Wellington, New Zealand - The Nation's Capital

The Beehive - NZ Government Executive Office Bldg

When we visited Wellington 3 ½ years ago, it was a cold, damp, gray spring day in November.  I had chosen two half day excursions, one of which was called the Seal Coast Safari and the other a Wellington City Highlights tour.  I just remembered Wellington as a busy city with what seemed to be complicated traffic patterns.  This year it was a glorious warm, but not hot, summer day with bright blue skies. 

But again, Barb and I chose different shore excursions.  She decided to do the Seal Coast Safari which I had previously done and I elected to do Wellington Harbour and Storm Coast with our friends, Sally and Ange.  I had seen two or three excursions that looked good so before booking I contacted them to see what they were doing and if they had chosen one that was on my list, I decided to do that one.  It’s more fun to do a tour with others.

We hopped on the bus and found it to be a huge bus, more like a city commuter bus than a comfortable tour bus.  It had two levels and I sat in the lower level, realizing after I was seated that there were major barriers in the front including a raised seat way up in front.  Windows were high which was good, but it just gave a good view of the sky and the tops of mountains to my left.  The driver pointed out some of the key Wellington landmarks as we left the city, including the national Parliament including a building called the beehive because of its honeycomb appearance.  That makes sense as New Zealand is also noted for its superior, and very expensive honey called Manuka Honey which is purported to have medicinal and health value depending upon the grade.

As we traveled along the coast, out of Wellington, mountains covered with the pretty (to us who don’t have it growing everywhere) shrub, known as gorse.  Along the mountains were sheep and sure-footed goats, but taking pictures was nearly impossible because of reflections from the other side and even the red metal grab poles for those on a commuter bus who had to stand.  There was virtually no leg room and very small seats.  The positioning of the back of the seat was such that riding for about an hour and a quarter, was not pleasing my back.  It was unlike most tour buses and unfortunately that was rather disconcerting.  It was hard seeing the scenery on the other side which had the great view of the coastline.

Our destination was another small sheep farm, but the difference between this and the one we visited near Auckland was that this was perched on a hill overlooking the coast – a magnificent location that would seem to make work much more tolerable.  Immediately we were invited inside for coffee or tea and some sweets¸ followed by the sheepdog demonstration.  Here though there were two friendly dogs which both enjoyed interacting with people.  One was called a stealer which barked at the sheep to get them moving where the rancher wanted and the other was silent as it worked.  Both dogs worked together to herd the sheep.  All this time, we had a wonderful view of the coast.  Returning to Wellington required the same route back so this time my side of the bus had the great view with virtually no reflection so the scenery equalized out for both sides.

As I returned to the room, I was a bit surprised that Barb wasn’t back as her excursion was to have been an hour shorter.  However a few minutes later, I was leaving to go for a late lunch when Barb hobbled down the hall.  That is a story left for her to tell…..

After lunch, I boarded a free shuttle out of the port to downtown Wellington.  Barb originally planned to come as well, but… Since Wellington port is an industrial one¸ pedestrians are not permitted in most of the port area.  I was transported to a central area in downtown Wellington and anticipated just wandering down the major thoroughfare looking in windows of closed stores.  However, to my surprise, many stores were open on a Sunday afternoon.  There was a lot of foot traffic including quite a few from our ship.   Most stores, though, catered to local needs like clothing, shoes, and jewelry stores, many jewelry stores! 

When I came to the main business street, I turned right because I didn’t have to cross a street. As I continued a short way, some of the buildings look architecturally older and sure enough, I realized I was approaching the government buildings included Wellington’s capital building, popularly called “The Beehive” because of its round shape and windows that make the façade look somewhat like a beehive.  I passed a monument to World War I and World War II dead and then on to the grounds of the capital.  I noticed a number of people entering, so I decided to follow.  There was a sign indicating free tours of the capital including one at 2 PM on Sundays.  It was 2:03 when I entered but was too late for that tour and was told there would be one an hour later.  I really didn’t want to wait an hour for an hour-long tour, so I watched a 10 minute DVD on the selection of Wellington as the national capital as well as the construction of The Beehive.  Before Wellington, Auckland as the largest city, was capital in the 1860s.  Wellington became capital because it was more centrally located since it is at the southern tip of the heavily populated North Island a short distance across the Cook Strait from the South Island.

The Behive was constructed after a damaging fire to the previous structure in 1992 and was opened for business in 1996.  Next to The Beehive is the Parliamentary Building and the National Library.  Across the street is the older government building, notable because it is the largest wooden structure in the Southern Hemisphere and the second largest in the world.

After leaving the government complex, I walked back down the main street, past where the bus was located and noticed a street down to the busy harbor which had several restaurants as well as kayaks for rent and a helicopter for sightseeing nearby.  By then, it was time to return to the shuttle for the quick transport back to the ship and to get ready, sadly, for our last day in New Zealand, across the Cook Strait to Picton.

We have totally enjoyed New Zealand and appreciated it even more this time than the first, mostly because the weather was so much more cooperative.  However, we look forward to our Australian ports coming up later this week!

CT

New Zealand Fur Seal

As Chuck said, since he had so enjoyed the Seal Coast Safari in 2009 and since I always love doing animal excursions, I decided to do that excursion on this visit to Wellington.  We were situated in several 4WD vehicles, and with my knee issues, I opted to take the front seat in a vehicle that seated eight in the back – a vehicle very similar to the one we had used in Moorea, though here there were windows rather than the open sides as there had been in Moorea.  In the front seat I was able to stretch my legs easily and move them so I wouldn’t get stiff on the bumpy drive.  This also gave people in the back a little more leg room since there were only seven back there. 

We set out from the terminal and drove through a section of Wellington called Brooklyn, which has streets named for US Presidents (and yes, Brooklyn was named for Brooklyn, NY).   In short order we were at the top of a high overlook that gave us a magnificent view of Wellington – though since we were facing East into the morning sun, the picture-taking wasn’t ideal by a long stretch!  Nevertheless, we all appreciated the lovely scenery!  Our guide, Nathan, gave us an idea of what we were seeing and what we would see; then another driver (apparently quite the comedian) had us all participate in some kind of “ritual” that would bring us good luck for seal viewing.  It was some kind of Maori chant and we all got quite a kick out of taking part in it.

Back in the vehicle, we continued on our way, enjoying spectacular coastal scenery from the top of the small mountains as well as during the steep and winding descent.  Then the fun began.   Traversing the sandy beach for what seemed to be several miles, but which in all likelihood was only two or three, we bounced our way across the rocky and sandy beach.  At one point there was a part that he called the roller coaster, and indeed it was very much like a wild mouse ride with all the quick ups and downs.  We passed a dramatic fault line where there was one small home situated right where it met the beach.  We passed a couple of fishermen setting up their reels while their dogs cavorted in the sand.  In the distance we could see the “leaning lighthouse”, not far from our destination.

During different times of year there are different numbers of seals that make their homes along the coast.  Right now the females and pups are farther south, so the number of seals was greatly reduced; all of them were males.  Unlike when we were in Callao, Peru, there weren’t thousands crowding each other out on the rocky coast, but also unlike Callao, we were able to get much closer to them.  We had been warned however not to get closer than 20 yards and definitely not between the seals and the ocean as that is their “safety net”.  Nathan told us that if a seal were to bite for some reason, being in that remote location, they probably wouldn’t be able to get help in time and the bite would most likely be fatal.  (This reminded me of the warnings about the Komodo dragons last year, but I have a feeling I’d rather chance the seal than the dragon, given a choice!)

