Bay of Islands, New Zealand

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It is a rainy Sunday here. It is hard to complain though because they've been desperate for rain. This is their first rain of the year 2019. First since Christmas Day. I feel bad for people making their first visit though because with the low visibility it is hard to see how spectacular the views are. We were last here in 2006 and had a fantastic day. It must have been about this time of year as I remember they were rehearsing for Treaty Day at Waitangi. This year Waitangi Treaty Day is this Weds.

As with our previous visit here, there a lot of dolphins very near the ship in the morning. I remembered that and then looking at tourist info before arrival the number of dolphin watching providers made us look for them. I watch on the starboard side but the windows were so rain spotted it was hard to see. Clay pointed  out that the port side windows were cleaner for some reason, so I moved over there. Palm Court was very empty and quiet this morning. Soon I noticed excessive white caps near two small boats before I saw a black body come out of the water followed by a white splash. I went and fetched Clay. Over the next half hour, they traveled across the bay until the reached Serenity. Some of the dozen or so went around and the rest went under. We rushed down to our starboard balcony. They played directly under us for about 10 minutes or so! I don't remember from last visit, but this time we could see the mother and child pairs. Another thing we hadn't seen/heard dolphins do was tail slap the water. One or more of the biggest dolphins would surface and slap the surface of the water either once or double slap. Is it some kind of dolphin communication? It was an amazing morning. Given the rain, we didn't leave the ship until the dolphins did around 10am.

There were tourist info people on deck 5 in the atrium and I got a detailed map and directions to everything of interest. The tender drops us at a pier at Waitangi, a five minute walk to the Treaty Grounds. Or at the end of the pier ashore, there would be a shuttle bus to Paihia, Treaty Grouds, tender pier. You could book everything from a bike to a ferry to a helicopter within yards of where the complimentary shuttle bus dropped us in the little town of Paihia.

Our first stop ashore was an ATM. Second stop was Hokey Pokey ice cream cones. With some of his change, Clay got his 1st pressed penny of the trip with dolphins on it. We strolled the little downtown and browsed the shops. We found a Dollar Shop (where everything was at least $3!). I bought some elastic there to keep my dinner pants with the sprung elastic up. We had picked Charlotte's Kitchen out on the Paihia Wharf for our lunch spot. They had oysters on the half shell. Clay ordered a half dozen and was warned they were small. They gave him 9 and they were small and salty. I ordered a carne wood-fired pizza. It was good and spicy. Infinitely more pizza tasting than the pale, flavorless pizza served onboard. We shared. It was $55 NZD, about $42 USD. We got back onboard Serenity about 2pm. It rained or misted for all but about an hour we were ashore. Bad for us, good for them.

Clay read the menu for tonight and found it unappetizing again. He made us a reservation for Silk tonight. Tomorrow is the last day of this segment in Auckland. Our second day in Auckland is the first day of the new segment. It doesn't mean much to us except that we had to turn in our library books today and can't get new ones until day 2 in Auckland. It also means a short break from formal nights until the new segment starts.

Tomorrow we have arranged to tour on Segways in Devonport across the bay from Auckland. We have no plans for day 2 right now. Auckland seems a lot like Raleigh. A great place to live, but only OK for visitors. Since we are there overnight, Crystal put on some overland tours. Since we've spent weeks in NZ, we're winging it.

Our return shuttle bus driver, a man named Bubble, asked the bus before we left Paihia, Who had a Hokey Pokey ice cream? Clay & I raised our hands. He was surprised. No one else on the bus had and those around us had never heard of it after Bubble described it. I assured Bubble, Ya gotta love the Hokey Pokey and he agreed. When I exited the shuttle at the tender and thanked him, he said See ya later. Once upon a time I would have corrected him. But now, who knows, anything is possible. Clay pointed out it had been 13 years since our last visit here. He asked me if I thought that seemed possible. I said no, it felt like over 20 years. He said it felt like a lifetime ago.

