Day 66 - Sunday 15th March - at sea

Day 66 - Sunday 15th March - at sea

(Happy Mothers Day to my wonderful mummy!)

After a somewhat restless night (as I kept thinking I was rolling out of bed!) we woke to big waves and very choppy seas. We went to have a look at the outer decks, but they were closed due to high winds, so we went to the gym to use some of the machines there instead, before I went to stretch class. We had breakfast and then I went to line dancing. And then came back after 10 minutes as they cancelled it, declaring it to be too dangerous due to the movement of the ship. Shortly after the captain came on the tannoy to say that we would have a bumpy day ahead of us, but would be missing the worst part of the cyclone (phew). However, because the diversion we had had to make was so large, we would no longer be able to stop at our next destination (Apia, Western Samoa), so would be going directly to the following port (Pago Pago, American Samoa). I had suspected this might happen, and it is disappointing as we haven't been to Apia before, but I'd rather that than we get stuck in the middle of the cyclone! 

The sea was pretty rough for the rest of the day, with very large waves, so I hibernated in the room until dinner time! Luckily I had my knight in shining armour to bring me lunch to the cabin! Other than that, I slept, skyped another lovely friend, and watched a film on the TV (Rock of Ages - most amusing!) And checked the sailing weather website I had found every so often to check that the red and purple swirl in the South Pacific was definitely moving away from us...

Meanwhile JL soldiered on, going to see two speakers - Melvyn Bowen talking about meteorology, and Gloria Barnett talking about creatures which live in the oceans, and then went to play table tennis. 

It was formal night but I didn't have the energy to get properly made up, and I certainly wasn't going to wear my highest heels with the state of the sea! I did manage an abs workout before struggling down to the restaurant for a table by the window with views of the really quite scary waves! It was calming down a bit compared to the morning, so the evening's entertainment continued as planned - first the classical duo performing another varied programme, and then a Beatles tribute band who were excellent.  [ JL: something amazing has happened: Emma is upset: those of you who know her well will find this hard to believe but she has put on weight: she won't let me tell you how much!! Must be the scrumptious warm scones at afternoon tea.  Those of you who know me well will find this even harder to believe but I have lost 2 kilos. Must be all those oysters...]

Day 65 - Saturday 14th March - at sea

Day 65 - Saturday 14th March - at sea

We set the alarm this morning to get up for walking and stretching, I turned it off and closed my eyes for a few more minutes, and woke up an hour and a quarter later! I think our 3 days ashore had worn me out! So no walk/ stretch for me! But I did feel refreshed and awake at last. 

We had breakfast and then I went to line dancing, followed by knit and natter. My penguin is nearly finished! Meanwhile JL went to see Margaret Gilmore talk about terrorist threats. During the morning the captain made an announcement to say that we would have a calm day at sea but that at around 8.00 tonight when we emerged from the protection of New Zealand to our East, things would become "very very different"! He warned us we would have at least 24 hours of cyclone inspired rough seas - fun.

We had lunch and then I planned to go to party dance class, but got the time wrong, so in the end just stayed in the cabin and read on the balcony in the sunshine. JL went to see a talk by a new guest speaker called Gloria Barnett, giving an introduction to marine biology. He then went and played table tennis. I did a fab abs class before dinner.

After eating we went to see the onboard group Caravan, and the horn section of the orchestra, play a selection of rock classics. It was now 8.00, and I was worried about the changing sea state, so we gave the second concert a miss and instead went back to the cabin to watch the port presentation on Pago Pago (American Samoa), before retreating to bed as the ship started to rock... 

Day 64 - Friday 13th March - Wellington, New Zealand

Day 64 - Friday 13th March - Wellington, New Zealand

We arrived into Wellington at 6.45am, so I went out on the balcony just in time to see the ship pull in to dock! I made the most of the fact I was awake to ring a friend, and then watched the sun rise behind the hill at the side of the harbour. We had breakfast and then went to meet for this morning's tour - Forests, Flowers and Cable Car.

