Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 18

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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 7th 2022

Bonjour à tous, Je vais commencer par l'anecdote du matin. Le taxi commandé est bien là à l'heure, on se rend à l'aéroport, environ 25km du centre, dimanche matin pas de circulation, il me dépose, je le paie, demande un facture pour me faire rembourser, assez sympathique comme gars, il sort ma valise du coffre, s'en va, je vois l'espace fumeur, je me précipite, et je constate que j'ai oublié mon sac à dos sur le siège. Je reviens vite, un chauffeur de la même compagnie (heureusement que j'ai ma facture) je lui explique mon problème et lui demande s'il peut contacter cette voiture. Il appelle le central commence à expliquer, et là d'un seul coup je m'aperçois que mon sac je l'ai sur l'épaule. Je pense que c'est la fatigue, sur les 3 dernières nuits, ... read more
l'hotesse air NZ la sympa
Lake Wakatipu
les Alpes NZ

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland » Central November 5th 2022

Bonjour à tous, Comme vous pouvez le constaté je suis bien à Auckland. Je n'ai pas d'explication, au texto que j'ai reçu concernant cette panne technique. Je n'en ai pas demandé non plus, beaucoup trop de difficultés à comprendre les australiens. Vol à l'heure, tout ce qui à de plus normal. Juste une bonne crise d'angoisse pour moi, avec ce sms. Le repas du matin, était franchement pas terrible, mais celui pour Auckland, immonde. La boîte repas occupe une moitié de tablette d'avion, c'est dire si c'est copieux. 2 saucisses genre cocktail, une cuillère à café de purée, idem en petits pois, et rien d'autre, même pas de pain. Il ferait mieux de ne rien servir. Comme je vous l'avais dit à Auckland, j'étais prit en charge par un chauffeur, pour me conduire à l'hôtel. RDV ... read more
côte NZ
Auckland
Auckland

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island October 31st 2022

When we awoke this morning and looked out our window, it was as if we were looking at another ship. It was the Auckland Hilton, built on the pier in Auckland Harbour and built to look like a ship. It is actually above the international passenger terminal. We went up to the cafe for brekky and discovered that overnight the ship had been decorated for Halloween 👻 🎃 After breakfast we went ashore and walked up the hill to the Auckland Sky Tower. I took some lovely pics, but once again my phone has stopped talking to my iPad - I’ll see if I can transfer them today. We went up to the main observation deck, then up to an even higher one, which had cleaner, clearer glass, and then back down to the deck with ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Plenty October 30th 2022

We were looking forward to exploring Tauranga, particularly because it is the hometown of Cory, who will become our son-in-law in less than 2 months time! The weather, however, did not want to cooperate. We breakfasted and prepared as normal, but today there were no shuttles from the port. We walked down to the bottom of the gangway, and by then I was sopping wet in the rain and the wind, so Tom continued on his mission, and I returned to the ship. I thought I’d go via the computer tech guy to check his hours, but Ricardo was there, and assisting one person in front of me, so I waited. Ricardo found that the pics I’d been taking for the last day and a half on the iPhone were all live shots, and my iPad ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier October 29th 2022

Today was blissfully warm and sunny. After breakfast we got ourselves organised and got on to the complimentary shuttle into town. We had been prepared for a half hour walk to the national aquarium but the shuttle delivered us to the door. After looking at all of the critters we went and had a lovely coffee. Gosh I miss the coffee - it’s so hit and miss on the ship. Our bus driver was telling us that the short wall along the roadway was built to stop the tide from flooding their streets - but the beach is like 15 metres away. In 1931 they had an earthquake and this part of the land was raised up, making the sea wall redundant. About 250 people died and now they’ve made a memorial garden for them on ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand October 29th 2022

I happened to chance upon a guide book to New Zealand at a nice coffee shop in Batu Ferringhi, Malaysia, and figuring that I was already sitting at the nicest place in the resort town, it is worth noting that I felt inspired, and determined not to write a stay in New Zealand out of the equation before the trip was through. At a hotel in Incheon, South Korea, the flights to New Zealand were being booked, all in the name of a free-spirited lifestyle. The dream sprang to life the moment the plane touched down at Queenstown airport, which was to be the opening salvo for a 17-night stay in the nation, starting far south, and heading slowly north. Queenstown is known as the adventure sports capital of all existence, and the overall cost of ... read more
Wellington
Rotorua
Hamilton

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington October 28th 2022

Things I keep forgetting: * yesterday while we were eating brekky we were watching some tiny dolphins in the water beside the shop - turns out they are the smallest dolphins in the world, and named Hector Doplphins. * our sommelier, Janine, was tellling us she lost her dad during covid - not from covid but from dengue fever, all of the hospital beds in the Philippines were taken up by covid patients. * there was a group of staff, wearing their uniforms, at the show the other night. They were the “new contracts”. The new staff get to see a show during their first week. * we keep finding people in lifts who haven’t pressed numbers. Today at lunch time we accidentally pressed the up button again before a full elevator departed so the door ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch October 27th 2022

Wha a day! We were docking as we woke this morning. After a leisurely breakfast up in the cafe we prepared ourselves and went ashore - today was so much better organised than yesterday. We were able to just walk off. We weren‘t able walk to town though, it is a working dock and we had to be bussed off. So we caught the complimentary shuttle to the local bus stop for a local bus to take us to the base station of a gondola. But no, the buses went on strike at 10am and at 9:50 the bus rolled up, the driver opened her door and said “I’m sorry, I can’t take you anywhere. We‘ll be back at work at 1pm.“ There was an American couple from California also wanting to go to the gondola, ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Otago October 26th 2022

When we awoke this morning we were making our way toward Port Chalmers, a delightful port town serving Dunedin. The journey into port reminded me so much of the journey into Belfast with small houses scattered along the way at the base of lush green hills. We have decided to do no shore excursions with Celebrity as they are so overpriced. We went up to the cafe for breakfast and were sitting out on deck as we were docking. On the wharf opposite us was a large crowd of Port Authority workers lined up welcoming us in. A group of high school students assembled on our dock and sang cultural songs to the delight of everyone who heard them. After brekky we prepared to go ashore, and then spent about 45 mins in a line up ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands » Paihia October 26th 2022

We've been home a week but for our own historical record I need to update this with the last of our travels. Tuesday 18/10/22 Still in Paihia. I played golf today at the Waitangi Golf course. It is set in a majestic setting with expansive views across the Bay of Islands. It's also very hilly and steep and I should have hired a cart but thought I could walk it OK. Bad decision . By number 13 I was feeling my age! Bugger. That must have been the reason for my very average scoring, surely. Afterwards we had a quiet afternoon; visited the beach thinking we might swim but the cool wind and my numb feet, once I'd paddled up to my knees, decided against it. We enjoyed looking through Henry Williams' grandson's house and garden ... read more
Paihia waterfront
Williams House Paihia (now the town Library)
Near Waitangi




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