New Zealand - Auckland and Wellington

We woke up and realized we had docked in Auckland. I looked out our window and at first thought we were docked next to another cruise ship. Upon further inspection I realized it was actually a hotel, Hilton Inn, painted white and made to look like a cruise ship with balconies. The lower windows were round resembling large portholes. The dock was a flurry of activity with forklifts already moving palettes of supplies unto the ship. After several weeks in the South Pacific islands, the ship was running low on provisions. (God forbid we wouldn’t have enough food or drink for everyone!!! )
Still on the ship, we could see some of the tall buildings of the city skyline and the impressive Sky Tower, the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest tower. I couldn’t wait to get ashore to see the sights. We had a short tour of the area with a trip to the top of the dormant volcanic crater called Mt Pukekawa, the Harbour Bridge and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Auckland is nicknamed the “City of Sails” and with good reason. The harbors are filled with all kinds of sailboats and yachts. Auckland is the home of the America’s Cup team for New Zealand and there is a whole new area along the waterfront called America’s Cup Village. After our tour we took off on a walk around the central city area. It was so very nice to see this modern, clean and very sea-loving city up close. The people were extremely friendly, the Kiwis they call themselves, and we were treated well wherever we went. The population seemed relatively young with a mix of Maori, Asian and Indonesian people as well as the native Kiwis. We ate lunch at a trendy harbor side restaurant and had one of the local beers called Monteith’s Golden ale and it was great! We found some interesting shops, along with a few American standbys like McDonalds and Burger King and bought a few souvenirs. We also found a drug store and stocked up on a few necessities that we couldn’t find while in French Polynesia. All in all we loved Auckland and were sorry we didn’t have more time to explore. We got back on board shortly before sail away and spent a long time out on the outside decks as we left the dock and sailed out of Waitemata Harbour. The ship had to sound its horn many times as we left because the harbor was full of all sizes of sailboats not too concerned about our large vessel getting too close to them. We were told the Kiwis were fearless and they proved it! The first taste of New Zealand left me wanting more. After a sea day we’ll visit Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin and then spend some time cruising Milford Sound before heading for Sydney, Australia.

We arrived in Wellington on a beautiful, sunny day. There was a slight chill in the air but it was really quite comfortable. Today we were scheduled for our “special kiwi event”. This event was provided to guests who had booked a verandah cabin and above and was totally complimentary. We knew where and when to pick up the bus and that we were to dress “elegant casual”. We weren’t quite sure how elegant we looked but off we went anyway. We begin our event with a bus tour around the city. We saw the Parliament building, downtown shopping area and were taken to the top of Mt. Victoria for panoramic views of the city and harbor. The scenery was breathtaking! After several photo stops, we headed back into town for lunch. We were taken to the newly restored City Hall Building for a 4 course luncheon in the main auditorium/theater. This historic building was in pristine condition and beautifully decorated with chandeliers and banners. There was a large stage in the front of the room and behind the stage a magnificent huge pipe organ. Needless to say, we were impressed. We were escorted to finely decorated tables and offered our choice of water, wine or beer. I chose another local beer recommended by our server, called Spreict’s. The brewery is in Dunnedin, NZ, which we would visit the next day. At this point the lights were dimmed and in walk several large Maori warriors blowing a welcome signal on huge shells. The show has begun! Several more Maori men and women appeared on the stage and we were treated to various dances and chants. We then were welcomed by the Mayor of Wellington, a lovely woman dressed in a flowing robe depicting her status. After the first 3 courses were served, we see coming from under the stage, 2 men dressed as New Zealand sheep farmers and a huge sheep! A real live sheep!! This begins the second part of our entertainment during which we see a demonstration of sheep shearing on another live sheep. We saw sheep dogs herding live geese, a cow being milked and several baby lambs being fed. All on the stage in the beautiful City Hall building – it was amazing and really quite fun. There were lots of laughs and audience participation. After dessert was served, we left but not without a gift from the cruise line. We each received a beautiful Merino wool scarf! We left with a wonderful feeling about Wellington and both agreed we had to come back! I cried as the ship left the harbor when we saw and heard a girl’s bagpipe ensemble playing “Amazing Grace” on the dock below us. There really is something wonderful about New Zealand!!!!