Feb 5 – Amazing Auckland

We have contracted a guide through Tours by Locals [TBL after this] and met her at 9:00.  Naturally, we were early, but she appeared promptly at 9 and we were off on our adventure.  Louise Young, our guide, was raised on a farm outside of Auckland but eventually began to spend 6 months of every year in the city [such as it was when she was little] visiting her grandparents; her parents did not think it was appropriate for the eldest born to spend all of her time on the farm.  Her grandfather was an early merchant and had the first automobile in their community; her grandmother started the public library in their district in addition to helping her husband.  Louise herself had a retail clothing business at one point and several other jobs along the way to being licensed as a tour guide.  As a result of her experiences, she has an intimate knowledge of the city and the people.

Perhaps the most important lesson we learned today – and we saw examples of this all day – is that New Zealanders consider themselves stewards of the land and their history.  Auckland is an especially clean city, for example.  The city is a mix of Victorian homes dating from the 19^th Century to high-tech architecture, yet the old homes must have their exteriors maintained.  They may be replaced by newer materials if necessary, but the look and style may not be altered even though the interiors may be gutted completely.  It’s as if Auckand, and perhaps all of NZ, have become UNESCO Heritage Sites.

Another example is the inclusion of Maori names into what had once been a British colony.  The Maori tribes may have arrived in NZ 700 – 900 years ago.  The British came and changed all of the Maori place names to British ones, but that practice has been reversed and the old names have been brought back.  The Maori and the British signed a pact which guarantees that the Maoris may continue with their culture while at the same time becoming part of the Establishment.  Sacred Maori land may not be built on, for example, and the old names have been brought back.  As a result of the integration of the 2 societies, there is an emphasis on the ecology and preservation.

Back to the day’s activities:  We spent most of the day in or near the CBD, the Central Business District although we seemed to travel in all directions.  We started by crossing the Harbor Bridge, a small version of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, on our way to Devonport which is an older community directly across the harbor from the ship.  Devonport is filled with little shops and Victorian homes, but it also home to one of the many extinct volcanoes which have made Auckland what it is.  From the top of Mt. Victoria [Takarunga in Maori], we had a magnificent, if windy, view of downtown Auckland and the skyline.  We were able to see fortifications placed on the volcano during WWI including a “hidden” cannon which rose from hiding when needed.  It fired one test round and was never used again. 

Also visible from Mt. Victoria was Rangitoto Island, another extinct volcano.  It was the most recent to erupt but that occurred more than 500 years ago.  Needless to say, the locals are perfectly at home with all of their volcanoes.  We stopped by a beach for tea on the way back from Devonport.  Louise insisted we try “long white” coffee [which was suspiciously like a cappuccino without the foam] and hokey-pokey ice cream, reminiscent of butter brickle with chunks of brown sugar in it.  She paid for the coffee and ice cream and then produced a tin of home-made bar cookies which were really quite good.  [At the end of today’s tour, Louise gave D a copy of the recipe which he had the Front Office copy so he could share it with the other 2 couples.]

Like many others, Auckland is a city of neighborhoods and we drove in and through several today.  We wound our way from Devonport to the Wynyard Quarter by re-crossing and then driving under the harbor bridge.  From beneath, we could see where lanes had been added to expand this major artery from 4 to 8 lanes.  While we were looking at the business end of the bridge, we saw a group of intrepid tourists walking on one of the catwalks preparing to climb the bridge.  This is not a casual affair, but can be dangerous, so the climbers are given special suits and lots of instruction before they start out.  HAL offers a trip in Sydney to climb the bridge there and charges $500 for the tour; individuals can do the climb without the ship for about half the price.  The climb in Sydney takes several hours.

When we got to the Wynyard area, Louise drove through an industrial tank farm which will eventually be razed for more upscale development.  Right next to the tanks was a small commercial fishing pier.  Access to this pier requires the boats to activate a pedestrian drawbridge which carries people to and from some of the restaurants and bars in Wynyard.  We were lucky enough to see the bridge in operation and it was fun to watch the walkers suddenly start to move faster.  Once the bridge was re-opened to foot traffic, it looked like lemmings racing to get to the sea as everyone walked at double-time.

The neighborhoods may be listed out of sequence, but we visited K Road, Mission Bay, Parnell and the CBD which is where we spent the most time.  Parnell was described by Louise as pricey, touristy and quaint, an up-and-coming area to buy a house.  Mission Bay, our last stop for the day, was to the east of the CBD and featured a nice beach.  Like the other beaches we saw today, the one in Mission Bay was busy but not crowded.  The area includes lots of shops and eating venues but seemed to be geared mostly to locals, not tourists.

K Road – Karangahape Road – was once known as Auckland’s Red Light District.  Now it is a mix of old and new housing, shopping and parks.  The biggest of the parks is the Meyer Garden, named for an early Jewish resident who was successful in business and became philanthropic.  The K Road area is also home to Auckland’s only orthodox Jewish synagogue.

Because we are trying to see synagogues around the world, Louise had called ahead to see if we could visit this one.  She was told it was possible but not guaranteed; we would just have to show up and keep our fingers crossed so to speak.  Louise also found that part of the synagogue complex was the Grey Street Deli, so we planned to eat lunch there.  It was a noble gesture but an inadequate lunch.  The deli served dairy products and, therefore, no meat in order to observe the Jewish dietary laws.  That would not have been a problem except there was little left to choose from by the time we got there.  We had eggplant stuffed with curried lentils and others had slices of frittata, but we could have done better.

