Day 45 - Tauranga, New Zealand

Day 45 – Monday 24^th February 2014 – Tauranga, New Zealand

After sailing 1110 miles from Tonga, we picked up the pilot for the port of Mount Maunganui, which is the port for Tauranga.  On our approach, there were other ships at anchor and the first ships at sea I had seen, since leaving San Francisco.

Mount Maunganui

This is the Mount to which the port is named after, in the distant past, in fact 43 years ago, I came here and actually climbed up the Mount to take photographs of the surrounding countryside. The sacred Maori land to the wonderful beach and onwards to the fine city of Tauranga.  Of course, there have been many changes, not least to the port itself, which is greatly built up since I was last here.

OCCL Auckland

We were tied up by 09.15 and this container ship followed us into the port.  Behind the ship can be seen the wooded area which is the land scared to the Maoris.

On the other side of the estuary they have built a new container port which will be able handle the biggest ships in the world.

We were ashore by 10.15 and strolled down the main street and the many shops were doing a roaring trade with the people from the ship.  We found ourselves in a barber shop and these places are great for chatting to the locals, as to how New Zealand was coping.  They said it had come through the world recession with not many problems and there were jobs to be had.

The hairdresser asked what I required, and I said, takes eight weeks off, she replied, that’s easy and commenced shearing me like a sheep.  She told me there were many people who had moved to the Tauranga area after the earthquake in Christchurch on the South Island, which had devastated the city, and some of the children were still traumatised by it.

We found a bar for lunch and caught up with the emails and blog site. I also phoned my next door neighbours at home, son who lives in Tauranga, but unfortunately, Steven was in Christchurch, helping with the rebuild of the city.

At 16.00, we caught the shuttle bus running from the ship to Tauranga city centre, only a fifteen minute journey.  It is a lovely clean place, though there are many shops they did not seem as busy as the ones we had left in the port area.  On Steven’s recommendations we went to the Strand and the pub, Crown and Badger, it was in an idyllic spot, as we watched the world go by, while looking onto the river and the hills beyond.  One more water hole, the Corner House and we got the service bus back to the port.

Quayside

This took a different route back to the ship, as we passed through the very well laid out bungalows built close to the main beach and the well- kept wide open spaces. We were back on board for 18.30 and had to get ready quickly, as we were informed there was a show by Maori dancers in the theatre, and we managed to catch the last quarter of an hour of the show.

Dinner for me was shrimps/sirloin steaks/caramelised pear, and we bade farewell to Gillian and Stuart from Yorkshire, who had been on our table since we left San Francisco, and had been great fun, but they were leaving the next day in Auckland.

It had been another adventurous day, and I was very happy to be in back in this wonderful country of New Zealand

Day 44 - At Sea

Day 44 – Sunday 23^rd February 2014 – At Sea

As it is a Sunday after the gym, I go into the Lido for breakfast, the big help your self restaurant on deck 9, this is normally well populated at any time of the day.

Normally, Cristina the cabin stewardess does our cabin around lunchtime and I take myself off to one of the deck 3 loungers with a book and relax for an hour.

Dance lesson for the first time was the slow foxtrot, cannot quite get the hang of this one, time will tell, if I can master it.

It is a very pleasant afternoon and spent time building up the bronzy, there never seems to be many on the open deck in the late afternoon, maybe most are having a sleep or staying on their cabin balconies.

It is another formal night for the world cruisers, Captain’s cocktail party to meet his senior officers.  Mixed with the Engineers again, the Deputy Chief, and two 3^rd Engineers, one of which is a lady, who has also sailed on the tall ships, Stavros and Tenacious.  The information I got from the Deputy Chief on how sophisticated and reliable the computer control systems are within the engine room was mind blowing.

A very special night, as myself and Colin, having been invited onto the Chief Engineer’s (Jason Turnbull) dining table, which was also co-hosted by the Technical Procurement Officer (Paul Edwards).  Five other guests were also invited to the table.  I thoroughly enjoyed the meal of Thai fish cakes/lamb/soufflé and the conversation and companions were excellent.

Finished off in the Golden Lion for the Karaoke session, this is always a lot of fun, and at this time of the night, nobody really cares if the performers are good or bad.

I went off to bed after another different, but very enjoyable day.

