Australia, New Zealand and Cruise (2016)

Day 1 thru day 3 (4/5/2016 - 4/7/2016)

After counting down 150 days from the time we made the plans for this trip, the day has arrived.  We were picked up by D & D Limo services and were heading to LAX for our upcoming flight to Sydney, Australia. 

Our direct flight on Virgin Australia was pleasant and long (14 hours) and after losing a full day (because we passed the International Date Line), we arrived on April 7th, we arived early in the morning.

We took a taxi from the airport and arrived to our hotel 30 minutes later. We checked in to the Hyde Park Hotel on Elizabeth Street.  The time was 7:30 AM and as expected our room was not ready.  The nice and pleasant staff of the hotel took our luggage and asked us to return by 10:30 for an early check-in.

We started to wonder around the hotel's surroundings and found its location to be perfect:  It is situated right across the famous Sydney’s Hyde Park and minutes’ walk from the Financial District.  We walked a couple of streets away and entered a food court where we had a light breakfast and then found a supermarket where we bought water bottles and other necessities.  

We returned to the hotel and the room was ready.  However, this was a very small room with only one window.  I asked for an upgrade but the hotel was solid book.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

We unpacked, showered and then “hit” the streets again.  We found Chinatown; about 10 minutes walk from the hotel and had a simple lunch in a great restaurant.

  

From there, about half a mile away we found the fabulous Darling Harbor, the large recreational and pedestrian area that is situated on the western outskirts of the city's central business district and is named after Ralph Darling, who was Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831.

Queen Victoria Building

 We walked around for an hour or so, and then headed towards city's center, admiring the skyscrapers in the heart of the city. We stopped at the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) and window-shopped for awhile and then, when the jet leg started to hit our body, we headed back to our hotel and rested the rest of the afternoon.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

We had dinner in a Malaysian restaurant, not fr from the hotel and ordered few dishes and enjoyed each and every one of them.  The place brought many pleasant memories from our trip to Malaysia in 2014 and some of the dishes were already familiar to us.  I loved the chicken curry dish where they marinate the chicken with coconut milk hours before it is cooked. Yummy!!

We were back in the hotel at 7:30 and slept through the night like 2 soldiers back from the battlefield.

Day 4 (4/8/16)

Sydney, Australia

We woke at 6 and had breakfast in the room.  When we passed the receptionist she had some great news for us: one of the guests canceled his reservation and for a small additional amount ($25/day) we could have his suite.  We were also excited to hear that the hotel’s staff will transfer all our belonging from our present room and we wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.  I signed the necessary paperwork and we started our day.

We stopped at a café in the heart of the Business District and after getting our daily shot of caffeine we headed towards Circular Quay, situated on the north edge of the Business District and is the main tourists attraction of the city.

       

Our eyes were filled with beautiful sights of the famous Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the port with all size boats and ships.

 

We walked around the harbor and then booked a tour for the Opera House. We wandered around the harbor until it was our group’s turn for the tour.

A young & attractive lady greeted us and told us a bit of the history surrounding the magnificent structure: The  performing arts center is identified as one of the 20th century's most distinctive building.  In 1957 Jorn Utzon won the design competition, led by then Australia’s PM Cahill.  The doors were opened in 1973 after a history of delays, scandals and confrontations.  Utzon never saw the ending product of his design and died in his homeland Denmark in 2008.

  

 Though its name suggests a single venue, the building comprises multiple performance venues, which together are among the busiest performing arts centers in the world – hosting well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people! 

Performances are presented by numerous performing artists, including four resident companies: The Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, The Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  

We visited the following venues:

Concert Hall, : With 2,679 seats, the home of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and is used by a large number of other concert presenters. It contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world, with over 10,000 pipes.  When we entered the theater, we were asked to keep our voices down as a rehearsal was taking place.  It was amazing.

Joan Sutherland Theatre: With 1,507 seats, the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet. 

Drama Theatre: With 544 seats, used by the Sydney Theater Company and other dance and theatrical presenters.

Playhouse: An end-stage theatre with 398 seats.

Studio: A flexible space with 280 permanent seats (some of which can be folded up) and a maximum capacity of 400, depending on configuration.

Utzon Room: A small multi-purpose venue for parties, corporate functions and small productions (such as chamber music performances).

Recording Studio

The tour lasted about an hour and was very interesting and entertaining.

        

We had lunch, sitting in one the wharf’s restaurants and had Fish & Chips accompanied by a large salad & a couple of glasses with draft beer and then continued our day, heading towards Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, passing through the marvelous Royal Botanic Garden, which was opened in 1816 and was now celebrating its bi-centennial’s anniversary.  We saw all kind of birds and squirrels and as we were approaching the famous Chair, the views of peninsula were breathtaking.

   

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair (also known as Lady Macquarie's Chair) is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench, on a peninsula in the Harbour, hand carved by convicts from sandstone in 1810 for Governor Macquarie's wife Elizabeth.

    

We crossed the garden, on our way out, and found ourselves back on the city's busy streets, next to the city’s library and Sydney Hospital. We then walked the rest of the way back to our hotel.

When we arrived,  a pair of new keys was issued to us for our new suite.  It was on the 11^th floor and the views from our balcony were astonishing.  Right underneath our room was Hyde Park the World War I Memorial.  We could see views as far as Circular Quay.  The room was very comfortable with a large and comfortable bed plus a kitchenette and a large balcony.








========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

After a long rest we returned to the Malaysian restaurant from yesterday, trying new dishes.  The meal was delicious.

We returned to the hotel at 10:00 and collapsed on our comfortable bed.

Day 5 (4/9/16)

Sydney, Australia

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day on a Saturday morning, had breakfast in our suite and headed towards William Street, looking for the Hop-on Hop-off station.  In the corner of William and College we saw the Australian Museum and the magnificent St. Mary Cathedral.  We waited for the hop-on hop-off bus and it showed up about 15 minutes later (at around 9:00).

We bought a 2-day pass and started our guided tour.  We decided to stay on the bus until the end of the route and then choose which sites we would like to visit more in details.

Our first stop was King Cross, known also as Sydney’s red-light district and is reputed to be the home of Sydney’s organized crime groups.  The neighborhood was filled with boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops.  We promised ourselves to return here the next day.

The next stop was at the memorial El Alamein Fountain, at the entrance to the Fitzroy Gardens and then continued to Woolloomooloo Bay, the former docklands area on Sydney Harbour.

  

The next stop was at the Sydney Opera House and then the Botanical Gardens, followed by the State Library and then headed to The Rocks area where changed buses and continued to the Power House Museum followed by the Fish Market.

At one point we changed the bus again and hopped on another bus, which had a different route, including Bondi Beach. Which we already had plans to visit tomorrow.

  

   

At around 12:30 we hopped off in Chinatown and found (yet) another Malaysian restaurant on George Street.  After lunch we walked on the bustling main street and revisited QVB, buying our grandkids souvenirs and then continued to City Hall, followed by St. Andrew’s Cathedral.  The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and is a beautiful building.

      

We strolled along and arrived back to Hyde Park, where we started our day.  We walked inside the beautiful park and arrived to the amazing Archibald Fountain, across from St. Mary Cathedral.  A wedding couple was taking pictures and the place was busy with the weekend crowd and the couple’s family and friends.  The fountain is situated right across from the cathedral, where the ceremony of the wedding would take place later on and the views were splendid.

We sat inside a park café and had a couple of cappuccinos before returning back to the hotel, only a block away!