K road -- old red light district, After lunch, we went into the synagogue office and waited until someone could escort us through the sanctuaries.  In addition to 2 sanctuaries, there is also an orthodox school in the complex.  The smaller of the 2 sanctuaries was used mostly by school and the larger one was used for regular services.  Both had glass dividers to separate the men from the women.  In the larger one, the gallery around the second floor had been incorporated into the school, a far cry from its original use as a way to keep the genders apart.  The highlight of the tour was a series of bas relief panels showing scenes from the Holocaust and listing the concentration camps where relatives of the Auckland congregants had died.  The panels were very powerful and reminded us of similar art work in the Jewish ghetto in Venice.

This synagogue is known simply as “the new synagogue.”  The old one is now being used as administrative offices for the University of Auckland and, prior to that, had also housed a bank.  As is the custom in Auckland, the exterior had been preserved and so had much of the interior.  Obviously, nothing remained from its original function, but the ceilings and stained glass windows were still maintained.

The old synagogue was not far from the new one but was located in the CBD. We also visited Britomart, a redevelopment area near the ship which included the old Post Office building which has been preserved and is now the central train station.  Britomat also includes upscale shopping and office space as well as art work – a series of 7 fountains meant to symbolize the 7 volcanoes which are so important to the locals.  There is an additional fountain representing a geyser, but it was not working when we visited.  The CBD also includes the Albert Park, one of many green spaces in this very livable, low-key city.

TOMORROW – Day 2 in Auckland

Feb 6 – Waitangi Day

Today was Waitangi Day throughout the area and maybe even the entire country.  It celebrates the signing of the compact between the Maori and British mentioned yesterday.  One of its main features, according to Louise, is the dialog it tries to promote by letting anyone say pretty much anything in a formal meeting.  It is a chance for residents, regardless of their background, to vent to the government without fear of reprisals.  That si the theory and many people take advantage of the opportunity.  The downside is that there are over 100 national or ethnic groups in NZ and there is no way anyone can get them all to agree to the same thing. 

Louise expected traffic to be bad this morning because of the holiday but downtown seemed deserted.  We headed out of town, though, and headed west through light rain and strong winds.  While we were driving down a 6 lane highway we suddenly discovered ourselves in the country side.  Twenty minutes from the ship we saw sheep and cattle on farms next to the highway.

We drove to the Kumeu area which is home to several wineries and stopped at the Soljans Winery.  It may have been 9:45 in the morning, but that did not stop some in the group from sampling the wines.  M fell in love with a sparkling muscat, allegedly an award winner for the vintner, so we bought a bottle for Florida.  Several others in the group bought other items from the gift shop area and one of the men was ecstatic when he discovered free wi-fi – that’s all he had been talking about for 2 days.  Even Louise began to make comments about free wi-fi before the day was done.

We drove past more small wineries, livestock and market farms [what we would call “pick-your-own”] where we saw people filling baskets with strawberries.  We were headed to Maori Bay [Maukatia] for a nature walk of sorts.  The wind was fierce when we first stopped on the side off the road to look at our destination.  Louise had parked on the shoulder of the road at the top of a sheer cliff.  We could see across a cove to Takapu, a gannet nesting area, our ultimate goal.  In the meantime, we had trouble standing and photography was a matter of luck, not skill, as we battled to stay upright.  Finally we all piled back into the van and drove to the parking area.

The walk from the van was a mixture of ferocious wind and dead calm as the path moved in and out of cover.  We were able to see the black sand beach below as well as the wind-whipped sea.  We had spotted several wind-surfers when we pulled over, but decided they were crazy when we got closer to the raging Pacific.  We were on the west side of the island and the prevailing winds come from the west.  The scene was stark to say the least.

The final walk to the look-out point was more exposed than the trip up the hill.  There were steps supported by wooden bracing cut into the hill, but MA decided to wait on a bench.  The rest of us continued until we got to the observation deck and then spent more time than we needed to taking photos of the gannets and their chicks, the rough water and birds hovering in the wind.  We reclaimed MA and got into the van and out of the wind.

Following a short ride during which we drove into and out of a golf course, we settled in at eh Sand Dunz Café for an early lunch.  Once again, one couple did not eat anything but the tourist couples each split orders of mediocre fish-and-chips and Louise had a smoked fish pie.  We found the fish to be too fishy and greasy but Louise had raved about it so we said nice things.  We can get better at home.  Once again, though, she surprised us with dessert, a chocolate bar cookie this time.  She had not had time to copy the recipe but promised to email it to D for eventual distribution to the others.

On the return to Auckland, we stopped to sample honey at the restaurant Louise didn’t choose for lunch.  We were really interested in Manuku honey made from the nectar of the manuku tree.  The manuku honey is supposed to have medicinal properties depending on the percentage included in the honey.  Once again, MA found something she liked even though it was not made from manuku honey and we enriched the economy a little more.

The rest of the day was spent looking at public parks.  Cornwall Park is 175 acres of green space filled with sheep, cattle, flowers and families.  It is a working farm in the city limits but serves equally as a park where Aucklanders come to play and relax.  There are barbecues available all over the property and each day employees placed wood next to them for the picnickers to use.  It is truly a people’s park and is used well but gently like so many areas here.

Where Cornwall Park is a private endeavor administered by a Trust, Auckland Down [Pukekawa] is the largest publicly-financed park in the city.  One Tree Hill [Maunagaukiekie] is another dead volcano and offers nice views of the city.  It was named One Tree Hill for obvious reasons – there was a single tree at the top.  Alas, several years ago some maniac set it on fire and killed it and it has yet to be replaced. 

Our last official tour stop was the top of Mt. Eden [Maunagawgaul], the highest natural point in Auckland.  It offered unequalled panoramic views in all directions.  Like One Tree Hill and Mt. Victoria, this is a dormant volcano and we could see the grass-covered sunken caldera.  Mt. Eden [Maunagawhaul] – dead volcano, highest natural point in Auckland, panoramic views, grass-filled caldera.

And finally we were almost home.  All we needed was quick stop at a grocery store so the other couples could by Coke products.  Louise bought dessert for dinner guests, too.

