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 1

-
Image
August 31, 2019 We boarded Viking Sun and settled into Penthouse Veranda Suite 6072 (388 sq ft) The various suites on the ship can be viewed here: https://www.vikingcruises.com/con tent/ocean-star-tour/start.html A tour of the ship: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-sun.html#noscroll All of the cruise stops, including available excursions can be viewed here: https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/world-grand/2020-world-cruise/index.html#itineraryday/2 There is always a free tour provided by Viking - optional tours are made by reservation and at a cost to the traveler.  Today  Karen and I wanted to tour Blenheim Palace  but it is several hours from the ship and time was limited so we enjoyed the following video as our vicarious visit.   https://youtu.be/SKv-3cU6sHk That's OK - tomorrow we visit a real palace! With limited time we took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of London, visited the National Gallery (w...
Read more

Day 72

-
Image
NOVEMBER 11, 2019 SALVADOR DA BAHIA, BRAZIL For a city that I've never heard of, Salvador da Bahia is a surprisingly large metropolis. Three million people live in this sprawling, modern city. It seems as though there is a catholic church at every street corner, a bit like Starbucks. The photos I took today all disappeared as I was downloading them, so I borrowed a few from the Internet. This is part of the old town where we walked - it was crowded.  Most of the city is on an escarpment above the water. In order to access the escarpment, there are three funiculars and this 73 meter Elevador Lacerda which was built in 1873 - it costs 4 cents to ride up or down.  Also in town is the cruise ship, World Odyssey. You might recall that this ship operated as a floating condominium at one time and sailed wherever the owners decided. I guess that concept passed its expiry date for the ship now sails under its new flag "Seminar a...
Read more

Day 182

-
FEBRUARY 28, 2020 DARWIN, AUSTRALIA We all recognize that life is an adventure - there will be surprises. Coronavirus is an unexpected development and this voyage has already made adjustments. Further adjustments are possible, even likely, during the two months remaining on Viking's World Cruise.  At a time when authorities must be " seen to be doing something " about the chances of a pandemic, fear can provoke overreaction and more surprises. Karen and I have taken a cautionary attitude about how matters could evolve. We believe this is prudent. Consequently, we have decided to defer the remainder of this voyage to a later date.    With that in mind, a fitting tune is Sophie Zelmani's  " Going Home ". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrIG3K40-8A
Read more