February 6 and 7 Photos

The first 4 photos are from Feb. 6 and our trip to see Yellow-Eyed Penguins ( one photo of them) but the scenery on the Otago Peninsula was gorgeous. The remaining photos are from the 7th and our wonderful day cruising NZ Fiordlands...(yes, that's how you spell it here.) We are now in our second day of crossing the Tasman Sea en route to Sydney, Australia. Not a bad crossing...pretty calm for the Tasman.

February 6 and 7: The best and the worst...

Well, yesterday (Feb. 6) we docked at Port Chalmers, NZ, a small town from which everyone goes into Dunedin and other parts. The wind was blowing 30-50 knots, so we weren't sure we would even get into the port, but we managed...over an hour late. We were taking a ship tour to see the Yellow-eyed Penguins, or so we thought. Our bus left with about 45 on board for the 45-minute ride to where the penguins are (or are supposed to be). About that far into the ride, the bus driver said he thought he missed a turn, so he found a turnout and turned around. After a couple of hesitations at intersections, he chose one and headed up into the beautiful hills overlooking the whole area...it WAS gorgeous. But...at the top of the hill, he turned right. I had fired up my Iphone and now had Google Maps watching our path and saw that Right was NOT the way, so I had Chris go up front with my Iphone that I had programmed now to get us to the Penguin Place, so by following that we got there...after about 2 hours! Upon arrival at Penguin Place, we found the Yellow-eyed Penguins had not arrived yet, but there were some nesting "Little Blue Penguins"...however, they were shy and in nesting boxes where we couldn't see them. We did get a look at some of the recovering penguins in their hospital. We walked to the headlands which had a lovely broad beach with a sea lion in the distance, but once there, a strong wind and rain began! So, we hurried back. Our route back showed how simple it would have been...just follow the road on the coast...instead we had followed it almost all the way, crossed over to the sea, and crossed back! A nice scenic drive, but none of us were pleased. Leaving Port Chalmers we passed the Albatrosses that fly at the entrance...we were pretty far away, so I didn't get any real photos of them.

Today we had a magnificent day cruising Fiordlands on the South Island of NZ. It was perfect...a bit cold initially, but by Milford Sound in the afternoon it was perfect. Photos don't do it justice, but Chris' videos will be nice. These are a huge complex of fjords carved out after the last ice age. Beautiful scenery all day. (We did Dusky and Doubtful Sounds in the morning, then Milford Sound in the afternoon. Now we are heading across the Tasman Sea to Sydney, Australia which we will reach in two days of hopefully calm sailing...this is known for its rough passage for ships. (Last night was pretty rough but we were in bed, so it didn't bother us.). I have planned a private tour for us and another couple out to the Blue Mountains of Australia, so we'll hope for good weather in Sydney and environs! Photos will be posted separately.

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Feb. 4: Napier and Sea Day following (Super Bowl Monday)

Yes, we are a day ahead of you, so the Super Bowl was played today, Monday, Feb. 5. Weird!
After a busy day in Tauranga visiting Hobbiton, seeing Kiwi fruit, eating special ice cream (Hokey Pokey), I was due for a rest day, so even though it was a gorgeous summer day in Napier (high 60's), I took it easy. We took the shuttle bus into the center of Napier and while Chris walked around the town, I sat in their beautiful park trying to use their free wifi (not great...downloaded 3 Kindle books in about an hour!). The town was virtually destroyed by an earthquake in the '30's, so was built back in the Art Deco style of the age. Very nice but I never cared for that architectural style. I watched folks on the beach (very stoney, but clear water) and the surf was great in areas...probably 20'! Movie night on board..."3 Billboards..." which was great acting, but didn't care for the story...too dark...and too much foul language.

Today we've been sailing along the eastern edges of the North and South NZ islands. Where the two are split is the Cook Straits...famous for wind and high seas. It didn't surprise us then to find 50+ knot winds with high seas as we passed by that area...too rocky for me, so I succumbed to sea sickness for a few hours...not bad, and probably would have been fine if I hadn't been spending all morning working on my computer processing my Hobbiton photos. By mid-afternoon we were back to our normal seas and winds. Tomorrow will be busy with a tour from our port of Port Chalmers (Dunedin) to a penguin nesting habitat...HOPING I can get there...90 steps down and back up. Cabin stewards know to bring me my ice tomorrow when I return!

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February 3: Hobbiton, The Shire!&'

February 4: Napier, NZ and Catching up

Feb. 2: Auckland provided a lovely day for us, though I only went ashore to get our proverbial shore photo taken (to prove we've been there).  Since we've been before and spent several days, we felt we would enjoy the ship day more. Our sea days prior had been quite rough, so we were glad for some calm. The day after Auckland was going to be busy for us in Tauranga...visiting Hobbiton!

Saturday, Feb. 3 (for us) was a partly cloudy day, but was a nice temperature (mid-high 60's)...just right for touring the countryside outside of Tauranga (the largest container port) and visiting Hobbiton, Peter Jackson's recreation of the sets that were used in filming Lord of the Rings etc. Well, most of it is definitely recreated for the visitors now, but we loved it! Highly recommend seeing it if in NZ!  You have to go through with a guide, so they control the flow of people along the way which is much needed.  There are 44 "Hobbit Holes" that you can see in The Shire and each one is more photogenic than the last. They are totally adorable! After a 2-hour walking tour through The Shire, you end at The Green Dragon for a beer or cider (both very good!) in delightful surroundings. Then, you return to the gift shop (very disappointing souvenirs...and dreadful T-shirts...sorry, no souvenirs, folks!) before rejoining our small tour bus (10 of us from the ship had arranged this private tour.). We stopped at a Manuka Honey shop for ice cream cones and a quick stop to see kiwi fruit ready for picking. Back in time for our 4:15 obligatory Life Boat Drill (they now require these every 30 days.). Too tired to do much more than have dinner and download photos, then bed. It was quite rocky, so not a good time to walk around much anyway...bed was safest!

Still rocky this morning, so we're taking it easy until we get into the harbor at Napier about 11 am.  Looks like a good day...partly cloudy and cool. (And this is their summer!) Shall post Hobbiton photos separately since it's difficult to do it from my email.

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January 31: Whew, that was rough!

We just went through several days of stormy weather...52 knot winds at the highest and very messy seas. Chris and I did not bother going ashore on Niue on Sunday since it was not great weather and there was not much to see. We've passed the Dateline, so we never had January 29. It's a bit more calm today but we still have another Sea Day before we arrive in Auckland, NZ.
We've been fortunate to have a wonderful pianist on board this week, Hyperion Knight (see him if he's ever playing in your area...magnificent.) He's been practicing in the Explorers' Lounge most mornings to a full house, so they added another performance last night by public demand. One more performance before we land , but he'll perform with a Celtic flautist who has been excellent, too.
On the photo from the globe you can see where we've been by seeing the Cook Islands on the right, then Tonga on the left where Niue shows up as a dot to the right. Now we are sailing through all the open ocean to Auckland, NZ on the North Island. On all our sea days we have not seen a single other ship! Nothing! Truly a vast ocean.
Gala Night tonight.

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January 26: Rarotonga, Cook Islands (NZ)