Once “home,” we unpacked our things and went to Trivia.  Some things never change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb 3 --  On the way to Auckland

We are heading to Auckland, New Zealand.  Today was the first of 2 sea days and followed the regular routine.  We attended the after-dinner show for a change in the hope that Elliot Finkel’s act would improve from the other night.  It didn’t.  He continued to pound out chords, glissandos, arpeggios and trills as if gymnastics on the piano ability.  His pyrotechnics overshadowed any artistic merit.  It was a pity because he had played well when performing piano solos several days ago.

Feb 4 – Not there yet

We were still in “sea day” mode although there was no Trivia this morning.  Team Trivia [usually in the morning] is a cumulative affair.  Simply put, our scores are added together from sea-day to sea-day.  Port days are not included because team members may still be ashore when the game is played.  All of that is an introduction to today’s Trivia non-session.  Rather than have us play, Gene the Cruise Director distributed Grand Dollars to the teams; each team got 3 times their number of points in Grand Dollars which can be used to “buy” merchandise on specified days throughout the voyage.  Normally, shopping days occur right before a segment of the cruise ends and people get off and go home.  We had 241 points and received 720 “dollars” which we distributed among the team members.  Since Arthur is ineligible for prizes, we have established the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund to get him anything he wants.  We will start new cumulative Trivia after we leave Sydney, Australia.

Before dinner we attended The Liar’s Club which featured Arthur, Gene and a guest lecturer trying to fool the audience by giving false definitions for strange words.  Obviously, one of the three will have the correct definition, but the fun is in figuring it out.  So far this cruise, the audience has not picked the right definition.

Tonight was another formal night and we invited Ginger and Dave to share our table with us.  They have a 2-top on the upper level of the MDR and were delighted at the prospect of having someone else to talk to for a change.  We intend to invite more people as time goes on.

Rita Rudner was back for another show after dinner.  We enjoyed her program much more than we did the piano player’s.

TOMORROW – Day 1 in Auckland, New Zealand

Feb 1 --  All quiet in the South Pacific

As mentioned yesterday, there is no commercial activity on Tongatapu [the official name of this island] nor, apparently, on any of the islands in the Kingdom of Tonga.  By law, Sunday is a day of rest, a manifestation of the islands’ devotion to Christianity.  Granted, there were a few taxi drivers trolling for clients and at least one internet café, but the island is pretty much buttoned up for the day.

The port ‘city’ is named Nuku Alofi, but all of the tourist t-shirts we saw last night say simply ‘Tonga.’  It is the last kingdom in the Pacific and we are docked almost opposite the royal palace which reminded D of the clubhouse at the Pimlico Racetrack.  All it needed was someone painting the winning colors on top of the steeple. 

Approximately 70,000 people live on Tongapatu and most of them were in church this morning.  A number of passengers attended services in local churches not so much for the religious messages but to hear the local singing for which the churches are known.  We chose not to rush ashore this morning and, while we walked past one of the churches, we did not go in.  We noticed people standing outside the front doors, perhaps so they could hear the music without any other obligation.

The town, of course, was deserted save for cruise ship passengers from both the Amsterdam and the Marina.  The Sunday Laws, as they are known, prevent the Marina from leaving before tomorrow, but we don’t know if they will be here all day.  We will depart around 5 pm, as scheduled, much to the joy of the local merchants. 

Even though the ship’s guests have almost no place to go today, we were still on a sea-day schedule.  That meant that both trivia sessions were in the afternoon just an hour apart [3:30 – 4 and 5 -5:30].  We used the time after lunch to read and write.

The piano player, Elliot Finkel, from the other night gave a solo performance at 7:15, our usual time in the Ocean Bar.  For this mini-concert, he stuck to classics without all of the loud and unnecessary embellishments and we found it more to our liking.  As an aside, Elliot is the brother of xylophonist Ian Finkel, whom we have heard on shipboard before, and the son of actor Fyvush Finkel whose face and voice, if not his name, will be familiar to most tv watchers.

We had company for dinner tonight.  Roger and Barbara, whom we met through Arthur and Linda, joined us at our table much as we ate with the Starrs last night.  We have a table for 4 even though there are but the two of us, so we will start inviting people to join us to break the monotony.  Roger and Barbara are slightly older than we are and remind us of another couple we sailed with in 2009 [Kaye and Norm from Canada].  Dinner was quite enjoyable and we stayed at the table later than usual.

TOMORROW – Nuku Alofi comes to life

Feb 2 --  A Super Day

Today was Super Bowl Monday on board the ship [and everywhere else in the Pacific.  Because of the time difference and dateline, we watched the game in real time – minus the commercials – starting at 12:30 in the afternoon.  We decided that we wanted to see a good game regardless of the winner and we were not disappointed.  There were more highs and lows than a roller coaster.

Before the game, we had an early trivia match and then bought postcards and stamps on board to send home.  We may return to the US before the postcards arrive, but that is part of the adventure.  Next, we went ashore to enrich the Tongan economy.  We stopped once again at the crafts tent next to the dock and found things for the grands and MA.  Some of what we bought came from the same vendor we enriched on Saturday night and she recommended 2 others for us, one right across the aisle and one who was a cousin.  We were satisfied with the products and the prices, so it was a successful trip.

We walked a few blocks to the market to see what there was, but found nothing of interest in the crafts area and skipped the grocery section [usually one of our favorite areas] because of the humidity.  The low ceilings added to the stifling atmosphere, so we headed back to the ship.  There were a few rain drops as we walked to the dock, but the rain never developed.

By the time we returned and dropped our bag and purchases in the cabin, it was time to go to the show room for The Game.  The Queen’s Lounge was decorated for the game; there were free hats, noise makers and cheap sunglasses available; and lots of food.  Of course, drinks were for sale as usual, but the food seemed never-ending: hotdogs and hamburgers, pizza, quesedillas, chicken tenders, barbecue, popcorn and more.  No one left the game hungry.

