Let's go on a virtual NZ and Australia cruise

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, By The Bay said:

 

The OCEAN PEARL is the former SONG OF NORWAY, the first ship built for now mega-cruise line Royal Caribbean.  The SONG OF NORWAY was not only of the first modern cruise ships, she was also one of the first to be “stretched” with the insertion of a mid-section in 1978 that increased her original tonnage from 18,418 to 23,005 and capacity from 724 to 1,196.

Full history here.

 

Yes, but she has been out of service for many years and currently there appears to be no other cruise ship called Ocean Pearl - except our virtual one.

Edited April 20, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

5 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Surely we have kennels onside or somewhere for Maxy to sleep, otherwise I may need a refund.

 

I had thought of allowing pets as I'm sure my cat, Niki, would love to come along but I was a bit worried about allergies. However if everyone is happy with pets onboard then I'm sure we can arrange for pet beds and pet toilets and so on. We'll need to have some deck space for exercise. Hmmm, better keep the cats well away from the dogs though.

[possum52]

50 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Many consider the Battle of Vimy Ridge was our nation coming of age, barely 50 years after confederation we accomplished an objective long thought impossible. The monument is absolutely striking and they fly the current Canadian flag the tri-colour of France and the Flag of Canada from the time of the Battle. I know a little about the ANZACs and the horror of Gallipoli as well as the story of the Lighthorsemen, mostly from movies and the excellent series ANZAC Girls.

A cousin of my paternal grandfather, joined the Canadian army late in WW1. A sailor in the Royal Navy who had jumped ship in Hong Kong in 1902 and made his way to the US, he was living in Oregon on his wife’s family ranch. He had added another surname to his real name. He made his way to Canada and enlisted at Victoria. He served in the 72nd Battalion in France. He lied on his enlistment by saying he was born in Quebec. His granddaughters whom I have contact with had no idea he had served in the Canadian Army until researching him I found his army records.

 

Leigh

[MicCanberra]

Does that mean I can bring my pet as well?

are we drawing the line at cats and dogs?

 

[Blackduck59]

While I would be happy with dogs and cats, I would not be in favour of companion Ostrich, kangaroos or llamas. And the companion snake is definitely out.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Ferrets? I met a very nice pet ferret at a local cafe just before the lockdown. He was very cute and happy to be cudfled although he wriggled at lot.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

22 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Ferrets? I met a very nice pet ferret at a local cafe just before the lockdown. He was very cute and happy to be cudfled although he wriggled at lot.

No. Ferrets are pests .The ship would not be allowed to dock with ferrets on board.

[By The Bay]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, but she has been out of service for many years and currently there appears to be no other cruise ship called Ocean Pearl - except our virtual one.

The name rang a bell, which had to be answered.🤔

 

I am glad the new Ocean Pearl is a vast improvement, and with the ongoing works, it will come back new.😉

[Blackduck59]

4 minutes ago, Kiwi Kruzer said:

No. Ferrets are pests .The ship would not be allowed to dock with ferrets on board.

 

Right I forgot about that, that's why somebody invented rat guards for the mooring lines. And I'm pretty sure the average ferret would make pretty short work of any unfortunate puddy cat.

[MicCanberra]

My pet devil is anxious to come

 

[Blackduck59]

1 minute ago, MicCanberra said:

My pet devil is anxious to come

 

 

See comment on ferret above😉

[GUT2407]

8 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

My pet devil is anxious to come

 

Only if cruising to Tasmania, and we had better be.

[possum52]

We caught a ferry over to Devonport, the first time we were there we travelled over the Harbour Bridge and not by ferry. What a beautiful morning it was. We hiked up Takarunga (in my dreams!) and looked out over the harbour, we could see the Ocean Pearl in the distance. It is such a great view from up there. After making our way back into the town we found a cafe to have a late lunch. Just a salad each, finished off with coffee. After arriving back at the ship, we rested for a while before heading to our favourite bar for pre dinner drinks and catching up with friends we have made onboard.

 

We had a fabulous dinner - I had French onion soup and Rob had a seafood cocktail for entrees and for mains we had the most amazing beef with roast vegetables. No dessert for me but Rob had pavlova. We saw a show in the theatre, no having to arrive there ages ahead of start time to find a seat. Wonderful! The show was fabulous! 

 

This morning we decided to visit the Maritime Museum and spent a few hours looking at the the various displays.  We then walked to the other side of the Viaduct Harbour to the Wynyard Quarter and spent a while exploring before walking back to the Ocean Pearl for a late lunch. 

We rested on our balcony looking out over the harbour and reading until it was time for pre- dinner drinks and a catch up with friends to hear how they spent their day. 

 

I think it will be an early night, it has been a big couple of days.

 

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by possum52

[OzKiwiJJ]

33 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Only if cruising to Tasmania, and we had better be.

Maybe ... If you're good!

