Anyway, great trip so far. Hats off to Princess Cruises! They really did a great job getting us around to terrific destinations all while feeding us 24 hours a day and refilling my bottomless diet coke cup (which I bought…boy did they lose money on that deal!). The staff was pleasant and helpful, the ship was well equipped and clean. Most of all, we met dozens of people from all over the world and truly enjoyed their company. If you are a social person, cruising can be a great way to see many different places without having to move in and out of hotel rooms each night…Pat and I highly recommend this route.
Anyway….on to the cities visited since last post.
Christchurch:
Billed as the most “English city outside England,” Christchurch is the second largest city on the South Island with a population of around 300,000. The certainly intend to live up to that reputation as the welcoming committee was complete in colonial dress with signal bells greeting the ship. A very vibrant and comfortable city with a fantastic arts and theater scene, Christchurch had a lot to see. The annual “Buskers Festival” was going on (Buskers are apparently street performers of all types including acrobats, Mimes etc.) all over the city. Both impromptu and more permanent stages were set up all over town….it’s pretty much a street performers free- for- all with acts trying to compete with each other to be the loudest and most energetic.
Pat and I took several scenic routes around town. As we often do, we try to use public transportation and our own two feet to see these new areas. Generally, we happen upon things we might not take if we stuck to an organized tour. What was obvious from the first moment was the severe blow dealt to many historic building during the recent Canterbury Quake (September last year…..magnitude over 7, I think). Scaffolding and support beams were evident all over town. Many of the photos we have the great old buildings are certainly not like the guidebooks but seems like the locals are intent on saving as many of these structures as they can.
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| Cathedral Square - Christchurch |
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| Cathedral Square |
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| Pat at the Botanic Garden. - Christchurch |
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| Chris...taking a rest |
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| Common sight...scaffolding on buildings damaged by the earthquake |
Tauranga:
Can you say “California Beach Town?” What a beautiful and picturesque place and it certainly does remind us of a beach town. Tauranga actually is made up of two cities, Tauranga, with a population of around 120,000 is the fastest growing city in New Zealand tripling in size in the last 20 years and Mt. Maunganui, with a population of around 75,000. We made port and Mt. Maunganui and were greated by our first truly warm temperatures of the entire cruise (mid 80’s). Mt. Maunganui is a 350 meter (roughly 1150 feet) Mountain right at the end of the city. Maori legend has it that the Mountain was spurned by its (His? Her?....does a mountain have a gender?) Lover and was being towed out to sea. Alas, the mountain was late; the sun rose and froze the mountain in place forever. Such is the lore of the area. As a side note, unlike some residual hard feelings in Australia regarding the Aboriginal peoples, Kiwi’s seem to embrace the Maori and there appears to be fairly good relations between those of European and Maori descent.
Pat and I took a bus around town to see the sight had a great lunch in Mt. Maunganui. Pat went shopping and I decided to climb to the top of the mountain. This is a very steep climb that can cause anyone to break a sweat. It was certainly worth it and I was rewarded with truly stunning views.
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| Pat outside of Elms Mission |
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| View from Mt. Maunganui |
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| Daimond Princess from Mt. Maunganui |
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| Town of Mt. Maunganui |
Auckland:
It’s a short distance to Auckland from Tauranga. We arrived early to a very busy port and a busy day. Disembarkation went quickly and we checked into our hotel, dropped our bags and went walking. Our hotel was right at the base of the Sky Tower which is New Zealand’s tallest structure and tops a similar building in Sydney. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with roughly 1.4 million people. This is a very cosmopolitan city with every nationality represented. Our hotel catered to Chinese tourists and was gearing up for the New Year’s celebration. Dining was truly great….lots of variety. I may have mentioned, Pat and I have found terrific Thai food (one of our favorites) in several areas of New Zealand and we found another good one. (Mai Tai on Victoria street downtown in case you visit)
We did our customary bus / walking tour and visited the Auckland museum. Great exhibits were everywhere but the real highlight was the Maori cultural show. It was informative and not too patronizing (think Don Ho and “tiny bubbles”).
We did lunch in Parnell Village which is a very charming neighborhood. Apparently this is Bill Clinton’s favorite since he has visited twice which drew a quip from Pat… “The food here has to be good if Clinton visited more than once,”
To sum up our trip, both Australia and New Zealand have a tremendous amount to offer the tourist. It takes a “decision” to get here. It’s not easy, both countries are somewhat isolated but that’s okay with the Aussies and the Kiwis. In fact it is that difference that both countries seem to enjoy and promote. Of the two, both of us prefer New Zealand. The Kiwis have an interesting work/life balance. They admire business and personal success but don’t favor success at all costs. They believe in how you made the journey to get there, not just that you got there. Sir Edmund Hillary is a good example of the prototypical success story. After being the first to climb Mt. Everest, he worked towards better conditions for the Sherpa people for most of the rest of his life.
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| Sky Tower from our Hotel |
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| Maori House at the Auckland Museum |
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| Maori War Canoe....over 30 Meters long! |
Uh oh…The baby in seat 30H is gearing up for another chorus. Though it’s tempting to continue, time to end this and turn on something loud!
That’s all for now!!!
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