In the evening we had dinner at Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese restaurant, considered to be the best in Chinese food in Sydney and was only 5 minutes away from the hotel.  We waited for about 30 minutes before we were seated. We ordered different dumpling and noodle plates and agreed with the critics: 5 stars all the way!!  For desert we found a small ice cream shop and had a fantastic and surprising Green Tea ice cream.

  

We returned to the hotel at 9:00 and sat for awhile on our balcony, admiring the views of the park at night.

Day 6 (4/10/16)

Sydney, Australia

We woke up at 7:00 to another glorious autumn day.  After breakfast in the suite we headed towards Kilda Street and the Jewish History Museum, stopping in a local café for our daily shot of espresso.

  

The museum has approximately 9,000 objects from a private collection of Rabbi Lubofski. We found a collection of objects of ritual, religious, historical, cultural, social and artistic significance which encompass Jewish life and history. We visited both floors including the Anne Frank room, where we watched a 30 minutes video of her life. 

Auschwitz survivor. As we headed out we saw her: she was sitting at a round table.  We approached her and asked if we could talk to her.  She smiled and said: “That’s why I am here”. Her story was unbelievable.  She was prisoner number 2065 in the horrible concentration camp, taken away from her family around the end of May 1942 along with her 2 sisters.  The rest of her family arrived to camp a month later. It would be months before Weiss discovered that her mother and the two youngest children had been sent immediately to the gas chambers. Her father and 16-year-old brother, Karl, were selected for work but her father was beaten to death four days later and her brother, Karl, died of typhus six weeks later.

She lost everyone there, including her younger sister that almost made it but died from a terrible disease.  She faced death numerous times but always managed to survive, thanks to extraordinary twists of luck, such as the day a "kapo", a forewoman, put her name forward for a position as a book-keeper. The kapo allowed Weiss to choose a pair of spectacles from a towering pile retrieved from the bodies of the dead. Without them, she could not have done the work: "That saved my life. I believe in miracles; nothing could save you in Auschwitz."  

Sometimes, Weiss dreams of her family. "When I do, it is a wonderful feeling. I thank God that they don't have to suffer anymore." This was an unforgettable experience and we will always remember her as a hero who managed the dark days of the Holocaust.

We walked towards King Cross and enjoyed the warm day, strolling and mingling with the Sunday crowd.

We managed to find William Street and hopped on the bus in the direction of the popular Bondi Beach.  As we arrived we headed to a well known Fish & Chips restaurant “Chip Shop”.  I ordered the favorite dish of fish & chips dish and Tova ordered a grilled Mahi Mahi, accompanied with a huge portion of the house salad.  This was heaven!

     

We headed down to the stunning beach area, which was crowded with thousands of people enjoying one of the last of sunny skies as April actually falls in the autumn period in this part of the world.  We decided to walk the “Bondi Trail” toward Bronte, the most walked trail in Sydney.  

             

The trail was spectacular with many photo opportunities and we spent about 3 hours doing it, before returning to Bondi Beach where we took a break sipping cold beers and conversing with a mother (Mendi) and her son (Sam) from Melbourne who came to spend the weekend in Sydney.

We hopped back on the bus and arrived to the city’s Central Station.  

We walked back to the hotel in the now familiar streets and arrived at 5:00.  After a couple of hours of rest we revisited Din Tai Fung for yet another delicious meal, ending with a huge portion of Mango Medley of ice cream and fruit.

We were back in the hotel by 9:00 and FaceTime with Emly & Noa, who is getting so big and crawl all over the house.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

Day 7 (4/11/16)

Sydney, Australia

We woke up early again and after breakfast in a deli on Elizabeth Street in the corner of Bridge Street (Grilled cheese and latte) we turned right on George Street and arrived to The Rocks, the tourists precinct and historic area of Sydney's city center, established shortly after the colony's formation in 1788 by the English prisoners and with the help of the original natives of Australia: the Aboriginals.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

   

The close proximity to Circular Quay and the views of the iconic Harbour Bridge, as well as the historic nature of many of the buildings, makes the Rocks very popular with tourists. It features a variety of souvenir and craft shops, as well as many themed and historic pubs. 

We entered the Information Center and received a walking map.  We started our journey at 9:00 and ended it at 1:00.  The weather was hot and humid and we made few stops to relax and cool down.

Some of the highlights and “cannot be missed” attractions were:

  

·   Millers Point: Many sandstones side-by-side with red brick stones strictures and sidewalks, created in the first decade of the 20th century, with great views of the Harbour.

  
    
    Garrison Church (Holy Trinity): Located in Millers Point, was the first military church built in colonial Australia. It continues as an active Anglican Church.

 

   The Big Dig: located between Cumberland and Gloucester Streets, is a parcel of land containing remains from the late 18th century, the time of Australia’s first European settlement. Excavations began in 1994, attracting enormous media and public attention. Some 400 volunteers and a team of 20 archaeologists took part in what was popularly known as ‘The Big Dig’. They uncovered the foundations of over 30 homes and shops, the earliest built in around 1795, and some 750,000 artifacts. These have provided a rare insight into early urban life in Sydney.    

    

·   Hero of Waterloo Hotel: Named after none other than the Duke of Wellington, best known for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, bringing an end to the Napoleonic era of European history.  The hotel/pub/restaurant was built 170 years ago (1843) and is rich with history and good atmosphere.

We walked up George Street and Liverpool Street and arrived to Chinatown (for the 3rd time in the last 3 days...).  We entered the district on Dixon Street that is a pedestrian street filled with locals and tourists.  We visited the Market City on the southern side of Chinatown, and looked around the many shops, boutiques and eateries. One of the restaurants (The Eight Modern Chinese Restaurant) can sit 800 people!

At the eastern end of Chinatown, at the corner of George Street and Hay Street, we found a sculpture made from a dead tree trunk; created by artist Lin Li in 1999 and named Golden Water Mouth, it was said by its instigators to bring good fortune to the Chinese community. 

  

We ended up having late lunch at a nice Chinese restaurant and then stood in line in a bakery in Paddy’s Market to buy Emperor’s Cream Puffs, which we consumed with tea in our room later this evening. Yummy!!!

On our way to the hotel we stopped at a supermarket to buy some necessities for tomorrow’s upcoming cruise.  Tova also attempted to buy sandals in a store on Bathurst St. but they ran out of her size.  The (very nice) salesperson made some phone calls and sent us about 20 minutes away to another store where they kept the pair for her at the register.  

We then stopped at Lev Salon for taking care of Tova’s beautiful hair and finally were back at the hotel. 

Overall we walked today for 8 miles!!!

Day 8 (4/12/16)

Sydney, Australia

We woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast we started packing our luggage.  We checked out the friendly and comfortable hotel at 10:30 and the receptionist called for a taxi, which took us to the pier at Circular Quay to our awaiting cruise ship, The Explorer of The Seas, our home for the next 35 days!!

The check-in process at the pier, was very smooth and we were at our cabin #1340 at 11:30.  The Jr. suite was comfortable with a large balcony, a walk-in closet and a bath. 

    

We had a light lunch at the Windjammer Cafe and upon our return to the cabin, we found our luggage waiting for us.  We unpacked and the rested until we were called to the Lifeboat Drill at around 4:30.

     

At 6:00 we went for dinner and our waiter, Stephen and his assistant, were very accommodating, polite and efficient.

Right after dinner we returned to our cabin, as the ship was leaving the beautiful port.  

The bridge and the Opera House were magnificent at night with so many different lights.  

The  skyline of our beloved city was marvelous and an unforgettable sight at night.