We all had a wonderful time watching the seals basking in the sun and lolling lazily in the water.  Naturally as there is in every crowd, one man seemed to think that the rules didn’t apply to him.  He got way too close and scared several of the seals away.  Despite the warnings of the guides and being called to retreat from the seals, he ignored them and as a result the seal viewing was somewhat reduced.  Sometimes you wonder about people!

All too soon we were climbing back into our vehicles for the flip-trip.  Back across the sands we jounced, stopping from time to time for photos.  I hated to bother Nathan, who had volunteered to snap pictures out the other side when stopped so I tried to avoid asking him as much as possible.  Then we found out that he had been a photo journalist for a magazine!  My camera definitely would have been in excellent hands!  (Later we also found out that he was a lawyer who had published a book about his 4000-mile trek along the Great Wall and that he had a final draft of a second book ready to go to the publisher!  Quite a talented young man!) 

We had a brief stop at a farm where we could take pictures of a buck with a magnificent rack.  As I slid out of the front seat onto the ground, I found that I was having trouble walking.  My left foot really hurt!  I took a couple of pictures and climbed back into the front seat.  When I sat down it didn’t hurt so I wondered if I’d gotten some kind of cramp.  But when we got out at the same place we’d stopped the first time for photos (now that the sun was in the right place), I realized that it really did hurt to walk!  I did as little as possible and climbed back in for our trip through Wellington back to the ship. 

Walking to the ship was a challenge!  While it didn’t hurt to stand or sit, just the motion was really killing my foot!  Long story short, as soon as I could, I filled out an accident report with the Medical Center.  I elevated and iced for the rest of the day, taking it easy as much as possible.  Nothing broken, and too weird a spot for a sprain – just some kind of wrench or something.  Just enough to be very inconvenient.

I was really bummed not to be able to walk around Wellington.  The weather was so spectacular and it was our first chance to just poke around the city, but I decided to forego Wellington on foot.  With a full-day shore excursion planned for our next port of Picton, I wanted to rest it up as much as possible.  However, Chuck made it sound much worse than it was.

BT

Napier, New Zealand: A Wonderful Time with Friends!

Margaret, Chuck, Brian, Barb at the Gannet Colony

A few weeks before our arrival in Napier, we had received word from the ship that because of tides in Tauranga, we would be unable to leave as early as planned.  This meant that our already too-short stop in Napier would be shortened by another hour!  Before we had left on the trip, we heard from our friends Brian and Margaret Amor saying that if we would like, they could meet us and spend the day with us while we were in Napier.  Of course we were very pleased, so losing an hour really was disappointing for us. 

Three years ago, Brian and Margaret had graciously invited us to their home in Gisborne (“where the day begins” – the first land mass to receive the light of each day).  They picked us up in Napier, took us home with them where we spent a very enjoyable evening seeing their fruit orchards as well as their egg industry, and then returned us to the ship the following day in Tauranga, making several stops along the way, including one at their chicken farm where all the eggs in the Gisborne area are produced. We hadn’t seen them since, and of course we hadn’t anticipated that they might be able to see us again.  So we were very pleased that they were able to take the time to join us in Napier. 

Napier is a port town of about 58,000 people located on Hawke’s Bay.  Most of the seaport is loaded with more logs and log chips than you could ever imagine – all being prepared to be shipped to various parts of the world.  It is also known for its art deco buildings, but even though we’ve been in Napier twice, we’ve never really had a chance to tour that part of the town.

As soon as we were able, we exited the ship and hopped the shuttle past the security gate at the port.  (We were told that passengers are not allowed to walk out of the port when cargo ships are loading lumber, and they were definitely busy doing that when we were in port!)  Before we were even off the shuttle, I spotted Margaret waiting for us.  Brian had parked the car a little way down, and in short order we were on our way.  Even though it had been three years since we’d seen them, it felt like we had seen them yesterday – they are so warm and friendly. 

As we drove through the lovely seaside town of Napier we were absolutely amazed at all the bagpipe bands we saw!  We really would have loved to stop and listen to a few of them, but our time had already been shortened so we didn’t dare. 

We headed out of Napier along the bay to the town of Clifton, where we were scheduled to do a “safari” to a nearby gannet colony.  I had scheduled that as a shore excursion before we knew we would be meeting Brian and Margaret, and Margaret had always wanted to visit Cape Kidnapper’s Gannet Safari, so when we made arrangements to meet, she called and booked the four of us on an afternoon tour.  After locating the office, we found a café where we could eat lunch.  We enjoyed looking out across the street at the bay and the beautiful azure blue water.  But we most enjoyed the opportunity to sit and visit after so many years!

As we prepared to head out, we noticed a billboard stating, “This area closed after 2:00 for cruise ship guests.”  So I guess the place we chose to eat was good enough for the Amsterdam!  

Arriving at the safari office, we saw a few small safari buses and immediately spotted our friends Bob & Nancy, who were on the ship tour.  Although we were about 15 minutes behind them in leaving, they were stopping for a snack at the café afterward so we figured our timing was pretty good. 

There were about a dozen people on our bus, including the four of us as well as a few other Americans and a couple more Kiwis.  We set off into the nature preserve – a dense forest.  The driver gave a running commentary, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take notes and couldn’t always catch his New Zealand accent!  Frustrating!  I did pick up that the land was purchased by an American and that he was working to provide a haven for some of the endangered animals, including kiwis as well as a few other types of indigenous birds.  They were working to remove all the animal predators who threatened these birds, including some of the 40 million or so possums that now make New Zealand their home!

Eventually we passed from the forest into the Cape Kidnappers Station.  Station is the Kiwi word for a very large ranch.  Cape Kidnappers reminded us very much of the shore excursion we took in Christchurch – the land was quite hilly and had low shrubs and lots and lots of sheep.  In that case it was all sheep, but Cape Kidnappers also boasted a lot of cattle. 

We stopped for a spectacular view of the cliffs that descended down to Hawke’s Bay and the many layers of rocks that were evident along the cliffs.  We wondered why the stop there was so long, but we soon discovered that had we left sooner, we would have timed it wrong to pass some other safari vehicles going the other direction on a one-way road!  We did meet, but we at least could pass at a convenient location. 

In 2011 on the Voyage of the Vikings, we took a shore excursion that visited the place in Iceland where the European and North American tectonic plates met.  (Iceland is the only country that can honestly say it is located in both Europe and North America.)   This time we discovered that we were crossing over from the Pacific plate to the Australasian plate, and the line was very easy to identify!  Having listened to an Explorations speaker who discussed these tectonic plates, it made our viewing of the geological formations even more interesting!  According to our guide, the Pacific plate is sliding underneath the Australasian plate at the astonishing rate of the growth of a fingernail a year!  (At least I think I have it right. Maybe the Australasian plate is sliding under the Pacific plate.  I won’t hold my breath and see if I notice the difference next year!) 

