Awesome Auckland

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND: Sunday, March 7, 2010

Spending one day in this city of Sails, Sailors and Sailing does not do this clean, peaceful, beautiful city justice. There is so much to see and do that we all wish that the ship was overnighting here. Everyone's day was different but everyone on the ship had a wonderful time.

We decided to buy tickets for the Auckland Explorer Bus that offers hop on, hop off sightseeing for 14 BIG attractions. We zeroed in on three of them: Bastion Point Lookout, Auckland Museum and Sky Tower. At Bastion Point Lookout, we got off to admire the breathtaking views of the gulf and harbor that justifies Auckland's claim that it has more boats per capita than any other city in the world; walked down a path to Mission Bay Beach; and took the path along the waterfront to pick up the next bus at the stop at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World. The bus driver assured us that we could make it in 35 minutes. What he obviously failed to take into account was that we were not the super-athletic, uber-fit runners and bikers we passed on the path. We have been the championship eaters on a cruise for a more than a month. It took us 40 minutes so we cooled our heels taking in the glorious sights and sounds of the coastline from the shaded bus stop.

While Sara would have enjoyed stopping at the Parnell Rose Gardens, we agreed to proceed directly to the Auckland Museum, which was built in 1929 to commemorate the end of World War I. Visitors could easily spend a full day or more viewing all the exhibits on the three levels. We concentrated on second level that focuses on New Zealand in World Wars I and II. We were particularly impressed with the "Scars on the Heart" section that included a recreation of a World War I trench on the front line, and the restored British Spitfires and Japanese Zeroes of WWII.

We saw MaryAnn and John from Cruise Critic who highly recommended that we take the one-hour Satellite Bus tour that only runs from the museum during the summer. What a great recommendation it was! The driver took us to the top of Mt. Eden, which is the highest volcano in Auckland with outstanding views of the city and the harbor. He even allowed us a five-minute stop for taking photographs. We also passed Eden Park which will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The stadium is being expanded to 60,000 seats for the events. This mini-tour was worth the cost of the bus ride itself.

Then we took the regular bus to Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and the source for ultimate adrenaline adventures, SkyWalk and SkyJump. Ken jokingly wondered if Lauren and Craig, our ship's certified adventure junkies, had done either one when we ran into them suiting up in bright oranges suits for the SkyWalk around the tower's outside ledge. Ken documented the event in pictures, and we wished them well on their latest adventure. As we sped up in the elevator the 40 seconds it takes to get to the top observation deck, we did not that we would spend the rest of our time in Auckland living Lauren and Craig's adventure vicariously.

When we got off at the top level, we looked down to see Lauren and Craig being tethered up for their walk through space. Lying on his belly, Ken took photographs of them as they moved around the tower. Mike and Lu, returning from their tour of a sheep ranch, joined us in the dynamic duo's vicarious adventure. Then we returned to the street level where we found Lauren and Craig suiting up in royal blue gear for the the Sky Jump, the longest 11 seconds of the jumper's life. So we decided to observe their adventures from the plaza. The four minutes in between jumpers is for raising the cables and strapping in the next jumper. Ken should provide the attraction with his suggestion of letting someone who only wants to climb up in the world go up strapped in the gear before the next tourist jumps from the top. Lauren jumped down screaming all the way while Craig was completely silent and acted like he knew exactly what he was doing.

After buying several bottles of New Zealand wine, we walked back to the ship and enjoyed another incredible view as the Pacific Princess sailed out of the Auckland Harbour and into rocky seas on its way to Picton on New Zealand's South Island.

Picturesque Picton and Marlborough Sound

PICTON: Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Our tour of Picton and beyond can be summed up in two words: unbelievable scenery! Words cannot do justice to the scenery that we saw so we will let our photographs speak for us with minor commentary from our blog.

