Day 47 - Wednesday 25th February - Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Day 47 - Wednesday 25th February - Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Finally our four rocky days at sea were over! We arrived at our first port in New Zealand this morning - the beautiful Bay of Islands. We got up early to watch the sail in (at the same time as chatting on the phone to another lovely friend!) which was magnificent. You could see where the place got its name from, as there were picturesque islets everywhere. We watched the sun rise behind one of these and then the ship came to a gentle standstill and set down its anchor.

We had breakfast and then joined the crowds of people waiting to get a tender boat ashore. We had a tour booked for the afternoon but wanted to make the most of our time here, so tried to get ashore ASAP. You have to collect a numbered ticket, and then groups of people are called in number order, as and when there are spaces available in the tenders. Priority goes to those people on organised shore excursions. So despite having picked up our ticket at 7.50am and getting numbers 88 and 89, we still did not disembark until about 9.00. We were warned that the tender ride could take up to 20 minutes, and the sea looked rather choppy when we watched the boats, but in fact the ride was short and pleasant.

Finally ashore, we decided to get the free shuttle bus along to Paihia, the local town, and then walk back. This was a good plan, as we were given lots of useful info by the driver, such as where to find free wifi! We got off in Paihia and spent a while looking round the handicrafts market, which actually had some pretty unique gifts for once! It also had a lady with a 4 day old kitten on a lead - I was smitten! :-) I then stocked up on stamps before heading to the library for the promised wifi (which actually worked! First successful free wifi of the whole cruise!! I love New Zealand!!!) There wasn't much else to do in Paihia (except helicopter rides, which we opted out of!) so we set of on our pretty walk back along the sea front. We passed many expensive looking harbour front houses and apartments, and walked along the beach for a while - I dipped my toes in the sea but it was rather chilly! We saw a collection of Maori statues representing different tribes, and a number of replica boats. As we went past a nearby lake, we heard war cries, and turned to see one of the tours (which JL had refused to go on!) where teams of people get to row traditional Maori canoes, complete with the chants and cries that would be made in fighting times! 

We crossed over the bridge that links Paihia with the peninsular of Waitangi and walked a little way in the other direction to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This is where, on 6th February 1840, New Zealand's founding document the Waitangi Treaty was signed. This turned out to be rather controversial, as it was believed by the Indigenous Maori chieftains to be a promise of protection for their lands and possessions, but due to a mistranslation in the document, it turned out to mean something different to the British who had written it, and led to much fighting and resentment between the two cultures. The museum which now stands on the spot of the treaty signing, also has a 120 foot canoe which could carry 150 Maori warriors. We spent most of our time here in the cafe however, where JL enjoyed a plate of scallops and I had some beer battered chips (which thankfully didn't taste of beer!) which I shared with the resident duck population!

After lunch we walked back to the tender dock, had a little look at the yacht club there (which turned out to be far less glamorous than I had imagined!), and the lovely views across to the ship, before boarding our home for the next 3 hours - a catamaran cruise. This took us on a long journey all around the bay, in and out of the beautiful islands, stopping from time to time to look more closely at particular areas. We saw the island where Captain Cook (him again!) first landed, a memorial on a rock, an obsolete car ferry which has been converted into a floating hotel, several blowholes in the rocks, a range of trees and vegetation, caves, luxury houses on private islands (including the one the Queen stayed in on her visit here!), campsites, beaches, and boats galore - kayaks, dinghies, yachts, ferries, speed boats, catamarans...

The cruise eventually ended up at the famous Hole in the Rock just off the Cape Brett peninsula. This natural formation is, as the name suggests, a large rock which has been eroded over time by the sea and the wind, to create a large hole in the middle. Large enough in fact for boats to pass through if the sea conditions are suitable. As we approached it, the waves in the hole were crashing against the sides and the water level was fluctuating by several metres... Luckily the captain confirmed that this did not constitute suitable sea conditions - at one point we thought he was going to give it a go! So after many photos, we turned back for the journey back to the ship. We saw the Cape Brett lighthouse, now automated, and the single house, only accessible by boat or by a 5 hour hike, which can be rented her for NZ$15 per night! We then sailed back through the bay, viewing more beautiful islands and trying not to get sunburnt (I failed!). Shortly before the end of the tour we sailed over to the nearby town of Russell, which is one of the oldest towns in New Zealand, once known as the 'hell hole of the southwest Pacific' due to the rowdy sailors who used to land there and enjoy the facilities! This all came to an end when missionaries arrived! The town is now known for being a beautiful seaside village.

