Auckland New Zealand

 

A 5.45am early morning wake up call for the three hour bus drive Waitomo Grotto had us snoozing on the bus to catch-up our sleep. The caves are a labyrinth of limestone caves and formations, underground rivers, hidden waterfalls and caverns. The first cavern the guide took us into was 'Aranui Cave' where we walked along paved walkways under and around stunning pink, white and pale brown stalactites and stalagmites. He explained the history of the caves and how they were discovered and surveyed. Then we were taken into the Waitomo Glow Worm Grotto where we boarded a boat which took us through the dark underground caverns lit by the flickering blue-green light of the unusual glow worms that hang down from the cave's ceiling. It was quite romantic sitting there holding hands with DH whilst we marvelled at the sight.

We boarded the bus again to drive about 30 minutes to a dairy farm house for a sumptuous lunch prepared by the farmer's wife. I just couldn't believe the lush green colours of the surrounding countryside around the farm house. We had roast leg of lamb, beef meat loaf and various fresh salads, all made of local produce. The farmhouse luncheon was a hit. I had managed to photograph some of the features of the house.

The drive back on the bus seemed to drag but we got back in plenty of time to off load our 'day gear' and position ourselves on the back of deck eleven to witness the sail out of Auckland's Harbour.

We were unable to photograph the glow worms or in any of the caverns, so I do not have any photos to list, sorry. 

Tauranga New Zealand

 

The ship arrived in Tauranga around 10am. This late docking enabled us to wash and dry hair, have breakfast in, what some people describe as the 'Horror' Court before heading to the theatre for shore tour collection. What a civilized hour. I had booked DH and I on the Princess Tour of Wao-o-tapu Valley and a boat ride across Rotorua's lake whilst we were entertained by a Maori troupe during lunch.

There were enough bookings to fill 3 large buses, the second one just happened to be the one we travelled on. It took 2 hours to travel to Rotorua and smell the breathtaking sulphur fumes. Our first stop for the tour happened to be a ride on a paddle wheeler over Rotorua's lake. After we were heartily fed and entertained we boarded the bus to Thermal 'wonderland' of Wai-o-tapu.

The Wai-O-Tapu thermal area is associated with volcanic activity dating back about 160,000 years. Boiling springs and volcanic gases are brought to the surface by a system of streams in the ground heated by magma left over from earlier eruptions. The water temperatures can reach up to 300C which causes steam to vent through the earth's crust to form craters. The rotten egg smell is caused by the steam absorbing minerals and in particular hydrogen sulphide, out of the rocks and transporting it to the surface.

We were given two hours to walk around the thermal pools, craters and other sights. After the thermal area we were transported back into Rotorua to visit Rainbow Springs, a conservation park to native wildlife, to see a live Kiwi, Tuatara (a species of an ancient reptile which shared the earth with the dinosaur), kea and other endangered flora and fauna.

It started to rain on the 2 hour bus trip back to the ship and as we got closer, it became obvious the rain had been heavier in Tauranga. Lucky for us it wasn't raining whilst we were walking around the thermal pools. 

 

Napier, New Zealand

 

The ship sailed into the bay around 7am, whilst we queued for departure tickets about 7.45am. We were on a private tour which requested for all those to disembark as soon as possible thus enabling the bus to arrive to lookouts and other destinations before the big Princess bus tours arrived. This way we kept the day clear. We were seated on the bus by 8.30am ready to depart, only to wait 10 mins for the last couple to arrive, which wasn't too bad considering past experiences (still can't beat the organisers of the world cruise private tours).

I suggest if there are any people contemplating a private tour of Napier, Scenic Tours great-tours@hbscenictours.co.nz are the way to go. John Hanlon was our driver and tour guide who is passionate about Napier, Napier's history, buildings and surroundings. We went to several great lookouts, travelled through the countryside, Hastings North, Hastings and Napier. He explained how the cities had rebuilt and the land surrounding had changed after the earthquake of 1931. I have taken a photo showing a gap between two buildings which during the earthquake, knocked together!

With regards to Napier and Hastings, a significant portion of the architecture was constructed in the styles of the time of the earth quack, and is now considered the Art Deco Capital of the world. Our guide took us past many buildings of Deco, Spanish Mission and Classical Revival.

We saw the most dramatic view of the day from Te Mata Peak. When the bus about to ascend the peak, our driver phoned a 'movement control co-ordinator' for permission to continue. Permission was given to move onto the next parking bay and wait until a pilot met us to escort up to the top of the peak. It was a very narrow road with steep drop offs. Once on the peak, we made a quick dash to the lookout, took our photos and had a rushed look around before we sought to shelter of the bus. It was so windy and cold up there, we thought we would freeze.

The bus drove past various orchards, wineries and grazing areas. The driver stopped at the Silky Oak Chocolate Company for 15 minutes of tasting and buying. We then called into a strawberry farm where we were given a choice of frozen berry ice cream served in a waffle cone. Yum. We had lunch at a local rose and garden nursery before we explored the Mission Winery.