Day 43 - At Sea

Day 43 – Saturday 22^nd February 2014 – At Sea

A peaceful morning, after the exercises, spent time on the computer waiting for the afternoon activities.

Lunch time dance lesson was again the quickstep, gaining more confidence with this one and appear to be gliding along the ballroom.

At 13.00 it was our final rehearsal for the choir, then off to get dressed up for the concert.

The choir this time consisted of nearly 100 of us, as before we waited nervously behind the theatre curtain for the announcements.  As before, there were about 500 people in the audience.

First off we sang, ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’, then ‘Amazing Grace’, this one went down very well.  ‘Any Dream Will Do’, followed by a combination of ‘Wonderful World/Over The Rainbow’, this had a great ending to it and the audience liked this one.  Moving onto the old favourite ‘I Am Sailing’, the next was the one we had been struggling with, from the musical ‘ Les Miserables’, the song ‘Do You Hear The People sing’, we got it right this time.

Back to the old ones, a combination of Vera Lynn’s ‘Blue Birds/We’ll Meet again’, to finish off with the hundred year old Maori song ‘Now Is The Hour’, we really got a lot of feeling into this one.  This was the end of our repertoire and the audience were on their feet giving us all a standing ovation, we could only bow and broadly smile back.

This time around a little more prepared and for the encore sang ‘You Raise me Up’, and again, Leah our choir leader went all emotional, as the tears flowed we managed to keep it together.  Another wonderful experience for our new and old members of the choir, and day we will never forget.

It was not all over as the choir stood on the grand staircase in the lobby for the official photograph, and we sang ‘Now Is The Hour’.  Finally, we made it into the Golden Lion for a celebration pint of Speckled Hen.

We were back in there again at 19.30 for a pub sing along which included hot dogs, sausage rolls or curry.  Stuck to the beer, as into dinner at 20.30; for me escargots/sirloin steak/chocolate cake, the garlic snails were wonderful.

The theatre show was by a young New Zealander ‘Will Martin’, this lad was great and definitely a name to remember for the future.

After the theatre, went up on deck for stargazing with Howard, the astronomer, with a lot of other people.  They had switched off most of the deck and pool lights to reduce the light pollution. Howard was excellent pointing out, using his green laser light, the different planets, star constellations, the Southern Cross and false cross.

 

It was a wonderful end to a slow start, but a very eventful day.

Day 39 - At Sea

Day 39 – Monday 17th February 2014 – At Sea

Time for a lazy day at sea, the morning was the usual ritual, but more leisurely, which moved onto lunch time lying on a lounger on the open Deck 3.

The choir practice at 13.00 and we managed to sing all of the songs in our repertoire.

The weather was still overcast, so the rest of the afternoon was spend practising on the banjo, which I had neglected of late, and it was good to get back into it.

This led onto the 17.00 dance lesson which was the intermediate waltz and proved very difficult.

We did not like the evening cocktail, so had a go at the bloody marys.

Diner for me was seafood salad/pork/walnut cake and all very nice.

I did not go to the theatre but went on deck for the stargazing, and this time joined with Howard, the lecturer.  The clouds had cleared for a while, but we were disappointed with what was visible in the night sky.

Down to the ballroom at 22.30 and they were doing line dancing.  I had previously learned a bit of this a few days ago, and I joined in.  I was not the only idiot on the floor and managed to do, two of the dances, so quite pleased with myself and went off to bed very happy, ready for a new port in the morning.

Day 42 - Nuku'Alofa, Tonga

Day 42 - Friday 21^st February 2014 – Nuku’Alofa, Tonga

Up on deck for the arrival on the island of Tongatapu, which is the largest , seventeen miles long  by nine miles wide. The island is a flat coral outcrop with cliffs along its southern shore, but the sea has retained hold on the northern coast, where the coral has allowed it to remain as a kind of lagoon embracing twelve small islands, and there are many more islands just offshore.  The population is in the region of 100,000, just over half the total for all the islands together, and 99.9% of these are pure Tongans.

Royal Palace

We came alongside at 07.30 onto a brand new quay which was built by the Chinese.  Just on shore, we were opposite one of the Royal Palaces, unfortunately the rain was relentless, as I watched the ship’s lines being passed ashore.  A choir was singing on the quay with a group of dancers in national customs welcoming us, although they were under a bit of cover, they also got soaked.