The captain announced that he was going to drop us directly onto the ship, as he had had a phone call from the ship saying that two of the tender boats had broken down! When we had almost arrived, the captain suddenly stopped the ship and started reversing saying he had seen something interesting... Never did I guess that what he had seen was PENGUINS!!!!! There were a group of 5 or 6 of them swimming around nearby, and he manoeuvred the ship around so that everyone could see (which was rather tricky as they kept popping up and down!). I managed to get one photo with Penguins in amongst many many photos of the sea! What a wonderful end to the trip! :-)

We got back on the ship just in time for afternoon tea (and a beer for JL!). I then chilled out in the room for a bit until it was time for dinner. We then went to the evening's show - Harry the Piano performing for the second and last time. He again did a number of piano medleys, some requests, and a piece he had composed himself. For the finale of the show, he invited on stage the other entertainers who had been on the ship for the past few days - the Hollies singer and the New Zealand singer, as well as the piano/ flute duo, and the five of them performed a song together - it was really lovely! Then to bed, exhausted!

Day 46 - Tuesday 24th February - at sea

Day 46 - Tuesday 24th February - at sea

(Think I've got the date right this time!!!!)

We woke up this morning to find that the seas were thankfully returning to normal! We did our normal walk round the decks and it was a bit windy but the sun was starting to peek though the clouds! I then went to stretch class and JL did a bit more walking. After breakfast I went line dancing and then went to knit and natter to finish the last parts of my teddy - and he is done! I'm so proud of myself! :-) Meanwhile JL went to see his lecturer Dr Lee Konowe doing a talk called 'Privacy: can it be protected or is it long gone?'

We had lunch and then my hectic afternoon began! First I went to party dance class, which was pretty exhausting. Then I did an abs workout, and then went along to afternoon tea, which today was a special Macmillan fundraising one. After that I went to watch the passengers' amateur dramatics performance, which was amusing! And then to the passengers' choir performance, which was surprisingly good! I then went back to the room to get ready for the formal evening.  [JL: to compensate, I did bugger all all afternoon.  Lovely... Except at 3, I went to see the Headliners but only because the girls were wearing next to nothing and singing and dancing to Motown...]

After dinner we went to see Rebecca Nelson, the New Zealand singer, perform her second show - she has an incredible voice.  Finally I got everything ready for our first of 3 successive port days beginning with Bay of Islands tomorrow....

Day 45 - Sunday 21st February (The day that never was!)/ Monday 22nd February 2015 - at sea

Day 45 - Sunday 21st February (The day that never was!)/ Monday 22nd February 2015 - at sea

We were given two daily ship's newspapers for today - the first one was entitled "Sunday 21st February... Or is it?" and was full of activities such as walking on water, naked bungee jumping, mud wrestling for the over 85s, break dancing and body popping classes, pole dancing, water skiing, hang gliding, strip poker, an evening pyjama party and punk dance date, and special offers of free drinks all day, free wifi, and the option of posting yourself home for £3.50! As you have probably guessed, this day did NOT exist, as overnight we had crossed the international date line. This means we had gone from Saturday 20th to Monday 22nd. There was a special section of the newspaper for all those passengers and crew members with birthdays on 21st Feb who would not be having one this year!