Soon after the game ended, we went to Pub Trivia and thence to get ready for dinner.  There was no show tonight because of the cleanup in the Lounge.  It was not a loss as far as we were concerned.

TOMORROW -- Another sea day

 

Jan 29 – At Sea

It was the normal sea day.  Arthur had another session of Rappin’ with the Rabbi; the entertainment tonight was comedienne Rita Rudner; and tonight’s pillow gifts were leather passport holders.

We crossed the Dateline at 11 tonight, so we have lost a day and when we wake up, it will be Saturday.  It gets very confusing.

Jan 31 – Approaching Tonga

It’s Saturday according to the rugs in the elevators, but the NY Times is dated Friday.  It will be better eventually, but right now it takes some adjusting.

Today was another sea day as we approached Tonga.  We were due to dock here Monday, but we were re-routed because of the swells at Rarotonga and the storm approaching Alofi.  By law, the whole island shuts down on Sunday, so we had to dock before then.  The only spot available was not going to be available until 7 tonight as we waited for another ship to vacate the dock.  Around 5 tonight, the captain advised us that we would be even later, docking around 8 pm just as we started dinner.  We have been playing tag with the Oceania Marina and had to wait for it to dock first.  The logistics must drive the captains crazy.

Once the ship was cleared, a group of local singers and dancers began to perform native dances on the pier right by the ship.  We were able to watch from the wrap-around deck outside our room before going to dinner at 8.  Because of the late arrival, anyone who had hoped to go ashore had to do so in the dark.  We had thought about taking a quick look but changed our minds with the new schedule.  Dinner tonight was with the Starrs and Shopshires to celebrate the Shopshire’s noniversary.  That’s not a typo – their anniversary is the 30^th which we sort of glossed over. 

After dinner, we all walked off the ship to explore the little stalls the locals had erected in hopes of capturing our attention and dollars.  Note that this marked the purchase of mask #1, handmade and even dated and signed by the woodworker herself.  It looked even better when we got back and into good light.  As crowded as the “mask wall” is, there probably won’t be any [well, too many] more.  As MA said, we didn’t have any from the South Pacific; now we do.

TOMORROW -- A really quiet day in Tonga

Jan 27 --  A much-needed sea day

After yesterday’s sun-filled adventure in Bora Bora, we really needed a day of rest.  Spending so much time in the water and sun can be surprisingly tiring.  With one notable exception, we spent today just like all of the other sea days.

The exception to the sea day routine was our second Cruise Critic meeting at 10 a.m. in the Crow’s Nest.  We did not have nearly the turnout for this gathering – about 100 people someone estimated – but there was lots of meeting and mingling.  D arranged a little contest in order to facilitate this and was able to cadge prizes from the Cruise Director.  Once again, HAL supplied not only the requested cookies, fruit and veggies but also champagne, mimosas and orange juice.  As they say, a good time was had by all.

Other than that, it was a regular sea day – Trivia, eat, nap, Trivia.  The nap was especially welcome because neither of us had slept well last night.  D was the more restless because of his sunburn; MA was not as uncomfortable from hers.  So we returned to the room right after lunch and napped until 4:30.  Ahhh!

Tonight was another formal night, but there was no special occasion.  There were no escargots on the menu, but we feel confident they will return several more times.

Although there is a tender port tomorrow [Rarotonga in the Cook Islands], we have no planned shore activities until we reach Auckland, NZ, late next week.

TOMORROW – Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Jan 28 – Or not

The captain woke us at 7:30 with the announcement that we would not be making our scheduled port call in the Cook Islands.  Dangerous swells at both the primary and secondary harbors prevented sending tenders safely to shore; he was not going to risk injury to passengers or crew not to mention damage to the tenders.  We had no plans here, so there was no sense of loss.  MA had already decided that she was not tendering unless it was absolutely necessary and D was going to go ashore solely to show the grandchildren on another Pacific rock. 

Perhaps the only one remotely disappointed will be our friend Richard.  Prior to our departure, he sent us pins to wear as members of the Traveler’s Century Club, a mythical group of people who have touched at least 100 countries from their rather odd list.  For example, the US counts as 3 countries – the mainland, Alaska and Hawaii.  Many people object to the TCC list, but it is what it is.  Rarotonga was to be our 100^th country. 

The weather is playing a big part in our plans for the rest of the week.  Because of a large storm system, we will also bypass Alofi on Friday and head straight for Nuku Alofa, Tonga, where we will apparently dock Saturday night.  Originally, we were scheduled to dock there on Monday, crossing the International Date Line before arriving.  It appears that now we will lose Friday to the dateline and have Sunday and Monday in Tonga.  It is very confusing as to when is when; we were supposed to lose Sunday and were psyched up to watch the Super Bowl on Monday.  That, at least, has not changed.

To make us all feel better about the change in plans, Capt. Mercer is picking up the tab for wine or sodas at dinner tonight.  We will also have taxes for the missed ports refunded to our shipboard account, but it won’t be very much money.

The schedule reverted quickly to a sea day routine. 

TOMORROW – Another sea day 

 

 

Jan 23 – At sea again

MA has the cold now. 

We followed the sea routine again.  Paul gave his final lecture before departing tomorrow in Papeete.  We treated them to wine at dinner as a going-away gesture. 

TOMORROW – Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Jan 24 – Papeete, Day 1

Like yesterday, today was overcast.  Skies were grey all day and low-hanging clouds obscured the tops of the hills surrounding Papeete.  Seas were a bit bumpy overnight and into this morning; the ship even rock while tied to the pier.  We are hoping for sunnier weather tomorrow.

