Report #41 Day at Sea February 28, 2019 Thursday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

 

Partly sunny applied to the morning, but briefly.  Then it turned partly cloudy, windy, and rough.  The seas were confused and angry once again as we headed in a southwesterly direction on our way to Wellington.  By the afternoon, the winds had increased to 54 knots, a gale force, according to the Captain.  He warned that once we entered the Cook Straits between the North and South Islands, it would probably be rougher.  Good thing that will occur during the late hours of the night.

 

We had a good laugh at breakfast when Gan, or waiter, served us what he called Greek yogurt.  We call it yogurt soup, because it has the consistency of white latex paint.  Now if we had ordered the plain vanilla yogurt made in Tahiti, it was much firmer.  And to prove it, one of the guests we know came over with her glass of French yogurt, shook it, and said the equivalent of -  eat your heart out.  Then we all had a laugh.  Tomorrow, we will order that yogurt instead, since it is a staple of our daily breakfast.  The new shipment of fresh berries has kept us happy.

 

Walking on the lower promenade deck was challenging, because the ship would not stay still under our feet.  And besides, it had turned rather cool.  Very few people were outside today.  Even those who have the new lanai rooms.  This deck has been getting a lot of sprucing up with painting of the walls and the railings.  Then in the bow of this deck, the crew has had the job of grinding all the paint off of the exhaust grates that you see in the ceiling and the walls. Quite a big project, however the smell of solvents and varnishes can be overpowering at times.

 

The Maori team is in full swing with a special performance in the Mainstage this afternoon.  They happened to pass by us yesterday on deck nine (without the scary make-up) and invited us to watch the song, dance, and heritage show today.  We were glad to see the black markings were not permanent as most of them are.

 

Now that we are getting closer to Australia, opals are the subject of talks and promotions for future sales.  Even some good programs are on the TV about the mining of the precious stones.  We seem to recall that in the “old days” only those with a birthday in the month of October could purchase and wear the opals.  Guess that was a wives tale, right?  Although we have heard stories about the stones separating when they dry out and become brittle.

 

It was too cold for a pool day, so we met with Barb at lunchtime.  Always nice to have hot soup and ½ sandwich or small salad as well as great conversation.  Once again, Barb and her trivia team won with a near perfect score.  These guys are on a roll. Or they are just smart, as Barb would say.

 

Since the motion of the ocean increased this afternoon, we found it a great time to catch up on the computer work in our room.  So many people we know have had accidental falls, getting injured, and embarrassed too.  You never know when the ship will move sideways suddenly taking you by surprise.  That is one big reason we choose to be on Dolphin deck for the stability. 

 

We spent some time outside the Ocean Bar, working on the crossword puzzle and visiting with people.  One of them happened to be Christel, who shared the exploits of their day in Tauranga yesterday.  Henk and Christel love to get out on their bike for two, which doesn’t happen often enough.  They made it across the bay, through the town of Tauranga, and off into the wetlands where all the birds were.  With the nice weather yesterday, they had a fine ride and a great lunch away from the hustle and bustle of the ship. 

 

At dinner, the three of us are finding the new menus items so different, we are opting for the everyday options.  Barb tried a steak for the first time, and shared it with us.  We agreed it wasn’t that bad, but really good.  Both of us had the entrée salad with turkey.  You can’t go wrong with that.  Stopping to chat with Bill and Leta, they said in the morning, the posted menu had the cappuccino bombe on it for dessert.  Planning on ordering it, they were surprised to see it was off the menu.  Someone had made a mistake tonight, but we are certain it will reappear soon.  So instead, they ordered a blackberry crisp, and had to wait 30 minutes for the chefs to make it fresh.  Must have run out of them for the second seating.  Sometimes that happens since the majority of folks eat early these days.

 

The entertainment tonight was supposed to be the Australian cast of the Vallies, a tribute to the Four Seasons & Frankie Valli.  However, it was switched for tomorrow.  We suspect some of them may have seasickness and/or the dance routine of the show could not be done.  It would not be the first time that the performers “turned green”.

 

Tomorrow’s port is Wellington, a place we have not visited for some time now.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Report #40 Tauranga, New Zealand February 27, 2019 Wednesday Mostly sunny & 73 degrees

Our port of call for today, Tauranga, means “resting place for canoes”, named by the Maori tribes that settled here 650 years ago.  We have changed our minds about where to live in New Zealand, because this area of the Bay of Plenty is more our style.  Auckland would be the perfect place to visit, but here you are closer to nature.  Besides being in the kiwi fruit growing country, tall pine trees line the hillsides as well.  We understand that there is a booming lumber industry here too.  There are lakes, sheep, sheep dogs, geysers in Rotorua, and the Waitomo Caves again.  The Hobbiton movie set is located near here, where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed beginning in 2000.

Shore excursions offered 17 tours here today, most of which went out into the country sides.  They started at $120 to $290, some ½ day, and others with lunch and all day.  No problem getting back on time, since the ship will leave after 8:30pm. 

We have been here several times over the years, but it wasn’t until we got a map from the locals, that we realized the ship’s map was not where we docked.  The real Tauranga is situated across the bay, only accessible on a shuttle bus, which HAL does not provide.  The commercial dock that we are sharing, is located on a peninsula with Mount Maunganui at the end, a lagoon-like beach on the one side, and open ocean on the opposite side.  This entire peninsula is a vacation haven for many locals searching for endless beaches and warm sun. 

It is also a great place to hike, stroll the beach, shop, swim, or eat lunch.  Or visit with some locals, which we did right after we left the ship.  A nice elderly couple on holiday here approached us while we wandered out onto a fishing pier.  Asking where we were from, we got into an interesting conversation all about this part of New Zealand.  They were from Wellington, and he told us what to expect when we get there in two days.  It will be cool and windy, as is expected during this late part of summer.  That’s why they are here instead.  We discussed the draught that has been plaguing this area, and the fear of fires.  We shared the story about the fires in California this past fall, and he was well aware of them.  He added that there is the same problem here with forest management.  We are worlds apart in miles, but experience the same dilemmas.  There are sure some nice people in New Zealand.

Our walk continued along the beachfront where people were learning water sports like rowing, kayaking, and surf boarding.  The water looked cool, but it did not stop the little kids from playing in the gentle surf.

There is a walking track around the bottom of Mount Maunganui that takes 45 minutes to hike.  Or you can climb up to the summit in 40 minutes.  Since our time was limited, we did not do it.  But we did make our way to the other ocean side beach, and the seaside restaurants and cafes.  This end of the beach has the most hotels and motels.  The Italian restaurant that had pizza last year has been converted into a clothing store.  Gosh, this year we have had the worst luck with finding the perfect pizza.  So far the winner has been in Papeete, since it is the only one that has not gone out of business. 

The Main Beach on the ocean side was really pretty today.  The waves were not too high, but there still were a few surfers to watch.  We made our way to a little island called Moturiki following a small path of sand.  During high tide, this pathway is under water.  At the end of this volcanic rock is a blow hole where you will get sprayed if the tide is up. 

From here, we crossed over the center of the peninsula and discovered a street full of shops, businesses, restaurants, and cafes.  It was around 1pm, and the cafes were filling up with guests.  Most establishments were either Asian, Greek, Turkish, Indian, or fast food.  We even saw McDonalds and Burger King.  Funny, no fast food pizza chains here.  We finally came across a place called Mac’s Brew Bar Astrolabe, a crazy name for a not-so-serious restaurant.  They featured a pizza by the metre, which we really didn’t notice.  It just looked rectangular.  So we ordered a Margherita pizza and two draft beers.  The waitress gave us a flip-flop on a stand, marked with a number.  That was so funny, but you pay for your food, then it is delivered. 

Well while we were sipping the ice cold beer, the waitress came with a wooden board with a three foot long pizza on it.  Yep it was a metre of pizza, but sliced into 12 pieces.  And we polished off the whole thing.  We were happy to have located another place for our favorite lunch item, and it is always fun to try something new.

