Stewart Island and Fiordland National Park

 Stewart Island and Fiordland National Park, New Zealand 

February 13, 2011

Stewart Island is often referred to as the third island of this amazing country. Unfortunately, this was out last land call. It is a tender port and people who use wheelchairs and scooters were advised not to go a shore. When you get off the tender you walk up a very steep hill and continue on for a half mile before you come to Oban, the small village where the visitor center is located. It is the height of summer and it is 54 degrees and very windy. As Joe and I started walking up the hill, I spotted a sign to nature trails or treks as the Kiwis call them. One led to the town and we took it. It was beautiful on the well maintained trail. We could hear the bird calls and occasionally saw them. Joe found a small feather tinged in green and put it in his Panama hat from Ecuador. This trail was a good work out, it went up and down hills with various views of the ocean. Joe likes to count steps and by the time we got to town we had climbed 500 of them and were still alive. I told Joe this is a warm up for  when we climb the Sydney harbor bridge.

   New Zealand is marketing itself as being green. One of the things they are doing is getting rid of introduced predators, one of which is the possum, not to be confused with our opossum. This animal is about the size of a fat cat with a bushy tail. It is golden brown in color. They use its fur by mixing it with wool and make knits out of it in lots of colors .Possum fur fibers are hollow making them very warm.  I bought a pair of gloves for $17 US.

Fiordland National Park is a UNESCO site known all over the world. We were here last 13 years ago and saw very little because of rain. They measure it in meters. It is scenic cruising at its best. We cruised through Dusky, Doubtful and Milford sounds and we had sun and blue skies it was awesome. As we passed Mitre peak, the most photographed in Milford Sound, the Captain slowed the ship and did a 365 degree turn. Joe and I were out on the bow at the time and could see the Bridge. Everyone started to clap. It was very moving.

CHRISTCHURCH & DUNEDIN

LYTTLEON (CHRISTCHURCH) 11 FEB 11
Having previously been here, we decided to spring for a ship’s tour and take the Tranz-Alpine Railroad into the center of the country. All our knowledge of New Zealand is on the coasts so we felt it might be nice to visit the interior. For $289 each, we were whisked on a local bus about 300 yards to a sidetrack where the Tranz-Alpine railroad cars were waiting for us. The regular trip leaves Christchurch every day at 7:30 AM so this was the “special Cruise passenger train”. Comfortable cars set up in tables of four, meaning every other person had ride “backwards”, but not a problem.

We traversed really flat land for about an hour viewing crops, mostly potato. As we reached the foothills of what is called the Southern Alps, the scenery changed dramatically to rapidly flowing glacial streams and humungous trees. Coffee/tea and scones were served early on, followed by beer/wine as we reached the mountains. Very scenic and enjoyable but as far as scenery goes, not up to the Denali train or the train in Skagway. Final destination was a burg called Arthur’s Pass which consisted of a railway station and a small museum. Here we transferred to the ubiquitous coach for the trip back to the ship. The sights were actually better on the bus trip which included a stop for a box lunch at a community center in a town with a population of 100. The box contained several white bread sandwiches of questionable content, some fruit, a quiche and a regional desert called Pavlova. Reminded me of a New England church bazaar.
Before returning to the ship we drove around Christchurch and stopped for an hour at a museum located right next to the botanical gardens so your option for the hour was either indoors or outdoors. We chose outdoors. Christchurch suffered an earthquake in 2010 and some of the damage is still visible. Construction guidelines notwithstanding, it was obvious this was quite an event. Ship’s tours are never a value but to get into the interior there just weren’t many other options.

PORT CHALMERS (DUNEDIN) 12 FEB 11
Port Chalmers is a quaint little village that is only about a 10 minute walk from the pier. First order of business was to stock up on vital foodstuffs at the local supermarket, beer, wine and chocolate being our only purchases. After stocking away the booty we took the free shuttle into Dunedin, the fourth largest city in New Zealand. As luck would have it, this was a special day in town. An event called Thieves Market was in full swing when we arrived. A multitude of people swarmed over the four block area closed to traffic. I would call it a glorified flea market with a little better quality merchandise. But the highlight was this is a city of free wi-fi.

