Loooong Review of Mercury - Australia/New Zealand - January 20th - February 3

[wblevin]

There were five of us traveling together ranging in age from 43 - 57. Three of us are from NJ – 2 from Las Vegas. My brother has been to Australia before for an extended vacation and my S-I-L has been there briefly. None of us had been to NZ. I also LOVE animals - flora and fauna, so I tend to focus a lot on that. I will write this in installments by ports and am more than happy to answer questions if I can. We all agreed, we had one of the best trips ever. We fell in love with both countries! This review will be very long and I am nowhere near as clever as Texed, but I know I personally had a hard time finding in-depth reviews on this site.

 

We sailed on the Celebrity Mercury leaving January 20- actually January 21.

We left NJ on Thursday the 17th and arrived in Sydney Saturday morning the 19th. Flights were thankfully uneventful. I popped an ambien sleeping tablet a couple of hours into the flight and was pleased (I usually can’t sleep on planes) to wake up some 7 hours later with only a few hours left before landing. Glad to report, luggage arrived with us. Long queue outside for a taxi – would probably recommend hiring one in advance as, even though the line moved quickly, we had about a 45 minute wait.

 

I did Priceline for one night and got the Marriott on Hyde Park for $125. When we arrived, they had our rooms ready! Very nice room with a large square bathtub. We took about an hour to re-organize luggage and take showers and then were ready to head out and see the city.

 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Saturday 1/19

There are two hop on hop off buses that run in Sydney – one is newer and more expensive. We opted for the less expensive double decker bus. $30 for one day, $40 for 3 days – we opted for the $40 in the pouring rain. The bus leaked. A tour of the Sydney Opera House would be a great rainy day activity – unfortunately we just missed the 11:30 tour and the next tour was 2:30 so we decided to get some lunch. Surprisingly, the Mercury was in port, a short walk away. As we ambled over in that direction, we were definitely in sticker shock at seeing the menu prices along the harbor. We finally settled on a little café and had a light lunch for about $55 which included a salad, a chicken wrap and two coffees! It was pleasant people watching on the harbor.

 

The Essentials tour of the Opera House was very enjoyable and after that, we grabbed our umbrellas and strolled through the nearby botanical gardens looking for the flying foxes, which we did eventually locate – continually re-wrapping themselves to keep warm from the rain. The gardens themselves, I felt, were less than impressive, but nothing was really in bloom, even the roses were well past peak. The birds were definitely unique. We did eventually make our way out of the park and jumped on the drippy HOHO bus again for the full city circuit back to our hotel.

 

Hint – if you ask where you might find a coupon, they may sell you an Essentials Tour for $27.50 instead of the $32. I believe if you purchase tickets ahead of time on the internet, you can also get that discount.

 

Sunday 1/20 We headed over to the pier about 10:30ish and were told we couldn’t board until noon. We checked our luggage and walked across the street and up the steps to the Rocks Market – a must do for souvenir shopping. Bought a number of unique things and some pretty flowers for the cabin. Time to board the ship!

 

Hint – it is probably not worth the hassle to purchase anything that is alive or was alive or can be eaten and isn’t factory wrapped. Australia and New Zealand have the strictest rules we have ever seen. I was informed that my flowers were not allowed on the ship. There were dogs at most ports checking every bag upon disembarkation.

 

Check in was quick and easy. We were informed that we could drop off our carry-ons in our room, but could not stay in the room until after 2pm. We ran up to grab a quick lunch before our afternoon trip to Bondi Beach. The sun was shining and the hoho bus was much more crowded today. We headed to the top and were so pleased to see the tops of the buildings – a much nicer view of the city and architecture – were very glad that we had the older bus today. Bondi was nice – not very crowded. We spent about ½ hour there and then had the choice of jumping back on the bus or waiting another 1-1/2 for the next bus.

 

Back in Sydney, we got off the hoho at Darling Harbour. We decided ahead of time to do two zoos in Sydney – Featherdale and the Koala Park Sanctuary – both on the schedule for Monday. I couldn’t wait – we were there so bought the combo ticket to the aquarium and the new Wildlife World. It was around 5pm and we didn’t realize that we had missed the last chance to have our pictures taken with a koala. It was a small compact zoo. When we got up to the koalas, we were actually pleased that several were awake and eating and by leaning in a bit, we did get some decent pictures. In our opinion, this was one of our least favorite zoos and we could easily have done without. We had the same opinion of the aquarium, although there was a nice finale of sharks and rays swimming overhead right before you exited.

