Traveling with Ray Owens

Day 28. February 10, 2025 Waiheke Island and Auckland

February 10, 2025

Today was our last day of the Viking post extension trip. It has been a very good trip. Tomorrow most of the people are heading back to their home. We have another two weeks of fun before we get home.

Today was a fun day all around. Our day began with a ferry ride to Waiheke island. Waiheke is 36 square miles with 9500 residents. They have a micro climate that makes them a couple of degrees warmer than Auckland. The soil and temperature and rainfall make it a very good place to grow wine grapes and also olive trees. So they do. The other booming industry is catering to tourists. So they are very good at that.

We took the 9 am ferry to the island arriving at 9:45. Guess how long the ferry takes to get there? Good guess!

We were met by several local guides and we were lucky enough to get in the small 12 person Mercedes minibus with our driver “Steve”. He was very informative on all things Waihekeian.

Our first stop was Oneroa one of the two small villages. How small is it? There is a bank that has posted on the door their opening hours. 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Tuesday and Thursday. Not a busy place. But if you are a tourist looking for hats and t-shirts made in China, this is your place.

We had three planned stops. The first was an olive grove and olive press. We were there for olive oil tasting. I did taste it. They provide little chunks of bread for dipping. The different blends and kinds of olives did taste different. I think I prefer my olive oil to have a little bit of balsamic vinegar mixed with it like they do at Olive Garden. But it was very educational nonetheless.

The proprietor told us that the oil was extra virgin olive oil because of the amount of oxidation in the oil must be extremely low. I recall being told in both Italy and Israel that to be labeled extra virgin the oil must be the first cold pressing using only mechanical methods of separation (no chemicals), such as a hydraulic press or a centrifuge. Well here in New Zealand the first cold press does not seem to matter. Nevertheless it was nice olive oil.

Our next stop was at a vineyard and we had a wine tasting. The sommelier gave us the rundown on each wine. Now I have been to a number of wine tasting places but I have not always tasted. I am beginning to think it is the same racket that a football coach uses when the reporter asks what are they going to do in the second half. “Well…….” Different words same meaning. The wine all has a full bodied, hearty, nutty or fruit taste with a hint of oak, moca, honey and a pepper or spicy kick at the end. A mix and match. Maybe I am just a bumpkin from Cactus, Texas, but that is my opinion.

We then went to a different winery where we had lunch. The lunch was good and the dessert was pretty spectacular. Coconut ice cream with strawberries and a plum purée drizzled over. Very, very good.

We then took the ferry back. We spent much of the day with Judy and Tom. They are delightful people who we have gotten to know. We decided to eat dinner together this evening. Since we finished lunch about 2:00 PM we opted to eat at 7:00. We decided to eat at the pub at The Shakespeare hotel. The oldest hotel and pub in New Zealand. A very pleasant place

When we got there a nice guy at the bar told us we could order our food at the bar downstairs and then eat at the restaurant area upstairs. Penny and I were going to order fish and chips but at that moment they were delivering an order of fish and chips to someone else and we saw it. It was a huge meal so we opted to split the one order. No problem. But when Judy and Tom ordered the same exact thing a different fellow said the restaurant wasn’t opened. They said but Ray and Penny just ordered the same thing and went up there. There was a bit of a go round before the first nice guy stepped in and got the order placed.

So up we went and sat upstairs. In a bit they brought one order for Penny and me and Tom and Judy said to go ahead. We got finished and still no second order of fish and chips. We could see the two people cooking and so we finally asked them and they said there was a mix up and it would be ready in three minutes and it was.

That was when google maps gave us the runaround finding Scrunchy Millers real fruit ice cream shop. We got to the corner and turned right like google said and could not find it but we did see a place on the left called Ice Ice Baby. So we went there and in little print down near the street the sign said Scrunchy Millers. I had the flavor Hokey Pokey and it was great.

A continuation of nice days.

Guess what this building is?

The ferry terminal on Waiheke Island

A bird lands on a bird

I love small town bulletin boards.

Cool old car. I thought it was rusty but on close inspection this was intentional.

I wanted to buy this but Penny reminded me not to be dishonest

Olive trees

Green olives and black olives are all the same tree. Impatient growers pick them when they are green.

olive tree inspectors convention.

Prepare to taste the olive oil.

