Today's port of call was listed as Waitangi, Bay of Islands, New Zealand. However, shortly after they dropped anchor offshore, the Celebrity Edge ( launched in 2018) showed up. At 130 plus gross tons, she holds up to 2918 to 3373 passengers with a crew of 1320. So, it turned out that Celebrity was tendering their guests to Waitangi with a shuttle bus that took them to nearby Paihia. We ended up tendering directly to Paihia, which worked out better. Our arrival time was 7am, and the last tender was scheduled at 1:30pm. A very short stay.
There were a number of tours offered here, some of which we did over the years. Some of these tours were priced from $90 to $150 for 3 to 4 hours. Those included the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Maori culture and Kerikeri highlights, Glow worm express, scenic village railway, estuary kayaking at Haururu Falls, and a Russell lunch cruise across the bay. Other tours for 4 to 5 hours were Puketi Forest nature walk, a canoe expedition, the Kauri Forest and glow worm caves, or historic Waitangi and Kerikeri all costing from $150 to $180. On the more expensive end was a delicious gems of the north for $240 or Bay of Islands fishing for $220. You cannot take your catch onboard the ship but can donate it to the tour guide and boat driver.
We planned a simple day of going over to shore around 10am, walking the town, but probably not staying for lunch. This day would be different than we had planned in a good way. The weather was next to perfect with temperatures in the high 60's, although at 7am, it was only 50 degrees. The winds were light, so we were comfortable wearing shorts like we always do. Wearing the new vest gifted by our travel agent, was perfect for one of us.
The tender ride was smooth as we headed directly to the pier at Paihia and the center of town. This area is so different from the big cities, it is an easy place to see. The tours were interesting from what we remembered and very close to nature, which we like. Stopping at the info center, we picked up a map that had local ferry times listed on it as well as the layout of the immediate area. Paihia is a true vacation spot for locals and more. There are beaches and family-friendly activities along with a variety of eateries. Hiking up the main street, we went as far as the school. Years ago, we had discovered a second story pizzeria that was pretty good. Finding the building, we found the restaurant had changed to an Indian venue, not exactly pizza anymore. So we headed back downhill passing by numerous shops, cafes, and souvenir stores. We stopped and entered the War Memorial building where a local artist had her display of pricey items on several tables. Most of her jewelry creations were made with paua shell and glass. Unique and set in silver or gold, some three-piece jewelry sets were in excess of $1000 NZ dollars. Tempting, but we did not see many sales here. Some of her proceeds may have gone to local donations from what we remembered.
Further down the street was the library where many passengers will go for free wifi. Having successfully done that in Auckland, we kept going. Next to the library was a field where souvenir tents had been set up. It sure reminded us of the traveling craft fairs that come to our area at home in the spring and summer. Many unique items were sold here such as wide-brimmed straw hats, linen clothing, wool items, jewelry, and artistic metal sculptures. "Artisitic" means pricey once again, but very nicely done. We enjoyed looking and taking pictures but came out without anything this time. We have run out of wall space at home, and that keeps us from buying too much.
One of us had to search for Hokey Pokey ice cream, and that was located directly across the street from the drop-off point. With a line of folks at the stand, it was apparent lots of people were doing the same thing. We ordered one waffle cone with the rich vanilla and honey crunch filling and sat to eat it on convenient benches in the sun. It was close to 12:20pm, and we thought it was best to head back before the line got too long for the tender.
We did check out the menu at the one nice restaurant that over-looked the bay, but they did not have pizza. Last time we dined here, we were surprised to have a fried egg on top of the cheeseburger. That combo had not hit the states yet, so it was different. On the way back to the tender landing, one of us spotted a small place called Charlotte's Kitchen located right next to the ferry platform. Looking at the menu brought a smile to our faces since they offered wood-fired oven pizzas. Who knew??? The problem was would we have enough time to eat lunch here and not miss the tenderboat. The owner promised us a table within five minutes, so we took the chance. It worked….we ordered one Margherita pizza and two Steinlager draft beers to start. Then we added one order of French fries and finally a dessert that was most unusual. It was a waffle cone filled with vanilla ice cream with popcorn and a crunchy red candy along the side. Every bit of the pizza was excellent and due to the 400C oven, it cooked fast. We sat at a table for two over-looking the harbor with the ferry activity. One silver gull landed on a pole outside the window and watched us eat, which was funny. We left around 1:20pm, well before the last tender at 1:30pm.
Well, the line of guests waiting to board went all the way to the stop light at the main street. Holey Moley, there must have been 100 people. No way are we going to be back on time. At least it was pleasant standing in the sun. It could have been raining like we told the apologizing security officer we know. She said there had been an earlier problem with the Celebrity tours, and the buses had returned later than expected. So that delayed the HAL excursions. Oh well, we know the ship will not leave without us or so we are told.
It was 2pm by the time we got on one of the several tenders lined up to get us back. The ride was smooth and we were onboard by 2:30pm, more or less. Captain Rens did not come on with his talk until 3pm and announced the anchor was being lifted and the last tenders brought back up. We have 1175 nautical miles to arrive to Sydney at a speed of 18 knots. He expected more winds and a slight swell of 3 feet as we head out straight across the Tasman Sea. If that holds true, it will be a good sailing as the Tasman Sea had a reputation of being nasty. We know….we have sailed in bad conditions and do not want to repeat the experience. And the clocks would go back one hour tonight, ending his talk with enjoy the beautiful elegant Volendam. We will, thanks.
Dinner was basically Dutch with the dress suggestion – a splash of orange. Both of us had the Westland salad and had intended on sharing a bay shrimp appetizer on those salads. Our waiter did not hear that exactly right, but he brought the shrimp and one salad. We worked it out. The next best appetizer was pea soup with ham and Pumpernickel bread on top. It was what we call "stick to your ribs" soup. So good. Mains were one Nasi Goreng and one Dutch Hodge Podge Klapstuk or stew on mashed potatoes and gravy. One scoop of raspberry cheesecake ice cream was plenty to end the meal on a sweet note.
The Orange Party was held in the Crow's Nest at 8:30pm. The clocks did go back one hour, and the extra rest was most welcomed.
There was a show with a singer, Chris Powley with songs from Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, Elvis and more.
Looking forward to two days at sea, but only if the seas are smooth as silk.
Bill & Mary Ann