And since we missed the ice cream yesterday, we had to have some of the Hokey Pokey treat today.  One of us had a cupful and the other a small waffle cone.  Just as good as we remembered.  Hope we find this same treat in the next port of Wellington. We made our way to an empty bench along the calm beach front and finished our dessert there.  We hated to go back to the ship, but one of us had a lot of photos to process.  We were back onboard by 4pm. 

Catching the setting sun before 8pm, we went off to dinner with Barb.  She told us that the last day at sea, her team got a perfect score in trivia.  Not a surprise, they have been winning a lot, and we are proud of her.  This time the winners were gifted with a South Pacific HAL pin.  OK…..go Barbie.

Tomorrow we will have a relaxing sea day, but we are certain it will be cooler the further south we travel.  By the way, we came across some valuable information concerning the New Zealand sun.  The maximum UV index value is 12, which equates to a burn time of 12 minutes.  They recommend a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF and reapply every 2 hours.  Always helps to wear a hat and sunglasses too.  At the beach today, we saw a gauge showing the intensity of the UV rays today.  It was in the medium range.  Good to know and good rules to follow.

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 39 Auckland, New Zealand February 26, 2019 Tuesday

The Land of the Long White Cloud, or New Zealand, is our new stomping ground for several days now. The capital is Wellington, and we shall be stopping there soon.  The population is about 4,316,000 people that speak English and Maori, the original Polynesian settlers.  Described as a South Pacific gem, this country has alps, fjords, rainforests, beaches, volcanoes, and geysers.  The country sides are dotted with as many sheep as people, the finest wineries, and micro-breweries these days.   We have toured many of these wineries, and tasted some of the best roasted lamb ever.  And the dessert called pavlova, a favorite specialty with fresh fruit and heavy whipped cream has to be the end all.  Oh, but the best has to be their rich ice cream…namely Hokie Pokie, a must-do in every stop we make.

 

Where else can you see the world’s largest Kauri trees, visit the caves to see glow worms, or watch the kiwi bird in a nocturnal enclosure along with penguins at Kelly Tarleton’s.  One of our favorite activities was hopping on a ferry and exploring the smaller islands outside of Auckland.  Climbing the Auckland Bridge is a lot more affordable here, compared to doing this while in Sydney.  And we are sure, it is just as thrilling.  A short trip also takes you to see thousands of the famous gannets in a colony nesting on the face of a steep cliff.  Unbelievable.

 

Auckland is a city that we have agreed that we could easily live if we ever left California.  With a population of one million people, it has it all.  Especially the boats, gaining them the name of “City of Sails”.  America’s Cup Racing has been a mainstay of this community with over-the-top yachts like NZL 68 and NZL 41.  And speaking of the Kiwis love of competition, they are most proud of their All Blacks rugby team.  You’ll see the clothing line everywhere you go.

 

Although our stay here is for one day only, the shore excursions offered 21 tours here, as well as private cars or vans for the day.  They included site-seeing, island exploring, Kelly Tarleton’s, wineries, gannets, glow worms, and adventure-type tours.  And we have done them all.

 

We were expecting a lousy day with the weather, but to our delight, the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud to be see.  Like a miracle, after the winds topped out at 70 mph with drenching rains last night.  Of course, we did not know this until Captain Jonathon mentioned it at sail away late this afternoon. After breakfast, we left the ship keeping in mind that New Zealand has strict quarantine regulations such as no food, flowers, seeds, or plants could be taken off.  Only commercially bottled water was OK.  Quarantine officers were present with a dog to check our bags for wooden items, shells, corals, nuts, seeds and animal products.  Made sure to remove the bamboo fan from the bag, as it is made with wood.  Did not want to risk getting fined.  There was also a reminder to bring the government photo ID…..a copy would not be accepted.

 

We had company too, as the Oceania Insignia was docked near us.  A former Renaissance ship (R One), she is 30,277 gross tons and holds from 684 to 824 passengers.  That is a drop in the bucket in a city this size.

 

So once we were clear of the pier, we walked right into a mess with the streets blocked off and much renovations happening.  Seem to remember this was the case last year. There are even more cranes with all the new construction in the downtown area.  Making our way around the barriers, we went up a main street towards the Sky Tower, an icon of New Zealand.  They claim that this tower is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere standing at 1,072 feet.  Years ago, we had lunch in the revolving restaurant on the top, enjoying stunning views that can extend to 60 miles on a clear day.  People can actually “jump” from the top, or do a simulated computer jump, looking like you did.  We would opt for the latter option. 

 

Going up a steep street, we made it to the pathway and stairs that led to Albert Park, full of huge indigenous trees, statues, and fountains. The manicured garden plots were stripped bare of the summer-blooming bedding plants.  That’s due to the fact we are three weeks later this year, and are at the end of their summer.  This entire area is surrounded with schools, mostly colleges, so it is not unusual that we saw a lot of students.

 

From here, we crossed over a foot bridge that took us to another district at Symonds Street.  The old cemetery is situated down the hillside here with most interesting headstones.  The sound of the cicadas filled the tree-lined sacred grounds, competing with the cars and buses on the busy street. 

 

Crossing another bridge that spanned several freeways below, we found ourselves in the Grafton District.  That led to the Auckland Hospital, and the nearby entrance to the Auckland Domain, which is really a huge expanse of a park on a knoll.  On the top was the Auckland War Memorial & Museum, a neo-classical building and quite impressive.  The museum  houses Maori and Pacific history, including exhibits from both world wars. 

 

More impressive are the Winter Gardens with rare plants in an ever-changing display.  The gardens features two barrel-vaulted Victorian-style glass houses with a large courtyard and a sunken pool.  On the backside, is a cool fern garden that has to be 20 degrees cooler with misters and trees for dense shade.  There were flowers blooming in both glass houses, even though fall is approaching.

 

It was at this point we split up, and one of us went up to the memorial building for closer photos, while the other skirted the big trees all the way down to the surrounding road.

 

The time was flying by, and we still wanted to take in lunch.  So we headed towards Parnell Village with boutique shopping and charming cafes between many historic buildings.  A few years ago, we discovered a great place that served pizza, but they are only opened at night now.  Last year, we dined at a café named Mink, and they also served a good pizza.  So we went back there, but discovered that new owners had changed the menu, and pizza was no longer on it.  How rude…  Anyway, we substituted a chicken burger with fries and ice cold draft beers.  Dessert was not really a dessert, but a breakfast item called a pancake.  Not the same type we have for breakfast here, but a thick, crispy-fried cake.  The toppings were sliced fruit, dotted with fruit syrup, and sprinkled with broken meringue bits.  On the top, was a scoop of mango sorbet.  Needless to say, it was a real treat.  Too bad it was time to move on.

 

We still had some shopping to do at the local Countdown, a 24 hour, 7 day a week supermarket.  We found most everything we needed, then hiked back to the ship.  But not before stopping at the nearest ice cream stand for one scoop of Hokie Pokie.  Guess what?  They were sold out for the day.  There is no substitute for it, so we passed. 

 

Security by the New Zealand officials was thorough before getting back onboard.  Our stuff was xrayed as usual, and it was great to be back to our room for an hour.  All aboard was 4:15pm, because there would be a mandatory muster drill for everyone at that time.  Except for the couple of buses that were late coming back from all day tours. 

 

Sail away festivities were held at the Seaview Pool at 5pm, but we did not leave the dock until 6:10pm, since the buses never arrived until 6pm.  Wonder if this costs HAL late fees for staying beyond their allotted time?  Something tells us yes.  Sailing out of the scenic harbor surrounded with dozens of islands was really pleasant.  The weather gods were with us today.

 

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill for us, and was every bit as good as the last time.  By the way, we have heard a rumor that the menu will be changing in here sometime soon.  That might include the menu in the Canaletto too.  We’ll keep everyone up-to-date if that occurs.

 

The next port is Tauranga tomorrow. A much different New Zealand city.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 38 Day at Sea February 25, 2019 Monday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

It sure wasn’t a typical sea day, and for sure, it was not partly sunny or 75 degrees.  The skies were so dark and dreary at breakfast time, it felt like dinnertime instead.  Not going to be a pool day, but then, we have been lucky so far, and we were due for some bad weather.  The Staff Captain had predicted exactly what happened during the course of the day.