At 9:00 we joined the rest of our fellow passengers, which were (logically) mostly Australian, at the ship's elegant theater.  The show featured a comedy routine by a funny juggler, Marty Coffey, and music by the ship’s orchestra.  We also met the Cruise Director, a funny and charming gentleman by the name of Graham Seymour.  His brother, by the way, works with Paul McCartney as his farm manager.

We walked on the promenade on the 7th deck, people watching and mingling with some couples.  

We returned to our cabin at 11:30 feeling the rough sea.

We moved our watched one hour ahead and went to sleep.

Day 9 and 10 (4/13/16 thru 4/14/16)

At Sea

·         We spent the couple of these days at seas.  Our routine included eating a lot, pool, spa, reading, cocktails, more food, and sleeping.

  
      
     On day 9 we enjoyed the Ice Skating Show – Spirit of the Seasons in the afternoon and moved our clocks one more time an hour ahead. 

·       

·         On day 10 we met an Israeli couple that was sailing with us by the names of P’nina & Yossi.

    We attended a show, which featured a group of three singers from Australia by the name of La Froza.  We enjoyed the show tremendously.·        

           We also met a very nice couple that looked familiar to us.  Ursula and Terry had sailed with us before on the high seas.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

Day 11 (4/15/16)

Picton, NZ

We woke up at 7:00 and went to the dining room for breakfast.  As we were eating our delicious food, the ship approached Picton, New Zealand.

     

The ocean was in a spectacular color and the mountain surrounding the bay gave an unbelievable pretty picture.

     

The port was busy with crews who were arranging the thousands of tree logs on the dock.

It is mandatory in the port, to use a certified shuttle to get into town because of all the hazards a port could have.  The shuttle took us to the center of this little and gorgeous town and we strolled for about an hour, awaiting our departure with the Beachcomber Cruise. 

     

 When I researched of “what to do in Picton, NZ” I found out this unique adventure: delivering the mail to the islands’ inhabitants.  This opportunity would have given us not only the chance to view and explore the winding waterways of the Marlborough Sound and the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound, but also to meet unique people, who are “disconnected” from the rest of New Zealand.

We left at around 1:30.  I found a spot on the top of the boat while Tova opted to sit inside of it.

The skipper described our upcoming stops and told us that Mail Boat is the only official licensed New Zealand Post Rural delivery service by water in the Queen Charlotte Sound. 

     

The scenery was unbelievable and as we approached our first delivery we encountered a class of dolphins, who gave us a show to remember, as they were “dancing” along our route.

     

The mail drop itself is a ritual routine.  The island’s residents already know which day of the week the mail boat will arrive and the approximate time.  As we approached the decks, all along our journey, the residents would be waiting for us.  The drop itself consisted not only of letters and packages but also groceries, garments from the cleaner, alcohol, bakery goodies, hardware items, etc. 

   

  

The residents themselves were so nice and polite.  Their dogs will accompany them to the small deck as we approached because they already knew that our skipper has always some treats for them.  

  

At one point we picked passengers of one of the island.  They were family members who have visited their relatives on the island during the summer and it was time to say goodbye.  In one of the islands we met an author, who prefers to isolate himself when he writes.

  

At one spot our skipper pointed out to two birds on a rock.  They were 2 Giant Cormorants called in New Zealand the Black Shag Cormorants.  He told us that many bird lovers are coming from the four corners of the world to watch them.


     

We made a short stop at Ship Cove, which by itself was a highlight. This historical cove was named by Captain James Cook in January 1770 when his ship The Endeavour anchored here to replenish supplies of food, water and wood. Ship Cove was also highly valued by the local Maori.  We found a memorial dedicated to Captain Cook, beautiful traditional Maori carvings and information panels that were well worth reading. We viewed the antics of the Cheeky Weka, we also saw Paradise Ducks.

We returned back to the Picton at 6:30 after visiting 6 different islands, helping the skipper in delivering the mail.

We returned to ship and went straight to the dining room for dinner and then watched a show by a magician/comedian, named Leo Ward, in the theater.

We were back in our cabin at 10:30 and found the above in our bathroom, made by our charming room attendant.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

Day 12 (4/16/16)

Wellington, NZ

We woke up at 6 as the ship was approaching the charming capital of New Zealand: Wellington. We had breakfast and were out of the ship at 8:00.

      

We decided to have a "Walking tour" of the city.  Our first stop of the day was the Parliament Building, about a 15 minutes stroll from the port at Lambton Quay.  The structure is laid on a 45,000 square meters and consists of Parliament House, the Executive Wing (The Beehive), the Parliamentary Library, and Bowen House, which houses the offices the smaller parties, select committee staff, and some of the ministers and their support staff.

     

Across the street we found a small market, which opens every Saturday and took a taste tour from the different local vendors.  We continued and marched for about 20 minutes and arrived to the beautiful Botanic Garden in the central of town. Established in 1868, it contains 3 main venues: Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Begonia House, and the Visitors Center.

        

The gardens cover 25 hectares of land on the side of a hill and are a main attraction of the city.  We found in the garden, besides the passengers from our cruise, many locals who came to spend Saturday there on a beautiful sunny day.  We walked through the many plants and trees, admiring the many exotic flowers.

   

We spent an hour in the magnificent garden and then walked up the hill where we found a small cemetery, dedicated to the soldiers who passed during WWI, and then continue to climb the hill until we reached the summit with its beautiful views of the city.

  

We took the cable car down the hill and into the city streets that were filled with the weekend crowd.  We found a taxi and asked the driver to take us to Mountain Victoria, called by the local simply Mount Vic.

   

When we arrived to the parking lot we saw a lady posing to a camera.  The photographer was filming her for a commercial.  They didn’t mind that other people we looking and taking pictures.

     

The mountain is 643 ft high and panoramic views of the entire city were in front of our eyes. The views were unbelievable and the perfect weather made it an unforgettable experience.  Our driver mentioned that the mountain was filmed a couple of time in The Lord of The Ring movie.

  

We spent about an hour there and then the taxi took us to Cuba Street. I originally thought that by the name we will find a Cuban street (like in Miami) and will sit in a Cuban restaurant for lunch but instead we found out that it was called after the ship that sailed to Cuba in 1840 and that was the only connection to Cuba.  However, the narrow street was filled with many restaurants, boutiques and novelty shops.  We found a nice place and had Fish & Chips.

  

After the late lunch we walked to the Downtown area to find the shuttle, provided by the RCCL, which took us back to the ship.

We arrived to our cabin at 2:30 and after a long rest we had cocktails at the Diamond Club and then joined our table, at the dining room at 6:00.

We walked for awhile around the ship enjoying the beautiful skyline of the city and retired to our cabin at 9:30.

Day 13 (4/17/16)

Napier, NZ

Once again we woke up early and found, under white clouds, Hawke Bay and the town of Napier.  After breakfast we used the public shuttle, which took us to the main street of this picturesque place.

A volunteer from the local tourist’s offices, who was dressed up as a gentleman from the turn of the 20^th century, told us a bit about the city:

   

 Napier is the connection of the largest wool center in the Southern Hemisphere, and it has the primary export seaport for northeastern New Zealand.

February 3rd, 1931 is a very important day of the town’s history.  On this Monday, the first day of school, at 10:47 AM, most of Napier and nearby Hastings were leveled by a 7.8 earthquake. The collapses of buildings and the ensuing fires killed 256 people. The center of the town was destroyed by the earthquake, and later rebuilt in the Art Deco style popular at that time. Some 4,000 hectares of today's Napier were undersea before the earthquake raised it above sea level. 

