Skigoofy

After leaving the farm we drove for an hour or so to the Rotorua area.  The entire Rotorua area is within the collapsed dome of a volcano.  This includes a recreational freshwater lake and the town.  It also includes a Māori living community where we went next.
This is home to many people who open it up to run tours during the day.

Known in short as Whaka the proper and full name is presented below on a sign.  

An old tradition will see children swimming and diving for money thrown by visitors from the bridge. 

Our guides tells us he used to do that as a child but now he has other duties to fulfil around the community including being a guide for tours.

Everywhere around us steam is coming out of the ground.

In some spots they've built a box on top of these natural steam vents that are used for cooking.




This one natural thermal pool is around 80° or 90°C so it's way too warm to swim in but works great for cooking corn very quickly.


The water is constantly bubbling being fed from underground sources that heat the water.


Since this is a living community we see a number of homes like this one which are naturally heated in the winter months.

We were offered some freshly cooked corn on the cob to sample.

Our driver toured us around town a little before getting on a highway and heading away from town.  Eventually we made our way through Kiwifruit Country.  
On each side of the road were tall natural barriers separated each parcel of farmland.

We had arrived in the land of Kiwi!






Samples of the Golden Kiwi (left) and the popular Green kiwi (right).

The store featured endless products made from kiwi.  Jams and chocolates to just about anything you can put fruit in was available including kiwi ice cream.  Yum.



Restrooms were also available.

My excursion today is booked through a 3rd party.  We were directed to meet outside the port exit.
There is a short walk down the pier to the exit.

Maps were handed out for anyone who wants to self explore.


The port entrance.

Immediately in front of the port entrance was a crowd of 3rd party vendors meeting their guests with sign boards.

My excursion today is the Deluxe Rotorua Geothermal Valley Geishers, Redwood Forest and lunch.  We were presented a menu to pick from and pre-order.

Kids menu:

Our driver had arrived early to secure a great parking spot right in front of the port entrance. 

Day 5 - Tauranga
Our beautiful weather continues for our day in Tauranga.





Today is February 6 which makes it Waitangi Day in New Zealand, a national day of celebration. 

I believe that is the famous "Hole in the Rock" (not sure why they call it that ? ). I have sailed through it on a jetboat on a tour I did back in my misspent youth.
I enjoy your blogs Twangster, but I am especially enjoying this one!

 
 

Well, we are down to our single digit dance until wheels up, so I guess its time to get this party started! This is Greg and Heather again, and we are coming to the end of our current dry dock. Thankfully it hasn't been too long since our last cruise live blog. This time we are sailing on Liberty of the Seas heading to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. We again will be cruising with our kids Lydia who is now 10, and Johnny 6. We are also sailing with my sister Julie, and we are so ready to get away from the frozen tundra of NY. @Duke Grad here is the tag I promised, oh and Go SU, Beat DUKE!!?

 

A few observations: 

Does anyone really truly understand how this thing works? It controls the big balcony  curtains in the suite, but really I just found myself randomly mashing the buttons until the curtains opened/closed. There is quite a sense of accomplishment when it actually works. Maybe I’m just an idiot. ?
Our suite is stocked with 15 - yes 15 - boxes of tissues. I counted them this morning out of sick curiosity. They must think that folks who stay in this suite have horrible runny noses or some such. 
We also have 27 washcloths in our suite. So maybe we are smelly, too?
Here is the finalized laundry tag collection that I have accumulated. I feel like I’m missing some, but I had fun stashing them  away in a drawer.


And here is our final towel zoo. The lights make it a little difficult to get a good photo without shadows, but you get the idea. 

 

Day 11 Continues 
The bridge tour at 230PM was affected by dense fog. As such, the crew on the bridge were focused on navigation and not able to answer questions. We were permitted to enter the bridge and take photos, but couldn’t interrupt them. Seemed fair to me. 