 

Back to the ship, we had about ½ an hour until we were to join the Rocks Ghost Tour – which met right across the street from the ship.

 

Hint – If you would like to do the Rocks Ghost Tour – highly recommend you make a reservation – we were the last three allowed on the tour for the evening. I had printed out their webpage and saved $2 a person by doing so!

 

The Ghost Tour ran about 2 hours and we had a pleasant evening climbing the sidewalks and back alleys of the Rocks. It only drizzled on us a couple of times. It was a nice evening stroll and we were able to witness the flying foxes (actually bats) leaving the Botanic Gardens in search of food. There was an awesome bar that we passed where young adults were jammed in singing all kinds of American songs – we ventured back that way at the end of the tour but decided it was too hot to cram our way in and we were too tired to stand outside in the rain. We were a bit lost but a nice couple from the ghost tour walked us back to the ship. We had missed dinner, and sadly all that was open for food was a pasta and salad bar on deck 11 in the rear.

 

Monday 1/21 Koala Park Sanctuary and Featherdale Wildlife Park were the destinations of the day. I couldn’t decide between them! Both are about 40 minutes from Sydney in different directions. We walked down to the train station and with a bit of help, figured out which train tickets were needed for the day. Koala Park Sanctuary was first. We got off the train and headed across the tracks to catch a short bus ride to the park. Awesome – cockatoos are flying all around. The bus driver noted they were like pigeons but more destructive. We LOVED Koala Park Sanctuary. Small and compact – there were not too many people around so we felt like we almost had a private tour. They have 21 koalas (including one baby born last year). They are free to roam around from tree to tree and there are signs around telling you to look up – a koala is sleeping above. We start out with the wombat and everyone can pet her and get their picture taken with her. The group then heads over for the koala presentation. They put the koala on the ledge and she walks all around with people getting in nice and close for cuddling, petting and pictures. From there we head over to the sheep shearing and then on to the fairy penguin feeding and finally end at the kangaroo petting area where we feed honey nut cheerios to a bunch of kangaroos (two with babies peeping out of mama’s pouch!) All the animals (many I didn’t even mention) seemed well cared for and healthy. In retrospect, we were sorry we left when we did – should have stayed longer there and skipped Featherdale. In all fairness, we arrived at Featherdale at the same time three cruise buses arrived, so it was rather a madhouse. It was bigger than Koala Park but similar. We made it back to the pier by about 5pm. The ship sailed at 6pm.

 

THE SHIP

The Mercury is now 9 years old and I believe due for refurbishing next year. We had a quad cabin for the two of us on deck four. Lots of storage space but kept bumping our heads on the upper beds – ughh. Though the bathroom was the typical small, the shower was a nice size. Overall, we found the food was very good to excellent. We love trivia and games and have to say this was probably the best ship we have ever been on for these activities. The activities staff was excellent - we had a lot of fun with them. We got to know one of the dancers rather well, and enjoyed his company at dinner several nights.

 

There were a lot of “funky” smells throughout the ship – not pleasant. Many of the windows in the Navigator bar had lost their seal and were cloudy and difficult if not impossible to see through – disappointing when sailing through the Sounds and the Volcano. One of our rooms ended up with a leaky ceiling that forced us to move – initially a downgrade. We found the internet connections very good and computers were usually available. We were rather disappointed in the entertainment with a few exceptions. We had very full days planned in ports, and so, in general, went to bed earlier than on most other cruises. Overall, the ship is definitely showing her age, but we had a wonderful vacation and would do it again in a heartbeat! We met some really nice people as well and enjoyed a delightful cocktail party in a penthouse suite - Thank you Joe & Carole! Hi Mr. Kaufman - I know you are lurking out there.

