Jim_Iain

Thanks Carol. I'm just about caught up myself with reading all the wonderful support and information. I try not not miss any messages but sure I must at times.

What a beautiful view from your home. Did you see me waving at you from the top of the Volcano? Thanks for arranging such a beautiful day. The amazing part was the Leeward side of the Mountain was no wind. It was howling at the Summit.

I got a kick out of the dog. Actually Devonport itself was beautiful with the exception of one 3 minute shower.

All I can say is WOW ----- I might of gotten a good price on shirts.... What a difference a week makes.

Thank you.... I'll do a quick quote so other's will be enticed to read the full article. On Tuesday evening the Celebrity Edge broke its moorings in high winds at Princes Wharf. That meant 10 commuter ferries had to be cancelled and others were left bobbing in the harbour unable to dock until the cruise ship was secured.

That would be nice to have. I will go positive on the existing HD. The Food and Bev Director is new to Celebrity and just came over from Royal Caribbean. Maybe their way of blending down the Celebrity experience to that of the Mega Ships.

I'm a really techno type of guy I also have a Plex Server both at home as well as on my Laptop. If all else fail I have a collection of hundreds of Movies and Shows ---- As well as 25+ years of Law and Order.

Hope you have a wonderful Holiday -- Glad you made it to Florida and I'm sure the weather is much nicer than back home.

I sent Iain a text. You better get up here before I accept a date with my new boyfriend. He said - I’d rate her take a nap.

Tauranga is a harbourside city in the Bay of Plenty region on New Zealand's North Island. It hosts historic buildings like the Elms Mission Station, an 1847 Georgian-style home. A bridge over the harbour connects Tauranga to Mount Maunganui, a beach town with hot saltwater pools and an extinct namesake volcano with winding walking paths. Mount Maunganui The summit is 232 metres above sea level. Mount Maunganui Mauao. Mount Maunganui. Highest point. Elevation, 232 m (761 ft). I will only post a couple pictures so I don’t bore everyone. I made the summit

Today 12/14 We arrived in Tauranga - the 3rd largest city in New Zealand. Most tours were sold out and expensive on ship. We didn’t go ashore until 10 and most were sold out at pier by then. This is my objective of the day. Climb another volcano. Iain declined the challenge and we first explored town before he returned to the ship and I took off on my own. A group of seniors welcomed us to Tauranga IMG_2191.mov

Once back the Captain announced that due to a cruise ships intermittent Thruster blast we were denied entry to dock. If not resolved in 10 minutes we would return to Davenport to stay on schedule. The previous sailing had been cancelled for the same reason. We got cleared and he hit he throttle before they changed their minds.

After lunch sitting on a stool and Wine Barrel as a table I noticed the 1:15 ferry approaching., so took off for the pier. Couple last pictures as I raced to the port.

Found a wonderful hot meat pie shop. Perfect for lunch. Steak, Ham and Cheese Pie. Yum

As we came down into Devonport the guide handed out instruction on ferry every 30 minutes and ferry tickets. The driver stopped at 3 places in town and you could explore the tow on your own.

Next stop was the top of Takarunga / Mount Victoria the highest volcano on Auckland's North Shore, rising to 66 m. Its age is currently unknown. Its lava flows now line much of Devonport's waterfront. Takarunga was the location of an important pā used by Tāmaki Māori peoples.Mount Victoria - It was also a Military

To help with orientation - We driven over a bridge around where the 1 is and are now on the North Coast - Lot's of little cottages which the Guide call "Villas". They are small but updated and sell in circa 1.5-3 Million. The Red treds is the Pohutukawa and is native to New Zealand. Another really windy stop and you had to hold onto your hat. Again a quick stop with everyone back on bus sheltering from the cold winds. Still 35-30 knot winds with intermittent showers usually only lasting 3-4 minutes.

Weather improved as the day went on but the winds remained strong. Next photo stop was Lake Pupuke. Stock Photo from the air It is a freshwater extinct Volcananic crater - Lake Pupuke is one of the oldest known features of the Auckland volcanic field, erupting an estimated 193,200 years ago. It is also the home of The Pump House Theater. The pump house was use to pump water to the residents. The tour was done with smaller busses that held approx 20 each. Nice size and again all guests were on hand. Noted women had a long line for the rest stop while men of course no lines at all.

The only problem is in the suites the TV's are hard mounted on the wall and the ports are in about 9-10 inches from the edge. Getting your hand in and hitting the port is difficult. I brought some long forecepts and even with that hard to install. I used a couple thick item to pry slightly off the wall giving me an extra inch. When in a Sky Suite the TV is on a cantilevered mount making it really easy. Now in the RS the TV coming down from the TV is another challenge.

Wow... it's contagious. I'm sure it has to do with Training (or lack of training) and all the new staff members. Hopefully things will settle down. I do have to say that things have improved on Edge. I haven't yet heard about the Zenith Lunch on this cruise.

On this Ship they have expanded News Channels and in addition to BBC international they have two Australian Stations. BTW - In order for your FireStick to allow access to YouTubeTV you need to subscribe to one of the NordVPN or ExpressVPN. There are apps on Firestick - once installed choose your home server. You may wish to play with at home first so you are comfortable with it. If you choose NordVPN - use my e-mail in signature as as referral and I get a couple months free. Playing at home try another country and you will see the error message you will get from YouTubeTV. They don't allow access out of your country. The VPN fakes it.

UPDATE - I was going to try this last night on the Bedroom TV. To my surprise it is not on that TV. Hmmm.... I however used it this morning TV in the Living Room and it automatically opened up my FireStick without even having to choose which port (I only have one plugged in) Maybe that's the reason I've never seen it before. Just doesn't make sense if you have a dumb WebPage for you Menu that you would have different ones for different devices.

Went on a Solo excursion to Auckland’s North Shore and Devonport. this photo captures the weather this morning. Good news. We had no trouble with slow people getting back.