Explaining the oil

The tasting of the wine.

Vineyard art

The art work was pricey

Vineyard tire swing

Vineyard cellar backroom

The scale I was forced to use after all the food on this cruise.

the bell from the Titanic?

ice cream

In the yard of the vineyard

In the yard of the vineyard

grapes

In the yard of the vineyard

In the yard of the vineyard

In the yard of the vineyard

more grapes

Brides on the beach taking pictures

Street signs in Auckland

When you can’t afford a painter chalk will do.

Shakespeare hotel

Just one per healthy customer
Day 27. February 9, 2025 Huka Falls, Zealong Tea Estate.

February 9, 2025

Another lovely day in paradise. We had breakfast in the hotel in Taupo. Breakfast for me has coffee as the most important ingredient. Actually it is the only ingredient. I have been sorely disappointed by the performance of the Hilton coffee machines. I can’t get a decent cup of coffee. In fact I can’t get a full cup. Just a splash in the bottom. Poor, poor pitiful me!

We set off in our coaches at 9:00 for our trip from the national park to Auckland. We have several stops on our way. The first was about 20 minutes down the road. We stopped at Huka Falls. The falls is a few hundred meters from where the lake drains out and becomes the Waikato River, which flows all the way to Auckland. The river at its origin is about 100 meters across but it soon enters a canyon carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupo Volcano’s Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago. The canyon narrows to about 15 meters across. Imagine turning on the garden hose full blast and then putting your thumb over the end. The same amount of water comes out but it is much faster. The Huka Falls is not much of a drop but the water is moving very fast over the falls, 58,100 gallons of water per second. It is a pretty spectacular falls for a wee little specimen of a waterfall.

We are driving through an area where a great deal of geothermal power is produced. The area has a lot of thermal vents. The steam and hot water that is in the ground is captured and piped to steam turbine generators. New Zealand has over 90 percent of its energy from renewable sources. It is on track to be 100 percent by 2030. They put their money where their mouths are. If only we had the collective will to help save the planet.

Also the heart of the New Zealand timber industry or farming is located in the area we drove through. It is still hard to believe that the timber industry plants a crop of trees this year that will not be ready to harvest until 2050. But that’s okay because this year’s harvest was planted in 2000.

Lunch was at the Zealong Tea Estate. The lunch consisted of little cute tea biscuits and sandwiches. There was also tea. The owners were immigrants from Tiawan. They wonder whether the tea plants that grew in the northern hemisphere would thrive in the southern hemisphere. New Zealand does not allow importing seeds, or plants with roots intact. They only allow plant cuttings to be imported and they must be subjected to a several months of quarantine. He imported 1500 cuttings and after the quarantine there were only 130 surviving tea plant cuttings. He carefully nurtured the plants and soon had a large and modern tea estate consisting today of over 1.3 million tea plants. He began to use modern equipment to prune and care for the plants. This resulted in the ability to certify the tea as 100 percent organic, no chemicals. The tea evidently is pretty good. There are pictures on the wall of the former Queen sipping some Zealong tea. King Charles also enjoys the tea. My palate for tea is only ranked worse by my palate for wine. So although they offered we opted not to purchase any tea.

Our arrival at the Grand by Sky City hotel in Auckland was a bit of a spectacle. Three bus loads of senior citizens all shlepping their suitcases into the lobby, all having to check in. It took a minute. Penny got us in a room that we can stay in for two additional nights after our Viking post extension ends before we fly to Brisbane, Australia.

We went out for dinner. We walked a few blocks around the hotel and wound up at the Dragon Boat Chinese restaurant. The patrons in this restaurant were almost exclusively oriental folks. There was a lot of large groups including a group of flight attendants from an oriental airline.

The food reminded me of eating in Hong Kong restaurants. You could order whatever you wanted but they were often going to bring you what they thought you needed. Tonight I ordered chicken with cashews and vegetables. That is what they charged me for but what they served was cashews with shrimp and vegetables. As I would expect the shrimp came with tails attached. I was glad no heads and feet were attached. It was good.

We are on the 9th floor of the hotel and have a nice view of other tall buildings across the street.

A good day to take a coach ride with several interesting stops.

The Waikato River

It narrows and speeds up

Then if falls aka Huka Falls

Tira, the town where the tourist buildings are a sheep and ram.

