11/03/13

 -  Back home again and nice to see Karyn and Carl and the kids and talk to family in New Plymouth.  The house was spotless and had been looked after so well by our house sitters. 

We had a great day in Wellington, took a bus to meet Terry and offload our excess baggage. After that we went to Te Papa then back to the ship. The next day in Napier we were joined by local friends for a coffee and chat. Napier put on a great welcome for the ship and there was lots to do for the passengers.  Our last night aboard was spent packing and getting ready to leave the ship early next morning to catch our flight to PN.  It was a lovely cruise into Auckland and we were ready to be the first off when the ship berthed. Just as well we had offloaded some luggage as we were nearly at the limit with our bags. A good flight home - we were surprised to see how brown and barren the ground was as we flew into PN. 

We had a great adventure but it is nice to be home and I feel as though I want to dig in for a while.  I guess we will be saying " where to next" very soon!! Hope you have enjoyed my account of our travels. 

Have put some photos on Facebook if anyone is interested in viewing them.

02/03/13  -  What a beautiful city Sydney is. We have been there many times but have usually stayed with family in the suburbs or have come to see a show. This time we got the Hop-on-hop-off bus and took the two tours on offer, the first around the city and sights and the other out to Bondi. The commentary was good and there was plenty to see, the tours taking up the whole day with stops at Darling Harbour and Bondi Beach. What great planning has gone into this city. We arrived and berthed at Circular Quay where it was just a short walk to the city, buses, trains , opera house etc. Australians have every reason to be proud of Sydney, we will be back. We had two days here so the next day we got on a Ferry - all included in the price of the other tours - and went out to Manly via Taronga Zoo and Watson Bay. In the afternoon we walked around the Quay, had a cup of coffee and used the free WiFi in the cafe before departing at 6pm. The weather has been terrible since with very rough seas and yesterday I wasn't the only one to be seasick. Last night it was impossible to sleep in our cabin with the thumping from the ship - the walls were moving back and forth - so we were given another cabin one deck up and midship and finally managed to sleep. Feeling better today although it is still very rough and windy.  NZ immigration and Customs on board and we had to attend in person so no lining up when we reach Dunedin. 

05/03/13  - Cruised  through Milford Sound on the 3rd then 4th had a great day in Dunedin although it was wet and quite cold. We berthed in Port Chalmers and took the shuttle into the city, a drive that took 30 mins. We met Alice's sister-in-law for lunch then went to an organ recital at St Paul's church that was put on just for the cruise passengers. Had a look around the town and walked for miles trying to find where the bus left from for The Penisular so we could go and see the Albatross Colony.   Did not find it and time was against us so abandoned the idea and went back to the ship. Managed to text the kids and then talk to them for a short time. Nice to be back on home soil and looking forward to getting home now.   Today we were in Akaroa and Brendan came out for the morning. What a lovely little village this is and weren't they busy with the influx of visitors. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm. We walked around and had a cup of coffee then went to the library where I posted some of my photos on Facebook. Was lovely to use a fast Internet connection.  Tonight we were invited out to dinner at one of the fine restaurants by some new friends who live in Guernsey but will be visiting their son in Napier. Had a lovely evening and fantastic food. Went to the late show, a very funny commedian and a clever illusionist. Late to bed - hope we can stay here tonight. Have been sleeping elsewhere the last few nights because of the terrible banging in the wall. Last night was funny, we had started in our cabin then it started so off we went, me in my nightie and dressing gown. We ran into people by the lifts and Mason said " she's coming to my cabin tonight, it's my lucky night" - their faces were a picture!! Tomorrow we are in Wellington and dropping off some excess baggage with friends. 

