Auckland

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand at 1.7 million people.  In fact, about one third of New Zealand’s entire population lives in Auckland.  It is a beautiful City, and is undergoing considerable construction, which the lovely Wikipedia picture above does not reveal.  Our cruise ship was docked just down from the sky tower (space needle cousin), and adjacent work on a pier had three huge cranes going as they placed new pilings.  Three cranes there alone, and our tour Guide today said over 100 large cranes are working in Auckland, making it the most densely used crane city currently, exceeding the next one (Seattle) which had 50 big cranes going simultaneously.  That’s a lot of building going on.

We are staying two days in Auckland, allowing us to explore museums, the sky tower, aquarium, and adjacent rainforests.

The waters around Auckland are dotted with islands, large and small, both inhabited and uninhabited except for protected wildlife, and the waters are full of vessels, mostly hundreds and hundreds of sailboats.  The America’s Cup will be held here in 2021.

Another cruise ship came in the morning of our second day in Auckland—the Viking Sun. She is a smaller ship, but lovely.

Day 1 saw us exploring an aquarium where both King and Gentoo penguins are housed in a snow field enclosure.  Up close they are pretty amazing birds.

We also enjoyed a quick trip through the wonderful war memorial museum, which actually seemed more like a smaller version of Te Papa, and our wonderful guide passed on tremendous amounts of information in our brief one hour tour. We still didn’t get to see the Gallipoli display (the second museum where we missed it). The Gallipoli battle was fought in WWI, and had a great loss of life on both sides.  Both New Zealand Soldiers and Australians fought side by side, and the battle (and others) is commemorated on Anzac Day by both countries.  The battle and the fallen soldiers are well remembered to this day.

On Day two we were immersed in nature, traveling out of the city up the slopes of an ancient volcano to drive through dense Kauri tree forests to the Waitakere Regional Park.  We had to disinfect our shoes entering and leaving as the Kauri trees (which can be as ancient as our redwoods) are besieged by a phytophera pathogen which sounds very similar to sudden oak death.   There we walked along a stream in the rain forest.  The only wildlife we spotted was an eel in the creek and the native pidgeon, but it was a wonderful “bush tramp.”  The vegetation however was abundant and lovely.

At the visitor center, we were able to both look across at the park and down at the treetops below us.

We finished up our tour with a walk on a beach, and I dipped my toes in the Tasman Sea.

Napier

Napier is a lovely city, our first stop on the North Island of New Zealand.  It was virtually destroyed in the earthquake of 1931, and re-built in the style of the times: Art Deco, which is still beautifully retained today.

We also went inland into the agricultural countryside. Orchards for apples (mostly Gala), cherries, plums and more competed with new vineyards (and wineries), with sheep still important.  Our stop at a sheep farm, which has transitioned from wool as the mainstay to meat as the mainstay with wool as a minor part.  The farm also row crops and uses AG-tourism to support the income stream. They used to be solely wool, trying for fine wool from merino sheep, but the merino did not do well in the wetter area around Napier.  Still, they had a merino ram, shown below.

All sheep farms use dogs.  This farm used a border collie, a sheepdog, and a huntaway. The Huntaway is a large, strongly built breed of dog used for general sheep herding tasks.  They were bred in NZ to use their loud, deep bark to drive sheep.  Part lab,  border collie and Rottweiler, they use their voices as they circle around the flock.  But the best herder, to me, was the border collie.  

We ended up at an apiary and honey facility, where we could taste the different ho yes (all tasted different) including the costly manuka honey. We also were given some scrumptious ice cream.  Loved their bee entryway display (sorry it is sideways—will fix later):

Wellington Part 2

The next stop was at the marvelous Te Papa museum in Wellington.  Over six floors of exhibitions occupy the museum, varying from art, natural history, geology, culture, and military features.  Two hours permits just a small bite of this large apple, and it is magnificent.  Our driver was very proud of the museum and sorry we could see only a small portion. 

The natural history area again reminded us of the decline and loss of native wildlife with the advent of humans who brought other mammals with them which truly affected the unique ecosystem.  Skeletal extinct Moa were depicted over hung by the also now extinct  eagle which fed on them, emphasizing that the loss of one species is tied to so many more.

The Haast Eagle hunted only the nine Moa species, which was the dominant life form on these islands.  It went extinct in the 16th century, and the eagle as well.

Wellington Part 1

We docked in the NZ capitol city, Wellington, this morning (Friday) and once again saw a large log deck in the port, this time with an adjacent barge ship transferring the logs (Pinus radiata or Monterey Pine, transplanted from California) to the barge hold that will carry the logs to Japan and other nearby Asian ports. Pinus radiata, a non-merchantable species generally in CA, grows straight and tall, and very quickly, in New Zealand.