Soon after crossing from one plate to another, we arrived at the gannet colony.  Unlike the colony we visited near Auckland, we were able to walk up to within feet of these gannets.  It was amazing to watch these animals up close.  We were particularly interested in a pair of gannets who had an extremely rare set of twin chicks.  Since gannets only lay one egg at a time, this is highly unusual!  We watched the gannets taking off, soaring overhead, and searching for a place to land, a comical sight to see as they are very clumsy at landing.  Chuck saw one crash land on top of another, and the one who cushioned the landing was not pleased!  We watched mates singing to each other and nuzzling each other.  We really got a kick out of spending the time watching their characteristic moves. 

Soon we were on our way again, retracing our steps back to the office.  As promised, the guide got us back at 4:30.  We were relieved because of the early sail-away.  We hopped in the car for our trip back to Napier.  Margaret had a fresh orange for each of us – organically grown on their farm in Gisborne.  Very juicy and delicious (and no seeds)!  

We had debated how we would return to the ship since we couldn’t walk through the port, so when we arrived back in Napier and saw the shuttle, we decided that this would be the most practical way to return to the ship.  We felt bad hopping out of the car so quickly to jump on the shuttle, but we figured it was a sure thing!  Within a few minutes we had said our quick good-byes and were on the shuttle preparing to head back to the port.  We were sorry to have had such a short visit with Brian and Margaret, but we were really pleased to have had the opportunity to see them once again!  It was a real treat for us!  

BT

Auckland, New Zealand - City of Sails in the Land of the Long White Cloud

Auckland, New Zealand: City of Sails in the Land of the Long White Cloud

Kia ora to Autearoa!  Welcome to the Land of the Long White Cloud!  I must admit that this month of the cruise (all of the ports being in New Zealand and Australia) is the one I’ve very eagerly awaited.  While I look forward to Africa, I don’t yet know what I’m missing there, and having been to both New Zealand and Australia before, I have been very, very anxious to return!

New Zealand is a small country of about 105,000 square miles with a population of about 4.2 million people.  Originally settled by the Maori people (believed to have come from Rarotonga, Cook Islands), it forms one of the three angles of the Polynesian triangle (the other two being Hawaii and Easter Island).  All the islands within were settled some time or other by the Polynesians, who navigated the Pacific waters in their canoes hundreds of years ago.

Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, New Zealand boasts many volcanoes, and of course recent earthquakes have changed the land quite a bit!  Being just over the International Dateline, New Zealand is officially the first country to greet each new day. 

Having had to miss the Cook Islands, we found ourselves with a small bonus of arriving in Auckland about 12 hours early, which was perfectly fine with us!  We met our friends Bob & Nancy in the Lido for dinner that first night, had a quick dinner (while running out on deck to snap pictures of the spectacular sail-in), and then headed out for a walk around town.

Because of its dependence upon the agricultural industry (both farming and sheep herding – New Zealand has a little more than 10 times as many sheep as people, with approximately 45 million sheep), New Zealand has very strict laws about what a person can bring ashore.  No water other than commercially bottled water, no fruits, seeds, nuts, flowers, etc.  This makes it very difficult to take anything ashore to snack on.  I was even reluctant to take a granola bar because it contained almonds, and the fines are very hefty!  I can’t blame them, though, as their economy is so dependent upon farming!   Once the ship was cleared by customs, we walked ashore (a welcome thought after three of the last four ports being tender ports).  In some ports they have security beagles checking people’s bags as they exit the ship, and though we fully expected to be greeted by a few dogs, none were present. 

Our friend Carole, born in Auckland, had suggested that we might want to visit the harbor.   As we left the ship, we stopped briefly to check with Barbara, the travel guide, and asked her what she would recommend.  Her comment?  “Go to the right and walk along the harbor.”  So with two very knowledgeable people giving us the same recommendation, we decided to follow their advice, and we were very pleased that we did!  

A short walk stretched much longer by many, many photographs (all four of us were stopping every few feet to snap a picture, trying to capture that perfect angle of whatever the subject might be) brought us to the Westhaven Boat Harbour.  If I remember correctly, the tour guide we had on one of our excursions told us that this is the largest harbor in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 2000 boats of various kinds moored there.  Couple that with the many yachts that are now here for the preliminaries of the America’s Cup (to be held February 7-10), and I don’t think we’ve ever seen so many large and beautiful yachts and sailboats in one place!  We could definitely see why one of Auckland’s nicknames is “City of Sails”!  Ever present in the background was the Sky Tower.  At 390 meters, it is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.  (We were told that the locals call it “the syringe” because it houses an expensive hotel and casino so suctions the cash away from people very quickly!)  Add an amazing sunset bursting from behind pink clouds and reflecting in the windows of the many tall buildings, and all of us were like kids in a candy store! 

Our first full day in Auckland found us on a shore excursion, “Coast to Coast”, which took us from the east coast, where Auckland is located, to the west coast.  To someone from North America, this might sound like quite a daunting excursion, but in reality the distance from Auckland to the west coast is less than 25 miles.  We were glad to have opted for an excursion that day because it was Waitangi Day, which is a holiday quite similar to our Independence Day.  February 6, 1840 was when the Maori signed an agreement with the British to have joint rule over the islands of New Zealand.  For a period of time after that, the Maori people were forced to assimilate into the British culture, but recent efforts have made it possible for the Maori people to reestablish their language and cultural heritage.  So this was a true day of celebration for the people of New Zealand.  Many businesses were closed, but with three ships in port, needless to say, the souvenir stores made sure they were ready to welcome guests from abroad!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip across this narrow part of the country, and we were absolutely delighted to make a stop at a sheep farm.  The owner welcomed us warmly, inviting us in for tea or coffee or juice as well as a few light snacks (I think we counted about 10 different yummy items that we could sample).  She told us that we were free to wander through the gardens, visit the interior of their home, feed the fallow deer, and then watch a sheepdog and shearing demonstration.  The deer eagerly came over to eat right out of our hands so I was very happy to stay there – till it was time to watch the Border Collie, Squeak, in action.  (I have to admit that it made me miss Molly.)  Squeak was so eager to herd the Suffolk sheep that she didn’t want to listen to her handler.   If any sheep started to stray away, even if he wanted them to stray so that he could display her talents of regathering the flock, she would jump up and start herding before they could get too far.  These dogs are incredibly intelligent and really have wonderful control of the sheep.  Once herded into a pen, one of the sheep was selected for shearing.  Resigned to its fate, it was very cooperative, and the shearer explained about pressure points used by shearers to be able to control the sheep and do the job very quickly.  A few minutes later the sheep was released, minus her wool coat.  One interesting fact we learned from our tour guide was that a sheep’s wool was taxed, and black sheep’s wool had a much, much lower tax, making it more desirable for people who couldn’t afford the expensive white wool.  Hence the song, “Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?” 

As we prepared to leave, the farm owner’s granddaughter boarded the bus and climbed onto the lap of one of the passengers.  In a wheelchair, he had been unable to get past the cattle grid on the driveway to see the sheep demonstration so he passed his time having wheelchair-tricycle races with the little girl, who was absolutely delighted with the attention.  She had made a new American friend and she wanted to accompany him home (though we think she probably would have changed her mind by the time   we got to the end of the long driveway)!

From there we headed Muriwai and the Takapu Refuge Walk where we took a short hike to view one of the largest gannet colonies in the world.  Graceful fliers, these Australasian gannets certainly do have a clumsy way of landing!  We really were entertained watching them!  Gannets mate for life and have one chick a year.  Chicks were born a few months ago and we saw many “gannet families” with two parents taking care of their downy chicks. 

