Ahoy Kiwis!
Day 24 found us sailing south toward New Zealand. We noted the cooler weather and enjoyed a sunny day with moderate wind and five foot seas. Starting to feel sinus congestion, I took measures to mediate the effects of infection. First step. . . no Bombay Sapphire Martinis for a few days. . . OUCH, that hurt!
As you know, New Zealand is an island in the South Pacific, 1,200 miles east of Australia across the Tasman Sea. It consists of two main islands, the North Island, which has most of the population of 4.5 million and the South Island which is the slightly larger. The combined land mass is about 990 miles long and 250 miles wide and has about the same surface area as the state of Colorado.
Due to its remote location, New Zealand was one of the last land masses to be settled by humans. The Polynesians arrived in about 1250 AD and developed the Maori culture. The Europeans did not arrive and settle until Captain Cook mapped the entire coastline in 1769. The white settlers and the Maori had a history of conflict until a treaty was signed in 1840. Soon thereafter, it became a colony of the British Empire until 1947, when became a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Currently, it is identified as of the world’s most stable, well-governed states.
I was excited to return to New Zealand and we planned on visiting three destinations on North Island: Bay of Islands in the Northland, Auckland, the largest city and Wellington, the southernmost capital in the World.
After three days at sea, we awoke on Day 26 in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. It was noticeably cooler at about 60 degrees with a 20 knot wind. We anchored off of Waitangi and took the tender to the pier and a 5 minute shuttle ride to the lovely seaside town of Paihia.
With its friendly locals, trendy cafés and restaurants it’s a great tourist town and home for many recreational activities, including diving, snorkeling and kayaking.
We made our way to the pier and took the ferry to nearby Russell , home to whalers and traders in the 18th and 19th century and a super anchorage for boaters today.
The weather was a perfect 72 degrees with a warming sun, so we arranged a tour of the area on a minibus for a bit of history including a visit to the Russell Museum with its 1/5 size replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavor.
To complete the day, we enjoyed a coffee in the historic Pompallier House before our return to Paihai, followed by a one mile walk back to the Waitangi pier.
Along the way, we strolled along the grassy apron adjacent to the beach and glimpsed modern waterside houses and condos until we reached the pier and boarded the tender to return to Insignia.
Auckland is Awesome! We woke at Prince’s Wharf in the downtown Port of Auckland for great views of this wonderful city. Although old-fashioned and traditional with friendly people, it is modern, vibrant and clean. . . could this be Bobamala?
With no definite touring plan we strolled along the busy pier with its shops and eateries and visited the “i site” tour office and arranged a 3 hour tour of the city highlights.
Our driver, Paul, was a stout Mauri gentlemen with a wonderful Kiwi accent. He did a great job of navigating the city, describing points of interest, the homes of the rich and famous and provided visits to Winter Gardens, as well as, Mt. Eden, a dormant volcano and Cornwell Park, a working farm within the city limits. Paul warned us not to talk to the sheep!
We returned to downtown Auckland to visit the shops on Queen Street. There were many wool and sheepskin items for sale, but also notable was the presence of Gucci, Prada and other designer stores.
Since I was a bit shaggy, Robin escorted me to a men’s hairstylist was a Middle Eastern fellow with dark, deep set eyes. The haircut was actually not bad, but I got a bit nervous when he used a Bic lighter to burn the hair from my ears. Since he wasn’t wearing an explosive vest, I didn’t protest. I can hear a bit better too. . . so I violated the New Zealand “no tipping” policy.
We would put in a very rough sea day sailing the 550 nautical miles to Wellington. The wind was recorded at 45 knots and the seas were likely 12 to 15 feet. Since the ship is only 593 feet long and 84 feet wide, there was quite a bit of pitch and roll. We could have used some tie downs to keep us on the mattress. Since I was awake at 0400 and there was no one awake to clog the broadband, I logged onto a trading platform and executed a few option trades. My trading friends will understand, they know I’m a bit of an options addict.
On Day 29 we arrived at the city of Wellington, New Zealand’s culinary and cultural capital. With its population of only 200,000 it is a compact city with a mix of culture, history, nature and cuisine.
It was also cold and windy, unlike the usual climate in the northern part of the island. We embarked on a tour of the city, including a cable car ride at Lambton Quay up the hill to the suburb of Kelburn. A visit to the Wellington Botanic Gardens, Historic Old St Paul’s Cathedral, built in 1867 and a drive to the overlook on Mt. Victoria for a few photos completed our morning.
We returned to the ship and took advantage of its amenities and the solitude while other guests were still touring. With sail away at 6:00 pm it wasn’t long before we were met with heavy winds and rough seas in the dining room. Of course, the service was superb as there were fewer diners and an accommodating staff.
We’ll have another three sea days and 1225 nautical miles crossing the Tasman Sea until we arrive at Sydney. When we are about 450 nautical miles east of Australia the Captain announced that due to a medical emergency affecting a crew member, we will arrive in Sydney earlier than planned. He then cruised at the max speed of 20.5 knots which brought us to Sydney a day ahead of schedule.
We entered Sydney Harbour at 1500 hours and cruised past the iconic Opera House and under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Cruising slowly through the busy harbour and between the racing sailboats and ferry traffic was a wonderful experience!
We have finally arived at our destination at this gleaming, vibrant and cosmopolitan city. We have travelled 10,260 nautical miles (11,800 statue miles) or about ½ the distance around the world and are thrilled to disembark and spend an extra day in this wonderful city.
We spent the early evening on the trendy, upscale Darling Harbour waterfront and enjoyed al fresco dining in the absolutely perfect weather of 75 degrees with a clear sky and a light cool breeze. A dreamy evening. . . I think Robin may want to stay a while.
We will have another 12 days of touring in Australia . Come along with us as we visit Sydney for 5 days, then fly to Hamilton Island on the Barrier Reef for some diving, snorkeling and sailing. We’ll then fly to city of Melbourne for a few days of touring before we return.
Thanks for being great shipmates!
Captain Bobby
