Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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Friday Fotos – Russell shore excursion began early

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Sunrise as we arrive for our Russell shore excursion
This was an early morning shore excursion, so we had to be up bright and early!

Last week I shared a photo in the post Our cruise on the MS Noordam seems so long ago showing the cruise ship from shore. This is what it was like pulling into the Bay of Islands at dawn. Our Russell shore excursion was scheduled to begin early, so the boat was buzzing with activity as people prepared.

As I said last week, Russell was a delightful little town. These days, I wonder how they’re faring with no cruise ships to come in and flood the town with tourists. I don’t know when or if we’ll take another cruise, but if we do, I hope we get to see little towns like Russell. If you want to learn more about this cool town, check out russellnz.co.nz.

More New Zealand photos

Friday Fotos – Sydney sunset from the MS Noordam

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Sydney sunset from MS Noordam
The skyline of Sydney at sunset – shot from the deck of the MS Noordam during our departure from Sydney.

About Sydney sunset from MS Noordam

Our sunset departure was almost behind us as we made our way out to sea. We’d caught a Sydney sunset from the deck of the Noordam, which gave us an amazing view of the Sydney Opera House at sunset. By the time we made it out of the Sydney Harbor, the sun was dropping below the horizon. This skyline photo was the last I could get. Almost in the middle of the photo is the Sydney Tower Eye, which is 1001’ tall and the tallest building in Sydney. At this point, we’d had a lovely few days in Sydney, but were ready to head back to New Zealand.

Want to see more photos from trip? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

More photos from Sydney, Australia

 

Friday Fotos – Sydney Opera House sunset from the MS Noordam

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Sunset behind Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is iconic enough, but as the MS Noordam sailed by at sunset, it took on a whole new beauty.

About Sydney Opera House sunset

The Sydney Opera House is one of those iconic structures that’s known around the world. We’d taken a tour of the Opera House during our stay in Sydney, but seeing this magnificent building at sunset from the water was incredible. I got this shot right after capturing a beautiful photo of the Anzac Bridge. 

Did you know the Sydney Opera House was almost never built? During our tour, we learned it was originally funded in a public-private partnership. Designs were solicited as part of a contest, and the winning design was initially rejected by the selection committee. Once this design was chosen and construction had begun, things did not go according to plan. The project took far longer than expected and the funding partnership fell apart after a change in government. Finally, after numerous cost overruns and changes to the original design, the Sydney Opera House was completed eighteen years after the design had been selected.

Want to see more photos from trip? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

More photos from Sydney, Australia

 

Friday Fotos – Anzac Bridge sunset during Sydney departure

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Anzac Bridge in the background
Shot from the MS Noordam during our departure from Sydney, this shot shows part of Sydney’s business district backed by the Anzac Bridge

About Anzac Bridge sunset

The MS Noordam departed Sydney an hour early. (Take a look at last week’s photo, leaving Sydney during sunset. This photo captures part of the walking path along the waterway as well as the Anzac Bridge at sunset. Leaving Sydney at sunset was an amazing experience and we were fortunate, as you can see, to have clear skies. In the foreground of this photo is a resort, backed by some of Sydney’s business district, and then the Anzac Bridge. If you’re not familiar with what “Anzac” means, it’s an abbreviation for Australia – New Zealand Army Corp., and commemorates the Australians and New Zealanders who landed at Gallipoli in World War I. Over the years, it has taken on a broader meaning to honor those who have served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. We were awed at the reverence the Australians and New Zealanders give to their fellow countrymen who have fought in conflicts around the world.

Want to see more photos from trip? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

More photos from Sydney, Australia

Friday Fotos – Sydney sunset off the rear of the MS Noordam

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sunset MS Noodrem
Sunset off the rear of the MS Noordam in Sydney just after we passed the Harbor Bay Bridge .

This was the first sunset we had on our Sydney to Australia cruise. We had boarded the MS Noordam earlier in the day. Our scheduled departure time was 6 pm, but the ship actually set sail an hour early due to a rising tide that would have kept us from passing under the Harbor Bay Bridge. I must say everything worked out for the best because I never would have gotten this shot had we left on time!

Want to see more photos from trip? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.

More photos from Sydney Harbor

Friday Fotos – Waikiki lights from Ala Moana Park

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Waikīkī at night
On our last night we walked over to Ala Moana Park, where the lights of Waikīkī were shining brightly.

For our last night in Waikiki, we decided to take a walk to Ala Moana Park from our condo and check out the Waikiki lights. To our surprise, the walk to Ala Moana Park and even Ala Moana Mall, was an easy one. The park is a vast green space on a peninsula that sports plenty of activities. We caught the outrigger canoe club coming in. Watching the crew members jump off the canoe into the water when it was time to take the canoe out of the water gave us a momentary chill, but then we remembered this was Waikiki and Hawai‘i where the water is about ten degrees warmer than in San Diego.

Even though it was dark, there were still plenty of people enjoying the evening. Even some of the tour busses come here to park for the night. They’re done for the day and the parking lot is gigantic, so there’s plenty of space to line them up. And then there were the Waikiki lights as a backdrop. All those skyscrapers lining the water create for a beautiful display of lights.

More photos from Honolulu