Although the tour ran an hour late, nobody minded at all; we had had some wonderful experiences for our first full day in New Zealand, and the day wasn’t over yet!  

We had a very quick lunch, then headed out to wander around town.  We headed up Queen Street and split up to do some shopping.  I have to say that I certainly helped to support the economy of New Zealand, particularly Auckland!  I wandered from shop to shop, finding all sorts of things and had to be careful not to overdo the spending.  After all, we still have nearly three months left and I can only bring in so much that’s duty free.  I did manage to find some Manuka honey, a New Zealand specialty.  Manuka honey is made from the flower of the manuka tree, pollinated by bees of course, and is very good for one’s health. Most manuka honey jars have health “ratings”, explaining exactly what benefits that particular jar will provide.  The stronger the benefits, the higher the price.  Back in 2009, I bought two very small jars in a souvenir shop and paid something like $30 US for them.  This time I got smart and made my purchase in a grocery store rather than a souvenir shop, and the price was much more reasonable – a bottle about four times the size for less than $10 US. 

By the time I limped back to the ship I was ready to be done for the day.  I had walked far more than usual in the first 24 hours in New Zealand.  So I tried to kick back and relax for awhile, but the evening was busy, and the entertainment was a one-show-only folkloric show of Maori dancers at 9:30. Of course we didn’t want to miss that!  It was interesting, giving a lot of the history of the Maori people as well as the dances.   The last time we were in Hawaii and visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, we enjoyed the boat parade because of the various Polynesian cultures we’d visited.  At that time, although we’d been to Aotearoa (NZ), we hadn’t learned the history of the Maori dances, so if we ever have a chance to go to the PCC again, we will fully appreciate what we’re watching!

The second full day in Auckland was more relaxing for me.  Chuck had a shore excursion, but I wanted a little R&R with four more busy NZ ports coming up in the following four days.  I wanted to see if I could get information about the America’s Cup races going on that day so I had to go off the ship to talk to the travel guide.  The only problem was that since I was just going off to ask her a question, I took my ship ID, but I forgot my state ID.  Remember my comment about the strictness of NZ?  I had to be escorted back to the ship (I’d only been off about three minutes) so NZ security could make sure I wasn’t a budding terrorist!   Oops!  I should have taken my purse!  Lesson learned!  

BT

New Zealand is the place it seems where Barb and I chose separate excursions. Auckland is the first of three New Zealand ports where I did an excursion separate from her.  While she chose to spend her day in Auckland, just before we left home, I decided to do an easy excursion to one of Auckland’s more notable suburbs, Devonport, a seaside community to the north.

The tour bus took us past the harbor that we had walked our first night in Auckland but gave us a different perspective from the walking view. We then drove near the coast, across the long Auckland Bridge to the upscale village of Devonport.  We drove past some beautifully maintained small homes constructed in late 19^th century colonial style which cannot be substantially changed as a result of designation by New Zealand’s equivalent of historic preservation.  Most homes had flowers and shrubbery, some so thick it was difficult to see the homes behind, but others which seemed to display the attractive architecture, almost saying, “Look at me.  Don’t I look great?” 

We traveled up two separate hills for great views of the city and harbor area, but the second, higher hill, Mt. Victoria right in the heart of Devenport, gave spectacular views of the surrounding areas including views of the channel which we navigated into Auckland and then views of the downtown including the iconic Auckland Sky Tower as well as the Harbour Bridge, the Viaduct Wharf area where we saw the boats and yachts near our ship, and our home away from home, the ms Amsterdam!  With beautiful blue skies, everything made for great pictures.

After our tour, we were given tickets for the 12 minute ferry ride back to the port.  It was located directly next to our ship so I was back on board within three or four minutes after getting off the ferry.  Following a quick lunch onboard, Barb and I took the computer out to see if we could get some more inexpensive or free WiFi to at least get some pictures into the blog.  We found a McDonalds, got online, but the loading of the pictures was so slow, we gave up in despair.  So it may have been free WiFi, but it’s of no value when we can’t accomplish our goals.  It was time wasted from the precious last couple hours in a major city.   So we reboarded having gotten just one picture posted. 

Now it’s on to Tauranga, the second of our five New Zealand ports.

CT

P.S. Somehow this post got deleted.  It will now appear to have occurred after Tauranga.  We were in Auckland on the 5th through the 7th and Tauranga on the 8th.  Oops!!!

Tauranga, New Zealand - Kiwis and Hobbits

New Zealand Kiwis

Now that we are in New Zealand and in port for seven days in a row, the days are extremely busy and blog posts may begin to lag a bit.  After two and a half wonderful days in sunny Auckland and definitely not enough time to accomplish what we wanted, we reluctantly set sail on Thursday but realized we were heading for another favorite port, Tauranga.

Most people who don’t travel to Australia and New Zealand may not be familiar with Tauranga but if you ever purchase kiwi fruit¸ there is a good chance it was shipped out of the port of Tauranga from a building we could see from our verandah.  We have heard conflicting statements, but I believe I am correct in saying that Tauranga is the third busiest port in New Zealand overall, busiest port for exports because of the kiwi and Auckland is the busiest port for imports.  Tauranga is located on the Bay of Plenty, so named because of the rich agriculture, thriving settlements, and friendly Maori (natives) that lived there.  “Tauranga” has a population of somewhat over 100,000 people and means “resting place for canoes” in Maori.  Furthermore, it has the reputation for being one of the sunniest places in New Zealand (which makes sense to us as Tauranga and Napier which we visit next, were the two sunny days when we were in New Zealand in 2009.

We had been met by our New Zealand friends, Brian and Margaret, in 2009 who picked us up in Napier and returned us to the ship  in Tauranga.  On the return to the ship, we had stopped at a large kiwi farm and gift shop  near Tauranga called “Kiwi 360”.  As a Hobbit enthusiast, Barb had chosen an excursion which took people to see where the movie was filmed and I had planned a day where I would perhaps go out to Kiwi 360 again, but the logistics seemed complicated enough as I would need to take two buses, and making sure I had times correct in every case.  So at the last minute, I elected to do a ship excursion called “Kiwifruit and Tauranga Sights”.

After I was seated on the bus, another man got on and was seated next to me. He was a Canadian from Winnipeg who had taught high school math for 30 years and was traveling solo as his wife had passed away four years ago.  I noticed that he put his right leg up on the arm of unoccupied seat ahead of him. It was then that he explained that he had fallen on the gangway getting off the ship as he tried to take a picture of the port.  I could tell he was uncomfortable but was trying to make the best of the situation.  He had skinned his knee but that didn’t hurt, but he had turned his ankle and that was beginning to swell.  He did all the activities but after the last one, I asked how he was doing; he admitted it was “a challenge”.  Things like that happen so fast after a momentary lapse!  It reminded me of my tumble when I visited Niagara Falls last summer and Barb’s sprained ankle in Peru with the Lincoln-Way teachers’ travel group in 2008.  I do hope this won’t pose a major problem for him as our journey continues.

