Movin' on Up... Townsville and Cairns

7AM view from our balcony, Cairns

We are heading up the Eastern side of the Australian Coast. In the last two days we visited Townsville and Cairns.  Both days included tours.  My brain is about to explode after 9 hours of information overload by all our knowledgeable guides.

The Floods can only throw a curve...

Australia continues to surprise me in a positive way.  It just keeps growing, changing and getting better.  People are friendly and it has a laid back ease about it.  I enjoy being here.  Brisbane is a delightful place to visit.  It is the largest city and capital of Queensland.  It has a small town Chicago feel to it, celebrates and preserves its past and moves toward the future with wonderful modern glittering high rises built in its center.  It has a lazy meandering river running through it with Venice like boats for transportation.  Life seems easy and good here most of the time. What doesn't excite me is the heat, subtropical weather and the threat of floods and cyclones. Nothing is perfect.

It's All About Arriving and Departing...

If ever you have an opportunity to be on a cruise with Sydney as one of your ports of call, I would say always wake up early and sail in with your eyes wide open. At 6AM I was out the door and headed up to deck 12, camera in hand.  Although still dark, the sun was cutting a sliver in the sky.  Nature never fails to awe.  A new day was beginning.   

Melbourne

Moon over Melbourne

As the weather crashed in around us, our Captain did a full speed ahead .He wanted to avoid being out in the open where the winds were high and the sea was rough. We arrived in Melbourne at 11 PM, a full 9 hours early. I missed the gentle rocking of the ship putting me to sleep.  The full moon guiding us into port was a beautiful backdrop as we entered Melbourne's Bay.

A Good Thing For Speed ......



Richmond, Tasmania
Oldest bridge and Catholic Church still in use in Australia

Security Beagle Greets me Once Again

 After we left the Fjords, we were on our way to Hobart, Tasmania.    We had two glorious sea days ahead.  There is a slight problem in this naive thinking when you say two glorious days ahead and add Tasman Sea in the same sentence.

Milford Sound .... Day 34

Who knew this 'stop' was on our cruise itinerary?    I did not pay attention to the itinerary. I did not know.  I am so glad we did.

Filipino Dinner

Tonight we had our second Trivia group dinner.  Sadly one of David's team is leaving in Sydney.  His name is Ian.... :)  He will be missed.  Well, dinner tonight, just for our little group,  (Valentine's Day) was Filipino.  We had a Filipino roll, much like Kings Hawaiian Bread.  We had soup with shrimp and veggies.  We had a fried spinach appetizer. I opted out of the sweet and sour fish.  I took a piece of chicken with a garlic-soy sauce.   Then we were served a deep fried pig knuckle.  This I did not understand.   I use the smoked hocks for my split pea soup.  I was thinking 'not much meat here', but OK.  I tried to pull a bit of meat out.  I learned from table mates that the DELICACY is THE SKIN...deep fried pork fat skin....OK,  (politely to myself) I think ewww... so I pulled a bit of skin off to try it.  It crunches crisply in your mouth.  I will say it is crunchy and has a nice taste, but I could only think FAT, lots of thick fat.   This part I toss at home. I was not keen on the idea of this.

Antarctica to Scotland during the night....

Oh, I have to tell you this.  Before we got off the ship this morning, we were greeted by the most adorable security Beagle I have ever seen.  He was dressed in uniform.  I so wanted to take him home.  I followed the immigration officer so much watching this little guy and trying to take pictures that I began to think I better step back or I would be cuffed and taken ashore for stalking..... God, I was in love..... :)  My new friend....

Side Trip... Antarctica..... !

 

Hey!   Guess where we are !!!  ??  I could NOT believe it myself. Last night I went to bed fully anticipating arriving in Christchurch, NZ.  Like I told you, we are headed South .... Well, Imagine my surprise when I awoke and  threw open the curtains!   ANTARCTICA!   The Captain must have gone full speed ahead last night!  What a trip THIS has been!  Anyway here are some pictures of our unbelievable day!