We also received a ship's newspaper for Monday 22nd, which detailed the real activities of the day, but various alterations had to be made to these... Firstly, all the decks were closed due to the continued high winds, rain and rough seas, so no walking for us (which was perfect as I was talking to my family then anyway!). Stretch class happened as normal with the extra challenge of keeping one's balance! After breakfast there was an announcement to say that last night there had been a flood in Carmens (the dance hall) and they were still inspecting the damage, meaning line dancing would take place in the nightclub instead (which is much smaller). And it certainly was cosy! We did some quite simple dances due to the lack of space and rockiness of the ship, but it was still good fun! We then went to the theatre to watch the port talk on Melbourne, before going to lunch.

After lunch I got one of the last few seats for the 1.15 show at the cinema of the film Gone Girl, which was very good. JL then went to see Dr Lee Konowe talking about lie detection, but it was too wet to play table tennis. I went to a Legs Bums and Tums class and then we went to dinner.

We had an early classical recital by the pianist and flutist, and then went for the second show by Peter Howarth (the Hollies singer) who announced that he was a bit tired as he'd had to be evacuated from his room in the night as it was flooded! I'm starting to worry more and more about this ship, especially as the TV information channel hasn't shown our position for ages, and is now displaying a sign saying that the GPS equipment is malfunctioning - I really hope the captain still knows where we are...!  [Women! (Part 4). Apologies: Emma, bless her, makes it sound as though we're on a canoe to Benidorm which we are not...]

[JL: this constant changing of the time is getting annoying.  And now from  -11 to + 13 hours!  We went to bed on Saturday night and woke up on Monday morning!  On the ship this morning (Monday) we saw a few members of the anti Richard Dawkins brigade looking very lost and deeply distraught.  No Sunday means No mass today!  Does this mean now that their place up there in the clouds is no longer guaranteed?  I am worried!   PS: I love you Jack... ]

Day 44 - Saturday 21st February 2015 - at sea

Day 44 - Saturday 21st February 2015 - at sea

We woke up to rough seas and wind, but bravely went for our walk round the upper decks anyway. I then went to stretch class (which was all done sitting or lying down for safety!) and JL continued his walk. We had breakfast and then I went to a very rocky line dance class. I then headed back to the room to watch the growing storm out of the window - we now had rain and mist to accompany the winds.

After lunch JL went to see a lecture on forensic science, while I went to the cinema to see Jersey Boys. As did half the ship! I got there 15 minutes early but all the seats were gone so I sat on the floor! When I emerged 2 hours later (fab film by the way!) I found a queue snaking half way round the ship for the next performance, and apocalyptic weather outside!!! We had water bubbling inside our patio doors and wild winds howling all around. The horizon had long disappeared in the mists and worryingly our position had disappeared from the information TV channel, which made me wonder whether the captain even knew where we were!  [Women ! (Part 1) ]

I went along to a fab abs class to take my mind off the weather conditions, and then read in the room for a bit before dinner. We had a table by the window which was a little scary with waves crashing against it in the dark... [Women ! (Part 2) ]

We then went to the theatre to see the entertainer 'Harry the Piano' who is a very talented comic pianist. He has the most amazing memory and ability, and made up various medleys on the spot based on requests by the audience, playing one backwards! Amazing :-)

We then headed to bed, with the words of one passengers goodbye to her friend ringing in our ears: "Goodnight, see you in the lifeboat!" [Women ! (Part 3]

Day 44 - Friday 20th February 2015 - at sea

Day 44 - Friday 20th February 2015 - at sea

We started the day with a nice warm walk round the decks (little were we to know that it was the last sun we would be seeing for a while!). I then went to stretch class while JL carried on walking, then we had breakfast. Line dancing was cancelled this morning as the crew were doing drills, which involved lots of alarms and alert messages going off all over the ship - it was very noisy! It did however give me plenty of time to write the Rarotonga blog! Luckily the Internet was working ok so I had a lovely chat to a lovely friend, at the end of which the heavens opened and we had our first tropical storm, complete with thunder and lightening! I then went to knit and natter to stuff my teddy bear. Now all he needs is a scarf! JL wandered the ship like a lost soul looking for a quiet place to read, but everyone who was usually out in the sun had retreated indoors so he came back looking fed up!

