Subject: Report # 30 Sailing Towards Bay of Islands, New Zealand January 30, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy & 83 degrees
Report # 30 Sailing Towards Bay of Islands, New Zealand January 30, 2016 Saturday Partly cloudy & 83 degrees
We had expected the weather to cool off as we head southwest towards New Zealand, but we have had some very pleasant and sunny days. It has remained warm and slightly humid, perhaps due to following winds once again. Captain Jonathon has mentioned rain showers in his PM talks, but we have yet to see any rain.
Got the last of the blueberries and strawberries this morning in the dining room. Seems that the deliveries from Papeete were not large as we had hoped. The good news is that the bananas are ripe and tasty, like the ones we bought in Nuku Hiva. Bonnie and Paul have reported that the fresh fruit has been disappearing slowly as well. No more oranges, few apples, and even fewer lemons. Our next big container should be coming in Auckland, a few days from now. Boy, it sure doesn't take long for us to become spoiled does it?
We forgot to mention yesterday that while at dinner, Henk told us that a day after we left Rarotonga, the port agent informed him that another small mail boat, we believe, got flung up on the same coral shelf that our tender did. Must be a common occurrence there, not anything that our boat driver did. Henk said the driver of that tender boat was devastated about what happened, blaming himself. Even though the injuries were few, it is probably a nightmare for the crew when these things happen. Henk reassured us that the officers, including the Captain, tried their best to put the driver at ease.
Remember we received the book, The Happy Isles of Oceania, all about the South Pacific recently? Well, to our surprise, the author, Paul Theroux, is on this ship…..in person. Wow, who knew? Guess a lot of passengers knew because it was advertised on some HAL brochures prior to the cruise last fall. At 10am, Gene, our CD, had Mr. Theroux on the stage in the Queens Lounge for a Q and A session. Wouldn't miss that. Both levels were full of passengers as Paul T spoke about his life as a writer of novels and travel books. He was just as down to earth about his views on life, the same way he writes his books. He was able to squeeze in 5 questions from the audience, answering each one for several minutes. Later in the afternoon, he held a book signing session in the Atrium. Bet that line was a mile long. Since our books already have a Xeroxed signature, we passed on the chance to get the real one.
Stargazing and some awe-inspiring objects visible in the Southern skies was the subject discussed by Alan Wright. He suggested many tips for us to spot these constellations in this part of the South Pacific. That is…..weather permitting.
We spent a nice afternoon reading at the aft pool, and visiting some of our buddies who come outside after lunch to get some sun. The back railing is a most popular place for folks to enjoy their ice cream cones. They melt quickly, but the view cannot be beat. As the afternoon went by, the sun went behind some thick clouds.
After lunch at the sandwich bar, we took a walk and found it had begun to sprinkle lightly. As long as the wind does not blow, you can continue hiking around the lower promenade without getting wet. It is really rather pleasant being outside when it is raining. Sure can cool things off nicely.
The Australian Opal Cutters are onboard with their collection. Has anyone ever heard of the old wife's tale that opals are unlucky unless they are your birth stone? It is something our grandmothers said in the old days. For that reason, we do not own any opals, since our birthdays fall in January and April. The opals are unusual in that they can reflect all colors of the spectrum. And they are stunning, especially when set with diamonds. Pricey? You bet they are. There was an opal shopping party, complete with music, champagne, and more at the Sports Bar today.
When we entered the lower dining room tonight, we noticed for about the third night, that the dessert carts were gone. Wonder if this has something to do with the virus that is going around the ship? We asked Endrien, our head waiter, what was up with that. He said that the carts that the desserts were displayed on were being taken off in Bali. Actually, these carts were the flambe stations that used to be brought tableside for the special flaming desserts. Since no fire is allowed anymore, like candles, flaming brochettes, cherries jubilee, crepes, or baked Alaska, there is no need for those carts. So a decision was made to discontinue the display of assorted desserts every evening. Here is what we really think. They are saving on labor and product, cutting every little corner they can to save money. Granted it is very little money, but it all adds up over a 115 day cruise. Wish we were not seeing these changes, since they have been happening all too often these days. The old timers remember the days of show time, where most all of the desserts were displayed tableside every night. And remember the baked Alaska parade toward the end of a cruise? That has been eliminated for several years now. Remember the pastry carts at breakfast in the dining room? Long gone too. Good thing we still have the pastry waiter, who sees to it daily that we have a blueberry muffin, a cinnamon roll, and a pecan roll. He is still playing the Muffin Man song on his phone, and everyone gets a kick out of it.
When we walked the deck after dinner, we found that it was raining pretty good. Might be the last of our sun for a bit.
Bobbie Brooks Wilson was the entertainer tonight. He was back with an all new show, and the folks really liked his performance.
Bill & Mary Ann
