On a Sad Note . . .

We were shocked to hear yesterday afternoon that Christchurch suffered yet another major earthquake, much worse than those of September and January, which has taken lives and has turned the City up-side-down, but relieved to know that our friends in Christchurch are safe.

Some people shots from Wellington, NZ.

Thanks to our wonderful home town friends, Peggy and Richard Greenfield, who recently introduced us to Marianne Hargreaves and her family from Christchurch, NZ, we were met at the port by Marianne and her lovely friend Hillary, and treated to a very special day indeed.  They were unrelenting in their hospitality and showed us so much more of this beautiful area than we ever could have experienced in any other way.

As you may know, Christchurch, NZ has suffered two recent earthquakes, first in September, 2010 (8.0+ and lasting 45 seconds - yikes!), and again in the latter part of January, 2011, as well as thousands of aftershocks.  There was considerable damage to many historical buildings and older homes, but luckily no loss of life.  Much repair and restoration is afoot throughout the area.

 

The Avon River runs gently through the center to town, with beautiful homes and parks all along its banks.  The countryside is stunning, rolling hills, beautiful vistas, and lovely streams throughout.  We could easily return for an extended visit to this and other parts of NZ.

After searching on foot for over an hour we finally found a car rental agency in Dunedin, NZ (Scottish heritage), hired the last car available, and set out to see the countryside.

We took the high road, through rolling sheep-filled hills, and the low road, along the bay, and traveled to land’s end to see the Royal Albatrosses and Yellow Eyed Penguins, stopping at a Scottish castle along the way.

At Stewart Island we tendered in from Patterson Bay where the fog had lifted and the sun shone brightly and walked over the hill to Half Moon Bay where we found ourselves back in the fog.  Stewart Island has about 450 residents and is a mecca for backpackers.

After walking back over the hill we took a water taxi to unpopulated Ulva Island and walked through the natural habitat where we found a little bird that pecked at our toes, strolled along a beach accompanied only by a sea lion that decided to come ashore while we were there, and collected beautiful sea shells in a little cove as we waited for our taxi to return and take us back to our tender.

 The weather remained gray and chilly as we cruised through the spectacular Milford Sound, known as the southern alps and described as the 8^th wonder of the world by Rudyard Kipling.  All passengers and many crew were gathered on deck to view this mystical place on earth.  Everyone seemed to experience the power of nature, the remoteness and the peace.

 Our butler, Anita, gets to enjoy the view.  

Fellow passengers, above, braving the cold and wind and having a great time at Milford Sound.

It's Monday Here, but Sunday There

Yes, we’ve crossed the International Dateline and are totally confused about what day it is, let alone what time it is, but that hasn’t stopped us from having a great time.  Who cares what day it is!?!

 

The seas were too turbulent to go ashore in Rarotonga   in the Cook Islands (the landing platform was being flooded) so we headed to New Zealand one day ahead of schedule.

After four days at sea we pulled into Tauranga, a beach town on New Zealand’s North Island.  There was a very nice beach and great seashells, but the town was boring.

Next stop was Bay of Islands.  The little hamlet of Russell was a gem and we spent most of our day there shopping (great aesthetic), walking and eating. 

We also visited Whangarei, an historical site where the British signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840, which lead to the formation of the sovereign nation of New Zealand, a British protectorate.

Next stop Auckland, a big city on the North Island, which was just that, a large city.  But we did manage to find a nice neighborhood to visit, have a decent lunch, visit the botanical gardens, and watch a game of cricket.

Auckland brought a big change, 200 people left the ship and more than 200 new passengers arrived.

We are now on our way to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.  We spent the day at sea and the highlight was a wonderful school of dolphins that swam with the ship, around it and under it, entertaining us all for about 15 minutes.

We’ve been asked about the passengers and in summary can tell you that we have met people from France, Germany, the UK, Australia, and many parts of the U.S.  The median age is probably 70 and most people are retired.  One couple from Maui were the inventors of wind surfing, two other couples were in the shoe business, one person was the president of Starkist Tuna, a subsidiary of Heinz, a retired heart surgeon from the UK and a retired orthopedic surgeon from Zurich.  There are people who seem to enjoy drinking, others who are more enthusiastic about exercise, a modicum of sun worshipers, and others who spend most of their time indoors.  There are also 380 crew members, representing more than 24 different nationalities.

Mega Post - Rangiroa, Moorea, Papeete, Raiatea, and Bora Bora

A small troupe of Polynesian dancers joined us on board for several days as we sailed through French Polynesia, providing us with entertainment between the various ports of call, a new port each day for 5 days.

The 2^nd largest atoll in the Pacific, Rangiroa, is entirely constructed out of coral and is said to resemble a string of pearls from the air.  Each island is, at most, the width of 3 city blocks so you can easily view and access the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other.  Small buoys are used as exterior decoration throughout this and all the other island we visited. 

There was no public transportation on Rangiroa so we walked as far as a dive shop (about 2 km) where we went for a refreshing swim.  Any restaurant we passed was closed (Sunday) so the dive shop owner called a little French restaurateur down the road who picked us up and prepared lunch for us.  After lunch he drove us back to the small pier/harbor.  Such service!

   

Moorea, pronounced “Moo oo ray ah,” was our next stop.  Here we rented a car and drove around the island, stopping at will to snap photos and enjoy the scenery.

The view from the belvedere was spectacular.

As you all know we tend to eat our way through our travels and on Moorea we found a wonderful lunch stand owned by a vivacious French woman – we enjoyed every morsel.

After lunch we went to a beach mentioned on the Internet, Faimano Beach, and had it all to ourselves, except for the manta ray and the colorful fish that swam around our legs, of course!

 Of note was the smallest fish market we have ever seen.

 We set sail and reached Papeete within hours, arriving just as the sun set.

The major point of interest, perhaps the only point of interest, was the local market where everything from fish and produce to baskets and clothing is sold.  

We had an inkling that the town would not be very interesting and signed up for our first Silversea tour, which took us into the heart of Tahiti, the Papenoo Valley in a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We traveled on dirt roads through the jungle, through rivers, and up (and down) steep inclines.  The flora was amazing, as was the multitude of waterfalls.

Next stop Raiatea, population 12,000.  We took it easy today, choosing to explore the small town of Uturoa,

have lunch, and hop on a water taxi, along with a number of young ship staff members, for a ride over to the sandy beaches of the closest motu (islet).

At the pier three ladies were busy all day long making flower crowns ($5 each), which many passengers bought in preparation for our upcoming French Polynesian themed dinner party to take place on our last night in French Polynesia, while anchored at Bora Bora harbor.

The once upon a time hot spot of French Polynesia (1970’s), Bora Bora, is quite lush, laid-back, and has some of the most beautiful verdant peaks and spectacular colors of water (almost striped in some places) we have seen so far.  We rented a Fiat and headed around the island.

We saw unique homes, some under construction using parts of abandoned containers, several abandoned resorts, including Club Med, and many fares (guest rooms built right in the water).

Attracted by a collection of colorful totems we accidentally ended up at a black pearl farm and received an in-depth tour, including a fairly strong (by island standards) sales pitch, which we easily resisted.

We stopped to swim at a public beach and then visited Bloody Mary’s, once the cocktail and dinner in-spot for the rich and famous.

Then back to the ship to clean up and dress for the Polynesian theme party that was still in full swing at we left Bora Bora at 10:30 pm, heading for Rarotonga, an independent nation under the protection of New Zealand and our last tropical island until we reach Bali.

Moruru ruru (thank you VERY much) French Polynesia for a wonderful visit . . .