The Macs’ Big Adventure

Today our ship was berthed right in the middle of all the action in Auckland. The sun was just coming in as we tied up to the pier and I was able to get some lovely sunrise pictures from our balcony. Here is another view of the city at sunrise.

We’ve recently been in mostly tropical islands, so being in a city was quite the treat. This is the view from one of the top decks before we left the ship.

Today’s adventure was a Hop On Hop Off bus tour of the city. We were able to get off at the stops if we wished to explore and then hop on another bus to continue on.

Auckland is a beautiful city with lovely green spaces interspersed with high rises and homes and is often on the list as one of the best places to live in the world. It is a bustling city with a laid back feel. The architecture is a real mixture of old and new and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing it.

We hopped off the bus to get some lunch in one of the main shoppings areas. We had heard there was an interesting food court at one of the large malls, so we thought we’d check it out. It was a very upscale mall and almost the entire third floor was a multi-ethnic food court with booths from Greece, Japan, Mexico, Viet Nam, Malaysia and many other countries. We saw a sign that pointed to a roof top dining area, so we headed up to the fourth floor and found many more eateries. We went to a restaurant called Something and Social. The idea behind the name of the restaurant is that you go to the mall to do something and then, when you’re ready, they’ll do the social. Brian had a very good pizza and I had a tasty quinoa salad with grilled broccoli. We tried two different glasses of Sauvignon Blanc to do a taste comparison for strictly scientific reasons, of course! Looking outside from our table, you’d never have known that we were on the fourth floor rooftop.

This is the roof over the third floor of the mall.

It’s a water feature!

We got back on the bus and headed back to the ship with a little more window shopping along the way. It was a fun and interesting day. I would enjoy spending more time here!

Yesterday, we spent the day exploring the Bay of Islands. There are a total of 144 islands in the bay, some large and some small. We didn’t have any sort of excursion planned, so we decided to wing it on our own.

The ship weighed anchor in the middle of the bay since their was not a dock that could accommodate her. We road one of the ship’s water shuttles over to Waitangi Pier. It was about a 20 minute ride with around 100 of our closest friends. The bay was like glass, which made for a nice ride. Once at the pier there were free shuttles to drive us over to the near town of Paihia. We walked around a bit, did a little shopping and decided to take the ferry over to the town of Russell across the bay. After another 20 minute ride, we were dropped of in one of the most charming places I have ever seen. Lovely white houses surrounds by the most beautiful scenery.

We again rambled around and stopped to have lunch in a beachside restaurant. The drinks were from New Zealand (beer for Brian and a Sauvignon Blanc for me) and were very tasty. Brian ordered fish and chips made with the local catch of the day. We neglected to find our what kind of fish it was, so it will forever remain a mystery! I chose Mexican Nachos because it amused me to order nachos in New Zealand. While different than those from home, I really enjoyed them! They came with a bowl on the side filled with“gravy”, which was spiced beef with a couple kinds of beans. The nachos were quite good.

After lunch we hopped on the ferry to head back to Paihia. We wandered some more and stopped it at a local craft market to spend some of our New Zealand dollars before heading back to the ship. The currency really is lovely and the exchange rate was in our favor. We got $150 New Zealand for $101 US.

It was such a lovely evening that after dinner we took a nightcap back to our balcony to enjoy the view as we left. We saw some Dusky Dolphins! The picture here doesn’t do them justice, but those suckers move fast! Sunset was once again amazing. Every night is just a treat.

For those who are interested, our choir concert was quite a success. There were about 700 people in the audience and they gave us a standing ovation. I think the passengers on board are easily entertained, however, the support is wonderful!

Brian took this photo at rehearsal. There really were 700 people there!

We crossed the International Dateline yesterday and Tuesday magically disappeared from our calendar never to be found again! Tomorrow, we’re in Bay of Islands, New Zealand which looks to be another incredibly beautiful place.

Today is our Princess passenger choir performance. There are so many of us, we are performing on the main stage. We gather there at 11:30 to work out logistics of the performance. Since there are near 150 of us, I expect it to be like herding cats. I’m glad I’m not directing this crowd! David Crathorne is the director. He is one of the entertainers onboard and has been doing the choir for years. He has waaay more patience than I do! This is, by far, the biggest choir ever. The concert is at 1:00 pm. I sang one of the songs for the first time at the rehearsal yesterday, so we’ll see how that goes.

Here are a few photos from the last few days. Explanations are beneath each one.

Proof we have crossed the equator.

