Ports of call: Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart (Australia); Milford Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Tauranga, Auckland and Bay of Islands (New Zealand).
Bought another wi-fi voucher before breakfast and uploaded my Sydney and Canberra photos, then added some of them into the new blog post and published it plus checked e-mails.
After breakfast, we carried all our luggage over to the cruise terminal (in two batches) and checked out of our hotel. Next, after completing health and customs declarations, we queued up to board our ship, the M/S Marina. because we’re Concierge level guests, there was a special ‘priority’ lane for us to line up in. Mind you, apart from it having a different colour carpet, it didn’t seem to be any quicker.
Once on board, we were ushered into one of the restaurants to sit and have lunch while they finished getting all the rooms ready. Ours was ready by 1.30, and waiting for us inside, we found a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket. Good start, we thought. But before we cracked open the bubbly, we took great pleasure in unpacked all our bags – the first time since leaving the UK – and putting all our clothes on hangers and in drawers.
Now; bear with me on this one. While in Brisbane, Juli bought an electric toothbrush, which, of course, had an Australian plug on it. The ship, being American, has US sockets. Anticipating this, we bought an Australian to US adapter, but the socket in the bathroom, where she want’s to charge it, is designed for electric razors and not compatible with our adapter, which has an earth pin. Juli mentioned this to the room attendant and she got one of the ship’s electricians to pop-in and see what he could do. A few minutes later, he was back with a custom built adapter that he’d knocked up especially for us. Now that’s what I call service.
Soon it was time to dress for dinner, which we had in the ship’s main, formal restaurant: the Grand Dining Room. It certainly lives up to its name, as does the menu and wine list, as well as the quality and presentation of the food. We were given an excellent table by a large window, and as this was our first night on board, we treated ourselves to a bottle of wine. However, at over forty Dollars for a fairly ordinary vintage, we shan’t be doing that too often.
After dinner, we went for a bit of a stroll round the ship to orientate ourselves. We found all the other restaurants and bars, the theatre (which they call a lounge) and the gym and spa. The ship only has one pool and that isn’t really setup for swimming lengths, so Juli may have to adapt her exercise regime.
After picking up tea from the Concierge lounge, we retired for the night, luxuriating in Egyptian cotton sheets and, for the first time since having them made in Vietnam, our new, matching, Chinese-style silk pyjamas. Dead glam.
While we were staying with Carole in Melbourne, I downloaded a series of NHS half-hour podcasts called Couch to 5k, which are designed, as the name suggests, to coach you from couch potato to a level of fitness sufficient to enable you to run 5 kilometres or for 30 minutes over a nine week period. Today, our first sea day, I decided to get up super early (at dawn) to use the 10th of a mile fitness track and follow the first of these. I was far from being the only passenger doing something similar, though most, I think, were regular runners and walkers. At the end of my session, which was mostly walking with a bit of running, I certainly felt I’d earned my breakfast.
The rest of the morning was taken up with a bit of life admin, including laundry (the ship has several laundrettes for guests to use) giving our concierge the rest of our dinner dates and, for Juli, talking to and making appointments with the ship’s gym instructor, who has the rather grand title of Fitness Director.
Next was a bit of light blogging – I’m trying to write a bit at least every other day so don’t ever find myself with loads to catch up on – before a light lunch in the Terrace Cafe, which was very busy, followed by coffee in the Barista Lounge, which was pleasantly quiet.
In the afternoon, we went along to a lecture on the kinds of marine wildlife we’re likely to see as we cruise along. I have to admit, that I found the man’s voice so soothing, that I slept through most of it. I think I got the gist of it, though: Dolphins.
In the Evening, before dinner in the Grand Dining Room again, we went along to a drinks reception to meet the Captain (short, round and Italian) and his officers (various sizes from all over the world).
Lastly, before turning in for the night, what with all our dinner and gym reservation and various other events coming up that we knew we wanted to attend, we felt we needed a diary of sorts to make sure we don’t miss anything, so I set to and knocked up a quick spreadsheet listing all the port and cruising days still to come and any appointments or other notes. Hopefully we’ll persuade William, our Concierge to print it out for us so we can refer to it as we go.
All though our second night at sea had been a bit calmer than the first, it was still pretty bumpy coming through the narrow gap into Port Philip Bay, which we did a few hours before sunrise. Once berthed, we went up for an early breakfast, so that we could be ashore in time to meet Adam and Corinne at 8.30am. They took us on the tram into the city, where we split up: the girls off for tea, cake and a chat, and Adam and I to the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park.
This was very exciting for me, as I’ve never been to an F1 GP before, and, although he’s been to several, going to the Melbourne GP, usually the first in the calendar, was something Adam had wanted to do for some time. Add to that the fact that this was his first GP in his new home town, and you see how this was setup to be quite an occasion.
We got to our allotted gate quite early, and, while we waited, Adam explained his plan for the day, what I could expect to see and where he thought we should sit on the deckchairs we had with us, bought for the purpose earlier that very morning by Corinne. I’d brought my poncho with the expectation of sitting on the ground, but apparently, that’s a classic F1-virgin mistake.
As we made our way to the spot that Adam had calculated would afford us the best views, we stopped to look at the displays of classic sports cars, including Jags, BMWs, Lotuses, Aston Martins and Mustangs.
There were lots of events and other races scheduled before the F1 race, but the weather had been so bad the day before when they should have been practicing and establishing the race order that all of that had had to be deferred until first thing today. That meant that everything else on the programme had to be compressed into the time left before the main race at 5.00pm, which couldn’t moved because of the television coverage. However, that was good for us, as it meant there was less waiting around.
Between the deferred practice rounds and the race proper, there were parades of the drivers sitting on the backs of a whole fleet of Austin Healy Frogeyed Sprites, vintage racing cars with some of their original drivers, a celebrity race in Mazda 6s, a V8 saloon car race and another race featuring some incredible 8 and 9 litre engined V12 monsters from the 80s.
A couple of hours prior to the race starting, the track was closed and swept before a final inspection. While that was going on, there was a series of air displays, including the Royal Australian Air Force’s equivalent of the Red Arrows, an F18 and a Qantas passenger liner.
Soon it was nearly race time. By now the grassy bank around us was jam packed with spectators all eagerly awaiting the off. When it came, there was lots of cheering as this car and that driver jockeyed with each other and an initial order was established, but we only knew what was happening at all because there was an enormous TV screen in front of us showing the Sky Sports coverage. It was some time until the cars actually passed our position, while the whiny roar of their engines got louder and ear achingly louder. When they did eventually scream past, the noise was painfully loud, but mercifully brief. In fact, we only saw them for matter of a few seconds before they were away and out of site again. I’d expected it to be loud and was glad I’d brought some earplugs with me, and so, I think, was Adam. Looking around, I saw that many if not most of the other spectators wore ear plugs or ear defenders, some incorporating radio receivers so they could listen to the race commentary.
