New Zealand

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!!!!!

December 15, 2023 3

2023 Fall Adventure: 12/12/2023

Auckland, New Zealand

Having visited Auckland in the early 90’s it was interesting to see the changes in the skyline. One of New Zealand’s fastest growing commercial hub the skyline is covered with new buildings with several more being constructed. We opted for our own walking tour of the city and walk we did – over 5 miles – and forgetting how hilly the city is. We started at the port and its Ferry Building walking along Queen and Customs Streets past the Old Customs House, City Baths and on to the Maritime Museum. We then headed to the Skydeck and its 60-floor elevator ride for an arial view of the city. Returning to earth we viewed the Old City Hall, walked Albert Park admiring its sculptures and fountain then through and upscale neighborhood and shopping back to the ship.

Our final port will be The Bay of Islands and the towns of Paihia (jumping off point for island tours and Russell the first Capital of New Zealand.

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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.

December 11, 2023 3

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.

December 10, 2023 5

Two sea days ahead of us before sailing through the fjords and sounds of Fiordlands National Park then onto Dunedin, NZ.

Leaving Melbourne, we passed easterly between the Furneaux Group of Islands and Tasmania. The gap between the islands is called the Banks Strait and forms the lower section of the Bass Strait which separates Tasmania from the Australian mainland.

On our second sea day we continued south easterly across the Tasman Sea. Forming a marginal sea on the boarder of the Pacific Ocean the Tasman Sea is some 1200 miles wide and spans 1700 miles from north to south. The southern part of the sea to the south of New Zealand is well known for strong storms which form part of the Roaring Forties of the Southern Ocean.

Fiordland is the Largest National Park in New Zealand and one of the largest in the world. It has been recognized as one of the world’s foremost natural landscapes through its inclusion in Te Wahipounamu – Southwest New Zealand world heritage area. Fiordland National Park, known as Te Rua-o-te-moko (Shadowland), stretches from Martins Bay in the north to Te Waewae Bay in the south, and from eastern lakes of Te Anau, Manapouri, Monowai and Hanuroko to the 14 spectacular Fiords of the West Coast. Fiordland stands apart as a region of distinct character, made up mainly of hard crystalline rocks which are as old as any in New Zealand.

We arrived at 8:30 and began our passage through Milford Sound, only two ships are allowed in the sound at one time since after about 24 km the ships need to retrace the trip back to the sounds entrance. This is a glacier formed fiord with banks rising 2100 ft mostly vertical with the tallest at 1750 meters and with a depth of 300 meters.

Leaving Milford, we travelled south along the South Island of New Zealand to Thompson and Doubtful Sounds – these were formed by the flow of rivers heading to the Southern Ocean. As we proceeded the weather continued to decline and upon reaching the ocean our captain informed us that we were going to skip entering Dusky Sound because swells were growing, and winds were approaching 50 knots – the roaring 40’s struck with its noted wind and rain – on to Dunedin.