New Zealand and Australia - Our Last Adventure Before Covid

For some reason, the onset of Covid somehow coincided with a disappearance of my creative juices and the will to write blogs.  Although the pandemic certainly shut down our business and our own travel for a solid 15 months, we managed to get aboard the first cruise ship to leave the United States after the CDC shutdown.  You may have seen the Boss and me on evening news shows when we boarded the Celebrity Edge in June of 2021 since the ship was loaded with press covering the big event.   

Since then, we haven't looked back.  In the last year, we did an amazing 15-day tour of the National Parks, we have traveled to Egypt, sailed on Wind Star in Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, chartered a private catamaran in the Galapagos and gone to Machu Picchu, made a pilgrimage to Israel, and just completed a river cruise down the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest, with a visit to Transylvania thrown in.   I did manage to publish a blog about the National Parks trip.

However, our last trip before the start of the pandemic was to New Zealand and Australia, which should really be first in line.  Because I am in catch-up mode and so much time has passed, the blog may be a little short on information I usually include, but some people may appreciate less text anyway.

Our 12-night New Zealand cruise was on the Celebrity Solstice, one of our favorite class of ships in the Celebrity fleet.  A large group of friends, family and neighbors went with us on this trip.  We flew to Auckland a couple of days before the cruise departed to get over jet lag and settle in.  We stayed at a Hilton right at the cruise terminal, and spent the first day walking around the city.  Auckland has a Sky Tower, so naturally we had to go to the top. 

The Auckland Sky Tower, at 328 meters high, is taller than the Eiffel Tower and the tallest building in the Southern hemisphere.

  

Our hotel was the building in the top left corner, next to the cruise ship.

Some crazy people did the bungee jump, but none of us did!

Auckland is a modern city, with lots of construction going on.  It's the most populous urban area in the country, located on the North Island of New Zealand.  In the background, you can see Waiheke Island, which we visited the next day.

Esther booked a Taste of Waiheke Tour for the following day, and a bunch of our group took the ferry to Waiheke Island, the third most populous island in New Zealand and a very popular vacation spot with lots of beaches and an abundance of wineries.  We visited a total of three wineries and an olive tree farm, and I won't go into specifics about each one, but here are some pictures.

The vineyards at our first winery of the day - beautiful country.

Casita Miro was a little offbeat, but fun.  

Not sure if you'll be able to read the label, but this was amusing.

At our last stop, we ran into Buzz and Carol and Nancy and Bob.  

The Auckland skyline as seen from our ferry on the way back from Waiheke.

This is the iconic Ferry Building on the Auckland waterfront.  With so much water
and many islands, Auckland has an extensive ferry system.

We boarded the Celebrity Solstice on February 17, and departed Auckland at 6:00 PM.  The Solstice has a capacity of 2,850 passengers.  This size ship provides an abundance of dining, entertainment and activity options, at a decent service level, without the more crowded feel of the mega-ships with 4,000 to 5,000 passengers.  Some of the neat features of the ship include the lawns on the top deck, an abundance of bars, the Café al Bacio coffee shop, a variety of specialty restaurants, the hot glass show, and a whole bunch of entertainment venues.  And of course, there is a casino, which we usually donate to.  

We were in Aqua class, which has its own dining room, Blu, and complimentary access to certain spa amenities.  However, we also ate in the specialty restaurants and occasional breakfasts or lunch in the Oceanview Café.

Our first destination was Bay of Islands on the northeastern coast of the North Island.  Esther booked a private excursion with our neighbors Pat and Dan.  Our day included a visit to Horseshoe Falls, a chocolate factory, the Kerikeri Mission Station, Rainbow Falls, and the kauri forest, followed by a nice lunch at the Marsden Estate.

The Boss with our guide for the day.

First stop was Horseshoe Falls, after a brief hike through the woods.

Next, a visit to the Makana Chocolate Factory, where we watched them make it,
tasted it, and then, of course, bought some!

On to the Kerikeri Mission Station, the site of the country's oldest surviving buildings.
 This is the Stone Store, the second oldest.  The station is one of the first places in
New Zealand that the Maori invited visitors to live among them.

The Kemp House is the oldest building in New Zealand.  Looks in pretty good shape.  

They sell everything you can imagine inside the Stone Store.

