New zealand for the third time

[Doc Vernon]

Great reading John
Keep 'em coming mate!
You will soon be up with Capt Kong! LOL!
Cheers

I can only Dream!

[happy daze john in oz]

Since the quake of February 2011 Christchurch is no longer aport of call for cruise ships, the port of Littleton can no longer accommodatesuch shipping. So now the port of Akaroa is used, a deep water cove wheretenders are required to ferry persons ashore.

Whilst this is part of New Zealand there was a time way backin the 1800’s when it could quite easily have become part of France. Frenchsailors having seen this wonderful place returned to France and convinced thegovernment of the day to fund a ship with migrants to Akaroa. But they weredone by a mere five days, the English king being advised of the intendedarrival of this ship had placed a ship of the line in the cove declaring thisto be English owned land. But the French did stay and evidence of this aboundsin the names of streets and buildings in this small town, which many considerto be the closest to heaven on earth. There was at one time a church completewith cemetery built and used by the French. But a landslide saw much of thiswashed into the sea so remaining coffins were returned to France for burial.All that remains today is a monument with the names of these departed inscribedupon.

A township of some600 it swells to over 3,000 during the summer period many persons havingholiday residents here. It is a town of yesteryear so quaint and well preservedmuch in the original condition. A wooden church painted green stands as amonument to the early settlers and along the foreshore, now used as rubbishbins, a number of boiling pots used by the whalers, as this was once a verylarge Whaling port.

The ferry across from the ship to the wharf was like riddinga bucking bronco such was the inclement weather but we arrived somewhatbattered and bruised. Akaroa on a sunny day has to be one of the finest placesone would ever visit, but even today grey and overcast with a gentle downpourit had a feeling of paradise about it. Having previously explored the town wedecided that a bus tour of the local countryside was in order. They have in thetown two London double decker buses so popular with the tourists, both with atermination place of Oxford Circus! We took a single decker coach for this tourand were lucky to have a driver with such knowledge. The tour of about twohours was one of great enlightenment for all aboard, his explanation of thearea, the French connection and other interesting points made it an excellenttour. The countryside in this part of the country is something very special.Rolling hills abound with flocks of sheep and herds of cattle all grazing intotal peace. The green of the land, similar to that in the Dunedin region,would put the green grass of Ireland to shame it was so lush. This truly issome of the finest scenery around.

We returned from the tour in awe of the surroundings and thecommentary given by the driver, his sense of humour was an added bonus to whichall enjoyed. A further look at the array of local shops full of tourist giftsand souvenirs we made our way back to the ship ready for the next port of call,windy Wellington.

A friend travelling with us decided to take the bus toChristchurch as never having cruised or been to NZ before was keen to see thecity. Prior to the February quake Christchurch was considered to be the mostEnglish city in the world outside of England. Now as one lady told us itresembles more cities of Europe at the end of WW2 such is the damage. Most ofthe wellknown landmarks are now gone, so many building are no more and thoseremaining are awaiting demolition. But not to be dismayed by this the city is endeavouringto continue life as normal as is possible. In the shopping mall where oncestood great stores now stand shops made from shipping containers fashioned toserve whilst new shops are constructed. The Cathedral , once the centre pointof the city will be in time demolished and the stone used to rebuild a new one.Until then the people now use a cardboard one donated by the people of Japan.Cardboard may sound a little different but I am reliably informed it has beenconstructed in such a manner as to make it total weatherproof. It may well takea generation

[Keith Tindell]

Akoroa was also the birthplace of Frank Worsley, who was Shackletons right hand man, and with shackleton and others made an epic journey in a 22ft boat, 800 miles from Elephant island to South Georgia, in terrible conditions, and after landing on the wrong side of the Island had a 36hr climb and hike to an outpost and rescue for all the men. A brilliant story, and Shackleton never lost a man. My wife and I had the good fortune to spend a week in Akoroa 3 years ago, KT

[Lou Barron]

That story I really enjoyed but I must say the weather at that time was one of the wettest and coldest we in Dunedin have had for a long time we do get some good weather .The best time of the year for our weather is Feb.March & April but to me I love NZ and Dunedin