 

 

Monday night was quite rough. Lots of people didn’t quite make it to dinner and the show was noticeably empty. Even the comedian headed off stage for a few minutes before finishing his show - lol. Think the crew spent a lot of time cleaning up after accidents. Had heard the section between Hobart and New Zealand was bad – but this was definitely the worst seas of the cruise. Tuesday was a sea day – we actually got to sleep in and catch up on some of the jetlag, which actually, was considerably less than we had expected.

 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - Wednesday 1/23 ( 7am - 6pm )

We have a private tour scheduled with johnhowe@froggy.com.au Brian, our driver for the day, picked us up at 7am. A nice retired fireman, he did a nice tour. He was a bit overly cautious on time, but better safe than sorry!

 

Note – there are no taxis around anywhere! If you count on finding a ride on the pier, you will be out of luck.

 

We did a brief tour around the city stopping to get a picture by the tennis tournament signs. Then we headed out to Healesville Sanctuary where we had a 10 am Behind the Scenes Tour for $70 a person (including entrance fees into the Park). We stopped at a winery for a beautiful view of the Yarra Valley. Unfortunately, the winery was not open yet. We arrived at Healesville around 9:30. What an awesome tour this was. We met our guide in front of the reptile house and he took us behind all the glass enclosures and brought out several different reptiles for us to hold including the blue tongued skink and several lizards and a huge python. From there we headed over to the small mammal house where we were able to hold a ring tail possum and feed several of the nocturnal guests. He led us through the “kitchen” where they prepare the food for all the different animals, showing us the freezers where food is stored. We went into the hospital where they had just received a joey that had been hit by a car and were working trying to save her. We ended with a walk down to the koala area where we got to pet the koala and get a nice close-up picture. This was just an awesome tour – I highly recommend it for any animal lover. :D

 

Since we had spent almost 3 hours at the Sanctuary, we didn’t have time for the train. Brian then took us to the Dairy Farm/Winery. We sampled several wines and several different cheeses – lunch. The countryside is beautiful.

 

Back in Melbourne, we had time to do the Old Melbourne Gaol where the infamous Ned Kelly was imprisoned and they have death masks of numerous inmates.

 

- to be continued -

[boeckli]

What a great review - looking forward to the next instalment(s).

We will board Mercury for B2B cruises next week :)

[wblevin]

HOBART, TASMANIA – Friday 1/25 ( 7 am – 6 pm )

We have opted to rent a car here. Tasmania was fairly easy to get around in and not terribly congested. I did get a tour guide suggestion here, but I did not contact him - rjonn@ozemail.com.au - website http://www.tasmaniandaytours.com.au He will apparently customize your tour in a 4WD vehicle for a max of 6 people for AUD $140 per person.

 

So we are renting a mini van for about $100 -but office doesn’t open until 8 – it is supposed to be a 10 minute walk to their office. I think that the walk was actually closer to ½ hour and uphill a good deal of the way. Not quite the direct route we were led to believe. We arrived about 8:30ish and to our dismay, they inform us that the car is at the airport and will take about an hour. We got them to speed it up slightly and had them agree to drive us back to the pier at the end of the day. We are now way behind schedule! Very easy driving around, particularly once you are outside the city. My husband loves driving in new places. The opposite side of the road wasn’t too bad – as we came to roundabouts we all reminded – keep to the left – lol. The biggest problem was that the signals and the wiper controls were also reversed. Guess no one knew when we were going to turn, but we had a really clean windshield!

 

Took about ½ hour to get to Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Center (north of Hobart). They had four Tasmanian Devil babies that were cute as could be – and wow, even at that age, they sound nasty, but they were just playing! We watched the “keepers” playing with them for quite a while. They try to release most of their animals back into the wild if they can. We could hear several kookaburras nearby laughing. There were containers of food around to feed the kangaroos, but they weren’t really hunger (although the wild ones on the outside of the fence seemed much more interested in food than the ones on the inside – lol) We had missed our morning tour and did not stay around for the later scheduled tour, but we did stay for the koala pics :D

 

Note – They say reservations a must – they are very accommodating around cruise ship hoards – otherwise the normal is open at 9 and tours are 11:30 and 2:00.

 

From there we headed down to Port Arthur Historic Site (1-1/2 hours south). We stopped in Richmond, a cute picturesque town. Should have done the maze, but were on a tight schedule. We did visit the Old Hobart Town model village – a replica of Hobart from 1820 with over 50 buildings and 400 figurines - and located the various figurines – kinda like a Where’s Waldo. It was a bit hokey – lol – but we couldn’t leave before we had found all four (the local school kids helped).

