Wednesday 10/31/18 - Happy Halloween!!!
Wakeup call was at 5:30am and we hurriedly dressed in warm layers and hats and gloves and took off for our photo ops of sunrise and to watch as we slipped into Milford sound. we snapped our predawn pictures and then we had a Horizon Court Breakfast and coffee and tea and warmed up before heading out to see the beautiful Milford Sound and her calmer waters and majestic waterfalls from craggy mountain faces, wrinkled by wind, rain, and scarred by mudslides. the deep forest green of the evergreens, the chartreuse bright yellow green of the mossy algae growing along the rocky shoreline, the moss and silvery olive green shadowy green leaves of the New Zealand Holly trees with tiny white flowers!!! The rugged, craggy rock faces and the waterfalls Streaking the mountain down to the ocean. The mountain tops shine with patches of perfect brilliant white snow! We see Sterling falls and near the back of Milford Sound we see the powerful Ms. Bowan Falls! And tourist (tiny) town with the lone hotel of Milford Sound. we saw sealions frolicking in the wake of hte ship. we came inside to warm up a bit before the next Fjord. we read and rested until lunch time. at lunch, we sat a a lovely table with several nice people and the conversation was very wonderful and enjoyable. we talked for almost an hour after dinner and we were sailing into Dusky sound as we left the lunch table - so we took up our favorite fjord viewing spot a the back of the boat where we are sheltered from the worst of the cold wind. it was very misty and pouring rain at times, but we were able to stay fairly warm and dry6 and still snap pics of the beautiful mountains rising straight up out of the sea mist. the mountains wear a shroud of mist like a mysterious lady's cloak. we got to see dolphins frolic in the waves this afternoon and we saw more waterfalls and islands. we decided we were fjorded-out and we found a cozy couch in the wheelhouse bar to sit and relax until tea-time. Team was lovely! we shared a 4 top table with a couple from New South Wales - she was an RN as well and we enjoyed another hour long conversation very much! after tea we had only about an hour to relax before dinner time. so we came back to our cabin and read for a while, then dressed for diner. while we were resting, our entire ship was transformed into a Halloween ship! complete with a haunted trail (we did not check that out!). The atrium was festooned with pumpkins, spider webs, and a giant skull and cross-bones and orange and black streamers and balloons were decorating every door and window! when we got to the dining room for dinner, all of the waitstaff were in costume! Philopena was dressed as a Chinese Madam with a slinky black and red dress and a bright red wig. our assistant waiter, Ecker was dressed as a tourist. the head waiter was a creepy joker-like creature. some folks went all out with costumes and some slapped red lipstick on their neck to look 'kina' like zombies. any way - it was all in good fun! We found a spot to sit and read and people watch. more folks dressed up than i thought would. we made a stop on the Lido deck for tea and ended up with cheese/nuts/and snacks and we got to see the kids on the ship all dressed up and trick-or-treating! Soooo cute! then back to our stateroom for bedtime. tomorrow is our first port!! Port Chalmers and Dunedin! Dunedin is 9 miles from the port, so we will have to take the shuttle bus into town. so sweet dreams! No spooky dreams for his this Halloween!
Thursday 11/1/2018 Port Chalmers and Dunedin
I slept well and woke up before the wake-up call and showered and dressed as we watched the ship near land on the TV Screen in our cabin. we went to breakfast in the dining room and enjoyed our meal and even lingered over tea to chat with our new Aussie friends. we were comparing culinary delights : Peanut butter and Jelly versus Vegemite sammies! Haha! Aussies actually prefer limp bacon and abhor crispy bacon. we all had a good laugh over our differences and marveled over what made us the same. just after breakfast, we got the "all clear" to go off the ship and into port. we were on the first shuttle bus to Dunedin. we had a lovely 9 mile drive along the coastline...just lovely views and vistas! Bright yellow splotches of Scotch Broom flowers intermingled with Jasmine white flowers and pink and red coral rhododendrons - a profusion of perfect blossoms along with palms. evergreens, and tender new green leaves of the hardwood trees. It's just turning to spring time here "down under." the houses were quaint and colorful! As we entered Dunedin, we got our first glimpse of the magnificent train station and the towers and spires of First Church and the catholic chapel and the town hall. we par4ked at the octagon and de-bussed and our first stop was the library for the free wi-fi! We logged on and posted a few pictures on FB and then we walked around the shops with the Possum Wool place being the most interesting. We made our way to the train station and heard a fella in a kilt playing the bagpipes - we photographed the heck out of the "most photographed building in New Zealand" and then we went inside. we climbed upstairs and took in all the antique tin tiles, the tile mosaics, and the fancy wood work. we walked past the train station to the Chinese Garden but didn't want to pay the entry fee, so we walked across to the war memorial and then up and down the streets of the town, gazing up at the architecture and painted murals. we made our way to the church and went inside - so beautiful! Stained glass windows, old wooden pews, and the ancient trees on the grounds. the blooms and blossoms of the rhododendrons and other flowers! We made our way back to the shuttle bus area and came back to the ship and had lunch in the buffet and then went back out to explore the area around Port Chalmers. we walked all 4 streets and it didn't take too long at all. it's just a tiny port-side town. we found a local pub and ordered half-pints of stouts. Steve's was a dark 'Iron Eagle Stout" and I had "Voo-Doo White Stout" from Christchurch. Hoppiest stout i ever had. It was sooo bitter my mouth is still puckered! but we enjoyed the ale anyway and the free wifi and then we made our way back to the ship. we stopped for a coffee and tea and then came back to our cabin for a rest and i watched "I feel pretty" and then English comics until time for dinner. dinner was nice and we celebrated Judy's birthday tonight. highlights included melon soup and hazelnut soufflé. as we were finishing up dinner, we started to move way from our berth in Port Chalmers and as we were leaving the harbor, dolphins were playing in the water beside a sandbar. we went to the show after dinner and saw Sweet Soul with the singers and dancers and band. lots of Tina Turner and lots of shimmy-shimmie! We went up for our nightly tea and came back to our cabin for an early evening to read and write and watch TV. tomorrow another port!
