Sunday 11/4/18 - Napier
Awakened this morning to bright sunshine, but there was a cross-wind that prevented our ship from safely maneuvering into the harbor in Napier, so we got an unexpected sea-day. we had a short day in Napier from 7:45am to 1pm anyway - so we weren't too busted up over missing the port. and rather safe than sorry with a ship this size. so we had gotten up early and had our breakfast at the buffet with plans to visit the vineyards today, but we had a leisurely morning instead. we read, looked at our photographs, and dozed in the library for quite a while. then Steve did laps around the promenade deck while i did one lap and then headed up to the lido deck for a cup of coffee and to bask in the sunshine and write for a while. this area is well sheltered from the wind and the sun feels marvelous on my skin! so relaxation is the word of the day! And it. feels. marvelous. Steve has promised a visit to the vineyards in Auckland, so i am satisfied and glad of the chance to rest my sore feet. thanks to my magic socks, no blisters, but my R heel is very tender - not sure if it's merely a return of plantar fasciitis or if I tweaked my ankle when I slipped on the wet deck on fjord day. either way, ibuprofen and Voltaren gel have been my constant friends. i am ever so happy for the sunshine after the chilly rain yesterday in Wellington! It is well with my soul!! Afternoon in the sunshine, lunch, and more relaxing in the sunshine are on my agenda.....then afternoon tea and scones and then to get ready for dinner. all 4 couples were there for dinner tonight and it was very pleasant. afterwards, we went to the library where i donated my 2 books and borrowed another one. we saw the sunset from the library windows - spectacular behind an island and clouds! Then we went upstairs to snack on cheese and nuts and get a drink to carry back to our cabin. we arrive in Tauranga tomorrow am and we dock at 7:45am
Monday 11/5/18 - Tauranga
We woke up early again to brilliant sunny skies and we were bellying up to the dock as we finished our breakfast at the buffet. well fortified, we made our way down to deck 5 and we were among the first few off the ship. it was cool in the ocean breeze, but the further way from the water , the better that got and we were quite comfortable in shirt-sleeves - especially with all the walking! we explored through town and made our way to the shorter mountain - Mount Drury and we began the climb up! I made it with only a few stops to catch my breath and rest my ankle and knee. the view from the top was VERY nice! the wind was whistling up top though! We went down the mount on the other side, trekking along a downhill path flanked by bright emerald soft grass and clover and shaded by gnarled ancient trees - it was like a fairy tale Forrest! We were serenaded by exotic birdsong and we spotted a very unusual black bird with a red head and blue-green coloring - he was fabulous! We tried to capture him with our cameras, but he was a bit skittish. we continued down the slope and found ourselves right at the beach and access to the giant mountain! Steve was determined to climb the giant, steep mountain, so he took off on his personal trek and i set off to explore on my own! Steve waved good bye and i set out across the sand. I couldn't believe that I had the place almost entirely to myself! The morning sun was making the sand and water sparkling like diamonds! the rocks, trees, birds, flowers, ancient trees, birds, moss, lichen......Oh!! I was in heaven! I took my time -exploring each nook and cranny - and smiled the entire time! I stumbled upon small patches of rock flowers in bloom - and discovered beds of clover! I found eddies of flowing water - I listened to the music of squawking seagulls...and felt and smelled the sunshine, and the reveled in the cool shade of ancient trees with gnarled and twisted trunks and rough-barked palms. i strolled back across the sand and rested on driftwood and poking around in the sane, I found some beautiful shells and a 20cent NZ coin! I was just grinning like I had won the lottery! From my log seat, I made my way up the hill to gaze out over the beach and giggle at the silly antics of the sea birds. i found a bench to rest and empty all the sand out of my shoes and socks and rest my tootsies! after i banished the sand from my socks and shoes, i strolled long the upper bank, gazing across the sea oats and down the beach access areas. it was a very peaceful and wonderful morning. i met up with Steve and he survived his mountain trek. he was tired and sweaty, but happy as he had met his challenge! We visited the public toilets and then headed back to town to browse in the shops. we found some gift shops. Steve bought a NZ hat and i found some kiwi bird ear rings made from the teal colored, swirled iridescent shells. we ducked in/out and out of shops and stopped at a sidewalk café called Gustov's Café where i had a Chai Latte and Steve had a glass-bottle Coca-Cola Classic. we sat and enjoyed our beverages on a sidewalk in the sunshine. it was sooo lovely! we made our way back to the ship to have lunch and we both decided on burgers from the pool side grill. we ate our burgers and fries and enjoyed our tea and then decided to grab our jackets and take another walk along the water front to the base of the giant Mont Manganui. The breeze was very stiff and boisterous along the water. hats blew off and we had to close our eyes near the sand as the wind whipped around and around., effectively sandblasting exposed skin. we saw a guy kite surfing in the harbor and he came ashore as we were passing and he asked Steve to help him capture his wind foil - so he did. i got some awesome action shots of him pulling the bright orange kite to earth. We walked along the boardwalk, seeing all the boats upturned along the shore and a caravan park (RV park for us Americans). We saw a whole crop of yellow, orange, and red poppies growing along hte rock-seawall at the base of the mountain. we started along the gravel trail around the base of the mountain with beautiful views of the harbor on the left and the rugged, steep hills covered in emerald grass and dotted with white, fat grazing sheep. the views were just lovely! but we had walked about 7 miles already today at this point and my feet/heels were KILLING me. so we began the slow hobble back to the ship. we got a quick drink of tea at the buffet and then we stopped off at the library for a rest and read before afternoon tea. after tea, we got a few minutes to relax in our own cabin before time to shower and dress for dinner. it was Italian night and I had a shot of Limoncello with my dinner and got a souvenir shot glass to take home. we had tiramisu for dessert. After dinner we went out to the Promenade deck on the starboards ide to watch us sail away- as we had been promised views of the back side of Mount Manganui as we exited the harbor. we got to see the tugs help turn the ship around and we were not disappointed by the beautiful views as we sailed away. the icing on our cupcake was the knock-your-socks off sunset! We came back to our cabin for an early evening of reading, writing, and TV viewing. All in all, it was a spectacular day! Tomorrow we are in Auckland! I can't believe how fast these 2 weeks have flown by!