This is Rainbow Falls, with an 80-foot drop to the plunge pool.  

Next we did the Kauri walk at this 5-syllable scenic reserve.  

Kauri trees are the largest trees in the world by volume - not as tall
as redwoods, but they can reach over 25 feet in diameter. 
The massive size is hard to show in a photo.

They are also some of the oldest trees on earth and
live from 600 to over 1000 years.

Dan, who has an impressive girth of his own, is dwarfed by a small kauri tree.

All that nature and the hiking was rewarded with a wonderful lunch at
 the Marsden Estate Winery, on a beautiful outdoor terrace.

Believe it or not, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area are the public toilets in the town of Kawakawa, where we stopped on the way back to the ship. 

Esther heads into the Hundertwasser Toilets, built in 1999 and named after the architect
and visual artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

It is one of the few toilet blocks worldwide seen both as an international work of art and
a tourist attraction in its own right.  Ya gotta travel to find this stuff!

Our next port of call was Tauranga, one of the fastest growing areas and the largest city in the Bay of Plenty region.  Esther and I went by ourselves on a kayak excursion on Lake Rotoiti, which means "little lake," and is located in the Nelson Lakes National Park.

The "little lake" didn't feel so little to our group of kayakers, but it was a beautiful day.

It took over 90 minutes to kayak across to Manupirua Springs, where we had lunch at the 
snack bar and could swim in the lake.  

Our active day in Tauranga was thankfully followed by a day at sea, as we sailed for Akaroa, a small town on a bay of the same name, on the South Island.  In Akaroa, Esther scheduled another private excursion for us, Pat and Dan, and Mary Jo and Margaret.  The tour included a scenic drive through the hills to Okains Bay, a stop at St. Luke's Church, a visit to a sheep farm, lunch, and a wine tasting.

The little town of Akaroa, population 790, located on Akaroa Bay.  

The view from the hills above the town was beautiful.  You can see our ship in the bay.

Our first stop was the beach at Okains Bay. It was deserted, probably
too windy and chilly that day.

Next we saw St. Luke's Church in Little Akaloa, severely damaged by earthquakes
in 1922 and 2010, and restored in 2014.

Margaret and Mary Jo wander through the cemetery.

Another look at Akaroa Bay as we drive to the sheep farm.

The sheep shearing demonstration was impressive.  This sheep was covered with wool
when the woman went to work on it, and in a matter of minutes....

...it ended up like this.  The woman controlled the sheep with her legs and knees
 the whole time and the sheep didn't seem too upset.

Awwwwwww.....  Look at those eyes.

The sheep dog demonstration was equally impressive.  Based on only whistles
by the farmer, the dog rounded up the flock and chased them down the hill.

He brings them into the yard, and they know not to mess with him.

A really smart dog that looked like he enjoyed his work.

We were served tea on the outdoor terrace by the house.  You may not be surprised to learn that
they also had a gift shop in the house. 

We stopped for lunch in Little River, population 279.  Didn't have much
 besides the cafe and a railway station, but...

...it did have something we hadn't seen before - a silo hotel!

Our last stop was a wine tasting at a local winery, and this is the only photo I have. 
Must have been too busy tasting wine.

Back in town, where they also had gift shops, we walked along the waterfront
while we waited for the tender back to the ship.

We got a bonus on the tender ride - a whale sighting in the bay!

The view of the coastline as we sailed away that afternoon.  Definitely one of
the more beautiful areas we visited.

The following day, we made port in Dunedin (pronounced "done eden"), the second largest city on the South Island.  Dunedin has a strong Scottish influence, and the name comes from the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.  Here a large number of our group were picked up by a bus and taken to the historic train station to board the Taieri Gorge Train, a popular tourist excursion.

The Dunedin Train Station, completed in 1906, was once the largest and busiest in the country.

The station is beautiful on the inside, too.

Some of our group just before boarding.

The train cars were quite comfortable, with a table in each cluster of four seats.

And we all got a cheese plate and a beverage.  In my case, I chose the Speight's beer, 
a gold medal-winning beer from a Dunedin brewery started in 1876.

The train crosses a dozen viaducts and passes through ten tunnels.  You could stand on a 
platform between cars to take pictures.

The railway travels along the banks of the Taieri River to reach the Taieri Gorge.

