Tauranga, New Zealand

Spent a short day in Tauranga, a port city in the Bay of Plenty on the North Island.  We passed Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano, as we entered the harbor.  Tauranga has the busiest port operation in New Zealand, handling 1 million shipping containers per year. It is the second fastest growing city in NZ after Auckland.  Because of its favorable climate (it never snows or gets too hot) and cheaper cost of living compared to Auckland, it has a growing population of retirees.

Tauranga grows a lot of kiwi fruit and avocados.  There are 2 types of Kiwi: the traditional green and fuzzy one, and the yellow Sun Gold variety.  Crops grow well here because of the thick layer of fertile volcanic soil.  The shopping area has several American stores -- K-Mart, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Starbucks.  Gasoline costs $2.00 per liter, which is equivalent to about $8 per gallon in the U.S.

We visited a small Maori (pronounced "mowrey") village to learn about their culture and practices.  The Maori are the indigenous people in New Zealand, thought to have come from Asia via the Polynesian Islands in canoes (waka) over 1000 years ago.  People of Maori descent make up 14% of the population of NZ today.  They have unique customs of dress, dance and communal living.  As we drove to the marae (sacred meeting grounds), our Maori guide taught us a song in the Maori language:

E toru nga mea          There are three things
Nga mea nunui          That are most important
E ki ana                      It is stated
Te Paipera                  In the Bible
Whakapono                Faith
Tumanako                  Hope
Ko te mea nui            Most important of all
Ko te aroha                Is love.

Some Maori words:
Kia Ora           hello; good health to you
Whanau          family ("wh" is pronounced with an "f" sound)
Whare             house
Wahine            female
Tane                male
Tauranga         safe harbor or anchorage
Aotearoa         Maori word for New Zealand, literally means "land of long white clouds"

We were treated to a welcome ceremony, speeches by the village elders, the traditional greeting of touching foreheads and noses (see photo), singing and traditional dancing.  The females wear black and tan skirts made from flax plants. The males wear loincloths.  The traditional Maori war dance done by the males is called the haka.  It is meant to scare and intimidate and is delightful to watch.

We ended our visit by going into the community house to learn about Maori traditions.  You must remove your shoes as a sign of respect for the ancestors.  These buildings are beautifully decorated with wooden carvings, woven mats and bright colors.  The people were so warm and welcoming.  A wonderful cultural experience.

Mount Maunganui at the entrance to Tauranga harbor

sheep are all over New Zealand

The whare nui - communal house of Maori marae

Maori greeting - touch foreheads and noses

Dancers

The Maori haka -- war dance

Inside the whare nui - wood carvings and woven mats decorate walls

Posing by a carved Maori figure

View from the top of Tauranga toward the harbor

Auckland -- Day 2

Today we took a ferry to Waiheke Island.  The ferry terminal is conveniently located next to where the ship is docked.  Waiheke, which means "cascading waters" in Maori, is 13 miles from Auckland and famous for its vineyards and wineries.  The island's population is about 10,000, but it is a popular tourist destination, often getting 60,000 visitors per day.

Waiheke has no public water system; residents catch and store rainwater to use for cooking, drinking and bathing.  Like Auckland, houses are very expensive, with an average home costing $1 million. The location and topography of the island provides an excellent climate for growing about 10 different varieties of grapes.  They specialize in red wines such as Malbec and Pinot Noir. The main harvest time is April.

Before visiting 2 wineries. we stopped off for coffee, tea and scones at a cute restaurant along the beach. Several island residents were swimming in the warm water.  Rick and I took our shoes off and walked into the water for some photos.  There was a very interesting boat parked near the beach called "Sealegs".  It had 3 hydraulically driven retractable wheels that allowed it to drive on the road and beach, then retract the wheels when it got into the water.  It is very popular on Waiheke, but costs about $100,000!

We visited Stonyridge and Batch wineries.  At Stonyridge, we tasted one red and one white (sauvignon blanc).  Bottles of wine there cost $55-350.  Stonyridge also has a grove of olive trees which were planted at the same time as the vineyard.   Batch winery is located near the top of the island and offers excellent views of the surrounding area.  There is a small airport next to the winery, so we watched a plane land as we were sampling 4 different wines.  Batch is the only winery on Waiheke that makes sparkling (carbonated) wine, which was excellent.

A view of Auckland harbor from the ferry

Little birds nibbling on a scone left at the beach side restaurant.

The "sealegs" boat with attached hydraulic wheels parked on the road.

Driving the boat onto the beach.

Wheels lift up once the boat is in the water!

Arriving at Stonyridge Winery.

Vineyards at Stonyridge

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Grapes on the vines

A view of the ocean from Batch winery at the top of Waiheke island.

Batch winery is next to a small airport.  See plane landing.