The race continued in this way with us watching it on the big screen plus, momentarily, seeing the really thing flash past in front of us. After a while, though, I forgot to look down from the screen when the cars passed and pretty much experienced the whole thing on the telly, and I realised that I might just as well be at home. At least there I could turn the sound down, be able to see the pictures and read the text more easily, plus I wouldn’t have to stand up the whole time.
To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Adam tried his best to explain, but I couldn’t tell the difference between one yellow helmet and another in a slight different shade of yellow, particularly when they were passing some distance from us at 180 miles per hour. Adam had a really clever app on his iPhone that showed which driver was where and how fast they were going, all in really time. He could also tell who had pitted and, for example, what sort of tyres they were using. In the end, about half way through the race, when Adam’s iPhone app reported that rain was expected, I decided that the smart thing for me to do was to thank Adam very much for organising the day and leave him to it.
Another factor in my decision to leave before the end of the race was needing to get back to the ship for 7.30pm. With the race possibly running until 7.00pm then having to negotiate the crowds all trying to use the same free shuttle buses and trams, there was a very really risk that I’d get back to Port Melbourne in time to see the ship sail without me, leaving me having to find my own way to Hobart in time to meet her.
I fact, having found the gate, walked to and caught the tram back into the city, walked to another tram stop for a second tram out to the port and negotiated the cruise terminal, it was seven o’clock before I got back on board, so it was probably as well that I left when I did. In fact Juli, who was waiting for me in our stateroom, had already had a call from security asking her where I was. Incidentally, it was not until I was some way out of the city on the second tram before I could no longer hear the noise of the cars a ways away on the other side of the city.
Back on board, Juli was enjoying a late afternoon cup of tea on our veranda. She’d had a very different kind of a day with Corinne, but I’ll let her tell you about that.
Once the boys had left on the tram, Corinne and I took the metro out to the suburb of Middle Brighton, where they live now. We had decided to spend some time there having a look at their ‘unit’ and the high street of the area that they now call home.
The flat is lovely, if a little empty at the moment. They are awaiting the arrival of all of their belongings from the UK and have been buying some bits and pieces to fill in. Other furniture is on order, so we sat on deck chairs drinking several mugs of tea while catching up with all the news about jobs, families and so on. When the rain stopped we ventured out along the high street for lunch. One of the things that I really like about Australia is that the cities still have their own smaller suburb areas with a centre and heart to them. Usually there are shops and cafes as well as homes so the suburbs are not just sleeper sites but lively places in their own right, and Brighton was no exception.
After lunch and more chatting we went for a walk to see one of the oldest houses in Melbourne, which was just a round the corner from the flat, although it was only the gardens we could get into. Then we continued on to the beach, about a mile away, which has a fantastic view back to the city (about 13kms away) and the most colourful and jolly looking beach huts all along it. While we were there we saw the same air display as the boys at the Grand Prix, just a little quieter I expect.
From here we took the metro back into town and Corinne put me on the tram to get me back to the ship. We had a lovely afternoon and I shall miss being able to just catch up easily. It’s great to have made such friends on our trip with whom we can just feel relaxed and comfortable. Thank goodness for emails.
Run number two this morning followed, for me, by breakfast in the Grand dining room. Juli was sleeping in today, having not had a great night’s sleep last night. (The sea was a bit bumpy and our wardrobe door bangs about a bit.)
We both had activities planned for the late morning. I went along to a seminar on nutrition for health and weight loss, and Juli had her first appointment with the gym guy, who Juli said was great, had some good advice for her and really understood all her concerns.
For most of the rest of the day, I blogged and Juli thought about what she was going to do with all her photos when we get back. We had some lunch and watched a film, followed by tea then dinner. Not a big day perhaps, but I think that’s what these sea days are going to be: precious R&R between busy days in port.
The ship was a bit late coming into port, which was good, as it meant we got to see the approach as we lay in bed. After breakfast in the Grand Dining Room (we’ve decided to take most of our meals there because we like it better than the Terrace Cafe) we went ashore to explore the city, the last of the state and territorial capitals left for us to see.
We had planned to take a ferry from the port to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) which had been recommend to us by a number of people. Unfortunately, MONA – one of the big tourist draws for Hobart – is, we discovered, closed on Tuesdays, our ship’s only day in port. (Hey ho.) A new plan was need, so next stop: the tourist information office. There we found lots of other ideas for how to spend our day, and, in the end, we split out time between three attractions.
First, after a pleasant walk along a small stream to South Hobart, was the Female Factory: the site of a former women’s prison. Here, two actors played out scenes in various locations around the site to explain the history of the place through the story of one of its inmates.
Next, after walking along the stream, back into the centre of town, we walked to the Salamanca Market area, where small cafes rub shoulders with little boutique-y shops.
Finally, after a bit more of a walk, we visited the Hobart Museum and Art Gallery. We weren’t keen to walk round the whole thing, so we focussed on one particular gallery that gave us a sort of potted history of Hobart, it’s wildlife, how it was settled and the shameful story of how all the indigenous aboriginal groups were ‘removed’ from the island. Not, by today’s standards or perspective, one of Great Britain’s most honourable chapters.
Back on board, between tea and dinner, we watch Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Now, to be clear, I’m not drawing direct comparisons, of course, but I wonder what future generations will make of that chapter of British history. Great and Honourable? Only time will tell.
[Clocks forward one hour tonight.]
On this, the first of three days at sea between Hobart and Dunedin, our first port of call in New Zealand, we finally got back to heading further east. Previously, most easterly point we’d reached was the lighthouse at Cape Byron, New South Wales (about 152 degrees east) when we visited there with Juli’s cousin Sam and family. Today we steamed due east across the Tasman Sea and pushed past our previously most easterly position about lunch time.
There’s not much to see out at sea, so I spent most of the day tinkering with a spreadsheet I’d been working on to help keep track of all of our bookings and appointments, and to work out a run/rest schedule for my Coach to 5k programme that would keep me on target but impact on our shore days as little as possible, plus other boring necessaries like how to fit doing the laundry into our schedule.
It was while doing that, that I noticed that the cruise company has changed our itinerary slightly. Seems we’re not now going to Hiva Oa, last resting place of both the singer Jacques Brel and, more importantly, the artist Paul Gauguin. Again: hey ho; worse things happen at sea.
Speaking of things happening at sea, we’d been warned by a number of people that the stretch of ocean between Australia and New Zealand is almost always rough. However, today has been very calm with only a slight swell (no more than seven feet or so, according to the captain) and tomorrow is likely to be the same or better. Some of the passengers and crew who have done this crossing before say they have never known it to be so calm. Lucky old us, eh?
