New Zealand

Travel Journal – April 17 – Auckland War Memorial Museum

April 17, 2019 By Terry Leave a Comment

New Zealand’s Auckland War Memorial Museum blew us away today. This is another magnificent museum with world-class collections. We’d allocated today as the day to return to the museum so we’d have more time, and were we glad we made that decision.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum has three floors of exhibits. On the ground floor there are exhibits about the Maori showing their history and migration. The story of this seafaring people, who formed small tribes and conducted all fighting in hand-to-hand combat is one that is similar throughout Asia and Polynesia.

On the first floor (which we’d call the second) there are art exhibits, a volcano exhibit, and much more. The second floor (which we would call the third) includes the war memorial. One of the amazing things—or rather, two of the amazing things—were the two complete planes inside the museum. There’s a Spitfire and a Japanese Zero. Our guide told us the Spitfire had been brought into the museum through the roof! I doubt it will be leaving anytime soon.

The trip back to the ship was a bit of a challenge because we decided to take Uber, but lost our Internet connection before we connected with the ride. We connected with another driver on the second attempt. I don’t recommend moving from the spot where you’ve got Internet connectivity when you’re trying to use Uber, the results are not good!

Want to follow along on our journey? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

Photos from Auckland’s War Memorial Museum

Model of a double-hulled canoe — This is an example of a Maore double-hulled canoe

Ariel checks out the sloth — We think this towel animal is a sloth. At least Ariel like it!

The customhouse and other buildings along the wharf — This was part of the view of Auckland from our balcony.

Stained glass ceiling at Auckland War Memorial — The emblems around the edges of the stained glass signify the countries involved in the conflict. The center commemorates the New Zealand military branches.

WW1 - 1914 - 1918 — Thousands of names are inscribed on the walls in this room.

This Spitfire is full-sized — This is a real airplane that they brought in through the roof.

Stained glass window commemorates the war — This memorial serves to remind visitors of war's devastation.

View from the War Memorial Museum — The views from the museum are spectacular and fitting for the monument

Birds in flight — New Zealand was once a land of birds and no mammals.

Meet the Moa — That is one big bird. The moa once flourished in New Zealand, but the Maori and other forces brought it to extinction.

Notice the mouth on the center carving — The puka is the sticking out of the tongue - in times past, different expressions meant something - kind of like a separate language.

Canoe carved from a single tree — This canoe could carry about 100 warriors, most of whom were paddling.

Tail end of the war canoe — If the canoe was to be used for transporting something other than warriors, the bow and rear could be replaced with something appropriate.

Travel Journal – April 16 – Tauranga tour

April 16, 2019 By Terry Leave a Comment

We finished our shore excursion about an hour ago. This was another opportunity to learn more about the Maori culture. We were taken into a small marae, which is the gathering place for the Maori. After a traditional ceremony, they entertained us, and then we sang for them. At least there were lots of us so we sounded better!

It’s fascinating to see the similarities and differences between Hawaiian and Maori cultures—even though the Hawaiian are from the same ‘family tree.’ After the visit to the marae, we went to a kiwi fruit farm where we saw kiwi fruit growing. This is one of those experiences that sounds dull, but every person who stepped under the vines and looked up to see thousands of kiwi fruit growing all around them was stunned by the beauty. Later, we tasted the fruits at a nearby community center. Everyone else had scones, which I heard were delicious—I didn’t bother to ask if they were gluten-free (I already knew the answer to that question!)

Our final stop of the day was the original Manuka honey company, where they let us sample the product and most of the members of the group also topped off their scones and coffee with ice cream!

Want to follow along on our journey? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

More photos from Tauranga

Ariel riding the elephant — As we prepare for April 16, Ariel takes a ride on the towel elephant made by our room steward, Ricky

Tauranga is a shipping port — As has been the case with many of the ports, Tauranga is primarily a shipping port, but tourism is a growing business

Tauranga also has great views — Even though Tauranga is a shipping port, it has some breathtaking views

Lifeboats down for a drill — Our tour wasn't for another hour, but they announced there was to be a drill for the staff

Backyard view? Yes it is! — This is the backyard view for one of the Maori guides who works for the tour company.

Part of the Maori welcoming ceremony — While small, this Maori welcoming ceremony was well done and they were so friendly!