Our tour started at 9 a.m. in the small village of Picton and Picton Beach, which is very narrow, if not, nonexistent. The town did have a slight cosmopolitan feel but in fewer than five minutes, we were driving up a winding road with a stop at the top of the cliff that overlooked the area's biggest marina, Wakawa Sound. Our driver told us that once we left this scene, we would not see civilization again for the next few hours. It also was the first time we have ever seen a road sign with a double-S curve with "Next 40km" under it. We wound up a twisty road, climbing higher and higher into the bushland hills, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, this full-blown, spectacular view of the water's edge would appear. One minute, we would be stopping to view the bay, and then after a few minutes ride, we would be at the top of the cliff overlooking the same bay.

We experienced these sensations for the next three hours. Then we came off the unpaved gravel road to the intersection of State Highway 1, a major paved road, to learn we were only 18km from Picton. In essence, we had traveled the equivalent of 6km per hour on the back roads of life.

We stopped at Allan Scoot Wine & Estates Ltd in Blenheim for lunch and a winery tour, which was actually only a wine-tasting. We were perplexed by the sign that stated, "Intoxicated people are not permitted here. If you become intoxicated while here, you will be asked to leave the premises." This area wants to become a major tourist destination but has not yet got its tourist act together. However, with this scenery, no one seems to mind!

On the sail away, we admired scenery as spectacular as what we saw during our tour. While we know we could not afford to live in New Zealand with its high cost of living, we would love to visit this incredible country again in the not-too-distant future.

New Zealand: God's Wonderland

BAY OF ISLANDS, New Zealand: Saturday, March 6, 2010

When we visited Australia in 2006, we thought that it was the most wonderful country in the world, next to the USA, of course. However, all the people who joined our trip in the land down under who had just toured New Zealand kept telling us how fantastic their time in New Zealand had been. Whenever we talked to anyone who had been to both Australia and New Zealand after we returned, they were glad to confirm that New Zealand is the country to see. Could any country live up to all that hype? Now that we have seen the Bay of Islands and Auckland, we are true believers. New Zealand now leads our list of countries that we have visited that we want to visit again.

What made us converts? New Zealanders believe that God saved the best for their country--sensational vistas of sky and sea, pristine beaches, lush vegetation, active volcanoes, picturesque waterfronts. It's like Mother Nature took its finest features and exhibited them all in this island nation. Add to these, the man-made wonders of incredible museums, historic sites, a skyscraper with viewing platforms, beautiful rose gardens, Westfield shopping centres, charming boutiques. Subtract its location on the Pacific Rim that makes it prone to cyclones and earthquakes, and the high cost of living. Well, no place can be perfect but this one comes close!

We took a ferry to the tiny fishing village of Russell, which was known as the "Hell-hole of the Pacific" in the 19th century. Charles Darwin called the residents of Russell "the refuge of society" with their ex-convicts, dissenting sailors, plenty of grog, no white women or children, and houses of ill-repute employing natives. In 1845, a sailor lit his pipe and caused all but two buildings--the Anglican Christ's Church, which is the oldest church in New Zealand, and the Pompallier, a printery whose owners raised sheep and tanned animal skins in the back to produce leather for the books' covers--to burn to the ground. For 10 glorious months, Russell was even the capital of New Zealand. Auckland earned the honor for 24 years until gold was discovered on the south island, and the government shifted the capital to Wellington. Of course, we fell in love with this town immediately!

Being so small, Russell offers a mini-tour, which passes 21 sites, and promises a personal insignt into New Zealand's earliest European history in one hour. Again, there was no hype. The best part of the tour was Jennie, our tour guide, who treated us like we were her best friends who were visiting the island. We had brought good luck and fortune with us. It had been very dry all summer, making it one of best seasons ever for the campgrounds but one of the worst for the farmers, and we brought rain. By the time we jumped in her van, water was pouring off our hats and streaming down our faces. Jennie adapted to the weather by driving barefooted. When we stopped at the attractions for photo opportunities, she advised us to stand in the doorways of the van so we didn't get "spats" on our cameras. At the top of Flagstaff Hill with its sundial and its mosaic tile map of the Bay of Islands, she informed us that the views are great when it's not raining. (We had to take her word for this because it is pouring.) As we neared the cemetery, she said that's where everyone in town "ends up." She was surprised that a funeral was happening because she was sure that if anyone in town had died, she would have known. When we passed the bakery in town that was closed, she concluded that was because of the funeral. The "swallows" who live in the islands during the summer (our winter months) and then buzz-off to their permanent homes in England and the US during the winter were some of her "best six-month mates." The police station has only one jail cell, which is hardly ever used except on New Year's Eve. Jennie's favorite souvenir shop, Just Imagine, boasted signs, "Items broken considered sold so please bring your children." What's not to like about this town?