Tuesday 11/6/18 - Auckland
The morning dawned sunny and cool, but not cold or blustery. We had breakfast at the buffet and we were the second non-tour folks off the ship. we hurried and found the ferry office and bought our tickets for the ferry and the Hop-on-Hop Off bus on Waiheke Island - known as the "Napa" of New Zealand. Famous for Pino Gregio and Syrah. We had a wee-bit of time before the first ferry so we walked around the CBD for a while - upscale shopping like Prada, Dior, Gucci, etc. way too rich for my blood. But windows shopping is free! We found the BNZ (Bank of New Zealand) who we know from other ports offers free public wifi. so we logged on and checked Facebook and emails. neither of us could remember what time we had to be back on the ship, and we had to walk back to the ship to check and we confirmed it was 8pm and we planned to be back in well before then. w e went to the ferry and found we could go ahead and board our ferry at gate 2 - so onboard we went! I was shocked! The ferry was large, bright, and clean with comfy padded seats and tables - very nice! It was a 45 min ferry ride, but it was smooth as butter and quiet and comfortable. even the toilets were sparkling clean and well appointed. The Ferry docked on Waiheke Island at Cable Bay. It was a working port, but parts of it were very picturesque. We were very early for our bus, so i had ample time to explore and take photos of pretty little Cable Bay and the boats in the harbor. Our bus finally arrived and we decided to ride the entire circuit from start to finish and then decide which stops we wanted to stop and get off. so we rolled over hill and dell - Emerald Green fields overlooking aquamarine waters - vineyards over the rolling hills to the sea - edged with olive trees and tons of colorful flowers every where! Breathtaking views from hilltops to the sea! colorful houses, local shops, cafes, and coffee shops. we came to the end of the line and we got off and walked along the beach road, taking in the pretty houses with brilliant landscaping and flowers - tons of vibrant, rainbow hued flowers! old, gnarled trees lined the waterfront and provided ample perches for the song birds and gulls. Giant bunches of lavender, beach daisies smiling and nodding their pretty faces in the sea breezes - we had a 30 minute walk and then caught the bus heading back and we got off at the winery stop and visited the Tantalus Winery first. The views and grounds of his estate were breath-takingly beautiful! The vineyards, the olive trees, the roses at the end of each row of vines, lavender, and all sorts of blooming flowers - horses neighing in the distance - just magnificent every way you looked! We got there about 5 minutes before they opened and had some time to stroll the grounds and take photos before they opened. we had a regional wine tasting with a minerally Pino Gregio and a buttery-creamy chardonnay, and a well-balanced Rose' and a peppery Syrah. The tasting was lovely and the inside of the winery was simple, tasteful, and beautiful in an understated manner. Even the chandeliers were intertwined with grapevines. after our tasting, we exited through the gardens and took a gravel path through the vineyard and across a field to Stony Ridge winery - the entire building covered in ivy vines. they have beautiful olive tree orchards as well. we decided against a second tasting, opting to walk back down the drive to the bus stop. we enjoyed the walk past a tone bridge and along a water-lily pond and trees. We ended up waiting about 10 minutes for the next bus and we took the bus to the seafood market where we were told fresh oysters could be bought for less than half the price of restaurants. So we stopped for fresh oysters. and we went to the Countdown Grocery store next door and bought cans of hard cider to have with our oysters and we rounded out the meal with a small loaf of freshly baked ciabatta bread. It was such a delightful meal!! The oysters were so fresh - they were still chilled from the ocean water and tasted like the fresh, briny sea - brightened with a squeeze of lemon! Absolute perfection with the Cider and bread. We waited 30 minutes for the first bus, but it was full and we had to wait another 30 minutes for the next bus - but the timing was right to catch the 2:30pm ferry back to our ship in time for afternoon tea. Our ferry trip back was just as smooth as our trip over. We stepped off the ferry in Auckland in time to see revelers celebrating the premier of the running of the Melbourne Cup Race in hats, dresses, and fancy Duds (just like the KY Derby for us - but without Mint Julips!) haha! We made it back to our ship in time for afternoon tea and after our snack, we came to our room to kick off our shoes and rest before time to get ready for dinner. After a rest and a nice, hot shower, we got ready for dinner. Dinner was nice tonight - and I had a fancy swan-shaped pastry and cream creation, swimming in a Chantilly sauce pond. After dinner we went to the Princess Theater to see the Maori Native Folklore show which was SUPER cool - learning about different cultures is part of the joy of traveling, for sure! They ended the show with a traditional Haka or war dance. Quite impressive! We went up to Deck 14 to get photos of Auckland at night -which was beautiful all lit up! Then we got iced teas and brought them back to our room and rested, relaxed, and chilled. tomorrow is our last port: Bay of Islands.
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