Our stop at Kiwi 360 in the village of Te Puke included a drive into the orchards where we learned the process of growing, harvesting, and marketing kiwifruit.  I never knew, for example, that there are male and female vines.  Only the female vines produce fruit so they have about 20% male vines and 80% female.  The large orchards also keep bees to cross pollinate.  Vines are very low and one needs to stoop when walking under the kiwi vines.  Since we are into late summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the fruit is ripening and will be harvested between April 1 and June 15. Those approximate ten weeks require temporaries to be hired.  Workers are recruited from Indonesia and several other nearby countries to assist in getting the crops to market.  Someone inquired as to what happened if they just stayed.  Good question from an American, reflecting on our experiences in our country.  But the matter of fact response was that it wouldn’t happen because the foreign temporaries are very tightly regulated and the person would never be invited back if they tried to overstay there visit.  End of story.  Why didn’t this solution ever occur to certain American politicians?

In addition to the green kiwi, which represents about 80% of the kiwi crop, there is also a golden kiwi with, appropriately, a gold colored fruit that is sweeter.  Most kiwi in the American market is the green kiwi.  After some scones, coffee, tea, or kiwijuice (I chose the juice), and a chance to browse the large gift shop, we were on our way, much more informed about a fruit which most of us just take for granted.

Back  in Tauranga, we were taken to a historic property known as “The Elms”.  It was an 1847 representation of a Georgian property which contains a Mission House made from New Zealand’s Kauri logs (Kuari trees are in the Redwood family and, if undisturbed can live about 2,000 years, a Chapel, and Library as well as an attractive, but simple lawn and garden.  The docents divided up our group into about 10 people to give a nice tour of the property before returning to the ship.

Since there was still time after our return to do so walking, I decided to do the 40 minute walk around Mt. Maunganui, an imposing volcanic mountain that rises from the flat land right near the pier.  Actually we were docked at the Port of Tauranga which is really in the Village of Mt. Maunganui.  Mt Maunganui (town) is a resort community with a couple of beautiful beaches on a peninsula so narrow that it is a short walk from one side to the other.  While Barb opted to do a bit of shopping, I began my trek around the base of the small “mountain”.  The walk was scenic as I observed the ship from many picturesque locations and could see swimmers and boaters in the water enjoying a glorious summer day, possibly the nicest February day I have experienced in terms of weather.  The dense foliage of the trees made for nice pictures framed by the trees. Sometimes I could look up to the summit and see the imposing peak other times, there were some of the many New Zealand sheep grazing along the mountain. 

Twice, friendly Kiwis (“Kiwi” with a capital “K” is nickname for New Zealanders initiated conversations.  Once I stopped while a lady composed a picture of her two friends or family members.  When she finished, the man thanked me for waiting and the lady taking the picture apologized.  Then he asked if I was on one of the cruise ships and inquired as to where we were going, where we had come from, and how long we would be gone.  They seemed pleased that Tauranga was included on a world voyage.  The others I spoke with were two women who asked basically the same questions and commented that the walk around the mountain was so pretty that they did it about once a week.  The walk took me much more than 40 minutes, but the scenery was so exquisite that in that respect, it ended too quickly as did our second stay in Tauranga!

As we made our way to the next port of Napier, our New Zealand, we passed White Island in the Bay of Plenty.  Our Auckland-born Canadian friend had told us that the volcano on the island had come to life and maybe it would put on a show for us as we made our way to Napier.  The captain made an announcement that we would pass about 9 PM, so we went out on deck to check out the action.  It was dark by then but could see dark plumes coming from the mountain but no lava or eruption.

CT

Bag End, home of Frodo & Bilbo Baggins

When I realized that there would be a shore excursion that took us to another Lord of the Rings (LotR) movie set, I told Chuck that while I knew he would not be interested, I really wanted to do it.  So while he went off and pursued his interests, I opted for the shore excursion that took me several miles inland to the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata. 

Our hour-long drive took us across a high mountain ridge and rural land that was dotted with sheep and cattle.  Our guide had spent five years running a cattle station until she and her husband moved to Tauranga so she was very experienced in what that entailed.  She explained that while New Zealand is known for its sheep, more and more people are finding that cattle are more lucrative so are gradually switching over.  No worries, though, as New Zealand still boasts nineteen breeds of sheep (merino being the most important for its soft wool). 

As we passed rolling fields of corn, we learned that this is not sweet corn but maize used as feed for livestock.  Even so, about 90% of the animals in New Zealand are grass-fed. 

In addition to the soft merino wool, New Zealand is known for its possum fur.  Possum was brought over from Australia, and was not a welcome introduction as possums are considered pests.  So the Kiwis made the most of it and found a good use for the possum.  They use the fur to make warm items, including clothing and blankets.  Clothing is extremely warm, but also extremely expensive!  She said that she took a nice warm possum fur sweater to a friend in Alberta, Canada, and it cost about $250 NZD, making it about $200 USD!  Later when I was browsing a store in Mt. Maunganui, I decided that the possum fur items available were well beyond my budget!  Needless to say, none of it will accompany me home!

As we passed a primary school, our guide explained that children in New Zealand may start school at age 5, but must be in school when they turn 6.  Most parents start their children at 5, and the children can be enrolled the day after their 5^th birthday.  I couldn’t help but think of my mom and my cousin Sharon, both formerly kindergarten teachers, and wonder how they would have enjoyed the revolving door of new students at such a young age!  I can’t even begin to imagine it!

As we arrived at the Alexander farm, a 1250-acre sheep farm that became the site of the Hobbiton movie set, it was very evident that this was a working farm.  One of the family members was working with the sheep despite the hundreds of tourists pulling up in motor coaches or private cars! 

Back in 1998 when LotR director Peter Jackson was searching for filming sites, they were looking for a location that had gently rolling hills and a lake as well as one that had few buildings, roads, and interfering power lines.  When they spotted the Alexander farm, they made a call on the family.  At the time they were watching a major sporting match (rugby?) between New Zealand and Australia, and fortunately for the callers, it was halftime.  Had it been while the game was being played they probably would have been unceremoniously brushed aside! 

When they heard that their farm was being considered as a filming site for Hobbiton, they said fine, and they were given the right to visit the filming site whenever they wanted.  Not being familiar with Tolkien’s work, when they arrived at the site, they were a little apprehensive.  Who were all these little people with chubby bellies and hairy feet running around their farm?  They had no clue what a hobbit was!  However, after the tremendous success of the movie, apparently they are now experts, knowing every page, every line, every scene!  And of course they are raking in the money! 

To build the set, New Line Cinema brought in the New Zealand Army, who constructed about a mile of road into the site as well as grading and reconstructing the land to make it look like a hobbit village.  Filming was so strictly guarded that the area above Hobbiton was a no-fly zone for all except filming personnel.  If someone either accidentally or intentionally flew over the site, they were greeted upon landing, all cameras were confiscated, and a hefty fine was issued. 

It was amazing to see the extreme detail that the film company went to in order to insure authenticity. As we took our two-hour stroll through the set, we saw the 37 hobbit holes constructed of untreated timber, ply, and polystyrene for the set, as well as garden after garden of flowers and vegetables.  (Hobbits love to garden!)  There was clothing on the lines outside many of the hobbit holes, small ladders leaned against the buildings, chimneys poking above the ground, wheelbarrows and garden supplies aplenty, and of course the ever-present brightly-colored round doors with the knobs in the very center. One 26-ton gnarled old oak tree had been taken from nearby Matamata, cut apart and numbered, then put together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Artificial leaves were brought in from Taiwan and put on the tree one by one! Street signs pointing to Bagshot Row, East Farthing, and other landmarks were strategically placed.  It was really exciting to stop in front of Bag End, home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, as well as the large home of Sam & Rosie Gamgee that became the final shot in the last movie of the trilogy, Return of the King. Sam enters the gate, greets his family, says, “Well, I’m back,” and passes through the bright yellow door.  End of movie.  End of trilogy.   