 

 

 

Wellington New Zealand

 

Last night after dinner DH and I went for a walk around the promenade deck to walk off our yummy Italian Dinner while most of the passengers seemed to either walking down to the restaurants for dinner or bustling to get to the theatres in hope of getting a good seat before anyone else!. The seas had been fairly smooth as the ship sailed northwards towards Wellington on the North Island of New Zealand. We felt a fresh, crisp air as we stepped out onto the deck, luckily we had changed into our walking gear with jackets after dinner. The sun was still shining so we could see the South Island coastline on the port side of the ship. We were about  5 kms off shore. (It could be more, but I am unable to work it out correctly).

The ship sailed into Wellington Harbour around 7am in time to finish docking and finalising customs and immigration by 8am. We were one of the first 50 odd passengers off the ship and onto a shuttle bus into town. Cost of return shuttle bus NZD10 each. It is not too far to walk into the CBD from the terminal, only about 2kms, which some passengers did but we knew we would be walking around a considerable distance once in Wellington, so chose to ride the shuttle and get our bearings.

The bus dropped us off at Brandon Street, just near Lambton Quay, right in the middle of the CBD. From the shuttle bus drop off, we walked a short distance to the Cable Car NZD 3.50 one way to Kelburn Lookout and the Botanic Gardens. The cable car has been running for over 110 years, zips 390 feet above the city for a panoramic view out to the water. We explored the gardens and the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens before walking back into the CBD through the Bolton Street Memorial Park, a cemetery as old as the settlement of Wellington. The stories told by the headstones reflect the growing pains of the colony, poor sanitation, lack of welfare, fire, as well as the growing prosperity of a capital city and a thriving port.

By the time we reached Lambton Quay again, we decided to rest our weary muscles with a coffee stop before a walk along the boardwalk to Te Papa Museum, New Zealand's National museum. We walked around the various floors of displays which encompassed Art, Awesome Forces (an area showcasing the effects of earthquakes in N Z), Maori Cultural exhibits of dwellings, boats and culture and a National Art Collection of European and Maori historical and contemporary pieces. A must visit for anyone intending to visit Wellington.

We went back along the boardwalk to the shuttle bus which returned us to the ship. Tonight  we will have a candle lit dinner of French Cuisine and maybe a show in the Princess Theatre before we finish for the day. 

Day 6 Fiordland, New Zealand

Fiordland National Park

 

Our Captain announces sea conditions, usually twice a day. The later few announcements have warned us of high seas and strong winds, especially as we near New Zealand. Conversations with some passengers have warned us of the possibility the ship may not be able to enter the various fiords if the weather is bad. Well, we had a little rocking and rolling but not enough to cause sea sickness or hinder our movement around the ship, quite mild actually. So we were up and warmly dressed to go out onto the front observation deck on deck 11 to see the entrance to Milford Sound.

Fiordland was established in 1952 and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is on the South Island of New Zealand and is 1.2 million-hectare terrain free for wildlife to roam, from dolphins and seals in the water, to a variety of birds, including the flightless parrots known as kakapos and kiwis. New Zealand does not have any native manuals.

We stood on the open deck as the ship sailed into Fiordland about 7.45am. The cold wind came off the land and out through Milford Sound straight to the front of the ship where we were standing. We managed to stay there for about 3 hours before returning to the warmth of the ship and breakfast. 

The ship left Milford Sound about 10am then sailed south to Thompson Sound where it entered about 1pm and exited an hour later before sailing to Dusky Sound to enter just after 3pm and exiting about an hour later.

The sun rarely shone whilst we were in the sounds, the clouds were low in Milford Sound but had lifted by the time we sailed through the other two sounds. We were fortunate it had rained heavily the night before which afforded us plenty of waterfalls. The sounds were created when glaciers slowly moved through to the sea, sculpturing the fiords. Now that I have seen the three Sounds, I would rate Milford as the most dramatic. The land has been dramatically cut away by the glacier those many 1,000s centuries ago leaving vertical cliffs where waterfalls fall straight into the sea. As we looked through the low cloud cover, over the closest ridges to the higher peaks behind, we noticed these higher peaks were snow-capped, and we were told, most of the snow stays on these peaks year round. Brrr, it was cold out there on the front deck.

When the ship sailed into Milford Sound it had to negotiate around the narrow bends until the sound opened up to a wider point just before the lodge, which accommodates hikers, kayakers and tourists who visit the area. There is also an underwater observation area which goes 30 feet down into the water of the sound so tourists can see the aquatic sea life swim past.  We were lucky it had rained so much the night before as we saw many waterfalls, some 100's metres high, cascading into the water. Apparently they dry up fairly quickly if it hasn't rained recently.

The other Sounds are less dramatic but still special and breathtaking with their lush vegetation and crystal-clear waters.

The ship commemorated Veterans Day at 11am this morning and held a couple of services at 11.15am. Either an Interdenominational or a Non-religious. Then a Veterans' get together in the Razzmatazz Lounge at 2.30pm. Hats off to Princess who honoured Veterans for their service.

PS Drink of the Day 'Kiwi Sangria' (Bacardi Limon, Apple Schnapps, Sauvignon Blanc, fresh kiwi and lemon)