Now that we have left Adelaide we are sailing across the "Great Australian Bight" which basically covers most of the south coast of Australia. Bight meaning an "open bay". We are well north of what they refer to as "the roaring forties" which is that stretch of the Indian Ocean between 40 degrees and 50 degrees latitude known for its rough seas. We are actually between 32 degrees and 36 degrees latitude. The bight basically stretches from the state of South Australia on the east and the state of Western Australia on the west. One interesting side note, the on board casino is closed until we leave Australian waters even though we are out at sea. It seems that they have some law forbidding gambling near their coast.
This area was very popular with the whaling industry at one time due to the quantity of whales in the area. We have not seen any whales but the ocean has been pretty rough. We have not felt it too much as this ship is handling it very well. The most popular whale to hunt was the Right Whale appropriately named because when killed it would float to the surface and make the whalers job much easier.
We saw the news yesterday of the earthquake off the coast of Japan and today the monster quake in Chile. We just can't leave home and trust you guys to keep it together.
We understand that hard luck Olympian skier Lindsay Vonn has had her medal removed and awarded to Barack Obama. It seem that he is heading downhill faster than she did. Thanks Linda for the joke.
Tomorrow another sea day.
Chris - "A Yank in Aussieland" I wondered before I got to Australia what kind of influence the States have in Australia as it relates to things like movies, magazines, books and common items I usually use. When in Melbourne, Paul mentioned that we went to see "Valentine's Day" at the movie theater. All the movies showing (except for one I didn't recognize) were movies from the States. That was a pleasant surprise for me to be able to see one so close to it's American release.
They also had popcorn and coke! (I brought my own candy) We also have made a few trips to Borders Bookstores for Paul to try and find a book. (He only brought 4 shirts he CERTAINLY wasn't lugging books!) While there I was looking for some magazines from the States and I was happy to find they carried almost all our magazines! HOWEVER, they are extremely expensive. They run around $15-$25 for what we would normally pay about $4 for. They have their own celebrity or style or food magazines for about $5, but ours are air freighted here so the cost reflects the flight. The Books are even more outrageous as the books we would sell are about $25-$30 for paperbacks and the hardback Paul bought was listed as $56. The toothpastes, sunscreens, hair products etc. that are considered the most popular or the best in the States are here, but are very expensive. Of course they do have their own. SOOOOO you can get American but you have to pay a premium price for it. The Australian dollar is about $1.10 for our American dollar. Gotta go buy something.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Day 38 At Sea
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Day 37 Adelaide, South Australia
Today we were in Adelaide and the surrounding countryside which is on the south coast of Australia. We found a very well designed city. The city center is essentially one mile long and one mile wide. This square mile is completely encircled by parks. As you can imaging this creates a very attractive setting. The main road is King William Street which runs north and south thru the center of town. In this square grid all of the cross streets that intersect with King William Street change names on either side of the main thoroughfare. This is because they symbolically wanted to make the statement that "nothing crosses the King".
The city used to be known as the city of churches because it was settled by religious dissidents from various religions who were prolific church builders. They were proud that their city was not started as a place to hold convicts as were many of the other Australian cities. In fact they considered themselves to be free of the "convict stain".
I was impressed by the activity in the city center as we were visiting on a Saturday. We started our day in Rundel Mall which is a pedestrian shopping area in the north end of town. Being here on Saturday had its benefits since we could see cricket players in the surrounding parks dressed in their snappy white uniforms. We must have seen at least eight different games underway.
We started in the city center this morning and then negotiated a taxi to take us around the surrounding areas. First we were off to Hahndorf which is a antique German village. There we walked thru the shops and ate lunch. The driver then took us to Mt. Lofty where we had spectacular views of the city and the area. Then we sped to the coastal village of Glenelg where we could be along the water. We then followed the shoreline back north until we reached the ship, stopping along the way to snap some photos.
I really feel we were able to get a good feeling for the character of this area.
