The longest day....

It's Friday the thirteenth and it's been a long one.  At midnight Thursday, we were still at sea, heading for Sydney, and now, midnight Friday, we are back in Texas.....seems like a normal day until you factor in the time changes and realize the day has lasted 41 hours.

During that time we have been on a boat, a bus, three airplanes, a limo, and have retrieved our luggage six times....

We truly had a wonderful time! A vacation to remember but be advised that we may be a little more confused than usual for the next week or two.  Is it time to wake up or take a nap?  Do we order breakfast or dinner?  Wait, we have to get our own food?? 

I have an idea for a new business venture.  You take me on your next vacation and I will blog it for you.  What do you think?  What?  Don't quit my day job?

Oh well, it's been fun and thanks for keeping up with our adventure.

I will leave you with the words Captain Bos said at the end of all of his announcements....don't forget to wash those hands!

Packing....

As we pack our suitcases this last day at sea I am reminded of the six months I stressed over what to bring for 14 days on a boat.  For those who had to listen to me obsess (Kendra, and others) thank you, it worked just fine.

Could I have survived with less?  Certainly.  Would I have wanted to?  Certainly not.

But it appears many guests did not pack as completely as I did.  Seems they were forced to wear the bath robe from their stateroom on deck, in the buffet restaurant, roaming the halls...I just don't get it.  Must be me. 

I had a fairly decent hand on the Three Card Poker table this afternoon.

The other tournament....

On this day at sea we joined another blackjack tournament.  This one had a $20 buy in but paid real money for the winner.

After the preliminary rounds, I was on the board as one of the top seven. Mother got knocked off in the last round.

I had never been in a tournament before this trip so it was all new to me. Each of the seven players got $1500 in play chips and the one with the most money after seven hands won.

I convinced the casino that we all needed a glass of champagne for the last round as the tension was thick at the table.  One of the players, Graham, a big, boisterous, fun guy from Australia, gave his to Mother.  He calls her Granny.

Hands one through six knocked out three players and I was in the lead by only $100.  We placed our bets.  You could have heard a pin drop as Brenda, the dealer, dealt each card slowly.  There were cheers and gasps from the onlookers with every card......

Oh, you're still reading and want to know what happened??

Well, in hindsight, I made a strategic error in betting and came in second....but it was a lot of fun and I would certainly do it again!

Where in the world...

Feel free to look up our location on Google maps, we will wait......do you see us waving?

If it's Wednesday, it must be....

The days all run together on board, so we often check the elevator carpet....

Bay of Islands....

The ship anchored in the area known as the Bay of Islands.  We tendered to the dock in Waitangi.

We then boarded a catamaran for a three hour cruise.....would have been happy to have been stranded on a few!  

Docked in the small town of Russell which was once a shore leave destination for sailors, whalers and traders during the 18th and 19th centuries.  It earned the nickname of the "Hell Hole of the Pacific" with a reputation as a lawless and bawdy port.  Now is is just a quaint tourist village that resembles a New England town.

After a brief stop, we got back on the catamaran and had a leisurely lunch while cruising the area.  Quite lovely and relaxing.

Now it's off to the first of our two dinners this evening.  We are meeting our friends from the casino, Ken and Denise from New Jersey, and one of the casino hosts Leilei, for our free dinner at the Italian specialty restaurant.  Then we plan on hitting our regular dinner to hear stories of everyone's adventures today.  Did Bob and Tracy get upended in their kayak again?  Who went parasailing?  These are important questions and we need to know.

Sitting on the verandah now watching as New Zealand fades out of sight....next stop, Sydney.

Auckland...

We pulled into the wharf early this morning...right in the center of the city.  Got on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus for a brief tour of the area.

We got off at the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.  There was an observation deck and even bungee jumping from the top, but also a casino, so where do you think we went?

 

Busy evening for us, had Tea at 3 o'clock and then a VIP Casino Reception and another cocktail party after that....we must be popular because we keep getting these invitations.  Lol

Scheduled for an early start tomorrow so we SHOULD leave the casino early tonight.  No, I don't see that happening either...

