The Wrap Up

We're in rainy Auckland at the Pullman Hotel in a day room that Oceania provided as part of our flight arrangements.  The rain is supposed to stop soon so we can get out and explore.  And our flight is said to be on time!

Yesterday we were in the Bay of Islands.  The sail in was, as you might expect, quite scenic.

We were once again greeted by dolphins on our way in.

The Bay of Islands was beautiful but we just didn't have enough time there.  Our son, David, had spent 3 weeks in sailing school there and suggested that we should explore all of the nooks and crannies of the bay.  There simply wasn't enough time for that.  After a tender ride in, we really only had about 4 hours on shore.  And we came away feeling that 4 days would not have been enough time!  We were taken to the town of Paihia.  Since our time was short, we opted to take a hike up to the Opua overlook to get a higher view of the Bay.  The hike was about 40 minutes of mostly uphill through lush bush.

Along the way, we met a Maori gentleman who lived in the area and told us that he walks this track every day to check on the health of the bush.  We had quite a spiritual discussion as he told us that he heals people and places from disharmony (he was emphatic about not using the word disease).  He also identified the birds we had been hearing as the Tui, a bird found only in New Zealand.  He told us that it's call is unique since it has two voice boxes.  It was a wonderful encounter and provided a good break from the climb up.  When we began the walk, the sun was shining (BTW, the weather forecast was not good but we were once again blessed by good weather and no rain) but when we reached the overlook, some clouds had rolled in which somewhat obscured the view.

After the walk down, we stopped by the shore side for cold drinks.

We then walked along the coastal path back to the tender port.

When we cruise and spend a day (or in this case a short day) in a port we often decide that a place is one we would like to return to.  The Bay of Islands is definitely one of those places!

And now in Auckland.  When the rain eased to a sprinkle, we went out and walked down to the CBD and strolled along Queen Street.  You know, there are just some people that you are meant to meet and for us among those people are Bella and Bryn.  We had run into them at a few previous ports and, as we strolled along, there they were coming the other way.  They were given some time off since it is a light embarkation day - apparently almost 100 guests were delayed due to the flooding rain.  Those people will be catching up with the ship in a couple of days.  So, it was good to see Bella and Bryn one more time.  

We made our way to the waterfront to have lunch and to say goodbye to Regatta.

A bit more wandering and then it was time to go back to the hotel to get ready for our transfer to the airport.  

We were notified that our flight will be delayed by 45 minutes - better than being canceled!

We're now in the airport lounge and it's time to put down some final thoughts from our 7 week adventure.  The cruising, except for the hull cleaning kerfuffle, was as excellent as ever,  We missed a few ports but, for us, that's business as usual and we always make the best of it.  At least, this time, we didn't have Covid!  And, in our opinion, Oceania made things right by giving a 25% future cruise credit for the last 2 week cruise.  You can be sure that we will use it! This cruise reinforced our love for Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. It was great cruising with family (Jackie and Michael) and friends (Pam and Bob).  Without much effort we found the perfect balance between together time and alone time.  And then we had 2 weeks of alone time on the Sydney to Auckland leg.  As usual, the officers, the staff, and the crew were outstanding - and the food wasn't too bad (ha ha).  These experiences always make us ready to come back for more - which we will be doing in March.  In the meantime, we'll be home tomorrow (which will actually be today) and ready for some family time and time to plan our July family vacation.  Watch out Vancouver Island, here we come!

Which brings me to today's truism in recognition of travels and our Maori healer of disharmony: "YOU OWE THE WORLD NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND"

Peace and blessing until next time,

Linda and Larry

A Tale of Two Cities - The Sequel

 And the cities are Napier and Gisborne.

Friday we were in Napier.  We were there before in 2015.  It was so memorable that we remembered very little about our last visit.  And, sadly, this visit will also be less than memorable.  We booked an excursion through Get Your Guide that was to include wine tasting, chocolate tasting, honey tasting, and some scenic touring.  We started with the scenic touring of Napier with its art deco history and the story of the earthquake that devastated the city in 1931.

We then went up Bluff Hill for an overview of the harbor.  It is quite incredible to see how much timber they export.

After that, we were apparently too early to go to the wine tasting so our guide just drove around some neighborhoods to kill time.  Not good!  We ultimately made it to the Mission Winery, supposedly the oldest in New Zealand.  The grounds were nice, the wines not so nice, at least to our palette.  

The next stop was supposed to be the chocolate factory, but the road was closed so no chocolate for us!  Then there was some more driving to our lunch stop - a decent place that had a terrific display of sculptures from Zimbabwe.

Then it was a stop at the honey outlet.  We tasted lots of different honeys, but for my taste the honey we get at our local farmer's market is much better.

Last was the drive up Te Mata peak for good views of the surrounding area.

We've done many Get Your Guide excursions on our cruises with much success but this one was most disappointing.  Oh, well.

After the tour, we were dropped off in Napier and we walked around a bit before returning to the ship.

Saturday was Gisborne, a city we had not been to.  The weather forecast was quite poor - rain all day.  Since it didn't seem like Gisborne had much to offer and it is a tender port, we thought we might just stay on the ship.  However, in the morning it was not raining so we ventured in.  More art deco, a coffee break, some shopping and a short walk along the river before the rain started.  That was about it.

Tomorrow will be our last port of call, Bay of Islands, before we disembark in Auckland on Monday.  Hopefully, the flooding in Auckland will not delay our flight home!

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry