MaryS

The open sea appeared in the distance.





 
 

Everywhere I looked was a photo opportunity.  


On both sides were inlets and fjords.








As we sailed along islands emerged from what appeared to be solid land. 

With the sun rising by the minute the beauty of this region became more apparent. 




Like Alaska in some ways this is what sets these cruises apart from a traditional cruise.  It's amazing to see the ship in such close proximity to land and the peaks of the mountains around us.  It has to be experienced in person to fully understand.




Amazing for a ship this size to navigate in these narrow waterways.

Somewhere around 8am we approached the entrance to Dusky Sound.

There was a sea mist in the air that made photography challenging.


At this early hour the sun was low and very bright.  That didn't help with photography.


Pictures don't do it justice.  It was stunning.



Looking forward it was hard to see where we were going or how we would fit in between the islands.

As we slowly made our way forward a path opened up for us.

Day 8 - Dunedin Sea Day 
I had a feeling based on prior announcements we wouldn't make Dunedin.  Morning confirmed that.


Given our position well off shore at this hour I knew we wouldn't be visiting Dunedin on this day.

This is perfect.  We never made it to the South Island of New Zealand.  This is actually pretty ideal.  Now I have full and legal justification to book another cruise to New Zealand.
We slowed our speed and took the windy swell under a nice gentle speed.  Eventually our pilot for the sounds approached and we turned to shelter the pilot boat from the wind.


The turn gave those on the port side a nice view of the coast.



I'm time shifting here.  Captain Ryan recorded a video that was put on RCTV later on this day.  I'm cheating by throwing it in here.  
I always appreciate when the Master of the vessel takes the time to explain in detail why we had to skip a port.  

The channel into the port is very narrow and not a simple straight line.  That makes it complex for a large ship (or any ship) to navigate safely in strong winds.

And so we will slowly continue our way towards the sounds for tomorrow.

Back to the ship where I jumped on the free shuttle bus back to downtown.
One of the cruise ship shuttle bus stops:



The Beehive as our driver called it.  This is where the New Zealand politicians work.




Very walkable and pedestrian friendly.

The museum has an outdoor area called Bush City.


They have some cave simulations.



Outdoor walking paths lead to city views.



With time up it was time to re-group at the bus outside.

Next stop was in the city so back down the hill with some more commentary  by our driver.
Wellington is known for its winds.  Today is a calm day by Wellington standards.  Our driver tells us sometimes this sidewalk can be challenging for pedestrians and even vehicles on the road can struggle in the winds. 

To maximize land use they have resorted to building houses on the steep hills but with no roads to the houses they have improvised and added private cable cars.  Ran out of milk?  Back in a jiffy after a cable car ride.  Don't want any visitors?  Cut the power to the cable car.  I'm guessing door to door salespeople don't do very well in Wellington.

Sand isn't natural here so they imported some to create a city beach.

Hi all!
My first live blog! This upcoming cruise is for 7 nights from Sydney, Australia visiting Noumea, New Caledonia & Mystery Island, Vanuatu. My first time on a Quantum-Class ship and will be staying in a "Family" Junior Suite on Deck 10. Itinerary is as below, we are docked in Noumea and will tender at Mystery Island. More details to come. 
Accommodation:
Junior Suite (Family) on Deck 10 - Sea Class
Activities/Entertainment:
Rip Cord by I-fly (Day 2) 
Northstar (Day 3)
Pixels (Day 6) 

Excursions: 
Noumea: Noumea city tour + Wine & Cheese Tasting (RCI excursion)
Dining:  
Solarium Bistro (Day 1)
Wonderland (Day 3)
Jamies Italian (Day 5) 
Coastal Kitchen (hopefully!!) 

Thanks, Ellecee.  We are finally on Anthem !  Embarkation was a breeze.  Slightly disappointed with our Grand Suite.  Much smaller and feels closed-in compared with any GS we’ve ever had - even Grandeur !  We’ll survive.  Better than a stank  hotel in downtown Newark !

S: Good, actually, great news about your Anthem of the Seas sailing
Good morning! Late last night, we sent you an email sharing the news that the New Jersey Health Authority advised us that they received the results from CDC, and the individuals tested negative for novel coronavirus. (We decided it was a little too late to text you.) The good news, our departure from Cape Liberty, New Jersey will remain the same, at 3:00 PM EST on Monday, February 10th. The even better news, our team has been tirelessly working and has advised you can board the ship today! So, come start your vacation early with us. The terminal doors will open at 3:00 PM today and boarding will take place today from 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST, or Monday from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST. Please know, since stevedore availability is limited today, you may need to bring your bags onboard with you, so it may be a good idea to pack lightly.
We really appreciate your understanding during this unexpected and very fluid situation. Our top priority is your health, safety, and wellbeing. We would never put you at risk, especially when it comes to health. So, thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you later today, or tomorrow!
 
Yippee !  Boarding today at 3:00. Ready to get this party started !

Royal excursion today - Wellington Panorama
Wellington is also a shuttle bus port.  You can't simply walk off the ship and wander into the city.  After meeting in the Royal Theater we boarded our tour bus directly.  As we were leaving the port an endless line of shuttle buses were arriving to carry guests without a Royal excursion into the city.