[OzKiwiJJ]

BTW if you have pets onboard do NOT, I repeat NOT, try to take them ashore in NZ. At best your pets will end up having a six months holiday in a quarantine centre there, at your cost, before being sent back to you, they'll have to undergo another quarantine on arrival back in Australia. At worst ... well, I won't upset everyone by saying what the worst could be.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I've had  a very exhausting couple of days catching up with friends and family in Auckland. This time I did manage to connect with everyone, including the friends who were at their beach apartment at Onetangi Beach on Waiheke. Luckily I'd arranged a car and driver on Waiheke, we had much to much local wine with lunch.

 

And I ran out of time to go over to Devonport again. That's the third time in a row that's happened. Of course, I've been there many times before but not for a few years. My late father used to love driving down to Devonport for an afternoon's outing. In those days you could drive right on to the wharf and he'd park facing out to the harbour and watch the ships and boats go by. Mum would just sit there, enjoy the sun, and knit. It was great for elderly people as they could stay in their cars, sheltered from any wind, and didn't have to walk anywhere to get great views.

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

See comment on ferret above😉

My devil tends to sit on my shoulder, doesn't need to climb ropes and can easily get past any barriers.

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

Only if cruising to Tasmania, and we had better be.

My devil is cancer free so would be welcome in Tassie.

[boeckli]

A few impressions from my Waiheke outing

 

 

 

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Lovely photos. Thanks.

[boeckli]

And this is charming Devomport

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

That bar, The Patriot, has been through a few changes in it's life. I think it was originally a bank - edit, yes, I just noticed the Bank of New Zealand showing up the top partly hidden by shade. Then it was a very good restaurant and I remember going there one night with friends, probably in the late 80s, and discovering deep fried parsley as a garnish for the first time. 😄 Now the only herb I "fry" is sage, as in sage butter sauce. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

Itinerary Item 5 – Tauranga

 

Welcome to Tauranga, the gateway to the Bay of Plenty. Although, strictly speaking, the Port of Tauranga is actually in Mt Maunganui which used to be a town in its own right until the government of the day forced some councils to (sensibly) amalgamate.

 

We’ll stay here for two days also.

 

The two big attractions of this port, Rotorua and Hobbiton, are both only an hour away but in different directions.

 

Rotorua, with its thermal wonderlands and Maori culture, has always been a favourite place of mine. Your car/minivan driver knows all the best places to go and will put together a suitable itinerary for you. Some examples of those place are:

-          Te Puia for Maori culture and thermal activity.

-          Another thermal wonderland, and my favourite as a child, is Waiotapu.

-          The drive out to Lake Tarawera is lovely, passing the Blue and Green Lakes and the Buried Village. On the way back take a detour down one of the back streets to the Redwoods Treewalk.

-          I’ve always loved Rainbow Springs which is also a nature park. Those springs are crystal clear, so beautiful!

-          Next to that is the Gondola which takes you part way up Mt Ngongotaha, where you can ride the famed luge. There are three tracks: Beginner which everyone has to do as their first run so they can get used to the carts on a gentle run, and the views are great; Intermediate is a bit steeper; and Advanced which is fast and furious – watch out for the little hump near the top of the steepest bit as if you hit that too fast you’ll go airborne!

-          Paradise Valley is also a lovely place to visit and has a lion park. They used to let people interact with the lion cubs years ago and somewhere I have a photo of my right foot being chewed on by a tiny cub, it tickled like crazy! I don’t know what it is about my feet and felines – my cat also likes biting my toes.

-          Take a boat trip out on the lake and learn about the legend of Hinemoa and Tutanakai.

-          Visit the Polynesian Pools to soak in various mineral pools, or swim in the geothermally heated fresh water at the historic Blue Baths.

-          Take a walk through Kuirau Park and soak your feet in the foot pools there. Don’t stray off the path though.

-          Take a helicopter or plane flight over Mt Tarawera, which last erupted in 1886. The crater is spectacular.

 

To fans of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Hobbiton needs no introduction. This movie set, built originally for The Hobbit, and rebuilt for Lord of the Rings, has now been preserved, and it’s stunning. It’s tucked in a small valley where there are very few signs of modern living so you can easily imagine yourself in Middle Earth. The beer at the Green Dragon pub is pretty good too. Hobbiton is on private property so the only way to visit it is on a guided tour from the Shire’s Rest departure point. Allow two hours for the tour.

 

Mt Maunganui, itself, is a lovely place to wander around. There are plenty of good restaurants and cafes in the township, a tranquil harbour beach just along from the wharf, beautiful surf beaches across the isthmus, the heated salt water pools at the base of the Mount, and Mt Maunganui itself which you can climb if you feel energetic enough.

 

And Tauranga City is just a short drive away.

 

So there are plenty of things to do at this port stop.

 

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.

 

Our visit to Tauranga will be followed by a Sea Day as we cruise around East Cape on our way further south.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Mt Maunganui, colloqually known as The Mount.

 

[MicCanberra]

If you plan to have lunch in Rotorua, you can't go as the egg sandwiches.😝

 

[shipgeeks]

Rotorua is one of my favorite places in the world!  I can't wait to see it all again.  Shipmates, please post lots of photos!