Tauranga and Rotorua....

Today we docked in the port at Tauranga and went by bus to Rotorua, about an hour away.  Beautiful little resort town next to a lake.

Had quite the variety of transportation modes on this short excursion.  We took a gondola ride up a hill, rode a luge halfway down, a ski lift back up, and back down the gondola. 

The luge looked almost like a snow sled but had three wheels and handlebars for steering and stopping. The path was all down hill so when you eased back on the brake, gravity took over.  It was lots of fun and you had complete control over how fast you went.  At the end, you were to put your luge on a conveyor belt to be returned to the top, and that's when hilarity ensued.  

Mother got hers to the conveyor all right, but failed to get off before it started moving.  You can see by the picture that there is a sign that is not designed for people to pass under.  We were laughing so hard that I was having trouble dragging her backwards and off the conveyor.  She finally got off but we wish we would have had video of that!  

I don't believe an establishment like this could operate in the States.  There were limited employees or safety concerns, but it seemed fine without them.  I guess they haven't gotten sued like they would have at home.

Here's a picture from last night of us sitting on one of the decks.

Clearly, yesterday's achievement of photo placement was fleeting....oops

Napier....

Our port today was Napier.  This lovely town is our second stop on the north island.

Napier was leveled by a disastrous earthquake in 1931.  What didn't crumble due to tremors, was devastated by fire.  Over 250 people were killed, many by falling building ornaments and gargoyles.  The town rebuilt in the clean and simple Art Deco style.  

The mayor and other residents even dress in period costumes around town and offer tours in vintage automobiles.

This trike was also available for tours. The owner had it custom built, nothing else like it in New Zealand.  It took him four months to get the proper license as the government couldn't decide what it was. Can you imagine going into your local DMV and saying you have a three wheeled, five passenger, motorcycle?

Look, I've figured out how to place photos where I want them.  Woohoo!  And you thought this was just a mindless vacation.

Challenge question of the day....which will be more expensive: my bar tab, my gambling debt or my wifi?  Think on that for a few days and I will let you know.  Feel free to place side bets amongst yourselves, but I get 10% of the action to pay for the aforementioned winner.

We are off to formal night #2.  We brought some wine from the tour in some previous port to share with our table.

Wellington....

We are currently docked in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.  Beautiful sunrise through the clouds this morning but kind of chilly, at least in Texan terms, so we decided to stay on the boat.  Seems to be fairly modern, large city and nothing specific beckoned us from shore so a few musings on ship life.

We must give a shout out to Ady and Yatt, our room stewards.  They clean and straighten the room two or three times a day.  We haven't seen their hiding place, so they must lurk down the hall and sneak in the moment we leave the cabin.  Our room always has fresh flowers but we seem to disagree on where the small vase should be.  They put it in the corner of a side table and I move it back to the center of the coffee table.  I'm sure they place it there for safety and have cleaned up water and/or broken glass many times due to rough seas, but I like being able to see them.   

Still having an issue with people not locking the bathroom stall doors.  I really don't know what to think of that.  We now open each door veeerrryyy slowly, while looking the other way, fully expecting to surprise an occupant.

And then there are the elevators...people will stand in front of the bank of elevators, within reach of the up and down buttons and just stand there.  We walk up, go to the other side, press the button, and when the elevator arrives, they amble on with us.  Are they training their mental telepathy?  Do they have people that press buttons for them at home?  And don't get me started on how they occupy the elevator....

This next onservation wasn't as noticeable the first few rocky days at sea, but  in these calmer waters, it is generally possible to start walking on one side of the corridor and intentionally stay on that side.  The problem arises when you've got Austrailians and Brits on board who walk on the left side and we walk on the right.  Then it's a game of Mexican stand-off to see who moves and who stays the course.  Mother and I must not seem too imposing, because we are usually the ones to move.

Time to go to Afternoon Tea.  we will see how many people we can run over on our way...

The tournament....