Oh! And a sheep dog

The tea shop at the Zealong Tea Estate

Where the tea at the Zealong Tea Estate is grown.

Where the tea at the Zealong Tea Estate is grown.

The tea machine

Check in chaos

View from our window

Bungy Jumping?

Not our hotel
Day 26. February 8, 2025 Lake Taupo and Taranaki Falls

February 8, 2025

I have an idea. Let’s get in a coach and drive an hour and a half around the shore of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand at 238 square miles. Not all that big, but they are pretty proud. Then we drive to the base of a volcano Waikato and then walk up the trail to see Taranaki Falls. Then we can walk down to get a good look at the falls and then back up and up to get back to the coach. What do you say to that plan? Sounds great! Let’s go!

Well, it was great. The drive was lovely and the stories of the mountains were fascinating. I was going to upload the story about the mountains that our guide Christian told us that I recorded on voice memo but can’t figure out how to do that. Maybe later I can. It is a fun story about mountains falling in love and fighting for the girl mountain.

The lake I mentioned is in fact a caldera that is the second largest in the world, topped only by the Yellowstone caldera.

About 50 of us senior citizens made the same decision to take this hike and they divide us into groups of about 10 and sent us with the guides. I got into a group that was designated as a leisure group. I originally thought I was going to be held back by the slow walkers but soon I was glad for the leisurely pace.

Our guide, Tanya, really was great. We learned a lot about the volcanos and geology and the flora on the New Zealand mountains.

One of the tiniest little plants in New Zealand is the Sundew. It is a reddish little thing that gives off a sweet smell that attracts insects. The tiny flowers are covered by sticky even tinier hairs. When an insect lands on the Sundew it soon learns of the carnivorous nature of this plant and it is eaten alive!!! (Cue ominous music.)

Then there is the plant that has lovely little red berries. The plant is the tutu plant perhaps because the seeds in the berries are too too poisonous to go near. The story is told of a traveling circus leaving their elephant near a patch of tutu. The elephant died. Humans be warned.

The Māori people developed a way to extract the juice from the berries and leave the seeds behind. This was not a 100 percent effective process and sometimes a person would be poisoned. The poison would cause massive convulsions that could cause the person to break most of their bones. Then if the poison did not kill them the broken bones would. Their solution was to dig a huge hole in the ground next to where they were going to consume the tutu juice. If someone started reacting they would put them in the hole and bury them up to the neck so they could not move. If the lived they would dig them out and there would be no broken bones. If the poison killed them? It was pretty easy to finish the burial.

The track (aka trail) was a very well maintained path that encouraged people to stay out of the delicate flora and yet we could enjoy them from a close proximity. The track spent some time in the treeless bushes and then you would walk into a primeval forest. This national park has 3 active volcanoes: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom in “The Lord of the Rings” films) and Ruapehu with its ski slopes. Ski slopes you say? Now if you are thinking about ski slopes in the USA where you can go in the summer and see big meadows between the trees. That is not here. Even if you are thinking about the slopes of Sun Valley Idaho where much of the ski slope is above the tree line and the meadow are much bigger. That is not here either. The Whakapapa ski area is located on a volcano in a lava strewn field of giant boulders. I couldn’t imagine how you could get enough snow to make the ski surface even sorta boulder free. The key to solving this is they have snow making machines that put down about 6 meters of manufactured snow (almost 20 feet of snow) and then they pray for real snow.

Speaking of lord of the rings. The national park is also the location of Tawhai Falls which was the place where Gollum’s pool was filmed. I was kinda sad that we did not walk the extra hour and a half to get there.

We had dinner this evening at our hotel. Viking arranged a buffet. We sat at at table with eight people we have been getting to know. Two of the ladies are sisters from Milwaukee. They are four years apart in age. They were telling stories that had us all in stitches. Marsha is the baby sister. They are in separate rooms. Marsha called Linda to ask if she could use her shower because there was only a tub in her bathroom. Linda said she could use hers just bring a robe and come over. Marsha called back a few minutes later and said “never mind, I found it. It was behind the door. “

The day was delightful, even if I did have to walk 5.8 miles uphill both ways to discover this delight. . The evening dinner was even more delightful.

