An update on our visit to Lombok!! It was an hour's drive from our port to the beautiful beach at Seniggi. When we disembarked the ship we were greeted by a steel band and many stall holders selling souvenirs. A cacaphony of noise enveloped us. Lombok is less developed than its neighbouring island of Bali but has some great scenery. During our hour long bus trip to the beach we went through the capital city of Mataram and the old city of Ampenan. The streets were lined with stalls and shops, some very dilapidated while others were better maintained. It was Friday so the holy day on this mainly Muslim island. The mosques are abundant and are brightly painted. The main mode of transport is motor bike or scooter and helmets seem optional. Most had at ... read more

Last night we had a quiet night having a snack in the bar at the hotel and then watching the World Indoors Athletics Championships on TV. Today I had booked for us to do a lunch cruise on the Swan River to Freo and back. We woke early and watched the cricket for the first session and a half. Then we set out to walk the short distance to the Ferry Terminal. Once there we had coffee and cake for breakfast and then joined the queue to board the ferry. They advised to arrive 30 minutes before departure time which was 11-15. We did this and then waited in the queue for 20 minutes before we boarded. What a waste of time!! Once on board we were assigned a table, near the lunch buffet, but not ... read more

On Sunday we left Hamilton and drove the beast to Auckland. It rained all the way but we made good time. We had to go looking for a petrol station as we couldn't see one at the airport. Finally drove out to a BP and filled up. Interestingly diesel is much cheaper here than petrol. Once we returned the car we went into the terminal and waited to board our plane to Christchurch. The flight lasted just over an hour and we disembarked and picked up our car. We drove into the city and found our hotel, Quest on Cambridge. This was very close to the main shopping area. Once we had checked in we walked up to the Bridge of Remembrance over the Avon River. It has been at least 25 years since I had ... read more

On Monday morning our accommodation included breakfast so having had our fill we set off about 9. We were heading for Napier, well known for its Art Deco architecture. We drove east across a mountain range. All along the top of the peaks there was a large wind farm, the sails turning majestically in the strong breeze. The sides of the valleys were heavily wooded with many plantations of pine trees. We saw a number of logging trucks, fully loaded, passing by in the other direction. We arrived at Ahuriri, a seaside suburb of Napier, where we were booked into the Navigate Seaside Hotel. We parked by the beach and walked along the shore. It was a sunny day and many families were enjoying the beach. We walked along the Main street. It was lined with ... read more

Tuesday morning we took our time emerging from our accommodation. We stopped at a coffee shop about 9am for breakfast and then walked down to Queen Street, which is the main drag here. After a wander up and down with not much excitement we went to the waterfront which is much more interesting. The beautifully restored post office building dominates the Customs Square. The P&O Pacific Explorer was in Port and many potential passengers were heading for it. Pity them as our experience on that ship was less than exciting!! We then wandered along the dock passing the ferry terminals and down to the Maritime Museum. The huge hull of the America's Cup winning boat dominates the view outside. Many of the restaurants near here were preparing for Melbourne Cup day lunches and were sponsored by ... read more