 

Port Arthur Historic Site was settled in 1830. There is a lot of information on the convicts and life at that time. We took the 40 minute guided walking tour which was fascinating but opted out of the boat ride unfortunately. It was a beautiful site and we would have loved more time here.

 

On the way back, we stopped at the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary, but this was definitely a waste of time and money. All the devils were sleeping. We were very glad we had seen the baby devils at Bonorong that morning.

 

The ride back to Hobart was uneventful – more cleaning of the windshield. We did not pass a gas station anywhere – wonder where they get their gas? The car company made good and took us back to the pier. It was a great day in Tasmania!

 

FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK - Monday 1/28

 

Hint – If you don’t want to get up at 6am, sleep in for an hour or so, you will see the same scenery on the way out!

 

We arrive at 6am into Milford Sound. I thought we would go straight through – nope. We drop off passengers taking one of the ship’s overnight tours and then turn around and head out. This is, in my opinion, the prettiest of the three sounds. We spend the day sailing in, around and to the next sound. It wasn’t as cold as I expected it would be. They do have coffee and Danish up in the Navigator for those early risers.

 

Note – if you do not have a Celebrity excursion, you cannot get off the ship – so do not try to book your own excursion!

 

Hint – Navigator Bar has great inside viewing of the sounds, but many of the windows are so cloudy, it is hard to see through them.

 

To be continued –

[Karynanne]

We are also on the B2B next week, and are looking forward to this fantastic trip!

 

Thank you for your wonderful review!!

 

Karyn

[barbarah33]

I took this cruise 3 years ago and reading your review is bringing back all of my wonderful memories - thank you so much for posting it. I can't wait for the rest.

[wblevin]

DUNEDIN, NZ - Tuesday 1/29 ( 8 am – 6 pm )

Tuesday we arrive in Dunedin (pronounced Done Eden) at 8am. We are booked with http://www.arthurstours.co.nz/ email ArthursTours@xtra.com.nz Arthur picks us up in his snappy blue and yellow plaid vest – love it! We start out our tour at the train station for a view of the longest cat walk (his words!) and to see the beautiful gardens.and mosaic foyer. From there, we head out to the Otago Peninsula. It is a beautiful drive along the water with a lot of neat birds.

 

We arrive at Penguin Place first – before the cruise buses. They give us some of the history of the yellow-eyed penguins and then take us on a bus ride down to the cliffs of the ocean. From there we walk down and up and around to see the few young penguins hiding in their hillside homes that have been left for the day as mommy and daddy have gone looking for food. We actually did get to see one really nice and close – but were not allowed to stop and look at it or take pictures. They have been tracking these penguins and keeping charts of their marriages, divorces and children for several years now – I found the charts very interesting.

 

A short distance away is a protected beach area where we stopped to see the seals that blended into the rocks – some were close enough we could almost touch them. There were also two baby yellow-eyed penguins in a nest right on the beach.

 

Hint – wear decent walking shoes, you are stepping around a lot of sheep manure.

 

A short drive further and we have arrived at the Royal Albatross Colony. They have two of these huge majestic birds on display that you can see the size of and have your picture taken with. They have a nice restaurant as well that you can grab something to eat or drink prior to your tour up to the lookout. Once at the top, they lock you (I swear they do) into the little house. We could see three nesting Albatross in the distance and there was one on a live video cam on the TVs above us. None of them moved while we were there. They told us that if we were there at sunset, the Albatross that have been searching for food all day will come back to the cliffs for the night. We looked for them as we passed the colony at sail away but didn’t see any.

 

Hint - This is a steep walkway up. We saw several people that couldn’t make it and turned around – not sure that they missed that much

 

From here, we headed back to the city with a stop and the beautiful Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens. There was also a small café here and tables in the gardens. Arthur walked us around the gardens – they were very nice.

 

Hint – The hydrangeas and Lily of the Niles are abundant and were in full bloom throughout New Zealand. I don’t think I have ever seen so many beautiful and different colored hydrangeas on the same plants. I would recommend going this time of year just to see them!

