With
over 25 District 9920 Rotarians and friends from the Rotary Clubs of Auckland Harbourside,
Ellerslie Sunrise, Auckland and Botany East Tamaki, we were assured of an Asian
cultural and culinary experience not to be forgotten. With then Governor
Willard Martin and Gabrielle accompanying us, we made the connecting flight
from Sydney to Taipei. Collecting our bags we literally jumped onto the ultra-fast
bullet train down to Kaohsiung, a city of 1.5 million people and 1 million
scooters. The culinary delights were first class with pig’s trotters, fish and
duck soups and exquisite noodles on the menu. The view from our 85 Sky Tower
Hotel overlooked the picturesque Cheng Ching Lake.
Walking
the night markets following a harbour cruise, we all soon appreciated the
natural beauty of Kaohsiung. The following morning we prepared for the Rotary
Club of Kaohsiung hosting us over a generous lunch. President Minna, who was a
former Group Study Exchange team member (sponsored by Taipei club), gave us all
a warm welcome, along with the German GSE team leader Petra Niemann Hessler
sharing her current experiences in Taiwan. We all found the local Taiwan clubs
had a quirk of allocating nick names to their members. The sergeant of Kaohsiung club had a background
in sea navigation, hence the name “Pilot”.
We
visited the Paper Dome in Nantou designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (who
is famous for his design of the Christchurch cardboard cathedral). It is an
interesting structure which got us all thinking about sustainability and the
ability to adapt to nature (with the risk of earthquakes).
The
bus ride to Sun Moon Lake took us through many long dark tunnels cut through a
mountain range. Sun Moon Lake was the equivalent of Queenstown, but with aura
and mystery of low fog creeping across the waters.
Our
final destination was Taipei (population 2.6million) – a thriving hub of
history and culture. The National Palace Museum, Freedom Square and the Sun
Yat-Sen memorial were crowded with local and mainland Chinese tourists. Our
visit to Rotary Taipei – the home club of Rotary International President Gary
Huang was an experience to cherish. Taipei club member Bruce Yang thought he
knew the Maori haka - he didn’t - so Auckland Harbourside Rotarian David Wong
supported him from the kamate kamate first lines to the final celebratory jump!
We
thank Auckland Harbourside President Ronald Chen for coordinating this visit
back to his homeland and appreciate all the hospitality of the Taiwan clubs ….I
can still taste the soft skin of the pigs trotters!
More information: www.aucklandharbourside.rotarysouthpacific.org