Papeete is the commercial crossroads of Polynesia and the South Pacific.  Container ships are daily visitors and there are ferries – both passenger and vehicular – scattered around the harbor ready to take on and all to the other islands.  We were one of three cruise liners in port this morning; we were tied alongside the Paul Gaugin and the Oceania Marina.  Based on the number of lifeboats, the Paul Gaugin holds about 400 passengers and the Marina about 1000.  The Amsterdam can carry 1250 or so although we have fewer than 1000 on board at the moment.

MA’s cold has gotten worse, so she stayed in bed this morning while D went to the MDR for a quick breakfast.  He brought back a bowl of muesli which has become one of her breakfast mainstays.  She remained in the cabin until after we docked at noon at which point we went ashore in search of the local market.

According to our sources, the market was set to close at 1 p.m. and we could not disembark until 12:20.  We followed the crowd toward the Tourist Information Center.  While MA looked at some jewelry in a little crafts area, D found a map of Papeete and directions to the market.  It was only 5 minutes away, so we left the jewelry vendors and went searching for the market.  We found it with no difficulty and spent 20 minutes looking around.

The market was a cross between a craft market and a produce-and-fresh-fish market.  The craft area was more crowded with tourists than the food stalls, not surprisingly, but we were able to find the one thing we were looking for and then spent time just looking around.  As we exited the far side of the food area, we even found a woman selling rambutan and thought of Caiden and Carter who learned to eat this exotic fruit in Indonesia.

Rather than walk any more than necessary, we skipped the pearl museum and the rest of the dilapidated downtown and returned to the vendors by the information center.  We bought nothing there but did run into Ann and Paul who were also doing a bit of shopping.  Back on board, we went to the Lido for lunch.  We tried unsuccessfully to Skype with the children since there is still only a 5 hour time difference.  Perhaps we will have better luck tomorrow.

We read and napped for the rest of the afternoon.  MA skipped Pub Trivia as she had the morning session.  When it was time to eat, we went to the Lido only to discover that the regular buffet was unavailable and we were stuck with a Polynesian buffet by the pool.  Dinner was most unsatisfying.

Had MA felt better, we could have gone to the Friday night food truck festival which is set up on a parking lot adjacent to the pier.  We even considered going over for crepes, but she did not feel up to it, especially in the light mist which started as we finished dinner.

HAL had arranged a native dance show for tonight – one performance only – but we decided not to fight the crowd for seats.  Besides, it did not start until 9:30 and we did not feel like staying up to see it.

TOMORROW – Our first tour

Jan 25 – Sadie Thompson was here

Somerset Maugham set a story in the South Pacific, perhaps even here in Tahiti.  The protagonist was Sadie Thompson.  The story was called Rain.  That’s the story today, too.

Having room-service deliver breakfast is always an adventure.  Usually, one of us has to struggle into a robe to answer the door because the stewards come earlier than expected.  Today, we were up more than an hour before the tray was due to arrive.  It was actually on time, but we were ready for a nap.  Neither of us slept well.  MA is still battling the cold and D never sleeps well the night before one of our private tours.

The weather had not improved during the night.  The Paul Gaugin and Marina both left Tahiti, but the rain stayed behind.  The clouds were even lower over the ring of hills around town and the rain varied from almost-nonexistent mist to heavy showers.  MA decided that going on tour today, especially in this weather, was not a good thing, so she stayed on board the ship.

D met today’s group at 8:45 as planned and we disembarked to find Carl the Cabbie who had been contracted to take us on a tour of the island’s highlights.  We were outside ahead of the scheduled 9 am pickup time and waited patiently.  And waited some more.  One of the tour operators even tried to call Carl’s cell phone, but he did not answer.  Although everyone we spoke to attested to his reliability and skills, we were left in the lurch.  Finally, the other 4 in the group opted to join a 4-hour bus tour which was supposed to visit most of the same places.  D gave them their money back in CFP [the local currency] and they joined the queue.  D waited until 9:35 without any sign of Carl before re-boarding the ship.  This is the first time we have ever been stood up by a guide or driver; we hope it is a one-time event. 

The upside of Carl’s disappearance is that we now have enough CFP to use as the tip for tomorrow’s excursion in Bora Bora.  Although the vendor wanted payment in USD, we feel sure they will be grateful for a tip in any currency.  The USD set aside for the tip will go into the general fund for future use.

D found MA reading on Deck 5 outside the Ocean Bar and we stayed there until a little after 11 am at which point we returned to the cabin to call the grandchildren.  We sent Emily a text warning her that there would be an incoming Skype and she was online by the time the computer was ready.  We spoke with Harper – well, around and about Harper – until she threw a small fit.  Moments after disconnecting, Emily texted that HJ said goodbye to Mi Mi and Pop Pop after she ate a muffin.  It sort of puts us in our place.

The ship is quiet today.  Many of the passengers are out on tour or jumping in puddles.  We spent a very relaxed day on board the ghost ship.  All-aboard was 4:30 with departure at 5.

TOMORROW – Bora Bora

Jan 26 – A day in the sea

We worried most of last night that the weather today would be as unfriendly as it had been in Papeete yesterday.  D went on deck to take a look before the breakfast tray arrived and was cautiously optimistic when he saw that the clouds were neither as low nor as dense as they had been.  However, we were going on tour today come rain or shine.

It was an early day in several regards. We were once again up before the breakfast tray arrived at 7 a.m.  We killed time in the room with the morning paper until we went to meet today’s group at 8:30.  To our surprise, everyone was already at the meeting point despite the announced 8:45 start time and we hurried, with deliberate speed, to the tenders.  We wasted no time here, either, because we walked right onto a tender and cast off almost immediately.  The ride to the dock was smooth and quick and we met our vendor’s reps well before 9 a.m.