 

Several lectures were offered today, and by the looks of the empty outside decks, it was obvious most folks were staying inside today.  The new shop folks take advantage of this, and set up sales throughout the ship.  Little by little, they are bringing out more merchandise, mostly HAL logo clothing.  The line is a much better quality, but also comes at a higher price.  In order to get the guests to come into the shops, they have begun having free jewelry cleaning, a beauty workshop, and an alexandrite trunk show.

 

Today is the end of the first segment, and we heard that about 40 people are getting off, and 50 folks are joining the ship.  The shop that sells liquor and cigarettes had a sale on 3 bottles of Crown Royal Northern Harvest.  But only those disembarking will be allowed to take these off.  We do understand that the cigarettes can be sold to anyone at any time, but the duty free alcohol has to be stored until you go home.

 

It was also a good day to watch the 91^st Academy Awards either in the Wajang Theater or on channel 39 on TV at 2pm.  Or you could learn about New Zealand’s unique animals with the guest speaker. 

 

As for us, we had 2 lunches today….one with Barb in the dining room, and the other light lunch at 3pm.  Eating dinner at 8pm, and dealing with the rocking and rolling of the ship, we find it beneficial to eat small amounts, but more often.  Yes, one of us does get a wee bit seasick.  One seasick pill does help.  The seas were described as confused and angry according to Captain Jonathon, probably fueled by the 60 knots winds across the decks by 4pm.  When we noticed all of the fancy perfume bottles on the floor in the shop, and the lounges at the Seaview Pool stacked and lashed, we knew we were in for some rough sailing.

 

The cruise stats are in for the 1^st segment.  We will have traveled 10,761 miles so far, with an average speed of 16.1 knots.  The amount of fuel used is an impressive 501,923 gallons, and for some reason, we need to know that 88,920 eggs have been consumed to date.  Now that’s amusing.

 

During dinner this evening, we thought the water glasses and wine would flip over a few times.  It’s always important to save the wine, a phrase we have heard multiple times.  Most all of the ladies needed help getting to their tables tonight.  And we did notice that the room was half full.  Really, the most comfortable place to be when it gets rough like this is in your room.  One good sign was that we saw the Captain and his wife dining at a window seat where they often sit.  Waving as we went by, he did not look the least bit concerned about the motion.  If all of us don’t have our “sea legs” by now, then we never will.

 

There was a variety show with the Sand Man and the ventriloquist, both with brand new shows.  By the way, we heard from a reliable source last night, that the singers and dancers normally on all of the cruise ships will not be regulars anymore.  They have always been a fun sort of entertainment, but we think the concept has gotten old hat, and it is time for new acts.  But that is just our humble opinion.

 

Looking forward to Auckland tomorrow, and we sure hope the motion of the ocean calms down once we enter into the calmer waters of the bay.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #37 Day at Sea February 24, 2019 Sunday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

First things first – Happy Birthday Ken (our son) who turns 48 today.  Really, it is tomorrow, but who’s counting.  Hope you have a super great day!

 

Well, here we are, enjoying another fine day at sea as we sail in a southwesterly direction.  We seem to have dodged a bullet, as the Captain warned of a storm headed towards Tonga, that might affect the seas we are in right now.  All through the evening, the ship was in motion with some rolling, but not extreme.  By morning, the skies were clear and it appeared all was OK.  How long this will last, we don’t know.  We would find out more later in the day…..

 

There were two jobs to deal with today.  The first one was getting a preliminary shipboard account statement, now that we are nearing the end of the first segment.  Since we are obviously staying onward, our only homework was to make sure it was correct.  We would have until 6pm today to fix it.  There had been a few mistakes, but it was corrected in a timely manner.

 

The second job was to take the time to fill out the survey for the future Grand World Voyage in 2021, although we feel strongly that the itinerary has already been decided. Perhaps some of the ports can be added or deleted by popular request.  Instead of receiving the four itineraries in paper form, it is all done on the computer or cell phone.  It is on the Navigator homepage, which is a free site.  No need to go online to do it anymore.  The only route we did not care for was the one going eastbound.  The last time that was done was in 2010, and we did not go that one time, choosing the South America Grand Voyage on the Prinsendam.

 

A big event for some folks is the Sunday Brunch at 11am in the dining room.  Barb loves it since every item comes in a tiny serving….right up her alley.  The only appetizer she prefers in a larger quantity, has to be anything with caviar.  Today she went to the brunch a bit later, and they must have been running out of the caviar.  She said her serving was almost invisible.

 

Talks went forward with what to see and do in Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore.  Shore excursions has been sending flyers for tours that need to be filled.  With a lot of these ports being repeats for many longtime guests, we are not sure if their buses have been full.

 

We spent a relaxing day at the Seaview Pool with about 10 other people.  No kidding, the busiest place on the aft deck is the smoking section.  The majority of the lounges have gone unfilled for most of this cruise.  Now that we are going to New Zealand, we expect the temperatures to drop somewhat for a while.

 

Tonight was another gala evening.  We stayed out on deck nine until 7:30pm to watch how the sunset would develop.  Each and every one has been different for the past week, but the only difference we notice is that once that sun dips below the horizon, it is over.  Must be the area we are in right now.  So we ran off to change with a few minutes to spare.  Phillip had not mentioned if we were to have hosts this evening, so we figured it would be the three of us.  But as we entered the room, Phillip was there to ask if we would like two guests….the staff captain and the doctor.  Of course, we gladly said yes, and he escorted us to our table with both of them.  The last four years, we have seen Thomas, the Staff Captain, quite often, coming and going, but never meeting him.  In fact, the last two years, he has had his wife and young daughter onboard for some segments.  Lily, now 2 ½ years old, was the most precious child, enjoyed by many “grandmas and grandpas” onboard.  We have watched her learn to walk on a moving ship, as well as learn to dance.  Thomas reported that he recently moved his family to Spain from Holland, and Lilly will be starting day care soon.  Doubt we see them onboard on this cruise.

 

During the dinner conversation, we asked about the possible rough sea conditions the Captain brought up in his PM talk today.  Thomas confirmed that we will be feeling much deeper and higher swells during the evening.  There is no avoiding it.  He also added that the basic info they receive on all of the weather and sea conditions is computer generated.  Sometimes they will prepare you for the worst possible scenario, just in case.  If it turns out to be less, then it is fine.  Most times, it is.

 

The doctor, we discovered, is a young lady by the name of Kristen, we believe.  She hails from Cape Town, South Africa, and has been a doctor on many ships with HAL and other cruise lines as well.  She was a wealth of information concerning the spread of germs around ships.  Between the two of our guests, we talked and shared stories until well after 10pm.  Thinking that the three of us would like to attend the show, we confessed that none of us go very often.  Tonight the Soul Sisters of Motown were giving their final show, but we did sneak in a preview of their practice, so we think that counts, right?

 

And just like Thomas said, we were rocking and rolling by 11pm, hoping it doesn’t get worse.  And we’ll end this report with a cool saying:  Fill your life with adventures, not things.  Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #36 Nuku'alofa, Tonga February 23, 2019 Saturday Partly sunny & 81 degrees

Our port of call was Nuku’alofa, on the island of Tongatapu, Tonga.  It is the capital of a country that has 171 islands, 44 of which are inhabited.  These islands have a population of 119,000 people.  In reality, Tonga can be called a monarchy, because it has been ruled by one royal family for over 1000 years, and was never colonized.  

 

The best time to visit is from May through October, when it is cooler and drier.  You won’t find the ultra-luxury resort package vacations here.  What they do offer are bed and breakfast, and beach resorts that are quite laid back.  One of the big attractions has to be whale-watching, which occurs from June to November.  This is when the migration of humpbacks takes place. 

 

Due to the appearance of the 19^th century missionaries, Christianity became the religion of most natives.  A visit here on a Sunday gives you the authentic experience of hearing the church choirs singing the hymns.  What a thrill we had a few years back, when the king and his family left the packed church in their limo, waving to us through an opened window as we crossed in front of the car.  Simple luck of being in the right place at the right time. 

