Day 922: Friday, March 24, 2017

My girlfriend, Patri and I boarded our flight to New Zealand at 10:30pm on March 22. After a long 13 hour flight from Buenos Aires we arrived in Auckland at 3:45am. It is not the ideal time to arrive anywhere so we sat around the airport playing escoba (an Argentinian card game) until 9am when we could go into the city and pickup the rental car we had reserved.

Unfortunately the day did not go anything like what I had anticipated prior to departing Buenos Aires. At the airport we were told that Patri would require a visa for Australia. I had researched this in advance of course but somehow the information that I had that she could get a visa on arrival was incorrect. Thus, we spent all day trying to submit her visa application with the Australian Consulate in Auckland. It was a full day process with 30 pages of documents in total for the application and supporting documents. It culminated in a 5:45pm in-person interview at the consulate. After that we were both exhausted from nearly 50 hours without proper sleep so we drove to our Airbnb accommodations 40 minutes outside the city where we crashed for the night.

Upon arrival at Auckland International Airport.

Day 923: Saturday, March 25, 2017

We slept until 6am which is pretty good given the 16 hours time difference we experienced. Thus, we had time for a relaxing start to the day despite a full schedule of activities we had planned for the day.
Mid-morning we headed downtown to do some shopping as I wanted to buy a very lightweight raincoat. It is something I think I will need as I am going to be traveling through the South Pacific where rain showers are common. I never needed one before because I was always wearing my motorcycle riding gear. We found a great shop similar to REI called Kathmandu and because summer just ended here their lightweight raincoats were on sale, 50% off. I scored a great Gore-Tex, lightweight raincoat at what I think is a great price for such good quality gear. I am so excited to have this coat.

At 1:30pm we boarded a ferry to the volcanic island of Rangitoto which sits in the middle of Auckland’s harbor. We got to the island at 2:15pm which gave us an hour and forty-five minutes to climb to the summit and back before the return ferry at 4:00pm. It was all we could do to make it in time but we did make it to the summit where the 360° view the harbor was spectacular. Unfortunately we could only stay there for 10 minutes before we had to head down again. We walked (well ran) onto the pier and waiting boat at 3:58pm and the ferry departed promptly 2 minutes later. Whew!

From there we took a one hour scenic drive out to the west coast and a special place called Muriwai Beach. It is a black sand beach and a popular surfing spot. Just to the south of the beach are cliffs and on those cliffs is the Muriwai Gannet Colony. If you are like me I had never heard of a gannet. It turns out it is a type of sea bird. They live in colonies and this colony was truly a spectacular site. The birds are not frightened at all by humans and the park lets you get right up close and personal with the beautiful birds as you can see from the pictures. We stayed long enough to watch the sun set on our awesome day in and around Auckland.

Patri having fun on the hike up Rangitoto.

Beautiful view of downtown Auckland from the top of Rangitoto.

This is a gannet.

A small part of the gannet colony at Muriwai.

The end of another day at Muriwai Beach, North Island, New Zealand.

Day 924: Sunday, March 26, 2017

We loved our Airbnb accommodations and hated to leave this morning but we were going to be boarding our cruise so we managed. We had to return the rental car by 10am and managed to get there just in time. From there it was a cab to the pier where we checked our luggage. We had 3 hours to kill before boarding so we walked around the downtown area. Somehow the time went quickly without doing much of anything.

The rest of the day was getting checked in for the cruise, getting settled into our cabin, and discovering the ship.

Standing in front of the Noordam docked in Auckland.

The view of Auckland Harbour from our cabin’s verandah.

Day 925: Monday, March 27, 2017

We called at Tauranga, New Zealand today. We had a rental car and made good use of it. Our first stop, about an hour drive was Hobbiton which was the filming location for scenes of The Shire in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. The location was absolutely perfect and couldn’t have been any more real than as I had imagined it when I first read the book The Hobbit when I was 11 years old. It was a fascinating experience.

From there we drove south towards Rotorua which is a place famous for thermals and a popular vacation destination for New Zealanders. Along the way I stopped at a roadside store to get a Coke Zero. The place was so quaint and the location along a quiet country road we couldn’t resist but grab lunch as well. I had a fantastic sandwich and we were so happy with our decision. It was one of those unplanned gem of a find that you are lucky enough to experience from time to time when traveling.

We continued on another hour to Rotorua and as we drove into town we came across OGO which is a place that you can get inside a huge plastic ball and roll down a hill. I had seen it on The Amazing Race some years ago and always wanted to try it. Needless to say I stopped and enquired. It was raining and the middle of the day on a weekday so we were the only ones there. I paid the $50 USD for one ride down the hill without hesitation. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. After changing into my swim trunks (fortunately I had brought them today) they took me to the top of the hill in a truck. They filled one of the waiting balls with some warm water which is the lubrication so your skin slides on the plastic interior. I got in, they shut the hatch and then unceremoniously pushed the ball out of the stall. The ride down was about 1 ½ minutes and worth every penny, at least for a time experience such as this.

After that impromptu stop we headed on to Hells Gate which is a geothermal park. The walk around the entire park took a little more than an hour. Although surrounded by beautiful rain forest the areas of the geothermal pools were grey and void of vegetation as the water temperatures were as much as 100° Celsius. In one spot there was a big waterfall that has a water temperature of 40°, perfect bathwater temperature.