We had a shivery lunch as the temperatures were plummeting suddenly [JL: down to 24 degrees! Shivering alright!] and I then went to party dance class to warm myself up! JL went to a lecture by Dr Lee Konowe talking about spies and code breaking. He then went off again in search of a quiet place to read and found a small one in the Crows Nest. I wrapped up warm, and adjusted the cabin air con, and settled down to read my book while watching the growing waves outside. I didn't have  the energy to go to the gym today so stayed where I was until it was time to get ready for formal night.

We had dinner and then went to see the first of the evening's shows - the new classical act, the Dana Morgan Duo, a lady playing the flute and a man on the piano, playing some Schumann and Debussy. We then went to the theatre to see the evening's singer, Rebecca Nelson, who is described as a Classical Crossover Artiste from New Zealand. She had a beautiful voice and sang a lovely set of songs including Ave Maria and Danny Boy. 

We found out from an announcement at the end of the show that the wind and rain we are experiencing is the tail end of the cyclone which has been hitting Australia recently, so I went to bed with dreams of waking up to find the ship transported to Oz...

Day 43 - Thursday 19th February 2015 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Day 43 - Thursday 19th February 2015 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands

We got up at 6.00 today so that we could watch the sail in to Rarotonga. The island looked very similar from afar to Tahiti and Moorea, but as we got closer we could see it was less developed in terms of large towns, houses and luxury resorts. It was still very beautiful with lots of lush green hills and a turquoise reef surrounding it. We paid particularly close attention to the water, because we had been warned the previous day that it may not be possible to stop at the island as the waters had been very rough recently and it may not be safe to transport passengers ashore via the tender boats (the harbour is too small for the ship to dock directly alongside). The waters looked calm enough, but when the first tender boat was let down it looked surprisingly rocky in the waves! However before long there was an announcement saying that it had been deemed safe to take passengers ashore, and so we headed for the theatre to meet for our tour - Muri Lagoon Cruise. We were soon informed that due to the slightly rough waters, the loading of the tenders was taking longer than normal, so to please be patient. We eventually got ashore at about 10.15, after a slightly bumpy tender ride, which was 45 minutes later than planned, but at least we were safe and ready to go explore the lagoon!  [JL: as we arrived we were greeted with this priceless sign: "welcome to the Cook Islands!  Bring more tourists, the last few we ate were delicious!"]

We first got into a minibus which drove us for 20 minutes along the one road which encircles the island, to the village of Muri, in the South East of the island. On the way we passed many small roadside shops and restaurants, and lots of houses, many of which intriguingly had small cemeteries in their front gardens. And lots of chickens! We also passed a few pretty churches.

Once we arrived at Muri, we met our hosts for the day, the team of Captain Tama's Lagoon Cruises (www.captaintamas.com). We were loaded onto a glass bottomed boat with a dry grass covered roof, and set sail around this area of the lagoon, which was dotted with small islets. We sailed round for a while, admiring the views of these, the sea breaking against the reef, and the lovely houses, beachside restaurants and thatched hotel rooms on the shoreline. We then dropped anchor at a site surrounded by coral and had the chance to jump in and snorkel. Unfortunately no sharks or stingrays today, but many beautiful colourful fish and interesting coral formations. There were also a number of giant clams with amazing patterns inside. The crew had brought a bucket of raw fish and used this to attract some more fish along - giant trevally. These were quite menacing looking! One of the crew members threw some of the raw fish into the water close to where I was swimming and a group of the large trevally came swimming straight for me - it was a little bit scary! But I got lots of good photos.