Our guide today was Ed.  Ed was tall, thin and muscular with the typical facial features one expects of Polynesians.  He was ruggedly handsome and bronzed everywhere there were no tattoos.  The tattoos are a cultural distinction of the natives of Polynesia.  While some are representational, most are abstract geometric designs.  We have seen them now in three ports, Nuku Hiva, Tahiti and here on Bora Bora.  Ed had a decent command of English although he was sometimes hard to understand.  Not only did he act as pilot, navigator and guide, he also serenaded the 12 of us most of the day.  Unfortunately, the sound was a cross between Willie Nelson and a blackboard, but maybe that is how the songs were meant to sound.  Every time he let out with something akin to “yee-haw,” the bad children in the back of the boat joined in.  We were part of the bad children.

We made several stops before lunch.  First, we motored out to a spot close to the breakwater to observe stingrays and black-tipped sharks.  The latter are so named because their dorsal fins [the ones which break the surface] are black.  Since Ed was not feeding them, they were pretty quiet and just swam around us.  The stingrays were even more graceful than we imagined.  They literally flap their wings and fly through the water, although gliding would more accurately describe it.  Ed showed us how to touch the rays, warning us not to touch their undersides or tails; the tails contain a barb which can kill a man.  The surface of the stingrays is super soft, almost like a very close-napped velvet.  They were pretty docile and let Ed hold them for picture-taking by those who brought waterproof cameras. 

Before we got in the water, we watched as the sharks and stingrays swam around and under our boat and the others which were there.  Reflection on the water made it hard to get any clear pictures, but most of us tried.  Then we donned our snorkel gear and climbed down the ladder and into the crystal clear Aqua-Velva-blue water.  Although we have never snorkeled, we gave it a try.  MA had trouble with the equipment and decided it wasn’t worth fighting; she stayed in the water and watched the aquatic action.  Ed brought a stingray to her to see and touch.  D eventually got the hang of the equipment and peered under the surface while floating in the current.

Our next stop was at a “coral garden” which would have been more spectacular had we had more sunshine.  Nonetheless, it was fascinating.  Swimming around this coral collection were a number of fish of different species.  There were brightly colored ones with yellow and black stripes which we had seen at the first stop, but there were some smaller ones in schools which seemed to hang motionless in the water and below them were fish which appeared to be translucent so they could not be seen by predators above.  The coral varieties included brain coral, staghorn coral and others.  The most striking one D saw was a purple brain coral which he kept returning to.  Because the water was too deep to stand in, MA chose to stay on the boat.  For the same reason, D used a swim noodle to stay afloat.  Once again, he almost mastered the snorkel equipment with a minimum of leakage into the mask or his mouth.

We also had a stop during which Ed and the other guides fed the sharks.  Many in the group got in the water, staying a safe distance from the action, but D stayed on the boat so he could see better.  Once again, we were visited not only by the sharks but also by stingrays.  We speculated on whether the sharks and rays know the schedule of the tour boats and only showed up at feeding time.

We had a little free swimming time before lunch.  Since the water was only 2 feet deep, we couldn’t really swim, but the water was, once again, perfectly clear so we could see tiny fish.  However, the rays and sharks had the day off.  Actually, we think the water was too shallow for them.  We lazed in the bath-tub warm water, sat on the sandy bottom and stood round talking.  There were 6 couples on this excursion, and we did not know any of them very well.  Several of the others seemed to know each other already, so everyone got along well.

We went to a motu for lunch.  A motu is a small island and the vendor, Patrick, has his own private one.  He told us later that it is about 24 acres.  There were 2 boats – 24 tourists – for lunch today.  Cooked by Patrick’s employees and relatives, the menu included grilled stingray and shark as well as the contents of a small fire pit.  We watched as the layers of cloth and banana leaves were peeled back to reveal whole baby pigs, containers of banana pudding, plantains, breadfruit, taro and chicken-and-spinach.  We ate with our hands off of banana leaf plates.  Drinks included local beer, champagne and wine and canned sodas.  Some of the guests may have had a bit too much of the wine.

There were picnic tables set in water where most of the folks ate, but 6 of us chose to eat in the shade on dry land.  While we were finishing our delicious meal, Patrick himself came to our table and talked with us for 15 - 20 minutes.  He is well-spoken [in 4 languages] and it was easy to see the pride he takes in his homeland as well as the business he runs.  Some of the guests treated him like a god and he handled himself with dignity and grace.  We were pleased that he chose to come speak with us.

Before leaving the motu, Ed had us follow him through the scrub and volcanic residue [i.e., rock] to see the coral reef on the other side of the island.  The track was narrow with loose stones, mud and intruding plants.

MA fell, just as she did in the Amazon several years ago and in Ephesus before that.  She was not seriously injured but brought home a neat little gash in her left knee [the bad one] as well as abrasions on her right one.  When we showed Ed what had happened, he made sure to help her back to the campsite where we had eaten and then retrieved a first aid kit from the boat.  He applied antiseptics and bandages and MA ended up looking like she had lost her fife and drum unit.  Several others discovered scrapes and abrasions when they returned from the walk, but none was as dramatic as MA’s.

We started back to the tender dock, but some of the part-goers wanted Ed to detour to a local bar called Bloody Mary’s, a “must see” for some people.  They wanted to continue drinking but D told them that Ed was taking us [and others] back to the dock.  They were free to have him drop them off and/or wait for them, but they needed to tip him appropriately.  As we got off Ed’s boat, D told him to negotiate a price beforehand, just to be safe.  We think the group decided to take a minibus both ways so they would have more time to drink with less of a chance of missing the last tender.  Since we departed Bora Bora on time, we assume they got back safely.

Even though we used sunscreen at the beginning of the day, we must not have applied it evenly or it washed off.  Regardless, we were both bright red when we returned to the ship, a fair price for the best recreational shore excursion ever.