Our last dinner was at Jamie’s Italian.
Penne Pomodoro

Calabrian Chicken

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake 

Tiramisu

Farewell Show

The North Star Bar is a secret gem at dusk.  It's seems so few people are present when the sky offers some of the best views of the day.



A movie was playing on the outdoor pool TV screen.

I didn't think there was going to be much of a sunset but then in that space between the sky and the sea a hole opened up and the sun presented itself in the gap.


I spotted a small boat returning to land.




It's always pretty special watching the day end this way and tonight's wrap of our first day in New Zealand was no exception.  

For reference here is the tender dock:

Back on board I hopped in the shower and enjoyed a beer on my balcony while the remaining hour wasted away before our departure..

The sail out is very pretty.


Up to the North Star Bar to watch us depart the area.


North Star was running.



It's a beautiful coastline.

Porter at the end worth every penny.  Through Customs in no time.
Had a female porter in Ft. Lauderdale years ago.  She was "6 foot four and full of muscles."  Some guy tried to jump the line in front of us at the Customs line.  She asked him nicely to move to the back of the line.  He refused.  She said "I will knock you out."  He moved.  My money was on her for the KO.

All packed and ready to go....we think!  We always feel like we are forgetting something even though it seems like we have the kitchen sink with us ?

As a side note...one of those cases is completely empty so we have space to bring purchases home!
 
Now the dogs are just hanging out together in the sun as we wait to go.

Almost time to load up the vehicle and head to the airport!

Approaching the end we passed by a nearby town that is a free shuttle bus ride from the tender dock.


The preparations for the Waitangi Day festivities were continuing.

A Māori longboat.

 

Back on the boat we continued down into the bay.  
Remember that rock formation from my earlier pictures?

Darryl explained there are 140 islands in the region.  To qualify as an island there must be something like 130 sq. meters of vegetation.  
It was getting to be that time...

Lunch preparations continued as we boated around sailboats and around some of the bays in the area.

The panoramic nature of this boat lended itself to the scenery. 

Lunch on the barbie.  Or is that only an Aussie thing? 

New Zealand Venison, medium rare.  Cooked to order so if you prefer charcoal they were willing to cook it that way. 

Salad and other fixings.  Beer and wine was around $7.50 NZD per glass or ~$5 USD at the moment.    They ran a tab and collected payment at the end.  I didn't have any NZD cash so just used my credit card that doesn't incur any foreign transaction fees.  A beer and a glass of wine came to just under $10 USD.

Picture intensive post.  
Mid-thread reminder...  please don't quote pictures.  Thanks!
We stopped in a quaint little village called Russell.  In the days of whaling Russell was known for two things.  Bars and brothels.  It's come a long way since then... 








Interesting note for pedestrians, the cars don't stop.  Fortunately there aren't very many.  Cars that is.







An hour was plenty of time to explore from one end of the beach to the other.  Russel is a pretty little area that is popular.

Our skipper Darryl introduced himself and the crew took turns introducing themselves.

Ovation in the distance as we boated across the bay.

Darryl called out the menu and we were given the choice of three mains.  New Zealand Venison, Lamb or Fish.  With orders taken the crew begins to season our lunch that we'll eat after our first stop.

This is our only tender port and they started giving out tender tickets just before the first tenders started.  The expectation for tenders is that you are ready to go when you collect your tickets.  Tickets were handed out near Vintages then guests were asked to wait until the ticket number were called. 
New Zealand is particularly strict about bringing food or beverages to shore.  Only commercially bottled water is allowed and there was a sniffer dog on the shore to inspect us.
Since I had booked a Royal excursion I didn't need a tender ticket, instead tours met in the Royal Theater and we were escorted down to a tender.
Quantum class of which Ovation is a member carry eight lifeboats that are designed to also function as tenders.  They are very comfortable and the Ovation crew has this down to a science as the largest cruise ship tender in operation. 
Two tenders before our group are just about to make it to shore.

