The Upside to Down Under
Exotic Southern Hemisphere locations warm up the holidays
Despite that age-old cliche, there really isn’t any such thing as Christmas in July. But you can have Christmas in the summer — and New Year’s and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too — by taking an upside down vacation this year.
We’re not talking about the parallel universe on “Stranger Things” but the fact that the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. In places like French Polynesia, Australia and New Zealand, the summer stretches from November to February. With many connections between LAX and cities like Sydney, Auckland and Papeete, it’s easy to spend the holidays in a tropical paradise. It’s always beach weather over the holiday season in Tahiti, Bora Bora and the other paradise isles of French Polynesia. But the warm tropical water and radical waves don’t take away from the yuletide cheer. The historic Marché de Papeete in the capital transforms into a lively Christmas market, with fresh mangoes and flowers side-by-side with decorative nativity scenes. Just a block away, Notre Dame Cathedral holds a Midnight Mass complete with a Polynesian choir. Traditionally, Santa’s more likely to spread his cheer in an outrigger canoe or zooming on a jet ski. Minus fireplaces, gifts arrive at the house via a window purposely left open. Ma’a Tahiti is the traditional meal on both Christmas and New Year’s days in the islands. Similar to a luau, the filling feast normally includes fish, pork, chicken, breadfruit, veggies and taro covered in banana leaves and cooked on hot rocks in an underground pit.
Australians also deck the halls in December, but also deck their decks, because summer is sailing season. Thousands of spectators line Sydney Harbor on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) to watch the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, one of the world’s premier sailing competitions.
Sydney’s historic town hall opens its doors to the public preholiday on for a one-night festival on Dec. 19. Events include a grand organ concert, carol singing and illuminations on the facade of the 1889 building. Nearby Martin Place hosts the city’s official Christmas tree, while Pitt Street Mall transforms into a “Boulevard of Lights” complete with caroling. But the big bash is New Year’s Eve, when Sydney stages a stupendous fireworks display over the famous Harbor Bridge along with a “Harbor of Lights” parade of illuminated boats, live music and other entertainment along the shoreline. Over on the other side of the Tasman Sea, Auckland ushers in the holiday season with events like the Farmers Santa Parade (Nov. 26), the Christmas in the Park music festival (Dec. 9) and Santa on Queen Street — a 60-foot tall Kris Kringle that towers over downtown. New Zealand’s summer is also prime time for outdoor pursuits like hiking the legendary Milford Track, kayaking the waters of Abel Tasman National Park or bungee jumping off the Kawarau Bridge, where the adrenaline sport originated in the 1980s. Those who want to ring in 2018 before anyone else on the planet should book passage to Samoa or Kiribati. Located along the International Date Line, both of the South Pacific island nations hit midnight on New Year’s Eve a full 21 hours ahead of California. If you get there a week earlier, you can even open your presents on Kiribati’s Christmas Island.