Courtesy of our new friends Julie and Trevor, we had quite the grand tour of Auckland the three days we were in town, so writing about New Zealand will have to be ex post facto (and will have to wait until some sleep, as we literally just got home a few minutes ago!
Our kitties are happily snuggled up with us and we're all off to get some much needed sleep. THANKS (BIG THANKS) to our neighbors the Matulewskis for taking care of the cats while we're gone!
Tomorrow (Saturday) Jim will be off (assuming all is OK with the Gintners) to pick up the dogs, and then at long last the household will be complete again.
What an amazing trip this has been! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Backtrack: more on cruise and getting to NZ
Dick here. The second formal night (our last dinner on ship) was very pleasant. Everyone seemed in a looser mood and seemed to realize that it was in many ways the last night together. Lots of e-mail addresses were exchanged with promises to send pictures. I think we could go into the NYC tour business in the future.
Even thought we spent a long weekend on Moorea at the beginning of the trip it was fun to revisit in a totally different situation. [JIM: The Belvidere overlook was spectacular!]
We had a major confusion and hassle getting back to the ship. We had told the ship that we were disembarking when we got to Tahiti that evening. When we got back on board from our Moorea tour the identification machine rejected us and security would not let us board the ship! Apparently they had crossed us off the passenger roster in the morning rather than the evening! We had to go through a whole rigamarole before we became legitimate again.
[JIM: We were able to get a group shot of the trivia regulars who showed up pretty faithfully all the 10 days of our cruise. It was a very nice - and smart - group of people. Trivia seems to be somewhat popular here in NZ as I write this. The flights between Auckland and Wellington on Air NZ had trivia questions running on the TV the entire time (except when the travel safety video - a major digression worth another posting - was playing).
After dinner we got off the ship in Tahiti to catch a 2:00 AM flight to Auckland, New Zealand. [JIM: Ugh!] We had to wait almost an hour for our transfer limo but finally got to the airport and then on the plane to New Zealand. Got to Auckland (after losing a day by crossing the International Date Line) JUST in time to get our plane to Wellington. Being in a wheel chair helped here. They gave us a lot of extra consideration.
Getting to Wellington was a real shock. It was cold, rainy and windy, and after the tropical weather we had been enjoying, I was convinced I was not going to like it. Our friends Barb and Art and their daughter Lucy met us at the airport, which I didn't expect. Pleasant surprise! They have a really efficient bus system and we caught one from the airport almost to their apartment. Wellington has a lovely harbor and it being the day after Guy Fawkes Day there were still lots of fireworks going off around the harbor. We had dinner at a fish restaurant right on the harbor.
The next day the weather improved considerably as did my impressions of Wellington. We went touring around on city buses. Wellington has a really vital downtown. It is the national capital as well as having a few universities which adds to the city's vitality.
I have been really out of shape with the after effects from my surgery. Walking has been a problem but is exactly what I need to do. So when we were not riding a bus we were walking but stopping every few blocks to let me sit and rest my back and right leg. I was being pushed a little by my 'buddies' but again, it was the thing to do and as the time has progressed so has my back and leg.
After a year-long search and many failed deals, Barb and Art have a house under contract. We went by to see it on Sunday after church services and were quite impressed with its neighborhood and views. I noted that they would have a dedicated guest
room!
The next day we later had a ride on the city cable car and then a walk (downhill) through the botanical gardens where we had lunch. [JIM: Dick's photos added for your viewing pleasure]
Downtown Wellington (can't believe how clean everything is! no litterbugs in Wellington)
The cable car that runs from the Lambton Quay to the top of the Botanical Gardens. A popular mode of transportation as well as tourist attraction.
In the botanical garden:
This photo does not do justice to the size of the ferns:
At the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington, a Maori marae (temple/meeting house):
On our way to the airport Tuesday morning, a quick shot in front of the Cuban embassy (much more open/approachable than the US embassy, alas):
Even thought we spent a long weekend on Moorea at the beginning of the trip it was fun to revisit in a totally different situation. [JIM: The Belvidere overlook was spectacular!]
We had a major confusion and hassle getting back to the ship. We had told the ship that we were disembarking when we got to Tahiti that evening. When we got back on board from our Moorea tour the identification machine rejected us and security would not let us board the ship! Apparently they had crossed us off the passenger roster in the morning rather than the evening! We had to go through a whole rigamarole before we became legitimate again.
[JIM: We were able to get a group shot of the trivia regulars who showed up pretty faithfully all the 10 days of our cruise. It was a very nice - and smart - group of people. Trivia seems to be somewhat popular here in NZ as I write this. The flights between Auckland and Wellington on Air NZ had trivia questions running on the TV the entire time (except when the travel safety video - a major digression worth another posting - was playing).
