Temples, Crocodiles & Koalas

February 6, Monday … The morning was spent packing, yuck, our trip is coming to a close! In the afternoon we did a tour of Tauranga, we visited a Mission that was built in the early 1900's and was engaged primarily with the Maori People. We participated in a wine tasting at the Millsreef Winery and then toured the city center and the amazing beachfront. At 6 pm we began our final sail to Auckland, it was our last night on board ... sad for many of us, as we met so many interesting people and enjoyed each others company.

February 7, Tuesday … We docked in Auckland at 7 a.m. and disembarked at 9am; as our flight was to depart at 8 pm we enjoyed a tour organized by Regent Cruise Lines ... we visited the War Memorial Museum, drove to a lookout area for an amazing view of the city, and then spent some time shopping and having lunch in an outdoor cafe.

Auckland to L.A. ... L.A. to Phoenix ... Phoenix to Detroit, 17 hours of flying time! We landed in Detroit 1:30 am Wednesday and stayed at the Westin Airport Hotel and then drove to London Wednesday morning.

The Facts:
(1) 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) by Airplane in which we circumvented the earth !
(2) 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles) by Cruise Ship !
(4) 18 Ports of Call !
(5) An amazing introduction to Cambodia and the Ancient Temples !

This was an incredible vacation and we feel blessed to have met so many wonderful people and to have experienced so many different cultures and locations in the Asia Pacific region.

February 1, Wednesday … finally, a quiet day at sea! We are now traveling up the east coast of South Island New Zealand. It is a cool, cloudy day not great for being outside, so we enjoyed the calmness of being inside without rocking and rolling. Everyone was anxious to talk about yesterday's adventure and how bad it really was!! We attended a cocktail party in the Grand Master Suite (1,400 sq. ft.) occupied by Audrey and Bill; it has 2 bedrooms, two and a half baths and some amazing Artwork.

February 2, Thursday … we arrived at Timaru, NZ this morning after a quiet night at sea. We took a four hour tour of the city and surrounding area. South Island is primarily comprised of agricultural activities … huge dairy and sheep farming operations as well as a lot of vegetable crops. We concluded the day with an amazing dinner at the Signatures restaurant and then danced the night away in the Voyageur lounge.

February 3, Friday … we arrived in Akaroa which is a port 78 miles north of Timaru and just south of Christchurch, on New Zealand's east coast. We anchored at 7 am and took a tender into shore. Since the earthquake at Christchurch, New Zealand’s 2nd largest city, Regent is longer docking there due to the re-construction of the city; The central city area of Christchurch and some of the City's eastern suburbs suffered significant damage from the earthquakes in September 2010 and again in February 2011 and whilst a small area of the Christchurch central business district called the "red zone" remains cordoned off from public access the majority of the rest of the city is operating as normal. We did an eight hour tour, which started with a coach ride thru the most beautiful countryside and then onto the Canterbury Plains and then to the Southern Alps. The road up was very winding and narrow. Along the way we stopped at a homestead in Darfield where we were served a very nice lunch and a tour of their gardens and colonial home. When we reached Arthur's Pass, the highest pass in the mountain range we boarded the Tranzalpine, a train with expansive windows and enjoyed the most incredible views as we descended down the Alps. We will set sail tonight at 7 pm for Wellington, 179 miles north.

February 4, Saturday … we arrived in Wellington 8 am, the Capital City of New Zealand. It is located in the Cook Strait right at the southwestern tip of North Island. Our tour today took us up Mt. Victoria, which overlooks the city, it was a cloudy day but fortunately the clouds lifted and we had a great view of the city and it's harbor. We then visited the Botanical Gardens, followed by the parliament buildings and a look at the downtown core of Wellington.

We returned to the ship for lunch then took the shuttle downtown to watch the New Zealanders celebrate the International 7's rugby championships. The sporting arena was located right next to our ship and the energy and noise was spectacular. Every year when this event comes to Wellington, the local population (young and old) celebrates the day by dressing up in costume. I have to tell you that I have never experienced such an event; many of the costumes were as outrageous as you could imagine. All of the Pubs along the waterfront and downtown are absolutely bursting at the seams! Lots of beer being consumed! There was music everywhere … it was as sight to see! I can only guess at what the later hours would produce.

February 5, Sunday … we are at sea all day en-route to Tauranga, New Zealand which is 459 miles north of Wellington. It is partly cloudy, 62 degrees with winds at 35 knots. We are due to arrive there tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.

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We then visited a winery and sampled their wines, which I enjoyed more than the oysters. We also toured around the countryside of Tasmania; it is a very pretty island with rolling hills and mountains, one over 4,000 feet, called Mt. Wellington. Views of the water are everywhere you turn. We then traveled back to Hobart for a tour of the city sites; it is a beautiful place with again, a wonderful mix of old and new buildings. Many of the homes are built on a hillside with a spectacular view of Port Hobart. We set sail at 9 pm en-route to New Zealand a mere 900 miles (1,450 K) of open sea that is 4,000 meters deep (13,000 ft).

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The captain informed us we would be experiencing some "motion" during the night in the form of 5 meter (16 ft) waves!!