Tonight we had the first of our dinners in one of the four speciality restaurants on board: their Asian fusion restaurants, Red Ginger; another opportunity for me to wear one of my Thai silk shirts and for Juli to wear one of the Chinese-style dresses she had made in Vietnam.
The menu was wonderfully eclectic, offering dishes from the far east and south-east Asia. One the main-course choices was Pad Thai. Anyone who’s ever been to a Thai restaurant back home will know it as a simple noodle dish with veg and peanuts plus a few bits of chicken, pork or shrimp. It’s something we’ve found on the menu of the most modest of eateries in the region and all round Australia too. It’s a basic backpacker budget staple: very often the cheapest thing on the menu. Not here, however. Here, they offer ‘Lobster Pad Thai’. Juli ordered it principally for the comedy value of such a curious combination. Almost a surreal juxtaposition of luxury and commonplace. It would be like having sturgeon and chips for tea on a Friday night. Actually, Juli said it was excellent, as was everything we ate tonight. We’re very much looking forward to returning and trying more of their menu.
[Clocks forward another hour tonight.]
Run #3, a shower then breakfast in bed followed by a laundry. Starting to establish a pattern for run days, which, hopefully, will help me to make running a habit that I can keep going once we return.
Last night when we got back to our room, there were two extra pieces of paper. One informing us that we’ve been selected at random for a face to face interview with customs and immigration officers when we dock at Dunedin and the second inviting us to an exclusive food and wine paring meal. Both required us to call in at reception: the first to hand in our passports (always makes me nervous, that – I carry it with me everywhere) and the second to make a reservation. Task one was easy but it seems we were too late for task two since the event was already fully booked. Fortunately, they were able to offer us seats at a second dinner of a similar nature, and, after looking at the mouth watering menu, we took them.
Juli had a second session with the gym guy, while I sat reading on the private spa deck, accessible only – by pass card – to concierge guests and above. It’s a bit like being on the VIP guest list. While I was sat there, the Captain gave his noon announcement, which included the new that we were now 163 degrees east: another ten degrees on from yesterday.
We spent the afternoon – that period of our days at sea between lunch and dinner – in our room watching a DVD borrowed from the library of classics they keep behind reception. After watching the film – a version of A Tale of Two Cities from the 40s – we played some of the extras. One of them was a short called ‘Audioscopic’ – also from the 40s – about an early 3D film technology called Stereoscope, which, when viewed through special glasses, gives depth to a moving image filmed through two lenses. There’s nothing much new under the sun.
New Zealand (or, at least, what we’ve seen of it so far) is beautiful. Given the above, I propose All UK citizens without a criminal record be moved here – there might have to be a basic literacy and numeracy threshold – and Britain be turned into a maximum security prison Island for Europe. In a neat twist of history, anyone who commits a crime here in New Britain, as I would rename New Zealand, would be deported back to old Britain, which I might rename Lagland. Discuss.
Early (pre-dawn) start for run number four, followed by breakfast in bed while we watched the beautiful scenery round Otago Harbour go by as the sun rose. After breakfast, we had to go downstairs to the Horizon Lounge for our face-to-face meeting with the New Zealand customs and immigrations people. As I mentioned before, we were selected at random for this, and it in no way reflects on our dodgy nature or the suspiciously high number of recently obtained stamps in our passports, including from China, Russia and many former soviet socialist republics.
Actually, the whole process took less than thirty seconds, and Juli even persuaded the official to put a stamp in our passports, something none of the other passengers got. He wasn’t at all keen to acquiesce to Juli’s request, saying he wasn’t actually allowed to. However, after Juli performed her Jedi mind trick on him, he agreed to use some other kind of stamp that he said didn’t mean anything but still had the date and the words New Zealand Immigration on it. His colleague, though, immediately added that it did mean something: It meant that he’d caved.
Cruise ships coming into Dunedin dock a few kilometres away in Port Chalmers, from where we rode a free shuttle bus into town. The Centre of town is called the Octagon, an eight sided plaza around which many of Dunedin’s most import buildings sit, including the town hall, St. Paul’s cathedral, a theatre and an art gallery. However our first task was to head out of the centre along George St. to find a bank to change our remaining Australian money into New Zealand Dollars.
The city was very quiet for a Saturday morning, but we soon discovered that the good people of Dunedin like nothing better than to start their weekend in one of the many cafe bars in and around the centre of the city.
Mission accomplished, we headed east back to and through the octagon to the famous Dunedin Train Station. Opened in 1906, it is said to be New Zealand’s most famous building. Its certainly lovely with its well kept gardens and tiled central hall, but it was a lot smaller than we were expecting.
The station also houses the New Zealand Sport Hall of Fame and has many fascinating facts posted around the place. Did you know, for instance that Dunedin race walker, Joe Scott was the first New Zealander to win a world title in any sport? Neither did we.
The station’s car park hosts a weekly farmers’ market. It has all the usual food and craft type stuff, plus, on this Saturday, any way, a poetry stall, featuring three, 1920’s costumed starving writer types churning out lines of verse on demand, while you wait. Unable to resists, we told them our names and a bit about our travels then handed over our $5 and went for a coffee. I’m not going to reproduce what we got for our $5. Suffice it to say, you get what you pay for. (I liked it. J)
After the market, we walked around town a bit before lunch at an internet cafe, where I wrote a better poem:
Blimey! Long post.
That’s it for Australia and New Zealand. We’re off across the Pacific now. Part 1 of that adventure very soon.
TTFN – N&J
[Click for more pictures from the Tasman Sea.]
Days 271 & 272 (Sydney)
Bought another wi-fi voucher before breakfast and uploaded my Sydney and Canberra photos, then added some of them into the new blog post and published it plus checked e-mails.After breakfast, we carried all our luggage over to the cruise terminal (in two batches) and checked out of our hotel. Next, after completing health and customs declarations, we queued up to board our ship, the M/S Marina. because we’re Concierge level guests, there was a special ‘priority’ lane for us to line up in. Mind you, apart from it having a different colour carpet, it didn’t seem to be any quicker.
Once on board, we were ushered into one of the restaurants to sit and have lunch while they finished getting all the rooms ready. Ours was ready by 1.30, and waiting for us inside, we found a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket. Good start, we thought. But before we cracked open the bubbly, we took great pleasure in unpacked all our bags – the first time since leaving the UK – and putting all our clothes on hangers and in drawers.