We met a couple from Sarasota that were doing a one-month home stay in the Bay of Islands in the ideal location. Their hosts own a liquor store, live on the second floor above the store and rent the third to guests. They also agreed that New Zealand is the place to be.

The tour came to an end and so did the rain. As we hopped out of the van, Joyce and Bob, our table mates were getting ready to board. At dinner, we will agree that Russell is a picturesque town. We strolled though the quaint downtown area of Russell and took the ferry across the bay to Paihia, another village with a charming downtown and a marketplace on the green. Then we embark on a self-guided tour of the Waitangi Treat Grounds, deemed "the birthplace of New Zealand." It was at this site in 1840, Captain William Hobson negotiated the Treaty of Waitangi that was signed by 43 Maori chiefs and made the agreement between two peoples to live and work together in one nation. The Treaty House, where the document was signed, was the home of James Busby and his family and depicted colonial life in the 1800s. The original residency consisted of a living room, one large bedroom, a central hall, which doubled as an office, and a small dressing room. A separate building housed the kitchen, store room and servants' quarters. Busby added three bedrooms to accommodate his growing family. In 1932 Lord and Lady Bledisloe purchased the estate, which had gone into neglect, and gave it as a trust to the people of New Zealand.

During the Treaty Centenary Celebrations in 1940, the Te Whare Runtanga Meeting House was opened alongside the Treaty House to symbolize Mauri involvement in the signing of the Treaty and in the life of the nation. In respect to the Maori, visitors are asked to remove their foot coverings before entering. Inside are carved wood panels from all of New Zealand's Maori tribes. The panel from one tribe on the left side connects with the panel from the same tribe on the right side.

At Hobson's Beach below sits a giant war canoe carved out of three full-grown Kauri trees, which rival the California Redwood trees in size. The 35-meter long Ngatokimatawhaorua, which was launched during the Centenary Celebrations, required 76 paddlers to handle it safely. Very impressive!

Some friends from the ship actually took a tour that included a walk through the Kauri Forest and explored a glowworm grotto. Other met a Maori chief or took a catamaran through the bay's "Hole in the Rock." Everyone raved about their day in New Zealand's Wonderland.

Noumea: Can we move here?

NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA--Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Noumea is an advertising copywriter's dream. Some of the advertising tag lines to describe it are "Where the French Rivera meets the South Pacific," "The Soul of France in the South Pacific," "Every diver's (the opposite of dry) dream," "Paris of the Pacific (because so many Parisians come here to work for the higher salaries)," and "Bermuda of the South Pacific (our tag line because everything has to be imported so the government adds a 40 percent importation tax)."

We were told that the entry into the port would be one of the most beautiful that we would experience, and the hype was not exaggerated. We really cannot describe the beautiful scenery that we saw. In addition if someone had told us that they were dropping us off at a port in southern USA, we would have believed it because of the perfectly paved streets with grass median strips, and the cars, boats and noisy motorcycles everywhere. On the advice of MaryAnn and John from Cruise Critic, we booked the first Yellow Tchou Tchou Petit Train tour. Other passengers included Mary and Ed from Cruise Critic, and Joyce, Donna, Neely and Ron from our dining table. Our tour guide was Anita, who teaches English in a private school and hails from Oklahoma. She told us that everyone loves the small train so we were to do our part and wave back at anyone who waves. Our arms got tired from waving! She also informed us that we should bring a gift for the chief if we were ever invited to a tribal home.