After dinner, we skipped the show and joined a complimentary ladies black jack tournament in the casino...mainly for the free champagne.

There were about 30 contestants and after the first round, I was in the lead and Mother was second, as evidenced by the picture below with our favorite dealer Mo.

The  finals consisted of the top seven from the prelims AND I WON!!!  Mother came in a close second.

Unlike a Las Vegas tournament, we didn't win cash but got dinner for two at the premier restaurant (street value $60) two stylin' baseball caps and a couple of drink coupons....most importantly, we trounced the competition!!  What a team!

Picton...

We had a lazy start to the day as our tour didn't leave until 1 pm.  Started with a beautiful drive through the small port town of Picton and out to the wine region of Marlborough, only about 30 minutes.

We stopped for wine tastings at the Villa Maria Estate and the Forrest Winery.  Since it is summer here, the vines were loaded with grapes to be harvested in March or April.  Here they trim the vines to form more of a vertical hedge as opposed to a horizontal canopy in the US.  We were told that this is so the fruit gets more sunshine to mature and since it's not as hot, they don't need the protection that the canopy provides.

The last stop on the tour was an artisan center that included a quilt shop.  Mother was in heaven picking out many pieces of New Zealand fabrics to add to her stash at home. Pretty sure she will have designed a quilt in her head before we return to the states...

Akaroa...

We anchored in the bay of Akaroa this morning and boarded a tender to transport us to shore.  Turns out when boarding one of these small boats to go ashore it's called a tender, but boarding the same vessel when the ship is sinking, it's called a life boat.

Once on shore, the captain of the small sailing ketch we were scheduled on determined that the waters were too rough and cancelled the trip.  We decided to just catch the next tender to our ship to spend a leisurely afternoon on board.  They have since cancelled all transport off the ship as a squall is expected soon.  Seems we made a good choice.

The casino doesn't open until about seven.  What to do, what to do...

Dunedin....

Our first off-the-boat excursion was at Port Chambers.  We boarded a bus and drove through the lovely town of Dunedin (pronounced Due-nee-din). It took about an hour to get to the other side of the bay to a wildlife preserve area.

Then we crawled onto an 8-wheeled vehicle.  Think a 4-wheeler, times two, that went off-road, times two.  We went straight up a large hill, through mud, over craters, and back down again. I'm predicting sore muscles and bruises.

Saw a natural breeding ground of the New Zealand Fur Seal with loads of pups.  Also went to a Yellow-eyed Penguin  habitat, but they were elusive today.

*Apologies on a previous post... One of our dinner companion's name is Mike, not Mark.  His Australian accent made it difficult to decipher.  The first night we sat down, they said WE had an accent.  Lol

The casino...

Day three and all the dealers and pit bosses in the casino know us by name, big surprise!  Evidently Aussies and Canadians aren't big gamblers as most of the tables are empty, but if we show an interest in playing at a table, they are more than willing to open it up for us.  We even scored a free cocktail!!  The rules state we never turn down free alcohol, so I had to drink both hers and mine.  The things I go through....

Mother has been teaching me the intricacies of Let It Ride and I've introduced her to Three Card Poker.  We have also been hitting the penny slots.  Pretty exciting when you hit 100 credits until you realize that's only $1.

Fiordland National Park....

Land ahoy !!!  First land we've seen in over 48 hours. Now we didn't actually get to step on it, but are reassured it is still there.

We have been cruising through Fiordland National Park all day. If you remember your natural history, fiords were created by glaciers probably only a few years ago...so maybe I don't remember my history too well, but you get the point.

Milford Sound was first. In spite of the clouds and rain it was just breathtaking. The rain actually enhanced the sights as it created many more waterfalls.  Didn't get to see any of the native New Zealand Fur Seals today, maybe they are on vacation too.

Then we went through Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.  All beautiful, huge hills, covered with tropical trees.  This area gets over 300 inches of rain a year.

Gotta run again today, we are due for English Afternoon Tea on the Promenade deck soon.

Still at sea...

