NEW ZEALAND AND FAMILY

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We crossed the International Date Line and so Jan 28 didn’t exist for us. How was it for you—did we miss anything important? We had another four days at sea in order to cross the Southern Pacific Ocean. We love the sea days as it gives us a chance to catch up on paperwork and also to play paddle tennis. Ever since our first world cruise on the Seabourn Sun in 2001, we’ve been addicted to paddle tennis. Last year I wasn’t able to play due to shoulder surgery. After a tentative start this year, I felt like I was back to pre-surgery form. Paddle tennis is a smaller version of regular tennis and the court is just the right size for a ship. It is a good workout and a nice way to meet up with other passengers. We are also avid ping pong players. Kevin has been doing many of the aerobic classes and we walk every day. We avoid using the ship’s elevators preferring to march up and down the stairs. With all of the wonderful food on board, it is important to get as much exercise as possible.

Right before Terry Waite left the ship, we received an email from my brother-in-law, Tom, saying that he knew Terry quite well and had worked with him on some of his charitable projects. Terry was so excited when we told him we were related to Tom. Mr Waite thinks the world of Tom---and so do we.

Just as the name implies, the Bay of Islands is filled with islands—about 140 of them. Cruising into this area on a sunny morning is breathtaking. The surrounding islands boast lush forests, good beaches and pretty harbors. We went on a private car tour with our friend Mary and we got to see new places and interesting sights. We started off in the quaintest of quaint villages--Russell. You would never figure that this pastoral town used to be called the “hellhole of the Pacific.” This was the location of much conflict between the European settlers and the local Maori tribes. We took the car ferry across to Paihia and on to Kerikeri, where we saw kiwi and avocado farms along with a good crafts fair and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. We stopped for lunch at the Stone Store which is New Zealand’s oldest stone building and had an alfresco lunch on the shore of one of the hundreds of inlets in the Bay. Our guide pointed out where the Indonesian Christmas tsunami caused flooding and knocked out a stone fence several years ago.

We had a party on deck as we departed the Bay of Islands. It was a perfect backdrop for a festive evening. And right on cue as the sun was setting there appeared a pod of dolphins playing in the ship’s wake, much to the delight of our passengers.

Our short time in Auckland was family time. My brother, Steve and his Kiwi wife Deb and their brand new daughter, Ellie drove up to Auckland to spend the day with us. They live in New Plymouth which is on the southernwestern corner of the North Island. Ellie was born just before Christmas and what a nice present she is. We all drove out to Albany for brunch with my niece Julie’s in-laws. Aly and family have recently moved from Chang Mai in Thailand and they are loving their new home country. Her parents, Hugh and Angela were visiting from Colorado. After lunch, we brought Steve and his family back to the ship for an afternoon swimming, ping-ponging and hanging out. Ellie was a perfect baby and slept through all the hubbub. It seems that every grandmother on board wanted to ooh and aah over the little bundle of pink. It was great to be able to enjoy some time with loved ones in such a far off place.

While in Auckland we got to see some of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series sailboat races. This is the lead up to the America’s Cup which will be held in Valencia, Spain in 2010. Larry Ellison, the U.S. gazillionaire is racing his boat “Oracle” which sails out of the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco.

We celebrated Super Bowl Monday (since we are one day ahead of the U.S.) while cruising the east coast of New Zealand. The game came in over the satellite transmission and what a game it was. We didn’t win the betting pool but we got to watch an exciting contest. Almost as exciting as back in the days when the 49ers were in it!

We cruised into Cook Strait, which separates the two islands of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sound branches off the Strait and ends in Picton. This is the ferry terminus for service to Wellington. We walked the town from top to bottom and also strolled the docks of the local marina. Three days later we heard that there was a fire in the marina and two large yachts and one fishing boat were pretty much destroyed.

The Picton townspeople put on a crafts fair for us and I bought some dichroic glass jewelry for our good friend Adele. It is all handmade of bright colors and every piece is unique. We met the artists who created the jewelry and surprisingly ran into them again at our next port of call. With its small population, New Zealand is like a village.