Our hotel pool that we did not use

The story was that people in New Zealand love to camp and they generally camp in the same camp sight two or three times a year for years on end. They camp next to the same people year after year. So they develop lifelong friendships with people that they camp next to for a week or so once a year. Thursday was a national holiday so many took Friday vacation and this was a four day camping trip.

This is a picture of the ski field in winter ( June to September)

Tanya our guide on our walk.

The open field part of the trek.

Mount Ruspehu with its head in the clouds

The forest trail

The forest where everything is covered in growth

The Sundew plant

Up close Sundew

Some insect or arachnid was busy

Volcanic eruptions throw things that gouge these scars into the mountain. It removes the plants and any dirt that accumulates is washed away by rain or snow melt. Thus it takes centuries for the scars to heal

There are some people way down on the trail we walked up.

Tanya brought snacks. Pineapple chewy candy covered in chocolate

Tutu plant. Do not eat.

The giant waterfall. Ok this one was six inches tall

Me and Taranaki Falls

Also Taranaki Falls

A peak at the top of Mount Ruspehu

The ski field

Ski tows over the boulder
Day 24 & 25 February 6 & 7, 2025 Glow Worms

February 7, 2025

Yesterday was a day at sea. So in summary, we ate, we played cards, we had cultural experience with a group of Māori dancers and performers. It was similar to when I was chief the other day but a bit more humor.

And we packed our suitcases.

Today we said goodbye to our lovely friends Frank and Jeanette. They are heading back to the USA today. Penny and I are sticking around New Zealand and Australia for another 2 and a half weeks.

We started our post extension today. We had to officially enter New Zealand today. Prior to today we were cruise ship passengers and we came and went with just a cruise card and our drivers license. Today we had to show our passport.

Mark is our guide for the next few days. Bunny is our bus driver. I asked if Bunny was on his birth certificate. He said no. How did you get that name? The answer was “My parents”. I did not push the matter further. I suspect he was a cute and hoppy toddler.

We stopped at a rest stop for a toilet break and there was a nice rose garden across the street. I took pictures.

We are driving to a national park. On the way we stopped to have lunch at a very lovely farm house. The farmer milks 300 cows. The wife cooks a wonderful lunch for 3 buses of people, about 75 hungry tourists. The lunch was delicious as it was mainly food grown on their farm and the ice cream with cherries was even better.

Next we are going to see worms. …. We did, we did see worms and they glowed. We got to visit Waitomo the caves where the glow-worms live. The Māori people knew of the caves but since they had not found a reliable source for batteries for their flashlights they did not really explore much beyond the first few meters of the caves. In fact, or maybe in myth, they believed caves were the gateway to the underworld. It was some time later when Europeans began to explore that the little creatures were found to exist. These tiny little worms (2-3 centimeters) are bioluminescent critters like a firefly aka lightning bug. But they do not fly. Actually, according to the book I bought because they told me I could not take pictures, they are not worms at all. They are the larva stage of a small fly. They live in caves and stick to the ceiling. The cave is a special kind. It is a limestone cave that has a river that flows through it. The river has small insects that are floating on or above the water. When the water enters the cave it gets dark. This is where the glowing part comes in handy. Bugs are attracted to light. But how do the non flying worms catch the insects? This is where the worms imitate their cousins the spiders. The worms secrete from their mouths strands of very sticky fibers that hang down from the little hammock like place where the worms hang out. The bugs get stuck on the strands as they charge towards the light. And Bob’s your uncle glow-worm lunch is served.

There was a great deal of oooing and wowing as we floated in a boat down the cave past the worms. Our local guide was really funny. He pointed out stalagmites and the tight variety and then told us what the guides had decided they looked like if you have as good of an imagination as they do. So naturally we all agreed that indeed that funny rock did look like an elephant in profile.

The trip from the caves to Lake Taupo was a long trip in a very annoying coach. For most of the 3 hour trip the coach made a high pitched squeak that was more like a banshee screaming that I could hear from my seat (No I have never heard a banshee scream but I am sure it sounds like our coach.) Penny was sitting toward the back of the bus and was not subjected to the noise. It was beautiful scenery but a very winding road similar to driving the hills in Arkansas at a high rate of speed.

We arrived at our Hilton hotel and were met by absolutely no one. You should have seen the geriatric folk trying to wrangle their too big and too much luggage to the rooms. It was complicated by there being up to six doors to get through to arrive at your room. We pulled it off.