Saturday 11/3/18 - Wellington
We woke up and checked the weather screen, disappointed to see rain falling. we went to breakfast and then returned to our cabin to give the crowds time to wind down and hopefully to allow the rain some time to slack off. after an hour, it didn't look like the rain was going to let up, so we grabbed our frog-togs and grabbed a ticket for the shuttle to town with no waiting. we climbed onto our shuttle and headed out on the 8 minute ride to town. we got off on the furthest stop out and walked back to check out town. lots of high rise buildings with high-end shops and department stores, cafes, coffee shops, banks, barbers, and offices lined the streets. we counted 3 different McDonald's from the ship to the second stop and one Burger King and one Subway and a Pita-Pit. along with numerous local places like "The Somewhat Temporary Ramen Noodle Shop" and curry take-aways. This is a very modern and city-centric town. nothing rustic here! It's the capital of New Zealand and Parliament is shaped like a bee-hive. we walked the blocks and peered into expensive clothing shops and sniffed the coffee-scented air outside the cafes. we searched for the "Bucket Fountain" and we were shocked to find that it was actually just sand pails that filled with water and spilled out into the buckets below, like a Dr. Seuss machine. so we continued to brave the mist and gusts of wind to find the cable car to the top of the mountain. we finally found it and Steve bought our tickets and we only had to wait a few minutes for the next train. it reminded me a lot of the incline, but not quite as steep as without a glass room for the view. it was still very steep and I'm very glad we rode up instead of climbing! once we got to the top, we visited the free cable car museum and got to visit the gear rooms to see how the cars were pulled up and down the mountain. it was a really cool museum. complete with old cable cars. we tried to look out over the vista from the top of the mountain, but the view was obscured by fog, mist and rain and the wind whipped around us so boisterously that our frog togs were flying up over our heads. the blowing mist soaking our clothing underneath the togs. we found the signs for the botanical garden trails and there was no charge for admission so we decided to brave it as we decided we would not melt. so off we went down the botanical trail under ancient cedars and giant twisted rhododendrons and Camila trees. the air was chilly and the mist was cool and the raindrops mixed with goosebumps - so we kept walking! the trees helped shelter our paths in places. i kept my camera under my frog-top, but I kept pulling it out to photograph flowers and trees and vistas and I had to keep wiping the moisture from the lens with my shirt tail. the flowers were delightful and in full bloom! we saw bleeding hearts, azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, columbines, carnations, yuccas, camellias, palms, Japanese maples, cedars, roses, ferns, and moss - poppies, queen Anne's lace, alyssum, daises - all just so beautiful! we explored the trails, delighted by the sweet fragrances! We followed the trails on around through the cemetery. we saw graves from 1800's with fancy statuary and iron=work gates around the graves filled with flowers under giant ancient trees on the top of the hill. the windswept hill overlooking the city. we continued to follow the trail as it wound down the mountain and into the rose garden and then over the bridge over the highway and we finally ended up behind the parliament beehive building and our cruise shuttle buss was picked up in front of the beehive! so after our 4 mile trek, we made it back to the shuttle bus- both dripping wet and chilled to the bone...and we climbed in and headed back to the ship. we scrambled up the steep gangway and through security. we gathered our things and went straight to the Lido dining room on Deck 14 for lunch. warm coffee and lunch made me feel 100% better, so we came back to our cabin to hand our clothes and frog-togs to dry and rest our tired legs. we read, watched a movie about Mr. Rodgers, looked at our photos and wrote a b it. I'd had my fill of windy, wet, wellington! We rested until time for afternoon tea. at tea we were seated with an elderly couple who were originally from Germany but now live in Sydney. their German accent made conversation a vee bit difficult, but we managed. and of course, they asked us the inevitable question - what do we think of President Trump. our politics are essentially a 3 ring circus these days and it seems the whole world is laughing at our crazy antics. after tea, we got ready for dinner and everyone showed up for dinner so we had a full complement of 4 couples and Philopena, our waitress was happy, smiling, and singing. I do so enjoy our evenings meals! after dinner, there was no show we wanted to see, so we had an early night in our cabin - a glass of wine and a movie and reading and perhaps a little loving (wink-wink)<3 And we slept very well.
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