Now; bear with me on this one. While in Brisbane, Juli bought an electric toothbrush, which, of course, had an Australian plug on it. The ship, being American, has US sockets. Anticipating this, we bought an Australian to US adapter, but the socket in the bathroom, where she want’s to charge it, is designed for electric razors and not compatible with our adapter, which has an earth pin. Juli mentioned this to the room attendant and she got one of the ship’s electricians to pop-in and see what he could do. A few minutes later, he was back with a custom built adapter that he’d knocked up especially for us. Now that’s what I call service.
Soon it was time to dress for dinner, which we had in the ship’s main, formal restaurant: the Grand Dining Room. It certainly lives up to its name, as does the menu and wine list, as well as the quality and presentation of the food. We were given an excellent table by a large window, and as this was our first night on board, we treated ourselves to a bottle of wine. However, at over forty Dollars for a fairly ordinary vintage, we shan’t be doing that too often.
After dinner, we went for a bit of a stroll round the ship to orientate ourselves. We found all the other restaurants and bars, the theatre (which they call a lounge) and the gym and spa. The ship only has one pool and that isn’t really setup for swimming lengths, so Juli may have to adapt her exercise regime.
After picking up tea from the Concierge lounge, we retired for the night, luxuriating in Egyptian cotton sheets and, for the first time since having them made in Vietnam, our new, matching, Chinese-style silk pyjamas. Dead glam.
***
After a good night’s sleep in our super comfy bed, we went down for our first breakfast aboard Marina. Assuming it was self service, I started to help my self to tea and juice etc., but kept getting in the way of the wait staff. Eventually I realised that really they want you to just sit down at a table and wait for them to come to you, which they do and are very attentive, It’s just going to take a bit of getting used to.
When we were in Sydney the first time, Juli noticed that the Museum of Contemporary art was getting ready for an exhibition of Anish Kapoor sculpture, and Juli was quite keen to see the show this second time around, so that’s what we did first. The exhibition was all about perception and featured a number of very large, highly polished, curved, stainless steel mirrors. I can’t say I was overly impressed by it. Seemed to me to be a very well presented hall of mirrors like you might find in any seaside amusement arcade or end of the peer show. Juli got rather more out of it, though, and there were one or two pieces I liked, but I was more impressed by the standing exhibition of contemporary Australian art we also took a look at.
After the gallery, and a little light refreshment, we made our way up George Street (one last time) to do a final spot of last minute shopping in Coles supermarket and Haigh’s Chocolatiers, where we bought a dark chocolate Bilby for Easter. Haigh’s are backing a campaign to eradicate the rabbit in Australia, so don’t make chocolate Easter Bunnies, hence the Bilby, which is an indigenous species, whose habitat is threatened by the non-indigenous rabbit.
Next stop was Starbucks for a drink and to use their wi-fi for last time, then back to the ship in time for afternoon tea, a very civilised affair, where white gloved waiters brought us tiny sandwiches while we listened to light classical favourites performed by the Orpheus String Quartet.
After tea, we were required to attend an evacuation and safety drill, which, I’m pleased to say the crew of the ship took very much more seriously than they did on the Celebrity Solstice, the ship we took from Singapore to Sydney.
Just like the Solstice, the Marina has its own prestigious speciality restaurants: one French, one Italian, a surf and turf grill and an Asian fusion restaurant. However, unlike on the Solstice, on Marina, we can book into them for no extra charge, but only once per cruise. However, since we’re on board for so long – the equivalent of five cruises back-to-back – we can make 20 reservations. Juli has already worked out when she wants to go where, and we took the list down to see our Concierge, William, for him to make the first few of our reservations for us.
Just to be difficult, one of our reservations is on April 2nd, the day we cross the International Date Line, so we actually have two April the 2nd. We pointed this out to William and asked if that meant we could have two bites at the apple, so to speak. He wasn’t sure so checked with the restaurant to see what they’re doing about the double day. It turned out that no one had asked the question before and they hadn’t thought of it themselves, so we are waiting to hear if we can go twice, once on each April 2nd.
By the time that was all sorted, it was time for the ship to leave port, so we went up on deck with everyone else to watch Sydney fade into the distance as we sailed down the long entrance to the harbour and out into the Tasman sea, heading down the coast to our next port of call the day after tomorrow: Melbourne.
By the time we were properly on our way, there was just time to iron a shirt in one of the several laundry rooms before dressing for dinner, which we took again in the Grand Dinning room, watching the sea go by.
Day 273 (cruising en route to Melbourne)
Our first night at sea was rather more wobbly than any previous night on the first cruise, but, as I’ve said before, the bed was so soft and comfy, we never felt in any danger of falling out, although there was something rattling around in the wardrobe that kept me awake for a bit.
While we were staying with Carole in Melbourne, I downloaded a series of NHS half-hour podcasts called Couch to 5k, which are designed, as the name suggests, to coach you from couch potato to a level of fitness sufficient to enable you to run 5 kilometres or for 30 minutes over a nine week period. Today, our first sea day, I decided to get up super early (at dawn) to use the 10th of a mile fitness track and follow the first of these. I was far from being the only passenger doing something similar, though most, I think, were regular runners and walkers. At the end of my session, which was mostly walking with a bit of running, I certainly felt I’d earned my breakfast.
The rest of the morning was taken up with a bit of life admin, including laundry (the ship has several laundrettes for guests to use) giving our concierge the rest of our dinner dates and, for Juli, talking to and making appointments with the ship’s gym instructor, who has the rather grand title of Fitness Director.
Next was a bit of light blogging – I’m trying to write a bit at least every other day so don’t ever find myself with loads to catch up on – before a light lunch in the Terrace Cafe, which was very busy, followed by coffee in the Barista Lounge, which was pleasantly quiet.
In the afternoon, we went along to a lecture on the kinds of marine wildlife we’re likely to see as we cruise along. I have to admit, that I found the man’s voice so soothing, that I slept through most of it. I think I got the gist of it, though: Dolphins.
In the Evening, before dinner in the Grand Dining Room again, we went along to a drinks reception to meet the Captain (short, round and Italian) and his officers (various sizes from all over the world).
Lastly, before turning in for the night, what with all our dinner and gym reservation and various other events coming up that we knew we wanted to attend, we felt we needed a diary of sorts to make sure we don’t miss anything, so I set to and knocked up a quick spreadsheet listing all the port and cruising days still to come and any appointments or other notes. Hopefully we’ll persuade William, our Concierge to print it out for us so we can refer to it as we go.
Day 274 (Melbourne)
All though our second night at sea had been a bit calmer than the first, it was still pretty bumpy coming through the narrow gap into Port Philip Bay, which we did a few hours before sunrise. Once berthed, we went up for an early breakfast, so that we could be ashore in time to meet Adam and Corinne at 8.30am. They took us on the tram into the city, where we split up: the girls off for tea, cake and a chat, and Adam and I to the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park.This was very exciting for me, as I’ve never been to an F1 GP before, and, although he’s been to several, going to the Melbourne GP, usually the first in the calendar, was something Adam had wanted to do for some time. Add to that the fact that this was his first GP in his new home town, and you see how this was setup to be quite an occasion.