The gorge has some steep rocky sides.  If you look closely at the left edge of the photo,
you can see some of the mountain goats we saw climbing around on some pretty sheer cliffs.

The train eventually climbs out of the gorge where the landscape changes, but is still beautiful.

We got off the train in Pukerangi, which loosely translated means hill in the sky. The 
Pukerangi Station was built in 1891, and housed a post office until 1966.

A group photo of the ladies before we board our bus to ride back to Dunedin. 
Guess what? There were gift shops at the station.

The bus ride back included a few photo stops (volcanic rock, herds of sheep), an ice cream shop, and short bus tour through Dunedin.   Afterwards, we had some free time to walk around town and do some souvenir shopping.

The scenery on the drive back to Dunedin was pretty spectacular.  Saw a lot of sheep.

Downtown Dunedin.

This is the First Church of Otago, regarded as the
most impressive of New Zealand's 19th-century churches.

The Anglican Cathedral is on the left and the Town Hall is on the right.  They are located
on The Octagon, an 8-sided plaza that is the city center.

No visit to Dunedin is complete without stopping to see the 
world's steepest street, Baldwin Street. At its maximum, 
the grade is about 35%.

After some souvenir shopping in town, we caught the shuttle back to the port. Sailing away that evening, we passed the Royal Albatross Centre on the tip of the Otago Peninsula. 

Taiaroa Head is the site of the world's only mainland royal albatross breeding ground.  These 
two look interested in each other.  The albatross can have up to a 10-foot wingspan.

We also passed the Taiaroa Head lighthouse, built in 1864.  The royal albatross colony at 
Taiaroa Head numbers over 100.

The next day was a cruising day, but our destinations were the The Sounds.  First was Dusky Sound, and we arrived around 8:00 am. As we headed into the sound, the weather was a bit iffy, with a slight drizzle and a lot of mist.  But then Dream Vacations weather took over, and the mist lifted and the sun came out.  

As we approach Dusky Sound, the clouds hang low.

We passed a group of seals on a small island.

Suddenly, at least half a dozen dolphins decided to accompany us into the sound.

They put on quite a show, leaping through the air and doing somersaults!

In the sound, enough sun has broken through to make the numerous
waterfalls cascading down the cliffs stand out.

Next, it was on to Doubtful Sound, which we reached almost two hours later.

As we approach, once again it is overcast with low clouds and mist.

However, as we sail in, the clouds start to part to show some blue sky.

It was bright enough to enjoy the surrounding mountains.

As we leave the sound, we are treated to beautiful blue sky.

At this point, it was time to meet at the Martini Bar, for our usual once-a-trip martini making demonstration and tasting.  I don't think all 42 people in our group made it, but it was a sizeable crowd.

We've seen these bartenders pour 16 martinis at once multiple times,
but it never fails to impress.

Six different flavors of martinis, some with vodka, some with gin.

Due to the size of our group, the bar was closed for our event only.

The martini tasting generally starts out quietly, but becomes more lively as more martinis
are tasted!

The drinking stopped (well, maybe not everyone) because we were approaching the last sound, Milford Sound, which I thought was the most spectacular of the three.

No worries about rains, clouds or mist this time.

With the higher cliffs, abundant waterfalls, and the beautiful weather, this my favorite sound.

I did not expect to see glaciers in the distance.  The captain announced over the PA system
that he rarely even saw the tops of the mountains next to the sound when sailing here.
You're welcome, from Dream Vacations.

The mist off the waterfall created a rainbow effect.

This is the end of the sound, where we turned around to head back to sea.

The New Zealand portion of our cruise was over. The next two days were spent at sea sailing across the Tasman Sea, with Sydney, Australia as our destination.

We arrived in Sydney at 8:00 AM on February 26.  Esther and I had been to Sydney before and were given a nice tour of the city by our Australian friends David and Susan.  One thing we had not done was the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, so Mary Jo and Margaret walked with us to the bridge.  Mary Jo decided not to climb, but Esther, Margaret and I bought our tickets, got the safety briefing, and donned our jumpsuits.  We were not allowed to take cameras or anything else (in case something dropped on a boat passing under the bridge).  It was strenuous, but not overly difficult, and my fear of heights was tempered by being connected to the bridge rails at all times.  All in all, a really fun experience.