Throughout the downtown area, wi-fi is a right, not a privilege. I was in pig’s heaven and was able to post some stuff I had already prepared. Lunch was a fish of questionable origin in a pub type environment, then back to the ship. A new acquaintance of ours was celebrating his 88th birthday and invited us to a “party” in his friend’s cabin. These two guys met on a world cruise 5 years ago and have been sailing together ever since. One is from California and the birthday boy is from Virginia by way of Newfoundland.
After we got back, I went back out to Port Chalmers by myself to see if I could locate a pub I visited last time I was here in 1998. I visited every pub in town, but none of them were the one I remembered. As I staggered back to the ship, I spotted where the pub had been and the building has been taken over as a museum. I guess that’s appropriate.

Joe Wagg

NAPIER and WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND

09 FEB 11

Another lovely town (population 60,000), this one located in the world famous Hawkes Bay region, known for its wines. Completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, the entire town was rebuilt in the Art Deco style making this a sister city with Miami Beach. The Colony Hotel comes to mind with many of the local buildings. This was a ½ day call so we again took the free shuttle downtown (do you see a financial pattern here?) and simply wandered around. They are missing an opportunity here as every outdoor café was a coffee shop, no wine bars!
The highlight of our 3 hours ashore was a visit to McDonald’s for free wi-fi followed by a short walk to a large grocery store to stock up on vittles (wine, beer and chocolate) to beat the overpricing on the ship. We detoured on the way back to the ship to visit a park with a profundity of flowers and huge old trees that obviously survived the earthquake. We ran into the ship’s florist there, taking pictures of flowers. He is Dutch and a very talented person, judging by the displays throughout the ship. Here he has a chance to get off the ship and what does he do? Seeks out flowers. He says he loves his job!

As the ship prepared for departure, a Dixieland jazz band serenaded us from the pier. This town knows the value of bringing cruise ships to its port and they do a lot to encourage goodwill. I have never felt more welcome in any port.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

10 FEB 11

What can I say about New Zealand? If I were to emigrate, and I gave it considerable thought during the last presidential administration, I think New Zealand would be the place. Every city/town visited is just a place I could live. Wellington, at the southern tip of the North Island, is the country’s capital. Maybe it’s been the weather, but we just had a glorious day here. Took the free shuttle downtown and walked over to the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Their immigration exhibit left me weepy. They have for generations begged for people to emigrate here to live. The majority of the immigrants were from Great Britain but later years brought Cambodians, Vietnamese and South Sea islanders looking for a better life. All welcomed.

They have on display the largest squid ever captured. A video shows how the squid ensnared a large fish but neglected to let go as the fish, which was on a hook from a fishing vessel, was slowly brought to the surface. It’s an amazing exhibit.
After a waterfront lunch, we ventured to the funicular which took us up the mountainside to the Wellington Botanic Gardens. We bought a round trip ticket but found that the walk down was only 40 minutes and most people (read locals) only buy a trip up the mountain. Well, our return tickets will be useful as bookmarks. One of the distinctive features of New Zealand is its multi-trunked trees. It is not unusual to find trees with a dozen trunks, all spread out over a large area, giving welcomed shade.

TAURANGA NEW ZEALAND

TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND

Tauranga is a holiday destination for Australians and New Zealanders.  Surrounded by beaches and hiking trails for the physically active.  Our plan was to hike Mt. Maunganui, a 750 foot “mountain” located right near where the ship docks.  It seems that two weeks ago they had a cyclone which caused mudslides, wiping out all the trails.  The park is closed until further notice, most likely many months.  So  much for planning ahead.  We took the free shuttle into the town, about 5 miles from the dock.  A small but pleasing town with many shops and best of all, a barber!  It’s been five weeks since my last haircut and a haircut on the ship runs about $50 including tip.  The barber was originally from Scotland, very loquacious and did a fine job for NZ$20 (about US$16). 

Gina, being in the same hair situation, found a place to get her hair cut also.  She made an appointment but we had to kill 45 minutes so we spotted a railroad trestle that crossed over water for about ½ mile and had a walking path attached.  Off we went across what could only be described as a rickety roadway, dodging bicycles coming from the opposite direction.  But the beauty was that from our lofty position above the water we were able to spot two of the largest rays I have ever seen, meandering near the surface of the bay.  These were not like the little grey ones you see at sting ray city in Grand Cayman.  They appeared to be black on the surface with white undersides and possessed the longest tails I can ever recall seeing.  Serendipity at its finest.

Gina’s hairdresser also gave us a tip for the best fish & chips in town!  Nestled down on the  waterfront was the sign we were looking for: “FISH MARKET”.  You could pick out your fish at the market and have it fried before your eyes. Served along with what was, arguably, the best French Fries on this side of London.  “take away” orders were wrapped up in newspaper, reminding us of the Shetlands where we last had similar fish and chips.  Certainly not the healthiest lunch we’ve had, but yummy!