As we left the ship we saw just how close we were to the Westpac sports stadium - we could have watched a game from the top deck! We boarded our coach and drove through the city, with the driver pointing out some of the main landmarks, before climbing the steep hills behind the harbour to the first stop - the Otari-Wilson's Bush reserve. This 100 hectare protected area is made up exclusively of plants which are native to New Zealand. We had a guided tour through part of it. Firstly we saw the collection of beautiful ferns of all shapes and sizes, then a forest area of larger trees. We saw one fascinating tree which started as a seed which fell onto the top of another dying tree of a different variety - it then let down roots to the ground which branched, thickened, and formed a pseudo-trunk over the old tree which slowly died and rotted away underneath. You can now see the two trees as one. The next area was an alpine garden, complete with a rock pool and small waterfall. We were then taken to the canopy walkway which was a wooden bridge through the treetops where we could look down (a little scary!) and into the distance at the amazing views over the reserve. Finally we saw the memorial to the founders of the reserve, and a pretty garden with winding paths.

We left the reserve and drove back into the city, with a nice view of our ship on the way, and then we queued up for a journey on the historic Wellington cable car. Not an overhead one, this is a funicular which takes people 120 metres up into the hilly outskirts of the city. We got seats right behind the driver so got to watch the other car heading straight for us, until the two cars parted in the middle. At the top we had views over the city, and a bit of time to look round the cable car museum (and shop of course!). 

We then boarded our coach again for a drive to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and Begonia House, one of the most beautiful parts of the Wellington botanic gardens. There was a gorgeous outdoor rose garden, with a fountain in the middle, and indoor greenhouses full of orchids, begonias, lilies, and other flowers and plants. Just next to the gardens was the Peace Flame Garden, a lovely oasis with a waterfall and duck pond, in the middle of which is a lantern containing a flame which originated in the fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and is now there as a sign of the fact that Wellington is a nuclear free city, and as a symbol of hope that one day the world will give up all nuclear weapons. 

The last stop on the tour was Old St Paul's Cathedral, an unusual wooden cathedral, with amazing dark wooden carvings all over the inside, and impressive stained glass windows. 

The coach then took us back to the ship, where we had a spot of lunch, before setting out again on foot. We went back to many of the local sights we had passed during the morning in the coach, in order to look at them more closely and take some photos. We started with the railway station, with its columns and statue of Gandhi outside. Then to the parliament buildings, including the famous Beehive structure. The story goes that the plans for the site were a long symmetrical traditional building with columns like the partially built one that stands in the middle today, but they ran out of money and ended up building the very modern looking conical structure instead (which has been voted the fourth ugliest building in the world!). From here we walked to the New St Paul's Cathedral, which was interesting but nowhere near as beautiful as the old one we had seen in the morning. We then walked to the old government buildings, made entirely from wood to be earthquake proof, and from there past some more traditional buildings, along some shopping streets (much to JL's delight!), to the modern civic square with its interesting sculpture and unique City to Sea bridge (which JL thought was earthquake damaged but is actually designed that way!). We stopped briefly to look at the Maori war canoes on display near the waterfront, before making our way to New Zealand's National museum - Te Papa Tongarewa. This is a fascinating museum on 6 floors, with interactive exhibits about the geology, history, culture and natural history of the country.  You could have spent a whole day there, but we did a very quick look round! I particularly enjoyed the earthquake simulation, the preserved giant squid, the life size models of New Zealand wildlife, the recreation heart of a blue whale (which is so big you can crawl inside the tubes!), and the intricate Maori carvings. There was also a wonderful outdoor exhibit called Bush City which had a treetop walkway, ancient volcanic rocks, replicas of caves and a fossil dig. Before we left we spent a bit of time in the coffee shop (with free wifi!) and I spent my remaining NZ dollars in the gift shop. We then walked back to the ship along the very pretty waterfront walk, which sadly I don't have any photos of as JL was so stressed by this point that we were going to miss the ship that was leaving in an hour that I didn't dare stop to take any! Needless to say, we got back with plenty of time to spare!

We went to dinner, listening with great interest to the captain's message to tell us that in order to avoid the worst of Cyclone Pamela we would be taking a different route - rather than heading out North-eastwards across the Pacific, we would instead be going west through the Cook Straight and round the west of the North Island before heading out into the ocean, hopefully then just catching the tail of the storm rather than the brunt of it. There will still be some 'dancing on the waves' as he likes to call rough seas, but we will be perfectly safe he assured us. Sounds like fun...  [JL: no worries...  Emma had two $ left and asked me to put them in one of the charity boxes in the reception.  I chose the life boats thinking they might become handy in the next couple of days...]