25/02/13  -  Had a lovely day with Jon, Cheryl and Dorothy ( friends we made on our last cruise). They picked us up from the ship at 9am and we went shopping at DFO ( outlet stores by Brisbane Airport) then into town to pick Dorothy up at Kangaroo Point, stopped off at their lovely home then to a huge shopping centre where we browsed and had a fabulous Chinese lunch at Yum Cha - the food was absolutely delicious and at a reasonable price. I visited the Apple shop in the centre to use the free WiFi - what a place to visit, it was buzzing. Wondered what the clapping was - they clap everyone who buys their first Apple product!!.  It was not a nice day in Brisbane weather wise and when they took us back to the ship the heavens opened and we got rather wet. 

26/02/13  -  Lots of new faces at breakfast this morning most of them just on for three nights. Des O'Connor was on today and interviewed by the Cruise Director. What a funny man he is, had us all in fits.  I thought he was a singer not a comedian?  Had IPad discussion group this afternoon and review of competition photos with one of the professional photographers picking a number of photos that she thought were good and telling us why she thought that. Surprised that she pulled four of mine ( the ones that I liked also)  but not the one that got second in the competition!  The competition was by popular vote!!  Tonight's show was an Australian vocal trio, a bit like El Divo and very good. Tomorrow we are in Sydney for two days - arrive about 6.30 am. Haven't  really decided what we are going to do yet. 

19/02/13  -  Everything  takes so long on board -  breakfast, lunch, dinner as everyone has time to talk and there are some very interesting people here.  Had an early swim then breakfast. After that both of us went to a Port talk on Sydney - the speaker really talked it up , hope people are not disappointed!  Will be interested to see what they have to say about the NZ Ports.  After that I attended a workshop on taking pictures using the macro setting on the camera and we wandered around the ship snapping interesting things, I then had about 10 minutes to eat before it was time to go along to the IPad users discussion group. Mason meanwhile was off playing 500 then it was time for drinks in our cabin. Dinner down in the restaurant then the show which  showcased songs of the 60s and 70 s.  Bed looked good after all that!!

20/02/13  -   THE DAY THAT NEVER WAS. 

21/02/13 -  We crossed the International dateline so the 20th never happened. Today we were in Suva. As we have been here before we did not hurry to get off the ship when we arrived at 9am . After a leisurely breakfast we tiook the shuttle into town and walked around, found an Internet cafe where I could check bank accounts and emails. Viper was working well and tried to call family but got no answer - would have loved to have had a chat. Had a swim after we walked back to the ship. Really enjoyed the show tonight, a flautist who played music that I really liked. 

22/02/13  -  Had a sleep in this morning - went up for breakfast at 9am, then to the laundry to put the washing in the machine leaving Mase to get it out and put it in the dryer. The crew held a village fete this morning and provided heaps of activities many of which involved the crew getting wet or dirty or both!  

23/02/13  - The visit today to Noumea was short, just 4 1/2 hours. We had been here before so hoped a local bus for an hous tour of the city. Noumea is a beautiful island, very French and expensive and not prepared to accept American dollars when we tried to buy a cup of coffee. After a walk around the town we made our way back to the ship and sailed at 12.30pm. The Australian Customs came on here and we have a face to face interview tomorrow morning in the dining room. 

24/02/13  - Today the results of the photo competition was announced and I got second in the portrait section, yeah!!  Over the three categories, portrait, flora and leading line there were 185 entries so I was pretty pleased with myself. Seemed to be busy most of the day and this evening listened to the Flautist again. She is an enchanting young girl and just makes the flute sing plus she plays music that I just love. Had drinks with new friends, Jenny and John, as they leave us tomorrow to return home to The Tablelands in Queensland. Will look forward to visiting them and having them visit us. We have 350 passengers leaving and nearly that many coming on board although rumor has it that some will be on only to Sydney and will want to party for the two days!  Not long now till we hit home soil - we are looking forward to our trip from Milford Sound to Auckland. In Brisbane tomorrow and will be picked up by friends for the day - looking forward to catching up. 