In 2007, Napier was nominated as a World Heritage Site with UNESCO. This is the first cultural site in New Zealand to be so nominated.

    

We thanked the nice and interesting gentleman and visited a vintage store and Tova decided to put on her head all kind of hats.  It was a funny scene.


We decided that in order to see the attractions of the city we should rent the vintage car that was just next to us.  We found another couple (a mother and her daughter from the ship) who wanted to share the ride (and the cost).

We started our tour, as a nice lady took her place as our guide and driver and for the next couple of hours we explored the main attractions:

      

The ride started on Napier's main avenue, The Main Parade, with plenty of attractions around it. The I-Site Visitor Center, The Marine Parade Gardens created after the 1931 destructive earthquake. Besides the beautiful flower beds they contain the famous Pania of the Reef Sculpture, the Sound Shell and the Colonnades, the Veronica Sun Bay (named after a Royal Navy ship), the Tom Parker Fountain, The Sunken Gardens with the Bio-Morphic Sculpture and the Waterwheel, the National Aquarium of New Zealand, the Millennium Arch, the Spirit of Napier fountain, the War Memorial Center, and more...  

We saw many interesting buildings like the T. and G. building (1936) the National Tobacco Company LTD.

      

We stopped at the Six Sisters Victorian Houses with their unique story: Built in 1890 by the English architect Robert Lamb who moved to New Zealand for health reasons and designed most buildings on Marine Parade. These six buildings were ordered by a man who wanted to build a two storey house for each of his 6 daughters. These houses survived miraculously the 1931 earthquake and still highlight Marine Parade.

We also visited a fishermen village.

After the interesting ride we walked the streets, sipped a delicious cappuccino at a local café and then bumped into Yossi and P’nina.

We started to walk back towards the ship and even visited the Sunday Fair Market.

  

We had lunch on the ship and then rested the rest of the day. As we sat for dinner I couldn't help it and went outside to take some pictures of the beautiful sunset. 

   

After dinner we went to the theater and watched Hayden Smith and his wife Alexa Jane.  They were dazzling with music and dancing.  Their music covered Rock n Roll to Pop and Motown to famous musicals.

Day 14 (4/18/16)

Tauranga, NZ

We woke at 8:00 to a partly cloudy day.  We had breakfast with Yossi & P’nina as the ship approached the port of Tauranga.

We booked a tour in a minivan with 2 other couples.

   

Our first stop was at Mount Maunganui Beach in the Bay of Plenty, located on a peninsula to the north-east of the city center. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge in 1988, which connects Mount Maunganui to Tauranga's central business district.

   

We headed out of the city, driving on a nice & wide highway and arrived to a town called Te Puke and perhaps to the most notable attraction in Te Puke is Kiwi 360, with its famous landmark, the giant kiwifruit clearly visible from the highway.

   

Our guide took us first to an orchard and we heard from him some important details on the attraction.  The informational included commentary about the processes used to harvest and export the kiwifruit and about the attraction itself: Kiwi 360 was opened in 1987 under the name 'Kiwifruit Country'.  We walked between the groves of the orchard.  Some of the fruits were huge.

We entered the Visitor Center complex, which houses a café, large souvenir shop selling many kiwifruit-based products, and conference facilities. We tasted some samples and liked a lot the liquor made out of the fruit.

We continued our way and after about an hour drive we arrived to the town of Rotorua and its famous lakes.  The Rotorua region has 17 lakes, known collectively as the Lakes of Rotorua. Fishing, waterskiing, swimming and other water activities are popular in the summer. The lakes are also used for event venues.  The guide told us that Lake Rotorua is also used as a departure and landing point for float planes.

   

We entered a nice & clean restaurant, situated next to the lake, and had a light lunch.  We then went outside to admire the black swans, floating around the lake.

  

A short drive took us to the town of Te Puia and to our next attraction: Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley and entered a traditional Maori village.

We learned that Whakarewarewa is known as the Living Thermal Village. Maori have lived at this site for 700 years, and today it is home to the country's Maori Arts and Crafts Institute.

        

It seems as all of the passengers of the ship were here, as hundreds of them were watching the show, which had just started.  We were entertained and awed by the traditional Maori cultural performances incorporating melodious voice, stimulating movement and respect of the land and their ancestors. This was truly moving and divinely unique.  The dances included ancient traditional war dances and the dancers dazzled us with beautiful moves and sticking their tongues out, as part of their ritual war dance.

  

 We walked in a Maori village called Pa.  We passed some whares (traditional carved houses) and marveled at how the indigenous peoples of New Zealand lived not so very long ago.

           

The highlight of the tour was unquestionably the thermal geysers. 

Whakarewarewa is home of the largest geyser in New Zealand: the mighty Pohutu Geyser erupts up to 15 times a day and shoots hot water around 100 feet skywards. Pohutu means "big splash" or "explosion". Each geyser in the Whakarewarewa area has its own name.  The smells and the sights were unforgetable.

We returned to the village center and visited a wood carving and weaving schools.  As evening approached, we headed back to the port and stopped for only a couple of minutes at a waterfall.

We were back to the ship at 7:00 and had dinner with Yossi & P’nina.

We retired to our cabin at 9:00.

Day 15 (4/19/16)

Auckland, NZ

We woke up to a sunny day.  After breakfast we left the ship with Yossi & P’nina to tour the beautiful city of Auckland, the largest and most populous urban area in the country. Auckland has a population of around 1,500,000– 32 percent of New Zealand's population.

  

We boarded the Hop-on Hop-off red bus.  The tour included the following attractions: KellyTarlton (Sea Life Aquarium), Parnell Rose Garden and the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

    

We changed to the blue line at the Auckland Museum and arrived to Mount Eden and hopped off to visit the site.  We walked to the top of Mount Eden’s volcanic cone for some of the best and astonishing views of the city.

We returned to the bottom of the hill and hopped on again the blue line, which took us to the main street of Auckland: Queen Street.

We walked for awhile, taking a coffee break in a French Café for cappuccino and crepes.

     

Yossi & P’nina stopped at another coffee shop, so they could use the internet and we walked back to the bay and hopped on the red line.  We stopped at the aquarium for photo opportunities of the bay and then decided to walk the 5 miles back to the ship, which we did in one hour and fifteen minutes!!

We sat for dinner next a charming couple: David & Kay who are RV travelers.  They told us some fascinating stories of their travel.

The lights of Auckland’s skyline at night were outstanding and we watched the city getting farther and farther as the ship was making its way back to Sydney.

The show tonight was highlighted by Jonathan Clark, a comedian, singer and an impressionist.  He was great.

We ended the night in viewing the always hilarious show: “Love & Marriage”, hosted by Graham, the Cruise Director.

We were back in the cabin at midnight.

 Day 16 (4/20/16)

At Sea

We woke up at 8:00 and the weather was great with sunny and blue skies.  After breakfast we headed to the Palace Theater to get briefed for our back-to-back cruise process.

We had lunch at the Diamond Club and then talked to Sharone on WhatsApp.  We then went to the pool and spent an hour there swimming and reading.

   

After the afternoon rest we headed to the dining room. The show tonight featured the Fab Four from Australia. They dazzled us for an hour with the Beatles’ hits. 

   

After the show we headed to the promenade on the 7^th deck to watch the 60’s and 70’s parade.

We were back in the cabin at midnight.

Day 17 (4/21/16)

At Sea

Nothing much to tell:

Breakfast – Rest – Formal attire – Dinner

At lunch we saw a HUGE cake that was baked to celebrate England’s Queen Elizabeth’s ninety’s birthday.

