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2023 Fall Adventure: 12/13/2023

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

North of Auckland, along the narrow Northland peninsula, lies the Shady “cathedral” of some of the worlds larges trees. Some as tall as 170 feet and 1200 years old. Too bad we missed them. We did visit two towns out of the 150 islands in the Bay. We tendered into the port of Paihia, shunning the town shuttle we walked 1.5 miles along a bayfront boardwalk to the city center. A quaint town with little to do but shop. We walked back to the wharf where we boarded a lunch cruise around the bay and to the town of Russell, New Zealand’s first capital. This is the oldest town and maybe one of the prettiest.

We have 3 sea days ahead of us with a long flight from Melbourne to Dallas and finaly home on the 17th. What a trip!!!!!

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2023 Fall Adventure: 12/11/2023

Tauranga, New Zealand

Tauranga is the largest and most populated port in the Bay of Plenty region. This is an appropriate name due to the abundant beaches, rolling white water, mineral hot springs and even kiwi orchards. We passed on excursions offered by Cunard and decided to hike around Mount Maunganui and its beautiful water views (except we did it in the rain) , walk along the towns main beach and wandering through The Strand – the towns shopping and dining district. It turned into a 5-mile stroll and of course the sun came out as we returned to the ship. Not all lost – caught some rays and enjoyed the return to warmer weather in the afternoon.

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2023 Fall Adventure: 12/9 & 10/2023

Wellington New Zealand

Perched in the hills surrounding a sparkling bay, Wellington’s beautiful setting and the crispy weather is akin to that of San Francisco. Charming Edwardian architecture complements an impressive and contemporary skyline of concrete and glass. Hidden laneways are full of street art and there is a sculpture walk along the waterfront. New Zealand’s capital has a reputation for being wet and windy on a regular basis.

We took a Friday morning highlight tour of the city driving the waterfront (the 7 sisters like the painted Lady’s) and climbing to the top of Mt. Victoria for an eagle eye view of the city, the rose garden at the Botanic Garden, passing public buildings (the Beehive and Parliament) and Edwardian architecture to Te Papa Tongarewa – Museum of New Zealand.

On Friday night we went to Lambton Quay for a walk down the towns upper end shopping and dining area (unbelievably the stores closed at 6:00) interestingly we saw the Old Government Building which was made of wood but clearly looks like stone.

On Saturday morning we took the Wellington Cable Car to the mountain suburbs overlooking downtown and it’s Cable Car Museum. Our final stop was a walk through Otati-Wilton Bush public botanic garden dedicated solely to New Zealand plants. The are 100 hectares of forest made up of old growth and regenerated forest which can be seen from a canopy walk and a nature trail. Its native botanic garden contains a plant collection of nearly 1200 species.

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2023 Fall Adventure: 12/2/2023 to 12/3/2023

December 2nd was a sea day heading south easterly passing various capes lining this section of the coastlines of the states of South Australia and Victoria. Particularly prominent along this coastline is Cape Nelson. Situated in southwest Victoria there is a large lighthouse which was constructed in 1885 and forms part of a state park. Fortunately, we were sailing close to the coastline since a medical emergency happened on board and a helicopter rescue was necessitated.

Melbourne: Originally part of New South Wales, Victoria became a colony in 1851. The discovery of gold and development of agriculture launched Melbourne’s rise to prominence and prosperity. Melbourne is a green and welcoming city – home to the Australian Open Tennis, the Melbourne Cup and numerous sporting occasions.

We decided to tour the city on our own today – having visited Melbourne several years ago. First, we headed to Fitz Roy Garden and its Conservatory, Captain Cooks cottage and River God Fountain. Then onto the Treasury Garden with its water spray fountain, past Parliament House, Parliament Garden, Princess Theater and St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Back to center city along Collins Street with its high-end shops and restaurants to Swanston Street past City Hall and up to the State Library (surrounded by pro Palestine protestors

 slowing my access to an internet connection) then on to Queen Victoria Market passing the city baths and the huge intown campus of RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology).

Heading back to port we passed Flanders Street Station, Federation Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral over the Yarra River and to the Skydeck – We headed up 88 floors in 40 seconds to a 360-degree view of the city below.

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2023 Fall Adventure – 11/28/2023 to 12/1/2023

Today we begin a 3-day sail to Adelaide, Australia. Leaving Freemantle, we headed on a southerly course before altering to the south east and around Cape Leeuwin then towards the Great Australian Bight. The cape is one of the three “Great Capes” of the continents boarding the Southern Ocean. The others being Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and South America’s Cape Horn. On our second sea day we continued to head easterly across the Great Australian Bight. A bight is a geographical feature formed by concave bend in the coastline forming a large open bay. The Great Australian Bight stretches from the south of Western Australia to the South West Cape of Tasmania. First charted in 1802 the bight is known for its biodiversity and large population of whales along the coastline (none yet). On our third sea day we continue sailing easterly through the Bight. During our evening approach to Adelaide, we travel through the Spencer’s Gulf and into St Vincent Gulf. The gulfs form the two major inlets from the Bight into the coastline of Southern Australia. Today we experienced a first – a one half hour time change.