We got to our allotted gate quite early, and, while we waited, Adam explained his plan for the day, what I could expect to see and where he thought we should sit on the deckchairs we had with us, bought for the purpose earlier that very morning by Corinne. I’d brought my poncho with the expectation of sitting on the ground, but apparently, that’s a classic F1-virgin mistake.
As we made our way to the spot that Adam had calculated would afford us the best views, we stopped to look at the displays of classic sports cars, including Jags, BMWs, Lotuses, Aston Martins and Mustangs.
There were lots of events and other races scheduled before the F1 race, but the weather had been so bad the day before when they should have been practicing and establishing the race order that all of that had had to be deferred until first thing today. That meant that everything else on the programme had to be compressed into the time left before the main race at 5.00pm, which couldn’t moved because of the television coverage. However, that was good for us, as it meant there was less waiting around.
Between the deferred practice rounds and the race proper, there were parades of the drivers sitting on the backs of a whole fleet of Austin Healy Frogeyed Sprites, vintage racing cars with some of their original drivers, a celebrity race in Mazda 6s, a V8 saloon car race and another race featuring some incredible 8 and 9 litre engined V12 monsters from the 80s.
A couple of hours prior to the race starting, the track was closed and swept before a final inspection. While that was going on, there was a series of air displays, including the Royal Australian Air Force’s equivalent of the Red Arrows, an F18 and a Qantas passenger liner.
Soon it was nearly race time. By now the grassy bank around us was jam packed with spectators all eagerly awaiting the off. When it came, there was lots of cheering as this car and that driver jockeyed with each other and an initial order was established, but we only knew what was happening at all because there was an enormous TV screen in front of us showing the Sky Sports coverage. It was some time until the cars actually passed our position, while the whiny roar of their engines got louder and ear achingly louder. When they did eventually scream past, the noise was painfully loud, but mercifully brief. In fact, we only saw them for matter of a few seconds before they were away and out of site again. I’d expected it to be loud and was glad I’d brought some earplugs with me, and so, I think, was Adam. Looking around, I saw that many if not most of the other spectators wore ear plugs or ear defenders, some incorporating radio receivers so they could listen to the race commentary.
The race continued in this way with us watching it on the big screen plus, momentarily, seeing the really thing flash past in front of us. After a while, though, I forgot to look down from the screen when the cars passed and pretty much experienced the whole thing on the telly, and I realised that I might just as well be at home. At least there I could turn the sound down, be able to see the pictures and read the text more easily, plus I wouldn’t have to stand up the whole time.
To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Adam tried his best to explain, but I couldn’t tell the difference between one yellow helmet and another in a slight different shade of yellow, particularly when they were passing some distance from us at 180 miles per hour. Adam had a really clever app on his iPhone that showed which driver was where and how fast they were going, all in really time. He could also tell who had pitted and, for example, what sort of tyres they were using. In the end, about half way through the race, when Adam’s iPhone app reported that rain was expected, I decided that the smart thing for me to do was to thank Adam very much for organising the day and leave him to it.
Another factor in my decision to leave before the end of the race was needing to get back to the ship for 7.30pm. With the race possibly running until 7.00pm then having to negotiate the crowds all trying to use the same free shuttle buses and trams, there was a very really risk that I’d get back to Port Melbourne in time to see the ship sail without me, leaving me having to find my own way to Hobart in time to meet her.
I fact, having found the gate, walked to and caught the tram back into the city, walked to another tram stop for a second tram out to the port and negotiated the cruise terminal, it was seven o’clock before I got back on board, so it was probably as well that I left when I did. In fact Juli, who was waiting for me in our stateroom, had already had a call from security asking her where I was. Incidentally, it was not until I was some way out of the city on the second tram before I could no longer hear the noise of the cars a ways away on the other side of the city.
Back on board, Juli was enjoying a late afternoon cup of tea on our veranda. She’d had a very different kind of a day with Corinne, but I’ll let her tell you about that.
Once the boys had left on the tram, Corinne and I took the metro out to the suburb of Middle Brighton, where they live now. We had decided to spend some time there having a look at their ‘unit’ and the high street of the area that they now call home.
The flat is lovely, if a little empty at the moment. They are awaiting the arrival of all of their belongings from the UK and have been buying some bits and pieces to fill in. Other furniture is on order, so we sat on deck chairs drinking several mugs of tea while catching up with all the news about jobs, families and so on. When the rain stopped we ventured out along the high street for lunch. One of the things that I really like about Australia is that the cities still have their own smaller suburb areas with a centre and heart to them. Usually there are shops and cafes as well as homes so the suburbs are not just sleeper sites but lively places in their own right, and Brighton was no exception.
After lunch and more chatting we went for a walk to see one of the oldest houses in Melbourne, which was just a round the corner from the flat, although it was only the gardens we could get into. Then we continued on to the beach, about a mile away, which has a fantastic view back to the city (about 13kms away) and the most colourful and jolly looking beach huts all along it. While we were there we saw the same air display as the boys at the Grand Prix, just a little quieter I expect.
From here we took the metro back into town and Corinne put me on the tram to get me back to the ship. We had a lovely afternoon and I shall miss being able to just catch up easily. It’s great to have made such friends on our trip with whom we can just feel relaxed and comfortable. Thank goodness for emails.
Day 275 (cruising en route to Hobart)
Run number two this morning followed, for me, by breakfast in the Grand dining room. Juli was sleeping in today, having not had a great night’s sleep last night. (The sea was a bit bumpy and our wardrobe door bangs about a bit.)We both had activities planned for the late morning. I went along to a seminar on nutrition for health and weight loss, and Juli had her first appointment with the gym guy, who Juli said was great, had some good advice for her and really understood all her concerns.
For most of the rest of the day, I blogged and Juli thought about what she was going to do with all her photos when we get back. We had some lunch and watched a film, followed by tea then dinner. Not a big day perhaps, but I think that’s what these sea days are going to be: precious R&R between busy days in port.
Day 276 (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)
The ship was a bit late coming into port, which was good, as it meant we got to see the approach as we lay in bed. After breakfast in the Grand Dining Room (we’ve decided to take most of our meals there because we like it better than the Terrace Cafe) we went ashore to explore the city, the last of the state and territorial capitals left for us to see.
We had planned to take a ferry from the port to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) which had been recommend to us by a number of people. Unfortunately, MONA – one of the big tourist draws for Hobart – is, we discovered, closed on Tuesdays, our ship’s only day in port. (Hey ho.) A new plan was need, so next stop: the tourist information office. There we found lots of other ideas for how to spend our day, and, in the end, we split out time between three attractions.