For those of you not familiar with the bridge, this is it.  We climbed from the left side
along the lower rail all the way to the middle, then climbed to the top level.

Our guide took this photo at the top - from the right, me, the Boss, Margaret, and a
Chinese family on vacation who were not able to return to China due to Covid.
You can see the Sydney Opera House over my shoulder on the right.

Esther and I had an excellent dinner at a relatively new restaurant at the Opera House with David and Susan that evening. The ship stayed in Sydney overnight.

The next day we were picked up at the cruise terminal for an excursion to the Blue Mountains.  The Blue Mountains are a mountainous region and mountain range about 30 miles west of Sydney.  It was an all-day tour that included some great lookouts, a visit to Scenic World, and a stop at the Featherdale Wildlife Park.

As we arrived in the Blue Mountains area, it did not look like a Dream Vacations weather day.

By the time we got to the Evans Lookout in the Blue Mountains National Park, the mist had 
lifted enough for us to get some spectacular views.

The obligatory group photo - Nigel, Kathy, Rick, JoAnne, Chris, Esther, her boyfriend,
and Bonnie and John.

We drove through areas that burned in the horrible bush fires of 2019 into 2020.
Smoke from the fires affected a huge area, including Sydney.

Next stop - Scenic World.  Full disclosure - I used a picture from the internet
because I didn't get a good one of the Scenic Cableway. 
We all rode this down to Jamison Valley.

The view from the cable car looking down as we descend.  The cableway is the 
steepest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere.

At the bottom of the cable car ride, we walked the Scenic Walkway, a 1600-foot elevated
boardwalk under the canopy of a temperate rainforest.

Along the walkway to the Miners Village, I encountered this fellow.
No matter where I look, I can't find this cool outfit to buy for myself.

Bonnie jumps on the bronze sculpture of a pit pony, with the miner right behind.

It's hard to get a good picture of the Scenic Railway while you are on it, so I borrowed
another picture from the web.  According to the Guinness Book of Records, it's the 
steepest railway in the world, with a 52-degree incline.

At the top of the Scenic Railway in the Visitor Center and gift shop, we got a good view of 
the Three Sisters, an unusual rock formation on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley.

Another internet photo of our next ride - the Scenic Skyway.

Some amazing views from the Skyway.

All that Scenic stuff made us hungry and thirsty - lunch was next. 
All 9 of us are drinking Australian beer!

After lunch, we headed to the Featherdale Wildlife Park, home to the largest collection of Australian animals in the world.  You would expect that collection to be in Australia, wouldn't you? I took 122 pictures in the park, but you don't get to see them all.  I've kept it to 10 here.

Not kangaroos - these are wallabies, which are smaller than kangaroos.  Otherwise, not
much difference.

Everybody's favorite - the koala.  Wikipedia says it is inaccurate to call them a koala "bear."

This is a Southern cassowary, a flightless bird, and the only larger birds are
the ostrich and the emu.

Australia has penguins, one of my favorite animals. 
These are appropriately named Little Penguins.

There really is a Tasmanian Devil.  It was hard to get a picture of him cause
he never stopped moving.  It's a carnivorous marsupial.

Lots of colorful birds in the park.

I believe this is a goanna or monitor lizard.

The Dingo, Australia's wild dog.

This is one of the guys that gave Mick Dundee his nickname.

Like every tourist attraction in the world!

To avoid fighting traffic returning to Sydney, our guide dropped us off on the Parramatta River, a tributary of Sydney Harbor, and we took a ferry back to Circular Quay, where the ship was docked.

The Boss poses with our guide as he drops us off at the ferry.

Getting ready to pass under the Gladesville Bridge.

The Sydney skyline in the distance.

The iconic Sydney Opera House, a must-see and right next to Circular Quay,
where we got off the ferry.

We departed Sydney at 10:00 p.m. and sailed for Melbourne.  The following day was a sea day, which gave everyone a chance to pack and say goodbye to each other.  The ship arrived in Melbourne early the next morning, and our group separated into those going home, and those extending their trip in Australia.  

Esther always believes if we're going that far, we should take advantage of being there and planned another 12 days in Australia for us!  That, dear readers, will be a separate blog, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.

As always, comments are welcome, appreciated, and may help my next performance review!