Some memorable facts about Noumea are the indigenous people are known as Melanisians for the black people of the island but they prefer to be know an Kanaks, the official languages are French and Kanak, New Calendonia accounts for 30 percent of the world's nickel deposits, the island has a distinctively different look because there are no volcanoes, the tall, thin, elegant trees are Japanese Pines, the only indigenous animal is the Kagu bird that barks like a dog and cannot fly, the missionaries brought the cats and dogs, on Wednesday afternoon the children have no school but they start to school at the age of 2 years and 9 months, siesta is taken very seriously and most of the stores are closed between noon and 2 p.m., and the first governor's wife who liked to hunt had deer imported from the Phillipines. Now there are so many deer on the island that a person does not need a hunting license but can kill only two deer a day.

Stops and sights on the Little Train included Limon Bay, the most popular beach for families because the water is so calm for small children and certainly one of the most beautiful beaches in the world; more than 130 restaurants on the island, of which we must have passed most of them; a refreshment stop for cider and French pastries that overlooked a gorgeous view of the lagoon; the first house constructed in 1869 1n Noumea that sported a red tile roof; and the Statue of the Virgin Mary of the Pacific that overlooked the island's nickel processing factory.

The history of New Caledonia is interesting. Captain Cook (he really got around) discovered it on his was to New Zealand on September 4, 1774. He named it New Caledonia because the Romans called his native land of Scotland, Caledonia. The French were looking for a place for a penal colony to supplement Devil's Island and started to send their worst prisoners in the 1860s. The Islanders convinced the French to stop exporting prisoners and free those already there in the 1880s. The French encouraged the prisoners to stay and sent female prisoners for them to marry and mate.

New Caledonia has two seasons, hot and cool. We are here in the hot season when cyclones occur. However, our guide emphasized that cyclones hit the east coast and not the west coast. Does that rationale sound familiar to the reason that Bradenton has not experienced a hurricane in recent years? We miss you--Carmen and Pat, Judy and John, Sue and Stan, Robin and Joe, Mary and Dennis, Mary and Jerry and Shelley and Sara's workout buddies at Shapes--but we don't miss the weather you are experiencing this winter!

Our only questions are how soon can we move to New Caledonia and how long does it take to learn French?

After our tour ended, we went shopping in downtown Noumea with Mary and Ed. Mary was ready for some serious shopping. All the clothes, even those for infants and children, have a distinctive French flair. Our only purchase was at the Casino Supermarket, a six-pack of Manta beer, made in New Caledonia. The supermarket is a one-stop-shop with food, beer, wine, toiletries, clothing and shoes. We returned to the ship and sat on our balcony, which faces the port, and watched the daily life of Noumea pass by. We see Wally and Lil, our next door neighbors returning to the ship, and Ed and Adele from Cruise Critic but are not quick enough to capture a photograph of them. We caught Lu and Mike sneaking off the ship at 5:45 p.m. but returning empty-handed so someone is not getting a souvenir. (Really, they just went out to take a short walk around Coconut Palm Place.) The sail away at 6:30 p.m. with the twinkling lights of Noumea was breathtakingly beautiful.

If you are reading this blog and have a relative or friend on the Pacific Princess, please let us know. If you know their cabin number, that would be a bonus. We will try to meet them and report on their impressions of the cruise.

We have two sea days before we arrive in Bay of Islands and Auckland, New Zealand. Check back with us on March 8 for reports of those ports.

NOTE to WENDY, Donna's daughter: Can you arrange for your mother to have a chauffeur, a cook, a waiter, a butler and a maid when she returns to Florida in May? She has gotten way to into this cruising lifestyle. In fact, all of us at our dining table would like these people to be waiting for us on our return! We need to ease back into reality. Our other table mates, Neely and Ron from Toronto, Canada, send greetings to their children; and Joyce and Bob, who moved from San Diego to Wiiiamsburg two years ago say hello to their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in State College, home of Sara's alma mater.