Boats in the tidal basin at low tide.

Auckland, New Zealand -- Day 1

We arrived at Auckland, the city of sails, on January 29 and docked at Queen's Wharf in the heart of town.  Auckland is a beautiful city located on the eastern side of the North Island of New Zealand.  It is very cosmopolitan and culturally diverse, with a population of 1.4 million.  The harbor area has 14 different marinas, including one for yachts used for the America's Cup sailing race.  Boating is very popular in Auckland, where 25% of the people own a boat.

We took a 2 hour bus tour of the central city, stopping at Bastion Point to see a labor memorial and garden, then drove through several stylish neighborhoods.  Our guide said that Auckland is one of the 5 most expensive places to live, with 3-4 bedroom houses costing over $800,000.  After the bus tour, we walked to the New Zealand Maritime Museum to see displays of old Maori boats (waka) and other nautical memorabilia. We then walked to the Sky Tower, the tallest structure in New Zealand.  at 1076 feet high. The view of Auckland and surrounding islands from level 60 was awesome.

Today is Auckland Anniversary Day, so it is a national holiday with lots of special activities near the harbor.  There were boat rides in the harbor, boat races, carnivals, street performers and lots of people out and about.  It was sunny and 82 degrees, a beautiful summer day in the Southern Hemisphere.

Arriving in Auckland Harbor

Memorial and Garden on Bastion Point

Boat races for Anniversary Day

Replica of a Maori canoe (waka)

Lots of boats on the water 

view of Auckland from the Sky Tower

View of the bay bridge from the Sky Tower

Another view from the Sky tower

Auckland is a boating city with 14 marinas

The Sky tower -- 1076 feet tall

Russell, New Zealand

We made it to New Zealand!  Our first stop on January 28 is Russell, the northernmost city on the North Island.  Russell, also known as Kororareka, is the gateway to the "Bay of Islands", containing 150 small islands with deep blue waters and coarse sandy beaches. Russell, which used to be the capital of New Zealand, was called "the hell hole of New Zealand" in the 1800s.  This is because of its rowdy reputation from having whalers, pirates and prostitutes frequenting the port.  Today it is a charming town with colonial era buildings, shops and restaurants.

The landscape here is hilly and lush, as it has a subtropical climate.  Today it was 77 degrees, as it is the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere.

As we strolled around the town, we visited the old Pompallier tannery and printery, started by Marist priests from France in the mid 1700s.  There is a simple white Anglican church surrounded by a cemetery for both Maori and European settlers who lived in the area. The house for the police chief has a massive fig tree next to it.  I walked up to Flagstaff Hill and was rewarded with a gorgeous view of the town and surrounding bay and islands.  If the rest of New Zealand is as pretty as Russell, we are in for a real treat!

A pod of bottlenose dolphins greeted us as we got to Russell

The (restored) Pompallier mission, tannery and printery

A view of the harbor from Russell

A troupe of actors recreating the "hell hole" days in Russell.

More of the actors portraying the rowdy days in the 1800s

Fiji

January 25. We arrived in Suva, Fiji about 6 am and docked next to a container ship from Singapore. The kingdom of Fiji is made up of 333 islands, 1/3 of them are inhabited.  The total population of all these islands is about 900,000, with 250,000 living around Suva, the capital city. Fiji is a group of volcanic islands with a tropical rain forest climate, but the mountains are not as high and impressive as on Tahiti or Bora Bora.

Fiji was originally called "Viti", which refers to breaking branches, the method that was used to clear footpaths when the island was originally settled.  Locals say "bula", which means hello. They grow sugar cane, casava and many other fruits and vegetables on the main island of Viti Levu.

Our excursion was to Sawani, a village of indigenous Fijians, about 15 miles from the port.. There are 88 persons currently living in this village.  Each extended family has their own house, which is constructed of wood or cement blocks with a corrugated metal roof.  They have electricity and modern appliances, but the windows were all open (no screens to keep the bugs out) and there was little furniture inside.  The nicest buildings in the village were the home of the chief, the church, and the community center. 

The men prepared and offered us kava, the official drink of Fiji.  It is made by mixing water with powder from the root of the kava plant (Piper methysticum) .  It had a slight peppery taste, numbs your mouth a bit, and is used to reduce stress or help you sleep. The adults entertained us with music and dancing, showed us their traditional dress, and led us on a short tour of the village.  Many of the women make woven purses, mats and fans, which were available for sale. The people were very warm and friendly.  As we got ready to leave, our lady tour guide gave us a hug and kiss and wished us well.