Adelaide's Lament - We did not have time to visit the Penfolds winery which is headquartered here. We see a lot of their wine in the states. This was the first area in Australia to really get into the wine business in a big way.
Tomorrow a sea day.
Chris - "Ho Ho Ho" We spent a half day today with Santa Claus. Disguising himself as Bernard in the "off season" Santa was our taxi driver. Originally from England he settled in Adelaide in 1968 and used to drive an ambulance. I would have guessed a race car...but he said ambulance. He certainly negotiated the turns with speed and assurance. He had long white hair and beard. I hate to think how old he was as he'd been driving for 68 years...YIKES!!!! We met Santa just past the Rundle Mall area. The Rundle Mall is Adelaide's layered shopping strip which is just over 500 meters long and has around 700 shops. There are about 15 arcades and centers and has unique side streets. The shopping ranged from department stores to specialty boutiques with both international brands sold as well as local brands. The area was complimented with beautiful trees and bronze sculptures, some whimsical. Truly a shoppers paradise! After the city we were off to Hahndorf, the German town Paul mentioned. As you approach Hahndorf you are met with century old cork oak trees that form an archway. It is very pretty and quaint. The town itself was founded by German Lutheran's in 1839. There are a number of very old stone cottages which still have a lot of German influence. We had a German lunch so you KNOW I was happy! On the way to the beach we went through a "typical" town called Stirling. It was settled in 1854 and has some of South Australia's most beautiful gardens. Santa told us that most of the suburbs of Adelaide are very small and have a population of about 1500. We got to the beach and it reminded me a lot of a Florida beach. Very long, flat stretches of beach with a number of piers and jetties. The sand though is VERY fine and white. It really was beautiful There were wide boulevards along some of the towns on the beach which looked to have a mix of funky boutiques, "old salty" pubs and contemporary cafes. The houses resembled that mixture as well. All and all I thought Adelaide was a beautiful green city that I wished I had more time to explore. The Mediterranean climate makes it a very desirable vacation spot.
Day 36 At Sea
Today was a sea day which is filled with a normal routine of activities. We ate at one of our alternative choice restaurants tonight and liked it very much. This was about all I could stomach after hearing bits and pieces of the Health Care summit at the White House.
Finally, I am a little nervous about Adelaide tomorrow only because we were told to move our clocks ahead one half hour tonight. Who ever does that? I am not sure it is ever 5 o'clock in Adelaide.
The sailing was very smooth today.
Tomorrow Adelaide.
Chris - "Feed Me" There are nine restaurants on this ship which includes a 24 hour buffet. Our meal plan was different than any other I've ever had before. We have "anytime dining" which means we can eat anytime between 5:30 - 8:30 at any of five restaurants. They all have a different theme and decor but they serve one signature dish and then the exact menu from the main dining rooms. The advantage is you don't make reservations and can eat at a different time and place than the night before. You don't get the "show" from the dining room waiters and you don't have to adhere to the dress code. All of which Paul particularly likes...as do I. And there is always the free ice cream. It has worked well for us and one restaurant serves chips every night!! Little know trivia fact: the ship uses 12,000 eggs a day. Consider that the Seabourn used 4,000 per day and had about 2300 less passengers...now that's a lot of sauces!!
The highlight today for me was when I was sitting at my exclusive spot at the back of the ship and was "buzzed" by a reconnaissance plane. It came fast and right at the ship buzzing but sides and then moving on. I was told it was Aussie immigration. It was jarring.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Day 35 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Today we visited the town of Hobart which is in the very south of Tasmania. Its significant geographical feature is the river Derwent which is central to much of the activity. It is the high of their summer which means that the hills were brown due to the lack of rain. We hired a driver for the day who was a great find for us in giving us a lot of local color. As an example while we were waiting in traffic a camper went by and he referred to them as "grey nomads". These are people on holiday or retirees who travel by camper and stay in one of the many camp grounds. This seemed to be quite popular.