Before going ashore it was into the Britannia Restaurant for an egg benedict breakfast, and we wandered off the ship at 10.00.

Alex & Maxi

The crew was also granted some shore leave and this is myself and Maxi our waitress from the Ukraine who serves at our dining table and was dashing ashore for a couple of hours.

We negotiated with a taxi driver for a tour of the island.  We drove out of the island capital Nuku’Alofa and headed east, first thing you notice, there are no high buildings with the tallest being three storeys.  Not far out of town we passed the main Royal Palace which was very impressive set back into a park, and home to, reputed to be the heaviest monarch in the world, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.

The first stop was at Tatakamotonga, where Captain Cook first landed after anchoring ‘Endeavour’ in the lagoon.  Here there was a little band playing and the smallest young lad was playing an unusual string instrument, solid type ukulele/small guitar, and he let me have a go, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Alex, Edwina, Colin

Next stop was at Ha’amonga Trilithon, known as the Stonehenge of the South Pacific, the mysterious Ha’amonga was erected in 1200 AD. It consists of two upright coral stones about 5m high, topped with a horizontal connecting stone 6mlong. Here we all had a refreshing coconut and bought some jewellery from the stalls around the area.

Blowholes at Houma

We then drove to the south side of the island to Houma to see the blow holes along the rocky terraced coastline.  Waves send water spouting 18m into the air through natural vents in the coral rock.  Today there was not much swell on the sea, so the spouts were not that high, but they were going all along the bay, as far as we could see, and very impressive.

We headed up to the most western part of the island at Ha’atafu, the site where Abel Tasman, the Dutchman landed in 1643, over a hundred years before Captain Cook. From this point we could see all the way across the island, and the highest point was the ‘Queen Elizabeth’.  The island seems so vulnerable to very high waves with quite a few homes are just off the shoreline.  The drive around this idyllic island was magnificent, the lush vegetation and sweet smell of the fruit and flowers.  Much of the land is a rich black soil where anything will grow in this tropical climate; we saw very little mechanisation in the fields and most of the work seemed to be done by hand with a machete.  There were plenty of stalls around the many villages we passed through selling their produce.  The villages were all clean, tidy and very friendly.

It took us three hours to drive all the way round the island and our driver was first class, and we bide him our farewells, as he dropped us off at the Emerald Hotel to try and get a  wi-fi  connection.  The signal was very weak, so not much was achieved.  We were back on board for 16.15 and police brass band was playing on the quayside. 

Queen Elizabeth

One of the King’s daughters, the Princess had visited the ship in the afternoon, she was taken on a private visit of the ship and gifts were exchanged.

We left the quay at 16.45 with the sail away party on Deck 9 blasting away, though half an hour later the heavens opened, and that put a stop to it.  I watched the ship manoeuvre out through the many reefs protecting the harbour and by 18.00; we were in the open sea and heading south.

It had been a wonderful visit to this beautiful island, and I can see why the early explorers thought they had arrived in paradise.  The abundance of food, water and the friendliness of the people, I like them, felt sorrow when we left.

Day 41 - At Sea

Day 41 – Thursday 20^th February 2014 – At Sea

Ooopps!!!!! lost a day, Wednesday 19^th February, as we have crossed over the International Date Line and of course, presented with another certificate.

At the gathering for choir practice, prior to singing, we have a lady in the choir whose birthday it was on Wednesday, which she had lost, so we all sang, happy birthday and cheered her up.  The practice went very well, and all looking forward to our big day.

With it being a fine day, after the heat had gone out of the sun went up on deck for late afternoon bronzy and read, which is becoming a becoming a wonderful attraction.

In the evening, invited to the Captain’s cocktail party, for the round the world cruisers; so another formal night.  This time, I managed to have a chat with the Deputy Captain, Chris Bourne, as in the past, he had sailed with the Sail Training Association, on the topsail schooners, Sir Winston Churchill and the Malcolm Miller.

At the dinner afterwards, I had chicken/lobster/blueberry cake, then went onto the theatre to see Elio Pace, a piano vocalist, who was excellent, played and sang all types of pop music, starting at such at a fast tempo, he kept it up right through the show.

Finished off in the Golden Lion but we were defeated in the trivia quiz. 

New port tomorrow; so off to bed.

