly Beach where there is a great café and restaurant and where we shouted ourselves an iced chocolate and a caramel milkshake.
The return ferry trip to Circular Quay was early enough to still have lunch and Lucy wanted to have Italian by Sydney Harbour so we went to Rossini’s, a place Lucy has enjoyed previously while under the care of a different parent (I think we get easily played by our youngest)… We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and talking and while doing so ventured around the waterfront to Barangaroo and Darling Harbour.
The Wynyard train took us back to Chatswood and then Lucy wanted us to take the Metro to Macquarie for a special dinner – Hungary Jacks.
My Fear Share 