In port with us was one of Amsterdam’s sister ships, Volendam.  She was on a series of 14 day R/T Sydney cruises to New Zealand.  I’m not sure the town appreciated the excessive horn blowing between the two ships as we sailed out of port.  I really think New Zealand would be a great place to fly to and spend a couple of weeks touring on your own.

Joe Wagg 

LIFE ON THE SHIP

Hi again,
   As I am writing this on January 31,day 27, we have sailed 7,3100 nautical miles from Ft Lauderdale. The Pacific Ocean is a huge body of water. I thought it would be of interest to write about life on the ship. For those of you who have cruised on a one or two week cruise, a lot is different on a longer one. As Bruce the cruise director< a graduate of Julliard and Joe’s chorus director > states, this isn’t a vacation, it’s a lifestyle.

There are tons of group activities to get involved in on the days at sea. Here are a few; arts and crafts, watercolor painting, dance classes of all kinds, Tai Chi, a Microsoft digital workshop that has standing room only, the card game Bridge instruction at all levels, team trivia, creative writing, sports activities< the ship has tennis courts and a basketball court and of course Bingo. Since I am a loner, I like to go to the Exploration speaker series. This is basically talks on history or the area etc. Some of the speakers are excellent and you really learn. I know more about the Bounty Mutiny than I ever need to know. Today we have a new speaker, who will talk about the pacific Islanders. Also this evening is star gazing weather permitting.

This ship is the ideal build for a world cruise. There is lots of covered open deck space. I love to just sit out there and read or do my needlepoint. You can always get a seat and it is quiet. The ship also has a movie theater/ culinary arts center. One thing Bruce does is have a morning days at sea show that is filmed and shown on our TVs during the day. It is an open format something like Good Morning America. Today as an example, he interviewed the sommelier (wine dude)  on board and all of us in the audience received a glass of champagne. There are two pools, one with a retractable roof and a wonderful gym. By today’s standards for ships this one is old. It is was built 10 years ago.

One thing you do not see on this voyage is a lot of drinking. Notice I said see. Drinks on board are expensive.<Hello Holland America, on a long cruise, what are you thinking?> it seems most people have alcohol with them and drink in their cabins, as Joe and I do. You can bring wine on board at any port and boy, people do. We actually saw a lady with a shopping cart full of wine wheeling it to the ship from a store. On some of the sail aways from the ports, occasionally they have 2 for ones. There is were you see people buy.

We had no choice of our cabin and were at the mercy of the cruise line, however we got lucky and have an aft quad. That means a full length couch and an extra closet. We are on a low deck, but just a few doors away to a small outside deck.

One frustration is WIFI or lack there of. I never thought I was a internet junkie but I guess I am. We pay 25 cents a min, for extremely slow service. Sometimes there is none. The ship gave us a 60 min credit because of this. We were told that Niue, our port tomorrow has free internet. There are 1000  people on the island and 1170 of us. Guess how fast it will be?



Crisis in Egypt , We have 3 scheduled stops in Egypt about two months away. The Captain has mentioned  it on board, but nothing has changed. As long as the Suez canal stays open we will be able to keep our date to transit, which is April 5. My own personal thought is we will have no stops in Egypt. If The canal becomes blocked, we have two options, return the way we came or travel around Africa which is 10,000 miles around. What ever happens we will be Ft Lauderdale on April 26.

Gina Wagg

RAROTONGA

Rarotonga, Cook Islands -  30JAN11

Another volcanic island, about 20 miles in circumference.  We joined another couple from Bourne, MA in a car rental and drove around the island.  But most important is that I risked death by lightning bolt by attending services at the Cook Islands Christian Church in Avarua.  Folks, this was an experience!  The service was at 10 AM.  We arrived about 9:40 to be greeted by the minister personally and a small cadre of men and women.  Sitting in the back of the church, of course to make a quick escape, we were in time for choir practice before the ceremony started.  The blend of male and female voices was extraordinary.  As the church filled up, anyone who sat in our row made sure to shake hands with us .

As it got closer to 10:00, the church started to fill up at about a 30/70 men to women ratio.  The men all wore suit jackets that maybe didn’t match their pants but it was the ladies dressed in their traditional brightly colored cotton fabric with straw hats that supported a garden of flowers that stole the show.  Please see the photo.  Now the service begins and when it’s time to sing, the whole congregation sings with volume.  I would call the music a mix of Gregorian Chant in four part harmony and African drum beat rhythm.  Very impressive, so much so that we stayed to the bitter end and did not get back on the road until about 11:15.

