Let's go on a virtual NZ and Australia cruise

[MicCanberra]

Glad to have you join with us for lunch, we can talk about how great Essendon was on the Anzac day clash. Once again a tight match in parts and the lead seesawing, but Essendon's come from 8 points down with only 30 seconds to play was extraordinary.

[possum52]

11 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Glad to have you join with us for lunch, we can talk about how great Essendon was on the Anzac day clash. Once again a tight match in parts and the lead seesawing, but Essendon's come from 8 points down with only 30 seconds to play was extraordinary.

Love that Essendon won Mic! Looking forward to catching up at lunch.

 

Back to real life for a moment, we watched the first Anzac Day match in 1995 which was a draw on 7 on Saturday. Fantastic match and then watched the 2009 match which Essendon won with the last kick of the game with a fantastic kick from the 50 by Zaharakis. 
 

Leigh

[SeaDog-46]

Dunedin - Gaelic for Edinburgh.

 

Some pics of Railway Station.

[SeaDog-46]

Taiaroa Head &  Royal Albatross colony - 1 of only 2 places in the world where Albatross nest on the mainland.  They mate for life.

Pilot beach is where the harbour pilots set out from by oar & sail in the good old days.

[Blackduck59]

So yesterday was a long day. We returned to the ship and just spent some time on the veranda enjoying a cuppa. We chose to have a rather casual casual supper on the veranda of the suite; shorts and T-shirt was the rig of the evening. What a lovely sunset, we did some skygazing and then off to bed, it was a deep sleep. Well rested, it's time for a new day. We have decided on the Otago Peninsular Day tour, sounds like a lovely drive and while the Albatross' will be interesting of course the penguins will have the bigger draw. Tea at Larnach Castle, it will be interesting to see this, We have 2 Scottish type "Castles" in Victoria Craigbarroch and Hatley built by father and son. Of course Hatley is better known as "Royal Roads" The photos I have seen of Larnach are very impressive. Looking forward to the day.

[OzKiwiJJ]

57 minutes ago, SeaDog-46 said:

 

Brrrr! That photo brings back childhood memories for me. I lived in Dunedin until I was 8. It always snowed once a year and it was so exciting. Dad would put chains on the car and take us to a park - I can't recall where exactly but it was on a hill so great for sledding. We'd build a snowman and have snowball fights. I missed the snow when we moved to Wellington.

Edited April 27, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

Sheep and seals.

 

One sleeping, one posing.

 

Yellow-eyed penguins

 

A piper plays as we arrive at Larnach Castle.

 

Larnoch Castle

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Dunedin Railway Station

 

I always loved walking into the railway station and seeing the lovely mosaic floor of which this is the centrepiece.

 

Looking across the Taieri Plain before the train enters the gorge.

 

 

Views in the Taieri Gorge.

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

38 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

So yesterday was a long day. We returned to the ship and just spent some time on the veranda enjoying a cuppa. We chose to have a rather casual casual supper on the veranda of the suite; shorts and T-shirt was the rig of the evening. What a lovely sunset, we did some skygazing and then off to bed, it was a deep sleep. Well rested, it's time for a new day. We have decided on the Otago Peninsular Day tour, sounds like a lovely drive and while the Albatross' will be interesting of course the penguins will have the bigger draw. Tea at Larnach Castle, it will be interesting to see this, We have 2 Scottish type "Castles" in Victoria Craigbarroch and Hatley built by father and son. Of course Hatley is better known as "Royal Roads" The photos I have seen of Larnach are very impressive. Looking forward to the day.

You must be a hardier soul than me. You wouldn't catch me in shorts and a t-shirt at this time of year in Dunedin. I'd be all rugged up. 

[By The Bay]

If you ever wondered what baby seagulls looked like. Taken on the western side of Taiaroa Head.

Edited April 27, 2020 by By The Bay

[OzKiwiJJ]

Awwww! Very cute!

[OzKiwiJJ]

WEATHER WARNING. Currently there is a small but intense rain storm over the south-west corner of the South Island. It’s expected to clear by morning but we might catch the edge of the disturbed seas as we cross the bottom of the island in the wee small hours of the morning. It will be worth it though, the waterfalls in the sounds should be amazing!

[Blackduck59]

32 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

You must be a hardier soul than me. You wouldn't catch me in shorts and a t-shirt at this time of year in Dunedin. I'd be all rugged up. 