  

Tonight’s production show was great.  We watched the cruise’s singers and dancers in a show called Fast Forward.

Tonight’s late night show was great as well: Graham, our Cruise Director, appeared in a comedy routine for adults only.  Man! He was so funny!!

 Day 18 (4/22/16)

At Sea

We woke up late and had breakfast at 9:30.  We then returned to the room to rest again!!

Lunch today included Chinese buffet and was absolutely delicious.  We then returned to the cabin for packing, as tomorrow we switch cabins for our 2nd leg of the back to back cruise.  We already talked to our loyal and effective room attendant and he told us to leave all the cloths in the closet hung and he will transfer them to the new room on their own hangers.  
This made our job so much easier as we took everything from the drawers and finished the job in just few minutes.

   

After (yet) another rest we dressed up to celebrate the Jewish Holiday of Passover.  We headed to the 2nd deck to a (very) large room that was already set for the “Seder”.  It was so impressive!!  I looked at one of the tables along the wall that contained the traditional food and was surprised to see the variety of food that was offered.  Reminded me of all of the delicious plates my grandma Chava used to make for the Holiday.  Some of the dishes included: Chopped Liver, Gefilte Fish, Matzo Balls soup, Beef Roast, and more. 

   

The Seder was conducted by Nitza Lowenstein, a journalist and wedding celebrant from Sydney.  She was fantastic.  Her beautiful voice led us in the traditional reading of the 
“Hagada” including all the songs.

Around the table were seated 48 people including some non-Jewish guests, as they wanted to participate in the tradition of commemorating the Exodus.

After the “Seder” we joined the ship’s crew in the Goodbye Show and then returned to our cabin at 11:00.

Day 19 (4/23/16)

Sydney, Australia

We woke up at 6:00.  The ship already docked in the Sydney's Circular Quay. Clouds and rain did nor promise a day of comfort.

We finished packing, after having breakfast at the Windjammer Café, and checked out at 7:45.  It was super easy!

We walked (ran between the raindrops) and arrived to the Marriott Hotel to greet our good friends Donna & Russ.  If you follow my journals, you probably heard the names before.  We were going to travel with them once again!

Once we arrived to the hotel and after the emotional greeting, I used the hotel’s Business Center to catch up on some of the tasks that were neglected for the last 12 days.

When we walked out of the hotel, I felt like I am home.  Every street was already familiar.  

We took George Street to Lev Salon, not far from the hotel where we stayed at the beginning of this journey and found Tova’s favorite Hair Salon.  Donna had a treatment as well and then we stopped at the nearby Nails Spa for Tova.

As the rain increased we used a taxi to take us back to the Marriott Hotel to arrive in time for the Chocolate Happy Hour!  We were served a beautiful 3 lveels tray all covered with all kinds of chocolate dishes. Yummy!!

We helped Donna & Russ carrying their luggage to the port (about a 10 minute walk!).  Our checkin was super easy as return travelers, and we were in our new cabin in about 15 minutes!  Donna & Russ, however, had to go through immigration and the lines there were pretty long.

The new cabin was at the port side of the ship and the views were spectaculars.  The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge were right there in front of us, as we stood in our balcony.  What a wonderful sight!!!

After the lifeboat drill we went to the Diamond Club for cocktails to find it was full of diamond passengers and no place to sit.  We found out that on this voyage there are more than 800 Diamond guests.  The Crown Anchor Director (his name was D.J.) promised us all that we will get the large Star Lounge on the 5th deck and only tonight would be uncomfortable.  We found a couple of seats in the nearby lounge and had some wine.

Our new waiter in the dining room, by the name of Godfrey and his assistant Madeh were below average when it came to service our table.  We later found out that many crew members could not make it to this cruise and what the management did, was promoting many assistant waiters to become head waiters and it showed!!  I suggested changing tables but both Tova & Donna suggested that we should give them a chance.  Oh well!

The show tonight was great: A violinist by the name of Dumitru was absolutely great. It also featured the Ballroom Champions Uros & Eva and of course the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers.

We were back in the cabin at 10:30 and unpacked, getting ready for our last leg of our trip: Sailing from Sydney to Seattle, WA.

Day 20-21 (4/24/16 – 4/25/16)

At Sea

Highlights of these couple of days at sea were:

Pool, spa, napping, socializing and eating a lot!

 

On Sunday we had dinner at Izumi (Japanese Restaurant) with Donna & Russ.  We also turned our clocks one hour ahead.

  

On Monday the ship honored the fallen soldiers of Australia and New Zealand during World War I (Anzac Day).  Services were offered on the pool deck.  

Donna introduced us a couple she had met in Sydney.  We liked Rhonda and Steve instantly. In the evening we danced at the Star Lounge.

Day 22 (4/26/16)

Noumea, New Caledonia

We woke up at 6:00, at the island of Noumea, to a beautiful sunny sky.

A group of dancers welcomed us on the deck.  They were mesmerizing.

     

After breakfast Donna, Russ, Tova and I got on shore and used a shuttle, which took us all to the Tourist Terminal where we found the company that we booked ahead of time: Fernando Tours.

  

 There were 3 vans waiting for 18 passengers.  The four of us plus another couple got into a van.  Our tour guide was Tracey.  I used my Visa card to pay Fernando, after he stated that there will be no extra charge for the using a credit card.

Tracey gave us a brief description on the island: It is the capital city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians.  Unlike many neighboring islands of the South Pacific, New Caledonia is not volcanic.  It is a piece of an ancient super-continent that broke off some 60 million years ago.

The British-sounding name of New Caledonia was given by Royal Navy explorer Captain James Cook was saw similarities with the Scottish highlands. Both the British and French settled New Caledonia in the early 19th century. They began seizing land from the native Melanesian people, called Kanaks. The French seized control (1853). It was part of Emperor Napoleon III's effort to compete with the British colonial possessions. The French used it largely as a penal colony. They are believed to have sent about 22,000 convicted felons to penal colonies along the south-west coast of New Caledonia.

Tracey told us about the island during World War II: New Caledonia was one of several French territories in the South Pacific. Luckily for the French, they were located just outside the area the Japanese managed to seize after Pearl Harbor. After Midway, the United States had just enough naval power to prevent the Japanese from reaching the French islands.

  

   

Our first stop was at a water tower, situated on top of a hill.  The views of the bay and the city were great.  

We then continued to another hill, where we found a beautiful church named Notre Dame Du Pacifique (Our Lady of the Pacific).  The views from this hill were fantastic as we saw the bay right underneath us and our ship added to that view…

   

We drove for a few minutes and arrived to St Joseph’s Cathedral and Tracey informed us that this is a Roman Catholic cathedral was dedicated to Saint Joseph (The husband of the Virgin Mary). It took 10 years to build it (1887-1897). It has been the seat since 1966 of the Archdiocese of Noumea.  A beautiful statue is dedicated to Joan of Arc, the French heroine from the 1492 revolution.

  

Our next stop was at the Morning Market: very touristy with about 30 vendors selling souvenirs and local cloths.  Next to the stalls we found a small but very nice produce market, which sells fresh meat, fish and flowers.

  

We continued on to the World War II Cannon.  When we started this leg of the trip we were told that a new guide will replace Tracey.  It turned out to be Fernando’s uncle.  His English was very poor and his knowledge came close to his English.  One of the other vans had him until this stop and they complained to Fernando that they can’t understand him at all and he made a decision that it was turn to suffer.  As we arrived to the Cannon I told Fernando that this is unacceptable and that we paid for having an English speaking tour guide.  I also told him that I will write a negative review in Trip Advisor if he does not replace his uncle by Tracey at once.  It worked and we got Tracey back as the other van’s occupants were even angrier than me.