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Day Two sailing to New Zealand

We are still in 8 foot seas. The captain says to expect the same to Bay of Islands. He says they still can't keep water in the swimming pool. We expect more sun, clouds and rain at various times of the day. It is probably in the low 70s F with humidity about the same, so fairly pleasant weather with lots of rainbows.

Last night's dinner was a disaster. I guess we've managed to miss all but the 1st formal night in Waterside by being in specialties until last night. Our waiter explained that formal dinner in Waterside is very popular. It is a mystery to us why. It was not an appetizing menu, but I guess it did have caviar and lobster. Neither of us like either of those things, so it is lost on us. Anyway, the room and staff were overwhelmed. We ordered a starter and entree each. We waited over a half hour between 1st course dishes removal and arrival of steaks. Clay suggested we each cut our steaks to check doneness while the waiter when to fetch the bernaise sauce. I said I wasn't waiting for another dish, whatever was in front of me was my dinner. His steak was well done! So I cut mine and it was not well done. Fortunately we could just switch plates with each other! After we finished our entrees we sat with the plates for 10+ minutes before deciding there was nothing on the dessert menu we needed to stay late for. It was past the time we are normally back in the cabin. We got up and left. Our waiter freaked out. It wasn't all his fault, I suspect the kitchen was partly to blame as well. We went to Bistro to look for a dessert. Bonus! The chocolate fountain had strawberries and marshmallows!

We had a nice weekend breakfast upstairs at Marketplace today. I had pancakes and bacon. Clay had fried eggs to order. He went back for a muffin and returned with a gigantic chocolate croissant. It was warm! He shared it with me. We hadn't seen one like it before and it made a very special weekend breakfast.

The movie today is "Tea with the Dames". It is a documentary and we both think we'll pass. I have to finish our last library book, "Twenty-five Alive" to turn in by tomorrow.

Our forward neighbors got their suitcases delivered to the hall this morning. It is easy to forget that some passengers are on for shorter journeys. That probably explains the frenzy in the laundry room yesterday morning too. I don't think I've mentioned that there are a surprising number of multi-generational groups on board. There are. While it is only a segment, it has still been a 3 week cruise which ends in New Zealand. A big trip by any definition. For sure after our 2017 Down Under trip, we had never expected to return to any of the places we'll visit in New Zealand and Australia over the next month or so. Never say never...

We had a very lazy day today. Waterside was a better experience tonight. We need to try to avoid formal night dinners there in the future.

I figured out what happened to my foot, so hopefully after it gets better I can avoid it again. I guess for years as both my right hand and foot fist under, I try to flatten them out and put pressure on them to keep them flat. So yesterday when I had on shoes in the bus I remember not being able to get my foot out of the shoe to straighten my toes and I really put my left heel on top and pressed. As I kept doing it again today with bare feet, I realized I am not aware I'm doing it. It is just force of habit. But now it is painful. Anyway now I know how my foot got hurt and I can work at stopping that.

Tomorrow Bay of Islands, New Zealand. It is a tender port. We've been here before and done everything important locally and in the vicinity like glow worm caves, wood workers, cheese makers, honey makers, waterfalls, Hundertwasser toilets. So, we plan to tender in after the highest chance of rain has passed at 10 am and take the complimentary shuttle from Waitangi Tender Pier to the town of Paihia and get some NZ $, wander, and have lunch.

Day One sailing to New Zealand

Today has been a hard day for me. Clay got up before sunrise and snuck out for his walk. He decided it was too rough to walk on deck and went to the gym for a treadmill. It was crowded and he did not enjoy himself. It has been rougher than the 8 foot seas would indicate. They can't keep the water in the pool again. It has been rough enough that I've been taking extra medication to keep in front of seasickness yet I've have a headache that starts it since last night. In other news, something happened to hurt my tremor/fisting right foot yesterday. It feels like someone's driven a nail through my foot right where the middle toe starts. Clay says that is a Morton's neuroma and I'm just screwed. Yeah, I pretty much already got the you're screwed memo.