Our next door neighbor is Eddie. He is from Vancouver, BC but was born in Scotland. Since Brian sometimes plays his guitar and sings on our balcony, he made sure to introduce himself to our neighbors and asked them to please let him know if he was making too much noise. Eddie said, “No problem. I brought me bagpipes!” He will occasionally play a short concert on the ship. He wears his full regalia and has a very appreciative audience. He and his wife are also just very nice people.

Sunset last night. I can’t get over all the colors!

Brian took this photo of the moonrise last night. Just amazing skies!

Today was hot. Really, really hot. When Brian and I left the ship to walk around the port, the temperature was 83 degrees with 85% humidity. By time time we headed back, it was even hotter. Did I say it was hot?

Pago Pago (pronounced Pangho Pangho which sort of rhymes with bongo) is a very small town in American Samoa. We docked close to the main part of the town by all the government buildings. After being in French speaking Moorea, it was strange to be back where the signs were in English and United States flags flew. There were numerous little shops set up to greet the tourists. Folks who took shore excursions were transported in windowless buses with no air conditioning. I have seen pictures from friends who did explore more of the island that we did and it is incredibly beautiful. I just wish the heat didn’t zap me so much. I am, however, getting used to have a slight sheen of sweat on me at all times. Progress!

The picture below is a look behind the ship as we entered into the bay.

We spent the afternoon relaxing (no surprise there) broken up by a mani/pedi for me. After another very enjoyable dinner, we went out on the deck and watched a truly beautiful sunset. There was a breeze and the weather was wonderful.

We ended the day sitting on our balcony watching the ocean and enjoying some single malt Scotch. A few more sea days and we start our journey around New Zealand and Australia. This part of the cruise will last the rest of February . Our first stop is Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Before that I have a choir concert and we cross the International Dateline and lose a day. Our calendar goes from Monday to Wednesday and if that isn’t strange I don’t know what is!

When we booked this cruise, we were scheduled to stop in Bora Bora. Moorea was substituted after Bora Bora regulated the size of cruise ships that would be allowed to dock on the island. This turned out to be, at least for me, a wonderful change. Moorea is the type of place that takes your breath away when you first see it. It is one of the most magical, beautiful places I think I’ve ever seen.

We had booked a catamaran snorkeling excursion here. Brian snorkels and I ride along. With my lung issues, it is difficult for me to snorkel, so I enjoy the view from on top. I took a lot of pictures, but not many of them did justice to the beauty of this place in the South Pacific.

The weather was hot and humid but there was plenty of shade on the catamaran and not too many people. The ocean temperature was around 75 degrees. There was some wind blowing and it had really picked up when we docked later in the morning.

After our excursion, we explored a a craft market dockside. The vendors sold souvenirs, art, jewelry and many, many black pearls. I was able to resist purchasing anything! It was very warm and crowded and we were eager to get back onboard and cool down with a cold drink and air conditioning. Lunch was at the grill on the ship. The burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches are very good and the fresh French fries are great.

We spent the afternoon in our cabin. Brian read and I did our weekly laundry. Port days are the best time for using the laundromat. There was no one there and I had my choice of machines. Dinner was fun, as usual, with our table mates. The South Pacific heat had sapped our energy so headed back to our cabin after enjoying an ice cream on the deck. Almost a full moon last night!

We would love to come back here and explore the rest of the island. I can certainly understand how people could come to these islands and never want to leave.

We turned our clocks back an hour last night and we have two more sea days until we dock in American Samoa.

It was hard for me to believe that we were actually in French Polynesia. I had always wanted to go to Tahiti, but never thought I’d ever get here. Brian was up early, and I watched our sail in from our balcony.

We had joined a private shore excursion with two other couples months ago. I belong to a website called Cruise Critic and there was a message board for our cruise which we could use to connect with other passengers to share the cost of a shore excursion. We took a 5-1/2 hour tour around the northern part of the island. The weather was hot and muggy with intermittent rain showers that cooled everything down for a short while. Our guide, Natalia, has lived on Tahiti for 36 years. She was from Italy. However, she spoke fluent French which is the official language of the island.

There were so many beautiful sights to see from black sand beaches to waterfalls to maraes (ancient Polynesian temples). Here are a few pictures.

The flowers were amazing and their scent was unbelievable. I had never heard some of the bird songs before. We went to the Vaipahai Water Gardens and saw the most amazing water lilies and lotus flowers.

We got back to the ship about 3:00 and stopped at our favorite bar for a Diet Coke for me and a beer for Brian. We had missed lunch, and didn’t have the energy to go hunt any food down on the ship (there was plenty available), so we went to our room to eat some Cheetos while enjoying our very cold beverages. After showering, we went to dinner and then stopped in the theatre to check out the Polynesian Folkloric show. The theatre was entirely full, so I watched for a while from the back and Brian went to listen to some music.