We continued to a public spring water and after the traditional group picture we headed towards Fernando’s home where lunch was served by his wife.  The food was delicious and while consuming it, Fernando was playing his guitar and sang.  It was quite a scene.

AT the house I looked at my phone and checked my email: The charge that Fernando made included an additional 8%, sa called, Credit Card Transaction Fees.  I was really upset and told so to Fernando, who said he couldn't do anything about it.

We returned to our ship at 3:00.

I headed to the pool & spa and after an hour returned to the cabin getting ready for the evening activities: Cocktails at the Schooner Bar with Donna, Russ, Rhonda and Steve and then dinner with the above group.

We were back to the cabin at around 10:00.  

Day 23 (4/27/16)

Mystery Island, Vanuatu

Happy Birthday mom!

  

We woke up at 7:00.  The ship docked away from Mystery Island as there are no ports on this small island.  After breakfast, in the main dining room, we were off the ship at 9:30, using a tender.  The island is so small that it seemed the ship was bigger than it.

  

As we approached the shores we saw that a ceremony was taking place.  This was the welcome ceremony to our ship.  In the front row we saw our captain, accompanied by 2 high rank officers.  Next to them sat the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, nodding off…

  

Tiny Inyeug (Mystery) Island is remote and hard to reach (except via cruise ships and air) which means the island could have remained virtually untouched. There are no roads and only limited tourism developments on the island to accommodate the cruise ship passengers. 

  

On the western tip of the island we saw an airport with the visible Airport Radio tower, followed by the airport terminal building. There is little or no information on the internet about what activities there are on the island to do - so we planned nothing and expected nothing, but once we were on the island we saw the hand painted boards tour, snorkeling trips, boat rides, cave snorkeling, shipwrecks, and turtle touching and fish feeding tours. Surrounded by clear blue waters and sheltered by coral reefs, this is the perfect spot for swimming and snorkeling.

  

According to the locals, the island was named Mystery Island because a reporter, writing about Queen Elizabeth’s II 1974 visit, kept asking for the name of the small island that she visited. The reporter was told the name is “Inyeug” meaning “Small Island”.  The newspaper’s headline read “Her Majesty visits Mystery Island” which I am sure sold more papers than “Her Majesty visits Small Island”. The tourist that followed, came to see Mystery Island not Small Island. The name Mystery Island has stuck and is used widely by the tourist and Cruise industry.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

We started with a 20 minute walk around the sandy shore of the island.

     

 We encountered a school’s choir.  The kids were so cute!!  Other kids nearby posed for pictures (if you tip them, of course…) and there was also a small art & craft market with home made goods.

  

We spent an hour swimming in the blue water and it seemed that this was an activity done by the majority of the passengers.

We returned to the ship, had lunch in the Windjammer and then rested for the rest of the afternoon.

We met for cocktails with Donna, Russ, Rhonda and Steve and then had dinner with them.

At the theater we saw Black Tie: A headliner show by the ship’s singers and 
dancers.  It was great!

We were back in the cabin at 11:00.

 Day 24 (4/28/16)

Villa, Vanuatu

We woke up at 6:30 to a cloudy and rainy day.  After breakfast we got off the ship at 8:00 along with Rhonda, Steve, Donna and Russ.

Our tour guide Tom, from “Native Round Island Tour” was waiting for us with his driver Noah.  When Tom heard that we are originally from Israel, he reacted by saying that the closest friend of Vanuatu is Israel, helping the country to grow crops and helping them in many other ways.  He told us that we are now his special guests.

He gave us a brief lesson on this country: Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandez de Queirós, who arrived on the largest island in 1606. He then claimed the archipelago for Spain, as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies, and named it Australia Del Espiritu Santo.

In the 1880s, France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago (group of islands), and in 1906 they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through a British–French Condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980.

Settlers came looking for land on which to establish cotton plantations. When international cotton prices collapsed, planters switched to coffee, cocoa, bananas, and, most successfully, coconuts. Initially, British subjects from Australia made up the majority of settlers, but the establishment of the Caledonian Company of the New Hebrides in 1882 attracted more French subjects. By the start of the 20th century, the French outnumbered the British two to one.

       

Our first stop was at the Blue Lagoon only that it wasn’t so blue on this cloudy, windy and rainy day.  We found a shelter in the resort and discovered many different plants and hundreds of butterflies, some were spectacular. 

We continued our trip after a 30 minute break there and arrived to Eton Beach.  We opted to stay in the van as the rain was unbearable.  I got out of the van to take some pictures along with Tom who was happy to see at least one of us being brave.

  

We then stopped alongside the road where Tom took a spider and put it on his face.  The spider was extremely large but Tom said he was harmless.  I asked Tom to put the spider on my face as well.  It was pretty amazing, as the spider decided to find shelter in my ear.

  

Our next stop was a huge Banyan Tree, called PangPang.  We walked inside the tree in kind of a maze looking path.

We found the highlight of the tour in our next stop: Epau Village School on Efatu Island, as the weather eased and partly cloudy skies remained for the rest of the day.





Tom told us that the village was badly damaged by Cyclone Pam a year ago, on March 13th, 2015. Many people lost their homes and gardens, most of them now staying at the local school which has become a shelter for those who has nowhere to go. 15 people died in the storm and winds up to 165 mph(!) caused widespread damage to houses and infrastructure.

         

The students and their musical director were waiting for us at the school and after the customary greetings the director assembled his choir in a half circle on the lawn, and they gave us a private concert.  It was unforgettable.  

We were invited to visit the classrooms.  It was a culture shock to see the conditions of this country’s student.  Though they seem to have everything you would expect to see in a school, still, it was different.  You could see how they use every tool to its maximum capacity and not taking for granted anything they have.  We spent about an hour in the school and before we left we gave the director a handsome donation.  Hopefully it will go for a good use.


         

We continued and arrived to Taka Custom Village, where we enjoyed looking and participating in a costume dance performed by “warriors” of the island.  It was pretty nice. 
We had lunch at the village, sitting right next to the beach.

  

Our next stop was at the beach where we saw an American tank inside the water.  Tom told us that it is a souvenir from the time when the Americans were on the island during WW II.  We also drove through the airfield used by the Americans.

After a brief stop at a shack that sells memorabilia from old Coca Cola bottles to unique shells we stopped at the site where the CBS series Survivor – Island of Fire season was taken place in 2004. I, as a diehard fan of the series, was amused.

        

Tom & Noah gave us a demonstration of how to open the coconut fruit and how to squeeze the milk out of it.  They were very talented and impressed of all of us.

We returned to the ship at 4:00.  Later on we all met at the Schooner Lounge and then had dinner and then cocktails in the Star Lounge.

We were back to the cabin at 9:00

Day 25 (4/29/16)

At Sea

We woke up at 8:30 and turned on the TV to watch CNN news (as we do every morning).  The top headline was: “Earthquake in Vanuatu”.  I had chilled all over my body. We were there just 15-16 hours ago! I prayed that Tom, Noah, the children from the village and everyone else there were safe. (I later contacted Tom and the good news was that everyone was safe and that they only had minor structure damage).

The ocean was rough (could be as a result of the earthquake).

We had our regular routine at sea: eating (a lot), pool, reading and resting.

     

In the afternoon we watched the spectacular Ice Skating Show.  In the evening, after dinner, we paid a visit to the theater to watch Colleen Austen presenting Divas Are Forever.