First, after a pleasant walk along a small stream to South Hobart, was the Female Factory: the site of a former women’s prison. Here, two actors played out scenes in various locations around the site to explain the history of the place through the story of one of its inmates.
Next, after walking along the stream, back into the centre of town, we walked to the Salamanca Market area, where small cafes rub shoulders with little boutique-y shops.
Finally, after a bit more of a walk, we visited the Hobart Museum and Art Gallery. We weren’t keen to walk round the whole thing, so we focussed on one particular gallery that gave us a sort of potted history of Hobart, it’s wildlife, how it was settled and the shameful story of how all the indigenous aboriginal groups were ‘removed’ from the island. Not, by today’s standards or perspective, one of Great Britain’s most honourable chapters.
Back on board, between tea and dinner, we watch Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Now, to be clear, I’m not drawing direct comparisons, of course, but I wonder what future generations will make of that chapter of British history. Great and Honourable? Only time will tell.
[Clocks forward one hour tonight.]
Days 277 & 279 (cruising en route to Milford Sound and New Zealand)
On this, the first of three days at sea between Hobart and Dunedin, our first port of call in New Zealand, we finally got back to heading further east. Previously, most easterly point we’d reached was the lighthouse at Cape Byron, New South Wales (about 152 degrees east) when we visited there with Juli’s cousin Sam and family. Today we steamed due east across the Tasman Sea and pushed past our previously most easterly position about lunch time.There’s not much to see out at sea, so I spent most of the day tinkering with a spreadsheet I’d been working on to help keep track of all of our bookings and appointments, and to work out a run/rest schedule for my Coach to 5k programme that would keep me on target but impact on our shore days as little as possible, plus other boring necessaries like how to fit doing the laundry into our schedule.
It was while doing that, that I noticed that the cruise company has changed our itinerary slightly. Seems we’re not now going to Hiva Oa, last resting place of both the singer Jacques Brel and, more importantly, the artist Paul Gauguin. Again: hey ho; worse things happen at sea.
Speaking of things happening at sea, we’d been warned by a number of people that the stretch of ocean between Australia and New Zealand is almost always rough. However, today has been very calm with only a slight swell (no more than seven feet or so, according to the captain) and tomorrow is likely to be the same or better. Some of the passengers and crew who have done this crossing before say they have never known it to be so calm. Lucky old us, eh?
Tonight we had the first of our dinners in one of the four speciality restaurants on board: their Asian fusion restaurants, Red Ginger; another opportunity for me to wear one of my Thai silk shirts and for Juli to wear one of the Chinese-style dresses she had made in Vietnam.
The menu was wonderfully eclectic, offering dishes from the far east and south-east Asia. One the main-course choices was Pad Thai. Anyone who’s ever been to a Thai restaurant back home will know it as a simple noodle dish with veg and peanuts plus a few bits of chicken, pork or shrimp. It’s something we’ve found on the menu of the most modest of eateries in the region and all round Australia too. It’s a basic backpacker budget staple: very often the cheapest thing on the menu. Not here, however. Here, they offer ‘Lobster Pad Thai’. Juli ordered it principally for the comedy value of such a curious combination. Almost a surreal juxtaposition of luxury and commonplace. It would be like having sturgeon and chips for tea on a Friday night. Actually, Juli said it was excellent, as was everything we ate tonight. We’re very much looking forward to returning and trying more of their menu.
[Clocks forward another hour tonight.]
***
Run #3, a shower then breakfast in bed followed by a laundry. Starting to establish a pattern for run days, which, hopefully, will help me to make running a habit that I can keep going once we return.
Last night when we got back to our room, there were two extra pieces of paper. One informing us that we’ve been selected at random for a face to face interview with customs and immigration officers when we dock at Dunedin and the second inviting us to an exclusive food and wine paring meal. Both required us to call in at reception: the first to hand in our passports (always makes me nervous, that – I carry it with me everywhere) and the second to make a reservation. Task one was easy but it seems we were too late for task two since the event was already fully booked. Fortunately, they were able to offer us seats at a second dinner of a similar nature, and, after looking at the mouth watering menu, we took them.
Juli had a second session with the gym guy, while I sat reading on the private spa deck, accessible only – by pass card – to concierge guests and above. It’s a bit like being on the VIP guest list. While I was sat there, the Captain gave his noon announcement, which included the new that we were now 163 degrees east: another ten degrees on from yesterday.
We spent the afternoon – that period of our days at sea between lunch and dinner – in our room watching a DVD borrowed from the library of classics they keep behind reception. After watching the film – a version of A Tale of Two Cities from the 40s – we played some of the extras. One of them was a short called ‘Audioscopic’ – also from the 40s – about an early 3D film technology called Stereoscope, which, when viewed through special glasses, gives depth to a moving image filmed through two lenses. There’s nothing much new under the sun.
***
Today, we got up early to see the ship sail into Milford Sound, a 15km-long fiord that runs inland from Dale Point on the Tasman Sea to the settlement of Milford Sound. The sheer cliffs either side of its mouth tower more than 1,200 metres (3,900 feet) above sea level. Along the fiord, mountains rise almost vertically to peaks of 1,300 and even 1,500 metres (almost 6,000 feet) above sea level. The average annual rainfall there is well over six metres (not far off seven at 6.813mm – 268 inches) making it the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the World. It rains for almost half the year, sometimes as much as 250mm (10 inches) in a day. All this water cascades over the sides of the fiord down waterfalls, some more than 1,000 metres high. (Makes High Force look a bit silly.)
So much for abstract statistics. Impressive though they are, they really can’t convey the dramatic beauty of the place, which was easily distracting enough for us not to mind the chilly wind up on deck. Nor do the hundreds of photos we took during our three hour journey up and down the fiord do justice to it.
Just off Milford Sound harbour, we dropped off a small group of passengers who had chosen to travel overland from there to our next port of call Dunedin, where they will re-join the ship.
During the rest of the day, we sat and watched the equally beautiful and dramatic south coast of the South Island go by, but this time from the comfort of our very much warmer stateroom.
Day 280-282 (Dunedin, Akaroa & Wellington, New Zealand)
New Zealand (country 29 since leaving – and not counting – the UK). Capital: Wellington (in the south of the North Island). Population: about four million. Land area: 270 thousand square kilometres (only about 10% bigger than the UK, which has a population today of, what: 65 million?)