We started by visiting Russel Falls which required a short "bush walk" to get to. That was reminiscent of my mother who would always talk about the bush walks she and Dad would take when they were here for a year. From there we went to the town of Richmond which has the oldest bridge in Tasmania. The bridge ( Gaol) was build by convicts who were used as slaves to construct many of the buildings in the area. From there we went to a animal park where we could walk among kangaroos and see a number of other famous Australian animals including the Wombat, Tasmanian Devil, Koala bears, Wallaby and some cockatoos. It was very cool to be able to feed the kangaroos by hand. Then we went to Battery Point to see some of the quaint houses that were built long ago. They were very charming. Then back to the boat.
Throughout the trip we passed eucalyptus trees which are a main source of lumber for this area. It is known as a tough durable hard wood that is great for building. Houses built from it last a long time especially since there are no termites here.
Tomorrow a sea day.
Chris - G'Day! - Paul pretty much covered everything but I'll briefly tell you some of my impressions. The rural countryside was gorgeous with vistas of rolling hills, mostly brown because of it being late summer and then there would be an occasional bright green patch, with the river snaking through the fields. There would be sheep grazing and we saw lots of cows in herds, some Angus and some diary cows. One beautiful sight was all the hops that they were growing where the leaves were was still green and hung in vertical strips. Acre after acre of those strips hanging was really a pretty sight. In September they turn colors and it sounds like the hues would be similar to the colors of our fall trees. Their schools are year round and they have long winter and summer breaks. We went past a school that I noticed little girls in a sandbox playing. They were dressed in long light blue dresses and bonnets of the same color on their heads. I asked if the dress was religious affiliated as they reminded me of our Amish, but he said that all the girls in schools dressed in uniforms like that with different colors of dress signified different schools. The bonnets were called "bucket hats" and were used to keep the sun off their faces. Mt. Field, where Russell falls was, impressed me with it's diversity, from the enormous trees to the massive ferns to the rain forest to the Alpine vegetation. Richmond is a historic colonial, Georgian village with a good number of sandstone buildings built by the convicts. It's known as an arts and crafts mecca. The Battery area was also a beautiful area of Hobart with it's tree lined streets with little quaint colonial houses. All in all we had a very special day. Anytime you can see a wallaby in the wild as we did on our "bush walk" or feed a kangaroo, that's a special day to me.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Day34 At Sea toward Hobart
Today we crossed the Bass Strait and continued heading south to Tasmania. The sea was very smooth and it has bee a great ride so far.
Being that this is a sea day I wanted to give some details on the ship. It is 115875 gross tons and about 300 yards long and 45 yards wide. It can carry 3078 passengers in addition to 1240 crew when fully staffed. Given its size it can still move pretty fast at a crusing speed of 20.7 knots. From the wake at the back it appears that there are four propellers.
It is a difficult ship to get around in. There are 18 decks, which is a little exaggeration since 18 has only a bar / night club. The biggest adjustment is the number of passengers you need to deal with to get anywhere on board. We have a large contingent of Aussies who are fun to listen to when they are speaking. Sometimes you wonder if we are speaking the same language. One other major difference is that they charge for everything on board. As an example they wanted $175 per person for a ships behind the scenes tour. Wow! you would get to see all of the places where the crew works.
Tomorrow Hobart.
Chris- "Back in the Saddle Again" - As Paul said we boarded the Diamond Princess yesterday and will take 2 segments on it. From Melourne to Bangkok and then from Bangkok to Beijing. I don't have as much trouble with the size of the ship or the ship snob stuff as Paul does because as long as I'm on water and they are feeding, me I'm happy. I can get around fine and the walking and stairs are good exercise. I was even able to find a spot on 12 aft where there are only two dec k chairs in a small alcove that overlooks the water from the back of the ship. It was quiet and I was just a short stirways up from a pool that isn't 100 degrees but about 85. I got there early in the day and had it to myself all day with both sun and shade available. If I can read and work from there...it will be perfect!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Day 33 Melbourne/ Diamond Princess
Today we made the connection with our new cruise ship the Diamond Princess. I must say I have become a cruise snob. We were spoiled by the Odyssey where everything was taken care of and the number of passengers was much less. The one thing we did hear our new Captain say was that he was sorry it was such a rough night last night and tonight would be better. So somebody else had a bad day at sea, hmmm. It is mildly surprising only because this is such a large ship so to create a bad trip would have required some pretty bad seas.