TOMORROW – A much-needed sea day

 

Jan 18 – Are you ready for some football?

It’s yet another sea day – number 5 for those of you counting – and the routine is in place.  Today featured a not-so-elaborate buffet billed as a traditional Sunday brunch; the only thing traditional about was that most of the food was the normal offerings in the Lido with the addition of cheap champagne and mimosas.  But it was football in America and at sea.  With the time difference, difference we were able to watch both NFL playoff games live on the big screen.  This presented us with a conflict because the Green Bay – Seattle game was scheduled for 1:10 this afternoon local time and Paul’s lecture was set for 2 pm.  We avoided the problem by watching the game for a while before MA went to another crafts class.  D watched a little longer before returning to the cabin and crawling under the covers albeit with the television tuned to the game.  We were really upset with the result.

We did not watch the New England game which overlapped with dinner [and wasn’t worth watching anyway].  D’s cold continues to get the best of him, but, as we say in our house, “There is nothing worse than a man who thinks he’s sick.”  Even though D ate very little at dinner, he has gotten no sympathy from MA.  The waiters were more worried than she was. 

MA read after dinner while D cowered under the covers.

TOMORROW – Day 6 at sea

Jan 19 --  A visit to the doctor

D spent a horrible night fighting the cold, chills, dizziness, etc.  Even so, he accompanied MA to breakfast but ate very little of his breakfast, so MA suggested [ordered?] him to visit the doctor.  He skipped Arthur’s God Squad presentation with the priest and minister as well as Paul’s lecture.  He finished his visit to the doctor just after Trivia started but stopped in only to say he wasn’t playing today.  The doctor prescribed antibiotics, cough syrup and meclizine, the anti-nausea medication used for sea sickness, to combat the dizziness.  It was suggested strongly that he stay in the cabin until his fever disappears. 

Ship life continues unimpeded, though, and there has yet to be an armed rebellion after all of the sea days. While we love seeing new countries and people, we also like sea days.  There is no pressure to do anything or be anywhere if you don’t want to.  Life doesn’t get much better than lying on a deck chair watching the water. Or being confined to quarters and watching the inside of your eyelids.

Needless to say, D skipped lunch.  Before MA went to the Lido, we filled out entry and exit forms for Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.  These had been sent to the cabins last week but were quickly recalled without explanation and re-issued today with a “hurry up” message.  MA dropped these off at the Front Desk before going to the Lido to play with her Indonesian pals, especially Mukti.

She read outside for a while and then came home to take a nap before Pub Trivia.  She slept right past the 4:30 alarm and D’s attempt to wake her.  When she asked the time at 5:10, she figured he had missed Trivia and went back to sleep.  She left the room pretty much on schedule for her pre-sinner drink in the Ocean Bar.  As soon as she was out of sight, D hustled to the Lido to get some food.  For all practical purposes, he had not eaten since the Sunday buffet.  MA said she was going to look for evidence of room service when she returned, so D brought back ice cream and cookies to prove he had eaten something somewhere.

In an oddity of our race around the world, we set the clocks back another 30 minutes tonight.  At least for one day, we will be 3-1/2 hours behind the East Coast.  Thus, when it is 7:30 tomorrow morning here in the middle of nowhere, it will be 11 a.m. at home.  We presume we will find that odd 30 minutes somewhere along the way.

TOMORROW – Another day at sea

 

Jan 20 – Still at Sea

With the extra half-hour to sleep and the near-total darkness of the cabin, it was easy to stay in bed this morning.  D felt well enough to go to the MDR and try some oatmeal, but he was still “off his feed” as his mother used to say.  After we returned to the room, he curled up on and, later, under the covers.  MA went on deck to read and then went to Trivia.  When she returned, she read the questions from this morning’s and last night’s games to see if D would have been any help to the team.  The results were mixed – he knew some answers which the team got wrong but not enough to affect the results. 

We ate lunch in the Lido again today.  We might have been too late for the MDR, but, regardless, we did not want to spend an hour over lunch.  MA made a salad and got cheese cubes while D had what he imagines could be congee [Correct me, Jon, if I am wrong], a soup of noodles, chicken, shrimp, baby bok choy, hard-boiled egg and scallions in a tangy broth.  He made sure there were no chilies added. 

Although the fever is much lower [and it was never really high to begin with], D continues to feel dizzy, so after lunch MA went back on deck to read and D lay in bed and worked on the journal for a while.  Eventually, he joined her outside and they read some more.  MA went to Pub Trivia where, she said, the team fared poorly.  She brought the questions back again, but the results would not have changed had D been there.

Tonight is the gala Parisian Dinner, another formal night.  The MDR was festooned with bunting and French flags when we were there for breakfast and the menu for tonight had a decided Gallic flavor.  MA joined the festivities, but D once again stayed home.  He had room service bring dinner and had to show MA the dirty dishes to prove it.  The only remaining symptom of the cold is the cough and that is improving with medication.  If the fever would drop, then the episode would be over.

TOMORROW – The last sea day until the next one

Jan 21 – The Final Frontier

Today was the last of the sea days in this segment.  There will be plenty more although there may not be such an extended period of them until we cross the Atlantic at the end of April.  That seems so very far away to us right now.

We were in full “sea day” mode today.  After breakfast with Ken and Lois in the MDR, the four of us went directly to Arthur’s Rapping with the Rabbi session.  No two meetings are ever the same because the audience brings questions that are important to them and Arthur tries to explain the Jewish answer to their conundrums.  Much of today was taken with the questions “What is a Jew?” and “Can you be a Jew but not believe in God?”  Good stuff to wrestle with at 9 in the morning.