Day 40 - Pago Pago, Samoa

Day 40 – Tuesday 18^th February 2014 – Pago Pago, Samoa

Awake at 07.00 and on deck for 07.30 to see the ship tie up alongside, after we had travelled 2,300 miles from the Hawaiian Islands.

Pago Pago

Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa on the island of Tutuila and the harbour is situated inside a collapsed volcano’s crater (Caldera).

As in other port days, we went into the Britannia Restaurant for a full breakfast which set you up for the day ashore.

Beach

 After leaving the ship at 10.00, we turned left and headed for the beach about 10 minutes walk away.  This is a small public beach and the surrounding area is  looked after, our intentions were to spend most of the morning here, but we decided otherwise and headed back to the ship.  As earlier outside the gates, there were lots of the locals advertising and touting for tours of the island.

Fishing Net

Going back, you pass where the fisherman mend and repair their nets.  There is big fishing fleet here; the fishermen are after the tuna, and on the other side of the harbour is a large canning factory, out of a population of 12,000 on the island, a third of them are employed in this industry.

When, I saw the size of the mesh in the fishing net, I was totally disgusted.  The size was as small as 35mm (1 1/2 ins.) and would not be allowed in the North Sea.  The nets must sweep the seas clean, another fishery which will be wiped out.

Bus

We negotiated with one of the taxi drivers for a two hour tour of the island. 

 The organised tours from the ship were in these naturally air conditioned buses, meaning no windows and you sat on wooden seats.  We opted for the luxury of a taxi, softer seats but no air con., and driven along to the music of Abba. Our driver, called Martini was a typical islander of very large size and happy nature, wearing his skirt and forever towelling his head down in an attempt to keep cool in the very hot and humid conditions.

Flower Pot Island

Just outside the town you pass this picturesque place, overlooking Flower Pot Island and our first picture stop. We headed out in a westerly direction along the coastal road, passing the lush vegetation clinking to the mountains and rolling down to the shore.

Church

As we passed through the villages, we were amazed at how many churches there were.  Obviously, the missionaries’ in the early years enjoyed it here.  There was every Christian denomination here, and we were told the churches are always full on a Sunday.  It appeared every time we rounded a bend in the road, there was another church.  They are all flourishing as none were in disrepair, and we saw a brand new one being built.

Coastline

Driving round we passed and met up with others from the ship, who were travelling on the buses and we waved at them as we were going along the same tourist route.  It was at yet another idyllic spot during this picture stop, I purchased a coconut and the milk supplemented the water which we had brought along with us.  The smell of the island is what brought back the memories of the South Sea Islands, where I had visited forty years ago, the rich vegetation with its exotic plants and abundant flowers, giving off their distinctive tropical aroma.

Our two hour tour of the western side of the island was over to quickly, and Martini dropped us back in town at Sadie’s bar for a cooling beer and sandwiches. We paid for a two hour session on wi-fi, but never got a signal and were given our money back.  A lot of the crew were here taking advantage of the beach, swimming pool, bar and snacks, very good to see them all relaxing, even if was just for two to three hours.

School Kids

With a couple of hours of shore leave left and the heat was becoming oppressive after a heavy rain shower. We wandered back into the town and visited the market place and near to the bus station, we met up with these school kids who had just finished school at 14.45, and waiting for the bus ride of an hour to go home.  They were smartly dressed and told of their life on the island and the future.  I do think any of them will be leaving. 

Our quest was to find another bar before going back on board, but no such luck, as we were told there was none in the centre of the town, that is what religion does for you.

Totem

We passed this carving on a tree on the way back, and it was a wonderful piece of art situated just outside the museum.

We arrived on board at 16.00 and found sanctuary in the air conditioning and fell asleep on our bunks until we sailed one and half hours later.

The sail away party was in full swing on Deck 9 as we left.  A lot of the guests were wearing their newly purchased, local tee shirts, dresses and garlands.  Shortly after, the harbour pilot was dropped off, the heavens opened and drenched those trying to make for shelter from the open decks, and the music abruptly stopped, as we said farewell to Samoa.

Our cocktail of Margarita, consisting tequila, triple sec and sour mix went down well before dinner of seafood salad/beef bourgeon/strawberry cake.

