Oct 11 - 16 At sea

 Oct 11-16   At sea again!

After a leisurely start to the day we went to the theatre for Hutch’s presentation on Auckland.  We usually leave the big cities and opt for tours off the beaten track, so it was  nice to see the highlights through his eyes.

Following that, there was another in the series about the Matson Ships and their connection to the California Coast.  Then it was time to eat again!!  I decided to forego my usual Bloody Mary and branch out a bit.  The server’s recommendation was a Mojito ( rum, sprite, fresh mint and lime)  It was very nice, but next time I’ll ask for it without the mint!!

We returned to our cabin to complete the travel declaration required by New Zealand which had to be done online.  A bit of TV, some reading and a little nap and it was time to shower and get ready for dinner!  Formal night tonight!

We are waiting for the show to start shortly!  Check back here tomorrow for a description of our exciting day!!! 😂

Night! Night!

The Travellers

 PS  ❤️ Happy Birthday! Con! ❤️

Oct 12 -  Sailing Along!

OMG!  I have to start today’s blog with some comments about last night’s show!!!  Danny Elliott ( you must click on this link!)was fantastic .  He played about 10 different instruments and sang a wide variety of music including Rhapsody in Blue, Waltzing Matilda, and a fabulous rendition of Great Balls of Fire (complete with all the Jerry Lee Lewis moves!!!)  this was the most entertaining show by far!

Another good day today!  What’s not to like?  Great food, sunshine, perfect temps, fairly smooth seas!  We went to the presentation on Tauranga this morning, followed by a behind the scenes talk with some of the cast of the Princess Singers and Dancers.  What a life!   

After a short rest, a little TV, and some time on the balcony we went to another White Ships talk - Part 2 Hollywood and Hawaii.  Before this cruise I had never heard of the Matson Line and it is amazing what a huge role they played in the development of cruising as a vacation choice.  Today’s  video clips showed several celebrities who sailed with them - George Vanderbilt, Walt Disney, Jack Benny, to name a few .

Dinner is over and we await tonight’s show.  We are hearing mixed reviews already about Sean O’Shea!  ……. The show was OK. A musical impressionist with gymnastic moves, a few jokes, like - ‘Anyone here born in the 80’s? ( no responses!) OK, anyone In their 80’s?’  😂

Tomorrow evening we will cross the International Dateline which means we ‘skip’ October 14!  Sorry Sarah!, but  🎉 Happy Birthday to you!!!🎉

Night! Night! 🦃 And Happy Thanksgiving!🦃

The Travellers

😴😴;

Oct 13 - Crossing the International Dateline!

Lazy Day!

This morning, after breakfast Mary went for her walk and then we went to the presentation about Napier and how it was rebuilt in the Art Deco style after the 1931 earthquake.

Later in the morning we went to the future cruise desk to purchase deposits on a future cruise. We asked about options, looking for places we have not yet been, but it seems there are not that many choices!! So we just purchased open ended deposits and will see what new itineraries for 2026 come out.

Today was a day I have been planning for!! Instead of my usual breakfast, I had more protein in anticipation of my lunch!! No, I’m not training for a marathon or any other physical feat! Are you curious yet? This was the day I was going to have one of the ‘premium desserts’ that comes as part of our package!! Oh my! Now, I like Ice cream, but this was over the top!

We went straight to our cabin afterwards so I could sleep off the sugar coma!

Back to the theatre at 3 for the White Ships - Aloha to Arrivederci. This session was about the end of the Matson Lines luxury cruise ships. Following the war, due to high cost of fuel, the advent of air travel and the cost of refurbishing aging ships the Matson ships were eventually sold off to companies who operated them in other parts of the world like the Mediterranen, South America, and Australia. Under new names and flags they continued to sail until the late 1900’s. Sadly three or four of them suffered damage in fires and were left to end their days at the bottom of the ocean, or in a scrapyard.

I will choose sensibly at dinner, maybe even skipping dessert!! and then we’ll go to the show. Tonight’s entertainer is Paul Tabone; from what we have read about him it promises to be a good show.

When we wake up tomorrow it will be October 15th!!  That means only two more days until we reach New Zealand.  This seemed so far off when we left home just a bit over a month ago!  Now time is moving too quickly!

Until tomorrow….

The Two Sailors

😊😊

Oct 14 … No! Wait - Oct 15! 😵‍💫

We have officially crossed the International Dateline and we’re now one day ahead of home! It’s weird! My iPad still says Oct 14, but 6 hours behind you (1:20 PM as I write this). 

Ship time is actually 12:20, and we’ll be setting the clocks back another hour tonight as we 

try and align with New Zealand local time. If you are confused, don’t worry! 😵‍💫 It’s a bit 

bewildering to us too! To keep it simple we only have to pay attention to the ship time! Phew!

Today involves a lot of sitting! Presentations at 10:00, 11:15, 1:00 and 2:00!! First up was Hutch talking

about Wellington, NZ. This was followed by another ‘Behind the Scenes’ talk - today it was Captain

Christopher Lye. He told us about his background, his favourite ports, rescues he has made at sea, 

and a host of other things. He has a wicked sense of humour which made the talk that much more 

enjoyable.

He also talked a bit about the evacuation that took place on Oct 5 how decisions are made about 

whether to turn back, the likely costs, etc. all the while being very discreet about the whole procedure.

He reported that the two passengers are in stable condition at last report.

We have an hour before we’re back for The White Ships presentation, to be followed by another 

destination talk - Picton! Time to stretch our legs and go for a bit of a walk!

Tonight is another ‘formal night’! If they liked our outfits a couple of weeks ago, they’ll love them 

tonight!! We just keep rotating the same attire! LOL The show is a production performance called Disco -

Blame it on the Boogie!

One more sea day before we reach New Zealand, and then a busy time with six ports in a row.

I’ll update here again tomorrow, and then do a new post for each of the ports in NZ!

Cheers from the Pacific Ocean!

🍷🍷

 Oct 16 - 🐢  s L O W  D A Y  🐢

Today has been the most uneventful day so far!  There was nothing on the agenda of interest to either of us!  So very little to report!  We spent the day relaxing, watching TV, playing mindless games on our iPads, and, of course, keeping nourished!!!  Perhaps this was a gift as we pick up the pace tomorrow with 6 consecutive port days!

We were slower getting started this morning; didn’t go to breakfast until about 9!  We’ll be ready for dinner tonight - ready for whatever tasty offerings they present us with. The show is Strings Alive!; it is billed as  guitars, piano, violin and vocals that rock!  Hopefully it will be entertaining.

We’ll ‘come home’ early and make sure we’re prepared for our excursion tomorrow.  There is a noticeable change in the temps - mid teens for tomorrow! So we’ll need to make some adjustments to what we’ve been wearing for the last three weeks!  It will also be our first tender port - an added step in disembarking.

Watch for the update in a new post from Bay of Islands, NZ!  

Until tomorrow!  

The Travellers