LokiPoki

2 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

Hiking boots!

 

According to the Australian government site, you must declare them, and a biosecurity person will examine them.

 

Outdoor, camping and sports equipment and footwear
• hiking boots
• fishing equipment
• anything that could be contaminated with soil, seeds or water

 

Anyone with experience?

 

If I washed the soles before we leave home...would that do? Suggestions? 

 

I normally wear my boots so I don't have to squeeze them into my luggage, but that's not a huge issue. Plus we areee leaving Canada in winter and they work for a bit of slippery ice or snow.

Just I don't want to have to shop for some if I don't need to.

 

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/sitecollectiondocuments/arriving-english-factsheet.pdf

 

Frances

Wearing them should make things easy - just declare them. Usually they’ll do a superficial inspection, and if they’re concerned the boots will be taken away and cleaned - that has been my parents experience at any rate.
 

My own left me rather gobsmacked - I was in the UK in 2001 when they had a FMD outbreak, had been on rural properties and around livestock (nowhere near FMD affected areas, but customs/quarantine had no way of knowing that) and I was waved through with no questioning, no inspection of my boots, nothing. 

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

Are "Kind" snack bars available in Australia?  (and New Zealand?)

We depend upon these in case meals/snacks available are not suitable.

 

One of us needs a strict Gluten-Free diet, and the other has an unusual food allergy (something that is frequently served/included without notice.  Kind bars work for both of us.

But bars like those are bulky in quantity, and also especially heavy, so we can't bring too, too many with us on the plane.

(We can always get by with assorted nuts, but those can get boring after a while.  At least those tend to be easily available.)

 

As for meds, we always have then in labelled containers, and have copies of the scripts, and also a letter from physician.

No one has ever seemed interested in any of it...

 

Recently, we've gotten tiny ziploc bags, and asked the pharmacist for new labels for all meds, so we can stick proper pharmacy labels for each med.  Not only is there minimal wasted "air space", but these are also flexible and can fit in easily.

 

Thanks!

 

GC

Also have not seen this brand, but all the major supermarkets carry their own home brand of “free from” (gluten free, often egg/dairy/nut free, some soy or maize free, etc.) plus a wide array of other options. Health food shops will have more again, but at a premium price. 
 

Probably it’s much the same in the US - but if you’re eating out, check that they take their gluten free prep seriously... some are fantastic, but some will, for example, sell gluten free cakes - but said cakes are sitting uncovered on a shelf alongside regular products... really they’re just catering toward the GF for trendy’s sake crowd, rather than anyone with coeliac disease or a serious non-CD intolerance. 

48 minutes ago, sippican said:

 

Thanks!

(Also - good job translating flute-free, lol!)

I always pack some from home and hopefully I'll have no problem as long as I declare them.

Aldi is also pretty good for gluten free stuff.  

And yes, you should be fine. Definitely declare, but generally packaged, processed foods are no issue. 

You’d have to pay me to fly Jetstar with a mobility device - too many friends who’ve had shocking experiences.

I’ve had largely good experiences with Virgin and Qantas - only bad experience I’ve had was a miscommunication flying Virgin that resulting in my wheelchair going MIA for some time at the beginning of a trip. 

I’m flying AirNZ next month (MEL-AKL-MEL) as they had the best prices for flights when I needed to travel - haven’t flown with them before, but several friends with health and/or mobility issues speak very highly of them.

5 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Usually Google Maps shows places of worship when you zoom in far enough. Unfortunately it isn't showing anything in Savusavu and from what I recall of the town it's very small. It may have a small local church, or a hall where services are held, but that may not be Catholic denomination.  

Yes, that’s my memory of the place too. I’ve sent a message to the people Aus Traveller suggested and waiting to see if they respond. Someone on another forum said there IS a church (St Bede’s) but I can’t find much info on it. At least looks like the one Gut mentioned has weekday mass - which may be an option for my friend. 

Thanks - I’ll do that. 

Thanks Gut - does indeed appear to be Catholic - but unfortunately looks to be in Suva. I’m sure it won’t be the end of the world if there isn’t one, but I know (insofar as an atheist can anyway) how important her faith is to her, so will continue searching. 

