Cruise Around New Zealand

New Zealand display on the cruise ship

Seeing your own country from the sea is a whole different experience from driving through it. The slow approach to a port, the light on the water, the panoramic views, give a new perspective. That's why we loved the cruise we went on a couple of months ago - with Holland America Line around New Zealand.  It certainly gave me a renewed appreciation for the beauty of my homeland, especially when hearing the admiring comments of people from overseas who had never been to New Zealand before.
   The 14 day cruise was called  New Zealand and Australia, departing from Auckland and finishing in Sydney. The ship was the 'Volendam', one of Holland America's elegant, mid-size cruise ships.  
   The itinerary featured scenic cruising around three of New Zealand's most beautiful areas: the Bay of Plenty, the Marlborough Sounds, and the wonderful wilderness of Fiordland.

  We visited seven ports of call in New Zealand: Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne, Wellington, Picton, Akaroa and Port Chalmers for Dunedin. From there, the cruise crossed the Tasman Sea to visit three Australian ports of call - Burnie in Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney.

   It was a wonderful cruise, one I would recommend to anyone. The blue skies, sunshine and calm seas all the way were a definite bonus! 

   

  

Crossing the Equator Ceremony

Father Neptune and his entourage

Whales migrate between the northern and southern hemispheres. So do birds. And so do cruise ships!

  Ships that have been cruising in the North Pacific during May to September, head down to the South Pacific in October for the Southern Hemisphere summer.Then in March, the ships go north again.
  On these repositioning cruises, there is one special activity that passengers look forward to - the Crossing the Equator Ceremony.
   King Neptune and his wife preside over the proceedings. The pirate captain kidnaps all the pollywogs ( the newest crew members), parades them through the crowds of passengers and pushes them into a specially constructed pen on deck.
   One by one, the pollywogs are brought before King Neptune. They have to confess their transgressions and the King pronounces their punishment - kiss the fish, or get slimed and thrown into the swimming pool. Or sometimes both!  "Kiss the fish, kiss the fish," chant the passengers and the poor pollywogs have to kiss a real fish.
  Some pollywogs are thrown on to trestle tables and other crew members, dressed as nurses and doctors, slime them. This slime is brightly coloured goo with spaghetti mixed into it. The doctors and nurses are very enthusiastic in their slime duties! Soon the pollywogs are covered from head to toe in goo, then tossed into the swimming pool.
   It is all a lot of fun and a chance to get some great photos. All passengers receive a certificate initiating them into the Royal and Ancient Order of Shellbacks from King Neptune himself!

About the Pacific Sun

  

Pacific Sun in Auckland

P&O's 'Pacific Sun' now operates on South Pacific Island and Australian itineraries year round. Embarkation ports are Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, and Fremantle, at various times of the year. With an abundance of four berth cabins, she is popular with families and groups of friends who wish to cruise together.
    Built in 1986, she underwent an extensive refit in October 2008. She has a cruising speed of 21 knots and carries 1950 passengers and 670 crew.
   Crew members come from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and India. We found them to be very friendly, cheerful and helpful.
   In the restaurants alone, there are 4 head waiters, 50 waiters, 50 assistant waiters, and 22 buffet staff.
   We particularly enjoyed the variety of evening entertainment. Some nights, the main shows in the Atlantis Show Lounge were preceded by a spectacular laser light show. The special lighting effects were co-ordinated with music to create fascinating, colourful light patterns.
   After formerly cruising on four and five star ships, we were not quite sure what to expect on the 'Pacific Sun' which has a three star rating. We were pleasantly surprised. The stateroom was a reasonable size, there was a great variety of food and we enjoyed the activities on offer.