Today we planned to explore the Zealandia eco-preserve as well as the famed Te Papa museum.  Zealandia is an interesting place, a non-profit founded to restore the preserve over the next 500 years to conditions similar to times prior to the arrival of humans 800 years ago.  They have encircled the entire preserve with a very expensive fine mesh steel fence of suitable height to exclude aLl mammals, as mammals did not exist here 800 years ago.  The land was a bird paradise, but humans brought pigs, sheep, cattle, goats, deer (many varieties), rats, dogs, possums, cats, and many other predators and grazers that killed native flightless birds and destroyed the habitat of many other native species.  The giant Moa bird is extinct, as are hundreds of other native creatures.  Zoolandia first excluded mammals, drained one of two man-made lakes that drowned habitat, and killed the enclosed mammals at the site, then began introducing native plants and animals.  Already the habitat is reverting and native birds and reptiles are thriving, like the following:

Rare, flightless bird Takahe, exists only in captive breeding programs.

Pateke or brown teal

Pied shag

Tuatara

Akaroa & Christchurch

We anchored in the bay at Akaroa, Shown above, and tendered in to the docks.  In the past, the cruise ships would dock in Christchurch, but after the 2011 earthquake that became impossible, as the harbor was destroyed.   So, into Akaroa we went—a lovely town in its own right—and drove through the countryside 1.5 hours to Christchurch.  Along the way we saw expansive agricultural lands, including sheep and cattle, and hundreds of waterfowl—black swans, ducks, geese—and many shorebirds like the shearwater, as well as albatross.

We passed this unique hotel made from silos:

We were dropped off in city center of Christchurch by the art museum shown here, and for a brief walkaround and bite to eat.

Here is where I learned to not order my favorite lunch drink, lemonade, because in New Zealand, lemonade is Sprite.

Much of Christchurch is still being rebuilt after the 2011 earthquake.  New homes, office buildings, and infrastructure abound, but still the City has lost some of its population as townspeople moved away, never to return.  Good news is that the shipping Harbour has been rebuilt now sufficiently to accept docking of container ships.

We ended the day at the International Antarctic Centre, which was both informative and fun.  NZ is a jumping off point for visitors to Antarctica.

Dunedin and the southern NZ tip

The first day on our cruise in a port was at Port Chalmers where we would be bused into Dunedin to explore the City ( settled by Scottish people whose influence persists) and take in Larnach castle.  Our bus ride took us first through the town center, past the lovely railway depot with its small surrounding gardens ( sweet peas smelled heavenly).  

The station is just across from the former Cadbury Chocolate Factory, which closed about two years ago and will be torn down and replaced by a new Hospital.  The existing Hospital will be used for some teaching ( as Dunedin is home to the medical school) and student housing.  

From the railway station, we drove to Larnach Castle, built around 1870  by William Larnach who regrettably had a tragic story.  He was a self-made man, becoming a wealthy banker who married his first wife who was  mother of his children and helped design the house.  She died early at 36 or so, and William, needing a mother to care for his four children, married his former sister in law, who then also died a few years later.  William re-married, signed a pre-nuptial agreement assigning property to his wife on condition of leaving it on her death to his children as his third wife was quite young and he expected to die first.  Unfortunately he didn’t, and she died soon after (after also having an affair with his eldest son), passing all that he owned to his children,  bypassing himself and leaving him without home or funds.  Family monetary squabbles erupted amongst his children about which he could do nothing (now being broke himself),  and ultimately the castle was sold, becoming a children’s home and other uses as it slowly fell into disrepair.  It was eventually purchased by the Barker family in 1967, who has spent enormous time and money restoring it, opening it for public tours, and re-creating its beauty both in grounds and interior.

Many interesting details are preserved and sparkle again, like the leaded glasswork inside as well as in the outside folly, pictured below.  

The gardens are lovely, although we did not have enough time to truly explore them.

Milford Sound

Last night (Monday night; today is Tuesday), we were told that we would enter the Milford Sound, a beautiful spot,  by 6 am, and we should be in the Crow’s Nest to see it best.  Lizzie and I decided to set an alarm to rise early, and so at 5 am, the iPhone woke us.  By 5:20 we were in the Crow’s Nest, and all of the front row seats but one set were already taken.  We took the last two, and settled in.  Soon the Crow’s Nest was packed.  

It was still dark outside, and the windows reflected the interior of the Crow’s Nest like a mirror—we also learned we would not be entering the Sound until about 6:20 am.  Soon, we heard muttering of fog and mist, and as dawn tried to break, we realized we could likely see better through the mist from our own veranda, so back we went to our stateroom.  Milford Sound (actually a fjord) was carved by ancient glaciers and its narrow, nearly vertical walls rise hundreds of feet above the sea.  We could not see the cliff tops, which were shrouded in fog, but the waterfalls and other beautiful features were still lovely.

Inside Milford Sound, we cruised to the village at the end, dropped off passengers in a special excursion, then turned around to leave, just as the Radiance of the Sea appeared around a bend.  She passed us carefully as we were leaving, heading out again then traveling further south toward Dusky Sound.  Perhaps as the day passes, sun will drive away the fog and we shall see sunny fjords.