Clay after his ill-fated walk decision has had a perfect day. He ate his biggest lunch to date of BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, french fries and Ben & Jerry's chocolate peanut butter ice cream. That is his known "usual" at the Scoop Shop! The morning's cloud and drizzle burned off and as it has gotten cooler the further we get from the Equator is rather pleasant out. Clay is basking in the magnificent expanses of the Pacific on our balcony. I am hoping for calmer seas.

Tonight is formal wear. After a few days with no menus posted on line for us, today they are back. There was nothing, not one dish, listed that sounded good to either of us. And we have to dress up!

We seen today's popcorn movie, "Allied", a few times so didn't go.

We tender to our first port in New Zealand on Sunday. We've been to Bay of Islands before and we've done everything important there. Since it is a tender port, we've made no plans and planned to wing it. Hopefully my right foot won't be so painful by then. I am keeping it elevated and staying off the stairs until it improves. We'll see.

Lautoka, Fiji

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This is my 87th country visited. It will be many weeks before we visited another new place. There is on 1 new port for us in Western Australia. It will be even longer before I can claim a new country.

Clay was up first this morning. I know he set an alarm but I think he was up before it sounded. The sun was already up and we were already at our anchorage before 6am. We were scheduled to arrive at 7am. We were having breakfast up in Marketplace when Sun Princess arrived and sailed past us to dock. They are a bigger ship so I don't know why they got the dock and we got to tender. But from the looks of it the people walking from the port to town were from Princess and Crystal ran a complimentary shuttle on the hour and half hour. Also, the tender ride was smooth as glass so all in all it was a good trade off tendering.

Our tour departed Stardust Club at 8:15 am and it was not the first departure! Pasted below is a description of our tour. We paid $119 per person for a 4 hour tour.

GARDEN OF THE SLEEPING GIANT & FIJIAN VILLAGE EXPERIENCE

Unfolding along the foothills of Sabeto Mountain, the Garden of the Sleeping Giant is home to Fiji’s largest orchid collection. Discover the natural beauty of this serene garden and its environs during this half-day excursion.

From the pier in Lautoka, board your motor coach and set off along the Queen’s highway, first traveling through the city and then past fertile sugar cane plantations. Reaching the foot of the Sabeto Mountains, you will find yourself in the shadow of the ridge known as the Sleeping Giant.

Your first stop is the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. Nestled in a shady valley, the gardens were founded by Raymond Burr, star of television’s Perry Mason and Ironside. Originally established to house Burr’s vast orchid collection, the garden has grown to become one of Lautoka’s most popular attractions.

You may choose to explore the garden independently or in the company of a knowledgeable guide. While the orchids are stunning, the garden also features manicured grounds characterized by a canopy-covered boardwalk and lily ponds at the edge of a densely vegetated jungle.

Departing the gardens, next visit Viseisei Fijian Village, where the first Fijians landed 3,000 years ago. During your village experience, you will meet the local families, view a range of authentic Fijian handicrafts and participate in a traditional kava ceremony. Normally accorded to chiefs, the ceremony involves the preparation of the traditional kava drink, made from the root of a cultivated plant, the piper methysticum, which is pounded into a powder and mixed with water. With kava as the main ingredient, the beverage is thought to have medicinal properties, including relief of anxiety and improvement of sleep.

Enjoy refreshments of juice and local seasonal fruits accompanied by Fijian serenades sung by the village men before returning to your Crystal ship.

Important Notes: As this excursion involves walking over uneven and sometimes steep surfaces, including an approximately 300-foot slope that will need to be walked both up and down, it is only recommended for our more agile guests. It is recommended that guests wear a hat, sunscreen and flat, comfortable shoes.

