South America and Pacific Cruise - Sector Three

5^th February - 6^th March 2015

Valparaiso - Papeete - Moorea - Rarotonga - Bay of Islands - Auckland - Tauranga - Melbourne - Burnie - Sydney

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February 10. Easter Island, Chile. This was supposed to be a circumnavigation of Easter Island. However, a passenger had to be evacuated, first to Easter Island and then Santiago. This meant that we would have to head straight for the main town. As it turns out there are six Moai (heads) by the main town and we were able to see them. As we were waiting for the tender and the ships doctor to return, the captain spun the ship slowly, so everyone could get a good view of the Moai. Later he then cruised closer the the bay we had passed on our way in, and we were able to see many more heads on the hillsides. Unfortunately, by this time, my camera was back in the cabin.

February 13. Pitcairn Island. Pitcairn is a small island inhabited by descendants of Fletcher Christian and Tahitians. We made two circumnavigations of the island, one in each direction. I saw the main town, Adamstown, such as it is, but never saw any sign of life.

February 16. Papeete, Tahiti. A hot and sticky day. We went to the Intercontinental Hotel for a pool day. It was great to swim and relax by a large pool. Lunch was good too. In the evening Rob, Barbara and I went to eat from the food trucks and we had another good meal. Then we had a 'pallette of beer' in a local bar.

February 17. Moorea, French Polynesia. Humid and hot again. In the morning we sneaked a peek at the Intercontinental Hotel and saw their sea turtles and dolphins. In the afternoon we took a 4x4 trip into the island. First stop was 'Magic Mountain' which involved a steep climb up to two viewing points. There was a stunning view of the ship in Opunohue Bay and the reef. I could why we took the route on the tenders, as there was only a narrow passage between the reef to the dock. After that we went to a fruit plantation where we saw pineapples growing in the ground, orange, lemon,coconut and grapefruit trees. Our guide removede the husk of a coconut with his teeth and then I managed to open it with three bangs of a small stone. Then we went to another view point and saw Opunohue Bay, Mount Rotui and Cook's Bay. Then it was off to a marae (temple) which wasn't as impressive as the ones I saw on Tahiti last time.

February 19. Rarotonga, Cook Islands. P&O's maiden visit to the island. The sea was quite choppy and tendering took longer than usual as the ship and tenders were moving so much. We were the only ship out of the last six scheduled visits to actually make it. Todays excursion was to Muri Lagoon. We boarded our bus, which had two bench seats and drove to the lagoon. There is only one road round the island and the public buses are headed either Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise. We went clockwise. On the way we passed many houses and lots had well kept graves in their gardens. There were also graves in plots by the side of the road, but not necessarily in churchyards. Once at the lagoon, we sailed out a couple of kilometres to near the protective reef, where we snorkled and swam. There were a few pieces of coral and lots of fish, varying in size from tiny to quite large. One of the crew brought up a giant clam for us to see and another member swam under the boat and we could see the fish circling her, through the glass bottom. Then we went to Motu Korumiri, a small unihabited island a couple of hundred metres from the main island. There we had lunch and watched a couple of guys climb the coconut palms and then another coconut husking and opening demonstration. He didn't use his teeth this time! We were then shown seven of the three hundred and seventy ways to tie a sarong, who knew? After that, Barbara and I had a beer before tendering back to the ship.

February 25. Bay of Islands, New Zealand. After a long wait we tendered in to Waitangi and then took the shuttle bus into Paihia, the local town. There we looked at a craft fair and strolled round the streets. It's literally just two parallel roads. A seaside resort with a few quiaint shops and cafes. After that, it was back to Waitangi and the Treaty Grounds. This is where the Maori signed over to Britain. I'd been before. We saw the Flagstaff, Treaty House, Carved Meeting House and two very long war canoes.

February 26. Auckland, New Zealand. My third visit. I met Gary and Tracey, a couple of Brits, who emigrated in the late 90's. We drove over the Harbour Bridge to a big mall where I had my hair cut. Then it was on to Orewa Reserve. This is a long beach with people surfing and body boarding. We walked along the beach and then went into Warkworth where we had lunch and strolled by the river. After that it was back into Auckland for two more stops. First stop was Mount Eden, a volcanic crater with great views of the city. We walked round the rim, then it was on to One Tree Hill, which is in the middle of Cornwall Park, a very British place, with sheep roaming about. Again, spectacular views of Auckland.

February 27. Tauranga, New Zealand. New Zealand's fourth largest town and largest port. We drove to Rotorua. On the way we stopped at the beach for a panoramic view of the bay and Mount Raunganui. There was an island in bay, where Zane Gray, the American author used to visit. Just past a town called Te Puke, we visited a kiwi fruit orchard called Kiwi 360. There we saw the vines with the fruits about two months from harvest. We also tasted various kiwi fruit products. Then it was on to the Blue Lake and the Green Lake near Rotorua. I've seen a few of these types of lakes before and to me, they always look the same colour and it's never blue or green! Here, when the sun shone, the Green Lake was distinctly green and the Blue Lake was bluish! After lunch in Rotorua, we went to St. Faith's Church, which is usually closed, but we were lucky to get inside. It's a Maori church that overlooks the lake and it's claim to fame is a glass window with a Maori Christ etched on to it. Viewed from the correct angle, he appears to be walking on water. Behind the church is a small graveyard, where Maori soldiers who fought in the two world wars are buried. We then saw steaming pools, bubbling mud pools and a geyser. We travelled back along a different route, through spectacular scenery, stopping off at a honey farm on the way.

March 03. Melbourne, Australia. My second visit to Melbourne in two years. I met Trish, a lady who I became friends with on the Serenade of the Seas in June 2014. We drove to Geelong, a town about 50 miles from Melbourne. Her sat nav took us on a very long route inland. It took us well over an hour and a half and about 100 miles! When we got there, we went to Little Creatures Brewery. Unfortunately, we were too late for the tour, but we were in time for the beer tasting! We then had lunch in the brewery. The restaurant was in a large building, but the bars, kitchens etc. were housed in converted shipping containers. After lunch we strolled around Geelong sea front and pier and then the town, before driving back to Melbourne in an hour.

March 04. Burnie, Australia. A slightly different day. It was a foodie tour. First stop was House of Anvers Chocoloate. This was started in the early 1990's by a Belgian. It's a small factory in a converted house and all the chocolates are hand made. We had a huge piece of chocolate cake and delicious hot chocolate for elevenses. Then it was on to Cherry Barn, a cherry processor. The cherry season finished a couple of weeks before our visit, so we just had tastings of various cherry products and then lunch, all of half an hour after elevenses! Next on the itinerary was Ashgrove Cheese Factory. This specialises in English hard cheeses. As they were supposed to having an electrical cable replaced, they weren't making any cheese when we visited. We got to taste some of the cheeses though. They made a delicious mature cheddar and, something new to me, a wasabi cheddar. Final stop was Christmas Hill Berry Farms. Here they specialise in raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. We tasted various raspberry products, including wonderful chocolate covered raspberries. Then we strolled around the farm and went into some of the poly tunnels.

March 06. Sydney, Australia. My third visit to Sydney. As another ship was docked where we would normally moor, we had to tender in until she moved and we were able to take her place. The tender dock was right by the Sydney Opera House. We walked around downtown Sydney and across to Darling Harbour. We also went up the Sydney Tower where there are stunning views of this beautiful place, including the ship moored in the harbour.