Beaches here are not really great except maybe at the resorts.  Friendly people, most of whom spoke English, natural beauty and a very laid back atmosphere.  Nice to visit for a day but I wouldn’t want to spend a great deal of time here.   

Alofi, Niue    01 FEB 11 

Niue is a solid coral limestone rock in the middle of nowhere.  Our  1,000 guests that tendered ashore equaled the entire population of Niue.  This island nation sends a representative to the United Nations.  Every child is issued a laptop in conjunction with a U.S. program with a title something like – One laptop per child.  I remember seeing a piece on this program years back on 60 Minutes.  Very progressive.

The big draw here was the fact that this is a nation with free internet.  EVERYONE dragged ashore their personal  laptops hoping to beat the slow and extremely expensive internet connection on the ship.  Well, we got off early enough to find the service was free, but actually slower than on the ship.  By 10AM the system had crashed when at least 500 laptops were all surfing at the same time. 

There was no public transportation or taxicabs although some entrepreneurs were offering rides around the island.  We just wandered the downtown area, the highlight of which was the extremely expensive super market.  A whole shelf of canned beef was of interest along with dishwashing detergent at NZ$6.20 which is about $5.00 US.  Glad to have been here, probably won’t ever be back.

When we wake up tomorrow morning it will be Thursday, 03FEB as we cross the International Date Line.  There will be no Groundhog Day for us this year.

Joe Wagg



TAHITI and BORA BORA

Why is it that just the mention of Tahiti brings thoughts of paradise, beautiful women in grass skirts and outlandish French artists living the Bohemian life style? It just ain’t so! Papeete is a traffic clogged city with very few tourist amenities such as street cafes and the like. Civility rules, but just barely. Set at the base of an extinct volcano, it is an architecturally uninspiring sprawl. We’ve been here before and opted to ride the public bus around the island. No air conditioning and seats that look like they were part of a feeding program for unwanted dogs. Not a single seat back was intact, foam and vinyl strips blowing in the breeze from the open windows. For 700 French Polynesian Francs ( about $9.00 ) we rode along the coastline for 70 km each way, seeing life as it is in this island nation.
Just before arriving at the turnaround point, we ran into a high school letting out, around 12:00 noon! The bus immediately became a school bus for the remainder of the journey. Have you ever been on the T at home when a bunch of high school kids get on at one stop? They take over the car and are generally so noisy you can’t hear yourself think. Not these kids. They took seats and did not speak to each other the entire trip. Their only communication was upon exiting at their homes, giving a hand signal of a fist with the thumb and little finger extending outwards, similar to what you see in Hawaii.
When we reached the turnaround point, which was on a dead end street in a residential area, the driver promptly grabbed his lunch box and exited without a word. Fifteen minutes later he reappeared and commenced the arduous undertaking of transporting us back to Papeete. We spent a total of four and ½ hours on this trip and got to really see the countryside and living conditions away from the city.
Tahiti’s beaches are all volcanic, having black sand. They lack the beauty of a white sand beach as the sun’s reflection on the sand below the water makes the water color gray instead of the beautiful shades of turquoise seen elsewhere.
Bora Bora is an overnight tender stop. Built up somewhat since we were last here in 1990 but still ranks as one of the most expensive destinations on earth. Thatched roof huts extended out over the water run around $1200 a night in season. About the only reasonable buy here is South Sea Island Pearls and that would appear to be a result of competition. Since we’re here overnight, we thought we might go ashore and get ripped off for a nice dinner with wine. Gina says if we want to get ripped off for wine, we might just as well stay on the ship!
Drinks are so expensive on the ship that the bar stewards are not making any money. People are just pouring wine in their rooms and taking the glass to dinner with them. I personally have purchased only two glasses of champagne and one beer since boarding three weeks ago. Happy hours have suddenly appeared, two for one drinks at certain hours. People buy, the wait staff makes their tips and everybody is happy. The Carnival Corporation business plan isn’t working with these folks.
Day two in Bora Bora was spent at the beach, a $5.00 open air truck ride from the port. You can walk away from shore on this beach for at least a mile without going over your head. Looking back at the verdant mountains looming over the beach, one gets a view unequaled in my experience. Bottom line – Bora Bora is expensive and unique in its beauty.
Joe Wagg