15/02/13  -  Today we were in Papeete. Went over to Moorea on the ferry, took 30 minutes and got there to find the bus to the beach full and another not coming till the afternoon. Apparently they did not know a ship was in Port so no arrangements made for extra transport. Had a walk around and an icecream and drink then caught the ferry back to the mainland again.  We spent the afternoon looking around the town, the market and having a drink with friends in a pub before  coming back to the ship. I was so hot that I had a swim before we set sail agin at 6pm  Tomorrow we will be in Bora Bora and think we will go to the beach.  The last few days at sea have been quite busy. Because we have had more sea days this cruise we have found that we have got to know more people and a much better than on other cruises. The activities have got better mainly due to passengers taking the initiative and requesting certain subjects. The camera club is now going to hold several workshops as well as lectures so will be interesting and we have formed a group where some of us can help others manage their IPads etc. Most people only want to learn the basics so they can keep in contact with their families and most purchased them just before leaving on the cruise.

16/02/13  -  Arrived in Bora Bora early this morning but took our time getting off the ship. Went by boat to the same beach we went to last time we were here. It was not too hot and we spent a couple of hours in the water - it was soo lovely. Even though it was cloudy we all managed to get burnt. One of the passengers got stung bt a Sea Urchin and was in a lot of pain but was attended by a medical team on the Island - haven't seen her this evening so hope she is  OK.  Back to the ship for a late lunch and a chat by the pool then went off again at 4pm and had a walk around the small town for an hour or so. The show tonight was a Violinist and she was very good - I enjoyed her very much. 

17/02/13  -  Sea day today so started off with a swim at 6.30 am followed by a rush to the laundry to get our washing done - lots of it due to the sweaty conditions over the last few days. It was  then off to get some photos printed for  the photo competition - portraits, flora and fauna and line in photos were what we were asked to take. Photography seminar after that then IPad, IPhone help groups after lunch. Drinks before dinner and chat with friends during the day - oh how easy it is to while the days away!! 

18/02/13  - It has been a busy day today believe it or not!! Did not sleep terribly well so not up early for a swim. Breakfast then both of us off to a get together of people who had lived in PNG. We were wondering if we would know anyone - did meet someone who worked for the same firm  as Mason but left just before we arrived. There is going to be a talk tomorrow about life in PNG in those days!!  Had Camera Club next then lunch then IPad group which is good as you can teach and learn at each session. This afternoon we went to a Variety Show put on by the crew, very good and at times so funny I laughed till I cried. After dinner was entertained by a girl singing songs of Whitney Houston and the like , very good and now we are in bed to sleep and get ready for another eventful day at sea. In Suva day after tomorrow. Lose a day when we cross the international dateline. 

09/02/13  Less than a month now and we will be home. I'm missing the family and NZ news - feel we have been away for ages.  I am now back to swimming every day and getting up earlier - we did so much in US that we were quite tired when we got on the ship. It is still rather chilly - I  had thought by now it would be warming up. The pool was surging quite a bit this morning and it was a bit scary -  one of the passengers got a black eye when she was thrown against the end of the pool - but I did manage to do my 100 lengths.  Relaxed for the rest of the day - doing a lot of reading. This evening we will cruise slowly past Easter Island, dinner is early, hope it will not be too dark to get a good look. 

10/02/13  -  Easter Island is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It took us an hour to cruise up one side, the evening was lovely if rather windy and we could see some of the ancient carvings on the foreshore.  The sea is quite rough and ship moving around quite a bit, initially feeling slightly nauseated but took some medication and managed to eat some breakfast. Too rough to swim this morning. 

12/02/13  -  Yesterday another sea day so more relaxing and reading, eating etc!! Oh dear!! Today we anchored alongside Pitcairn Island and the 69 inhabitants came on board and stayed for a couple of hours selling their wares.  Did my 100 lengths then stayed out in the sun for a while - am beginning to get some color, it was then off to Camera Club which was interesting - I am going to have a one- on- one with one of the photographers tomorrow to have a lesson about what my camera can actually do. Went to A Murder Mystery this afternoon. It goes on for a week with passengers taking the parts of Detectives, Suspects etc. should be interesting! It's drinkie time now and I have to get ready for dinner.