 

This capital city is very walkable with the friendliest people.  We would find that out as we hiked for several hours from one end to the other….well almost.  Beginning the day with a light breakfast, we set out to listen to the entertainment of the local welcome singers and band on the pier.  Traditionally –dressed, they made a lively group.

 

We left the ship around 10am, picked up a local map, and made a bee-line to the Talamahu Market.  We understand it would be closing early today, since it was Saturday.  Lots of places will close at noon.  Later in the day, we ran into Eddie and Calista, who told us they had just ordered coffees and a pastry, when the waitress at the little café in town began pulling the tablecloths and cleaning up.  She informed them they had 5 minutes to finish, then she would lock up.  Surprised, they left, disappointed.

 

Anyway, back at the market, we found it bustling with locals shopping for the weekend.  Part of the first floor was dedicated to typical Tongan souvenirs such as tapa cloth items, paintings, purses, fans, and coconut jewelry.  Their arts and crafts are unique to these islands, so therefore, they were not exactly a bargain.  Part of the lower level is for produce of all types.  Up the ramp at one side of this building, takes you up to the second level, where they sell mostly clothing – t-shirts, sarongs for men and women, shoes, and some coconut jewelry.  We are now owners of one set of orchid-painted coconut jewelry.

 

From there, we followed the streets that had the most interesting sites in town.  One was the restaurant that boasted the best pizza in the South Pacific – Marco’s Pizza.  Except, it looks shuttered up.  Even their sign was gone.  We continued on to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, the first one of its kind in the South Pacific Islands.  It was completely constructed with volunteer labor between 1977 and 1980. 

 

Across the road, was the Royal Tombs with Tongan royalty all the way back to 1893.  King George Tupou I was the first to be buried here in 1893.  The park surrounding the tombs is considered sacred, so it has been fenced off.

 

Facing the tombs is the oldest church here, the Centennial Church, the Free Church of Tonga.  It was built of coral in 1888 and has massive stained glass windows.  Or we should say “had” stained glass windows, as it appeared this church was recently damaged by storms, we assume.  Today this church operates three high schools, one here in Tongatapu, Ha’apai, and Vava’u.  We have seen that one in Vava’u, and it was also named Tailulu College, as are the other two.

 

From here, we walked back towards the ocean to the newer church, the Centenary Church, originally called the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga.  Today it is known as the Royal Church, as the king and his family regularly attend Sunday services here.  Directly across the street is His Majesty’s Army Forces, and next to that is the Royal Palace, once the official residence of the king.  This white Victorian wooden palace was pre-fabricated in New Zealand, then shipped here to be erected in 1867.  These days it is used for official functions, and a is a museum containing the royal archives and artwork. It is not opened to the public, but sure is a fine subject for photos.

 

The trees surrounding this area have always been full of the flying foxes, or fruit bats.  But today, we watched like forever, and never saw one.  So we figured whatever these creatures eat must not be in season now.  They are actually considered sacred in these islands. 

 

From here, we began the long trek along the shoreline, with the intentions of stopping at  Little India Restaurant for pizza and beer.  Lots of beer, since it was plenty warm outside today.  This scenic roadway has been cleaned up as the Bank of the South Pacific (BSP) has donated trash cans along the stretch of beachfront for miles.  They call it going green.  And it is working, as far as we could see.  And convenient benches have been added, which we made good use of.  One of the nice things about today being Saturday, was that many families were out enjoying the afternoon.  They park off the road, open the car doors, blast their music, and have a picnic on the grass.  Mostly under the trees.  They eat what looked like fast food, but Tonga-style.  Some of the little kids were swimming, but not the adults.  We felt that it was really warm, but many locals had on sweatshirts with hoodies.  Must have felt cold to them.

 

The tide was up, so there were not many people fishing in the waters. A few were carrying buckets in waist-deep water, looking for the sea worms in the coral sands.  Later in the day, when the tide went out, lots of folks were out to the reef fishing.

 

We looked for the “fishing” pigs, that go into the shallows here to forage for sea food and shellfish.  How strange is that?  Today the high tide kept them out of the water, but we did see some hefty hogs in people’s front yards.  One of the sows had a load of babies that insisted it was time for lunch. What we saw more of were the dogs. Mostly females with pups somewhere.  You have to be careful of the roaming dogs here, since one of our friends got bit badly several years ago.  He and his wife were riding their bikes, and a stray dog attacked him, causing enough damage that he needed stitches and antibiotics.  We have never forgotten the story, and make sure we have no contact with any dog anywhere.

 

So we got close to the restaurant, and lo and behold….it was closed, like forever closed.  The entire front was boarded up, as if they had also had storm damage.  Since we saw no more cafes up ahead (only mangroves), we turned around and  made our way slowly back to town.  There was a very nice establishment along the way called Little Italy.  But we knew they did not open until dinnertime.  Bet they had good pizza too.   There was one place left called the Seaview Restaurant, but no one was inside, and it looked almost closed as well.  Guess we were out of luck.

 

On the way back to the Vuna Wharf, which was renovated in 2011, with the help of the Chinese.  Before then, we always docked in the container port further up the road.  We passed by the Nuku’alofa Club, a private men’s club where the elite met to play pool and drink beer.  Closer to downtown, we went by the post office,  Raintree Square, the Treasury Building, and the newly-completed Parliament. 

 

By now, we had built up a powerful thirst, having only bringing one bottle of water with us.  Ice cold sodas sounded marvelous to us.  So we by-passed the souvenir tents, and cooled off in our room for a while before going to lunch in the Lido.  Doreen had saved the ciabatta roll, and made our favorite sandwich to share.  Adding glasses of ice tea, we were still surprised how much we needed re-hydrating.

 

Sail away was at 4:30pm, and today there was a real one at the Seaview Pool.  We talked to friends who had taken tours to the Hina Caves, where a traditional Tongan feast was cooked.  An outdoor underground oven called an umu was used to cook suckling pig, chicken, corned beef, and fish or shellfish.  Sides were taro root and sweet potatoes. Other tours included site-seeing, kayaking, relaxing on a small atoll with a lunch, or swimming where you may see turtles or dolphins.  Tour prices started at $60 to $240 today.

 

We tried for another sunset, but tonight, it was not so great.  During the sail away, Captain Mercer mentioned that a storm was tracking its way towards Tonga by Monday.  At least 60 MPH winds were expected with driving rain.  Sea swells were predicted to be rather high, so we are lucky we are heading towards Auckland, New Zealand now.  Although we are outrunning the storm, we can expect strong swells and perhaps some rain in the following week.  In fact while we were watching the sun go down, a fellow camera guy said that he had a cousin that lived in Tauranga, and they were expecting much needed heavy rains in a few days. So we are planning on some rock and rolling soon.

 

It had already begun during dinnertime, as the swells became deeper and the ship began pitching.  Barb loves it, especially during the night when we are sleeping.  Like being rocked in a cradle so to speak.

 

So the three days it will take to reach new Zealand may be an adventure.

 

Bill & Mary Ann         

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Report #35 Day at Sea February 22, 2019 Friday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

Today we all received certificates confirming that we had officially crossed the International Dateline around high noon.  Simply put, it is the line that divides two consecutive calendar days.  We always joke that we felt the “bump” of the line when the ship crossed it.  Much like the first time we flew to Tahiti, and the pilot said we were crossing the Equator.  If we looked down at the ocean, we would see that line.  Funny how many people remarked that they did indeed see that line, but back in those days, when you flew on a chartered flight, they offered an open bar….help yourself.  And boy, did they!

 

Compared to yesterday, the weather was most agreeable.  The sea swells and winds had increased during the evening, but at least the late night showers had disappeared.  Proved to be a good pool day, and a chance to catch up on reading.  This particular world voyage has been quite different in that there are few folks that spend time outdoors.  Remember the days when you could not find a lounge at either pool?  Well, now you have the pick of anywhere at most anytime.  Not that we’re complaining, it has been nice.  One odd thing we have noticed is that the bar staff at the Seaview Pool does not offer drinks or even ice water like they used to do.  The only time we have been asked to buy the drink of the day has been at a few sail away gatherings. Again, we are not complaining, but just voicing what we see.

