Oct 17 - Bay of Islands
A bit of a change in the weather since our last port! When we got up it was overcast and much cooler - about 12°, reaching a high of about 15° later in the morning. We are anchored off the coast, requiring water shuttles ( or tender boats) to take passengers ashore. Because our tour was on the water, they brought the tour boat, a catamaran, right up alongside the ship for easy boarding!
Today we saw why this port is called Bay of Islands!!
The captain steered a course around the beautiful Bay of Islands, heading first to the northernmost point on New Zealand's North Island, to the Cape Brett Peninsula. This is where ‘the Hole in the Rock’ is located.
Along the way, we knew we were in for a helluva ride when one of the crew came around with pieces of candied ginger and little white bags!!! 😱 I must be outgrowing my seasickness as I kept my eyes on the horizon and wasn’t bothered by the movement. I think it is the way we were hitting the waves that caused dips and dives and huge sprays of water to come up over the bow and then ‘wash’ the windows on our side of the boat!
When we reached the point, the captain circled Piercy Island, also known as Motukokako Island, and steered us right through the famed Hole in the Rock ( which doesn’t happen very often!) one of the most naturally beautiful sights in all of New Zealand.
The 70-meter-long tunnel (229-foot-long) was created over centuries by wind and waves. Here is a little video clip of what it was like!
After leaving the hole we went past the historic Cape Brett Lighthouse and the famous Cathedral Caves, created by waves over 160 million years.
On our return to the port we spotted a small group of dolphins playing in the waters around the boat!
Because we were going to be on a boat, take water shuttles etc I decided to leave the walker here and use my cane. That meant I couldn’t take many photos !!! ( I can’t stand and balance , hold the cane in one hand, and my phone in the other.) so it’s always disappointing for me.😢. But Mary went out to the bow and got great shots going through the ‘hole in the rock’ and of some dolphins, so look for her to post them on Facebook! 📷
We were back onboard to grab a bite of lunch, and returned to our cabin for a relaxing afternoon. After dinner we’ll head to the theatre and hopefully be entertained by Wayne Deakin, a comedian! One of my favourite dinners tonight! Lamb Shank! Mary had a Pork Chop ! We should have switched so we could say ‘Mary had a little lamb!’ ( Sorry! Too much wine!!)
On to Auckland tomorrow! Stay tuned!
The Two Sailors!
Brrr. That lighthouse keeper has quite a climb.
ReplyDeleteThat’s for sure!
DeleteFunny that after 5 sea days, you took a water cruise! 🙃 Sounds amazing though!
ReplyDeleteWe often do that!!
DeleteThe trip out to The Hole in the Rock was wild!!! yee haw!
Sounds like a great first day in NZ. And I do love a good lighthouse. 😃
ReplyDeleteI always think of you when we see them!
ReplyDelete