Akaroa, a Little Bit of France in the South

French colonial buildings in Akaroa, New Zealand

Because of the earthquakes which devastated Christchurch and its port of Lyttelton, cruise ships can no longer visit there for the foreseeable future. So they make Akaroa their port of call.
   And what a beautiful place it is. Once again we were blessed with calm, blue sky weather. The 'Volendam' anchored out in the bay and we tendered ashore.
   The little township lies along the shore of Akaroa Harbour. It is the site of the first settlement in New Zealand by the French, over 160 years ago. In fact, if the English hadn't beaten them to it by a few months, we would have been saying "Bonjour" instead of "Hello" or "Kia ora".
   Part of the charm of the place is its well-preserved historic colonial cottages with their picket fences and displays of over-exuberant rambling roses. Many of the buildings fly French flags as well as New Zealand ones and some of the street names are in French.
   I enjoyed exploring the old-fashioned general store which sold just about everything from gumboots to gumballs. Nearby, in a restored cottage, was a shop specialising in French goods the owners personally selected on their trips to France. Beautiful homewares, unusual gift ideas and a treasure for me - a miniature book of Napoleon's love letters to Josephine. Now, where's my French dictionary?
   

ms Volendam: The Library

One side of the library on Volendam

My favourite room - the library on the 'Volendam'. It's huge, big enough to incorporate a cafe and bigger than the library in my small home town! With floor to ceiling windows, Eames chairs and ottomans and leather couches, it's a place in which to spend many relaxing hours on sea days.
  At one end of the library is a long Italian marble table, inlaid with coloured flower motifs. It's ideal for spreading out the large atlases that are available. I like doing that to plot our course. Bookcases line the walls with a selection of history books and biographies that feature the lives of many famous people.

Explorations Cafe on Volendam

   The middle section of the library has a large table for jigsaws and another comfortable leather couch to curl up on. Here also is the Explorations cafe. If you feel like coffee and cookies while reading, the barista will make your order, for a small charge.
   Lots more bookcases have a great range of travel books and guides, the latest best sellers, novels, and beautiful photographic art and architecture, and wildlife books. There's even a book exchange for people who've finished with their own books and want to swap for another.         

Read and relax in Volendam's library

The other end of the room has computer stations, more couches and the ever so comfortable Eames chairs placed by the windows. So comfortable that you'll often find people have settled in them with a good book, then dozed off in the sun. You can read to the musical accompaniment of gentle snoring.

   A long table holds the latest edition magazines and newspapers. Every day, you can pick up a sheet of sudoku puzzles and the daily quiz questions (they're hard!). There's a prize for the person who gets the most correct answers. But don't get too excited - it's usually the dreaded luggage label!

Dolphin Watching in Queen Charlotte Sound

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton

We knew that after leaving Picton in the early evening we'd have a couple of hours scenic cruising in Queen Charlotte Sound. What we didn't expect was being escorted part of the way by a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Leaping and diving, they surfed the bow wave, so close to the ship I felt as if I could have touched them. It was a great sight to see.
 Queen Charlotte Sound is a beautiful part of New Zealand, best seen from the water.  Here at the top of the South Island the land divides into long peninsulars, like fingers lying on the sea. The bush covered hills run down to the shore. Sometimes, in the picturesque little coves, fur seals can be seen sunning themselves on the rocks.  Now some of the isolated bays have a holiday house or two, accessible only by boat. In the 19th century whaling stations were established along the shores of the Sounds. The whole area has a rich Maori heritage.
 Captain Cook was a fan of the Marlborough Sounds. As the first European explorer to these waters  he charted the coastline and stayed for a time in Ships Cove. Its freshwater spring and sheltered anchorage were a relief after being weeks in rough seas.
   We had been days in calm seas. Onwards now, and fingers crossed for a smooth sailing when we leave the shelter of the sounds and go into Cook Strait. Next port of call is Akaroa.    