Dinner this evening was at another hotel down by the lake shore. It decided to rain while we were loading the bus but by the time we were leaving the dinner it had stopped raining. Another tasty meal and a chance to meet more people.

It was a very early morning and I am ready to sleep. Tomorrow I hike to a waterfall. Penny decided to take a more panoramic sightseeing excursion.

My bride and I on the bus for our post excursion in New Zealand

Our wonderful friends Frank and Jeanette on the bus for a day in Auckland before flying home

Some Māori art along the highway

Yellow Rose of New Zealand not Texas.

Reddish pink rose not all roses are yellow

Not all plants in the rose garden are roses. This one is a tree.

White and pink rose and a busy as a bee bee!🐝

The farmhouse. The buffet was just getting started.

The farmhouse drawing room.

All farmhouses have yards.

Actual size statue of a now extinct flightless bird called a Moa. It was up to 6 to 7 feet tall at the back and up to 11 feet at the head. They were hunted to extinction about 200 years after the Māori people came to New Zealand in about 1200 to 1300 CE.

Penny going into the glow worm cave.

At the very end our guide said we could take pictures so I did

Leaving the cave

It is international law that every country has some farmers who leave a rusting car in their field.

This pipeline carries geothermal water to the power plant.

This was on the McDonalds parking lot

it rained

dinner remains

Picture of glow worms from the book I purchased.
Day 23 February 5, 2025 Tauranga, New Zealand

February 5, 2025

Today the morning began with a bit of a lay in. We did not arrive in our port until around 10:00. Consequently, no popping out of bed at the crack of dawn.

Tauranga port is where we docked. It is located in the Bay of Plenty and it is a lovely town with white sand beaches.

Timber is one of the top exports of New Zealand. They grow a lot of pine trees that are native to the USA. But the growing conditions and soil here are better and the trees reach maturity in about 25 years. Growing to maturity typically takes another 10 to 20 years in USA . It we would be interesting to know how much the timber industry has ready to harvest each year. Every port we have been to in New Zealand has had a port full of logs ready to ship.

Our destination today was Te Puia the Māori arts and crafts center. It was about an hour bus ride. Our trip took us through the kiwi fruit growing region of the country. Evidently they have cultivated three varieties of kiwi. The traditional green, an orange fruit variety and a new red fruit variety. The skin of the kiwi fruit is brownish, only the fruit of the kiwi changes.

We arrived at Te Puia just in time for a very good lunch buffet. Everyone raved about the food.

After lunch we experienced a cultural performance of the Māori. This is when our guide picked out the bravest and strongest, most intelligent and wisest visitor in our group to become chief of visitors. Naturally he picked me! Ok maybe he asked for a volunteer and I got my hand up first. I was chief of the visitors for the rest of the day. Nothing much changed. No one paid the least bit of attention to my chieftain commands nor any of my chiefly suggestions.

I safely met the challenge of the Māori warriors who came towards me brandishing weapons and making fierce faces. I maintained my poker face and stood my ground. The warrior then offered me the peace symbol (a fern branch). This allowed us to enter the community center of the tribe and we enjoyed the talented people dancing and singing. It was delightful.

Our next stop was the school where the traditional arts of wood carving, stone carving and weaving are taught to young Māori people. The students must apply to enter the school and the goal is to teach them how to become teachers of the craft. It was a busy place with lots going on.

Our next stop was the Kiwi bird conservation area. The kiwi bird is flightless. When people came here for the first time the only mammals that were indigenous to New Zealand were bats and sea mammals such as seals and whales. The kiwi birds had no predators so walking was not an issue for them and they thrived.

But with humans came many mammals including dogs, cats which were naturally predators of the Kiwi and they soon became endangered. Kiwi sanctuaries are a means of trying to insure a viable population.

Our last stop was the thermal features of this part of New Zealand. There were mud pots and geysers. They were pretty active, not as regular as some, but still very frequent.

It was a good day.

Tonight was our farewell show for our trip. The Viking Vocalists performed the music of the Beatles. You have never seen so many old codgers singing and swaying to the music of the 1960s. It was fun.

Tomorrow is a sea day. It is also a national holiday, New Zealand Day, the day of the signing of the treaty between the British crown and the Māori people at Waitangi.