Back on the boat, we drove to one of the islets we had previously seen, called Koromiri, where we went ashore and were given a barbecue fresh fish lunch (bread for me!). There were also lots of gorgeous fresh fruits, including star fruit, passion fruit, papaya, and even barbecued bananas - yummy! Meanwhile, the crew sang to us and played music on the instruments they had brought with them. They also told us that the island is a popular destination for weddings, and that most of the palm trees on the island had all been planted by newly married couples :-)

We were then given a demonstration of how to climb a coconut tree - it was rather scary! Clearly not to the guys who did it though, who at the top hung upside down and took off their shirts! We then had a demonstration of how to husk a coconut and make coconut cream. Finally the crew boasted of how they knew over 300 ways to tie a sarong and were going to demonstrate a few now. I stood at the front with my camera and then ended up getting chosen as one of the models for the demonstration, much to my horror!  [JL: photos of Emma being dressed up by hunky guy on Facebook tomorrow].  The guy showed us about 6 different styles, some of which were quite amazing. Apparently there are photos of loads more on the company's website - I will be looking them up when I get home!

We had a little more time to walk along the white sand beach and snorkel again in the warm shallow waters (where there were lots more fish, including some babies, and loads of sea cucumbers). 

All too soon it was time to go, so we boarded our boat which took us back to the shore. There most people got back onto their minibuses and headed back to the port. Our group's minibus wasn't there however - we found out later it had a flat tyre - so we got an extra 15 minutes of admiring the scenery, and a personal musical performance by the boat crew! Eventually a different bus arrived, this time bright blue with seats which didn't have a lot of life left in them! Still, it got us back in one piece! We spent a little while looking round the market which had been set up by the harbour, and then boarded a tender boat to go back to the ship. We had to wait a little while, as the captain was in the process of repositioning the ship so that the tenders could meet the ship in the calmest possible waters, and then set off for a rather bumpy ride back. 

By the time I had showered and unpacked/ rinsed off all the things we had taken ashore that day, it was time for afternoon tea! I was very excited as I hadn't been for ages, but I definitely felt I deserved it after my tiny lunch! Delicious. Meanwhile JL went and got a beer in one of the bars!

We went to dinner early and then chilled out in the room for a bit, trying to stay awake, before the evening's show in the theatre - a man called Peter Howarth who is the current lead singer of the band The Hollies, who played a number of hit songs by them and by Roy Orbison among others. I just about stayed awake until the end and then collapsed into bed for a very long sleep!

Day 42 - Wednesday 18th February 2015 - At sea

Day 42 - Wednesday 18th February 2015 - At sea

After a couple of (amazing!) days ashore, we were ready for another relaxing day at sea! We started with our normal walking and stretching/ gym, then had breakfast. I then went to my first line dancing for a while (I could just about remember what to do!) while JL went to read his book in the Crows Nest as it was too hot to go to the pool!

I then went to knit and natter, and have now sewn up most of my teddy's seams and done his face! Just the stuffing to go!

We had lunch and JL went to see two new speakers - first Sue Stockdale talking about her experiences in the Arctic (she is the first British woman to ski to the North Pole!), then Dr Lee Konowe talking about 'Spies, Terrorists and Other Bad People'! He then went to play table tennis.

Meanwhile it was laundry time again! As it was for the rest of the ship it seemed - my first attempt revealed queues in both rooms, with some people saying they had spent the whole morning trying and all machines had been full! I went back half an hour later to find a similar situation so joined one of the queues. At one point there was nearly a fight as one woman came in and took someone else's laundry out then went in front of me in the queue - someone else challenged her on it and a few heated words were said - I kept well out of it! Eventually I got a machine and in a few hours all was sorted!

I just had time to do another of my abs workouts before going to the theatre as the Bibby Sisters (the piano duo) were performing their last concert, this time in the main theatre. They ended with Rhapsody in Blue which I love! A great finale.

We watched the port presentation in the room about Auckland, where we will be going next week, and then went to dinner. After eating, we went to see a group called Caravan who are resident musicians on the ship, and who were tonight playing a tribute to the Bee Gees - it was very good. We rushed from here to the main theatre for the main show - a visiting Maori group called Te Oranga Ake, who talked about Maori culture and performed various dances, chants, and fighting rituals. They invited people up on stage to have a go at swinging balls around, and finally at doing the haka, including all the scary facial expressions - it was fab! Then time for bed - off to the Cook Islands tomorrow!