We had a bit of time after dinner before our first concert, so went to the Crows Nest to watch the transit through the passage between the North and South islands which was really pretty, especially with the sun setting in the background. We then saw the clarinetist and pianist play their next set, and then I went to see a lady called Anna Stolli perform a range of theatre classics - very good indeed.

Day 63 - Thursday 12th March - Akaroa, New Zealand

Day 63 - Thursday 12th March - Akaroa, New Zealand

We had another early start today to watch the sail in to the beautiful harbour of Akaroa, where the ship was anchoring today, alongside another cruise ship. We watched the sun rise gradually over the volcanic hills surrounding us, then had breakfast and went to meet for our tour - Akaroa Nature Cruise. We got our tender boat ashore, which we had been warned would take at least half an hour, but in fact was barely 15 minutes. This took us to Akaroa village, where we found our catamaran for the morning amongst the collection of small boats dotted around the harbour. The boat soon set off and the captain gave us a bit of local history then took us on a tour of the area. We saw the mussel and salmon farms to one side of the harbour, which have the unplanned consequence of attracting larger marine life! One such group of creatures soon appeared - a pod of bottlenose dolphins! There were about 10 of them, including a calf, and we spent a magical 15 minutes with them - they came up close to the ship and swam alongside us, swimming under the boat, and also leapt through the air in amazing patterns. In the end the captain told us we had to move away as they have strict laws governing interacting with wildlife, and we must not be considered to be pestering them. I got the impression that the dolphins would have happily played all day though! Next we headed to the cliffs alongside the harbour, to see the appropriately named Elephant Head rock, the patterns made by ancient lava flow in the cliffs, and the Cathedral Cave which has a spooky echo! There were many cormorants nesting nearby, and small waterfalls trickling down the steep slopes. We saw trees on the cliff top growing at a 45 degree angle due to the strong winds! Soon afterwards we got our one and only glimpse of one of the local Little Blue Penguins, much to my delight! Sadly none of the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguins which are found in this area though. We did see some Hectors Dolphins, another endangered creature, much shyer than the bottlenose so they only stayed for a minute but were lovely to see! :-) We also saw some most unexpected wildlife - sheep! Looking at the steepness of the hills surrounding the bay, you wouldn't think it was possible for a sheep to walk down, but 3 of them had managed it from a hilltop farm, and were now stuck :-( The boat crew told us they were hoping to assist the farmer somehow in rescuing them, but they weren't quite sure how... We also saw a few fur seals jumping and swimming through the water by the low rocks. A wonderful experience! And even better, on the way back to the dock we were offered a complimentary cup of hot chocolate - well needed as it had been distinctly chilly on deck! I was sure I had made the right decision about cancelling the original tour I had been booked on - swimming with dolphins. When I booked it I had imagined tropical waters and bright sunshine, not 18 degrees, cloud and wind and 12 degree water!! 

By the time we got back to the village it was 11.00, so we set off to have a wander through Akaroa itself. One place which had been highly recommended in the port talk was called the Giant's House and Mosaic Garden, so we went there first. The short uphill walk there was well worth it as the place was incredible. The gardens reminded us of Gaudi's Parc Güell in Barcelona, as they were full of fantastical mosaic sculptures, set amongst the plants and trees - there were lettuces and tomatoes growing in the middle of some of the decorative areas! The place has to be seen to be believed so you will have to wait to see the many photos I took! The beautiful colourful house is a bed and breakfast, so we were not able to go inside, but just peeking through the windows was fascinating! Apparently one of the rooms has a fishing boat which has been turned into a bed! The artist who lives here and has made the garden from scratch must have the most incredible imagination. 

We then made our way back to the waterfront where we wandered the streets, looking at churches, pretty houses, and spotting signs of French influence - this was the only place in New Zealand settled mainly by French people back in 1840. Many of the roads and shops have French names, and the restaurants and cafes have very French menus, much to our delight! After admiring the views for a while, we settled at one which offered a lovely menu plus free wifi! And what did JL end up eating? Fish and chips!!! [yes but the best fish and chips I've ever eaten in my life!,] I then bought a gorgeous raspberry and white chocolate ice cream to eat in the sunshine.

Akaroa was another place we could happily have stayed, but eventually it was time to make our way back to the ship - luckily we picked a time where there was no queue for the tender boats, and were soon safely back on board. We went along to dinner and had a lovely view as we sailed out of the harbour. We then went to see the comedian Jeff Stevenson's second show - he made lots of jokes related to the Captain's announcement that we would be altering our course to try to avoid Cyclone Pamela over the next few days... Eek! I then went to see the second show by the singer Ben Makisi who sang a lovely range of songs from opera to traditional New Zealand and South Pacific tunes. And then to bed ready for our third day in a row ashore - this is exhausting stuff!