So all the dock workers will be off on holiday so we will be hanging outside the port until we can dock in Aukland.

pilot boat

City Bay

Kiwi fruit growing.

New Zealand scenery

Lake in New Zealand

Our Māori guide – the one in the shorts

the Meeting House

The Māori dancers make this face for real.

Student learning the arts of the Māori culture.

The weavers learning to weave.

The woven products of the weavers who learned to weave.

wood carving products

Geysers

the cutest beach bum ever.

The newly elected chief of the visitors facing off the local inhabitants

the rock star of the Maori people
Day 22 February 4, 2025 Napier, New Zealand

February 4, 2025

Today’s excursion for Frank, Jeanette and me is a trip to a goat dairy and sheep station. Penny said she had seen the sheep dogs work and she opted to ride a train in the city. Frank and I thought we are sheep shearing experts, since we have seen one done a couple of days ago. So we plan to be judges and hold up numbered signs to rate the job.

We had a lovely day. It has been very nice and educational to see different areas of New Zealand. Napier and the surrounding area are much flatter than the mountains we have been seeing. The area is highly involved in agriculture. They grow a variety of things from maize (AKA, corn) to all kinds of fruit, to grapes for wine, to sheep, goats cows and chickens. They grow so much that they export over 90% of what they produce.

Our guide was a young man who wanted to start a business providing agricultural tourism. He met his wife whose family owned a bus company. So it was a match made in heaven.

The guide went to school with members of the family who owned a farm. The husband and wife are in their 30s. The wife had a degree in business. They started a goat dairy farm back several years before Covid struck. They were doing well until Covid shut down much of their business which was exporting goat powdered milk. China managed to get a much larger share of the goat milk market. They never recovered. Being good business people they shifted to fattening cattle.l, letting beef people run their herds on their land.

Then when one of their sons wanted to do motor cross they took the opportunity to let him learn about farm life. And they decided to let the son start a chicken business. After googling how to raise chickens and harvest eggs, they had a business that made the son some money.

They also have sheep on the farm. But that business of selling wool is one that is also in decline. This is largely due to the rise in synthetic materials for clothing.

The latest business is the tourism business, giving cruise ship passengers an opportunity to visit a working New Zealand farm. It was a great time.

On our way back to the ship our guide stopped and bought us apples at a local orchard. It is apple picking time and these were delicious apples.

Penny took a train of sorts it was pulled on the streets and there were tires of rubber and no tracks. The driver built the train from scratch with his dad. He described the changes to the town of Napier since their last big earthquake in 1931. It lasted 2 1/2 minutes and when it was over, the land had shifted so much that the town had 67,000 more acres of land than before the quake as it pushed land up through the lagoon. He then described how they worked out how to turn the new marshy salty soil into good solid usable land over the next couple years. It was a very enjoyable and informative train ride through their cute little town.

his picture and the next were across the street from each other. The boy is waving at his mom.

The mom waves at the boy.

One of the rivers in this agricultural region

The map on the left is the bay (white area) before the 1931 earthquake. The one on the right shows the new land that was pushed up by the quake.

my bride and the train

The inside of the train

These are the two people that own the goat dairy, sheep farm, the cattle fattening farm and the chicken farm that sells eggs. That is not to mention the agricultural tourism business they run on top of that.

Baby chicks about a month old

The famous tightrope walking hen, Georgette.

This is one of the dogs that work very hard to make sure the sheep go where they are supposed to go.

Me and the view from the yard of the farmhouse.

Every farmer, by law, is required to keep all glass bottles on the wall shelves in the sheep shearing barn.

Fair warning

Facebook and instagram #tukitukidairygoats

Not clear if that is each or for a dozen ? But it is $4.48 US dollars

On the drive back to the boat

On the drive back to the boat

On the drive back to the boat

On the drive back to the boat

Frank and the ship
Day 21 February 3, 2025 Wellington, New Zealand

February 3, 2025

Yesterday I was pretty certain the WOW factor of visiting New Zealand had reached its pinnacle. Yet today was right up there with its wow-ness.

We find ourselves in the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington. One of the main streets in Wellington is right over the main fault line of the area. They experience several hundred quakes each year but most are not felt by the residents. But they have a big one about every ten years. Most of the buildings are made of wood which are better able to withstand shaking than are bricks or stone.