 

Back in the city, Arthur drives us to the bottom of Baldwin Street. I was in the front and three of the four in the back, even without the best view, demanded to be let out of the car. Arthur would have none of that and continued a nice easy speech as the car climbed this incredibly steep street. The noise in the back got louder and louder (almost hysterical you might say!) And then we reached the top. And then we descended this hill – have to admit, it was a bit scary. At the bottom, everyone got out of the car to take pictures and visit the little souvenir shop and receive our official certificate of achievement for surviving the world’s steepest street.

 

Hint - If you are planning on sending postcards to anyone, there are a number of places that you can buy the stamps and send the cards out – it is less expensive than the ship.

Now this was a bit interesting. I had contacted Cadbury World Chocolate factory before we left, and admittedly, they did not have room left in their 1-1/2 hour tour. I had discussed this with Arthur and he said he had added an ice cream/chocolate place onto his tours that several groups had enjoyed, so I expected this would be our next stop. That is when Arthur informed me that they weren’t making ice cream or chocolate that day, so this was the end of the tour. As we drove back to the ship, we thought we saw the signs for the Cadbury factory, but Arthur was really adamant about not stopping. It was really rather odd. We all wondered about it. Maybe some future cruiser can shed more light on this?

 

Last stop on the way back to the ship was at a small grocery store and Arthur ran in and emerged with 5 hokey pokey ice cream cones. Ummm Ummmm Good.

 

What a great day in Dunedin!

 

- to be continued -

[wblevin]

CHRISTCHURCH, NZ – Wednesday 1/30 ( 7 am – 6pm )

Christchurch we have decided to do on our own - will head out to the Antarctic Center first thing in the morning - either cab or bus to arrive at opening 9am. Now we all meet on the pier about 8:00. Unfortunately, the bus on the pier does not start running until 9am. No problem, we shall walk outside the terminal and catch the local bus – STOP. We are not allowed to walk on the pier by ourselves. Security was certainly nice enough about it – but very firm. So rather than wait an hour and watch the cruise buses get a jump on us, we decide to hire a cab to take us to the Antarctic Center. He believes the fare will be about $60. We pile in the van and then hit some major traffic (guessing an accident??) that diverts us but we still make it to the center ahead of the buses, but $25 more expensive than anticipated. We opt for a combo ticket for the Center and the Hagglund Antarctic ride. We found the center very interesting. There is an area that you can put on parkas and boots and walk into a room to find out just how cold (and Noisy!) the Antarctic can be. They have a number of little blue penguins (also known as fairy penguins) that are not allowed back into the wild for various reasons. Their habitat was very spectator friendly and you can see them from all different angles, which was very nice. We then proceeded to the Hagglund. This is a two-part tank like vehicle. Some of us are in the front, some of us in the back. Make sure you hold on to the straps, at one downhill part, it felt like a roller coaster. We dip into dirty water that goes above the windows and thankfully doesn’t enter the vehicle.

 

Hint – I think you do better in the front of the Hagglund – the back is noisy and you cannot hear what the driver is saying.

 

We were very glad to see two $5 buses in the parking lot – we thought we were going to have to walk down the road to the airport for a ride into town. For $5 a person, they drove us to the center of Christchurch and drop us off right by the City Punting.

 

We were now a bit early for our next major event, so we decided a Punt would fit in perfectly. We bought a combo ticket with the streetcar, and then had a short wait in the drizzle. They loaded us all into a gondola type boat for our punt down the Avon – what a lovely relaxing ride – peaceful and beautiful.

 

Hint – There are lots of ducks along the river - find a place to buy some bread or such to feed the ducks along the way. Marcy was kind enough to share a bit of her sandwich with us.

 

Once back on land, I am thrilled to find our Segways have arrived. Originally, we would have preferred to do the segways in Wellington, but they were booked for the day. Then I found them available in Christchurch. I arranged ahead of time with the owner of the company - Graeme - g.g@paradise.net.nz. He couldn't have been more helpful! He has just started doing tours and what a fabulous way to see the gorgeous Garden City! I cannot recommend this company enough!