The ride is about 10-12 minutes and we had a full size dolphin playing in the waves of our wake.  I didn't manage to get a picture of the dolphin but it was quite something to see up close just a few feet away.

Upon arrival to the dock a group of dignitaries greeted us.  Actually they weren't there for us but in honor of Waitangi Day festivities.  This national holiday is actually tomorrow but like any independence day like celebration events occurs over several days. 
This day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Waitangi treaty that is a founding document for New Zealand.

My excursion boarded another boat for a Bay of Islands lunch cruise.

Protection against Corona Virus !!!! ????

Day 10 Continues 
We saw the 230PM showing of We Will Rock You today. It was pretty crowded because all of the other showings start in the early evening and conflict with those eating early (5:30PM) dinner. They were admitting only people with reservations. 


Yen reserved seats in the front row of the upper section on the main level. We made good use of the snack shelf today.

I really liked the show. It reminded me a bit of The Who’s Tommy. 

We had dinner at MDR Silk tonight. The idea was to try to get an idea of what MDR dining would be like if we did not sail Star class. Well, there is apparently no way to roll incognito while Star class. Not gonna happen. We arrived a little before Yen. Julius, our server from Izumi and sushi making class, was stationed there for the evening to assist because lobster night is apparently crazy! He recognized us, and insisted on showing us to our table. Then, before we were seated, Yen arrived. Then, as we were seated the head waiter and manager arrived. ? It felt like our presence was causing undue stress to the waiter, who constantly was asking if everything was OK and if they could do anything more for us. So, it didn’t feel exactly like a typical MDR experience. 
The food, while clearly prepared to feed massive quantities of people, was good. I have no complaints. 
Caesar Salad - our son said it was the best Caesar salad that he has had for the whole cruise.

Artisanal Cheese Plate 

Broiled Lobster Tail

Baked Alaska

Pineapple Upside Down Cake 

When we returned from dinner, we found a few surprises. Yen had left a few stuffed animals for our son: 

And Jesus, the most wonderful room steward, left us some treats on our bed upstairs. That really floored me. I had read about genie gifts, but room steward gifts?!?!

Tomorrow is our last full day. Will be doing behind the scenes theater tour and bridge tour. 

Day 10 Sea Day 
We had room service breakfast this morning, followed by the galley tour at 10AM. We toured the galley for MDR and Windjammer. Each of the specialty restaurants has their own galley. 




Lotsa soup!

And stew!



Giant pressure cookers

Lotsa mashed potatoes!

After this, we went roller skating at the Seaplex. It was hard. I used a roller walker thingie, which helped. I would have fallen a bunch without it. For lunch, we finally had hot dogs from the Seaplex Doghouse. My husband had a Coney Island hot dog and I had a German Thuringer. Our son wanted Johnny Rockets again, so we headed there before heading back to the suite for a little break before We Will Rock You showtime at 230PM today. Tonight is lobster tail night in MDR, and since I wanted to try one night in MDR for research purposes - I figured this was a good night to try it. I’m pretty sure that it will further cement my desire for Star class for any and all upcoming cruises! 

Day 9 Continues 
Tonight’s dinner at CK was excellent, as always. I can’t say enough good things about Indranee. She has been our server at CK each night that we have been there for dinner. She is great with our son. ?

Grilled Mediterranean Octopus ?

Sun Dried Tomato Crusted Flounder

Braised Short Rib

Green Vegetable Curry 


Bittersweet Chocolate Tart Praline

Coconut Custard 

After dinner, we went to Boleros for a caipirinha - finally. We saw the beginning of the Latin Fiesta with Candela. 


 

Couldn't really sleep this morning (as usual before a trip) so got up and continued to get ready to go.  Lisa is mostly packed and I am a last minute packer so I don't have anything packed yet.  I decided to work on last minute things around the house and whatnot.  The packing for me will start soon...
 
Here is a positive for us though.  The 7 day forecast that we will be missing!!!

 
Stay tuned as we finish packing and start the journey!