That afternoon the cruise line sponsored a special event at the Brancotte Winery. It was a 30 minute ride to Blenheim through “Lord of the Rings” countryside. This whole nation should just be declared a protected artists community and nature preserve—it is so beautiful and pristine. Everything is oriented to the outdoor life. There is no place in New Zealand that is further than 70 miles from the sea. So whether it is boating, swimming, snorkeling or surfing, the water is very important to the Kiwi way of life. New Zealand is also renowned for its fabulous trout fishing, hiking, golfing and skiing. Their economy has been dramatically affected by the recent economic downturn which is not good for the residents, but it makes NZ a terrific travel bargain for Americans with 2 NZ dollars to $1 U.S. dollar.

We stopped in the fishing village of Akaroa and were treated to a “French Fair” party. The French tried to establish a settlement here back in 1840, only to find that the British had already declared dominion over New Zealand with the Treaty of Waitangi. There are still some traces of the French with their bakeries and flags and street names. The fair had French mimes, jugglers, singers and a dancing dog--not a French poodle--but a sheepdog named Quest. They also served French crepes and pates and pastries. It was a fun day on the village green. Tres Bon!

In Christchurch we toured this very English style city with Ralph and Jo Ann. One of the most interesting sights is the Firefighters Memorial. Girders from the collapsed World Trade Center were flown to New Zealand and made into a memorial sculpture. It was very moving to see these twisted pieces of metal sitting on the banks of the Avon River. The memorial is dedicated to all of the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11/01 as well as other firemen who have died in the line of duty.

Timaru was a new port for us and the Voyager was the first passenger ship to ever call there. Our visit was even noted in the local newspaper. We happened to arrive on Waitangi Day, a national holiday. With everything closed, it appeared to be like a ghost town. We did chat up a local tattoo artist, Russell, who was as friendly as all of the Kiwis we’ve met—although the tattoo of a spider crawling down his forehead put us off a bit. When we sailed out of the port in the afternoon, it seems that the whole Timaru populace turned out to farewell our ship. There were bands playing and everyone was waving and cheering. Captain Dag gave three blasts on the horn in salute to our well wishers as we sailed away.

After rounding the southern tip of New Zealand we cruised into a foggy Dusky Sound which is part of the Fiordland National Park. Norwegians spell these water valleys differently—fjord. But they are the same beautifully carved-out gorges whether in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. The low clouds persisted most of the day as we next cruised into Doubtful Sound. But upon arrival at the most majestic fiord of them all, the clouds magically parted, the sun came out and the wind dropped. Rudyard Kipling called Milford Sound the eighth wonder of the world. This glacially formed valley is so striking with its 4000’ high granite cliffs which plunge straight into the deep crystal clear waters of the fiord. The rainfall is so heavy here that the top 20 feet of the sea water is actually fresh water, not salt water. As we made our way up the mile long fiord we saw fur seals, waterfalls, glaciers and rain forests clinging to the precipices. Captain Dag edged the bow of our ship under one of the hanging waterfalls, much to the amazement of the passengers and other passing boats. Next the crew lowered several bottles of champagne over the side to some very surprised kayakers. Since it was an exceptionally cold summer’s day, we retreated to the hot tub to view the passing panorama as we sailed back down the fiord. It was a remarkable afternoon of cruising with sensational visual beauty complimented by the voice of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa singing a beautiful Puccini aria over the ship’s PA system.

We are now off to Australia crossing the stormy Tasman Sea. We’ll see if the “Tassie” lives up to her reputation as one of the roughest patches of water in the world. After all, we are sailing in the Roarin’ 40s now.

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Photos

Young and Old
Ellie (5 weeks old) meets Dr. Tinkle (99 years young).
Steve and Deb are the proud parents (of Ellie).

Jarmo & Hilda
That's their MBZ and driver/guide ready to see the sights of Auckland.

1973 Citroen DS 23
Air suspension, turning headlights, front wheel drive and a single spoke steering wheel.

Sterling Falls
Capt Dag inched our bow into the misty falls!