All aboard tonight is 2:00 am. I’m sure Brian and I will be fast asleep. We are in Moorea tomorrow and we have a catamaran snorkeling trip planned. Brian will snorkel and I will enjoy being on the water!

Today is the fourth of five sea days before we reach French Polynesia and the island of Tahiti. The first two days were overcast and windy. So windy, in fact, that some of the outdoor decks, including the main walking deck, were closed! The ocean was rocking and it was more comfortable to be on a lower deck. We really missed being outside and the sun. It was very much like being home on the Oregon coast except the weather was warmer. The weather did improve yesterday and Brian spent an hour walking around the deck while I was at choir practice.

Yesterday we crossed the equator and we’re now in the southern hemisphere. There was a large crossing the equator ceremony on the pool deck yesterday and I think Brian and I were the only ones who didn’t go! It was so crowded. Brian enjoyed time playing his guitar on a lower deck and I finished reading the new Michael Connelly book in our cabin. I do enjoy the ocean view from our home away from home.

Yesterday, there was a pop-up pizzeria in one of the restaurants on board that we really enjoyed. Very tasty!

We’ve gone to music trivia with friends that last two nights and have learned that we are much better at 80s music than disco! We’ve found some excellent musical groups on board that we have enjoyed. They range the gamut from classical to rock and are very entertaining.

My choir practice continues on sea days. We have our first concert on February 8, which is the day before we get to New Zealand. We are now at 134 members and there is a variety of skill levels, but everyone is having fun.

Last night at dinner we found this sweetener package:

This ship really gets around! I’ve found, unfortunately, that the desserts offered to us are wonderful. This is what Brian ordered last night.

January 25, 2023

Kauai is such a beautiful island and we were lucky enough to spend a week here some years ago. With that in mind, we decided to save some money and and just go for a walk around the area.

Brian got up before me and headed to an upper deck to get a good view of our arrival in Nawiliwili (my new favorite word to say!), which is the cruise port for Kauai. The town of Lihue is about 3 miles away. After I got out of bed, I went out on our balcony and saw the most amazing sunrise.

We waited until the shore excursions had left the ship and we headed out. There were a number of shops and resorts along the road, so we looked in a few and ended up at Kalapaki Beach.

There was a great view of our cruise ship docked in front of the mountains.

It felt go good just to sit for a bit and take in the beautiful scenery. The weather hadn’t gotten too hot yet and the cool breeze kept the humidity down. Some of the local fauna were around to entertain us, both on the walk and on the beach. Kauai is home to what seems like a zillion free range chickens in all sorts of amazing colors. The roosters crow all the time and I even heard them from our balcony as we sailed in!

When we got back to the ship, we had lunch and now I’m doing our laundry at the self-service laundromat on our floor. The washers and dryers each cost $3.00 a load. We brought some laundry detergent sheets along, so we are going to find out how well they work.

Tonight we set sail for Tahiti. There are five days at sea before we get there, so I am anticipating even more relaxation. I think that, once we get to French Polynesia, it will finally sink in that we are on a world cruise!

Update…the laundry detergent sheets work great! I think that, once we use up all of our detergent at home, we might start using them permanently. No plastics and we can reduce our carbon footprint just a little.

January 24, 2023

It is an incredibly lovely evening tonight. We finished dinner and went up on deck to enjoy the night. We leave Honolulu at 11:00 pm and head towards Nawiliwili, Kauai.

Here are a few pictures:

January 24, 2023

The ship is just docking in Honolulu and passengers are excitedly getting ready for their excursions. Brian and I had booked a ship’s excursion to Pearl Harbor, but, when we boarded, we were told that “due to operational difficulties” the visit to the USS Arizona Memorial was no longer included. Since the Memorial was one place had Brian really wanted to visit, we decided to cancel and just visit Honolulu on our own. Our only plan for today is to head to Walmart to pick up some items that we think will make our cabin more efficient along with some snacks that are not available on the ship (I’m looking at you, Cheetos!). There is a shuttle that runs from the port to the store, so we’ll do that sometime today. Otherwise, I think we’ll just walk around and enjoy our visit.

Yesterday was much the same as before, except the motion of the ocean came back in a big way. According to the captain, we have some 25 foot swells. I am so glad we don’t get seasick! I avoided the upper decks because the rocking and rolling was pretty dramatic. I read a book, Brian played his guitar and the day drifted away.