January 29, Sunday … Although I was a little apprehensive of the journey thru the night it wasn't too rocky but we could definitely feel the "motion". We spent the day crossing the Tasman Sea en-route to Milford Sound, New Zealand. The wind is blowing at about 40 mph (65 K) so there was more rocking and rolling today. The temp is cooler 18 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) and sunny. We went to the captains’ cocktail party then had dinner with a couple from Ithaca, New York, Audrey and Bill.

January 30, Monday … We spent another day on the ship crossing the Tasman Sea, most of the day was quite windy, cool, and fairly rough seas. We watched a couple of movies and did some reading in the cabin. We met Donna and Mike from Calgary for dinner and I (Pat) must say I didn't really enjoy my dinner after all the rocking and rolling!!

January 31, Tuesday … Another night crossing the Tasman Sea, as we get closer to New Zealand … but the worst was yet to come!!! At 8 am we entered Milford Sound, which is a Fiord located on the west coast of South Island New Zealand. Once we entered the Fiord we had some protection from the wind so we enjoyed some calm water after 2 days and nights of rough seas (12 to 16 foot waves). Because it was raining we couldn't see all the beauty that this Fiord had to offer, but we did see some beautiful waterfalls originating from the very steep cliffs. We spent about an hour in Milford Sound before heading back to the Tasman Sea to continue our journey south to Doubtful Sound (little did we know that this name was yet a foreshadowing of things to come!).

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The Captain announced that the winds were increasing therefore we were unable to enter that Fiord as the entrance is very narrow and with the high winds it would not be safe to do so. Our plan was to continue south on the west coast of South Island, New Zealand and then go around it's tip and head north up the east coast. We spent the afternoon with ever increasing winds and waves; the mood on the ship for most of us was becoming more somber and uncomfortable. The Captain continued to give us updates on the weather and each time it got worse. We were now at the south tip of N.Z. but the Captain, because of the wave height and winds, was unable to make the turn to the Port side around the bottom of NZ (this would have sheltered us once we got to the east side of South Island) he could only turn to the Starboard and the put the bow of the Ship into the wind and waves and ride it out … the winds were Force 12 (winds that are moving at hurricane velocities!!). With the wind now blowing 115 mph (185 KPH) we proceeded north into the weather. The waves were 55 - 65 feet high and my stomach is doing somersaults (Dan was OK).

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I wish the Captain wasn't being so bloody honest about the conditions! LOL. Most people were out of their cabins avoiding being tossed about in their rooms. The waves were crashing about everywhere you looked and the ship was lurching up and down, and side to side. Once again the Captain informed us that hopefully the wind and waves should start to subside by midnight and then we could about face and once again head south. We are now 15 hours into this violent storm!!! As predicted by midnight the sea was much calmer, 40 mph (64K) winds, I used to think that was rough! We then turned south to return to our original course. We headed back to the cabin at midnight to see what condition it was in, it fared better than some, just a few broken dishes, a tile from the ceiling was out and everything strewn about. During all this we were forever hearing glasses and bottles breaking all over the ship as we rolled back and forth, it was really frightening!! As if we had not had enough adventure we were then awakened at 4 am by a “bravo bravo” announcement!! I'm thinking what the hell is that? Then the following announcement stated there was a small fire on the top aft deck 10 and it “SHOULD” be okay. The power in our room is now off and we are fumbling around looking for some clothes to put on. We went out into the hall to see what was going on and we were informed that the fire was minor and put out! We went back to our cabin and tried to get back to sleep. Interestingly, just as we were turning around to head back south we met the Princess Cruise Ship carrying Bev & Rick Tattersall who were mere 10-15 hours away from experiencing the same weather we had. Not to sound too dramatic, but this was a day I will not forget. I must say the Captain and the Crew was amazing and did their best to make us feel comfortable. Like Dan says “if it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger”! We are now in the Pacific Ocean and heading for Timaru, New Zealand.

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Pat & Dan

January 20, Friday ... We are at sea today traveling down the east coast of Australia in the Coral Sea en-route to Brisbane, Australia. The temp is 30 degrees Celsius or 88 Fahrenheit. Spent the afternoon at the pool while. Dan updated our blog. We played bingo and Dan and I won 2 of the 4 games, for $170 in total wins.

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January 21, Saturday ... We docked in Brisbane, the capital of the State of Queensland at 10 am. Brisbane was a very pleasant surprise, not really sure what we were expecting! We toured the Sirromet Winery and enjoyed a tasting.

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January 22, Sunday ... This is a sea day en-route to Sydney via the Coral Sea. The night and next day was quite lumpy with 50 mph winds and 12 foot waves. We arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on time at 6 am.

January 23, Monday ... We did a tour of Sydney by bus, it is a beautiful city again with the old and new, The Port at Sydney is absolutely amazing!. Bondi Beach was incredible with the big waves and the surfers.

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January 24, Tuesday ... It is a day at sea en-route to Melbourne in the State of Victoria. Sunny and 78 degrees.