Once Arthur finished, we went to the theater to hear Paul’s lecture on the future of flight.  The Final Frontier, as it was called in Star Trek in the 1960s, is being assaulted by multiple commercial groups now that NASA’s funding and role have been cut.  There are several companies trying to get in on the ISS [International Space Station] which are building components which would attach to and enlarge the Station.  Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s entry, seems to be aiming strictly at the short-term tourist with what would be quite expensive “barn-storming” rides to the edge of space.  Paul included a short promotional video supplied by Virgin or pulled from the internet.

We ate by the pool today, sort of.  We sat in the shade where the heat was only oppressive but not unbearable.  On such a cloudless day, the pool area itself was uninhabitable.  We spent the early afternoon in the movie theater viewing Love Is Strange, the recent film with John Lithgow and Alfred Molina about a gay couple who finally can marry and the fallout in their lives and the lives of those around them.  While we enjoyed the movie and the acting, we thought there were some weak points in the plot and editing, but what do we know?  The popcorn was good, too.

Dinnertime found us in the Canaletto with a group put together by Linda Starr.  The group of eight also included Roger and Barbara, with whom they had eaten on a previous cruise, and Kathy and Bob from Cruise Critic.  Kathy and Bob met the Starrs on a previous cruise and went to Cuba with Arthur’s “mission” last Fall.  Since there were 8 of us and 8 small plates, it seemed only natural to order everything so everyone could have a taste.  Of course, we had to order 2 of every dish in order for everyone to have some.  Even in small portions, there was a lot of food being passed around the table.  We did the same thing with the 5 offerings for the pasta course.  We were collectively stuffed, even Bob who seemed insatiable at the start.  Still, we managed to squeeze in 2 of the 5 entrees although we only ordered one of each as diners fell by the wayside.  There is no explaining how anyone managed to eat dessert, but we shared limoncello, a chocolate torta and tiramisu. 

It was well after 10 p.m. when we returned to the cabin to discover another pillow gift.  Perhaps it was an omen, but there were collapsible umbrellas on the bed.  We are hoping that does not portend rain tomorrow.

TOMORROW -- Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia

Jan 22 – There’s no yeshiva in Nuku Hiva

Our first stop since Manta is in Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands, part of French Polynesia.  Polynesia extends from Hawaii on the north to New Zealand on the south and is roughly triangular in shape. To the west are Melanesia and Micronesia.  Linguistically, Polynesia means many islands, Micronesia is little islands and Melanesia is dark islands.  The groupings are built on sociological and physical characteristics of the inhabitants who share common attributes and languages within the group.

Nuku Hiva is a typical volcanic island which rises almost straight from the Pacific Ocean.  It is gorgeous and green and vertical.  There is very little flat ground available for agriculture.  It is best known as the site of Survivor: Marquesas.

Before we left the ship, we heard several warnings about what to expect.  The one repeated most often dealt with taking nothing from the ship of a food or agricultural nature in order not to disturb the local ecology. The second, which we heard only once, warned against swimming because of the presence of sharks. Great!  We were being loaded into small bobbing boats but warned not to go in the water.  We hoped the guys piloting the tenders were as aware of the danger as we were.

The tender ride was short and smooth despite the humidity in the boat.  As we approached the tender dock, sure enough, there were shark fins circling where one of the locals was cleaning fish.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a photo from the tender and there were no sharks in the area when we returned to the ship an hour later.  We did get a picture of the Flat Grandchildren as held by a hula dancer.  When we asked where she was from, she said, “England.”  “What brought you to Nuku Hiva?”  “I’m the ship’s videographer,” she replied.  At least we did not have to pay her for the picture.

We were dressed as recommended in the Daily Program – covered up as much as possible because of mosquitoes – in long pants and long-sleeved shirts.  We had hats, of course.  D wore his fake Panama hat and looked just like Phil from The Amazing Race.  Temperatures were lower than we had expected, but the humidity was horrific; it felt like Jakarta or Singapore. 

We were docked on the south side of the island in a natural harbor.  It may have been the caldera of the volcano which formed the island, but we did not ask anyone.  There were sail boats and yachts parked haphazardly on the glass-smooth water, the only disturbance being the wake from the tenders and the sharks.

There was no town to speak of, just a string of buildings around the semi-circular harbor fanning up the hill.  What we think was the government building was on the harbor semicircle with 4 different flags flying stiffly in the wind.  Some of the roads ran up the hill from the beach, but we did not explore this area.  It was too hot to go searching for the local church, too, so we walked about a mile [well, it seemed like it, anyway] before turning around for home.  We stopped to look at local crafts but saw nothing affordable which interested us.  Luckily, there was a little snack bar next to the crafts area so we got Diet Cokes.  Because D paid with the local currency [the Pacific franc], the drinks cost us only 6 dollars whereas the price in USD would have been $8.  Either way, it made the ship seem almost affordable.

We ate outside on the Lido deck again today despite the heat.  Once we were settled at the table, the heat seemed less of a problem than ashore, but we were in the shade the whole time.  It was but pleasant and we saw a number of new/old friends and chatted as we made our way to a table.  After lunch, D went to Bob and Kathy’s cabin to show them the information about the snorkeling expedition in Bora Bora.  They said they were interested in joining the group and, by a stroke of good fortune for them, Ginger and Dave had had an offer of another tour.  They refused to leave us stuck for the money which had been committed but loved the idea of selling their spaces.  So Bob and Kathy will go and D gave the money to Ginger at Trivia this afternoon.  A definite win-win for everyone.

Trivia at 3 was followed by reading was followed by Pub Trivia.  What a busy day!

We were all at dinner tonight in the MDR.  Of course, we had been in the Caneletto last night, but so had Ann and Paul.  Our waiters were probably bored without us.  Tomorrow will be Ann and Paul’s last night aboard; HAL is kicking them off the ship when we reach Papeete on Saturday afternoon.  Paul’s final lecture will be given tomorrow.  We will be sorry to see them go; they have been good company for the past 3 weeks.

TOMORROW – Another sea day