Vanuatu: Paradise Found

VANUATU--Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Today's tour was a reunion of many of the passengers from Cruise Critic. Fourteen of us tried to find the white van with Atmosphere on the side in the Port of Vila, which is under construction or renovation (it isn't much of a port)--MaryAnn and John (who arranged the tour), Mary and Ed, Adele and Ed, Lu and Mike, Perla and Joe, Carol and Harvey, and Sara and Ken.

When we finally caught up to our tour guide Gilbert, he gave us fragpani flowers for our hair and took us to an overlook for a gorgeous view of the harbor and our ship. One of the northern islands of Vanuatu was the site of the ninth season of Survivor. The natives also claim that Vanuatu was the inspiration for Bali Hai in James Michener's book, Tales of the South Pacific. (That's the natives' story and they are sticking to it.) One thing that Vanuatu could use is some road construction because most of the roads we traveled were very bumpy, dirt roads.

We then went to the waterfront, open-air home of Alio Polioko, the Artist of the Pacific, who paints every day and everything--trees, stones, tires, wells and walls. His male totem poles are anatomically correct for the average endowment fund. The totem poles are used for communication because each one has a different tone and sends a different message. The setting was extremely peaceful with the sound of waves lapping the shore and tropical music emanating from the artist's sound system. We all loved the hot shower.

Then we stopped at Bamboo Nakamal, which boasted itself as the best quality kava bar, the local drink to relax. We were told that kava first numbs your tongue and lips, and then makes you lethargic. A native was chopping up the roots of the plant that could be purchased for 250 vt (about $3) and mixed with water. Harvey volunteered to be our guinea pig to taste the kava, which he said was bitter but then he couldn't talk any more!

We saw a nakamal, which is a meeting place for the tribes on the island. Each nakamal is a different shape. The tribal chief gives speeches there, and disagreements are settled there. However, only men can talk during a trial, ladies are not allowed to speak. Gilbert told us that now Vanuatu has two women members of Parliament.

Some interesting sites were a store with a sign proclaiming "Trade Tools--Serious Tools, Seriously Discounted," red star fish that look like flowers in the water and that Gilbert had us hold in our hands, and the cemetery with its full-length stone coffins.

Next we drove through Mela Village, the biggest village in Vanuatu with 4,000 people. All the houses have thatched roofs. The pig is the all-important animal. If a family has a pig, it has status, wealth and power, and can have a ceremony. So we were on a "pig-spotting" mission and saw three pigs in one spot. Every family has a chicken for the eggs. The chickens run free during the day and are called home at night by the family's individual call. One quarter of the children do not attend school because their families can not pay the fees, and the unemployment rate is 90 percent. However, the Vanuatuans are the happiest people on earth, not the Fijians as we incorrectly reported. Well, they do live in a watery paradise!

Before we arrived at the Tara Beach Restaurant, where we were served a typical native lunch, we passed by the diving-off point for the world's only underwater post office. We also fed the fish, which Ken stated was way too cool and spotted a blue star fish. At Tara, we greeted Lauren and Craig from Cruise Critic, who were finishing an ATV tour. After lunch, which included intermittent showers, we were entertained by a singer playing a guitar and singing Elvis songs. Is this place paradise or what?

Before driving us through the city of Vila and back to our ship, Gilbert presented MaryAnn with the national flag of Vanuatu. The red represents the unity through blood, the green stands for the agricultural economy of the island, the yellow is a symbol of Christianity through the light of Christ, the black is for the Melanisian people, the Mela palm represents peace and the Y is the shape of the island.

For most of us on this tour, our souvenirs were bottles of Tusker beer, the beer of Vanuatu.

CORRECTION and ADDITION: We received an email from Sara's cousin Judy who wrote that her father Walter was not in the Army because he had been exempted from the draft because he was an employee of a critical industry, coal mining. However, he served as an air raid warden and an emergency first aid responder during WWII. He also was named "Man of the Year" in Sykesville so he deserved considerable credit. We also failed to mention that once a person is allowed to cross the equator after the ceremony, that person is known as a "shell back." One passenger of the Pacific Princess has the card that he received for crossing the equator 50 years ago.