Sailing the Tasman Sea

It takes two days to sail the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, and typically the seas are high.  The first night did have significant swells, with considerable rocking and I took a Dramamine just to be sure, but by the second day, the seas were calm and I didn’t continue with the Dramamine.  We passed the Radiance of the Sea, which had left port before us, and planned to reach Milford Sound tomorrow morning before her.

We enjoyed the onboard amenities including the informational session on our ports of call, the latest Spiderman movie, and a comedian/Magic show in the evening. Plus enough laps around ship to hit my second 10,000+ steps day—these steps are essential given the excellent food! Plus Doc Berenson tasked me with walking six miles a day while onboard.  So far, so good.

 After the comedy show, I returned to our stateroom, because it was day’s end for me and time to settle in with a book—Day’s end even though it was still bright, almost like afternoon sun!  Eventually, toward 9:30 pm, we had a sunset:

Day at Sea

Today is our first full day on board, and we are at sea all day, as well as tomorrow.  Before we boarded the Noordam yesterday, we had time in the early morning to walk around the Opera House, which was only a short distance from our hotel.  It was impressive being up close to this iconic building, a recognizable image all over the world of Sydney.

The walk around the Circular Quay has a Writer’s Walk embedded with bronze plaques about the size of large manhole covers, recognizing writers from Twain to Michener to local Australian writers whose works were briefly described but so intrigued me as to make me want to find a bookstore on my return to Sydney.   Here’s a sample:

As we wandered around the walkway we came to the outermost point on the walk, and spotted this bird preening it’s plumage at the end:

Just around the corner on the bayside walk is the Queen Elizabeth II gate, an entry that passes a lovely botanical garden which we must also explore on our return.  It features an exhibit of carnivorous plants, as these huge images of Darlingtonia spp advertise:

Not far from the Gate we also encountered another interesting bird:

Finally, we had to hurry back to our hotel as we had dawdled overlong reading the dozens of Writer’s plaques, and we didn’t finish.  But we will when we return!

It was time to head to the ship as we were boarding early as Mariners, and were eager to go aboard.  Our ship was anchored away from the international terminal in Circular Quay because ships too large to fit under the famous steel arched Sydney Harbour Bridge moored there, but the Noordam, being a smaller cruise ship, just fit under the bridge and could be moored deeper in the inlet.  

Onboard in suite 5071, we found out that the sail away party had to be moved under cover because of the rain, but eventually we sailed under the Sydney Harbour  Bridge and out to sea.

First Night: Sydney

We landed in Sydney amid a heavy downpour of rain, everyone happy to see it with the dreadful fires still burning nearby.  As soon as we stepped out of the air conditioned airport terminal, though, we could smell smoke, even through the rain.  We were being met for the transfer to our hotel, and our driver said there had been a wind shift because yesterday there was no smell of smoke and no rain and today there was smoke even with the rains.  He also said there had been no rains for months, so he was very happy to see it.

Our hotel is the Ridges near Circular Quay in The Rocks district; the picture of the Quay and Opera House shown above was taken from the plaza a few steps away from the hotel.  It is lovely district and we like the hotel.

We met Nancy for dinner as she was here at the same time on one of her international flights.  We ate an early dinner at a German restaurant, the Munich Brauhous shown below, just a block from our hotel where she frequently eats when on flights to Sydney.  The JÄGERSCHNITZEL was delicious.  The bright blue and white wrapped posts and bunting were festive.  Music was just starting to play when we finished dinner and left.

Nancy and Lizzie walked to the Opera house after dinner, but my knee was a bit sore from the 16-hour flight from being bent so long in the airline seat, so.I walked back to the hotel.  It was an early night for both of us, and we turned in before 8:00.

The 18th is today, and (predictably) Lizzie and I were wide awake at 4:00 am.  In a few hours we will board the Noordam.

Our Australian/New Zealand Trip Begins Today

A storm is heading into Northern California tonight, and the days skies were grey and the day chilly.  We left Sebastopol to catch the bus shuttle at the local airport which took us to SFO.  Now we wait to board around 10:00 PM for the 15+ hours flight.  We will “lose” a day— and won’t experience January 16th at all because of crossing the international date line, then coming back, we get to have a super long Feb 6th.  Lizzie’s birthday is January 17, so it’s good THAT wasn’t the day we lose.  Though, actually, Lizzie said it would be quite alright to lose a birthday.

In Sydney, where we are bound and arriving tomorrow, the weather is rainy (amid the catastrophic fires) with lightning. However, the temperatures are summer down under, with tomorrow’s predicted High at 74 and the low at 67.

We plan to rendezvous with my cousin Nancy, who works for American Airlines, and who shall actually be in Sydney at the same time we are on the 17th. We shall hookup for our first dinner in Australia.  Then, the next day, Nancy flies back home on the 18th, and we board the Holland America Lines ship Noordam to cruise to and around New Zealand.