We actually ran our tour in reverse order. Unlike American Samoa, we had large air conditioned buses and regular tour guides. Also, unlike American Samoa the tour's kava ceremony actually took place today. Clay told me he was going to take photos and he went and had a bowlful! You had to clap once with cupped hands, say "Bula", take the cup and drink the "muddy tasting kava" and then return to cup and clap 3 more times. Clay said he did all that and I missed it. About "Bula", our guide told us it means welcome, but that isn't how they use it. They use it like Hello. They say Bula to you and you say Bula back. (Boo-La) I mean they all say bula to you. Every single person from toddler to grandparent whether you even make eye contact. The guide did tell us that Fijians love to say Bula. They offered small chilled square bottles of Fiji Water supposedly to rinse away the kava. I took one just to compare it to the Crystal Geyser I'd carried off Serenity. We couldn't tell any difference! They did not offer any fruit.

Next we went to Garden of the Sleeping Garden. We had about an hour there and we were guided on a very short walk through 100s of orchids. We were offered seats in the shade with glasses of juice to cool off before reboarding our ACed bus. All they were missing here was a gift shop!

Not to worry. On the bus ride back towards the port, we took a wrong turn we thought only for Mere (Mary) our guide to announce that they were taking us into Lautoka city proper to Tappoo Mall for a 20-minute shopping stop. This was also the location of Crystal's complimentary shuttle. Since there was a predicted 96% chance of rain by 2pm, no one on our tour bus offered to stay and take a shuttle back. They dropped us right at the door of a Fiji Souvenir Store. It had a wide variety of products. I found my 1st embroidered patch of this trip. Clay found a really attractive white on white patterned shirt made in Fiji. He bought both with $24 USD and got back a dollar or so change in Fijian coins.

Since it was after 1pm when we got back onboard, we went to Silk where I had pizza and Clay had Chinese chicken salad. We both had ice cream for dessert.

Tonight we sail at 5pm. It is a casual night. We have a 6 pm dinner reservation at Umi Uma. It is our last reservation of this segment which ends 2/5 in Auckland, New Zealand. I think we were allowed 4 reservations at each specialty restaurant with the ability to only book 1 per segment before boarding. We had to make the remaining 3 after boarding Serenity in LA. We'll have to make our extra allowed reservations for the next segment after the new passengers board in Auckland. This process will be repeated for segments 3 and 4 as well.

I had my favorite meal of the trip so far at Umi tonight. For variety, I ordered the Australian wagyu filet steak. I had never ordered it before because in the past I haven't liked wagyu beef. I must have only had original wagyu because I loved this tonight. Umi also has one of my favorite desserts, chocolate souffle cake with sesame ice cream.

The captain said we'd hit 8 foot seas when we sail tonight. It is definitely rougher than it was last night. We turn the clocks FORWARD 1 hour tonight. Hopefully this is the only time we lose an hour this trip as those many 25 hour days are the beauty of a westbound trip. We now have 2 sea days to get to Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

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On a slow boat to Fiji - Day Two

I was up before 6am with the sun shining around the curtains. It felt too early to arise, but too late to go back to sleep. Marketplace breakfast buffet opened at 7am today. Clay asked me the time and we both got up. Clay saw the empty promenade deck last night as we looked for a sunset and decided he would start walking earlier or later but not mid morning anymore. I showered and he went for his walk. Just after 7 am we had breakfast. We were up in Palm Court staying out of the cabin for service longer than usual and listened to both yoga lessons. The Kitas, the only yoga instructors we known on Serenity, are leaving in Auckland. They say Crystal tells them they are still working to find a replacement instructor. I am happy that I've accustomed myself to my recorded workout in the cabin.

Serenity ran out of granola maybe 4 days ago. Umi Uma's manager told me they knew and it was expected in Auckland. We'll see. Clay was craving a banana sandwich for breakfast today. I warned him not to get too committed as they could be out. He was not happy to find only locally sourced small, sweet rotten looking bananas as we've tried ashore. I had warned him and his reply had been there's no excuse for running out of bananas in the South Pacific. Indeed. He was lucky to find they had purchased local bananas instead of running out.

Clay went to a 2nd cooking demo by Alex Patout, cajun celebrity chef. He said today they did a better job. I did my yoga. I watched the 10 am Fiji destination lecture on TV. I did not learn anything new.