Cruise News From Norfolk Island Port of Call

Cruise ship arriving at Kingston, Norfolk Island

Cynthia Quintal is a long-time resident of Norfolk Island. She has been operating Cynthia's Garden Tours since 1992 and is very involved on the days cruise ships visit the island. Her tours take passengers to two private, award-winning, subtropical gardens with a delicious morning or afternoon tea at an island home.
   Cynthia kindly agreed to answer some of my questions about cruises to Norfolk Island port of call.
W: When did planning start for the return of cruise ships to the island?
C:  Planning started around two years ago when our then Minister of Finance was contacted by P&O cruises. Offering an extra port of call would be an added attraction on a Pacific cruise.
W: What preparations did Norfolk Island have to make?
C:  Once Norfolk Island was nominated as a port of call, committees were formed to deal with various issues. One of these was transport, to ensure there were enough buses to carry the passengers in an efficient and timely fashion from the pier to the town. Another committee discussed what food preparation would be needed for passengers while on shore. Another issue was toilets; two portaloos were put in the centre of town on cruise days and all the clubs opened their doors for comfort stops. A pontoon was constructed for use at Cascade to get passengers ashore from the ship's tenders, but it has proved not to be successful in inclement weather.
W: What extra things did Norfolk Island plan for the cruise visits, apart from the impressive range of shore tours?
C: On cruise days, stalls are set up in town selling a myriad of items:  woodcarvings, home-made sea salt, home-made guava jelly, Norfolk themed cards, baked goods and woven Norfolk Island style hats. This array of stalls all adds to the town's lively atmosphere.
W:  I know that landing on Norfolk Island is very weather dependent and some cruise visits have been cancelled, to the disappointment of locals and passengers alike. What have been the highlights of the successful cruise visits?
C:  The influx of almost 2000 people arriving on the island at once from a cruise ship is massive in economic terms. Everyone is excited to see the town buzzing with people and it is a boost to morale when we see the streets pumping with passengers. Most of the locals are involved in some way or other on cruise days and their friendly demeanour is always remarked upon by tourists. Shopping is a highlight for cruise passengers; finding souvenirs is a must for many. Locals go out of their ways to assist our visitors to ensure they leave our shores with pleasant memories and more.
W: When is the next scheduled cruise ship visit?
C:  The next ship to call is the 'Pacific Pearl' due at Norfolk Island on June 19, 2011.
   I'd like to thank Cynthia for giving us this 'behind the scenes' look at Norfolk Island as a cruise port. Thanks also to Richard and Linda Chapman for the photo taken from Flagstaff Hill looking down at the cruise ship and tender arriving at Kingston.
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An Isle of Pines Experience

The beautiful Isle of Pines

Paula Kunac, her husband and their two teenage daughters visited the Isle of Pines on an 8 day Pacific Island cruise that also went to Noumea and Lifou. She shared her impressions of the island with me.
W:  Paula, why did you describe the Isle of Pines as your favourite port of call?
P:   It epitomised the idea of a tropical paradise, a real picture-postcard place. It was like stepping into a travel brochure. I didn't want to leave!
W:  Is the sand really as white as it appears in all the tourist brochures?
P:   Definitely. It's so beautiful there; the white sand against the blue sea and the green of the pine trees and palms.
W:  What did you and the family do while ashore for the day?
P:   We spent most of the time at the beach. From where the tender brings passengers ashore, we walked around the bay, past some buildings, and across a narrow neck of land to another beach. It's not a long walk. We went snorkelling there.
W:  What was the snorkelling like?
P:   It was great. The water was very clear and the bottom was sandy. We saw lots of bright tropical fish and corals. There's a huge rock in the middle of the bay that you're not allowed to climb on as it's sacred, but you can snorkel and swim all around it.
W:  Did you eat some of the local food, the bougna?
P:   Yes, we tried it. Paul thought it was all right, but I wasn't so keen.
W:  With a whole ship-load of passengers going ashore, did the beaches feel crowded?
P:   Not at all. We found a spot where it felt like there was nothing else in the world there. We all had a great day!

Isle of Pines, a Favourite Port of Call

Isle of Pines on a Pacific cruise ship itinerary

Flicking through travel brochures showing pictures of beautiful tropical islands certainly whets your appetite for cruising the Pacific.
   One of the most beautiful, and accessible, is the Isle of Pines, part of New Caledonia.
   Captain Cook sailed past here in 1774. In his no-nonsense, 'call a spade a spade' manner, he saw the pine trees and gave the island its name.
   Unimaginative, but apt.
   Today cruise ships anchor off the Baie de Kuto and tender passengers ashore. The beach of white sand curves in a great arc, shaded by pine and palm trees that provide welcome respite from the sun.
   Across a narrow isthmus, a more enclosed bay, the Baie de Kanumera, is the place for snorkelling.
   If you are feeling peckish while ashore, local people sell bougna near the beach. It's a New Caledonian speciality. Fish, meat and vegetables such as yams are wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over hot stones in an earth oven.
   Tomorrow I'll post a guest interview with my friend, Paula, who cruised to the Isle of Pines with her family. She'll tell what they did on their day ashore in this port of call.

Seasick - Not This Time!

Every cruisers' dream - calm seas

The old saying, "Take the rough with the smooth", certainly applies to cruising. Every time I get on a ship, I hope the voyage will be as calm as it was in this photo.

   Years ago, I was terribly seasick on a ship crossing between Norway and Denmark in what was then the worst storm for four decades.That six hours has remained etched in my memory as an absolutely ghastly time, one I never want to repeat.
   So on every cruise, I go prepared with several remedies. I figure that if one doesn't work, another will. I get prescription medication for nausea from the doctor, I pack my Sea Band acupressure wrist bands, and I drink lots of ginger ale. I also book our cabin in the mid-ship area which is the most stable part of the ship.
   On this 'Bounty Discovery' cruise we ran into a two-day storm. The swimming pools were emptied and covered with netting. The deck chairs and sun lounges were stacked into piles and chained down. The ship was rocking and rolling about which made walking more like staggering. Even some of the crew were getting seasick.

  But I was just fine. Whether it was the medicine, the wrist bands or the ginger ale that worked, I don't know. And at night, in our mid-ship stateroom, we were rocked gently to sleep like babies in a cradle.