 

Segways are super easy to operate, fun to roll around town on and a great way to cover a lot of distance in a relatively short period of time. Graeme and his wife met us with 5 segways at the punting site. Two of us had used segways before - three of us were a bit hesitant, but after about 10 minutes, we were ready to roll and we all had one of the best days of our two week trip! We toured through a bit of the City, through the botanical park and Hagley Park (oh those hydrangeas were gorgeous!), took us to an historic Homestead and we rolled around a good deal of the Canterbury Plains in our two hour tour. If you have never done segways before, New Zealand is the perfect place to start. Guaranteed, you will not be disappointed!

 

At the end of our tour, we had just enough time to catch a round trip tour on the trolley and Graeme was gracious enough to offer us the scenic view ride back to the ship.

 

Interesting – when we arrived at the port, they would not allow him into the port – dilemma - we are not allowed to walk either! They actually piled us into a security van and drove us back to the ship.

 

What a fabulous day in Christchurch!!

 

- to be continued -

[Johanna7]

Wendy - when you state that it was suggested the taxi into Christchurch was quoted at $60 and you said it was $25 more, did you mean it was $85 for the taxi one way from the pier to Chch?

 

That was outrageous.

 

Those segways sound like a lot of fun.

 

Johanna

[Texed]

Great review, and much better than Texed's. :)

[boeckli]

CHRISTCHURCH, NZ – Wednesday 1/30 ( 7 am – 6pm )

Christchurch we have decided to do on our own - will head out to the Antarctic Center first thing in the morning - either cab or bus to arrive at opening 9am. Now we all meet on the pier about 8:00. Unfortunately, the bus on the pier does not start running until 9am. No problem, we shall walk outside the terminal and catch the local bus – STOP. We are not allowed to walk on the pier by ourselves. Security was certainly nice enough about it – but very firm. So rather than wait an hour and watch the cruise buses get a jump on us, we decide to hire a cab to take us to the Antarctic Center.

 

When you say "the bus on the pier" do you mean a ship's organised shuttle bus to the city (presumably for a fee ...)?

If they do not allow you to walk on the pier (understandable though it is, sharing with merchant ships), Celebrity and the taxis rather have things sewn up nice and tight for them :(.

We were planning on taking the public bus from just outside as well ... if necessary, will only take taxi a short way and then change over to public transport. Any idea how much the ship's shuttle charges?

As for your driver not being allowed into port, again understandable for port security reasons, but obviously they need to come up with a better system there somehow.

[Johanna7]

It was $5 or $6 3 years ago. Either NZ or US$. They were not sure themselves and some were charged $5 and others $6 as they were not sure themselves - those running it. That was Princess.

 

It is rather a long way if the taxi fare is $85 or even $60. I think it was about a half hour. If the bus starts at 9 a.m. that would be okay unless you wanted to get there earlier.

[wblevin]

WELLINGTON, NZ – Thursday 1/31 ( 7am – 5pm )

I didn't start my research early enough - unfortunately the segways were totally booked for the day – this is the ideal port for them. We have decided to do this town on our own.

 

We grabbed a cab going into town and asked to be dropped off in Lambton Quay right by the cable car entrance. This happened to be right across from where the ship buses were parked. We took the historic cable car to the top and walked down past the two observatories and through the botanical gardens on the way down. We pass through the Bolton Street Cemetery where I found one sad family that lost five children in a two week period in the late 1800s. Marcy tagged along on a tour and learned they all died from dysentery. The gardens were very pretty and it was a nice relaxing walk down the mountainside.

 

Turns out we were just a bit early for the Rugby players parade. Half the group stayed in town for the parade, the other half of us opted to go back to the ship.

 

TAURANGA, NZ – Saturday 2/2 – (6:15am – 6 pm )

Tauranga we have a full day private tour booked with Ian of Mount Classic Tours http://www.mctours.co.nz Due to something with the tides, we have lost three hours of our tour here – was originally scheduled to leave at 9 pm L We are still trying to get everything in.

 

The one and only Sheron is our tour guide for the day (all the cabbies in New Zealand are licensed with their first name and a number after it, i.e. we had Arthur 51 several days before – but this was the only Sheron!) As we pass the Kiwi 360, we are hoping we will have time to visit on the way back. Our first stop today, on our way to Rotorua, is the Agrodome sheep farm and dog show. We had seen a quick sheep shearing when we were at the Koala Park Sanctuary outside of Sydney. This was a nice presentation of all the different kinds of sheep and then they brought in the dogs. Eventually the one sheep was shorn. Personally, I liked the show and thought it was worth seeing.

