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Standing Ovation from the Land Down Under - New Zealand 11 Nights Feb. 2, 2020


twangster

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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.

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The geysers were going off again.

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

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

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4 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

@twangster How long was the Māori cultural presentation and did they mingle with the guest?

I would love to see those geysers, how was the corn?

Approximately 30 minutes.  Guests were invited on stage at the end to take pictures with them.  The corn was great!

3 hours ago, Big Tule said:

Do you know if the orange color around one of the pools is bacteria

I do not know.  Looked like iron to me but I really don't know.

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Lunch at a local hotel that had a central courtyard and garden with a restaurant.  I didn't take pictures at lunch as I was seated with a family from Australia and it seemed rude taking pictures with them in it.  Suffice it to say we all agreed it was a pretty good lunch.

After lunch we drove over to the Government Gardens.  

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The main building is closed due to damage from earthquakes.

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One of the first hot springs of Rotorua.

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That's 212°F.

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Back into the van for the drive to our next stop.

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Our last stop was at a Redwood Grove.

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Redwoods were imported roughly 100 years ago from California.  

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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.

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The Silver Ferns can grow quite tall as ferns go.

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

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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.

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

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

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Looking back down the entrance we came in.

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Soon enough it was sail away time.

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

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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.

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Housekeeping items:

Pools are heated to 24°C or 75°F.  Indoor and outdoor.

BOGO Deluxe package reappeared on day 4 but has since not (that I've seen).  No drink cards that I've seen but buckets of beers have been available for a small discount.  When a deluxe beverage package discount appears mid cruise it generally means sales have been slow so YMMV.

Voom internet has performed just like it does when sailing in the Caribbean on Anthem.  Typical speeds are 4 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up.  This may be slow for people used to fiber or other super fast internet on land but for a ship at sea it's pretty darn good.

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Day 6 - Napier

Our progress so far...

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Our first glimpse of the port.

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Napier is a fairly technical port to sail into and it requires the use of tugs to complete the maneuver into the pier.  That little sliver of water to the left in this photo is where we need to navigate but the aft has to go in first.

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It's like backing into an "F" where the ship will dock at the horizontal top of the "F".  The sharp turn requires the use of tugs. 

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This is a shuttle port.  The port is industrial and meant for cargo ships so it's not a port you can walk off the ship and into town.  Free shuttle buses are used to go through the secure port area to reach town.  Like with tenders, tickets are used to manage crowds.  

Since I had a Royal excursion we met in the theater and left as a group not requiring a shuttle ticket.

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Update:  Actual time of this posting is day 8.  Skipping Dunedin today due to winds.  I'll use the extra sea day to try to catch up on this thread but we've crossed below 45° S latitude where O3b satellites meet their operational Southern limit.  Voom is becoming sketchy so I may go silent for a day or two.  

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Day 6 continued...

Today's excursion is Hawkes Bay Panorama through Royal.  I looked at external vendors but I managed to get this on sale through Royal so it was cheaper than an equivalent 3rd party excursion.   Our bus picked us up on the pier so no shuttle required.

Leaving the port area we see our first glimpse of a local beach.

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We drove through town and our driver explained various things about the area.  This next photo shows an outdoor concert tent at the Mission Estate Winery where some big names are playing.  Sir Elton John performed last night and will be performing again on the 15th of February.  That gray tall structure is a stage facing the hillside and you can see people wandering the hillside cleaning up the trash from last night's performance.

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Summer season and the rivers are dry so not a lot of water flowing at the moment.

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More wineries.

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This entire region is fertile farmland.  At one point this larger area was a plantation and this driveway was a tree lined entrance to the plantation house.  Now it's a public road.

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We stopped at a fruit shop for a bathroom break and in case anyone wanted to buy some local fruit.   

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

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Back into the city...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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It's a very nice area.

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Time for a New Zealand beer...

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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..

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Some more pictures while I let some time pass.

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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.

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

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As well as some live music from the era.

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

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Back to the ship.  Somewhere along the way a guide mentioned that wood is a major export for New Zealand.  China is a large consumer.  The joke is that it goes away as trees and comes back as furniture made in China.

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You can see why this is a technical port requiring tugs in and out.  We had to back into that sheltered area and reach the dock by the white buildings on the left.  

