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Published: February 28th 2011
We spent the evening strolling around Darling Harbour stopping there for drinks and a very nice tasty meal at The Meat & Wine restaurant. BBQ spare ribs – it made a great change after 50 nights of food on the ship. Really like the feel of Sydney but just a shame we were too shattered to continue into the early hours! The 6am start wasn’t conducive to hunting out the nightclubs.
On our second day we had planned to go into the Blue Mountains but couldn’t face another crack of sparrows start and a troll around on a Cunard bus so decided to leave this until we come back to Australia. Instead we had another exploration of Sydney itself and took a ride on the monorail. We visited China Town and went to Paddy’s market which was fun and then back through the main town and to “The Rocks” for lunch before making our way back to the ship. The sail away was amazing – so many boats escorting the big ship out the harbour and people lining the waterfront – lots of music and ships sounding horns – the backdrop to Sydney harbour is just incredible. Totally unforgettable!!!! Also
you will see that we teamed up with the lovely Kim (Bridgit) for a cocktail or two on the sailaway – you will notice that I have enclosed a caption competition on one of the shots of the two of us together – look forward to receiving your entries!! She had also been explaining to me that she had been very lucky to have been given such a beautiful face and body! (I should add that it is Scott’s beer I am holding not mine!)
Lots of new people on board and one of the best bits, we thought, was that the two quiet Scottish ladies who were in the cabin on the other side of the witches, have been replaced with two really really loud oriental people – there is a God!!!! Can’t wait to hear their reaction to the noise – we think they are ace people!!
As we have now started a new “segment” (Sydney to Hong Kong) we have moved to a new table. We would have been happy to stay on the previous one which is hosted by the Engineering team but this is not possible so off we went again to meet
our new dining compatriots – always with a little trepidation. This time it’s a table of 6. In addition to us, there are two elderly, new married Americans from Ohio in the US and John & Michael a couple of gentlemen travelling “together” who come from Primrose Hill & Fulham in London. (for those of you who are old enough to remember the radio programme “Beyond the Horne” – Julian & Sandy spring to mind!) The good news is that after the usual cautious start we are all getting on fine.
This reminds me indirectly about “The Friends of Dorothy GLBT”. What is that you may say? This is a standard part of the ships daily programme of events. At 5pm each day there is a meeting held for those who wish to participate – it’s not obligatory! In fact, after a lot of enquiring we discovered that this is a get together in one of the bars for those of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and trans-sexuals persuasion. Say no more!
There is also a “Friends of Bill W” at 4pm each day and we understand this is for recovering alcoholics but we have decided not to take
Bridgit (Kim) Caption Competition
What was being said here do you think?part yet. The fact that it is held in the room next to the bar seems a bit risky I think. Maybe we will join up for the last leg of the journey but I doubt it!
We have now met up with two more couples (being as how most people we befriend seem to get off – is there a message there do you think?) Amanda and Malcolm and Tim and Jackie who seem to be fun loving Aussies – Amanda and Malcolm get off in Auckland (tomorrow) but the other two are on until Hong Kong so I think I had better reintroduce the Uno.
The weather has remained a bit pants up until this afternoon so have been filling in the time going to films and dance lessons.
Yesterday we were in Wellington for the day and it was almost boots weather!! It’s a very nice place with very friendly people, quite small for the main city and quite a peaceful atmosphere about it. In the morning we went out on a 4x4 Beach safari which was great fun. Off road driving through very mountainous areas and then onto a very remote bit of
very rocky and rugged coastland. We managed to see a couple of seals chilling out on the rocks and they weren’t at all shy athough one of them did get a little nowty when keen photographers got too close to him. There was one largish lady with an EEEEEnormous camera who, as she was jogging over to take the perfect shot, completely disregarding who she was barging into on route, very amusingly disappeared from sight as she crashed inelegantly on to her butt and obviously had to protect the camera before anything else. In addition there is a very loud youngish/prattish American with an even bigger camera who announced that he’d left his main one at home and also that the seals in his area at home are TEN times bigger than the ones we saw. You can imagine our views about him. Anyway it was very amusing to watch a team of people hoist our lady with the camera up from between rocks!!!
The driver of our 4x4 was a very handsome young New Zealander/Maouri who on our way back to town got out a couple of books from his rucksack and explained he had written it whilst
walking the Great Wall of China,(4000 miles) it looks really interesting and I am now looking forward to reading it. Once back in town we meandered around – took a cable car up to the highest point and then back down again – then a little wandering around the harbour area. There really wasn’t that much to do in the short time we had but am sure the areas around Wellington are worth a visit in the future. Lots of young healthy folk around, with lots and lots of things to do centred around sport and arts.
Now we are back on the ship and arrive in Auckland tomorrow which we are very much looking forward to. We have the Cunard do at the Sky Tower in Auckland tomorrow night so that is exciting although will have to be back on board in the afternoon to get ready as apparently it’s a very posh do starting with Cocktails with the Commander of the Fleet at 5.30pm – the things we HAVE to do!!
Also we are looking forward to getting some of the lost hours back – at the moment we are 13 hours ahead of British time
Wellington
Seal Hunting and although it has been done slowly it still does have an effect. Whilst we were in Wellington yesterday I called Grant without realizing it was his nighttime – fortunately it was Friday night so he was still up and partying but not sure if he will remember we called as I think a few drinks had been had!! Fair Dinkum tho.
Today we are on the ship all day and, at last, this afternoon, the weather brightened up enough to get the cossies on and get outside in the sun. Long may it last.
Right that’s it for now. Xxxx
Blimey …… Woke up this morning in Aukland with the most enormous hangover (we just have to keep saying goodbye to new friends, there are two more getting off here) – but now starting to feel a little more human so off to explore and hopefully post this. Once we set off tomorrow we are at see for 5 days making our way to Guam so don’t expect we will get chance to do another of these until we get there, or, if not, Japan in about 8 or 9 days. There again I don’t suppose
that much will happen out of the normal eating, drinking and generally having fun.
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Joan Butterworth
non-member comment
Could the caption title possibly be "Hurry up with the photography, my left hand is bloody freezing". Yet another entertaining Blog, how we are all going to miss it when your journey comes to an end Luv Mum and him xxxxxxxx