We spent most of the morning within sight of islands on the starboard side. They are islands of Fiji. According to the captain, we are doing about 14-15 knots to stay on schedule to our tender position at 7 am tomorrow. He says he expects seas to remain about 6 feet as we continue to run 2 or our 6 generators. We hope Lautoka has a protected harbor like Pago Pago. With binoculars, we could see huge breakers ashore on the islands we sailed past. We have a ship's tour that departs at 8:15am in the morning. It should end at 12:45pm. The captain says that a hard rain is predicted tomorrow. We are to visit an orchid garden. The lecturer had photos and it is all outdoors with what looked like board walks. We'll see.

Today we have plans to skip the movie as we've seen "Ant Man and the Wasp". We plan to go on the galley tour at 4:30pm. We have dinner reservations at Prego.

Expecting nothing else newsworthy, I'll post this now.

On a slow boat to Fiji - Day One

So, today is Tuesday and yesterday was Sunday. We've crossed the International Date Line. To add to our confusion, we're only going about 13 knots per hour. According to the captain, we'll only need to make less than 14 knots on average to make our anchorage off Fiji on schedule. This is in contrast to the 21 or so we had to average between Fanning and American Samoa. We are in about 6 foot seas and that is expected to continue. It is another picture perfect day as we sail past some volcanic islands visible off the starboard side.

So we expect it to be sunny, cloudy and rainy all in one day all the way through Fiji. As the captain says, normal weather for this area at this time of year. So we expect a couple of relaxing and restful days to recover from the heat exhaustion of Pago Pago. I forgot to write about it but the native Samoans are very touchy people. When they talk to you, they get right up beside you and put their arm around your back! I witnessed several of them doing this to not just me, but to other passengers. I hate that! They just seem to think its normal behavior as both men and women did it to both men and women equally. Anyway, for several months now I've had a thing where sometimes for no evident reason and sometimes because I got hot or something that the right side only of my face turns hot and bright red. I guess that yesterday I was lit up in the heat and humidity. Even after the afternoon in air conditioning, into the evening my right cheek was red and hot. Our very large 11th grade tour guide girl was concerned about me and kept snuggling and caressing me under her arm to ask me to have some water. I was keeping well hydrated with my bottle of iced water but, well you can imagine. She was being normal and thoughtful, but I am sure it only made me redder. As far as the hot red right cheek, I am assuming it is a symptom of Parkinson's Disease since it is on the resting tremor side. I had once read that a symptom of PD was failure to regulate body temperature and assumed that was behind the hot red right cheek. Anyway, it compounded an already difficult day.

It is a casual night onboard and we lose another hour tonight. We have no reservations today and no plans except to go to the 2:30 pm movie "The Mercy".

Anticipating nothing else to write about, I'll post this now.

Pago Pago, American Samoa

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I was up first before Clay's alarm went off this morning. We couldn't see land yet. We could see it on TV from the bow cam though. We enjoyed breakfast at 7:30 am in Waterside as we sailed alongside American Samoa. Pago Pago is a snug little protected harbor and it was a pleasure to be docked here today instead of tendering. We entered the harbor and saw our docking spot before Serenity slowly spun in place and backed up to tie off.

Our tour (description pasted below) was to depart Stardust Club at 9:45am. There were only 6 tours offered here by Crystal and we heard someone at breakfast say that due to rain, theirs had been canceled. We paid $59 each for the tour and that was probably too much.

WEST SIDE ISLAND DRIVE & TUTUILA CRAFTS
Discover the marvels of nature and the traditions of handcrafts during an excursion that takes you on a scenic drive on the west coast and to the Maliu Mai crafts center. Along the way, enjoy stops to appreciate island monuments and scenic vistas.