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Sailing down the coast we had some great scenery as the evening passed.

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The main theater tonight had a performance of 'Mercury Rising' by Steve Larkins.  This is a light hearted but strong tribute to Freddie Mercury.  

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Steve Larkins is a local New Zealand entertainer.  He brings a unique sense of wit to this tribute.

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If you enjoy the music of Queen this is a must see performance.

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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.

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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.

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Our first stop is a botanical garden.

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

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Also featured is a small section dedicated to peace.

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Here one will find the Hiroshima Stone.

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

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Our next stop was atop the Mount Victoria lookout.

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A cricket pitch were Kiwi's train to kick some Aussie butt, or at least that's what our driver claimed.

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South to Antarctica.  

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Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd was an American naval office and known for his explorations of Antarctica.  

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Well, here I am, sailing with @twangster and I didn't even know it!

We even stayed at the same hotel pre-cruise - although I suspect a lot of people did, as it's an easy walk to the cruise port.

Glad you're enjoying the cruise as much as I am, @twangster ? 

(I have an account here, but I'm trying to log in a tablet in rough seas and I'm five drinks in - #TeamDrinksPackage! - and it's not cooperating!)

JuneMay

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9 minutes ago, June_May said:

Well, here I am, sailing with @twangster and I didn't even know it!

We even stayed at the same hotel pre-cruise - although I suspect a lot of people did, as it's an easy walk to the cruise port.

Glad you're enjoying the cruise as much as I am, @twangster ? 

(I have an account here, but I'm trying to log in a tablet in rough seas and I'm five drinks in - #TeamDrinksPackage! - and it's not cooperating!)

JuneMay

Welcome to the message boards! ?

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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. 

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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.

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

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Our next stop was the Museum of New Zealand.  This was unguided, we had an hour to self explore.

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Free to enter but there is currently a Wonderland exhibit that has an additional charge.  The rest was free.

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From the Endeavour.  

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Kiwi birds.

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This globe depicts the tectonic plates and one of them runs right through the middle of New Zealand.

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Since the Caribbean has had some earthquakes recently here are the plates for that region.

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Our bus driver pointed out the two bus stops for the free cruise ship shuttle as we drove past them.  I use an app called Anchor that allows me to create way points that I can later call up and reference.  This app has been invaluable on this cruise with the city shuttle buses.  

As our driver told us about the bus stops I created anchor points for them.

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I saw more long boats racing in the harbor.

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As I wandered along the waterfront I came across the starting line.

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It's a very pleasant city to walk around.

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In this area I found an underground craft market.

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I also found the nest for the long boat participants.

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Using my Anchor app I headed in the direction of the second bus stop.

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Back on the ship here is the bus area for cruise ships at the port.  It's very well organized.

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Did I mention trees are a major export for New Zealand?

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Some views of the harbor from the ship.

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Sail away and back into the Pacific.

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I hit the motherload in the Windjammer tonight.  I used to painstakingly carve the skin off with a knife but I've learned there are a lot of nutrients in the skin so after a quick rinse... yum.

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Temperature tonight for those keeping score.

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Day 8 - Dunedin Sea Day 

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

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

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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.

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

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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.  

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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.

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

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Day 8 continued...

Kind of a gray dull day but the sea was amazing to watch from my balcony.  It's quite mesmerizing.  I used the day to catch up on this thread.  My Royal excursion for Dunedin was automatically refunded.

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Tonight live from the Ed Sullivan Royal Theater... The Australian Beatles!

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Very good and quite enjoyable.

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Day 9 - Cruising Through The Sounds

Last night our Captain had apologized again for having to skip Dunedin but was very optimistic about Dusky Sound. 

Milford Sound was still questionable since they had sustained flooding recently.  Something like a month's worth of rain in a few hours.  That had washed a lot of debris into the Sound and as of last night it was closed to ship traffic.

Overnight we had cruised around the Southern tip of New Zealand.

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This far South we are out of range of O3b satellites.  That period of intermittent connectivity yesterday occured as we switched over to traditional satellites for internet and so our internet speeds had slowed and ping times (latency) had increased dramatically.  Very much like Voom in Alaska.  

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For those keeping score at home, 12°C or 54°F.

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Little did I know we were about to experience the highlight of the cruise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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