White Island

Last night during dinner the Captain announced that we will be circling White Island from 7AM to 8AM in the morning.  Yike!  I HAVE to get up at 7AM ?  On a SEA DAY?  Ian and Trisha will understand my shock.  Once again, we left the curtains open and anticipated this new addition to our itinerary.  When the light of day started to rouse us, I jumped out of bed, and in my jammies, hung over the balcony to see this much anticipated volcano.

Nothing

Wellington, The Storm Coast

 Welcome to Middle Earth, Lord of the Ring fans. This is where the movie was filmed. It also is known as "The Windy City"..... but we know where the real Windy City is located. Maybe the difference is here it relates to the wind and Chicago, its politics. Wellington is the most remote capital in the world. It is clean, compact, and easy to navigate.

Wellington is at the south-western tip of the North Island on Cook Straight. We are heading South now and soon will be heading to Australia. When we docked it was grey and misty. Our tour was called Wellington Harbour and THE STORM COAST. We traveled by bus, toured Wellington and then headed to Pencarrow Lodge for tea. Half of this tour was traveling on a private gravel road along the coast line. This lodge is perched high on a hill overlooking Cook Straight and South Island. The fires were roaring when we arrived. We had tea and cakes. Yum.

Bay of Plenty

Meet my new friends... :)

Having spent 9 hours on a bus tour of The Bay of Plenty I decided to move here, get a home on the beach, and eat kiwi, avocados and tangelos. Yep, my new plan. Here we have a warm, dry climate with some health-taking hot springs just down the road. The countryside is lush with produce of every kind. It is just beautiful here. Because of the super fertile soil everything grows three times bigger and faster then anywhere else in the world. All along the one outer road, well traveled, you see tall shrubs/trees used as fences to protect the farms.

We enjoyed our tour guide who talked non stop about everything and anything related to New Zealand. I enjoyed the hot springs and mud holes and geysers in Rotorua. This town is THE hot bed for thermal activity. It is the norm to have these dancing steamy spurts of steam where ever you look around this area. The sulpher smell was not as bad as they told us it would be. This little resort town used what the land gave them and developed quite a nice tourist/resort area

Today was a tourist day. We saw geysers and mud pools, fish and birds, had a gondola ride, a buffet lunch, and were entertained by a Maori Kapa Haka group. Then we met some sheep friends, saw one be shirred, and then were captivated by the dogs that herd them. On the way home we pulled off the road and took pictures of kiwi..... Whew, what a day. Actually some of it was fun..... but most of it well, today was "Tourist Day".

Yes, this is one word.  It means gathering place.  What the Maori do is use all the words to describe something (The gathering place for the war parties of Wahiao) into one word so that in translation no one will be confused and think, for example, it is 'The gathering place for the war parties of Tucson' for example.  And, yes, I bought Caelan a t-shirt because I liked the name so much...:)  My kind of fun.

A bird trap in a lovely setting, the geysers and a mud pool at Whakarewarewa Thermal reserve.  We were told the area is so hot that these steamy geyers can pop up in your yard overnight in which case they have to be topped off with cement. People are burried above ground here in cement....our guide told us, so they don't someday 'pop up' from under the ground..... ewwwww

City of Sails ....Auckland

Auckland is one of our favorite cities to visit.  Also known as "City of Sails" because of all of the sail boats in its Harbors.  We witnessed many sail races while we docked there, very pretty against the backdrop of the city. Almost a million people live in this city and it is the largest city in NZ.   A fun place for those who love the water, obviously.  When we visit Auckland, I still feel like we are once again transformed back to the 50's.  We were here about 15 years ago and it still maintains its charms.  We had an overnight here so the first day we took a bit of a stroll in town and 'by chance' found a great Mexican Restaurant for lunch.  I had read some great reviews about the place and imagine my surprise when it just sprang up in front of us!. David, as you know, is ALWAYS up for a Mexican meal. :)   When you are on a ship this long, eating off the ship is always a thrill.  Even McDonald's becomes a treat.  Not that the food is BAD... just some fast food.... comfort food...back home food just seems to call to your taste buds.