Day 62 - Wednesday 11th March - Dunedin, New Zealand

Day 62 - Wednesday 11th March - Dunedin, New Zealand

We had a late arrival into Dunedin today (or rather Port Chalmers, the large nearby shipping port which was big enough to accommodate our ship), so managed a lie in and still saw the sun rise over the beautiful hills which surround the bay where the ship would be berthed. After breakfast we went to the theatre to meet our tour groups - today JL and I had decided to do separate excursions. He was spending the day on the Taieri Gorge Railway, which collected him (and 400 other passengers) from right outside the ships gangways, and took them on a scenic journey along the coast and then over viaducts and streams and through tunnels, viewing amazing scenery, to the village of Pukerangi (250 metres above sea level). Meanwhile I was starting the day with a Wildlife Discovery Cruise.

I walked along the quayside, pausing for a few minutes to let JL's train past (it had about 15 carriages!), and then boarded my boat, the Monarch, and we set off through the Otago Harbour where the ship had come in that morning. We were given binoculars and large fleece lined coats, as it was expected to be somewhat windy and chilly! I took one to put on over my existing coat, scarf and fleecy hood, just in case! The captain pointed out various sights along the way, such as a Maori greeting house on the shore, and a group of black swans on one of the sandbanks. We eventually came out of the harbour into the open ocean, and rounded the entrance point for the first views of the main attraction of the trip - the Taiaroa Head albatross colony, the only mainland albatross colony in the world apparently. There were many cormorants all over the banks, and when you looked carefully you could also see the white heads of albatross chicks peeping out from the long grass. The adult birds were all out at sea gathering food for their youngsters. There was a lighthouse on top of the cliff and a wide range of colours in the rock face, making for a very picturesque setting. There were a number of kayakers in the water watching the bird colony, and also the New Zealand fur seals which we spotted next on the rocky promontory under the cliff. There were quite a number of them, including some pups, and they were not at all fazed by all the attention! After observing them for a while, we turned out to the open sea, where some of the adult albatrosses were starting to come in. We were told that they are excellent gliders but not so good at flapping, so unless they can get enough wind under their wings to carry them up to the colony, they give up and bob along in the sea for a while and try again later. Sure enough, we saw many of them doing just this! As they came in they would come zooming towards the boat, sometimes circling us, where we could see their amazing several metre wing span. They would then put their feet out and water ski for a few metres before settling on the water to wait, allowing us great views of their (rather grumpy looking) faces. As we sat watching them, we also had a visit from a single Little Blue Penguin! He is the world's smallest penguin, at just 33cm long. Sadly he only stayed a few moments and didn't bring any of his friends with him :-( All too soon it was time to head back, past the sand banks which had already got a lot bigger due to the changing tides and were now covered in wading birds. We were given tea/ coffee and biscuits to keep us warm on the journey back as it was distinctly chilly in the wind! We also heard the magic expression "free wifi" (password 'penguins'!!) so I was sorted!

I went back onto the ship for a quick lunch, and then headed back ashore to get the 20 minute shuttle bus to Dunedin itself. I then took myself on one of my famous 'Emma walking tours', using my map with a selection of interesting sounding places ringed. Let's just say I'm glad JL was not with me for this one, for both the distances and the steepness of the roads were somewhat greater than I had predicted! Nevertheless I had a lovely time, seeing many beautiful houses, cathedrals and churches. I also saw the statue of Robert Burns (as Dunedin was originally settled by the Scottish and still has many Scottish influences) - with a large seagull on his head! I walked up (up, up!) to a beautiful high school building with views overlooking the city, and then along to the Edwardian Olveston House, a lovely mansion with gorgeous gardens to explore. And then back down again, past more churches, through the university complex, past the Cadbury chocolate factory (not a patch on Willy Wonka's!), to the Famous Dunedin Railway Station, which is apparently the most photographed building in New Zealand, and I can see why! It is enormous and beautiful, and is fronted by lovely manicured gardens. The ticket office and waiting room have intricate mosaic floors and carved walls also. From there I went to see another amazing church, and then got the shuttle bus back to the ship.