We enjoyed our last day in Melbourne by visiting the Queen Victoria Market which is a huge indoor/outdoor market. They sell everything from t-shirts to pigs feet. It is very colorful and a great place to wander for a few hours. We hope our old trivia team finished well.
We are now unpacked in our new room and since we felt we were living out of a Barbie Doll chest of drawers on our last ship we now feel like a second cousin who is only allowed less space than Barbie. Given that people were dining in jeans our wardrobe will be reduced significantly. This is a beautiful ship but clearly they put all the money into the public areas. Anyway we are happy and on the next leg of our multinational tour.
Tomorrow A sea day.
Chris - "Back in the saddle again" - We certainly enjoyed Melbourne and I liked getting caught up on the Olympics. The market that Paul described was a cross between Traders World and Findley market for all you Cincinnatians. It was fun to see all the different options available that we don't have at home...particularly the fish.
This will be our second time on the Diamond Princess as we took it to Alaska with my family a few years back. Gee I don't remember it being that big then. :) I enjoy starting a new routine and this ship will have it's own advantages. For one there will be trivia two to three times a day, that should be fun. For the Odyessey Oddities, the trivia sheet today was identifying 30 phobias, we needed you Maggie! There are soooo many things to do in terms of activities and shows that I'm sure we won't be bored. I have scouted out my area that I will spend my daytime hours in and it will be walking on 7 and a pool on the aft part of 12. A lot higher up from the water but I bet it will work just fine.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Day 32 Melbourne, Australia
Today we disembarked from the Seabourn Odyssey and moved into the Park Hyatt for one night. During the day we walked the length and width of the city. What we found was a very agreeable city that seemed to have exactly the right mix of metropolitan advantages and livable city charm. Similar to what we encountered in New Zealand this city is well served by a number of parks. One of the inviting features is a free trolley that circles the city which we used to acquaint ourselves with our new surroundings. There are many Olympic venues within sight of the downtown area which make it seem like a very attractive place to hold the games. We crossed the Yarra River which is just south of the downtown area and walked thru the Royal Botanic Gardens. We then ate dinner at a British Pub where Chris had her signature "Nachos" and I had the fish and chips. Then we were off to the movie theatre to see "Valentines Day", which we loved.
Melbourne comes highly recommended as a nice place to visit.
Tomorrow we join the Diamond Princess after spending most of the day in this lovely city.
Chris - "A glimpse back and a foothold in the present" - A couple last comments about the Seabourn and the cruise. This morning before we left I saw and heard the Captain talking to Hoagie Charmichael's son (who was on our cruise) and the Captain had been asked if the Pacific is often that rough. The Captain's response was that "it was the worst I ever seen it in my 30 years. The first time it was the 10 meter swells that were the problem, the second time it was the 172 kilometer winds." Well, it's good to know that it usually isn't that rough and that with all that we didn't even get sick. The other thing that was interesting was when we got back to the hotel I turned on the TV looking for the Olympics and they were talked about our luxury yacht being in harbor, they toured the boat and they showed one of the two bartenders on 5 that I was so fond of. We did get to see some of the US/Canada hockey game, including the last 15 minutes on a huge TV in one of they buildings. I'm enjoying the Olympics now as I type, although it's mostly about Australia obviously...but it's something!