We stopped for pictures at the Party Tree, a well-known Hobbiton landmark, and crossed the stone bridge that isn’t really stone at all but made of timber, ply, and polystyrene, passing by the little mill before heading to the Green Dragon for drinks.  There were four drinks available, special recipes created specifically for guests who visit Hobbiton, and I opted for ginger beer (which really isn’t beer at all but a little like ginger ale) and a delicious muffin of raspberries and chocolate.  Yum!   

Unlike the LotR tour I took in Wellington in 2009, this time the movie set was pretty much intact.  The tour in 2009 took us to sites that had been totally dismantled and we had to use vivid imaginations to visualize the scenes.  This time we had no need to imagine what was there.  We could see it, and everyone was thrilled to see such an integral part of this iconic movie’s history! 

BT

Rarotonga, Cook Islands: A Favorite Port Canceled!

As we approached the Cook Islands, the seas were roiling and the skies were a mixture of ominously dark clouds and patches of blue.  We were hopeful that all would go well, and we were up early, ready to head ashore by tender for our scheduled excursion.  However, our past experience here told us that this was one of those ports where we’d have a 50-50 chance of getting in.  In 2009 we managed, but those who had mobility issues were encouraged not to try the tender ride. 

As we began breakfast, Captain Mercer came on with an announcement.  The ship had attempted to find a location that would suffice for a safe tender operation, but the waters would have none of that!  After our wild-mouse ride ashore and back at Easter Island, we were not eager for another such experience, and the captain said that the conditions were much worse here, with swells coming from different directions in addition to high winds. 

So we set sail, reluctantly waving good-bye to one of our favorite South Pacific islands, but glad that we didn’t have to make the decision to risk life and limb to get ashore.  Captain Jonathan contacted the Auckland authorities to see if we would be able to arrive sooner than scheduled, and happily both Auckland and Seattle approved an early arrival on the evening of February 5^th rather than the morning of the 6^th.  We eagerly anticipate an extra evening in Auckland, New Zealand as it is a large and interesting city with an excellent port location.  We just wish our friends Carole and Conrad could be with us, but they had to cancel the cruise for medical reasons.  Carole was born in Auckland and had so been looking forward to visiting it on this cruise!  Instead they will be crossing fingers for a chance to get out of Ottawa and head for Dunedin, FL, instead.  Carole and Conrad, we are thinking of you as we head for New Zealand! 

The day we should have been in Rarotonga found us sailing on extremely rough seas!  Sea-calm (like Dramamine) was the order of the day for me!  All part of the adventure!

The first day out of Bora Bora was a formal night (French theme to go along with French Polynesia).  We arrived at dinner to find that our dining steward was absent due to minor surgery, so several assistant stewards were working frantically to fill in for him.  You certainly can’t easily replace dining stewards, and it was very evident as the assistant stewards made the valiant attempt to get our food to the proper tables and to the proper people.  It certainly does help when there is one steward and one assistant steward assigned to tables, but HAL has changed their practice of assigning one assistant steward to each steward.  Under normal circumstances, things flow smoothly with this new system, but throw in the glitch of a missing steward, and it is very obvious that this was not a change for the better! 

This is our fourth time crossing the Pacific on the Amsterdam, and each time we are struck by the vastness of this amazing ocean!  Covering 1/3 the surface of the Earth, it is truly immense, and we often wonder what mysteries lie beneath us as we sail these waters.  As we headed southwestward from Rarotonga, the ocean depths became deeper and deeper; at times we have had more than three miles of water slipping beneath our hull! 

The days at sea have been very active.  The two Explorations lecturers on this segment have been historians, and their perspectives have been extremely interesting!   One makes us wish that we were still teaching because we’ve learned so much useful information from him!  The entertainment continues to be excellent; the other night we had an incredible pianist who took us on a trip around the world as he played music from 19 different countries in a nonstop 55-minute musical piece, and the following night the outstanding Celtic Tenors had us mesmerized with their beautiful harmonic voices. 

On February 2^nd/3^rd we crossed the International Dateline.  Since it zigzags from North to South Pole, we actually crossed it at 172°.  The ship opted to eliminate February 2^nd, meaning that we missed Saturday, which of course is Groundhog Day!  (Does that mean that because the groundhog couldn’t make an appearance and therefore couldn’t see his shadow, that there will be an early spring at home?  We hope so for the sake of those friends who are ready for winter to be over!)  I couldn’t help but think that if I were working, I wouldn’t much appreciate missing a Saturday!  Super Bowl Sunday became Super Bowl Monday for us.  We are currently 20 hours ahead of Chicago time, which means that the Super Bowl will be live for us in the afternoon of Monday the 4^th.  We aren’t big into the Super Bowl since our two favorite teams (the Bills and the Bears) are not participating, so we decided to opt for the movie of the day, We Are Marshall, the story of an entire college football team that was killed in a plane crash.  Interestingly, two of our good friends from the ship are retired graduate professors who taught at Marshall, though the tragedy occurred before they worked there. 

After nearly six days at sea, we are eager to arrive in one of our favorite countries, New Zealand!

BT

If anyone had told me five years ago that I would be back in Tahiti three times and Moorea and Bora Bora twice in the next five years, I would have thought they were crazy.  Those were exotic places of the South Sea Islands in movies and legend.  No one I knew ever went to places like those and they were not even in my imagination as places I would ever visit.  But here we are again in what has become one of our favorite parts of the world. Because of the long flight, I knew I would never get to Australia and New Zealand which I had wanted to visit, but we had never entertained the notion of crossing the Pacific on a cruise ship and actually visiting these wonderful and beautiful islands! Yet here we are again.

The first and largest of our ports in French Polynesia was Tahiti.  I can’t think of friends at home who have visited Tahiti even once but compared to others on the ship, we have only been there three times.  The first two times, 2009 and 2012, we did shore excursions and saw different parts of Tahiti.  The first time we got deep into the interior on a four by four vehicle and saw things one wouldn’t otherwise see on the road.  Knowing we were going to visit Tahiti again in 2013, we had thought that we would skip a shore excursion there in 2012, but our friend Pam was traveling with us and it was her first time in Tahiti so we decided to do a shore excursion with her. It had been a nice round the island tour where we had seen a black sand beach, had a pleasant snack in a restaurant associated with the Gauguin museum, toured a lovely garden nearby, admired a large and powerful waterfall on the island, and watched a blowhole near the largest city in all of French Polynesia, Papeete.

So this was the year that we decided to be on our own in Papeete and not do an excursion.  But this year, we were there on a Sunday and in French Polynesia, nearly all businesses are closed on Sundays.  That included the large market, just a short walk from the pier in Papeete.  And we had heard there was a good chance it might rain in Tahiti this year as the outer reaches of Cyclone Gary might impact us.  When we arrived in Papeete, the clouds were low with a small patch of blue and there was a warm tropical rain. (No complaints as I had seen Sunday’s weather conditions in Chicago was to be ice!  I will take rain in Tahiti in January, thank you!)