Hoping someone can help - have also asked this in the Pacific Islands board but figured it was worth asking here as a lot of Aussies/Kiwis travel to Fiji. 

I’m doing a Fiji cruise with friends later this year. We will be in Savusavu on a Sunday and one friend would like to be able to attend Mass if at all possible. Google suggests there is a Catholic Church in Savusavu, but I can’t find anything else. Can anyone confirm if this is correct - and details like where the church is, what times services are held, are non-locals welcome to attend, etc? 

Thanks 

Laura 

Hoping someone can help - will also ask in the Australian/NZ board as I’m guessing a lot of people there travel to Fiji. 

I’m doing a Fiji cruise with friends later this year. We will be in Savusavu on a Sunday and one friend would like to be able to attend Mass if at all possible. Google suggests there is a Catholic Church in Savusavu, but I can’t find anything else. Can anyone confirm if this is correct - and details like where the church is, what times services are held, are non-locals welcome to attend, etc? 

Thanks 

Laura 

I shouldn’t think so. If in doubt, just carry some sort of documentation (from the manufacturer if you bought it yourself, or from your doctor or physio if it was prescribed) to explain what it is and why you have it, just on the off chance that you encounter someone who isn’t familiar with them. I don’t use TENS, but I have a spinal cord stimulator (and have to carry all the associated external charging and programming bits and pieces) and have never had anyone ask a question. Nor do I tend even to mention it... the only time I have done so is one occasion when I “went flat” and had to charge on a plane - and just let a cabin crew member know what I was doing, lest any fellow passengers get nervous about me attaching wires and a battery pack to myself mid flight. 

Shower stool can be provided upon request - though the ones I’ve had provided are very basic - small, no arms or back (and honestly, anything bigger probably wouldn’t fit into the shower cubicle). I have had a raised seat on one cruise, but it was a total and utter nuisance - took up already limited space, and also prevented the toilet lid ‘sealing’ - so the thing would never flush properly. 

Just get in touch with special needs/access dept for whoever you’re cruising with. 

5 hours ago, joybook said:

 

Be very careful carrying any food as it will be problem for you. My wife (and we are Australian citizens - born and bred here) took a sealed and unopened packet of biscuits away with us (from Australia) and forgot that she still had them in her bag when she returned. Wow! was she given the third degree!!!  Even though they were still sealed and unopened customs were not at all interested to hear that they were actually purchased in Australia. Needless to say it has never happened to us again

Yes, I’ve had much the same experience - in my case with a muesli bar that I’d forgotten about and had travelled to/from the UK with me. Was put through the ringer and the muesli bar confiscated - but the really frightening part was that customs were not the least bit bothered by my declaration that I’d been on farmland and in contact with livestock while overseas. This was mid-2001, at the time of the FMD outbreak in the UK - I’d not been anywhere near any affected areas, but they had no way of knowing that based on my declaration. 

I figure that if in doubt, declare.

2 hours ago, 1980dory said:

My experiences have been different.  On a flight to Singapore, my scooter was not waiting for me on arrival.  If fact no one knew where it was and advised me to walk all the way to baggage claim to find it.

On another occassion,  my collapsible scooter was not rolled around on it's wheels.  Instead, it was dragged upside down across a rough (probably concrete) surface causing extensive damage to the console, instruments, and an expensive bell.  The finish was also severly scraped.

My airline tried to say that it was previously damaged but could provide no evidence of such.  I asked why they had not noted any damage prior to accepting the scooter.  Since they did not do a pre-acceptance inspection they could provide no answer to the question.

Ironically, one of their counter employees noted that the condition of the scooter "looked new".

And on arrival, the pilot of the flight exited the plane and could not believe the damage to my scooter when he saw me trying to deal with the problem.

I filed a formal complaint and after many months of hassle, the airline finally paid for the damages and the airline was gigged  fort the damage.