 

Hint – watch out for flying milk if you are seated in the front row!From here, we headed out to Rotorua’s geo thermal hot springs and Te Puai. I thought these were unique and different. Very glad we came out this far. Sheron took us to a quaint Maori (pronounced Mau Ree like the Hawaiian island of Maui with an “R” in it) neighborhood where, as we drive around, you notice steam coming out of the ground in people’s yards! She mentioned that one family actually had a sink hole open up in the middle of his home a number of years ago. I gather then now drill holes in the earth in more desirable places to avoid holes opening up unexpectedly. We entered a Maori church where it looked like their etching of Christ was walking across the water in the bay behind the church – an interesting perspective.

 

We have a bit of time before the show, so Sheron buys us an ice cream cone (hokey pokey of course) and we walk up to the geo thermal activity area. We pass the kiwi bird house which has been darkened so the nocturnal kiwis think it is night time. One kiwi is right by the glass and puts on a wonderful show of preening himself and pecking for food. We catch the end of a Maori guide’s tour where he discusses the silver ferns of New Zealand and how they make excellent fences – except that they need to be cut back every once in a while as they continue to grow! He also shows everyone how to cut off a leaf from the flax plant and shows how easy it is (??) to make fabric and rope from the plant. Up the hill, we get a nice view of Te Puia spouting, view the bubbling mud pools and sit on some very warm rocks. Honestly, the hot springs didn’t stink as much as I thought they were going it!

 

Back down at the bottom, we are just in time for the Maori Show. We enjoyed the ½ hour show – very similar to shows from the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii.

 

From here we head out to the buried city. In the mid 1800s, this Maori village had a hotel that was used by tourists visiting nearby hot springs baths. In 1886, a volcano erupted and buried this town under ash. They have been digging out the city for years. One of the Maori relatives took us on the guided tour and explained where different “houses” had been. Personally, this doesn’t even come close to a Pompeii visit. In my opinion, what is left isn’t really worth seeing. Would have done better catching a zorb by the Agrodome – lol.

 

Now it is time to relax. The three of us ladies have decided to go for a mud bath and spa experience at Hells Gate – something we experienced for days afterward! We brought our bathing suits just for this occasion. Once in them, we are shown to a large metal vat with dirty muddy water. The men are having a good laugh as we coat ourselves (below the nose) with mud. Twenty minutes or so of this and we get out and shower off the mud in a COLD shower and then are treated to a sulphurous spa. Something we will do once in our lives. We emerge like prunes and shower off and get dressed. At the gift shop, I obtained several plastic bags for our suits.

 

On the way back to the ship, there was actually enough time to stop at the kiwi 360 and see all the kiwi fruits (one male to 5 or 6 female plants). They kind of grow like grapes! We didn’t get to take the tour, but we did stop in the gift shop for a taste of their wine.

 

What a great day in Tauranga/Rotorua. We got in everything we wanted to do – except maybe the zorbing – lol. But now is time for a shower (us women just smell a bit sulphuric) and to pack.

 

After dinner, I pack and take another shower and scrub with a lot of soap. Strange – still smell that Hell’s Gate experience. The bathing suit is half dry and goes into the suitcase in the plastic bag.

 

AUCKLAND, NZ – Sunday 2/3 – plane leaves at 7:20 pm

 

We have white luggage tags that say we should be getting off the ship at 7:15 am. As we arise, my husband notes I really need a shower – the sulpuric smell is still there. My brother noted the same problem with his wife. Another scrub down before breakfast.

