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.