[happy daze john in oz]

Wellington is now the capital of NZ, for many years Aucklandheld that honour until it was decided Wellington was more central for thepoliticians. Maybe they have bigger troughs there! The weather continued to bewet, very wet and having accomplished a number of tours previously we decidedto visit the city museum. A fascinatingand enlightening place telling the story of NZ and the Maori. Unlike Australiawhere the Aborigine has been for some 40,000 years NZ was first populated only900 years ago. The Maori is descended from the Polynesian nations to the north.It has been established that they first ventured to NZ by square sailed shipsand a very basic understanding of navigation. The nearest land at the time wasover 500 nautical miles to the north of NZ, a comparatively new country bornout of volcanic activity, but the Polynesians had the understanding of weatherpatterns knowing that though they had to sail against the wind if they failedto find land the wind would ensure safe passage home. Through sheer endurancethey made it safely to NZ to become the first inhabitants of the country. Overtime wars between the various tribes saw some vicious battle take place before,and after, the arrival of the white man.

When Cook arrived he found a well versed and comparativelycivilised people who had developed a culture very different to that of theAustralian Aborigine who in comparison to the Maori was little more than stoneage man. In a comparatively short time the Maori began to embrace the western wayof life ending in the signing of the Waitangi on February 6^th 1840treaty whereby the Maori chiefs agreed that the country would come underBritish rule, citizens of Queen Victoria in later years.

But this museum also covers other aspects of NZ includingthe immigration period after WW2 where like Australia migrants came from allcorners of the globe. There is a section devoted to the marine life around thecoast as well as the complete skeleton of a baby Blue whale.

Having enjoyed the splendour of the museum we venturedoutside to see clear blue sky, the first for some days. Having completed a tourof the adjacent wharf area we set out to visit the city again. Wellington is acompact pristine city, which boasts a collection of both new and old buildings.The older Victorian style buildings sit as a reminder of a previous age whenlife sat at a slower more refined pace. There is one particular building, atone time a State bank that is a classic example of Victorian architecture. Suchis the size it now hosts a dozen small shops along with three eating-houses.The tessellated floor is in excellent condition and one of the best examples ofsuch flooring to be found anywhere.

From here we sailed for the next port of call Napier.

The harbour in Napier is small and difficult to manoeuvre into the extent that most shipping still requires the assistance of tugs, ofwhich two are always on standby. The quayside is piled high with timber, curlengths of Radiata Pine destined for China. From this port one million of theseven million NZ exports leave.

In the mid 1920’s Napier was shaken by a massiveearthquake and fire destroying most of the town. But being the resilient nationthey are the town was rebuilt and is now the Art Deco capital of the nation.Since the rebuilding there are very few buildings above two-storey ad themajority are built from Cowrie Pine. There is still a feeling of a past eraabout the town, on Sundays and cruise ship days it is common to see a number ofsmall jazz ensembles playing at various parts of the town. Each year an ArtDeco festival is held, one that attracts many from all corners of the country.The main streets are made of paving squares with both pedestrians and vehicleshaving to use the same roadway. The local jail is now open as a living museumand is of great interest in the construction of it and the manner in which itoperated. There is a feeling that this town would not be out of place if by somemeans transported back in time, a time when tea and cucumber sandwiches wereserved at 1600 hours. This town represents all that was in a time gone by, an era long forgotten.

[happy daze john in oz]

Tauranga sits on the North East coast of the northern islandin the Bay of Plenty. It is an agricultural and timber centre as well as a verypopular costal town where many take their summer vacation. It is from here thattours of the thermal springs depart; Rotarua was at one time a place where thehot springs were used for bathing and cooking. It was James Cook who named itthe Bay of Plenty, an area rich in Maori history. The surrounding hills beartraces of pre-European occupation and fortification by various Maori tribes.Now with a population of some 120,000 it is the nations leading export port inthe fastest growing provincial area.

The town is dominated by mount Maunganui that sits at oneend of the peninsular; a pleasant 45-minute walk takes the pedestrian aroundthe base. It was just off the coast here that two years ago a container shipran aground. Having been here on previous cruises and seen the town we decidedto take an organised tour.