 

Tomorrow’s port will be in Tonga, so a lecture from Ian was appropriate on how to make the most of our day there.  It will be a Saturday, so we are not sure what will be opened or be closing early.  The main market should stay open at least until noontime, and we sure hope we can find the place up the road that has pizza.  If nothing else, we will get in a good long walk.

 

A special dinner will be coming up tomorrow in the Pinnacle Grill.  New Zealand’s guest chef, Jonathon Rogers, will be cooking yellowfin tuna tartare, deep sea roasted langoustine, smoked duck breast, Kiwi sorbet, lamb loin, and poached pears.  If you want the meal with no drinks, the cost will be $49.  With wine pairing, the meal will run $79. 

 

Barb has told us about a new activity that happens occasionally.  It is guest chef sip and savor, and has turned out to be a big hit.  At 5pm, a special appetizer is served with wine in what they call the Crystal Terrace (deck five between the shops).  The cost is $5, which is far less than a regular glass of wine at $9. 

 

Happy hour continues to be offered at least twice before the main meal times.  And today we saw an ad for National Margarita Day, where you buy one at the regular price, and get the second one for $2 – available all day long in all bars.

 

Some of our day was spent visiting with friends Bill & Leta in the Lido during a late lunch.  We had lots of catching up to do.  They went to their Captain’s Dinner two nights ago, and reported that the food was really good.  We asked if anyone had tried leaving with the unique rose bud vases, and they said yes, they did.  But not in the numbers that happened the night we attended.  We’re still laughing about that.

 

The sunset was not as exciting as the last couple of nights. But we stayed in hopes the after sunset would develop into something spectacular.  Nope, but we did enjoy the company of Susie and Eddie, friends from a previous world cruise. They are also excellent photographers, and we see them mostly at sail away parties.  And now, sunsets.

 

Barb was a happy camper at dinner, because liver and onions was on the menu.  One of us had the niscose salad, and the other linguine with chicken.  But the best was the plate of thinly-sliced biscotti cookies that Slam, our waiter, dug up in the kitchen.  Even though they were not a dessert item on the menu, when we ask, Slam always says why not?  Then makes it happen.  Boy are we lucky to have him as our waiter for the third year in a row. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 34 Day at Sea February 21, 2019 Thursday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

When we headed off for breakfast, the carpet in the elevator told us that today was Thursday, not Wednesday.  Not that it really matters all that much, since every day is a “Sunday” to us, ever since retiring 16 years ago.  Plans for the day would be similar to yesterdays. But keeping in mind that Captain Mercer mentioned thunder showers in his talk yesterday, we were prepared to change those plans.  Yes, the late morning did begin with partly sunny skies, but it became obvious that isolated black clouds were dumping rain all around us.  They can navigate around and in between showers some of the time, but not all of the time.  Once we had set up our lounges, it began to spritz.  Sure it felt great, but when it became heavier, we knew it was time to go.  Watching the deck attendants usually tells us what is up ahead.  When you see them collecting the rolled up beach towels off of the lounges, it is time to pack up and run for cover.  That’s what happened ½ hour after we went outside.  We gave up around 11:30am. 

Back in our room, we took the time to catch up on recording info from the ports we have visited so far.  Specifically, we keep track of the currency exchange rates, souvenir buying, eating out, credit card purchases, time changes, shipboard account activity, and many other details that occur daily.   Best kept daily or the task can get away from you.  Also, it is important to monitor the shipboard account, as we have already found some mistakes posted.  One of those was a posting of three lunches in the Pinnacle Grill, when we have never eaten lunch in there yet.  Our go-to girl, Barbara, at the front desk has already taken care of getting it taken off of the account.

Barbie also told us that the second channel of ESPN has been showing favorite TV series now that we cannot get that signal.  It’s called Prime. This is nice, because usually, all we get is the blank screen, saying no signal.  Now we can watch Blue Bloods, Elementary, or Bull and many more during the day.  Good option to all of the news channels.

Even though the weather improved, we caught up on lectures we have missed on the TV instead of going back to the pool.  It was also a good time to do the homework on the upcoming ports of Tonga and Auckland.  Lunchtime was spent in the Lido, while listening to the arts and crafts instructor.  There is such a large group, all we really heard was the constant chatter of the crafters.

The first photo competition is in full swing.  Passengers are encouraged to submit photos into any of the five categories.  We think the  only way to submit these is by bringing your camera to the photo department, where they can be transferred for printing.  There is a $5 fee per photo., but they are yours to keep after the contest is over.  Also being promoted is the video of the Pacific Islands on a ship USB for $19.95.

While listening to the Ocean Quartet, the clouds outside the windows began to take on some colors of the sunset.  We made our way to deck six forward, and stayed outside until 15 minutes before dinner time.  The sun was dipping behind a bank of dark clouds, as it often does in this part of the world.  But on the horizon, we spotted some isolated clouds with rain coming down here and there.  One such cloud had a vertical rainbow right beneath it.  That sighting was even better than the real sunset. 

They had the best rack of lamb tonight in the dining room, but it was covered with a tomato-like sauce, which we thought was odd.  Even more so, when Slam brought the mint jelly on the side.  Slam reported that one guest had ordered nine chops, and another lady had the lamb for dinner, and the lamb entrée for her dessert.  They were that good, although we shared one serving of a cream puff for dessert.

Going outside for a short walk, we saw the moon rising in the cloudy sky, attracting the more serious photographers to capture it.  Other folks went to the show featuring the Sand Man, Marcus Winter, a New Zealand performer.  He reportedly brought stories alive in sand and sound.  Mesmerizing was the description.  Maybe we will see it next time, since we had finished dinner before 9:30pm. 

The clocks went back one more hour, making us 3 hours ahead of Pacific time, and a day ahead as well.  Still confusing…..

Bill & Mary Ann 

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Report #33 Day at Sea February 19, 2019 Tuesday Partly sunny & 75 degrees

It was not a surprise to us that most everyone we talked to today was most grateful that we have a few days at sea now.  After yesterday’s marathon in Bora Bora, the outdoor folks, like us, had come close to over-doing the swimming, walking, hiking the mountainside, and beach-combing.  The biggest factor with outside activities has to do with the extreme humidity.  If you are not accustomed to it, you’ll feel zapped at the end of the day.  It will take us all day just to re-hydrate, and perhaps enjoy some of those tangy bananas we bought yesterday.  Potassium helps with leg cramps we heard.  Barbie confirmed that when she paid us a visit in the afternoon. 

 

Shipboard life continued as normal, but we now have a new speaker, Neville Peat, who lectured about atolls that are at risk.  Phil Creaser is talking about our earliest ancestors, while Ian has launched ahead to the up-coming ports in New Zealand.  He shares the stage with Nyron, the EXC tour manager.  That way they kill two birds with one stone,  combining tour suggestions with the port talk.

 

A different angle the shop salespeople are doing is offering one day sales on some special items.  For instance, their pick of the day was the Citizen Satellite Wave GPS Controlled Watch, with a $280 savings.  This sounded like a one day sale, so we checked it out later in the day.  We were told there was only one left, but that particular model was too hard to read the hands and the numbers or symbols.  We’ll wait and see if they get more on during the course of this cruise.  Something tells us they will.  Another flash sale was for Tahitian pearls, but it was for two hours only.  Really?

 

The most exercise one of us got today was at the Seaview pool when a gigantic yellow wasp landed on the lounge, crawling up the blue and white pareo.  It refused to leave, until it was shaken out of the fabric.  Now we had to keep watch in case it had more friends nearby.  Some must have come over to the ship from Bora Bora yesterday.  Some years back, there was a swarm of equally as big furry bees that invaded the aft pool.  Hundreds of them in fact. They fell in the pool and on the decking while we sailed out of the port.  Needless to say, that was a short-lived sail away.

