NZ Cruise, 2011

January 16^th, To-day we arrived back into Sydney after being totally spoiled on our two week Cruise around New Zealand, on “Holland America’s” VOLENDAM. This has been our first cruise on a large ship and we are now “Hooked on Cruising”. Every facet of the trip was well organized, the service was impeccable, the food was delicious and well presented, the entertainment was first class and the Casino Games were enjoyable. Our Stateroom, on the lower promenade deck, was very nice and was efficiently serviced by the Cabin Stewards. Their “Towel Figures” were a delightful sight when returning to our Cabin each night. There were 1500 passengers, 600 crew and we still saw faces on the last day that we had not seen during the past 2 weeks. They had enough lifeboats to more than allow for the total number of passengers and crew, unlike another cruise ship we saw in a recent movie. Our first 2 days were spent finding our way around the ship, as we crossed the Tasman Sea. Val was on her ginger tablets but was finding the crossing a bit too rough for her. Our first port of call was Milford Sound, the wettest place in the World with an annual rainfall of 20 ft. (not inches but feet). The Mountain tops are covered by cloud, waterfalls were flowing down the mountain sides and the air was crisp and cold. All of those things make it a special, awesome part of the World. Next stop was a little quaint Village, population 300, called Oban. I went ashore here and climbed the steep hill to get to the Village, only just made it!!! It rained the whole time but they had an interesting Museum and only $2 NZ to get in. Our next port of call was Dunedin. We did the Scenic Bus Tour, very enjoyable with great views. In Christchurch we went into the City Centre and found Markets with a very funny Street Entertainer. There were plenty of signs of the recent devastating earthquake.  The Wellington Sights Bus Tour was great and included a ride in their working Cable Car. At the next stop, Napier, the Bus Tour included a winery stop, where I bought a nice bottle of Merlot for Val. We enjoyed a City Centre walk in the afternoon. Napier was destroyed by a huge Volcano in 1931 and the City was rebuilt in the Art Deco style and has many beautiful buildings. At Tauranga we were too late to do a Tour to Rotorua to see the hot springs and mud pools so I settled for a walk around the base of Mt. Maunganui, supposed to take 45 minutes. I took double that time and made plenty of rest stops. We enjoyed a shopping excursion after lunch. Next Port of call was Auckland, as we disembarked Val’s handbag was checked out by the Immigration “Sniffer Dog” as we went through the check point. We jumped on a City Express Bus Tour (3 Hrs.), at the Info Centre, and saw some wonderful Gardens and great views over the City from Mt Eden and One Tree Hill. Last stop before heading back to Sydney was “The Bay of Islands”. I went ashore by shuttle and did a 1 ½ hr. Bus Tour of Paihia, travelling through the Town and surrounding countryside, with nice views back over the calm waters of the Bay. During the 2 day crossing to Sydney, one of the highlights was the Dessert Extravaganza, displayed at poolside, where the kitchen staff and Chefs showed their ability to produce an amazing range of fancy desserts and breads. We were met at Sydney by Steven, who then drove us to Greg and Dianne’s House, at Glenwood, for a family reunion.

Sydney (Xmas), The Entrance (New Year) 2010/2011

December 18th, Arrived at Sydney Gateway Holiday Park and booked in until 26th of December, when we will be going up to The Entrance for New Year. It was great to see all the family again and spend a lot of our time looking after Jessica & Annaliese. They seem to be growing very fast and we can notice how much they have changed since we saw them last. We are constantly amazed how well they swim and easily make new friends, every time they visit with us.




December 25th, Christmas Day and we went to Greg & Dianne’s place for Christmas lunch. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with plenty to drink and great company. Santa was good to us all again this year, especially the girls, who assured us that they left a snack out for Santa and water for the Reindeers. We went back to our Caravan late afternoon to pack up ready to leave Sydney in the morning.



December 26th, We called around to Greg and Dianne’s place for a cuppa and to say our good-byes before travelling up to Dunleith Tourist Park , at The Entrance. We will be here to celebrate the New Year and pack up for our NZ Cruise on the 2nd January.



December 28th, We went to Flight Centre to pick up the Paperwork for our NZ Cruise, only to find that our contact was on holidays and nothing was in the file. This was the first day that Flight Centre was open after the Christmas. Then our new assistant could not contact the booking Agents so, I now have to come back to-morrow to pick up our documentation. Who said “Life was not meant to be easy”, so true.



December 29th, Finally picked up our Cruise tickets and Boarding Pass from Flight Centre and it was suggested that we should check with Immigration whether it would be necessary to have Val’s British Passport endorsed with a re-entry visa, to show permanent Australian residency. After talking to the Australian Immigration, they didn’t have a problem but suggested that I contact the New Zealand immigration to get their opinion. NZ Immigration said a re-entry visa would be required. I rang back The Australian Immigration Dept. and made an appointment for 11.30am, at their Parramatta Office, to-morrow.



December 30th, Went down to Parramatta and arrived an hour before our appointment time, at The Immigration Dep’t. We walked around the block and were amazed at the changes in Church Street and Paramatta Railway Station area. We were taken right on time by the Immigration Officer but time dragged on as they could not find a record of Val being granted permanent residency. Fortunately, Val had her original British Passport and although the stamp noting her arrival in Australia was blurred, a higher Supervisor deciphered the imprint to read “Entry into Australia” and approved the issue of a Visa endorsement. $260.00 later we left the Immigration Dep’t, very happy to be returning back to The Entrance with Val’s Passport all in order.



December 31st, Joan and Robert came down for lunch and brought our mail with them. We went over some of the key things they would need to know about our Van, so that they hopefully have an enjoyable Holiday at Dunlieth, while we are Cruising NZ. They left early afternoon to have New Year with their family. At 9pm we gathered with the Caravan Park crowd to watch the 9pm New Year Fireworks, being launched from a pontoon in the Lake just in front of our Caravan Park. They were very impressive for a local event and went for 20 minutes. We then went back to our Van and with a few Chardies, brought in the New Year watching the Sydney Bridge Fireworks.





January 1st, Today we relaxed and finished packing for our Cruise, Ready to leave for Sydney in the morning.