Now, onto Melbourne...what a beautiful city this is!! The Yarra River that runs through it and some of the colonial look reminds me of Boston. The city has great shopping and in addition to your big stores, the high end stores and the boutiques, they have a number of enclosed arcades. They are beautiful with mosaics, high cathedral ceilings, statues and gold trim. The architecture of the city is interesting because they have a number of VERY contemporary buildings mixed in with colonial and even a mosque look thrown in...and yet it all works! It is a very "walkable" city and did we ever walk it! It was a beautiful day so we hit the parks and the streets to enjoy the beauty and the local people. We saw a bride and groom in full dress on a street corner and a magistrate in white wig and black robe outside the Supreme Court. Melbourne is very special for Paul and me as his parents spent a year here in 1975-76 and we never got to see it because I was pregnant and delivered Scott during their stay. Mother and I exchanged letters daily and I loved reading about their adventures. Today I couldn't help but think of them and know I loved a city that meant so much to them.
Day 31 Picture
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 31 Bass Strait
Today we completed our crossing of the Tasman Sea and entered Bass Strait. Bass Strait is the body of water that separates the continent of Australia and the island of Tasmania. It was originally discovered in 1797 by George Bass. It is about 150 miles across and only about 150 feet deep. Due to the fact that it is so narrow and very shallow it has a reputation of being a rough stretch of water. Fortunately for us, who have grown to dislike the Tasman Sea because of its unfriendly treatment, Bass Strait has been very hospitable and a nice change.
During our time on this ship which we will leave tomorrow Erika has been our stewardess. She is from Budapest Hungary. She is an adventure seeker and enjoys bungee jumping and was hoping to get a chance to go sky diving while we were in New Zealand.
Tomorrow Melbourne.
Chris - "We're Outta Here" - Sadly we leave the Seabourn Odyssey tomorrow. I look forward to our adventure on the Diamond Princess but I have to reflect on what I'll miss about our trip on the Odyssey. In no particular order. I'll miss....
Our Friends - Sarah and Adam, Joanne and Hayden, "The Odyssey Oddities" and lots of others
Deck 5 - the water, hot tub, walking, Jose my bartender/suntan lotion distributor
The Colonnade Restaurant - candlelit dinners by the water, lunches and breakfasts as well
Trivia - our friends, the challenging but not impossible questions, the popcorn
The Stateroom - spacious, lots of storage, bathroom with separate tub and shower, 2 sinks,
the walk in closet, the veranda
The Food - amazing!
The Captain - Comforting, fun and a great sense of humor
The Staff - Erika and the fact they knew what you wanted before YOU knew what you wanted!
The Fun!!
Onward to creating more memories in Melbourne and the Diamond Princess!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Day 30 At Sea (Tasman Sea)
Last night and today the sea was much more calm ergo our cruising was much more enjoyable. I take back a little of what I said about the Dutch yesterday. Until we are safely and comfortably docked in Melbourne harbour I reserve the balance of my rant.
Today we were back in our normal routine for a sea day. Which meant Chris on deck 5 and me in lectures until we meet for Trivia. Tonight we are having dinner with a couple from Lakeside, Montana who contacted us a few days ago, having noticed our address in the ships guest list. We met them for drinks and decided to have dinner tonight.
We are now back on course to Melbourne having altered our course to minimize the severity of the ocean by cutting across the waves due to cyclone Ray. We all appreciated the alteration and are now trying to make up the time we lost. It may have helped that the Captain's wife joined us in New Zealand as she may have whispered in his ear to take it easy on us.
Tomorrow our last sea day on this ship.