To our surprise however, the sun and blue skies broke through and predominated over the clouds, so we went out in the hot (85°) humid weather and walked along the attractive Papeete waterfront, past several parks to our left and boats in the harbor to our right.  We had seen there was a Protestant Church near the shore in that general direction so decided to see if it was within reasonable walking distance.  Barb had found a welcoming church in Pago Pago, American Samoa last year where she had heard some beautiful Polynesian singing and it occurred to us that we might find the same here.  We arrived at the church about 9 AM and services we found started at 10.  Windows were wide open (that was apparently their air conditioning) and some were already arriving.  Not sure if we should enter as we were adorned in tee shirts, we figured we’d give it a try and would sit toward the rear of the large sanctuary.  We sat there for awhile watching parishioners arriving, most in their Sunday finest.  Women all wore dresses and every single one was wearing a colorful large straw hat with lots of flowers decorating them. Men were either wearing more informal tropical shirts or white shirts, ties, and jackets.  Were we ever underdressed, or what?  A lady came and told us in French (which Barb interpreted and I picked up some of it) that the choir was going to practicing soon right where we were sitting and that maybe we would like to go to the balcony where would have a better view of the whole service.  We went up there, found a seat but also found that the heat was absolutely oppressive as there were no windows and no air circulation.   We would have passed out from the heat after a couple hours, so we left and sat in a park across the busy street and listened to some of the music through the open windows.   We also watched and saw absolutely no one dressed as informally as we were.  After awhile, even the heat in the shade got to us and we returned to the ship, only to find that there was a staff drill going on and all of the elevators were out of service.  As hot and sticky as we were, we had to climb eight flights to our air conditioned room.

Later in the afternoon, a local folkloric show called “O Tahiti E” took place in the Queen’s Lounge for a packed and appreciative house.  The young men and women danced and chanted to the melodic Polynesian music, providing a wonderful show before we sailed about dinner time to the nearby port in Moorea.

When we opened the drapes on Monday morning, there it was!  Moorea!!!  Those that know me will know how good it was when I say that for me, Moorea is the South Pacific version of Geirangerfjord in the Norwegian fjords or the Island of Santorni in Greece.  These are the best of the best.  We were introduced to Moorea on our 2009 South Pacific cruise when we took a short cruise along Moorea’s coastline to a beautiful motu (small island) where we saw some gentle stingrays and had a wonderful island lunch.  At that time we weren’t on Moorea at all except to transfer from the tender to the boat that took us to the motu.  But Moorea is the site of the enchanting view of the “Bali Hai” mountain made famous in the 1950s version of the musical South Pacific. 

Like in Tahiti which lies only about 8 miles from Moorea, we were told to expect a good chance of rain in Moorea since cyclones had been blowing through the region.  We awakened to clouds that obscured Bali Hai but also blue sky and clear conditions at sea level and nearly to the top of the mountains.  We tendered a short smooth distance to the small Moorean town of Papetoa in the Opunohu Bay where we boarded several 4 x 4 vehicles.  Moorea is shaped like  a “W” with two fairly long bays, Opunohu Bay and Cook’s Bay that represent the spaces between the lines that make up the letter “W”. 

This time we wanted to go inland and the best way to see real beauty is to get off the road and go where only the 4 x 4 vehicles can go.  We got in our vehicle designed for 8 adults, four facing the other four and met our tour guide, Ron.  He provided an overview of what we would see and for the most part the place names won’t mean much to the readers of this blog.  The tour took us up narrow, rough roads (using the word “roads” very loosely).  It took us to a place where we had a steep but brief walk up to a magnificent viewpoint from “Magic Mountain” of the spectacular bay with its blue waters and reefs visible below.  We made a short visit to the Agricultural School of Moorea where we tasted several of their famous jams made with the abundant tropical fruits of the island.  We made another brief stop at an historical site known as Marae Titiroa where humans were sometimes sacrificed to the gods (fortunately practice ended about 150 years ago because they preferred to sacrifice strangers from other villages unless there was a particular naughty native that deserved to be sacrificed)!    We saw some huge old trees under which graves and markers were placed.  The ride took us over streams that covered the road, which reminded Barb and me of our 4 x 4 that got stuck on rocks near Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2009.  We went up Belvedere Mountain to the lookout that showed us both Opunohu and Cook’s Bays for even more spectacular views.  Then it was on to Moorea Fruit Juice Factory where some exotic liquors made from tropical fruits were sampled and made available for purchase.  Finally we made a stop along the shores of Opunoho Bay for some sea level pictures of the palms, boats, and of course our home away from home, the ms Amsterdam.  Opunohu  Bay was the site of some of the filming of the 1984 Mel Gibson movie, The Bounty, which told the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty.

Since the French Polynesian islands were mainly created from ancient volcanoes, the islands are mountainous which adds dramatically to the beauty of the area.  Barb and I have commented several times about the lady on the Grand Pacific Voyage in 2009 who wondered why we had to stop at all these South Pacific islands.  “They’re just like Florida,” she whined.  We had never noticed the mountains of Florida when we have visited there!  Needless to say, we loved Moorea as much this time and with a different perspective than in 2009.  Like Tahiti the previous day, it was hot and extremely humid, but we must not complain because we are avoiding late January in the northern part of the US!  And one year ago on the same day, January 28, we were visiting the cold, windy Falkland Islands and were bundled in sweatshirts and winter coats!  And for the second time in two days, we escaped predicted rains.  Hurray!  We hoped for the same luck in Bora Bora and our three island, three day visit to French Polynesia. 

Our final day, Tuesday, in French Polynesia was spent on the island of Bora Bora, anchored at Vaitape, the largest city and main port.  Having done shore excursions on each of the two days we visited here in 2009, we chose not to do one this time.  Rather, we took the short tender ride to Vaitape and browsed a few stores. Stores hadn’t been open on Sunday in Papeete and we had a busy shore excursion in Moorea, so this was the first opportunity to go into some of the French Polynesian shops.   Like last time, everything was very expensive.  The cheapest of tee shirts went for about $30 (but still better than my most expensive tee shirt ever, at $37,  purchased at Bloody Mary’s Restaurant in 2009).  Simple fridge magnets were typically over $10.  Other prices were similarly high and few people purchased anything.  We wondered how locals could afford such high prices, particularly on what must have been limited incomes.  (In Moorea, a lady wanted to purchase a glass of Coke and had to pay either the equivalent of under $1 using French Polynesian Francs or $4 US.  Needless to say, she didn’t get her Coke!)

After browsing for awhile and looking for a post card to send to a child whose grandparents had given Barb some money to purchase and send post cards from throughout the world, she returned to the ship. By the way, this blog is in lieu post cards.  Post cards can easily run over $3 or $4 per card including postage.  Here in French Polynesia, one post card not including postage, would cost just over $1 US.  Furthermore they seem to take a disproportionately long time to get home.  We have heard people tell us that some have taken 8 to 9 MONTHS to reach their destinations.  I continued to walk to the outskirts of town, passing a doctor’s and dentist’s office which shared the same building but had separate outside waiting rooms, a school during passing time with kids running like crazy after they heard to bell indicating they were late (there are some constants everywhere in the world apparently), a couple of supermarkets, a veterinary clinic, several black pearl shops, as well as the basic services one would need anywhere.  But I observed no McDonalds anywhere in French Polynesia.