We fly out tomorrow evening!  We are now both done with work before the trip and going to start packing tonight!  Such a good feeling to be done with work and focus on the trip!  We can't wait to get away from the snow and cold and have some fun in the warm sun!

Forgot the photos!

I said in the last post I would write about food next but I looked at my list and saw that Genie/Star Class was next on my list.  
Star Class:  From the moment you check in at the purple banner until the moment you are abandoned curbside to find your own way home, this method of travel is simply the best.  As I compare the 3 Star experiences there are differences by ship and of course by Genie. The differences by ship are, in my opinion, minor. Some allow lunch in the suite on day 1 and others don’t.  Some take your luggage at night, others in the morning.  Some will let you rent the Rising Tide Bar, others won’t.  Some send a custom drink cart to the suites in the afternoon, on another ship you almost die of thirst.  But overall the perks are the same.  It all depends on what you ask for, who your genie is and what your expectations are.  I enjoy all the standard things provided:  The escort on and off the ship.  The front row seating at the shows.  The dining, drinks, laundry, internet, room service, and the suite stocked with drinks and snacks.  (Even M&M’s). We happen to be a family who really enjoys the suite itself.  I wrote most of this blog from 3 places on the ship.  In the suite lounge, on the loft desk but most out on the massive balcony.  There is just a really a great feeling being in that suite and knowing I can pick up the phone and most, if not all, of my requests will be provided for.  We asked for the backstage tour.  Think about this, there are 6000 guests on this ship.  And here are the five of us with the Production Manager, in a totally empty main theater, being shown the technology they use, the dressing rooms, costumes and the props used during the productions.  That’s amazing to me - that’s Star Class.  Sending laundry out everyday and returning home with a suitcase of clean clothing.  Dining in a restaurant and having the staff just bring you everything even if you don’t ask for it.  Having someone show up everyday just to make sure you are ok and have everything you need!  That’s all Star Class.  I love watching my hard working, fun loving, undemanding ladies be spoiled for the week.  That alone is worth the price of admission.  We didn’t get one thing that we asked for.  I had asked for a brief tour of the medical facility for the two nurses. That request was initially granted but then changed because there  was on the last day “a lot going on down there.”  Evidently they had a good number of ill patients.  The two nurses readily agreed they didn’t want to go under those circumstances.  I have to say we have been pampered and spoiled on all 3 Star. Class trips.  And I need to put that in perspective.  I think I mentioned earlier that I had the honor to serve in our White House for several years.  I have been blessed to ride around on AF-1, meet foreign leaders and once even dined with a King.  So my attitude has always been “ I’m easily pleased, but not easily impressed.”  But vacationing on Royal, in Star Class, has impressed me.  It’s something I hope to do do many more times.
The Genie.  I’ll just cut to the chase on this one.  If you are fortunate enough to to travel with Allan...it doesn’t get any better.  This guy is amazing in so many ways.  I personally have really, really enjoyed all 3 Genies we have sailed with. Dave Mac provided us with a great experience.  The next time Ariceli convinced me that nobody could come within the same zip code as her level of service.  But Allan did.  He is a personable, knowledgeable, creative, fun, funny, genuine, this is who I am kind of guy.  I know much more about him than I know of the others because we spent time together and shared our life.  We had Champagne, caviar, strawberry’s and other treats in our room the last night because of him.  We all laughed together and enjoyed each other’s company.  This guy was made for this job.  I can see both Ariceli and Dave doing other things.  But Allan is....he’s made for being the perfect Royal Genie.  If you sail with him you’ll be happy.  I still  want to adopt Ariceli and I would cruise with her again in a heartbeat.  But Allan really hit a home run.  
So tomorrow night, or as soon as I can, will be food.  A spoiler alert here @Lovetocruise2002, I had the filet in the CK, Chops x2, 150, Izumi and Giovanni’s.  I’m a meat eater.  I’m the newest member of team CK!  It was the best.