Having seen a little of the town’s outskirts we moved on towhat was the original Missionary house built in the 1800’s. At that time theforeshore reached almost to the front door but reclaiming of the land now seesthat almost a kilometre further on. The house and outbuildings was built fromlocal timber and took 8 years to complete. Each piece of timber in this had tobe cut by hand a daunting task at that time. Deep sawpits were the only methodavailable sometimes taking a full day to cut one slab of timber. The missionhas been set out as a museum with all the main rooms, drawing, dinning andmusic set as they were in the 1800’s. Even simple things such as the ink- welland quill pen are there along with some actual account books. Sadly our timethere was limited and I would have liked to have learned more but we had tomove on to the next stop.

Growing Kiwi’s, the fruit not the persons, has become amajor agricultural business with many farms now producing export quality fruit.A tour of a farm showed just how many difficulties the farmers have to overcomein order to produce a first class crop. Every thing from frost protection, tothe importation of bees for pollination purposes. The fruit are picked justprior to ripening and stored for months at 0.5 degrees, most go for export toEurope and Asia. The second quality goes to local stores and exported toAustralia. Harvesting, between March and May is a major effort with manypickers brought in from overseas each year. All are housed by the farmers inpurpose built accommodation, and paid the legal minimum wage. But one point ofinterest which could, and should be adopted by other governments. If a personis on the dole and lives within 100 kilometre radius of the growing area theirdole is suspended for the picking season so if they want money they must earn itby picking fruit. The tour was a fascinating insight into the industry, alongwith a talk on the benefits of Kiwi fruit, which are multifold.

So on to the last port of call, Auckland the city of sails.Auckland is the largest city in NZ with a population of about one million outof a total nation population of just under five million of which only onemillion live on the South island. Auckland has per capita more sailing craftthan any other city in the world. The port, like so many others in NZ is a majorworking port from where many exports leave. Dairy products and chilled Lambcarcasses being amongst the major exports much of which now goes to China andEurope.

The city has two extremely interesting museums, a maritimeone, in which mike Hall had one of his flags placed, and the general historyone. A very clean and well laid out city which at one time was the capital ofNZ. An excellent shopping precinct close to the quay, where a new cruiseterminal had just been opened to accommodate the 100 or so ships now arrivingeach year.

Once again having seen most of the city we took a tour ofthe outlying suburbs of the city. Suburbs that sit atop many hills some ofwhich have amazing views across the bay. The streets, like so much of thiswonderful country, resemble a bygone era, a slower pace of life, a place ofserenity and peace. But the price of housing in this region is extremely high,one weatherboard house, the most common type, empty for a number of years andin need of renovation sold for $1.9 NZ and will require an estimated further$500,000 to fully restore.

It is in this part of the city that the early defencesystems were established. At one time in the 1800’s the fear of invasion byRussia was paramount so suitable defences had to be established. For thispurpose a ‘hidden’ gun emplacement came about. Invented by a British engineerthis large cannon was set in a concrete bunker below ground level and whenrequired to be fired raised by hydraulics. The concept being that in thismanner it would not be seen by approaching enemy shipping. The Russian threatnever eventuated and the gun was only ever fired twice and now sits there as amonument to the cities past.

From there a tour of the local shopping precinct, a smallcountry village atmosphere with a number of souvenir shops including oneselling glass ornaments of extreme beauty and originality. The artist hasestablished a number of shops globally including one in New York and has onselection made to order for the Queen.

All to soon our time in NZ came to a close, a time in whichI discovered more about the country than ever before. A country with aninteresting history, a nation of friendly people working hard to see that thecurrent economic growth continues, a country I will again visit in an effort tolearn even more.

[happy daze john in oz]

Leaving Auckland New Years eve was delightful; the sun wassetting leaving a very pleasant glow in the Western sky. Since leavingMelbourne on December 21^st inclement weather had been with us formost of the time so a sunny day in Auckland had been a bonus, with the forecastfor the three-day run home looking good.