Before going to sleep, we moved the clocks one hour ahead.

Day 26 (4/30/16)

Suva, Fiji

We woke up at 7:00 to beautiful sunny skies, as the ship approached Suva, Fiji.

We had breakfast, at the Diamond Club, and got off the ship at around 8:30 along with Donna & Russ.  We were looking for our pre arranged tour guide, from Mafia Taxi, but could not find him.  I asked one of the other guides, at the port, to call them.  It turned out that they forgot all about us and booked another tour.  I started to interview the many tour guides at the port in order to find an English speaking and pleasant tour guide.  From all the guides I interviewed I like a guide named Rabin.  His 2016 Toyota van was clean, smelled good and comfortable. I negotiated the price and after agreeing on the terms we started our day in Suva.  When I returned to the spot where I left everyone, while I was looking for the new guide, I found only tova, who told me that Russ & Donna opted to return to the ship, as they did not feel safe enough to take one of the other guides.  

As we were driving towards our first destination, Rabin taught us few words in Fijian: Bulla (Hello), Vinaka (Thanks), Moce Ni sa moce (Goodbye) and Vanuinui vinaka (Good Luck).

  

We arrived at the Fiji Museum, located in the capital city's botanical gardens, Thurston Gardens.  We found an extensive archaeological collection dating back 3,700 years and relics of Fiji's indigenous cultural history. Also on display was the remains of the HMS Bounty of mutiny fame.  (Yes! I saw the 1935 movie with Clark Gable!)

A short drive to our next stop: The Presidential Palace, which was built in 1882 and rebuilt in the year 1928, following its destruction by lightning in 1921, for the then the British Governor and is now the residence of the current president of Fiji, Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. 

   

A guard was marching back and forth in front the gate.  Suddenly, a limo approached from the palace and we had the honor to meet with the president of Fuji personally.  Rabin, who was born on the island, told us that in all of his life he never had the chance to see the president up close and here we were conversing with him.  The President shook our hands and was pleased to hear that we were from the USA.

 

We then continued to the Parliament House, Which was under construction.  Rabin told us that the Fijian Parliament dates from 1970, when Fiji became independent from the United Kingdom.

We continued to a beautiful park and then continued to Fiji University passing by the ANZ Stadium where Fijians were competing for spot sin the upcoming Rio Olympic Games.  The stadium was packed!

   
 

The University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji is only one of many intergovernmental organization and public research campuses spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. It is an international center for teaching and research on Pacific culture and environment. USP's academic programs are recognized worldwide, attracting students and staff from throughout the Pacific Region and internationally. 

   

The campus was very clean and nice with lots of woodcrafts all over the place.  We saw students from the USA, France, Australia and Japan walking around the campus.

     

We then drove for awhile , passing through local small markets that sold seafood and produce, along the highway.  We arrived to a town (I forgot its name) and I was impressed by its cemetery. Some of the graves were decorated with flowers and clothing.

          

Another 20 minutes drive and we arrived to Colo-I-Suva Village (pronounced Tholo-ee-Suva) where we were we had a complimentary lunch and watched 6 dancers showing off their talents with their skills in dancing.  It was very entertaining. 

     

We found the world famous Colo-I-Suva Eco Center a short distance from the village.  It is situated on the edge of a rainforest.  Many backpackers come to this island just to walk the trails around the rainforest. The area has several small waterfalls, indigenous flora, bird life and scenic lookouts.

     

We continued to Waisila Falls in the park.  We used the many stairs down to the fall and found a small waterfall that was marvelous.  The water falling created a pool and many locals and tourists were swimming and jumping into the pool.  I was swimming for awhile and enjoyed the crisp cold water. we then used the same stairs, going up to our awaiting van.

  

According to the itinerary this was our last stop for the day but Rabin insisted that we must see a couple of resorts.  After about an hour drive(!) we arrived to Pacific Harbour and to Nadi where we found the Uprising Beach Resort.  It was a beautiful site.  The hotel is situated on the Pacific and was so charming.  

  

The residents of the hotel were mostly from Australia and new Zealand. We had a cappuccino, sitting on a terrace overlooking the ocean.  I wanted time to stop as the atmosphere was perfect.

We continued to another resort, just driving around and then headed back to the city and decided to have dinner with Rabin.  He took us to a Chinese Seafood Restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious dinner (A whole lobster, fish, shrimps, noodle, rice and beer!).

We were back on the ship at 8:00 and asked Rabin to wait for us tomorrow morning to continue exploring Suva.

Day 27 (5/01/16)

Suva, Fiji

We woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast, at the Windjammer, we met with Rabin, our loyal guide.

We wanted to buy some souvenirs and Rabin took us to a street where only a couple of shops were opened. Nevertheless, we found what we were looking for (wooden craft, shirts).

  

We then went to Suva Sacred Heart Cathedral, which was crowded with hundreds of locals and tourists attending Sunday Mass.  Rabin told us that the Catholic Cathedral was built in 1902 with sandstone brought from quarries near Sydney, Australia. Its architecture was inspired by the churches of Rome in Italy. The beautiful building is covered with ornaments and stained glass and has a crypt in the basement.

Next stop was an Indian restaurant in a nearby mall and then back to the ship.

  

After a couple of hours at the pool and spa we napped and then met with Donna, Russ, Steve, and Rhonda who introduced to us their friends Elizabeth and Paul.`

At the theater we laughed for an hour as a comedian named John Knight gave a great standup routine.

We were back in our cabin at 11:00

Day 28 thru Day 33 (5/02/16 – 5/07/16)

At Sea

Some highlights of our days at sea:

   

·   We enjoyed a great performance by Nathan Foley, an Australian musician, singer, performer and former member of Australian children's entertainment group Hi-5.  By a popular demand Nathan gave an encore, a few days later.

·   One of the nights was dedicated to the 70’s songs and the promenade on the 7th deck was crowded with almost on the ship singing and dancing.

·   On Monday (5/3/16) we went to sleep and woke up again on a Monday.  We lost a day going west towards Hawaii and everyone on the ship was singing Monday, Monday (by the Mamas and the Papas) that day...
    

·   Some of the passengers were transformed into fashion models and gave us a show to remember, on the promenade.

           

·   In one of the evenings we had a great dinner (with Donna & Russ) at the Chops &Grill restaurant.  It was superb.  (The best dinner we had in the entire cruise).

    

·   In another evening we had dinner at Geovani.  The Italian dishes were fantastic!

·  

I  I attended, in one afternoon, a veterans gathering where I met a veteran that was 97 years old!

We enjoyed the comedy and juggling routine of Sean Laughlin.  One evening we enjoyed Shane St James, who was a hypnotist.

    The always entertaining Love & Marriage was in another evening.  It was hilarious.

   

  

·   A singer named Monique Montez entertained us at the theater one evening.  The Australian singer was awarded the "Best Female Vocalist of the Year" ACE Award in 2014.

      

    The ice show, Spirit of The Season was on one of the afternoons.  It was fantastic!

Day 34 (5/08/16)

Honolulu, Hawaii

Happy Mother’s Day!

We woke up at 7 to a beautiful sunny Honolulu.

We were off the ship at 9:00 and after going through clearing with the U.S Immigration Authorities, we took a taxi, along with Donna & Russ, to the USS Arizona Memorial site in Pearl Harbor.

      

We cut it short, as the winds picked up and the trip to the memorial site of the battleship was cancelled.

We spent about an hour there, touring the 2 galleries that tell the story of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and Hawaii’s role in World War II, by the Japanese.