A ceremony to prepare kava, the native drink in Fiji

A typical house in Sawani village

Women weaving handicrafts (mats, purses, fans)

Men doing a traditional warrior dance

The Sawani women singing us a song as we get ready to leave

Crew on the Viking Sun world cruise

There are about 450 crew members providing service to the 875 passengers on our inaugural world cruise.  The crew come from all over the world, but probably more from the Philippines than any other country.  From the room stewards to the galley staff to the carpentry guys, the service has been superior!  The crew goes out of their way to make sure our cruise experience is positive and enjoyable.  We are really pampered.

The captain is Atle Knutsen, from Bergen, Norway.  He calls himself our "designated driver."  He and his bridge staff have kept us on time with a minimum of rocking and rolling on the Pacific ocean.  The captain's wife, Lara Knutsen, is serving as an ambassador or hostess.  She greets us around the ship with a warm smile and encouraging comments.  The captain and his wife met on another cruise ship and have been married for 14 years, having homes in San Diego and Norway.

The cruise director is Heather Clancy.  She has a witty, outgoing personality and has made the cruise so much fun with all the activities that are scheduled each day.  Heather gives port talks and introduces the nightly entertainment along with daily communication.  Heather is a trained opera singer and has entertained us with her vocal talents. Heather is assisted by Elmer, who is from the Philippines and used to sing on Disney cruise ships.

Lishen Louw, the excursion manager, has been outstanding at arranging interesting places to visit in our ports of call. She is witty, kind, patient and very knowledgeable about traveling.  I believe she has visited 140 countries.  Lishen was kind enough to meet with Rick and me privately to provide suggestions of places to visit in London when we spend an extra 2 days at the end of the cruise.  She gave us practical and helpful guidance. 

Gary Jerry is part of the entertainment staff. He is from England and has performed in west end theatres in London.  Gary is a fantastic piano player and has a nice tenor voice.  Gary organized the world cruise choir, which I have joined, and prepared us to perform a medley of South Pacific songs recently. The choir plans to perform several more short concerts in the atrium of the ship as the cruise progresses.

The restaurant wait staff, bartenders, pool assistants, cabin stewards and all the other crew members all work so hard to provide the passengers with a memorable experience.  Many of them work 10 hours/day, 7 days a week, in their positions.  A big THANK YOU to all the crew for providing such good service and a wonderful world cruise!

Tongatapu Island

January 23 -- we are visiting the low coral limestone island of Tongatapu, the largest of the 169 Tonga Islands in the South Pacific. Tongatapu means "sacred garden" and was described by the explorer Captain James Cook as the "friendly island."  The kingdom of Tonga is a monarchy, ruled by King Tupou VI. It is the only Polynesian island that was never colonized by European countries.  Cars drive on the left side of the ride, like in Great Britain.

We walked around the capital city of Nuku'Alofa and saw the royal palace and royal cemetary. There are markets that sell fruits, vegetables and handicrafts.  Saw lots of carved wood animals and tikis, woven baskets and tapa pictures. Tapa is a cloth or paper made from the bark of the mulberry tree.

Tongans wearing traditional woven mats welcome us to the island of Tongatapu

A Tongan church

Vegetables for sale in the market

carved wooden tikis for sale in the market

The royal palace in Nuku'Alofa. Constructed of wood from New Zealand.

 

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Spending January 17 in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. We arrived about 7:30 am, anchored in the bay, and tendered to Vaitapi.  Bora Bora is only 4 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, with 10,000 residents.  The landscape reminds me of Hawaii -- lush greenery and volcanic hillsides.  We took a 2.5 hour excursion around the perimeter of the island on an open air "Le Truck".  Stopped first at an open air market and watched a demonstration of dying cloth to make pareos. Simple cotton pareos were $10. Next we stopped at a small sand beach and got a chance to walk into the warm, turquoise water that surrounds Bora Bora.  Our last stop was at the famous Blood Mary's bar and restaurant, where we could buy a drink at 10:30 am!

Bora Bora is a beautiful, peaceful island; much different than Tahiti, which was busy and very commercialized. The airport on the island was built by the U.S. military during World War II and now allows small planes to land on its 1/2 mile long runway.  There are no rivers or lakes on the island, so no source of fresh water.  Desalination of sea water is how the island is supplied with water.  Living on Bora Bora is expensive  because of high energy costs and limited area for constructing houses.  The unstable lava soil in the hills is unsuitable for building, so everything is around the perimeter of the island.

There are several luxury resorts/hotels on Bora Bora.  Our guide said that one night's lodging at The Four Seasons in a tiki hut over the water is about $1000.  That does NOT include food, beverages and activities. So, a beautiful but expensive place to vacation.

Arriving at Bora Bora

Musicians at the pareo market

Displaying a pareo which was just dyed

Looking into the center of the island

Stop along the beach while touring Bora Bora

Blood Mary's bar and restaurant

Interior of Blood Mary's