Adelaide:

Home to beautiful 19th century buildings, near famous Australian vineyards and set near the German village of Hahndorf and the Adelaide Hills. Our morning excursion traveled to Mount Lofty – the highest mountain overlooking Adelaide – a little hazy but a decent view of the one-mile square block that outlines the city.

Next was a trip to the village of Hahndorf with its old town German vibe and of course food. The wurst sample platter, pretzels and steins of beer hit the spot.

Back to the city center for our own walking tour. First to the library for internet service – my apologies for the long time it has taken me to respond to your comments, but it has been difficult to get reliable service. The city provides free access to most of its museums, libraries and public buildings. Many of the city sights are along North Terrace road only a block away from the famous Rundle Mall and it pedestrian walkway – home to a pig family; bee’s corner and the “Malls Balls” to name a few.

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/17/2023

Singapore — Gardens by the Bay:

Set in the heart of Singapore’s downtown, Gardens by the Bay is home to a
diverse collection of over 1.5 million plants that hail from every continent
except Antarctica.

The Flower Dome: You are awed by the Flower Dome’s beauty
and its sheer size — this cavernous, cooled conservatory holds the Guinness
World Record for the largest glass greenhouse! The Flower Dome is covered with
3,332 glass panels. Its not only the flowers that make it so impressive – but
the sculptures are also fantastic.

 

The Cloud Forest: Home to one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls and a lush mountain clad with plants from around the world, Cloud Forest rewards the curious and adventurous. It’s a fascinating journey of discovery and get up close with some of the world’s most exotic plant species as you stroll along its unique aerial walkways.

Supertree Observatory: Located at the tallest Supertree’s canopy, the Supertree Observatory offers unparalleled views of Gardens by the Bay’s lush surrounds and the Marina Bay area. The tallest Supertree is about the height of a 16-storey building. The Supertrees are sustainable vertical gardens housing over 162,900 plants of over 200 species. 7 of the Supertrees are designed to harvest solar energy. Views from the observatory:

 

The Super Trees:

 

 

Other Garden Views:

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/16/2023

Singapore — Chinatown

Morning stroll through the streets and pathways of Chinatown and stopping to see Sri Mariamman Temple covered with vividly painted Hindu dieties. BTW we lost the 15th crossing the international date line.

While walking we noticed that we weren’t the only ones looking around.

Continuing our tour, we headed to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (supposably contains one of Buddhas sacred teeth – shown only twice a year — not today – BTW it is stored in a chest made of 930 pounds of gold).

Street Scenes …

For a change of pace, we took the subway to the civic district – the colonial hub of the city. We tried visiting St. Andrews Church, but it was closed and cordoned off for reconstruction. Our stroll continued past The Old Parliament building, National Gallery, Victoria Theater and Concert Hall, Asian Civilizations Museum, The Raffles Landing site (where Stamford Raffles founded the city) and past some of the rivers famous bridges.

Heading away from the river we passed the central fire house, the Ministry of Communications and Information with its multi-colored window, several churches and then to the highlight of the day lunch at the lengendary Raffles Hotel and drinks (Singapore Sling) at the famous Long Bar.

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/13/2023 & 11/14/2023

Correction: Since it is about 2 am here in Japan I’ve been up for about 17 hours I am brain dead – so here are the Pearl Harbor pictures I left off the previous days post.

Exploring Oahu’s Southeast Coast: We drove along the coast road and enjoyed the ocean and beach views on our way to Halona Blowhole and a hike to see the Makapuu Lighthouse – a 2 mile hike to the eastern most tip of Oahu – great views of the coast, lighthouse and rabbit island.

Diamond Head Crater Hike: A must do on Oahu – A mile up then 99 steps – through a tunnel and to a pillbox overlooking the Ocean, Diamond Head Light, Waikiki and the interior of the crater.

The 14th is a travel day – started with breakfast overlooking the beach – then a 9 hour flight to Japan followed by 7 hours to Singapore.

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2023 Fall Adventure 11/12/2023

Exploring Honolulu. We spent the morning touring the historic district around the Iolani Palace -Kamehameha Statue, Superior Court, Kawaiahao Church, a stroll to the waterfront to see the Aloha Tower.

Continuing around the Palace: Washington Palace, Father Damien, Liliuokalani, Hawaiian Mission Houses and the Aloha Tower

Mid morning we headed to the Kuan Yin Temple and the Foster Botanical Gardens

Then on to the Bishop Museum – the states cultural and history museum.

Our final stop of the day was the Pearl Harbor Memorial – a moving film covering the lead up to the attack and coverage from both the Japanese and American sides. The day concluded with a boat ride to the Arizona Memorial.

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