Chris - Pirate's and other scary things part II - Let's talk about cyclones. Who knew there were sooo many cyclones and they could affect water 1,000 miles away! Well there a ship with roughly 800 passengers and crew who knows. We have now been through 3 cyclones and the talk of the ship is which was worse the "LA Cyclone" or the "Tasman Cyclone." The Tasman Cyclone is actually Cyclone Ray and it was REALLY wild! The first tremendous wave hit at 3AM and when asked at the show that night how many people were awakened at 3 AM by it, all hands went up. From then until about 4pm the next day this ship was wild. My precious deck 5 was closed as the waves were crashing over the deck. Our balcony on deck 6 has salt on it as did our glass door. The winds were registering 172 kilometers at the bridge. We had to enter into some of the bad weather as we had to come from the channel between the islands in New Zealand into the Tasman Sea. The Captain then altered the course twice to try and find calmer water, first heading toward Sydney then north of Sydney. Having his wife on board was helpful because unlike the last LA cyclone the Captain came on the PA system at 8am. (I'm sure she insisted he do that!) He started with "Good Morning this is your Captain speaking. It's never a good thing really to hear from your Captain first thing in the morning..now is it?" Well I figured it was better to hear from him than the abandon ship signal! He was very reassuring and he made the day much better by coming on every few hours with weather updates. After breakfast (back to the candied ginger) I was headed back to the room around 9 and our stewardess said of the 10 rooms she services, we were the only one up and functioning. I hated not to be outside so around 10:30 the wind had died down to the point I could open the door. I found a spot on 7 where I could see the ocean and wrapped in every conceivable piece of clothing, including a hood, I sat and read and watched the waves. I loved it! When I left I had to wash my jacket because the ocean spray had deposited salt all over me! Despite the tossing around neither of us got sick and once I knew the ship could cope with the weather I found it quite exciting. I'm not sure your Dad shared my enthusiasm, but he was a trooper. Having a cabin toward the center of the ship is very helpful at night as it doesn't get as much rocking action as forward or aft. Today the cleanup continued and eventually by this afternoon they got deck 5 opened and my hot tub refilled ... so all is right with the world! Onward!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Day 29 In the Tasman Sea
We left Wellington yesterday evening and headed west through the Cook Strait out into the Tasman Sea. On a plush cruise ship such as the Seabourn Odyssey the transition back into the open ocean went largely unnoticed. That is until 3 AM this morning when with a thundering crash we crested a wave and bottomed into a deep trough. The shock shook the entire ship, so much so that all passengers and crew could set their watches as to what time that one wave hit. That was our delayed introduction into the Tasman Sea. When the assembled masses at "Trivia" this afternoon were asked how many awoke at 3 AM all of the hands went up. From that time until about 4PM we were buffetted around.
A more desirable introduction to the Tasman Sea would include the fact that it is the sea that separates New Zealand from Australia. For the locals it is affectionately referred to as "The Ditch". So in the local vernacular we are "crossing the ditch". Well all of us on board will attest to the many potholes that need fixing. This wretched piece of water is named after Abel Tasman who was a Dutch explorer that traveled here in 1642. It extends 1250 miles all of which I fear we will feel. Sadly, until 3 AM this morning I always thought the Dutch were such nice people. He must have been mean to someone who decided to forever link his name to this pockmarked piece of ocean. He is also credited with discovering Tasmania, New Zealand, Tonga and the Fiji Islands.
Tomorrow another sea day.
Chris -Pirates and other scary things - One of the things many sea travelers are concerned about over the last few years are pirates...Arrrrggghh. The subject was covered by the Captain and at one of the enrichment seminars. We learned that 6 cruise ships have had pirate attacks over the last 36 years. The first was the QE II in 1972 and also includes a Seabourn sister ship (The Spirit) a few years ago traveling in the Somalia area (before all the current trouble). In that case they mustered most the passengers and crew in a central location (the restaurant) that is on deck 4 and midship....I would have been comforted that there was at least food available! Not all passengers chose to go and they stayed in their room. I ate dinner next to a frequent Seabourn traveler from Japan (the one who spoke little English) who was on that cruise. He manage to talk and mime that he stayed in his room and cowered. The pirates had AK47's and actually fired a RPG (rocket propelled grenade) at the ship which put a hole in the superstructure near a window. It went through a passenger cabin and lodged in the bathroom...but it didn't explode and no one got hurt. The Seabourn went on the offense and the pirates turned and fled. I had heard that the Seabourn also had guns although they only admit they had a "number" of defensive "weapons" including things like ... the speed to outrun them, constant shipboard camera and satellite surveillance, protective convoys, LRADs (long range audio disk) and other security they won't talk about. The LRAD kind of looks like a satellite dish that beams high sounds that can program to stretch over a half a kilometer. It is programmed in 15 different languages and can be used to create sensory overload and it can send a very high frequency sound in an ear splitting decibel level that would burst your eardrum. They also can use it in port if they need to for protection. In the Spirit's case they beamed the ear drum shattering sounds and the pirates bolted. The Spirit has also had a protective convoy of 3 French commandos on the ship as they traveled thru the African route. The commandos mounted machine guns on the deck and manned them for 3 days. They were the "hit" of the ship where they were "mothered", fussed over and constantly photographed to the point that the Captain had to announce that there would be no more pictures of the commandos taken. In true "Seabourn" fashion the commandos left with 58 bottles of Champagne as a thank you. The 2010-11 schedule does not include Somalia ...smart move! Seabourn's safety statement reads that they are "fully prepared with necessary measures to cope with any threat." ... wonder if that applies to killer waves????????????????