 

We got our delivery of sodas and flowers for our Mariner PC amenity.  It is really convenient to receive this every two weeks.  Today’s flower arrangement was a tower of blossoms….really nice.  Eddie and Calista have been quite busy with these orders.

 

Captain Mercer announced that this evening, the ship’s clocks will go ahead 24 hours, thus causing us to lose one whole day.  The reason is that we will be crossing the International Dateline, where we are going into the next day.  We actually miss February 20^th, and the day becomes the 21^st. And to complicate the matter even more, the Captain said the real date we will be crossing that line is the 22^nd.  But since we are at sea, he can make this day any one he chooses.  Or a day that works better for the staff, crew, and passengers.  As we continue sailing westward, we will get all these hours back one at a time, more or less.  Confusing, huh?

 

We’re sure liking the new band with their lead singer in the Ocean Bar.  It has become more like a nightclub, instead of the “merry-go-round” music.  They have attracted many more dancers and people taking advantage of happy hour, either at 4 or 6:30pm.  A major improvement.

 

We could see from the Ocean Bar that the sky was taking on some color.  Going up to deck nine, we had the treat of seeing a most beautiful sunset, perhaps the nicest one of the cruise so far.  Later after dinner, we saw the full moon shining in our wake.  What a sight.

 

The dinner menu had several good choices, but we settled on a cobb salad and sweet and sour pork.  Even though both are a repeat entrée, they are among our favorites.  Even Barb agreed.  Slam insisted on bringing a sample of two desserts, which we were just going to taste.  One was so good, a flan, that we cleaned the plate.  This could be addictive, but also fun if we have kept our meals to a minimum, like we did tonight. 

 

The Soul Sisters of Motown, a three girl group, was the entertainment featured this evening.  They sing the tunes of the Supremes, Mary Wells, Aretha Franklin, and the Velvelettes.  Yesterday while at Bloody Mary’s, we passed by a young gal with lavender-colored hair, heavily made up.  We figured she was not a local, and we were correct.  Their show sure brought back memories from the past.

 

We’re not sure, but this evening, a pre-show event was held in the Mainstage at 7:15pm.  It was the Majority Rules Game Show, and since so many people go early to see the first performance, now they have something to do before the main show starts.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #32 Bora Bora, French Polynesia February 18, 2019 Monday Chance of showers & 82 degrees

Bora Bora is part of the Leeward group of the Society Islands, an overseas collectivity of France.  It is located 143 miles northwest of Papeete and has a population of around 8,900 people.  Not only is this volcanic island one of the oldest and most beautiful, the lagoon that surrounds it is stunning.  We have had the experience of swimming in these emerald waters, actually feeding sting rays and sharks more than once.  Yes, it did take nerves of steel the first time we did this, but when we discovered gaining access back into the boat wasn’t so easy for the ladies of the group, the thrill turned into fear with the sharks right under our dangling feet.  Oh sure, they tell you that the reef sharks are harmless, but what about those huge lemon sharks that suddenly appeared?  Needless to say, we have not repeated this excursion again for quite some time. 

 

Deciding that we would tender over to shore a bit later in the morning, we went to breakfast as we usually do.  That’s when we discovered another vessel had entered into the lagoon.  And it was a pretty one…..the Windstar Spirit, part yacht and part cruise ship.  Entering service in 1988, she is 5350 gross tons, a baby compared to the Amsterdam at 62,735 gross tons.  She holds over 150 passengers, reportedly in their 50’s or younger, with a crew of 88.  The four giant masts are 170 feet above the deck, and are outfitted with computer-controlled sails.  The cruise living here is without entertainment, silly parlor games (the book’s words, not ours), structured activities, or ship’s photographers.  So the vacation is unregimented and relaxing.  However, they have that retractable marina with water sports such as banana boats, kayaks, sunfish sailboats, windsurfer boards, water skis, and scuba and snorkel gear.  Last but not least, there are 4 zodiacs.  It is quite possible that the ship stays in each Polynesian port for more than one day.

 

Tours offered here today included an island drive, snorkel and swim, scuba, and a glass bottom boat ride.  Or you could go to a motu islet with a swim in the lagoon, or opt for a 4 wheel drive in the mountains, or maybe do the shark/sting ray tour, like we did.  Prices ran from $70 to $246. Many smart folks we know pre-arranged private tours online, and did pretty much the same tours, but for a lot less.

 

Timing our departure in between tour groups and tender ticketed people, we went right down to deck A, and got on the boat.  This lagoon is so protected that there was barely a wave in the water, making access to the boat a piece of cake.  Nothing like what we did in Easter Island.  With a 10 minute ride, we stepped on the island at about 10am.  Did we mention it was going to be one very hot day?  Although rain was in the forecast, we never saw any.  What a huge difference from yesterday, when passing showers came every few minutes. 

 

Our plan for the day was to take the local shuttle all the way to the Intercontinental Hotel at Matira Point.  We knew exactly where to find the bus, and some other folks followed us after asking about the transfer.  For a mere $5 or 500 francs, we were dropped off after the 20 minute ride.  Passing in front of the Intercontinental Resort, we read the day-use sign which read that for 6500 francs, you would be able to use the hotel’s beach and restrooms.  A lunch was also included in that price.  So for 13,000 francs or about $130, you would probably spend the entire day there. 

 

Not for us, we like to walk, and see some of the island and the local people.  We continued up the road for a mile or so, and ended up at the Sofitel Resort, which offers the water bungalows or hillside suites.  It is a beautiful property that we have visited on tours in the past. It appeared to us that we are here during the low season, since the drier time of year is from May to October.  Few guests were out and about, so when we inquired about getting cold beers at the outdoor bar, we were told that it was not chilled yet. 

 

Heading back, we strolled through the equally as nice Maitai Resort.  They have a really nice covered outdoor restaurant with a variety of dishes.  The menu just happens to feature pizza.  We have dined here before, and can report the pizza was great.  Only today we were a bit too early and they were not opened yet.  All we did was take photos, then continued on our hike.

 

The next stop was at Matira Beach, which is about as pristine as they get.  The best thing is that it is a public beach where all the locals go.  And for good reason….the lagoon waters are shallow enough to wade out for many yards where you can see small fish and even some sting rays.  But it is the gorgeous colors of the water that is so mesmerizing.  Looking a half mile towards the reef where the waves were breaking, it was almost impossible to tell the sky from the water.  It just blends together as one.  And the fun part of strolling the gentle surf barefoot, is being able to watch the little kids frolic in the 85 degree water, their moms and dads watching from the white sandy beach.  By the way, we did pass by many friends from the ship that came to the couple of cafes and bars along the beachfront, waving as we strolled by.

 

At the end of the mile-long stretch of white sand, we popped up to the road, and hiked the rest of the way to Bloody Mary’s, the famous restaurant visited by hundreds of famous folks over the years.  Needless to say, it was crowded, because most of the tours stopped here on their way back to the pier.  The guests have the option of staying here, and making their way back on their own.  Lunch and anything ice cold to drink was in order.  We did have to wait to be seated for a few minutes,  but soon got a nice table for two with the funny wooden stool seats set in the white sand floor.  We watched as a couple of groups of impatient people walked in and sat down at tables.  That is, until the waiter came and asked them to go wait back at the entrance.  This is not your typical café.

 

We ordered the Mexican chicken quesadilla with dips and chips.  Really tasty, but the Hinano beers were the best.  Actually lifesavers today.  Recalling that dessert was good here, we added one plate of profiteroles to share.  Yep, just as good as we remembered.  After relaxing for an hour, it was time to move on.  Across the road here is the pier, where small boats can tie up to dine here.  It doubles as a great photo spot as well.

 

The shuttle arrived, and we were back in Vaitape within minutes.  There were still some vendors to check out, and a couple of local shops.  We had better luck at the street tables where we purchased a very reasonable pair of black pearl earrings.  These will match a carved shell pearl pendant that was purchased a few years ago, probably from the same lady.  The next bargain was a bunch of tiny bananas for $4.  They are tangy as well as good for us.  While here, we ran into friends Howard and Gyl, who seem to enjoy the same type of self-tour like we do.  Quite often, we will run into them in most every port, walking about town.  It has become so frequent, we have all decided the day is complete when our paths cross. Kind of like  good luck charm.

