So how was your boxing day?

[happy daze john in oz]

So there we were leaving Port Melbourne December 21st on the Dawn Princess bound for New Zealand to take in Christmas and New year. Having settled in and found all the places of interest and need, bar, dinning saloon,etc we looked forward to our first tourist bit in three days time, scenic cruising around the Milford Sound area. 2142 passengers and 860 crew on this one.
The next day at eight bells the skipper came over the P.A. with the news,cyclonic force weather with 8 meter waves in that part of the world so a change of course. Two other cruise ships had got half way there and were forced to turn back due to the inclement weather. So through the Cook straights and South to Port Chalmers/Dunedin was the plan. Being Christmas time the ship was decked out a treat, decoration on every cabin door with Christmas trees and festive decorations all over the place. Christmas eve prior to second sitting dinner a number of officers and crew sang carols in the atrium, and not bad at all.
Great evening had by all with the joys of Christmas day to come. It was a very mixed crowd on board with an average age of 65 including 300 younger than 18. So Manet people from normal dysfunctional families, grandparents with out their families, parents who had left the kids at home!!
Christmas morning at 10.30 an old man in a red suit and wearing a white beard was dragged aboard from a life raft pulled along by 8 dolphins. Each person under the age of 12 was given a present by him. We arrive six hours late in Port Chalmers so all pre-arranged tours were canceled but we got ashore into Dunedin where one passenger, a yank, said he had come all this way only to find N.Z. closed!
Christmas dinner and the following celebrations were great and went on well into the night.
Next morning we docked in Lyttleton for Christchurch. A pleasant drive into town where by now Boxing Day festivities were well under way. We began by having a look around the town square and got to talking to some of the locals. They were still talking about the earthquake of September 3rd and the 3,000 after shocks and smaller quakes since. That morning between midnight and 8 they had been three minor shocks. It was about 10.30 by now.
We did the usual tourist thing by touring the gift shops etc. we had just come out of one in the shopping strip in the town center, a wide street with shops either side and trees down the middle. Stopped to look at a tree when from nowhere there came the noise of a thousand jet engines and the ground began to move. For ten seconds it went on, the nothing, a 4.9 movement. All power went off, customers and staff came rushing out of shops many crying and screaming, this had been some movement and I suspect an enterprising person could have made a fortune selling clean underwear. The local staff of the shops were not too bothered by it, seen it all before, but for others a terrifying experience.
Then the sound of sirens and emergency vehicles of all sorts began to arrive and we were ushered away from the area. Police began to clear that and other parts of the town effected by the quake. as we left I noticed one shop we had been in only moments before the quake, windows shattered, stock all over the place. Met with a couple of other locals who suggested we find some open ground until things settled down.
Went to a spot by the river and waited. The place was silent with an Erie feel to it, no birds to be seen and the river had an odd sheen to it. Slowly parts of the Town came back to life and we began to see the damage, broken windows, fallen masonry, and whole streets closed off. Back in the town square life was getting back to normal so we decided to stay a bit longer.
Just before 2 we decided to take the bus back to the ship, all busses had been re-routed as a result of the morning event and we were just about to board when the second one hit. Only about a 3 on the Richter scale but enough to make us all want to get the hell out of there as quick as possible. Back aboard we discovered that when the first one hit the skipper banned anyone else from leaving the ship. We sailed that evening and the remainder of the day was uneventful apart from the normal Boxing day festivities.
Wellington the next port was the same as ever, windy Wellington, where it blows for 198 days per year we were informed. Very clean now and well laid out. Then on to Napier followed by the wind. Napier for those who remember it has a very small entrance and we had to reverse in. About two hours prior to sailing the wind increased to 55 knots and two tugs had to be engaged to hold us on the quay. On sailing the wind was so hard they had to be used to keep us on a steady line for fear of hitting the break water.
On to Tauranga and then Auckland where I had hoped to see the flag sent there by Mike. Sorry mate but we just did not have time, the Maritime museum was too far off course from our tour and by the time we got back there was not enough time to go to it. Did get to see the War Memorial with a Red Duster flying there.
The on to New Years eve, at sea on the last three days of the voyage. Midnight and the usual letting go the balloons etc, singing, dancing and all the other bits that go with it. That was in the main atrium. Then at 00.15 the clocks were put back by one hour. There is two hours difference between Oz and N.Z. and at the clocks had been put forward outbound, now they must go back. At midnight we had to do it all over again up on the open deck. Two new years eve in one day? But worse was to come. Next day at midday on the giant on deck screen the festivities from London were shown live and some of us had to celebrate all over again. Who said cruising was easy??
The rest of the trip was very good if a bit quiet after all the action. On the final night after the gala dinner we went to the evening show at the end of which a list of stupid questions asked by passengers during the voyage were read out.
1. Do the crew sleep on board?
2. Does the ship generate it's own electricity?
3. Is the water in the toilet bowl fresh or salt?
4. What do you do with the ice carvings after they have melted? See question 3?????
5. How will I recognize my photos taken on board?
They walk among us.
I have some menus and papers of interest along with some photos which I will post in the gallery next week.
Watch this space.
Having missed out on the scenic cruising around Milford Sound, spectacular by all accounts, her indoors has said we will have to do it again next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gordon Turnbull]