Our driver provided commentary as he drove around the city.   The road network was originally designed in London, England by individuals who had never been to Wellington, NZ.  They just laid out the roads like Wellington was flat which it isn't. 
Once it came to actually building the roads in Wellington they had to deal with hills that in some places were sharp cliff walls.  Back in the day it seemed logical to simply start and stop streets across these cliff faces.  Stairs or walkways were added for pedestrians.  In modern times though it presents a challenge for GPS where you can find yourself driving into a dead end that ends with stairs to the next section of road.  
Consequently it helps to know Wellington if you are going to drive around Wellington.

Our first stop is a botanical garden.

The centerpiece of this garden is the Lady Norwood Rose Garden.









Also featured is a small section dedicated to peace.



Here one will find the Hiroshima Stone.

The stone is from the former Hiroshima City Hall that was destroyed by the atomic bomb.

Waiting for the initial Genie email after submitting the survey sort of feels like this...

“Follow that STAR…Our Journey back to Oasis.” - March 15-22, 2020
Oasis…
” A fertile or green spot in the desert, a shelter from the storm, a moment of respite from the conditions of the desert…”
We’re back with another blog and that line above pretty much sums up what this cruise means to us this time around.  Our lives, since entering dry dock back in August 2019, has been work, work, and more work.  To say that the last seven months have been busy is an understatement.  However, all is going to be well soon as we are about to embark on not just another cruise, but another Star Class adventure!
And full disclaimer!  In fear of being blog shamed (I won't mention any names here lol), I debated waiting on this one until about a week out but then I would have to back track to outline the Star Class process.  This is just easier.  Oh, and I am excited too! 
Please note that this is only 5 weeks early. ?
Let's begin...

The beach front has a paved sidewalk or you can stroll on the pebbles of the beach.





It's a very nice area.



Time for a New Zealand beer...

The line for the cruise ship shuttle is right across the street and it was starting to build so I thought I'd wait it out with another beer and a bite to eat..

Some more pictures while I let some time pass.


Well I might as well jump in line.  Actually it went very fast.  They had three or four coaches boarding at the same time so it was only five or six minutes.

Back at the port where the buses dropped us off they had more cars on display.

As well as some live music from the era.

It was a pretty great day.  Everyone in Napier was very friendly and welcoming.  I could definitely see coming back in the future.

Driving back to the port area we drive along the coast for a few minutes.

Back into the city...

We had a choice to get off the bus in town and use the free cruise ship shuttle or to return to the port.  We had several hours and I wanted to explore the city a bit.

These buildings are called the Six Sisters.  A father wanted to keep his daughters close to home so he built each of them a house.  Being of wood construction they survived the 1930's earthquake that struck the area and now they contain different businesses.

Earthquakes damaged or destroyed a lot of buildings in the 1930s.  Much of the town was rebuilt in the style of the era and so Napier is now known for its Art Deco architectural style.  They have embraced that by adding some vintage cars.  Rides are offered.

I'm really glad this tour took us out of the city to see the countryside.

In the far distance is the port area.


Lots of grape vines.

No farmland is complete without some...

Did I mention this region has a lot of wineries?



We continued our drive in the countryside to the sights of Te Meta Peak range.


More rivers at low levels.


Beehives in the foreground.

Stunning views for a bus ride.

Update:
 
 

No, we don’t have a car and decided to just stick around the hotel. I will say, downtown Newark is quite an experience.  At least we will be thrilled to get out of here and get on the ship finally. 
 
No new updates so it looks like 5:00 today for boarding and 10PM departure.  Yippee !

No more updates for now so hopefully things have stabilized.  At this point they are refunding 2 days of cruise fare, 2 days of prepaid packages and reimbursing hotel and food up to $200.  They’ve cancelled Nassau (yippee) and cut out 1 sea day.  IF things go smoothly tomorrow I think all will be well.  I have a 4:00 checkout at the hotel so if they begin boarding at 5:00 that should work out.

As the sun was setting we sailed past the White Island Volcano.  The tragedy that occurred on December 9, 2019 resonates with me because I was originally booked on that excursion for this day.
Out of respect for those impacted by this tragedy I wasn't sure if I was going to mention it.  I wasn't even sure we would be close enough to see it.  With a solemn heart and with the victims in my thoughts this will be the only post that I'll share.

Back to the Tauranga port area we had a little bit of time to wander around the nearby beach.
Since it was Waitangi Day there were lots of people enjoying the beautiful day.


Jumping off piers and docks must be a New Zealand thing as it was popular here as well.

With a lot of walking over the past week my feet were sore so back to the ship.


Looking back down the entrance we came in.



Soon enough it was sail away time.




This was a really enjoyable stop with so much to do.

Our last stop was at a Redwood Grove.

Redwoods were imported roughly 100 years ago from California.  

The other species our driver wanted to show us were the Silver Ferns.   This type of fern is only found in New Zealand.  The Silver Fern is a symbol of national identity to New Zealanders and there are even some sports teams that use the name.


The Silver Ferns can grow quite tall as ferns go.






It's a popular spot and they have set up an elevated course through a section of the trees that carries an additional charge.

After the presentations we were given some free time to explore on our own.
We had been told there area is dry right now and in need of rain.  Normally these would be mud puddles bubbling with steam.

The geysers were going off again.




It's kind of weird seeing steam coming from the ground in every direction.




With that it was time to meet our driver and move on to our lunch stop.