From the pier head west in your open-air, island-style bus and discover a nearby natural wonder the Flowerpot Rock, a large rock that rises from the waters of Pago Pago Harbor. Sporting a bushy carpet of vegetation sprouting from its crown, the rock resembles a plant in an enormous flowerpot, thus giving it its name, Flowerpot Rock. Stop to photograph this unique landmark and then travel to the southwest side of the island and the town of Leone, the ancient capital of Tutuila. It was here that Samoa’s first missionary, John Williams, landed in 1832. In front of the town’s Zion Church stands the Leone Missionary Monument, paying tribute to Williams’s arrival and the work of the London Missionary Society. Note this interesting testament before rejoining your bus for the journey along the beautiful Leala coastline, stopping to appreciate inspiring island vistas en route.

For a glimpse into local traditions in handcrafts, continue to Maliu Mai. Here, you will discover the art of crafting and enjoy a chance to relax as you witness basket weaving and hear ancient storytelling, and perhaps purchase a refreshment at the onsite restaurant.Having learned about the natural environment and local traditions, return to the pier.

Transfers are by open-air island bus with bench-style seats. Tour guides may be local high-schoolers without professional training. However, their knowledge, friendliness and enthusiasm are sure to add to your island experience. It is recommended that guests dress in casual clothing and wear flat, comfortable shoes. Guests should also wear a hat and apply sunscreen. This excursion will operate in all weather conditions. The order of sights visited may vary.

Our bus and guide were as described above. Our 3 buses drove directly to Flowerpot Rock for a photo stop. I am sure most  of us had photographed it from sea as we sailed in. We did drive on to Leone where the buses turned around and parked us for a photo stop at Leone Healing Garden. We did not stop at the John Williams monument though our guide did point it out as we were driving back by it. Our final stop lasted over an hour and as our guide said, it was at a bar. A nice bar on the beach by the airport. They were offering fruit and restrooms along with seats as they described and demonstrated weaving pandanus leaves as well as cloth painting. They were selling craft items like jewelry and painted cloth. They were also selling beer, sodas and coconuts. This stop was kind of a cluster cuss.

It was unbearably humid here. Men and women alike mostly wear skirts that reach just below the knee. The women tour guides were dressed in ankle length dresses that our tour guide described as formal wear like to go to a funeral. Or to guide a bunch of cruisers. We were dressed in our bug repellent clothes as the CDC listed this as a place with an active Zika virus outbreak. Given all the rain and puddles that we saw it was amazing that we saw not one mosquito. After the hour + at the bar, our bus took us to what the guide called an industrial park. It was a waterfront recreational park, it had playground equipment, tennis and basketball courts and picnic tables. It had no shade. We arrived there after 12:30pm which is when we were scheduled to have returned to the ship. Our guide asked us to step off the bus there and everyone balked and refused and asked to be returned to the ship. I don't know how long they'd have toured us around if we'd gone along. We got back aboard around 1pm just in time for lunch at Silk. Clay had a local beer here, Vailama. He also got a T-shirt with the logo on it for only $12.

We showered and made it to the cool Hollywood Theater to see the 2:30 pm showing of "The Post". It was a great movie and another we had missed seeing til now.

We are all aboard at 5:30pm and the captain just announced we'd leave now. He said more rain ahead as this is the rainy season here. He only predicted seas of 4 to 6 feet between here and Fiji. He reminded us that we'll cross the International Date Line and tomorrow will be the 29th of January and not the 28th. We'll skip Monday, January 28 this year!

We have dinner reservations at Umi Uma, the Japanese restaurant. We liked it last time and we're both planning to order something different this time. I'm back to say that Clay ordered different dishes except for dessert just because he likes tapioca soup with green tea ice cream. I ended up ordering the exact same meal as I had last time. They have 4 noodle dishes and I meant to order one of them, but on questioning the waiter I learned all 4 had fish! I should say that we both ordered something different in Prego last night and enjoyed it just as much as previously. Except dessert. Prego dessert we ordered the same as last time and both feel dessert is weakest there.

I am counting this as my 86th country. I believe it is a US territory, but I think it counts as a new place for me.

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