Missed out on the show, as we had seen this one before, and went into the Golden Lion for the trivia quiz, once more the winners.  This was followed by Dixieland Jazz and the Speckled Hen went down very well, and I ended the day by spotting the Southern Cross, very happy to be back in this Ocean.

Day 38 - Crossing the Equator

Day 38 – Sunday 16^th February 2014 – Crossing the Equator

Today is a special day at sea, with the ship crossing over the equator, and into the Southern Ocean.

After my normal morning routines, the choir practice was brought forward to 12.15, we learnt a new song today; Leah the choir leader and Robin the pianist are over the moon at how quickly we are learning, and the sound is improving all of the time.

At 13.00 to celebrate and it being Sunday, we went into the Golden Lion for lunch and a pint. Colin went for bangers and mash, for me plaice and chips; this was grand, as we waited for the crossing of the line ceremony at 14.00.

Pool

This is a time honoured ceremony carried out for sea going folk, who have never crossed the equator before on a vessel.

The ceremony was carried out alongside the midship Deck 9 swimming pool.  King Neptune (Robin the pianist) was welcomed aboard, resplendent in his flowing green gown, seaweed wig and carrying his triton.  Another bloke was dressed up as his queen, and three mermaids made up the entourage with an accompanying band.  The whole proceedings were conducted by the Joanne (Entertainments Director) who was dressed as a judge with her splendid silver wig; also present were the heads of each department.

Pollywogs

The guest volunteers for the ceremony, known as Pollywogs were paraded around the pool and all were accused of some misdemeanour, and taken to the end of the pool and placed on tables where all sorts of gunge was poured over them, and ceremoniously they all had to kiss the fish, a wonderful salmon. They were then chucked into the swimming pool.  This was seen as get fun, by the many people who were watching, they joined in with lots of laughter, cheering and clapping.  Once in the pool you have now been accepted by King  Neptune, and you are exalted into being a Shellback.

It is not over yet, as members of the crew who had not crossed the line before were given the same treatment, to more laughter and cheering.  King Neptune now rounded on the Captain to be accused of something and deserved the same treatment; of course, he was given more gunge and to great roars was chucked in the pool. 

I do not think Joanne saw this one coming, and King Neptune rounded on her and she was led away to the table and really given a right going over, everything they could find she was covered with it, the cheering increased, her shoes taken off filled with gunge and stuck back on, more kissing of the salmon, then hurled into the pool.

It was all great fun, very entertaining, all of those who were abused took in the right kind of spirit, and it was good to see everyone enjoying the spectacle.  I did feel a lot of sympathy for the poor crew members who had to clean up the mess.

After the heat had gone out of the sun, I moved onto the bronzy deck 9, and lay out on a lounger to enjoy the last of the sun’s rays.

The cocktail of the day was Pimm’s Cup, consisting of Pimm’s No.1 topped up with lemonade and served with a fruit salad (your five a day in a glass) very refreshing and another one, I’ll have a go at making.

It is another formal night; Colin has a moan and cannot understand why we have to do this in the tropics.  Not a problem for me, as the ship is fully air conditioned, and it adds to the splendour of dinner, and this time I had mushroom soup/sirloin steak/warm apple and ice cream.

In the theatre watched the dancers perform to James Bond themes; followed by Helen Wilding, the wonderful singer.

Star gazing after the show on the aft end of Deck 9 and I was joined by Howard Parkin who had given the lecture a few days before.  He was getting himself acquainted with the night sky.  Howard is from Manchester and knows his Northern Hemisphere, but this is all new to him. I remarked, I had been looking for the Southern Cross for a few nights and told him, I could remember when I was in the tropics you could see at the same time the Plough and the Southern Cross, he assured me, I would see them together in few a days, as the Cross is presently barely visible above the horizon.

I went off to bed after a great day, and when I eventually see the Southern Cross, I will be convinced, I am in the Southern Ocean.

Day 37 - At Sea

Day 37 – Saturday 15^th February 2014 – At Sea

Today, the weather has improved, and more people are out and about, very good to see.

The dance lessons, I have given up on some of the Latin stuff, as I am just getting confused about shake it to the right or shake it to the left.  Today was the jive, so more at ease with that one and the blokes have not got much to do.

Choir practice was fantastic, this bunch are now really enjoying the songs and the blend of voices, I have to admit is slightly better than the previous group, so I am looking forward to our performance.