We went to a small gathering with the ship's officers this morning mainly to get the mimosas.  Well, that was MY reason. Spoke with the Beverage Manager for a while.  She told us that there are about 500 Americans on board.  The remaining passengers were split 50/50 between Australians and Canadians, with a few other nationalities represented.  

We are also estimating that 99% of the passengers are over 50 years old.  I'm not exaggerating on the 99%, but the "50" might be a bit on the low side.

There are more people on the decks today as the seas have calmed a bit.  In fact, this will be a short note today, I've got to run see the wheelchair races on the Lido deck.  Yesterday's finish was quite dramatic when the winner was disqualified for throwing his cane in the wheels of his competitor...never a dull moment.

At sea...

We had a quiet day Saturday.  Woke up to an "invitation" to change our dining table. We were a bit confused.  Upon arrival at the new table, our previous group was there also. Turns out a couple of them initiated the change because the first night we were near a large, noisy group which made conversation difficult. Whew...we thought they were just trying to get rid of us.  Lol.

The casino opened!!!  Stopped by after the show and played a little Three-card Poker.  The place was empty. Wondering if the rough seas had people a bit queasy.  

This is the only interesting pic I could find today. What do you think it is supposed to be?

The sailing...

We were notified during the safety drill that we would not be leaving port at 4 pm as scheduled. The planned route was having some severely rough ocean conditions and we would not leave until 4 am.

We woke up to see this. Of course, or internal time clocks are so screwed up, we have no idea what time it is or if we should be eating breakfast or dinner.  

The lights of Sydney were beautiful and once we got out of the bay, the movement on the ship made it like cradle, rocking us back to sleep.

The seas are still rough and walking the deck, we all look like we've had a few cocktails.

Dinner last night was good.  We met our table mates: Sylvia and Jerry from Calgary, Joy and Mark from Sydney, and Tracy and Bob from Florida.  Seems like a good group.  The travel day caught up us and we retired early.

The cabin...

We made it onboard ship without incident.  This ship only holds about 1900 passengers which is substantially smaller than many of the Carnival-type cruises departing from the US.

Our cabin is quite large with a seating area and a huge verandah that wraps around the back and the side of the ship.  The port in Sydney is right downtown, next to the iconic Sydney Opera House and steel bridge, 

We've made a friend already.  Bert, the sea gull, has taken up residence on the verandah rail.

Clearly I haven't gotten the hang of inserting pictures where I want them to be. Oh well, I've got 13 more days to experiment.

The flights...

All of the flights went as scheduled. We were surprised to find a Chili's and a Chick-fil-a, in addition to the normal Starbucks, in the Calgary airport.  Felt right at home!

The seats on the long flight were amazing. We each had our own pod with on-demand TV, a seat that lay fully flat for sleeping and food and drinks throughout the trip.  The picture I will try to attach doesn't give it justice.

That being said, I may be banned from future Air Canada flights.  I was going into the lavatory, the indicator on the door was green, but I ended up opening the door on another passenger, not once, but twice.  Seriously, people, can't you lock the door??  The instructions were in both English and French, and the light doesn't come on unless locked. Must just be me.  Lol

The lavatory even had a window, so I'm sure we all mooned the clouds at 38,000 feet!

And we're off.....

So the title of this blog might be a bit deceiving, it's not really 14 days, more like 17.  In 33 hours, after 4 airports and 3 planes, we will be boarding a ship in Sydney, Australia,  for a two week cruise around the islands of New Zealand.  This is a country Mother has always wanted to explore.  About a year ago we started the planning process.

I am a virgin blogger so not quite sure how this will go but hope it will keep our friends and family  apprised of our travels, all dependant, of course, on wifi access, which will be sponsored by Geller  & Kraus CPAs.  Lol

I think we are packed and ready to go....we have two smart phones and two tablets, loaded with 23 games, 17 books and 12 movies, plus 2 puzzles books and a multitude of snacks and other goodies.  The weather looks good in our connecting cities of Calgary and Vancouver,  so I'm not execpecting any travel issues.  The car service just pulled up, so that's a good start, right?