 

We have a private tour with Vera of http://www.exclusivelyAuckland.co.nz We actually were able to get off earlier than planned. Vera and company were waiting for us. Her gentlemen friends whisked up all of our luggage (including carry-ons) and stored them for the day for us. Everyone was worried if we would have enough time for the trip out to the Waitomo Valley to see the caves. We had plenty of time and were so glad we did this tour. Vera winded her way through the city and out into the lovely countryside. At one point we stopped at a little café on the side of the road for coffee, etc. We spent probably about 25 minutes here and still made it in plenty of time for the 11:30 glow worm boat tour. It was supposed to be a 2.5 hour drive. In reality, it was about that with the stop. We stopped several times for pictures – one huge patriotic kiwi. Arrival at the caves was right on schedule with the ship’s bus tours – ughh. We tried to scooch ahead of them, but we all ended up going down at the same time. We were very glad we did the tour outside of Auckland. It was a lovely end to our vacation.

 

Right down the road, we then stopped at the Angora rabbit shearing shop. These bunnies are so furry, if they are not shorn, they would die of heat exhaustion. It was fascinating watching them strap the bunny down and shear it.

 

Right around the corner for the Angora shop, there was an awesome hotel – kind of on the level of Madonna Inn in California. They have several unique hotel rooms for rent – two in an old airplane, several in what appears to be Fodo’s home from Lord of the Rings. It is certainly worth the stop over from either the caves or the bunny shearing.

 

Back in Auckland, it is only 3:15ish, so we have time to drive to the top of one of the volcanoes for a lovely view of our ship, the harbor and Auckland – AND last chance for a hokey pokey – wow they are good! We arrive at the airport around 4:30 and meet up with our luggage. After so re-arranging, we get on the very long line to check the luggage and get our boarding tickets. Beyond the security line, there were only a couple of choices for food – Burger King and a nice deli type place that had some traditional NZ pies and a Greek salad – bit tough making the adjustment to not being served in the dining room!

 

Flight home was a bit bumpy, but uneventful – thank goodness. We slept a bit and got to reflect on what a wonderful trip we had – simply couldn’t have been better! We all loved both countries and wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again at some point in the future.

 

Hint – NEVER EVER put clothing used in a sulphuric bath into the wash with other clothes!

 

Once home, I sorted out the laundry and put in the washing machine. At the last minute, I found my semi dry bathing suit and decided to throw that in with all the whites – just for a rinse. OMG – what a horrible mistake. I think I will have to dispose of some of the clothes! I have put them through 4 separate washes – one with oxiclean and one with baking soda. Then I did a search on the internet. I then bought some of that orange formula stuff – soaked it for 3 hours and then poured more baking soda and washed. Then poured vinegar and washed again – and repeated. Now 8 washes and the clothes still smell – ugghhh,.

 

I am happy to report now, though a week later, that I no longer smell! We are still working on righting our times from jet lag , but I am confident that that will come – more confident of that than that the laundry will smell good again.

 

As I sit here and watch the snow falling, I wish all of you going a Bon Voyage and a wonderful vacation!

[boeckli]

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with us - felt like I was there almost :)

We'll be boarding the Mercury on Sunday for our B2B all the way to Honolulu :D

[hcat]

Thanks for the detailed review-- you certainly had some adventures.

sorry to hear Mercury is not in the best of shape but hopeit gets refurbished & they keep the T pool

 

It also sounds like the ports were alot of work--do you think if we took this cruise & went mostly with ship's excusions we could save alot of wear & tear on ourselves...also love animals but not quite up to so much independent planning

[kehlx2]

Thanks so much for your GREAT review--I wrote a note about 40 minutes ago but of course the boards are eating them UP!!!! Read your review & feel like I just came home...Oh I DID--to 14½ inches of snow in 24 hours & a bit more today

I had hoped to post some kind of review but no way can I keep up with yours--but we had a great time also..but all of our tours were off the ship--more costly but no worry about getting back too late for ship leaving.

I took a few notes (FEW being the word here) & will see if I can find them--just finished getting the laundry done--ok--I wasn't in a hurry to do it..:( Right now am having trouble remembering each port--I know the tours--but gotta get them to the same port...:D

Again GREAT review!!! lets see if this one posts...

[wblevin]

It also sounds like the ports were alot of work--do you think if we took this cruise & went mostly with ship's excusions we could save alot of wear & tear on ourselves...also love animals but not quite up to so much independent planning

 

Wow - it was a lot of work (and fun) planning where to go and what to see, but I have to say, we just had the best time - sure wish we could have stayed longer. :D I think you will love no matter what you decide to do in either country!