January 25, Wednesday ... We had a quiet night sailing from Sydney, during the night we left the Coral Sea and entered the Tasman Sea and arrived in Melbourne at 8 am. We went on a smaller bus to a destination 2 hours from Melbourne in the the Baw Baw mountains. These Mountains are part of Australia's Great Dividing Range.

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January 26, Thursday ... A sunny 27/78 degree day. We did a city tour of Melbourne and then visited the Botanical Gardens. It is "Australia Day" ... Australia's 224 year of the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove so there was lots of activity in the city, people in the parks having picnics, playing frisbee as well as parades in the streets. Melbourne is a very pretty city combining some very old buildings with modern ones all kept in very good condition. We spent some time at the Melbourne Museum which gave us a valuable insight into the 50,000 year old culture of the Aboriginal people.
From there we went to the Eureka Skydeck 88, an apartment building that is 92 stories high, the highest in the southern hemisphere. We rode the elevator to the 88th story in a mere 38 seconds where there is a 360 degree view of the city. That night the ship put on an amazing BBQ on the top deck where we watched Melbourne's incredible fireworks display and then set sail at 10 pm.

January 27, Friday ... We had a quiet night sailing and will have a sea day en-route to Hobart, Tasmania. During the night we crossed the Tasman Sea between Melbourne (located at the southern part of Australia) to Tasmania. Once we got to the north east side of Tasmania we went thru a narrow strait called Bass Strait which is between Mainland Tasmania and a group of islands. Once we pass thru this strait we will continue south along the east coast of Tasmania. At this point we have traveled approximately 7,000 miles!! The weather today is sunny and 24/77 degrees.

Pat & Dan

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January 17, Tuesday ... A restful day at sea ... We are now heading south down the east coast of Australia in the Coral Sea, we can see land off of our starboard side and the beginning of The Great Barrier Reef. Another hot and very humid day.

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January 19, Thursday ... We arrived in Townsville, Australia at 7 am to another hot, humid day ... temps in high eighties. It had rained in the night and was a mostly cloudy day. Today our tour took us thru the city and up Castle Hill where we had an amazing view of the city. We were clearly informed by the Aussie Tour Guide that it was called a hill because it is 8 meters short of being an official mountain! We drove along the strand which was a beautiful beach and park like setting (a lake-shore type road). The swimming area was roped off and it had a net that keeps out the poisonous jellyfish and small tiger sharks.
Then we went a half an hour south of Townsville to the Billabong Sanctuary. A billabong is similar to a swamp that fills up with water in the rainy season and then drys up. It was a super experience - we held koala bear, held a small crocodile and watched them feed a 700 pound croc, we fed kangaroo, saw some beautiful parrots and dingo's.

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Off to Brisbane! ... Talk Soon

Pat & Dan

We have now been on the ship for a total of six days and are still sailing the South China Sea ... the ocean has been very calm and the sunsets amazing!

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We set sail at 2 p.m. and sailed all that day and the next (January 13) into the Eastern Indian Ocean on our way to Darwin, Australia where the Indian Ocean and the Pacific come together. We docked January 14th in Darwin and went ashore to do our riverboat tour on the Adelaide River to view the jumping crocodiles.

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We set sail from Darwin at 6 p.m. January 14 and having been cruising all day today, January 15, on our way to Thursday Island which is located off the Eastern coast of Australia.

Click on the pictures to see our new uploads ... We will update this blog in another 3 or 4 days.

Pat & Dan

I can't believe we have been gone almost two weeks! We had a good but long flight to Singapore, arriving at 5pm New Year's Eve. After dinner we tried to stay up until midnight because we were told the fireworks were really amazing but we fell asleep only to be awakened at midnight by the noise, what we could see from our room was spectacular and when it was over we went back to bed. At that point it was 11 am your time on the 30th so as you can imagine we didn't know what day or time it was!!

We spent 3 days touring Singapore and found it a very pretty, friendly city. Then we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia via Bangkok with a group who like us were spending 3 days in Cambodia prior to going on the cruise.

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We then flew back to Singapore to get on the ship to start our cruise. The ship is very nice and food and service are great. Unfortunately Dan along with several other passengers who were in Cambodia came down with "traveler's diarrhea " so for the last few days he has had to stay pretty close to our "room"!! Thank goodness room service is amazing because that is where we have had dinner each night. he thinks today is the day he will venture out of the room!!

Our first stop was Semarang, Indonesia. I went on the shore excursion on my own and met a nice couple from Burlington.. We went on an old steam train that traveled thru the mountainous and tropical regions where rice fields were everywhere. Then we visited a plantation that grew coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and rubber. Again it was very hot and humid, and the people very friendly.

For the last 2 days we have been at Bali, I did an excursion to ancient Bali and visited a very old palace. Bali is very hilly and tropical vegetation. There was a volcano eruption here in 1964. We leave here this aft on our way to Australia, where I just heard on the news that a cyclone was headed that way, but from what it says the cyclone will hit the west side of Australia and we are traveling down the east coast.

Pat & Dan

Currently sitting in the Lufthansa lounge waiting to board our flight to Frankfort ... can't wait!