We opted to partake in a morning and afternoon excursion. Our morning excursion was lead by a member of the Māori people. He was a great guide and driver. He told stories of his personal life and of the country. He had the entire van (10 people) laughing all morning. The van was brand new and still had the new car smell.

Our goal was to visit a colony of seals on the coast. We were docked on the east side and the colony lives on the west side. The other interesting tidbit is that Wellington is nestled on the coastline and the mountains rise steeply behind the city. Our seals lay on the other side of the mountains. So we had about an hour drive over the gorgeous New Zealand mountains. The views and animals, domestic and feril, were spectacular.

Some of the stories were about the mistakes the people in the late 1800s and early 1900s made. You may know that in the USA that the plant kudzu was a plant brought on purpose to the USA as a means to control erosion on banks. It did that but soon took over and choked out all other vegetation.

Well the good people of new

Zealand also fell victim to this problem. Cats were introduced into NZ as pets but they soon became feral and began to prey on the native bird population including the flightless kiwi bird. Our guide told us that the kiwi is the mascot of the NZ Air Force. He thought that was pretty ironic.

We came over the mountains and made our way to the seashore. There are no sandy beaches on the island because of the volcanic nature of the place. But the rugged rocks make a great place for seals to sun themselves and to hunt around them.

The majority of our over the mountain trek took us through a farmer’s very large “station”. Which we might call a ranch. Sheep, goats and cattle were all over the place.

But the coastline was, not too many years ago, returned to the Māori people. Prior to that the European people had put fences that separated fields and ran the fence all the way to the ocean edges. This prevented the Māori people from hunting and fishing around the coastline. It was a delightful and hilarious morning.

After lunch our second excursion took us to the Te Papa Tongarewa or Museum of New Zealand. The Māori name means “container of treasures”. Which is a pretty wonderful description for a museum.

The museum tells the story of of the Māori people and of the entire nation’s participation in the wars of the 20th century.

There were stories about immigrants coming from all over the world and being welcomed to New Zealand.

The Māori story of sailing from Polynesian islands between 1320 and 1350 was chronicled. The Māori people were very sophisticated sailors. They used half a coconut shell with holes drilled in the edge to sight through it at a star. They put water in the shell so they could make sure it was level.

The story of 6 February 1840 was when the Māori and the English royal family signed the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty was written in English and translated into the language of the Māori. The two copies were not identical in meaning. It is important that it was the royal family and not the English government that signed the treaty. It is still a treaty with the crown.

Another exhibit was a series of stories about New Zealanders who participated in World War I. There were huge statues of people created to be very very realistic right down to hair on the arms and sweat on the brows. It was very moving.

A very good day for our first visit to the northern island of New Zealand.

Going over the mountains

Going over the mountains

Going over the mountains

Going over the mountains

Going over the mountains

Seal

big seal

rugged coastline

seal and sea weed

My lovely bride

my lovely bride and the bum she married.

wood that has drifted

flowers will survive

The line of dark blue and light is where the Tasmania sea and Pacific Ocean meet. Depending on the weather the line moves closer or farther from the shore of New Zealand.

A stop above Wellington

A family photo from the late 1800’s

much larger than life display of real soldiers from New Zealand in WW II

the nurse

sea birds

seals are much slower on land.
Day 20 February 2, 2025 Christchurch, New Zealand

February 2, 2025

The days just keep getting better and better. This morning Frank, Jeanette, Penny and I had the grand experience of riding through the beautiful farmland of the southern island of New Zealand to arrive at a lovely sheep farm that was built in the 1880s. Mary, the farmer’s wife, greeted us. We were given a demonstration of how the sheep dogs are trained and how they work the sheep. It was amazing.

Then we were shown how to sheer a sheep. The sheep getting a haircut was less than a year old and it was the first time it had been shorn. The first wool is very soft and is typically used to make baby clothing.

We also learned that there is a proper way to hold a sheep so that they will cooperate. The trick is to grab them by the legs and set them down on their rump. Then one front leg is held between the legs of the person doing the sheering. If you were to put them on their side or their back they would kick and wiggle.

We were then treated to fresh apple cider and cake that Mary made.

The ride back was just as beautiful as going out. We had lunch on the ship and then Frank and I took the shuttle bus into Christchurch. The road took us through a long tunnel that made the trip from the port to the city much quicker. In 2011 this area of New Zealand had a severe earthquake that damaged many stone and masonry buildings but the tunnel was virtually unharmed.