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 28 Wellington, New Zealand
Today we visited the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington. As it turns out the capital is located on this southern tip of the north island as an appeasement to the southern islanders, who at one time considered becoming their own country. By moving the capital closer to them it was enough to elicit their continued loyalty.
It is a nice enough town although there is nothing I found striking about it. It probably didn't help that the day was overcast with intermittent showers. This city and its surrounding area account for over 11% of the population of the country. It is located in the Cook Straight which separates the north and south islands. This straight can be very rough piece of water since it acts as a funnel for wind and waves. Here as before on our other stops in NZ we found the British influence with lovely gardens and clean streets. There was a very lively downtown area with a good deal of foot traffic. Some of that was no doubt from passengers from this ship, but as we were the only cruise ship in port and only carrying 400 passengers we by no means were a noticeable part of the volume. The port seemed to cater to container vessels as well as a significant amount of lumber that we were told was generally destined for Japan and China.
Tomorrow is a sea day.
Chris - Happy with "Kids" - As Paul mentioned we were in Wellington today, but he didn't mention we spent the day with the two "kids " we're so fond of from the entertainment staff. Sarah and Adam are between Tracy and Patrick's age and are so sweet and fun. They are from England and found today's weather reminiscent of home. We wanted to take them to eat as I remember how happy Stephan always was when he could eat off the ship. We ate down by the water at a nice restaurant and although we sat next to the harbour there was plastic on the windows and ceiling and with the wind it sounded like the roof was going to collapse! Funny NZ was thrilled to have been getting rain the last 4 days (unlike us) as at least in Christchurch and Wellington they hadn't had rain in 4 weeks! Today the rain looked threatening but actually it didn't rain very hard or for very long when we were out and about. After we ate we then took the cable car up 610 meters to the top and enjoyed the expansive views of Wellington. It was very nice that when we got up there the clouds parted and we had a small bit of sunshine. We then toured the botanical gardens as we leisurely walked back down to the city. The gardens today differed a great deal from yesterday. As a lot of the flowers were the same the layout was very different. Yesterday the gardens were flat and you walked along different paths...including one along the river. Today the gardens were built into the hillside and other than a duck pond there was no water. The maps looked like you could wonder around the garden on top of the hill, but in reality as you walked you immediately started going down toward the city. The flowers were beautiful but the trees and setting much more rustic than yesterday. It was a joy to spend the day with Adam and Sarah and we actually will have dinner with the tonight as well. Adam had mentioned he liked Crepes Suzette and he can't order them as they can't do any special orders since they're staff. So we invited them to dine with us and WE could order them to be made table side. They are planning to come to the US in October and maybe some of you will get a chance to meet them. I hope our kids can at least.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Day 27 Christchurch. New Zealand
Trollies thru out downtown Christchurch
"Punting the Avon"
White roses for my Tracy (ignore me there)
Day 26 At Sea
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Day 25 Auckland, New Zealand
Popcorn machine, downtown from Devonport,
More Pics of downtown.