We know Bora Bora, a site of a major World War II allied military base, is stunningly beautiful.  We were at anchor surrounded by tiny islands filled with palm trees right up to the shore, volcanic mountains, and some of the bluest, calmest waters one would hope to see.  As we remembered, French Polynesia is a place one could easily almost hope to get lost and then decide to stay to escape the problems of the world.  The laid back life style and friendly French Polynesians could easily win those of us in countries with the fast pace of modern life.  And while it can be pretty humid, as it was during our visit, I doubt anyone here even owns a snow shovel!

Internet continues to be sporadic and slow and with some cable networks unavailable in this area.   Some are already speculating as to whether live Super Bowl coverage will be possible.  And now we look forward to our final South Pacific visit to the Cook Islands in a few days.

CT

Pitcairn Island: A Safe Haven for Bounty Mutineers, but Not for Us

After leaving Easter Island, our anticipation of turning the clock back – over and over – became a reality!   We have had five twenty-five hour days in a row, creating havoc in our sleep patterns.

One morning at Good Morning Amsterdam, the subject of Tim Horton’s came up.  Being big fans of Tim Horton’s, we eagerly tossed in our own comments.  We are not connoisseurs of coffee to say the least, but interestingly, most of the people who have tried Starbucks and Tim Horton’s prefer Tim Horton’s coffee.  And those of us who have enjoyed Tim Horton’s doughnuts find it a near insult to mention Tim Horton’s in the same breath with that American chain that’s famous for its doughnuts!  There is absolutely no comparison, and since that’s all we have in the Chicago area, it’s very easy for us to take a pass on doughnuts.  The little doughnuts one gets at that other doughnut chain are miniscule by comparison with the gigantic and mouth-watering ones we get from Tim.  Later in the day, we made sure we told Cruise Director Bruce and Hostess Adele that they absolutely must try Tim’s peanut doughnuts!  We sure do wish they’d decide to open a franchise in the southern suburbs of Chicago, but I guess it’s too far from Canada to even hope for such a thing!  Those people from Canada and Western New York (as well as other states that border Canada) will know exactly what we mean, I’m sure!

The day before we were scheduled to do our scenic cruising of Pitcairn Island, Captain Jonathan made a disappointing announcement.  We had missed Pitcairn Island last year due to a massive storm in the Pacific that caused a delay in our crossing and the necessity to eliminate a few stops, including Pitcairn.  Unfortunately this year the island’s inhabitants were visiting another cruise ship recently and contracted the flu.  Currently more than 20 of the 57 people are suffering from the H2N3 flu virus – the same one that has ravaged the US.  Since we have had no problem with this dreaded epidemic on board the ship, the captain and Seattle came to the mutual agreement that they didn’t want to chance the islanders coming on board and passing the flu on to the ship.  It is amazing to realize how interconnected the world is, even when we are in extremely sparsely populated and remote areas. 

One of our friends made a comment that had not even crossed our minds!  She told us that if we contracted the flu and a significant number of people were sick, port officials wouldn’t let us ashore, meaning that we’d have to sit floating at sea until the virus ran its course.  So far this year there have been absolutely no health issues on the ship, and everyone certainly wants to keep it that way!

We had so looked forward to visiting Pitcairn Island and being able to tell our friends, Jim & Kathryn Pitcairn of New Lenox all about our experience, but we can now only show them the pictures of this small island.  Pitcairn Island is named for the midshipman, 15-year-old Robert Pitcairn, the first European to spot it back in 1767.  Pitcairn Island is the second largest of four islands spreading out across 400 square miles of ocean (the others being Henderson, Dulcie, and Oeno) that make up the least populous and most remote jurisdiction in the world.  It is not a nation but is under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.  Pitcairn Island is a very small island inhabited by descendants of the Bounty mutineers – Fletcher Christian and his compatriots (as of 2010, only four families remained: Brown, Christian, Warren, and Young).  They chose that island because it is virtually impossible for large ships to land, which afforded them the protection they needed after their mutiny.  Seeing it, we could definitely comprehend why this island was selected – it is virtually impossible for ships, or even tenders, to land on the shore without permission from those who live there.  We saw no docks, though there have to be some because they use small boats and outriggers to fish.

The islanders usually come to cruise ships to sell their handmade goods, talk with the passengers, and present a lecture as the ship does scenic cruising around the island.   Back in the late 90s the UK provided the islanders with bees so that they could produce honey; Pitcairn Island honey is among the highest quality honey in the world, so we were hoping to get a sample of this as well as well as other local handmade souvenirs, but that was not to be (no pun intended).  Although we would have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming the islanders aboard to speak with us as well as sell their wares, we did appreciate the opportunity to do the scenic cruising. 

As we approached, we were struck by the small rugged island rising up out of the water.  We observed a boat bobbing in the water and wondered if it was a fishing boat, but as we neared it, we realized that it was loaded with islanders coming to meet the ship and receive goods.  As a goodwill gesture, the ms Amsterdam donated the goods the islanders had requested to purchase.  After all, because they couldn’t come on board and sell their wares, they were definitely losing an opportunity not only to interact with the outside world, but to make a considerable amount of money.  With zoom lenses, we were finally able to figure out that there were 16 people on this boat – more than ¼ of the current population of 57!  (I visualized two of our fifth grade classes with an average size of about 27 or 28 students.  However this is the entire population: babies, children, adults, and senior citizens, not just 10-year-olds!) Apparently the island’s children are sent to New Zealand to get an education so we’re not sure if the population includes those who are off the island for academic endeavors or not.  But still, as Chuck commented, imagine a population that small and coming across someone you really didn’t like!  

After the transfer of goods, we enjoyed a scenic cruise around the island, a whole seven miles in circumference!  Having been told that it would be a clockwise circumnavigation, which meant that our stateroom was on the correct side of the ship for excellent viewing, so we searched out our friends Sally & Ange and Bob & Nancy and invited them to come up and enjoy the sights from our verandah.  They were very appreciative as this way they could get good pictures without dodging others to jockey for position.  We had lovely views of entire trip around the island and were struck by the sheer cliffs as well as the shoreline caves.  The mutineers had certainly chosen well! 

The whole scenic cruising experience took about two hours and soon we were on our way again, but the “Bounty” theme continued throughout the day.  Because they had anticipated having islanders on board, they had not scheduled any lectures so the day was pretty much free for other things.  The movie of the day was the 1984 version (Anthony Hopkins & a very young Mel Gibson) of Bounty.  I had seen it when it came out, but I enjoyed it much, much more this time, having been to Tahiti and Pitcairn Island as well as having had multiple lectures on our Pacific cruises on the subject of Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian, and the HMS Bounty.  Dinner that evening was a themed formal night – you guessed it, Mutiny on the Bounty with dining hosts dressed as captains and stewards dressed as sailors and the dining room decorated like the bow of an 18^th Century sailing vessel.

Our days at sea have been relaxing yet full of activities to choose from.  The seas have been a beautiful ocean blue and very calm.  We were informed of Cyclone Gary in the South Pacific, but Captain Jonathan informed us that it will most likely pass about 600 miles to the south of us.  The only likely effects we’ll have will be more swell to the water and possible rains in our days in French Polynesia.  We would love to have the perfect weather there for such beautiful ports, but we are reminded that this is their rainy season.   We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate!

BT