Not many tours were offered in Auckland.  I think because we dock right in the heart of the city and you can do so much on your own which is great.  On the second day we went on a tour of the city.   Our bus driver was fun and kept us laughing with his comments and banter.  We drove to Mount Eden for the big city view.  Here you see for miles in all directions.  We drove through the numerous parks and went to the Museum. 

The BEST part of the tour and the part I will remember FOREVER was when we got to the top of Mount Eden.  A group of young college men just jogged up the hill and were looking for a free ride down the hill.  Our driver asked if it would be OK and we all said YES.  The bus driver said if you sing us a song we will take you back down.  They lined up, took off their hats, and did Maori songs- complete with the movements and the crazy big eyed faces.  They then boarded, politely took a few of the empty seats, stood in the aisle, sat next to the driver and on the steps and chanted and sang all the way down.  At the end they sang a farewell and many blessings song.... I started to pass my hat and we collected enough for a few pizzas for them.  When they got off they were counting the money and skipping down the street...very happy, very thankful.  Someone on the bus said-- You know, if they were smart, they would run back up the hill and try that again!  :)  What was nice is they did not want a free ride. They wanted to work for it with a song..... That says a lot about these really nice young men.  Their Moms would be proud.

Bay of Islands, NZ - Day 26

 

One of the BEST things about a cruise is waking up in the morning knowing your ship is just about to dock in a new port. I leave the curtains slightly open at night anticipating that first peek of light to float into my cabin and wake me up. For some reason, arriving in a new port awakens the inner child in me. I am excited to spend a week in New Zealand. I just want to devour all of its natural beauty. As I peeked out my window, a grey day assailed my senses..... a snicker-at-me grey. How can this Be? New Zealand?

Good Morning New Zealand!

Even though it is LATER there then here (time wise) , I AM a day ahead of you! So, technically, I am up before you..... ? ! Up before the sun I first thought bummer cloudy grey day ... not great for pictures coming into Bay of Islands. Got dressed and went up to deck 12 and before I knew it the sun was rising. On the OTHER side of the ship, the view was much better. I am sharing my sunrise with you! Bit chilly today. Only a high of 75 degrees.... he!he! It would be a much nicer day today if I could watch DA Bears in the Superbowl. Green Bay will have to do.

Tiny Tonga

Malo e Lelei!   Cruising is becoming fun again.  We arrived in Tonga and for the first time got off the ship and went on a tour. We crossed the International Date Line yesterday (which is imaginary) and went through the Twilight Zone as we slept...   It was agreed upon (dictated) that we on the ship would loose a day and an hour.  We went to bed on Tuesday and woke up on Thursday.   Life is confusing enough.  Good thing we had another sea day to sort this out.  Anyone with a birthday on Feb 2nd was out of luck.  It did not exist.  No cake for you! We now are officially a day ahead of you at home. 

Cruising into Tonga was a visual treat.  This is a tiny slip of land where when you first see the land, you see the whole island and the water surrounding it all at once.  I don't know what keeps it from being swallowed up by the sea.  It is long and thin, just barely jutting out of the ocean.  Tonga means South, as it is South of Samoa where most people here originated from.  Nuku'alofa, where we docked,  is the capital of Tonga.  About 30,000 Tongans live here.  Fishing and agriculture are the main sources of income. The water surrounding this island is an "amazing turquoise" color.  Breathtaking. 

The first thing that happened upon docking is two tour buses broke down.  A shuffling of people and buses  had to be made quickly.  Then the numbers that could be fit on each bus was wrong making another shuffling that had to be done last minute. Air conditioning on busses?  You jest.  Welcome to Tonga.  Tonga is led by a King.  Since the King rules, all cruisere were REQUIRED to see the Royal Home (drive by only) and the Royal Cemetery.  These were the two top attractions of the Island, so says the King.  So as commanded, we all saw the Kings Palace and family cemetary.