In town Frank and I explored the area. There was a huge crowd gathered around the bridge of remembrance watching a street performer. He was eating fire and telling jokes.

We walked several blocks to the Christchurch botanical gardens. It was so very delightful. As you walk just a small distance into the large garden the sights and sounds of the city just faded away.

The flowers and trees were from many places. There was a large section dedicated to the flora of New Zealand. Today was Sunday and there was a concert going on in one area of the garden. They were playing great music from the 1960s.

We made our way back to where the shuttle bus was to pick us up and we encountered the area where the street performer was different. This guy was a contortionist. He was squeezing himself through a tennis racket. (The strings had been removed. )

We then returned to the ship and played cards and ate barbecue.

Another great day.

view from our ship

not all boats are big boats

New Zealand scenery

for Pat and Roger

New Zealand scenery

Cattle

This square of pine trees, we were told, was planted 25 years ago by a couple of farmers who lived near by. When asked what it was to be used for they said. “Nothing, we just were having a bit of a lark.”

sheep

a newly shorn sheep

All the chicken in New Zealand are free range chickens. Both for eating and egg production.

The bridge of remembrance and a street performer

Botanical gardens

fountain in the botanical gardens

The river Avon (name borrowed from England) runs through the botanical garden

yellow flower in the botanical garden

red flower in the botanical garden

they got togeter

Frank and the giant leaves

tree with a goatee

A protest for or against something.
Day 19 February 1, 2025 Dunedin, New Zealand

February 1, 2025

We arrived in New Zealand for another “Wow, I can’t believe we are here!” moment.

This truly has been a marvelous experience. I have been so very privileged in my life. I have visited place that as a child I never dreamed I would get to see: standing on the Great Wall of China, experiencing the art of the Louvre in Paris, seeing the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the fiords of Norway, and now I get to experience the people and places of Australia and New Zealand.

Today we visited Dunedin. A city that people from Scotland came and settled here in 1848.

However the story is the same as in North America, Australia, Singapore and many others. When Europeans came there were already people living here.

Archaeological evidence shows the first Māori occupation of the wider Dunedin area occurred within decades of their arrival in New Zealand (1280–1320).

The Scottish settlers brought with them a love of Scotland. The name Dunedin is the Galicia name for Edinburgh. Many of the streets borrow the names of streets from back in Scotland.

One of the streets with connection to Edinburgh is Baldwin street. The distinction is the one in Edinburgh is a relatively flat street. Whereas the one in Dunedin has been recognition in Guinness as the steepest street in the world.

We also got to visit the Dunedin Railroad station described as a gingerbread style.

The town is quite lovely and did indeed remind me of Scotland.

It was a lovely day topped off with a very good performance by our assistant cruise director Ellie. She is a singer.

Guiness Book of World Records holder in Dunedin

A very Steep Street.

A gnome in the garden of the home at the bottom of Baldwin Street

Flowers in the garden of the home at the bottom of Baldwin Street

Flowers in the garden of the home at the bottom of Baldwin Street

We docked in Port Chambers about 15 minutes from Dunedin. This was on the way to Dunedin.

A little street art

the railway station

Inside the railway station decorated to celebrate Chinese New Year that occured on January 29, 2025

Me at the Dunedin railway station

Penny at the Dunedin railway station

Dunedin is a coastal town

Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. began his trek to the South Pole from the city of Dunedin.

Looking over the fjord of Dunedin

Saturday cricket match.

irst Church of Otago, a Presbyterian church, Victorian-style cathedral, Dunedin
Day 18 January 31, 2025 Sailing the Tasmania Sea

January 31, 2025

Day 18 January 31, 2025 sailing the Tasmania Sea

I actually had the gumption to go to the health center and do some resistance training. I did not do any cardio training. I figured I got enough of that by taking the stairs up and down.

It was a relaxed day. There were cards to play. Lunch and dinner to consume. Frank and I went to the historian’s lecture of the history of New Zealand.

Heard about the Māori people and their ability to navigate by the sun and stars long before European people were able to so.

It was a good relaxing day. Tomorrow we will be in Dunedin New Zealand. I learned to pronounce the town as done-Eden.

Picture taking will resume tomorrow.

recent posts

about