Day 150

-
JANUARY 27, 2020

BAY OF ISLANDS, (WAITANGI), NEW ZEALAND

 Image result for bay of islands

 Stepping onto our balcony this morning I smelled flowers. The ship is docked in the middle of Bay of Islands and the air is fragrant - wow!. Joy. 

 Even after arriving on land there is a distinct and pleasant scent of green foliage. Fresh, soothing. The countryside looks familiar - like Vancouver Island or rural England. Comfortable. Civilized.

 Waitangi has only about 2,000 inhabitants but it is just about the nicest port we have seen. Everything we see earns 5 stars.

 Our excursion took us to Kawakawa where the main attraction is a toilet - honest! From the outside it looks like this:

 Image result for kawakawa toilet

 Inside:

 Image result for kawakawa toilet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundertwasser_Toilets


Some folks simply needed a rest:

In Kerikeri we visited Rainbow Falls:
 Image result for kerikeri falls

Later, we ferried across the bay to Russell (pop. 730) for lunch (it was massive). 

 Image result for russell new zealand

Russell was even more comfy-cozy than Waitangi - just a few streets but full of restaurants, cafes, and shops to meet all needs. Wonderful.

 This is only our first day in New Zealand and already we are becoming enthralled with this peaceful place.


 New Zealand is where The Lord of the Rings, possibly the most entertaining trilogy ever filmed, came to life. During the next few days I will offer you several of its award-winning musical triumphs. Let's begin with the Main Theme. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prZ4RWWku7Y

Comments

  1. GnTJanuary 27, 2020 at 8:49 AM

    Did you have lunch in the Duke of Marlborough Hotel? Russell is a gem.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 165

-
Image
FEBRUARY 11, 2020 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Sydney is booming. This is Circular Quay where cruise ships often moor.  This is the epicenter of Sydney. It looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago. As you can see, and as you can't see, a construction boom has taken place and continues to take place unabated in this city. Sydney emits an infectious feeling of comfortable confidence. An outsider feels good here. Sydney's waterfront is undergoing radical redevelopment as shown by the hi-rise condo and the nearing completion 67 storey Crown Casino Tower on the left. Viking arranged for us Ultimate World Cruisers to have a private tour of the Sydney Opera House this afternoon. That was followed by a three aria recital by diva Penelope Mills and then a cocktail party accompanied by a three course meal. Sated we returned to the Sun.  Wow - this UNESCO world heritage site has so much more than we expected. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House So,
Read more

Day 40

-
Image
October 9, 2019 NEW YORK, NEW YORK This is the scene that greeted us as we sailed into New Yawk harbour. It rained most of the day. The Sun docked at Pier 88 and who did we see on our port side? the Viking Sea which departed two days before the Sun did in London. It leaves later today while we set sail (steam away?) (leave?) in two days, but on a different route this time. Parked on our starboard side is the retired aircraft carrier Intrepid with a host of various planes on its deck including an SR-71 Blackbird   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq8mUnxEBII  while next to Intrepid on the quai sits a retired Concorde  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MCETiKCLhc We bus toured Manhattan for four hours. NYC feels like a slow motion town, but you probably already knew that. Walking is a faster mode of transportation than a tour bus, maybe a cab even. Obstructions in every street. My passionate dislike of bus tours in large cities was mightily reinforced. In future....fuggedaboudit
Read more

Day 176

-
Image
FEBRUARY 22, 2020 CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I found the coronavirus. It's at Cairns Botanic Garden and it's much larger than reported, about four inches across: Although it rained buckets this morning, the weather eventually improved so I could take this photo from the Viking Sun looking towards downtown. Moving to the other side of the ship, this is what the harbour looks like: As planned, we lunched at The Chambers again. Same wonderful meal. Nirvana. Bottom line - Cairns is a delightful, welcoming city. Karen and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and wish the ship could spend more time here. It is what it is. In 1785 Mozart composed his familiar Piano Concerto #21. Almost 200 years later, in 1967, a movie titled " Elvira Madigan " used Mozart's Concerto as its theme music. Ever since, Mozart's composition has been known as Elvira Madigan . Funny how that happens.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3QC4Uc
Read more