Donna Vande Kieft with the Sydney Opera House in the background
Rev. Donna Vande Kieft
I haven’t been everywhere yet but it’s on my list. My new friend, Marie, from Boise bought this t-shirt on our stop in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. I am on board the beautiful Cunard vessel, Queen Anne, on a world voyage, along with 46 other curious seniors from various parts of the world who are seasoned travelers with amazing life experiences behind and ahead of them.
We started off from New York sailing past the Statue of Liberty at Ellis Island, which seems appropriate as I would not be here having the good life I’m having without my ancestors and those whose shoulders I stand on. Both of my Dutch grandfathers arrived at Ellis Island from the Netherlands in their early 20s in search of adventure and a new life. Their young wives eventually joined them, though I wonder if they shared the dream. Both sets of grandparents became successful farmers in Northwest Iowa. My parents—both good frugal Dutch farmers—carried on the hard-working tradition.
I spent my birthday with a beautiful stop at Honolulu, Hawaii. Prior to that we enjoyed whale watching at Cabo San Lucas and on to Samoa and Tonga after Hawaii where we enjoyed the sites, culture, and hospitality of the Maori indigenous people.
My father was shipped out with the Army during WWII to the South Pacific and served for four years at various places such as New Guinea and the Philippines. We will be visiting Manila mid-March. The Pearl Harbor memorial was powerful as all those remembered there were part of that Great Generation. I wish I knew more about my dad’s time and experiences in these waters as I honor his memory and the lives of those who served.
We spent a couple days in Sydney seeing the Harbor Bridge, The Rocks, taking in the Aboriginal perspective through art and story-telling at the Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens, with a tour of the iconic Opera House. We had to miss our stop in Brisbane because of a cyclone and are sailing on to Airlie Beach and the Great Barrier Reef! After a visit to Yorkeys Knob-Rainforest in Tropical North Queensland, we will be on our way to Darwin in the Northern Territory.
All of these adventures are enhanced with lectures and presentations during our time onboard by professional scholars sought out by our hosting group, Road Scholars, formerly known as elder hostel for seniors. Our first professor was a Geo-physiologist who taught us a whole lot about volcanoes, earth formation, tectonic plates, and took us through the Panama Canal.
The next scholar was a professor of international law.
Another brilliant scholar joined us in Auckland, New Zealand, and will be with us until we reach Hong Kong. She has extensive experience teaching across SE Asia and is passionate about sharing Australia and New Zealand with Road Scholars.
The journey continues—Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and South Africa.