Our port of call today was Tauranga, a short distance from Auckland, it is a vacation area for many. One of us was up early to watch the sailing into the harbor, even though at 5:30am it was still rather dark. The lights of the town and surrounding commercial docks and marinas lit up the bay.
There was rain in the forecast, and despite the heavy overcast, it never did rain except for a few scattered drops. Guess we got lucky once again. The Zuiderdam pulled alongside the dock area starboard side, so when the crew drill was announced, we got to watch the activity with manning the tender boats and the dropping of them into the water below. These practice emergency drills happen quite often and it is re-assuring to us that everyone knows their job well.
Shore excursion offered some tours here today, but by the time we remembered to check them, they were erased from the TV. The only one we saw was a trip to the Hobbit movie set for 5 hours at $200. We left the ship before 11am, and remembered there was no cruise terminal here…only a tent with brochures. Many of the same tours the ship were selling were available onshore. Except for the for the ho-ho bus or a bike or trike trip up Mount Maunganui, most of these trips were out of town. You could take a ride to the Bay of Plenty and see many kiwi and avocado orchards, or where honey is made. The Rotorua geothermal area is a big attraction with steaming lakes and bubbling mud pools and geysers. Been there, done that. Anyway, the tour operators promised you will get back to the ship on time. That is very important.
This part of Tauranga is flat, except for the mountain, which is full of sheep grazing. We figured the trails would be muddy today, but we did see many folks headed that way for the hike up. We had enough of the hills yesterday to last us for a long time, so sticking to town was a better idea. Leaving the checkpoint, we walked the wooden boardwalk along the thin stretch of beach on the bay side of the peninsula. The waters are protected and the sandy beach is an excellent place for families with young kids. Swimming is very safe here with no fear of undertow or waves. We have visited on weekends and the grassy knolls and sandy beach were full of picnickers for the afternoon. Today it was fairly quiet.
Walking around the base of Mount Maunganui, we passed by the Hot Pools and a string of cafes all the way to the beach on the open ocean side. This is where the majority of vacationers were located. There are many condos and hotels at this end – all with views of the rolling waves of the ocean. Most folks were beachcombing, while some of the younger set were surf boarding. Little kids played in the sand with their moms watching close by. A large group of what appeared to be lifeguards in training were doing some routine practicing.
There is a small rocky island where you can access from the beach at low tide. One of us went out there, but the other stayed back while watching the activity in the water and the beach. Yesterday's walk had awakened new muscles and they were a bit sore today. Nothing that time and rest could not heal. Making our way back up from the beach, we headed towards town after visiting with fellow walkers Gyl and Howard. Being avid dancers, they have organized a friendly dance class on their own time with folks they know. What a fun idea for those guests that do not have the option of having dance teachers onboard the ship like they used to have. If there is a will, there is a way. And they also had a surprise yesterday while shopping in one of the grocery stores. They ran into Bruce Scudder, our former cruise director for many years. He was the new cruise director on the Viking Neptune and doing well. We all agreed when he left HAL, it was a big loss for them.
Back in the downtown area, we located a very intimate Italian café that had just what we liked for lunch. That would be pizza of course. We ordered two Peroni beers and a parma ham pizza to share. Gosh it was good, and the prices were much better than in Auckland. The waitress asked where we were from, and we said San Francisco. She was curious how we got our tans, so we told her we have spent many days sailing in French Polynesia. Then she added that the weather in Tauranga had been very wet with 2 months of constant raining and one month of sun. It affected the amount of visitors to this vacation area as well. She was so happy we had come on a dry day.
Then the best part of the day had to be stopping at the ice cream shop and finding they did have the famous hokey pokey ice cream. Made our day having one waffle cone and a cup of the best ice cream ever.
We strolled back to the ship going through the security booth where both our room keys and driver's licenses were checked. They are very strict in New Zealand especially with the agricultural warning, which we heard at least four times earlier this morning.
Back in our room, we downloaded photos and worked on reports while relaxing on the veranda as well. It was still about 78 degrees outside and muggy. We thought it could rain any moment, but it never did. All aboard was 5pm, with an advertised sail away in the Hudson Room also at 5pm. Really, the Hudson Room? Does anyone ever read the activities at a glance? Ian did come on the speakers and announce a change there with a laugh.
Dinnertime found only 6 of us, as Susie had decided to stay home. She was feeling a bit under the weather, and Woody had admitted they had lunch onboard, then went out and had fish and chips in town. Woody came alone because Susie had checked the dinner selections and saw meatballs as one of the entrees. He likes meatballs as much as I do, but when we read the menu, it said "neatballs". What the heck is that??? We figured it was another typing error, so Woody had it. No, it wasn't a mistake, it was neatballs made with black rice and was the vegetarian entrée. Sort of missed seeing that tiny leaf alongside the wording. Two bites, and he was done. And even though another entrée was offered, he said no, he would just wait for dessert. That was a fruit crumble and double scoops of vanilla ice cream. It appears that the fruit crumbles will be an everyday item on the dinner menu. One of us had the sole plate, and the other the pasta noodles with chicken slices. Both good.
The entertainment this evening was a singer by the name of Debora Krizak. Greg and Heo were happy to go see her, since the show lounge was dark last night…no show and no movie. They have figured out the scheduling of weekly entertainment and said four nights will be entertainers such as singers, dancers, or instrumentalist or comedians. One evening a movie is shown, and two nights are dark or venue closed.
Tomorrow we will be in a new port by the name of Gisborne. The only ones that have been there are our Aussie buddies, and they said not to expect a whole lot. It is a tender port with short hours of 8am to 2:30pm. It will be a walkabout for us.
Bill & Mary Ann