We then called Bui, the taxi driver who brought us here, and asked him to take us around the island for the rest of the day.  We agreed on his fees and started a tour with him.

    

We first stopped at a local supermarket and Starbucks and then headed to the Pineapple plantation – Dole. We toured the farm for a while and when we returned to our van I saw Bui hitting himself on his head (punching, actually).  It turned out that somehow he managed to leave the keys inside the van and it was locked.  Donna came to the rescue: She called AAA in California and they assisted her to contact with Oahu’s version of AAA.  We sat down and waited for our rescuer, who showed up about 45 minutes later.  It took him about 2 seconds to open the van’s door and he refused to take tip from us.  He just said: “Enjoy my beautiful island.  Aloha!!”

We passed through Haleʻiwa located on Waialua Bay, established in the late 18th century.  We passed through the famous Rainbow Bridge, over Anahulu Stream and continued to our next stop when we saw many people gathering at the bay.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

We asked Bui to stop and went down to find out what's going on.  The name of the beach was Laniakea Beach on the North Shore.  We found out they were all watching a giant turtle by the name of Olivia-Dawn. A volunteer was there to protect the giant turtle and informed us that many giant turtles come here to the bay during high tide. She also told us that the nickname of the turtle is Ipo (“sweetheart”) and she is a deep sea diver. During the first 20 days of her migration to the French Frigate Shoals, she averages 16 dives per night—one of them 135 meters deep!

    

As we left the bay the weather changed to be cloudy with some rain.  We drove towards Waikiki Beach and stopped in Diamond Head, which is the name of a volcanic tuff cone and known to Hawaiians as Lēʻahi. Its English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who mistook calcite crystals on the adjacent beach for diamonds.

  

In front of us were gorgeous and spectacular views of Honolulu, Waikiki Beach and the Pacific Ocean.

We finished our day in a restaurant in Chinatown, called Little Village.  The food was excellent and was probably one of the best Chinese restaurant I have visited in my life!

We were back on the ship at 7:30 and met with Steve & Rhonda at the dining room just when they ordered deserts.

We were back in the cabin at 10:00.

Day 35 (5/09/16)

Maui, Lahaina

The ship anchored about 5 miles away from the shores and after breakfast we boarded a tender along with Donna.  (Russ decided to stay onboard).

A reservation for a rent-a-car was in place and I went to retrieve the vehicle.  We drove along Highway 30 eastbound towards the airport.  The weather changed as we drove to this side of the island:  Lots of clouds, temperatures in the 60’s and lots and lots of rain.  We stopped for cappuccino and snack at Maui Coffee Roasters, considered to be THE place for coffee and it was voted as the best coffee on the island.

    

     

     

   

A 20 minutes drive got us to Kula Botanical Garden.  When we entered the beautiful garden we learned that it was established in 1968 by Warren and Helen McCord as a display garden for Warren's landscape architecture business, this garden has evolved into a tourist destination that draws thousands of visitors every year.  The garden is located on the slopes of Haleakala and encompasses 8 acres of colorful and unique plants, amazing and colorful flowers, rock formations, a covered bridge, waterfalls, and a delightful pond with huge gold fishes.  At one point we saw 2 chameleons preparing to mate.  It was an amazing site.

Luckily for us the rain had taken a break, while we were there, but as we drove towards our next destination it was pouring.  We stopped in a historic town and bought Hawaiian shirts and then headed to Twin Falls but the attraction was closed to the weather conditions.

We drove back to Lahaina and as expected the weather changed to sunny beautiful skies with a warm 86 degrees (F).  We later learned that the area, where we visited earlier, had a record rainfall for one single day.

We drove to Ka’anapali Coffee Farm, a private agricultural community that weaves contemporary-island living into the rich farming culture of West Maui. The gate to the community was shut closed and we waited patiently until a car approached and we took the opportunity to “sneak in”.

  

When we looked out to the west I saw the most amazing rainbow I've ever seen.  It was actually a double rainbow and the colors were amazing. 

We toured the farms for awhile and then drove back to the main road to return the rental car.  A taxi took us back to the ship and we were there around 6:30 and on time to have dinner.

My back was painful for the entire day, for the first time during the beginning of the trip,  and the only comfort I had, was knowing that in 14 days I will have a spinal surgery that hopefully will ease the pains.  

We were back in the cabin at 8:00 as I needed the rest.

Day 36 (5/10/16)

Maui, Lahaina

We woke up at 8:00 as my back felt a lot better.  The weather was sunny and warm.  We decided that today we’ll spend in Front Street for shopping and dining.

The line to take the tender was horrific.  We waited in the narrow corridors for 20 minutes until boarding the tender.  Donna, Russ, Steve & Rhonda joined us.

  

We visited the huge Banyan Tree in Court Park. To memorialize the 50th anniversary of the first American Protestant mission in Lahaina, a banyan tree seedling was planted on April 24, 1873 in the courthouse square. It was a gift from missionaries in India. The seedling was approximately 8 feet high when it was planted; the amazing thing about banyan trees is that they also grow sideways. Roots grow down from the tree trunk until they reach the ground and form a new trunk. The banyan tree in Lahaina now has 12 major trunks, in addition to its huge core. The tree covers an area of 200 fsq. feet and shades two-third of an acre.

    

We walked along Front Street and like the many passengers from our ship we were shopping away.  We ended up in Cheeseburger in Paradise, the famous eatery in Maui.

  

We returned to the ship in the afternoon and had drinks with all of our friends at the Schooner Bar, as Paul & Elizabeth had joined us as well.

  

 Dinner was at the Chops & Grill restaurant with Russ & Donna.  We sang quietly Happy Birthday to Russ and had once again superb food and excellent service.

Later we went to the theater to enjoy the music of Kym Purling, who dazzled us playing the piano.

We were back in our cabin at 11:00.

Day 37 thru Day 41 (5/11/16 – 5/15/16)

At Sea

We were sailing the last leg of our trip towards Seattle, WA.

Some of the highlights of those days were:
      

    We enjoyed tremendously the Production Showtime of “Wild, Cool & Swinging” presenting songs and dancing from Broadway, R & B from Chicago, romance songs from San Francisco, the hot Latin Quarter if Miami and the high life of Las Vegas Rat Pack.  It was wild, cool, and swinging’ time…

  

·    In one afternoon, we watched in the theater some of the ship’s guests performing on stage, including a great choir.

·   We attended the “Battle of the Sexes” and “Quest Game”.  Both were very entertaining.

·   One morning I participated in the Sudoku Challenge and came in 3rd (out of 12).


   The Production Showtime gave one evening a great performance with journey, paying homage to the movie musicals of the 70’s and 80’s. 

   

      

  

    A great performance by Mark Preston from the group “The Lettermen”enlightened us with song from the 50’s and 60’s.

On the last night of the cruise we enjoyed the comedian Sam Fedele and the traditional Farewell show.

Day 42 (5/10/16)

Seattle, WA

After a smooth disembarkation, we were off the ship at around 10:00 and took a taxi to Seattle Airport.

We arrived to John Wayne Airport in Orange County at around 4:30.  David from D&D Limo services was waiting for us.

Contacts Details:

D & D Limo Services - Serving All of Southern California (714) 313-1913

Rabin Dutt - Our guide/driver in Suva, Fiji +679-991-6755

Tom Frank Atis - Native Round Island Tour -Our guide in Port Villa, Vanuatu native.roundislandtour@gmail.com

Beachcomber Cruises - Picton, NZ - office@mailboat.co.nz

More Journals