Picton, our First South Island Port of Call

The port and township of Picton

As the gateway to the South Island by water, Picton is a busy little port. We docked right next to the interisland ferry so there was a lot of interest watching all the comings and goings on that ship.
  After a warm welcome from the local volunteers stationed at the bottom of the gangway, we caught the free shuttle bus into the township. Picton is a pretty town with its landscaped and paved park on the waterfront at the bottom of the main street. I was impressed with the cafes and shops which seemed to be geared to well-heeled tourists rather than locals. The art and crafts on display in the galleries and stores were of high quality and interesting.
  I was particularly amused with the sign in the window of the ice cream parlour stating that it was open from midday, on sunny days. Too bad if you were after a gelato or chocolate dipped double scoop of hokey pokey when it was cloudy!
  In a back street we found one of our favourite types of shops, a secondhand/antiques emporium. We spent a happy hour poking around the shelves and displays looking for treasures.
   

Cooking Demonstrations on a Cruise

Decorating a cake demonstration

During the day on a cruise, when I'm not lying in a deck chair, reading in the library, playing shuffleboard, or checking out the food, I like to go to cooking demonstrations. Yes, more food!
   The Culinary Arts Centre on the 'Volendam' is perfectly set up for passengers to watch and learn from some of the best chefs on the high seas. I really enjoy their presentations where they make creating beautiful food seem so easy. Whether it is grilled lamb chops with oregano and apple chutney, shrimp curry, or creme brulee, I learn tips and techniques that I can try at home.
  Recipe cards are given out for us to take away and, of course, there is the all important tasting of the recipes we have watched being made. My favourite part!    
  Cake decorating is not my strong suit so I was interested to go to a demonstration called 'A Piece of Cake'. Pastry Chef Neil showed us how to decorate a sponge and make marzipan roses.
   Firstly he sliced a sponge cake into thirds horizontally. He sprinkled the bottom layer with a thick sugar syrup, drizzled it with liqueur, then smoothed on a layer of whipped cream.  He repeated the process with the other two pieces of cake, layering them on top of each other.
   More whipped cream, laid on liberally with a palette knife, covered the sides of the cake. The final touches were a covering of grated chocolate, decorative swirls piped with chocolate and the marzipan roses on top.
  When I saw how simple it all was I was inspired to recreate it when I got home from the cruise. It was good enough to eat! 

Wellington Port of Call

Cruise ships docked at Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington looked beautiful with the harbour sparkling in the morning sun as we came in to dock. The 'Dawn Princess' was already in port by the time we arrived. Its passengers had almost all disembarked, to walk into the city or board buses for their day's tours.
   Wellington is a favourite city of mine with its cultural vibe and cafes galore. We met a friend for lunch - on a tug boat in Oriental Bay! The tug has been refurbished as a restaurant. We sat right in the bow to eat, with great views back to the city.
   The 'Volendam's' departure was scheduled for one minute before midnight, which gave us time to meet family after they had finished work. Dinner was at an award-winning restaurant ashore. And very nice it was too. Later that night we arrived back at the dock to board the 'Volendam'. Apart from security guards in the cruise ship terminal, no one else was around. As we walked up the gangway, it felt as if we were royalty, boarding our private vessel. I wish!

Towel Animals - Love Those Critters!

Towel animal elephant

The sense of anticipation rises as you make your way along the corridor to your stateroom after a night of fine dining and entertainment. You know that the cabin steward will have turned down your bed, turned on the bedside lights, left chocolates on your pillows and perhaps a note wishing you sweet dreams. But what, you wonder, will today's towel animal be?
   Will it be sitting on the bed, on the dressing table, or hanging from the wall light? Will it be a dog or a squid or an elephant? A gorilla or a lobster or a rabbit? Whatever it is, it is guaranteed to make you smile!
   And if you want to make them for yourself when you are home, go along to the towel animal making demonstration or buy the book for more wonderful ideas on what you can do with a couple of small towels and two stick-on paper eyes!
   You've got to love those critters!