Sounds absolutely fantastic John. Jealous so I am.

Mine was nice and easy. Got up around 05.00. In the office for 05.30 (2 minute walk). Left for lunch at 11.30, back to the office for 12.30, left at 18.00. Pretty damn boring is a few words that spring to mind.

:-)

[David Williams]

[QUOTE=happy ref post #1
Hi John.
We were in Spain for Xmas.had a great time in the run up,
had a wonderful lunch,enjoyed the afternoon,went down
for dinner,great meal.Then around about 10.00pm I began
to feel queasy,then suffered the worst night of my life with
a real bad sickness.Spent boxing day in bed,still feeling
"crappy" but had a good night that night and awoke as if
nothing had happened.I cant imagine what it could have
been,as Molly and I ate the same food,and she was OK.

Dave Williams.

PS Had a great New Year.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi John
Sounds like you had a Fabulous time mate,and i am so pleased for you and Terri!
Now back on dry Land,i am sure you wish it could have lasted a lot longer!

As for me ad Irene,well i had to dash up to Newcastle on the Eve,as Karl is now very close to the end!

Hit a terrible Thunderstorm on the way up,and had to deal with torrential Rian,High Wind etc,the Roads were very bad to drive on,but i eventually made it to the Hospice at 10pm that Night!
So not a good Festive Season at all for us!
Anyway thats it ,so now we are all just standing by for the end!
Its a hard time for us all here!

Regards to you and Terri!

PS You always give such a wonderfull writeup of your trips John! Well woeth reading i must say! Thank you!
Cheers

Sorry to sound so down!

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Dave
Must have been something in the Food mate,and altough you and Molly had the same dish,it is possible that your plate may have had some bacteria on it! You know some of these places,i dont trust them at all!
Anyway besides the Tumy upset i hope that all else went well!
At least you managed to get awy to Spain yet again!!! Gee you will soon own part of the place mate! haha! Good on you!
Enjoy life to the full!
Anyway good to hear that it wasnt something that lingered for too long!
All the best to you and Molly!
Cheers

[happy daze john in oz]

[QUOTE=David Williams;51302][QUOTE=happy ref post #1
Hi John.
We were in Spain for Xmas.had a great time in the run up,
had a wonderful lunch,enjoyed the afternoon,went down
for dinner,great meal.Then around about 10.00pm I began
to feel queasy,then suffered the worst night of my life with
a real bad sickness.Spent boxing day in bed,still feeling
"crappy" but had a good night that night and awoke as if
nothing had happened.I cant imagine what it could have
been,as Molly and I ate the same food,and she was OK.

Dave Williams.

PS Had a great New Year.[/QUOTE]

We had a passenger who had similar problems. Told us his wife had a balck belt in cooking,one chop and you are dead.

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi John
Sounds like you had a Fabulous time mate,and i am so pleased for you and Terri!
Now back on dry Land,i am sure you wish it could have lasted a lot longer!

As for me ad Irene,well i had to dash up to Newcastle on the Eve,as Karl is now very close to the end!

Hit a terrible Thunderstorm on the way up,and had to deal with torrential Rian,High Wind etc,the Roads were very bad to drive on,but i eventually made it to the Hospice at 10pm that Night!
So not a good Festive Season at all for us!
Anyway thats it ,so now we are all just standing by for the end!
Its a hard time for us all here!

Regards to you and Terri!

PS You always give such a wonderfull writeup of your trips John! Well woeth reading i must say! Thank you!
Cheers

Sorry to sound so down!

Vernon, so sorry to hear the news, I know it was expected but that does not make it any easier, our thoughts are with you and Rene at this time. Stay strong mate.

[Neil Morton]

Ditto the above Vernon mate.

[Doc Vernon]

Just many thanks Lads! Appreciated!
Vernon and Irene

[Graham Payne]

Same from me Vernon.