New Years eve at sea is a great event, both crew andpassengers enjoying the night. Not long after leaving port it became obviousthat the atmosphere was beginning to change, a feeling of great anticipation inthe air. In the atrium a thousand balloons set in a net ready for the midnightdrop, on deck arrangements being made for the midnight party. Enjoying a predinner drink in the atrium we became aware that there was an increase in thenumber of passengers availing themselves of the service, the bar was doing abrisk trade. The mix of passengers on this cruise had not been as good asprevious, a large number of older passengers who were not avid drinkers. Thiswas patently obvious in the pre dinner session but to keep the bar crewoccupied we had done our very best to assist them. But tonight was different;they were rushed off their feet.

The dinning saloon was set as always for the night, waitersin formal attire and the tables set with streamers, fancy hats and similar NewYears eve bits and bobs. The dinner was as always first class with theopportunity to have a full size lobster tail with any main course of yourchoosing should you wish. Having dined on an excellent meal we set forth to enjoythe entertainment prior to midnight.
Choosing the correct place to see the new- year in is oftena conundrum, which of four places is the best. The atrium to see the balloondrop, done that, the Wheelhouse Bar or Vista Lounge, done that, the open deck,done that but decided it was the best place for tonight. The band had the crowdgoing, the bar was at full stretch as we watched from the deck above. On thegiant screen the countdown began. The crowd was as one with the band and at thestroke of midnight they erupted into their version of Auld Lang Sine. Strangersembraced each other as the crowd went wild with delight; a new year was uponus. In the distance a container ship, she had sailed an hour before us but wehad caught up with her, she was flashing all lights in her celebration of thenew year but I doubt many saw her, all involved in their own engagements. Theparty went long into the night and the following morning saw many a passengerworse for wear.

The weather for the next few days was excellent, sun and agentle breeze; all was well until later Thursday evening. A warning from thebridge came at about 1900 hours that we were about to enter a weather systemcoming from the North East and to expect a little rough journey. At first itwas just a gentle roll nothing to alarm anyone. Then without warning the rollstopped, the sea was calm and many thought the bridge had it wrong. This stateof complacency lasted for all of thirty minutes before it began.

The first few waves were nothing unusual, a gentle pitch asshe hit the first one, little wind at this point. The next wave a little biggerand the pitch a little higher, the sea was beginning to show her strength andshe was getting angry. By 2100 hours the ship was in full lock down, all accessto outside deck closed off and a supply of mobile ‘Huey’ bags suitably attachedto all companionway banisters. We were I considered in for a rough night. Just before midnight it began the constantpitching that was to last all night. For our friends amidships on deck fivethere was little movement being low in the water, but for those on deck twelve,when she pitched they could well have imagined they were on their way to themoon. Steadily it worsened and at times pitched as much as twenty degrees, forso many this would be a very uncomfortable night. To me the pitch was like thesteady rocking of a cradle, but for many it may well have felt like the buckingof some wild bronco. But worse still the noise as the waves crashed against theship’s bow. It struck with force that resonated the length of the ship. Imagineif you will Sunday morning the church bells calling the faithful to prayer. Butyou are within the bell tower with the noise ringing in your ears. For so manyon board this is how it would have sounded.

The following morning passengers appeared very slowly fromtheir much-interrupted slumbers, many looking like wrecks. Conversationsamongst passengers were ones of shock and horror concerning the night’sperformance. By 0100 hours the sea had abated, the sky clear and the prospectsof smooth sailing for the remainder of the voyage. We arrived safely Saturdaymorning back at port Melbourne……. It was raining.

[Doc Vernon]

A Man after Capt Kong!
You really have a way with words John,so very well written and so interesting,as I read all your travels,I am actually there with you on that trip!
Excellent mate!
Cheers and thanks for sharing it here with all of us!
Cheers

[Lou Barron]

Ihave been considering trip to Aussie sometime this year if all goes well and maybe I could catch up with some of you guys over there mind you this is just in the pipeline

[happy daze john in oz]

Get it out of the pipeline and into reality, abd do it while we are still taking KIWI's in. I do hear that Bondi is getting a bit full LOL