New Zealand (or, at least, what we’ve seen of it so far) is beautiful. Given the above, I propose All UK citizens without a criminal record be moved here – there might have to be a basic literacy and numeracy threshold – and Britain be turned into a maximum security prison Island for Europe. In a neat twist of history, anyone who commits a crime here in New Britain, as I would rename New Zealand, would be deported back to old Britain, which I might rename Lagland. Discuss.
Early (pre-dawn) start for run number four, followed by breakfast in bed while we watched the beautiful scenery round Otago Harbour go by as the sun rose. After breakfast, we had to go downstairs to the Horizon Lounge for our face-to-face meeting with the New Zealand customs and immigrations people. As I mentioned before, we were selected at random for this, and it in no way reflects on our dodgy nature or the suspiciously high number of recently obtained stamps in our passports, including from China, Russia and many former soviet socialist republics.
Actually, the whole process took less than thirty seconds, and Juli even persuaded the official to put a stamp in our passports, something none of the other passengers got. He wasn’t at all keen to acquiesce to Juli’s request, saying he wasn’t actually allowed to. However, after Juli performed her Jedi mind trick on him, he agreed to use some other kind of stamp that he said didn’t mean anything but still had the date and the words New Zealand Immigration on it. His colleague, though, immediately added that it did mean something: It meant that he’d caved.
Cruise ships coming into Dunedin dock a few kilometres away in Port Chalmers, from where we rode a free shuttle bus into town. The Centre of town is called the Octagon, an eight sided plaza around which many of Dunedin’s most import buildings sit, including the town hall, St. Paul’s cathedral, a theatre and an art gallery. However our first task was to head out of the centre along George St. to find a bank to change our remaining Australian money into New Zealand Dollars.
The city was very quiet for a Saturday morning, but we soon discovered that the good people of Dunedin like nothing better than to start their weekend in one of the many cafe bars in and around the centre of the city.
Mission accomplished, we headed east back to and through the octagon to the famous Dunedin Train Station. Opened in 1906, it is said to be New Zealand’s most famous building. Its certainly lovely with its well kept gardens and tiled central hall, but it was a lot smaller than we were expecting.
The station also houses the New Zealand Sport Hall of Fame and has many fascinating facts posted around the place. Did you know, for instance that Dunedin race walker, Joe Scott was the first New Zealander to win a world title in any sport? Neither did we.
The station’s car park hosts a weekly farmers’ market. It has all the usual food and craft type stuff, plus, on this Saturday, any way, a poetry stall, featuring three, 1920’s costumed starving writer types churning out lines of verse on demand, while you wait. Unable to resists, we told them our names and a bit about our travels then handed over our $5 and went for a coffee. I’m not going to reproduce what we got for our $5. Suffice it to say, you get what you pay for. (I liked it. J)
After the market, we walked around town a bit before lunch at an internet cafe, where I wrote a better poem:
A Pome What I Wrote
I met once a couple from Britain,
This Poem for whom I have written.
They’d travelled non stop,
And looked fit to drop,
So I gave them a chair they could sit on.
Now, I know you haven’t seen the other one, but trust me: my one is better.
Back on board Marina, as we sailed back out of the harbour, we had the first of our olive oil and Lebanese Dukkah, Olive and Fig treats from Mary Beer’s winery in the Barossa valley and drank some wine from New Zealand’s Marlborough region, which Juli bought in Hobart.
***
Another day, another port, another beautiful location. Akaroa’s harbour is what’s left of an extinct volcano, one of two, the other being Littleton harbour, where cruise ships usually dock for Christchurch. However, the damage caused by the recent earthquakes there also effected the port, so, for now, the cruise ships come into Akaroa. Terrible for Christchurch but lucky for us, as Akaroa is a delightful town, half English in character, half French, a reflection of its early history and settlement.
In doing her research before we set off on this trip, Juli discovered that we could hire audio guides from the information centre there, and, for $10 each, we had a great time following their walking route around town, listening to our virtual guide on the CD tell us all about the towns history and important sites.
***
The next day, we made our first port of call on New Zealand’s North Island at the countries capital, Wellington. We docked before dawn, but it was only me who went ashore, as Juli, who had been nursing a cold for a while, finally conceded that a bed day was the best thing for her.
The shuttle bus dropped me and its other passengers off in the heart of the CBD, not far from the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens. I spent ages walking around taking pictures and enjoying the sculpture and following the various paths that twist this way and that.
Within the park is the Carter Observatory, which recently reopened after a major refurbishment. It has a great range of exhibits from the stories of Maori and Polynesian celestial navigation, through Cook’s mission to record the transit of Venus to more modern space exploration, which was, in part, made possible by the early pioneering work in radio technology of a New Zealander, Sir William Hayward Pickering. You need space for a name like that.
After taking the cable car back down to the CBD, I shopped for cold remedies for Juli then walked to the City Library to use their free wi-fi. Free, but not the fastest, so I was stuck there for the rest of the afternoon.
Back on board, despite dosing herself up on hot water, honey and lemon all day, Juli wasn’t feeling any better, so we did what we always do: watch an old movie (‘Mrs Miniver’, which is lovely, by the way) and drank tea in bed.
She felt a bit better by dinner time, but the veg curry we both had, hoping it would have enough flavour to cut through Juli’s cold, was a reined in, toned down, fine dining curry, and not at all like going for Indian back home.
Day 283 (cruising up the east coast of the North Island)
First run of the second week of the NHS Coach to 5k programme I’m following. Little bit tougher than last week but made easier by the beautiful sunrise over the ocean.
We had a second lifeboat drill this morning. Apparently they have to have two for voyages of more than ten days. (We didn’t have two on the 17 day Celebrity Solstice cruise, but they were a bit lax on the first one, so…)
Being a sea day, we took it pretty easy. Watched ‘Argo’ on TV (excellent); had lunch in the grill bar (yummy); followed by ‘Twilight: Eclipse’ on DVD (less excellent) while I blogged a bit.
After all that hard work, it was time for tea, which we had in the Concierge Lounge, which is for the exclusive use of Concierge Level guests like us. While we were there, we asked William (our concierge) if he could get someone to take a look at our wardrobe, which rattles and knocks all night long while we’re cruising, and which I’d taken to jamming shut with a pair of complimentary slippers in order for me to get a good night’s rest.
Back in our room, we waited for the carpenter, who arrived a few minutes later, re-hung the doors and left in not much more time than it’s taken me to write this sentence. Hope that’ll do the trick.
For the rest of the day, we slept a bit, read a bit and ate a bit. It’s a hard life at sea.
Days 284 to 286 (Tauranga, Auckland and Bay of Islands)
Whilst we now have lovely sliding wardrobe doors, we don’t yet have a lovely rattle-free wardrobe, so, due to wearing earplug and not hearing the alarm go off, we overslept somewhat this morning.