 

A tender boat was waiting as we exited the souvenir shop near the pier.  At least they were not over-filling the boat before they left for the ship. Sure felt good to get back to the air-conditioning.  It was already 4pm, and we spent some time working in the room on photos of course.  We could see that the skies were clouding up, but rain never occurred.  It may have felt good.

 

Dinnertime was fun, sharing our exploits with Barbie.   One of these days, she will leave the ship and go ashore.  There are many folks that stay onboard, enjoying what activities are still happening.  Barb heard that all of the stranded passengers on Moorea made it to Bora Bora today.  Or we should say, that all of the HAL tour folks made it back.  Not sure about the independents. 

 

All aboard was 10:30pm, but we heard the platform being closed down at that same time. Obviously, everyone was back onboard. The ship left the reef before 11pm.  What a wonderful day we spent here….and lucky too with no rain.

 

With three days at sea ahead of us, we will be in Tonga after crossing the International Dateline.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #31 Not Opunohu Bay, Moorea, but Bora Bora, French Polynesia February 17, 2019 Sunday Partly cloudy & 78 degrees

 A very short distance from the island of Tahiti, is the sister island of Moorea, home to 16,000 people.  Sometimes it is referred to as the Magical Island. Moorea is a real paradise.  Laid back with several high-end hotels, this heart-shaped island created by an extinct volcano has much to offer.  We have lost track of the number of times we had the pleasure of visiting here, but we do know that we have done most all of the tours offered.  The viewpoints from Belvedere and Magic Mountain are stunning on a good day.  A trip to Tiki Village reveals what this area looked like in Captain Cook’s days.  Artisans and craftsmen make wooden handicrafts, dye sarongs, and demonstrate the art of tattooing the old fashioned way.  Decades ago, we met “Mr. Tahiti” who was tattooed from head to toe…..his claim to fame.  All we could think was how much that must have hurt.

 

Too bad we are NOT going there today.  Captain Mercer made the announcement during breakfast this morning, much to the disappointment of the guests and crew also.  No surprise to us, as the seas were angry, as were the 55 knot apparent winds howling across the decks.  It would be too dangerous to navigate through the narrow opening to access Opunohu Bay, let alone attempt tendering the guests ashore.  And with the recent problems with canceling the tendering process in Easter Island, the Captain made a wise decision we think. 

 

Come to think of it, the Moorea tour vendors were not so pushy trying to sell their pre-paid excursions in Papeete yesterday.  One lagoon tour they offered was to swim with the sharks and sting rays, then enjoy fruit and drinks at picnic tables on a sandy beach.  All this for $50 per person, and you could stay from 8:30am to 3pm if you wished.  So the locals probably knew our stop was going to be cancelled.

 

There was a bigger problem, since we heard that about 45 people had gone over to Moorea on the ferry yesterday for either an HAL tour or an independent tour.  The plan was to spend the night at one of the resorts, then join the ship when we got there.  Surprise….now they would have to return by the ferry today, and hope to book a flight to one of the next ports.  And this would depend on available flight space on small planes.  Sure hope we see these folks sometime soon.  Surely we will hear some stories through the “grape vine” when they do return.

 

At least the EXC tours will be refunded.  They included site-seeing, scuba diving, a dolphin encounter, photography expedition, snorkeling, and a 4 x 4 safari ride.  Prices ran from $100 to $240.  And we expect the port charges will be refunded to all of us.

 

So, we were on our way to the next port of Bora Bora, and since the distance was not all that far, we should arrive around 4 or 5pm.  The seas remained choppy with some pretty good swells as the ship headed into the driving storm.  Rain fell heavily off and on most of the day.  There was a brief clearing, when we went to the pool to catch some rays.  The pool was over-flowing and picking up enough speed to send light showers our way.  This gave us the idea it might be a good time for lunch in the dining room.

 

Barb was surprised to find us at our table, but glad to be able to catch up on news.  We had a dinner planned in the Pinnacle Grill, so we would not see her the rest of the day.  The theme for the casual meal this evening was tropical paradise dinner.  That meant decorations of shiny green palm trees with golden streamers hanging to the tabletops.  Philip had seen to it that every trunk of streamers were cut in half, mostly because the ends hung in the food and drink of the guests.  We kept lunch light, then shared a small sandwich at 3pm.

 

New daily newsletters had to be printed with today’s revised itinerary.  Now we were scheduled to arrive to Bora Bora and be anchored at 7pm, spending the night in the lagoon. 

 

Around 4pm, we went to deck six forward to watch some of the other islands we never get to see during the day.  The first one was Huahine, followed by Raitea and Ta haa.  Rain showers completely covered the islands at times, but the wind is what we will remember.  No way could we go to the front of deck six and be exposed to that strong of a gale.  Now we were thinking it will be a miracle if we make it to Bora Bora also.  Sure would hate to miss that one.

 

Within the hour, we began to see the tall peaks of Bora Bora as the clouds parted.  There were a few sea birds, possibly brown boobys, then some small flying fish, but the best was seeing three dolphins jumping near the ship.  They appeared so quickly, then dove down just as fast.  If you blinked, you would have missed them.  It was then, that the pilot turned the ship to very carefully enter into the lagoon.  The coral reef here is well marked, but if we veered off track, there could be damage for sure. 

 

By 6pm, they dropped the anchors in the lagoon, and announced that the tenders would be operating until 1am.  There was a problem with that, since today was a Sunday, and we know that most everything is closed, especially at night.  Going over to shore tomorrow will be good enough for us.

 

Dinner was good, as always, in the Pinnacle Grill.  The food was cooked perfectly, and the service was seamless.  Walking around the outside deck, we discovered the rain was coming down in buckets.  We doubt too many people will go over to shore tonight.  But at least we made it here.

 

Wishing for a nice dry day tomorrow…..but it is like wishing for a miracle.

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

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Report #30 Papeete, Tahiti French Polynesia February 16, 2019 Saturday Chance of rain & 84 degrees

To say that it was a rainy day in Papeete today, was an understatement.  The Captain had warned that the next three days would have chance of showers, but we had hoped it wasn’t so.  Tropical, or liquid sunshine, is what we got for sure.  But first, here’s a snippet of info about French Polynesia.  The 117 islands that make up French Polynesia are spread out over a marine area equal to the size of Europe.  The major archipelagos are the Marquesas, Society Islands, the Australs, and Gambiers, as well as the vast lagoons of the Tuamotu atolls.  In our opinion, there is no other place exactly like it on earth.  The islands are known for diving, hiking, exotic foods, fragrant flowers, luxury resorts, and everything French.  More comes to mind such as Tahitian dancers, ancient temples called maraes, creative shell necklaces, and over-the-water huts at high-end resorts.  You can swim up close with sting rays and sharks, see waterfalls, dig your toes into the black sand beaches, drink Hinano beer, buy pareos and black pearls. A random fact is that 300,000 tiare flowers are harvested daily for the traditional leis.

So today our port of call was the commercial, industrial, and financial center of government of Papeete, on the island of Tahiti.  It is the capital of all of French Polynesia, and probably the most densely populated.  Tours offered through shore excursions included sight-seeing, certified scuba diving, and a sunset catamaran ride.  These ran from $100 to $260 per person.  For those that wished to spend a romantic overnight at either a bungalow hut or an over-the-water hut in nearby Moorea, they offered a trip on the ferry and hotel stay starting from $800 to $950 per person.  The ship re-positions to Moorea after 4:30 am Sunday morning.  Wonder how many takers they had for this experience?

We sailed into the port area early, but due to the winds, rain, and a ship coming into the harbor ahead of us, the Amsterdam was not alongside until after 8:30am.  The local authorities would not clear us until an hour later.  Since we were in no hurry to go ashore in the rain, we lingered over breakfast, and glad we did.  Barb surprised us with a visit, which she rarely does.  Her breakfast usually consists of orange juice and coffee.  Today was no exception.  At least we had a chance to catch up on yesterday’s news, since we missed the dining room dinner last night.