This has happened to me twice with my wheelchair. On both occasions it eventually turned up, but it’s made for a very stressful few hours - especially given both times have been at the start of a holiday, in an overseas country (at home would be bad enough, as I can’t get more than a few steps without it, but at least here I know where I can source one temporarily). 

I’ve never had damage to the extent that you’ve experienced, but I’ve also never yet had my chair make it through a flight without some minor damage. Having seen how it’s handled when unloaded, I’m not surprised at all that equipment gets damaged. May not be an option for some devices - certainly wouldn’t be for scooters or power chairs - or on narrow body aircraft, but I discovered when flying Australia - UK that the wide body aircraft have a smallish cupboard that is usually kept free for folding pushers or mobility equipment. Use seems to be at the discretion of the senior flight crew and comes on a first in, best dressed basis, but you can request that your gear be put in there and carried in the cabin rather than the hold.

To the OP - I’d always opt for my wheelchair, as it’s much lighter and more maneuverable than a scooter, and because I use my chair all the time, it makes sense for me to have the “add on” bits to make life easier - so I have a power assist device to help with the very steep hills around where I live, I have a ‘freewheel’ to give me a smooth run over poor terrain, etc. But there are wheelchairs and wheelchairs; off the shelf chairs tend to be very uncomfortable, and also (as a user) much harder to propel; they also (not always, but usually) tend to be a lot heavier and less ‘tippy’ - which is good if you don’t want to accidentally spill someone out onto the road somewhere, but it does make for a lot more work if you find you’re having to jump up/down kerbs, or a step into a shop doorway, or whatever. 

If your wife doesn’t already have something to use at home, I’d strongly suggest doing a short term hire of different devices to see what she is most comfortable in. 

Agree, if opened, chuck them. Unopened, processed food, declare. That said, Australian customs do make some really bizarre calls - I was in the UK a number of years ago when they had an active foot and mouth outbreak. I was a long way from any FMD-affected areas, but I had been on farmland and around cattle. Declared on my incoming passenger card - which didn’t specify area, simply that I’d been in the UK, in rural areas and in contact with livestock. Customs couldn’t have cared less ... but put me through the ringer over a sealed muesli bar - made in Australia, but declared as food anyway - that was still in my bag on the return trip. 

Thanks Glenn -

Not concerned about the Freewheel as I just unclip it and sling it on the back of the chair in crowded areas (I’d be taking people out all over too as although I’m very careful, people don’t seem to look below their own eye level) - mentioned it only because of the way it attaches to a folding chair - with an additional ‘T’ bar that clamps under the chair, vs clipping onto the footplate on a rigid chair. The T prevents the chair being folded - as does my backrest - and that has never proven an issue for tender crew...hence wondered whether a rigid frame chair would pose problems. 

Hopefully that makes sense. It’s been a long week!

Thanks Bloodgem, 

Haven’t tried that particular email - only P&O Australia’s general email, as I couldn’t find a special needs specific email address for them - was them just coming back with the “it had to be collapsible” response, but I might see if I can get anywhere with the address you posted. I’m sure the policies can’t differ too much across the group. 

Thanks Splinter, 

That’s what I figured (and particularly as it’s so much lighter and easier for someone else to move if need be, I couldn’t see a problem), but it’s now a few weeks since I made contact with P&O to check and they don’t seem inclined to answer. 

Yes, will be taking the Freewheel - also much easier to use on rigid chair as it just clips onto the footplate rather than having to mess about with an adaptor bar as I do now. 

 Anyone know what constitutes a “collapsible” chair as far as cruise lines are concerned? 

 A couple of friends have persuaded me to join them on a cruise next year. Cruise is quite heavy on tender ports, which doesn’t concern me - I’m familiar with most of them, and have had no problem tendering in the past. Concern is that P&O (with whom I’ve not cruised before) state that a chair must be collapsible in order to tender. Until now I have travelled with a folding chair, but as I use a rigid backrest and freewheel, crew (Princess) have always lifted it across without folding it. Current chair is falling apart and now completely the wrong shape/balance for my body, and I’m waiting on a new rigid frame chair - so doesn’t fold down the middle, but has a collapsible/removable backrest and quick-release wheels. By my definition, the rigid frame means it’s not a “folding chair” but as it can be “collapsed” into easily managed components, it’s “collapsible” (also weighs a grand total of about 5kg, compared with my current which is about 12kg) - but P&O customer service have offered me lots of “I’ll have to check and get back to you”, with zero follow up. 