Shortly afterwards, I went out on the balcony to see JL's train appear underneath! It took a while to get 400 passengers all back on the ship, but eventually we were ready to set sail! We had dinner, with a table by the window to see the scenery as we sailed out of the harbour. We then went to see the classical duo play a concert of opera and ballet music - wonderful! Then back to the room to watch the port talk about Wellington to prepare ourselves for two days time. 

Days 59 and 60 - Sunday 8th and Monday 9th March - at sea

Days 59 and 60 - Sunday 8th and Monday 9th March - at sea

(Getting a bit behind again with all these days ashore, so here's another 2 for the price of 1!)

On Sunday morning we did our usual walk, stretch and then line dancing for me. We then went to the port talk about one of our upcoming New Zealand ports - Dunedin. We went to lunch at midday, but it was actually already 1.00, as the clocks went forward at noon (I think they thought there would be protests if they took away an hour of people's sleep so didn't do it at nighttime!) As soon as we had finished lunch it was time for the second port talk of the day (they are cramming them in!) for Akaroa, which looks beautiful. JL went to see Colin Hobbs talking about how aeroplanes fly, and then Diane Simpson talk about why we like different types of music. I went along to a Fab Abs class at 5.00, and then we had dinner. Tonight was the first concert by the new classical duo - Sarah Douglas, a clarinetist, and Amy Wakefield on the piano. They started with a great rendition of Rhapsody in Blue, and played some other lovely pieces. The most exciting thing was they had their music on iPads rather than the hundreds of tatty books and photocopied sheets that most of the performers have had! After this I went to see a New Zealand singer called Ben Makisi, who performed a range of opera and classical songs - very good.

Monday started with a lovely phone call to my family, followed by walking a chilly mile, stretch class, and a cramped line dancing class in a smaller venue as there was a cookery demonstration in our usual room. I then went to my knitting group and made some penguin flippers, while JL went to see a new speaker, TV correspondent Margaret Gilmore, talking about terrorism. We went to lunch and lost ANOTHER hour, and then JL went to see Diane Simpson talking about serial killers (he chooses all the happiest lectures!). He then went to see Colin Hobbs talking about volcanoes, including our favourite honeymoon extending Icelandic one :-) I had an afternoon of laundry ahead of me, thankfully not too traumatic! I then went to an exhausting Body Conditioning class, before getting ready for another formal night. [ JL: and yet another lobster meal...]The evening show was the comedian Jeff Stevenson, who apparently performed at Rodney Trotter's stag night in Only Fools and Horses?!?! (I'm sure Jack will know!)

Days 61 - Tuesday 10th March - at sea (Milford Sound)

Days 61 - Tuesday 10th March - at sea (Milford Sound)

Today was spent at sea, but in the morning we sailed into Milford Sound, a 15km long fjord located on the south west of New Zealand's South Island. It is a designated World Heritage Site and I can see why. We arrived there at 8.30, so we scrapped our normal morning schedule and instead went on deck to watch the scenery. We stayed for about 15 seconds before we realised it was freezing and rainy and windy! JL then retreated to the Crows Nest, while I went and got out all my winter and waterproof clothing and set up camp on the observation platform at the front of our deck. We then spent a glorious two hours watching wonderful green hills, gushing waterfalls, sheer rock faces, cloud formations of all shapes and sizes (including long white clouds, which New Zealand's Maori name means), helicopters and small sightseeing planes flying overhead, kayakers meandering along near the cliffs, and wildlife watching boats who were looking out for the seals and dolphins and penguins who live in this area but who were hiding today! We eventually reached the end of the passage, where a small village and airport lie, before turning back to views of snow capped mountains and new trickling waterfalls which were springing up from the falling rain. Stunningly beautiful. :-)

We came out of the area just in time for Knit and Natter class, where I managed to make my penguin look rather more penguin like, and collect some more wool to continue over the next few port days.

We had lunch and then JL went to see Diane Simpson talking about the concept of humour, and then to table tennis. I had all sorts of plans for the afternoon but ended up closing my eyes 'for a few minutes' and having a two hour nap! I then went to afternoon tea to wake myself up, followed by an abs workout. 

After dinner we went to see a duo in the theatre called Live Wire - a couple of Irish musicians, one on the fiddle and one on the electric guitar, playing a range of Celtic songs, plus a bit of Simon and Garfunkel! They were very good. Then to get ready for Dunedin tomorrow!