All at sea!

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Hello everyone -

Its been a while, but that's mostly because the internet rates on the ship are a total rip-off. In this internet cafe it is $3 (NZ) - just over a pound an hour... on board the rate is $75 US for 150 mins... thats about 60 quid!

So... what have I been up to?

I checked out of the hotel on Tuesday morning and headed to the big ship. And oh my it is a biggun! made it on board in good time... no queues and found my way to my stateroom (cabin). I am on the 11th floor (its called Baja) and I am on the port side towards aft (at the baclk on the left). The room is nice... big double bed (so I can starfish!). The ensuite bathroom is compact but has everything I need - I tried out the shower... which is lovely and headed out to explore the ship.

There was a little map of the ship issued with my room key but I still felt very lost. I got myself some late lunch from the buffet and headed back to my cabin in time to take part in the emergency drill at 5pm. The alarms went off and everyone went trudging to their muster points carrying their life jackets to hear what to do if the boat in sinking... marvelous start. I was of course very well behaved and didn't try to put my jacket on until told to do so... unlike everyone over the age of 70 - (and belive me there are plenty of then on this cruise) who, blatantly ignored everyhitng going on around them and put on their life jackets backwards... upside down... and generally very slowly. If this boat sinks and I die it will be their fault for not paying attention!

After the briefing - with my lifejacket back in my cabin I made my way aft to enjoy they last few momemnts looking at Auckland harbour. I felt really sad leaving Auckland - I've definitley made a connection with this place and I really hope I'll be able to come back one day.

As the ship moved out of the harbour I said my final farewell to Devonport, Rangitoto Island and the Sky Tower dominating Auckland's skyline.

As I was feeling a bit sad, I decided to go to dinner. I went to one of the speciality restaurants... Sabitini's (yeah you've guessed it... Italian). Its an additional $20 cover charge to eat in there but I decided I needed a treat. I was given a huge menu and told to select a soup and an entree as the appetizers and pasta are served a taster plates of the whole menu.

First came the cold appetizers... basically anti pasti which was all very nice. Then came hot appetizers... callamari, shrimp and crab cake. Again all very nice.... I didn't eat it all becuase I didn't want to run out of room! Next came the soup - thank fully I'd chosen a consomme so it was nice and light. Then came pasta... by now I am feeling pretty stuffed. The pasta is a selection of 3 types, fettucini; ravioli and torteloni all in a rich white wine cream mushroom sauce... absolutley amazing flavours but I just couldn't manage more than a few mouthfuls. At this point I could easily have slid under the table for a snooze. Then they brought my main course... of course at this point all I could do was look at it. I'd selected Canadian Lobster with Pumpkin Risotto - I tried really hard and ate as much of the lobster as I could... but the risotto was wasted on me. They offered me the derssert menu but I declined as gracefully as I could and headed off to the promenade deck to try and walk some of the dinner off before I collapsed into bed.

Really glad I went outside because the moon was full and looked amazing. After a little walk and some time staring at the surf rushing past I headed off to bed and ended up having the best night sleep I'd had in ages.

Arrived in Tauranga (two-wronger) in the early hours of the morning and by the time I got up (well... woken up by room service) it was very misty and raining. (Ha ha you're all saying!) Humidity is 100% and it is 24c - so very hot n sticky! Its early... 7.30 and I head to deck 4, Club Fusion - the meeting point for today's trip - Dolphin Watching and Snorkel. I wasn't sure whether to to the snorkel bit and as it turned out, I wasn't gonna be doing the Dolphin Watching bit either!

It was a small boat an with 25 of us on there it was very cosy. I'd buddied up with a lady from the ship who was on this trip on her own because her husband is in a wheelchair so couldn't come. As we left the harbour it was very choppy and I found myself a spot near the back with lots of fresh air. I was worried about sea-sickness (especially as I'd forgotten my travel sickness pills and bands... doh) but as it turned out I was fine... well untill other people started heading to the back of the boat to be sick over the side... urgh! One lad was really bad and he was there for hours! Poor thing.

I made my way to the front of the boat and sat with my legs dangling over the side. Up front it was like sitting on a roller coaster / log flume / pirate ship with regular salt water showers. It was brilliant - best fun I've had. As I alluded to earlier - despite searching for hours there were no dolphin to be seen so the decision to snorkel or not was made for me. We did see some things I wasn't expecting though... penguins... little blue penguins diving and swimming in the middle of the pacific (well not quite the middle). Also saw some hammerhead sharks... 3 of them... one came really close! Of course I tried to take photos with the view to win some money in a photography magazine competition... sadly all I actually captured on film was the sky and my feet - I probably need a bit more practice using a camera at sea!

We headed back to shore... most people quite disappointed... I was fine though - I'd had fun and I'd seen sharks and penguins!

By the time I got back to the ship it was time to head straight back out on the 2nd of today's tours... Maori Experience and Tauranga Highlights. The guide for the trip was maori and very funny. h took us to see his 'cousins' perform some traditional songs and dances which was very good. The boys did the famous war dance - the Haka... but with audience partcipation. 4 of the 'boys' of the tour group (youngest was about 60) stood up there on stage copying the Maori warriors doing all the moves. It is not something I'm going to forget any time soon.

We then went to a maori tribe village where we all participated in a traditional welcome ceremony. All maori can trace their geneology back to their ancestors who arrived in one of seven canoes that originally landed in New Zealand. When visitors arrive - either from another tribe or tourists the same ceremony is followed. A warrior who protects the tribe comes out to greet the 'chief' of the visiting tribe (in our case - an American guy sitting near the front of the bus who'd got 'volunteered') and will lay down a leaf / branch. If the visiting chief picks up the leaf and raises it above his head then that means that we come in peace. However if he stands or spits on the leaf then it's a declaration of war. Fortunately our man did the right things and war was averted.

The ladies always enter villages first - and we were welcomed by their chief. They sang us a song and then we all sang them a song (I kid you not!) and then we all touched noses and foreheads with the chief and Cousin Tina. We got invited into their meeting house which is where they hold all community meetings, funerals, weddings and also sometimes sleep!

After hearing more about life and maori traditions we went to the refreshment building which was a welcome releif... especially as it was now 4pm and I haven't eated anythihg since 7am! I gorged myself on 3 chocolate chip cookies and a glass of orange squash. (Good job I'd been stuffed full of Italian the night before...!)

On return to the ship I got showered and headed to the dining room to meet my fellow dinner friends. I am seated on a table with 3 Americans, Mr (John), Mrs (Linda) and Rodger (her supervisor) and Helen and Les who are Australian. They have all been on loads of cruises before and John and Linda have been on 54! The best one was the Disney Cruise! They are a nice bunch... no doubt I'll learn lots about them over the next 10 days.

Yesterday (Thursday, 12th Feb) was a day at sea and I just sat on deck and read (its still raining). After dinner I went to see a comedy show... which was quite good. Didn't sleep too well because it was very choppy... 7ft swell! I took some travel pills, put on my travel bands and rode it out in bed - still feeling like the ground is moving... very odd.

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