Only reason I’d bother spending money on the current one to replace components is if it’s going to be essential for travel, so am interested to hear what others have experienced given that P&O don’t seem inclined to give me an answer. 

Not sure if it’s what you’re after, but a quick google search turns this up - https://www.totalmobility.com.au/product/pride-r4/ Can’t find any photos of it folded, but it looks to have the ‘X’ frame so am assuming it folds in half, rather than forward onto itself. 

Looks like a few Aussie places sell it. 

If it’s one of the major hire car firms I can imagine there would be a problem.

 

What you need to consider is that parking in the city for 11 days could be expensive.

 

Also are you OK with driving on the opposite side of the road.

I’d say not “could be” but “will be”... Crown Casino is probably one of the cheapest, and that’s about $20 a day - but substantially better than a lot of the Wilson parks - which are more like $60-70+/day.

Adding to your comment about opposite side of the road driving, if OP is planning to drive in the CBD, I’d suggest a little education on hook turns...they bring many a tourist (and many a local!) to grief.

You're assuming that any misgiving has to do with the machine's safety. Misgivings have to do with it arriving at your destination. Bags get lost. If you feel that you're OK if the bag gets lost, then by all means check it. I would not risk checking the bag, period, even if it was a bullet-proof case.

They get damaged too... dunno what the “damage rate” is overall, but we travelled as a group of five a couple of years back and ended up with three broken cases between us. My medical gear travels with me at all times...more to carry, but I know I’ll have it all safe if/when it’s needed.

Depends on what your interests are. Bay of Islands and Dunedin (or the Otago Peninsula at any rate) are both incredible if you’ve any interest in wildlife - seals, dolphins, penguins, albatross, more other seabirds than you can poke a stick at.

Napier has some interesting architecture (Art Deco - if that’s your thing), and the wider Hawke’s Bay area has some good wineries (or so I’m told; I don’t drink the stuff). Haven’t seen that much of Tauranga (only its coffee shops - as I’ve only ever visited accompanied by torrential rain and flash flooding.

I’m not familiar with these ports - but depending on your situation, it might be worth looking at a “Freewheel” device, or something similar - they clip on the front of your chair (directly if you’ve a rigid frame chair with fixed foot plate, via an adaptor bar if you’ve got a folding chair), and lift your front castors off the ground so they don’t bog or catch on rough or soft ground...instead you’ve got a pneumatic tyre on a wheel that’s maybe 8” diameter.

I say “depending on your situation” as they’re fairly expensive, and unless you can hire one, probably not worthwhile unless you use your chair most/all of the time and are a fairly active chair user - but if you’d likely get enough use out of it at home and future travel, they’re brilliant. I’ve got around a fair chunk of the South Pacific, NZ, Australia and the UK with mine (including rough cobbles similar to those in the pics EM posted).

The harbour on a nice day is beautiful from a kayak. I suspect you’d not get quite the same experience on a cruise ship day - but I went out with these guys a few years ago (http://akaroakayaks.com/) ended up being myself, my mate, our guide and not another human in sight. Brilliant day.

I can't speak for these countries but if you go to Dubai in UAE do not take Codeine even in prescription bottles because you could be sent to prison if they catch you.

I found it was extremely easy to get permission to carry controlled meds - had to send a notarised copy of my scripts and a letter from my doctor to the UAE embassy here in Australia, they sent said letter and script back with a stamp confirming I had permission to carry the drugs. And of course, because I did the right thing (and paid the $$ to get the permissions done) - nobody even looked at what I was carrying, never mind checking whether I had permission to do so.

I’m sure a lot of the horror stories you hear about people being jailed for carrying a single codeine pill (or something equally trivial by Australian standards, probably western standards generally) have a lot more to them than what’s presented in the media, but given the meds I take, I wasn’t taking a chance.