You'll be seeing gold kiwi fruit in the US soon — New Zealand is making a push to get their gold kiwi fruit into markets this year. It's soooo good!

Those vines on the top are next year's vines — This is an ingenious system. The canopy needs to be a certain depth, so the growers place next year's vines up top. They cut everything at the end of the season and lay those new top vines down.

Nearing sunset and our time to leave Tauranga — When the sun was dropping, I decided it was time to go topside and snap a photo.

Our two favorite servers - Sonya and Cucu — It was Asian night in the Lido dining room! These two are the best!

Travel Journal – 15 April – exploring Art Deco in Napier

April 15, 2019 By Terry Leave a Comment

Since the land tour a couple of weeks ago, we’ve been surrounded by people who are coughing and sneezing. On the land tour we both fought off the cold that was traveling around. Now, the ship is the same way. I’m dosing myself with lots of Vitamin C to fight this thing off. Still, the show must go on and that means we’ve got an excursion in Napier.

Napier was a complete surprise to us. We’d heard about the Art Deco buildings in Napier, but it wasn’t until we saw almost the entire downtown done up in this style that we grasped the significance. This town of about 57,000 people is one of those places with an ambience all its own.

The gem was the Hawkes Bay Express train ride. This is really more of a tram ride, but the entire tram is done us like an old steam train. It’s a perfect complement to Napier and its Art Deco style. All-in-all, it was a terrific day ashore!

Want to follow along on our journey? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

More photos from Napier

Ariel showing off today's excursion — Ariel likes to be prepared for the day.

Napier shipping yard with lots of California pine — California pine is a huge export for New Zealand - it's also a big problem.

Loading shipping containers — Taken from the balcony of our stateroom,

All of the land you see was under water — More than a hundred years ago there was an earthquake in Napier that raised up the entire valley.

Town of Napier on the bay — The town of Napier was leveled by an earthquake in 1931, but has rebuilt in an art deco style.

Napier customs house — Our guide leaving the Napier Customhouse, which has been restored thanks to a group of locals

One of the Hawkes Bay Express train cars — This train has been lovingly restored by our guide and his family.

The old family tractor - updated — There's a tractor under all that glitz!

Hawkes Bay Express — What a great way to see the area. The guide is very informative and the train has so many little period details.

Museum theater gallery - and pincushions — All those colors? They're giant pincushions!

Art deco is the norm — Just one example of the art deco style that runs throughout downtown Napier

Restored by their owners — Vintage autos, restored by their owners, were on display.

More art deco style — The art deco style is the theme in the downtown.

Art deco is everywhere — There are even little balconies like this one on Harston's

Did somebody mention period clothing? — Just in case you want to fit in with the Napier building style!

The ocean is just beyond the arch — There seems to be a common theme in New Zealand. We've seen arches on the waterfront before.

From cars to buildings, it's all there — Napier might only have 57,000 residents, but it oozes style.

Ariel watches Napier in the distance — Ariel watches wistfully as we get further from Napier. We think she likes art deco!

Saying goodbye to Napier — We depart Napier under partyly sunny skies

Charlston Chic has something for everyone — If you want retro style, this is your place!

Travel Journal – 13 April – Picton New Zealand

April 13, 2019 By Terry 2 Comments

This entry is actually for April 12 and 13. Our shore excursions were canceled on the morning of the 12th. Akaroa is a small port where we needed to tender into the port, but the winds were up to 30 mph and higher so we couldn’t get off the ship. The other problem was that since the situation wasn’t confirmed until 7:45AM, it was too late to try and make our next port-of-call, which is Picton, New Zealand.

In Picton, our guide Lucy took us on the Picton Waikawa Track, which goes through some of the bush behind the town. Picton, by the way, is another gorgeous little seaside village. This one is smaller than most of the others we’ve visited—there are only 4,000 residents. What that means is that when a cruise ship comes in, the population of the town can double! They have a small market to show off local arts and crafts, which they only put on when there’s a ship in town. Our guide on the Picton Seaport Walk told us they’d had 52 cruise ships this season, which I’m guessing began in about October since New Zealand’s seasons are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere.