We also saw The Blow Holes, some creepy Flying Foxes that were like bats, The Cultural Center and a beach.  Local dancers danced for us as we sat and admired a local beach resort where the signs said NO SWIMMING.  So why did they say wear swimsuits under your clothes? Their Polynesian style of dance is more standing still and using the hands and arms slowly and beautifully.... not the hip shaking like Hawaii.

Not so much to do here, but it was a wonderful place to visit.  I loved our time here.  The people were amazingly nice, warm and friendly.  I felt safe at all times. 

The Flying Foxes look like bats and they hang in the trees in your front yard.   I would not want them at my home nor would I want to walk under any tree they are hanging in..... We were told they do not harm you.  They help pollinate the fruit? We loved the ride around the island.  The homes were simple and open.  People sitting around in groups talking.  With the windows open wide on our little bus we had perfect air conditioning as long as we were moving.  The condition of the busses .... well, they were very well used for years and years.  I never saw so many children in school uniforms all in one place at one time...all waving and saying Hello.  I think I know what parents do a lot in their spare time.

After our tour I headed into town on my own to see the market.  There is nothing in the town but a bank, a hardware store, a few diners.... The market is the local hang out.  Handicrafts, food and clothing were sold here in a two story open sided  building with cement floors.  Since it was a last minute idea of mine I did not have my camera.  Merchandise was placed on the floor or on makeshift tables.  I saw fruits and vegtables ... I found a magnet, Andy!  I traded dollars for Tongan coins, Lori!   It was hard to find 'souvineers' as such as I don't think Tonga has that many tourists.  It became a very hot and humid day.  When I got back to the ship my arms felt like they were on fire from the heat. 

During a dance this little one stole the show!

On our tour we saw children all over the Island in different color uniforms.  All of the children (and adults)were super friendly to us. The whole of the island just seem to be people that love life.  Where ever we went people were sitting under trees, in yards, in groups chatting and passing the day.  Had I been faster, I would have loved to get a photo of a group of older women sitting under a huge shade tree making a quilt...... or weaving. .not sure.  It is as if time stood still in this tiny country ... They have the rght idea.  No money but no matter.

 

I was delighted to be able to capture these little guys coming home from school.  I think the photo captures their sense of freedom and fun.  Notice the little guy with the stop sign at the end?  He must be on school patrol?

Indonesian Dinner

Tonight one of David's Trivia partners organized an Indonesian dinner for the team members and their spouses. From previous cruises, Nancy knew the Chef from Indonesia and worked with him and other crew members to plan a dinner to remember. This is great fun for the Chef as he gets to plan and prepare his favorite meals from home. It is also fun for the dining crew as what ever is 'left over' never goes to waste. :) Trust me, they make enough to feed everyone on the ship I think. We arrived at 6:30, sat down to a beautifully decorated table, and just enjoyed all sorts of beautifully prepared dishes from Indonesia. We started with shrimp toast, then moved to spring rolls, tuna with salad, a chicken based egg soup, fried and white rice, eggs, corn fritters, a vegetable dish, beef with peanut sauce, shrimp on lemon grass skews ...... and ended with fried bananas and ice cream three hours later. No one could move when the last of the ice cream melted in their mouth.

Getting together for dinner with the Trivia group was fun. Getting to meet everyone was a treat. David's winning trivia team is from England, Edinburgh, Scotland, Minneapolis, Florida, and Maryland. I think this is why they win so many times. They say to win at Trivia try to assemble people from all over the world in your group. It also helps when people play trivia twice a day on every cruise they are on. Sometimes the same question pops up and someone will remember that answer! We talked Trivia. We talked about cruises that ended early due to Pod malfunction. We gossiped about the Royal family. We reminisced about starting out and making a dollar a day. My favorite conversation was making plans to go to this great pearl wholesaler in Hong Kong when we get there! Dinner with people who have traveled the world several times over made for some lively and fun dinner conversations.

Next time... Filipino Dinner! I think we are on to something here!