 

I'm Canadian eh😉 and there's a heater

Well it has been a wonderful couple days in Dunedin, but we're about done. As we are in Scotland of the southern hemisphere we chose steak pie (NO Kidney) with mashed potatoes and gravy a nice craft beer to wash it down. No haggis for this guy, I somehow don't think the Scots even like the stuff; it's just a manly thing to do, puts hair on your chest and your sporran hang low laddie. I've heard a disappointing weather forecast so we will try to get to sleep early and see if we can sleep through it (one can hope). We are so happy to be on this voyage the itinerary so far is almost exactly the same as our adventure next year. Nice to do things that are far out of our reach for the next trip. Thanks again Madame Cruise Director

Edited April 27, 2020 by Blackduck59
typo

[OzKiwiJJ]

Haggis is actually very tasty. We had it a few times in Scotland, though the first time I actually tasted it was in Dunedin at a conference.

 

Believe me, when we get to Milford Sound you'll bless that weather forecast. Anyway I don't think it will be very rough, just a little bit bouncy at most.

 

[MicCanberra]

What a fantastic sail away, cars and people lined  along all the roads to wave us off. Sitting on the balcony, basking in the sunshine and having a tipple of the Johnny Walker Blue and a few crackers with Camembert.

[MicCanberra]

My goodness, got tossed out of bed during the storm, managed to get a pic with a really really good flash.

[MicCanberra]

A beautiful sunrise, with a cool crisp morning that is looking for an awesome day to come.

[MicCanberra]

[possum52]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

My goodness, got tossed out of bed during the storm, managed to get a pic with a really really good flash.

It certainly was a rough night Mic! We’ve been In the tail end of cyclones but never, ever anything like that. My seasickness tabs didn’t work! 

[valantine80]

35 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

A beautiful sunrise, with a cool crisp morning that is looking for an awesome day to come.

Magnificent photo of the sun hitting the peaks in  Milford Sound.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Unfortunately the heavy seas, which were much worse than expected, stopped us from getting a delivery of Bluff Oysters as we passed Bluff. They were going to be delivered out to the ship. We are trying to get them flown to Milford in time for us to pick them up before we leave. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Itinerary Item 12 – Fiordland

 

Welcome to beautiful Fiordland which is probably the most rugged and most pristine part of New Zealand. As we go though the fiords there be a commentary by a local conservation expert. We only just made it here. The seas were higher than expected and it was a close call as to whether we would have to cancel the scenic cruising.

 

Our scenic cruising starts as we enter Dusky Sound. There is no road access into Dusky Sound, it’s only accessible by sea. Look out for dolphins as we cruise though the sound and into the Acheron Passage which will take us back to sea. You should also see some spectacular waterfalls after all the rain we had last night.

 

It will take us about 90 minutes at sea to get to Doubtful Sound, the second of the sounds we will be visiting. To get to Doubtful Sound by road you have to get a boat from Manapouri across the lake then take the bus across the Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove. A few tourist boats operate from here so you might see a little more traffic around. Again look out for dolphins and waterfalls as we transit through the outer part of Doubtful Sound and into Thompson Sound to head back to sea.

 

We then cruise up the coast for about 2.5 hours until we reach the entrance to Milford Sound. For maximum effect we will start a little way out to sea so we can approach the entrance head on. Make sure you are up on deck or in the viewing lounge as we start our approach. I recommend being on the port side if possible. The entrance to Milford Sound is deceptive, it hides the sheer walls of the fiord and the stunning scenery behind it. Look out for the seals basking on Seal Rock a short way into the fiord. Again there should be plenty of waterfalls, including the two main ones: Stirling Falls to the port side as we go into the sound, and Bowen Falls at the head of the sound. There will probably be a few flightseeing planes around, some tourist boats, and maybe even some hardy kayakers. The ship will go as far up the sound as it can, then do a slow 360° turn so you can get a good look at Mitre Peak. As we leave the Milford Sound we will probably be escorted by the local pod of dolphins, who will be heading out to sea for an evening meal.

 

And we’ll also be heading out to sea, to cross the Tasman Sea again to Tasmania.

 

If you’ve just joined us, please read the first post which contains the rules for this thread. Note this is a luxury all inclusive ship - all drinks, restaurants, internet, excursions, spa, beauty salon.

[MicCanberra]

51 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Unfortunately the heavy seas, which were much worse than expected, stopped us from getting a delivery of Bluff Oysters as we passed Bluff. They were going to be delivered out to the ship. We are trying to get them flown to Milford in time for us to pick them up before we leave. 

Maybe the delivery people were just bluffing.

[boeckli]

Thanks to all the rain the waterfalls are great

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by boeckli

[shipgeeks]

I do sympathize with those of you who didn't enjoy the heavy seas during the night.  We loved it!  After all the perfect days and calm seas, it was fun (for us) to be reminded that we are At Sea.  We felt the storm during the night; woke up and decided to watch from our easy chairs at the front window.  (We are below the Bridge, in a forward-facing cabin.)  We had to keep the cabin totally dark, so as to not disturb navigation; all the better to see the storm!  Impressive!  The ship handled it very well.