After breakfasting, we walked off the ship and into Tauranga, where we were met by tourist information staff, one of whom gave us a map and marked out a suggested walking route through the town to The Mount, also known as Mount Maunganui, which sits at the end of an isthmus and is pretty much the only thing to see and do – as in walk up it – in town.
On the way, we walked along a ritzy shopping street, through a small park, made a slight detour to Leisure Island (a.k.a. Moturiki, which translates as ‘One of the special places’). Leisure Island, which is connected to the mainland by a seldom submerged causeway, used to be a quarry, was then converted in to a resort island and is now a nature reserve.
From Leisure Island, we followed a boardwalk along the top of the beach to the base of The Mount. You can just walk round the base of the mount (my preference) or you can take the more energetic option of walking to the top for the view (Juli’s choice). About a third of the way up, you have to choose between the difficult route to the summit or the moderately difficult route. Juli (bless her) chose the latter path, which, unfortunately, narrowed to not much more than a ledge about a hundred feet above some jagged rocks, on to which the sea was crashing. Not a good place for Juli.
The other path, which, having come this far, I decided to try, Juli having had enough of goat tracks, was just about worth the views from the top, although I would rather have been in the autogiro which zoomed overhead, 007 style (c.f. You Only Live Twice).
Back at the bottom, we walked back to the ship along the other beach, looking at the many sailing boats and canoes, including several long ones (eight seats) being paddled by groups of school children as part of their PE lesson, so far as we could tell.
We had lunch back on board, after which I wrote some of this up and relaxed while Juli went back into town to finish uploading the photos I didn’t have time for in the library at Wellington. When she returned, we dressed for dinner in the second of the ship’s speciality restaurants, The Polo Grill, which specialises in steak and seafood. I couldn’t decide what to have, so settled for a surf-and-turf, steak and lobster combo, while Juli had what she said was the best filet mignon since she was at catering college. For pudding, Juli had some posh marshmallow creation (she said it was very nice) but I plumped (getting to be the operative word, I’m afraid) for a slice of Seven Layer Belgium Chocolate Fudge Cake. Gill: You would have been in seventh heaven. Seriously, guys: you have to book a cruise on Marina.
***
Overslept again so late for my run (week two, run two) and breakfast in our room was spoiled by some maintenance guy walking through our balcony to move our furniture out of the way so they could do something or other and having a good look in while he went. I wouldn’t have minded particularly, except that I’d just stepped out of the shower, and, well, the napkins room service give you are scarcely large enough to cover one’s modesty.
Our ship was docked right in the heart of the city, a bit like it was in Sydney. Auckland, apart from being very much smaller than Sydney, of course, has a few other things in common with it. First, like Sydney, Auckland is the largest city in the country but not the countries capital. Second it has a tall tower with a revolving restaurant and viewing galleries you can pay to go up (and jump off, if you have a spare $225). Thirdly, Auckland has New Zealand’s only bridge you can climb, like the Harbour Bridge in Sydney.
We spent most of our time walking to, round and back from one of the cities larger parks that houses the Winter Gardens (great display of orchids plus a huge variety of peppers and aubergines arranged like ornamental specimens) and the Auckland Museum. It’s not a huge museum, but includes a whole gallery devoted to volcanoes, something New Zealanders know all about. One quote in particular stuck out: “Civilisation exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.”
I was beginning to feel rather tired, so returned to the visitors lounge while Juli walked round some more of the museum, including a gallery on Maoris and Pacific Islanders to bone-up on indigenous culture before visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds the next day.
Back on board, via a bit of supermarket shopping, I felt worse and nearly skipped dinner. I know: shocking, isn’t it.
***
Today, our last day in New Zealand, was my turn to take the day off, and I spent all of it in bed, feeling sorry for myself. Meanwhile, Juli took the tender ashore from where we were anchored in the Bay of Islands, but I’ll let Juli take you through her day.
The day started quite cloudy and overcast so we didn’t get the full beauty of the Bay of Islands immediately. I got some pastries and tea for Nick before going off to have breakfast in the Grand Dining Room. Of course all the waiters were asking after Nick and wondering where he was. The staff on board are lovely. Friendly and helpful. They know our names and remember what we like. Excellent service which you don’t see much of at home any more.
Having checked on Nick and ordered honey, lemon and hot water to be delivered to the room, I went off to get my tender ticket and to wait in the Marina Lounge (their version of the theatre) till called to board a small boat to take me to shore. After a 20 minute quite choppy ride to the wharf, I checked my route and walked to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds which were a short distance from the quay.
These grounds are where in 1840 Chiefs of most of the New Zealand Maori tribes signed an agreement with the British which set the terms for the establishment of New Zealand. It’s one of the most historical sites in the country and was nearly lost to private buyers at the start of the 20th C. Luckily it was saved through a donation by the then Governor General and his wife (Lord and Lady Bledisloe) who bought the land where the treaty was signed and the houses on it, including the original house where the first governor general lived, the third oldest house in New Zealand. With some excellent foresight the gift also included buying enough land to plant a commercial forest which along with a recent hotel gave the funds to maintain the land as a Trust.
I took a guided tour with a woman whose genealogy could trace links both through Maori and British ancestors. She explained all of the sites – the war canoe (the largest recorded, made from three huge trees), the Treaty House and the Maori Meeting House or ‘Marae’. Then the group I was with were treated to a traditional Maori greeting and some singing and dancing in the Marae. Good fun and very well done.
I spent a bit more time wandering around after that, taking photos as the sun had come out, then walked back to the wharf to take the shuttle bus into the closest town, Paihia, to look for some lunch. It was a nice little spot but very busy both with all the cruise people and with New Zealanders and Japanese, there because it was Good Friday and a public holiday, so I decided that I would be just as well to get the bus back to the wharf to take the tender back to the ship and eat on board. By now it was after three.
Unfortunately on the tender back, my seat was close to a window that was not completely watertight and I ended up getting a drenching when we hit a wave. Not so bad for me but I had my camera in my hands and it got soaked. I dried it as best as I could with a towel that was there but couldn’t wait to get back to the room to get the hair drier on it, knowing what salt water had done to Nick’s camera when we were in the Whitsundays. Fortunately after some TLC it seemed to be working ok.
Nick was still feeling pretty bad, so I left him to sleep and sat in the concierge lounge – one of the perks of our level of cabin is a concierge and a space where you can get drinks and snacks and read the paper – where I sorted out my pictures. He decided that he didn’t want to chance supper that evening so I dined for the second time in the Dining Room on my own. It was an early night for us both as I was still recovering too.
Blimey! Long post.
That’s it for Australia and New Zealand. We’re off across the Pacific now. Part 1 of that adventure very soon.
TTFN – N&J
[Click for more pictures from the Tasman Sea.]