We were not the only ship in port, as the Paul Gauguin was docked across from us.  This ship stays in French Polynesia, we think, and holds up to 332 passengers.  A small ship at 19,200 gross tons, she offers a different type of cruise for the active-minded passengers.  It has a retractable aft marina platform where the guests can water ski from two small boats, or use the two zodiacs.  Kayaking, windsurfing, scuba and snorkel gear are all provided complimentary.  And the dress code is totally relaxed for the entire cruise.  There is limited entertainment, but they do have excellent lecturers we have read.  It looked like it was off-loading passengers today, and will begin with new folks tomorrow.

Getting off the ship, we ran right into a lady passenger being loaded into an ambulance.  She seemed to be alert and was saying goodbye to Henk and Christel and Renee, the spa manager.  Sure hate to see this again, as five people that we know of have left the ship so far.  Maybe she was going to the hospital for a more thorough check up.  One guest we know had an accident in her new scooter, and broke her leg.  She had to have it xrayed today as well.

Lucky for most everyone, the rain let up, and the sun actually peeked out for most of the morning.  That gave us enough time to walk to the Marche Municipale or the marketplace that has it all.  For a change, it was not crowded, but the tables were half empty.  That’s when we remembered they were only open until noon, since today is Saturday.  Listening to the port lecturer, he did not include this info in his talk a few days ago.  (In case Barbara H, our retired port lecturer, is reading this, we sure want you to know you are missed.) 

The first stop we made before it closed, was the fabric shop across the street from the market.  Wearing a blouse of a fabric we purchased last year, the store workers recognized the print immediately.  Even though their English was limited, they seemed pleased to see it made into a shirt.  So of course, it was not difficult to find another piece to add to the collection.

At the market, we strolled the lower level, taking lots of photos, and then up the escalator on the upper level.  We ran into Eddie and Lee, our 90 plus year old friends.  They had made their way there to also take pictures, and look for internet.  They are incredible.  The only items we were interested in were flowers.  There were not a whole lot of them this time, but we found some bird of paradise blooms, greenery, and some assorted daisies.  Not wanting to haul them through town, we decided to stop and buy them on the way back to the ship.

Walking through downtown, we made our way to the church, some familiar shops, and McDonald’s.  Close to here was the Queen’s Palace and gardens, but it was closed today.  Very disappointing.  Even though the rain was holding off, the humidity was almost thick. If it did rain, it might be refreshing.  We back-tracked, and found a small hardware and nursery we have visited before.  Looking for some liquid fertilizer for the sunflowers in our room, we could not find anything suitable.  But the shop salesperson suggested that we buy a small bag of compost, which should do the trick.  It was cheap, and would not burn the young seedlings.  Then we stopped for the fresh flowers and went right back to the ship.  And just as the security officer promised, we had no problem bringing them onboard.

Cooling off in our room for an hour, we headed back out at 1pm.  That is when it began to drizzle.  No amount of rain would stop us from searching out the best pizza in town. We did need the umbrellas by the time we reached the semi-outdoor restaurant.  Sure was nice to sit down with mostly locals, ordering a Margherita pizza, large Hinano beers, and a shared banana split for dessert.  During our meal, the rain increased to the point we thought it would come through the metal roofing.  It became so heavy, we could not see across the street.  Since the ship would not be leaving the port until tomorrow morning, we were in no hurry to leave.  It was around 3pm by the time the rain let up.  The streets had flooded, and we hoped the passing cars would not soak us.  However, the local drivers in Papeete have to be the most polite.  Each and every time we crossed the street, all the cars stopped immediately.  How often do you see that?

Back onboard, we spent the late afternoon working on photos, while watching the storm pounding the ship.  We highly doubt that the roulette carts will be set up in the square tonight.  The crew really likes to eat the local food from these carts, but it might not happen. 

Dinner was back with our buddy Barb.  Not really starving, we had starters of shrimp and a tater tot (not exactly), and a bowl of chicken noodle soup.  Perfect on a rainy night.  Grilled tuna salad was the perfect entrée, and Slam insisted we share a small slice of a chocolate mousse tart.  At 9:30pm, a local cast of Tahitian singers and dancers put on a rousing show.  We think this group was on last year with Paki, one of the Polynesian Ambassadors onboard, as the host of the show.  The name of the group is Mana, the Spirit of Tahiti.  With only one performance, the Mainstage was full to capacity from where we watched.

We sure hope tomorrow is not quite as wet, as it is a tendering port with little shelter at the shore side dock.  Time will tell…..

Bill & Mary Ann

Link to Pictures 1 

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Report # 29 Day at Sea February 15, 2019 Friday Rain & 75 degrees

Rain was the name of the game today.  Not light either…..heavy showers, off and on all day.  So after breakfast and a walk, we had a date in America’s Test Kitchen (Wajang Theater) for an invitation-only session with Abby, the kitchen’s hostess.  This took the place of a “hands on” demo we have done on past cruises.  The reason it was a regular group class was because on this grand voyage, there are far too many 5 star and President’s Club members to conduct smaller-sized classes.  We still got the gifts of the recipe cards and the ATK red aprons.

 

Beginning with baking, frosting making, and decorating were the subjects.  The demo began with creating a white cake without a boxed mix.  Good info to learn what gives the cake flavor and perfect texture.  Chocolate frosting was done with a Cuisinart blender, and most were shocked to see the amount of butter that was used.  Not to mention that light corn syrup was substituted for the powdered sugar. Last but not least, was the frosting and the method of using a pastry bag and a tip.  You are never too old to learn some new tricks in the kitchen, we say.  Abby kept it interesting, with one exception.  We missed being able to taste that rich creamy frosting.

 

The other job of the day was to present our copy of the e-visas we got for Sri Lanka.  They made copies of the front page, and also took note that we do in fact have Indian visas already in our passports.  Without these, we would have been denied access to the ports of Colombo, Cochin, and Mumbai. 

 

For the first time ever, our host at dinner last night sent us a thank you note for letting him join us.  In addition, he inquired about our question regarding bringing flowers onboard in Tahiti.  Terry, the security officer, said at this time, the answer was yes.  Barb also confirmed she had received a card too.

 

We parted with some of our shipboard credit by purchasing a couple of cameras in the photo shop.  While on the last few cruises, we did some research on their products, and decided that it was money well-spent.  And since the photo staff was trained with the use of these new cameras, we will have someone to go to for any help with the operation.  We know where they live, so to speak, and they happily said they have the time to do it. 

 

The busiest place we saw today was not the lectures or activities, but the Lido at lunchtime.  The best thing folks can do in this type of gloomy weather is eat, of course.  So we joined the crowd around 2:30pm by visiting the salad bar and the sandwich creator.  Doreen has been saving the bread we prefer, so we did not want to disappoint her.  It is not easy keeping it light, but we needed to do just that.  This evening, we have reservations for the first Tamarind dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, and want to be able to enjoy it.

 

The afternoon was more suitable for movie-watching, than spending time at the pool.  It also gave us some time to get acquainted with both cameras.  One came with instructions, but the other did not….go figure?  Everything we would need to know is online.  So it will be hit and miss, or make several trips to the photo shop onboard.

 

And as we expected, the dinner was fabulous in the Tamarind.  The place was full of guests too. First we began with the little disc that blows up into a wet napkin.  That always makes us chuckle.  We ordered our favorite starters of Thai salad and spring rolls.  Shrimp crackers and three assorted dips went well with that.  During the meal, a hot jasmine tea was poured in small glass to sip.  Both of us had the beef filet, which was listed under the wood section of the menu. Normally we do not do dessert, but tonight was an exception.  There is a chocolate mousse and a fortune cookie that are not to be missed.  And we didn’t miss them.  It appeared to us that every course was slightly down-sized in the amount we normally see.  This is probably a good thing, because we did not leave there over-stuffed.

 

The good news is that we will begin our visit to French Polynesia tomorrow, but the bad news is that it may rain the whole time.  Hopefully not.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Link to Pictures