The ship was quiet in the afternoon since many of the passengers were onshore. After our tour, we walked around a bit, then returned to the ship for lunch. Because I have Celiac disease, it can be much easier to be assured of a gluten-free meal here than onshore. However, New Zealand is far ahead of the US in its awareness of the need for a gluten-free diet. Australia is also ahead of the US, even California.

Want to follow along on our journey? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

Photos from Picton, New Zealand

Picton - a small seaport village — Picton is a gorgeous little village of only 4,000 people, but it has a lot of boats!

Looking inland from Picton Harbor — It looks like this little town has almost as many boats as houses.

Across the harbot toward Picton — The harbor at Picton has a good sealife population, so these waters are clear several feet down.

Stormy ocean leaving Port Chalmers and Dunedin — The ocean can become very dramatic down here when there's a storm coming. Swells reached about 9 feet at one point.

Ariel prepares for her Picton Seaport Walk — Getting ready for the seaport walk. Let's go!

Picton's bay under blue skies — The blue skies lasted most of the day, which was unusual. The flat water is supposed to be normal.

Picton - harbor showing some of the boats in the harbor — Boats in the harbor at Picton, where tourism is big business

Playing to benefit the Blenheim Orphanage — These guys play to benefit the Blenheim Orphanage. They drew a nice little crowd.

Selfie with part of Picton in the background — Here we are, living the life in Picton...at least until we have to be back on the Noordam.

Map of Picton area in New Zealand — Lots and lots of islands, peninsulas, and fjords in this part of the world.

Sailboats bob in the harbor — These little cluster of sailboats was just out in the bay waiting for their owners.

California pine trees ready for export — The California pine was brought to New Zealand years ago. It now is farmed as an export to Japan, where it will be turned into furniture, which will go to...the US (amongst other places).

Picton - entrance to the park from downtown — The arch is the entrance to the park from the quaint downtown.

Friday Fotos – downtown Devonport New Zealand has great architecture

April 12, 2019 By Terry Leave a Comment

Here’s another look at downtown Devonport New Zealand. Taking the ferry over to Devonport was one of the first things we did after arriving in Auckland. We were not disappointed—fabulous architecture in the downtown area, a beautiful park, and great ice cream at Tip Top! Sadly, we learned the local ice cream company had been sold to a conglomerate and was no longer based in New Zealand. (A couple of weeks later, we learned the same thing had happened to Cadbury’s New Zealand factory.)

Devonport is a suburb of Auckland with lots to do for tourists. There are plenty of upscale cafes and Kiwi pubs, plus boutiques and art dealers. With two volcanoes on the island, this little seaside village has it all.

Want to see more of New Zealand? Check out our travel journal here.

More photos from Devonport

Devonport in New Zealand is a quaint town — Devonport is a seaside town on an island in New Zealand with the look of an old village. The architecture of many homes and shops is classic.

Devonport in New Zealand along the shore — We walked through a park in Devonport to a point where we could see another part of the island across the water.

For all the writers out there — When I saw this display in the window at this shop in Devonport, I had to take a photo. NOtice that's an old Smith Corona Junior typewriter.

Leaving Devonport New Zealand — As the ferry takes us away from Devonport and back to Auckland, we get a last glimpse of this beautiful little town.

Memorial to those who gave their lives in WWI

Lots of places to shop, eat, or hang out

We loved the open windows and atmosphere

Like a sentry guarding the door — This sculpture caught my attention during our walkabout in Devonport, New Zealand

Victoria Theater and Tip Top Ice Cream — We stopped and had ice cream under those red umbrellas. It was so refreshing!

At the end of the path in Devonport — The path through the park in Devonport leads to this tiny peninsula. Isn't this a beautiful view?

Travel Journal – 11 April – exploring Dunedin in New Zealand

April 11, 2019 By Terry Leave a Comment

Today we had our first shore excursion where we left the ship. We returned to Port Chalmers and Dunedin for a tour of the Olveston House and the botanic gardens. Olveston House was interesting, filled with antiques from its original owners. The highlight of the day was the trip to the gardens, where there are acres of gardens, winding paths, greenhouses, and more. There was a Japanese garden, small lake, and a creek running through the middle. We would have loved to have more time here, but it was a chilly day for these SoCal wimps!

Want to follow along on our journey? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.