We got back to the ship with 30 minutes to spare.

The only way to experience Hobbiton is via an organized tour.

A truly utopian place. Wishing JRR Tolkin could see it.

We had a great lunch at this unassuming roadside diner.

I am inside that big ball rolling down the hill; the definition of fun!

I’ve never looked so good!

Patri caught me taking pictures with her cell phone camera.

Day 926: Tuesday, March 28, 2017

We did not arrive in today’s port of Napier until noon and could not get off the ship until 12:30pm which gave us only 5 hours before we needed to be back on the ship. We had a rental car reserved so after getting the car we headed about 30 minutes south of Napier to a place called Clifton Farm. The cruise line had a shore excursion that took people to that farm where they performed a sheep dog and sheep shearing demonstration. Because we had to get our car first we showed up about 15 minutes after the demonstration for the cruise line tour guests started but we got to see all of the sheep shearing demonstration. After the demonstration was finished the guy there was nice enough to give us a private demonstration of the sheep dogs rounding up the sheep in the pasture. The cruise line charged $130pp for their trip and we did it for $55pp.

Just a few miles down the road from the sheep farm is a really nice winery called Elephant Hills. They did not have tours going on at when we got there but for only $5pp we got to taste 6 different wines. Personally I didn’t like the wines but the location was perfect and we had a great time with the experience and sitting outside for a while relaxing and enjoying the spectacular view.

We still had some time before heading back to the ship so we drove to the top of Te Mata Peak which is supposed to have stunning views of the coastline below. Unfortunately the top was shrouded in fog and we could only imagine what the sight would be like.

It was back to the ship from there. We got back with 15 minutes to spare and once on the ship we went to the gym, hot tub, dinner, and a show.

Baa, baa, baa, baa

Fun and informative sheep shearing demonstration.

Patri and I enjoying some wine tasting at Elephant Hills Winery.

Day 927: Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Today we arrived in Wellington, New Zealand greeted by cloudy skies and cool temperature. After busy ports of call the past 2 days we weren’t in much of a mood to be running around seeing sights so we had a lazy morning, late breakfast and were not off the ship until about noon.

The first thing I had to do was go to the ANZ bank to make a payment for my kayaking trip planned for Tonga in May. That done we went to Starbucks to get much needed access to the Internet. I think we spent a couple hours there checking email and Facebook. I was also able to make a few minor adjustments to my blog that I wanted to do. Even then the Internet was frustratingly unreliable.

When we gave up on the Internet we played a game of escoba as the weather outside continued to deteriorate. After Starbucks we went out and walked down the main street where I came across a Ramen restaurant. I haven’t had real ramen in ages so I could not resist stopping despite the fact I was not hungry. Fortunately it was good, authentic ramen so I was not disappointed. It was raining rather hard by the time we made it back to the shuttle bus back to the ship. Back on the ship it was the gym, hot tub, dinner, show, and dancing to end the day. Not bad.

One of our only pics from Wellington.

Day 928: Thursday, March 30, 2017

We arrived in Akaroa this morning to a foggy sky but with promises of better weather. The ship anchored in the center of a large bay with the town of Akaroa in sight on the shore. It was 11am before we got on the tender boat to take us to shore. The fog had lifted giving way to beautiful sunshine and deep blue skies. Upon stepping off of the tender onto the pier we were met with a picturesque seaside town that one associates more with a romantic movie setting than anything one has ever experienced in person.
In the mood for some adventure we rented a kayak and paddled along the coast away from civilization. We were hoping to spot some dolphins that call the bay home but to no avail. We did however see a lot of birds that made the trip interesting. We were back at the dock a few hours later.

After the workout of kayaking we slowed things down by taking in some lawn bowling at the town’s lawn bowling center. By the time we got there they had just finished their scheduled matches of the day but the grounds keeper was still there and he was nice enough to explain to us the rules and strategy of the game. The game is basically the same as curling but without the ice. It made me think back nostalgically to my life in Edmonton, Alberta where I curled for 4 years. After bowling a few ends to make sure we had it down he left us to play on our own. Patri got the better of me and I ended up “owing her a beer.”

Back on the ship it was a typical evening of gym, hot tub, dinner, a show, music and bed.

Out on the water enjoying some great kayaking under blue skies.

Relaxing and taking in the beautiful day after kayaking.

I love this picture despite taking it with my cell phone.

Having a little fun taunting this sculpture.

Day 929: Friday, March 31, 2017

Our last stop in New Zealand was today. The ship called at Port Chalmers which is at the southern end of the South Island. Port Chalmers is just a port so we caught a local bus to the nearby city of Dunedin. We were pretty late in getting off the ship so by the time we got to Dunedin we did not have time to do anything but walk around the city center and enjoy a glass of wine at a street side café. The weather was perfect for sitting outside sipping on wine so we quite enjoyed ourselves. In all it was a quiet day which was welcomed after so many days of busy sightseeing and activities.

Enjoying some wine and fries at Stuart St. Brew Bar in Dunedin.

Yes I did…I shared our fries with the gull.