After dinner we got off the ship in Tahiti to catch a 2:00 AM flight to Auckland, New Zealand. [JIM: Ugh!] We had to wait almost an hour for our transfer limo but finally got to the airport and then on the plane to New Zealand. Got to Auckland (after losing a day by crossing the International Date Line) JUST in time to get our plane to Wellington. Being in a wheel chair helped here. They gave us a lot of extra consideration.
Getting to Wellington was a real shock. It was cold, rainy and windy, and after the tropical weather we had been enjoying, I was convinced I was not going to like it. Our friends Barb and Art and their daughter Lucy met us at the airport, which I didn't expect. Pleasant surprise! They have a really efficient bus system and we caught one from the airport almost to their apartment. Wellington has a lovely harbor and it being the day after Guy Fawkes Day there were still lots of fireworks going off around the harbor. We had dinner at a fish restaurant right on the harbor.
The next day the weather improved considerably as did my impressions of Wellington. We went touring around on city buses. Wellington has a really vital downtown. It is the national capital as well as having a few universities which adds to the city's vitality.
I have been really out of shape with the after effects from my surgery. Walking has been a problem but is exactly what I need to do. So when we were not riding a bus we were walking but stopping every few blocks to let me sit and rest my back and right leg. I was being pushed a little by my 'buddies' but again, it was the thing to do and as the time has progressed so has my back and leg.
After a year-long search and many failed deals, Barb and Art have a house under contract. We went by to see it on Sunday after church services and were quite impressed with its neighborhood and views. I noted that they would have a dedicated guest
room!
The next day we later had a ride on the city cable car and then a walk (downhill) through the botanical gardens where we had lunch. [JIM: Dick's photos added for your viewing pleasure]
Downtown Wellington (can't believe how clean everything is! no litterbugs in Wellington)
The cable car that runs from the Lambton Quay to the top of the Botanical Gardens. A popular mode of transportation as well as tourist attraction.
In the botanical garden:
This photo does not do justice to the size of the ferns:
At the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington, a Maori marae (temple/meeting house):
On our way to the airport Tuesday morning, a quick shot in front of the Cuban embassy (much more open/approachable than the US embassy, alas):
Saturday, November 6, 2010
chez Lucy, Barb and Art in Wellington
We arrived yesterday (a bit sleepy) in Wellington and are now staying with our friends Lucy, Barb and Art. It is a strange feeling to leave one place late Thursday evening and arrive on Saturday morning. (Actually, we had 2 hours of Friday as our flight didn't officially leave until 01:50 am Friday morning).
We had a bit of a cold blast waiting for us, a shock to our spoiled systems, but had a very nice afternoon and dinner celebrating several bits of good news for the family Howe/Protin. And we slept (deliciously). I (Jim) have a cold coming on that I am grateful was staved off for the cruise (no dives for me otherwise), but hopefully a couple days taking it easy will do the trick.
Wellington is a very nice city, reminds us somewhat of Vancouver and SF. It was ranked as the coolest small capital in the world by the 2010 Lonely Planet guide (a fact the city is quite "chuffed" about). Barb, Art and Lucy live in the diplomatic area, so we walk by the US and Cuban embassies on our way to/from the bus stop. Public transportation is very good here.
We had a bit of a cold blast waiting for us, a shock to our spoiled systems, but had a very nice afternoon and dinner celebrating several bits of good news for the family Howe/Protin. And we slept (deliciously). I (Jim) have a cold coming on that I am grateful was staved off for the cruise (no dives for me otherwise), but hopefully a couple days taking it easy will do the trick.
Wellington is a very nice city, reminds us somewhat of Vancouver and SF. It was ranked as the coolest small capital in the world by the 2010 Lonely Planet guide (a fact the city is quite "chuffed" about). Barb, Art and Lucy live in the diplomatic area, so we walk by the US and Cuban embassies on our way to/from the bus stop. Public transportation is very good here.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Even More Photos
Final set of pics before we disembark (wahhhhh!!!!! can't we put this trip into reverse?????)
More photos
Jim with our Bora Bora 4x4 tour guide
Does Dick look happy or what? 4x4 Tour Bora Bora.
Belvidere Lookout, Moorea. The bay on the left is Opunohu Bay, the bay on the right is Cook Bay (named after Captain Cook). We were moored in Opunohu Bay.
Nice photo of Opunohu Bay!
Bora Bora and Moorea pics
Some photos for your viewing pleasure -- burning up the internet minutes!
Approach to Bora Bora ...
A good omen!
4x4 tour - yes the water is this blue (and this many shades of blue!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