After practice, as it was such a nicer day, I did three laps of deck 3, and when the heat had gone out of the sun, I lay on a sun lounger on deck 9 and enjoyed reading a book and bronzing.

Today’s cocktail, Mai Tai, we have decided is the best of the lot, consisting of a combination of light and dark rums, almond liqueur, apricot brandy, orange curacao with lime and pineapple juices. 

This certainly sets you up before dinner of cauliflower soup/veal/chocolate cake, all very nice.

Into the theatre, for Ben Murphy, billed as Australia’s No.1 comedy magician, unfortunately he did not match up to it, and this is not only my opinion, but I have never seen so many people, leaving the theatre during his performance.

After the theatre went up onto the open deck for more star gazing, and around about this time 23.30, Queen Elizabeth crossed over the equator.

Day 36 – Friday 14^th February 2014 – At Sea

The morning is overcast with very heavy rain showers, so last night’s moon halo prediction of bad weather was correct.

The morning lecture was ‘Exploring the Solar system’ given by British astronomer and space historian Howard Parkin.  It was very interesting, and his many slides and film clips really brought the subject forward.  He has promised a night of star gazing when we are further south with some of the ship’s aft deck lights switched off to reduce the light pollution.

As the weather was so poor, I went to the theatre again to hear a lecture given by the 3^rd Officer and Deck Cadet which was a virtual bridge tour.  They tried to illustrate how the ship is operated from the bridge, it must have been very interesting for the non-seagoing guests. What I got from it was a remarkable statistic, with a full crew complement on board of 1000, the deck department is the smallest in relation to crew personnel, with only 50 (5%) in number.  Speaking to the Engineers, I know there is 100 (10%) in the Technical department, which leaves a staggering 850 (85%) in the catering department, some like to call it the Hotel department.  In other words for every two passengers on board, there is one from the catering looking after you.

This is deck 4, port side, the corridor where our cabin is situated about 1/3^rd of the way down.  It is like this most afternoons after our Filipino stewardess Cristina has done the cabins, deserted.

It is another formal night, as it is Valentine’s day, most of the entertainment staff are dressed in red as some of the lady guests.  Today’s cocktail is Passionada, Kissui vodka. Passion fruit puree and a dash of triple sec. unusual.

On entering the restaurant all the ladies were presented with a single stemmed red rose. Dinner was Thai fish cakes/fillet steak/strawberry cake, this was all excellent.

In the theatre for the third time today, and a performance by Helen Wilding, a British singer who was very good, though most of the opera songs I had never heard before.

Another trivia wipe out quiz in the Golden Lion but unfortunately we came last this time.

I ended the night star gazing at 01.00, but still could not find the Southern Cross.

Day 35 - At Sea

Day 35 – Thursday 13^th February 2014 – At Sea

Before going to the gym as it was my turn to do the washing, and I went into the laundry at 07.45 and it was full of people, ( six to seven and it is full), it has been like this, on every day at sea since we left San Francisco.

This morning lecture was on how the BBC made the television series ‘Human Planet’ and the production secrets.  The lecture was given by one of the producers, Dale Templar, an Australian women who given a wonderful talk on how they managed to get some of those amazing shots, this was illustrated by the many film clips.

I spent the lunch time upon Deck 11, practicing bowls, for most of the time, I was the only one up there, as there was a brisk breeze blowing and although in the tropics, it was a little chilly.

Choir practice at 13.00 was good, as I can see ourselves starting to really get into the songs and not being afraid of what we are singing.

At 14.00 I had a go at a new class, tap dancing.  The two who were on the show last night were running this class.  It all started off nice and easy, and I was really enjoying it. After half an hour we were all tap dancing across the full length of the ballroom dance floor, like ice speed skaters.  Then, unfortunately, they started on more intricate patterns, and I am afraid apart from the ones who had tap danced before, for us older ones, it was all too much, and I gave up.

After spending most of the day going in and out of the laundry, eventually at 16.00, it was empty, and I managed to fill two washing machines and in the drier half an hour later. Returning at 17.00 the driers had been emptied and our washing placed in two baskets, as the laundry was full of people again.  After filling the carriers, one woman remarked, you have a lot of washing there, to the assembled audience I remarked,” that is what washing machines are for, not one or two items”; silence.

The dress code was informal and the evening cocktail, Madras, vodka, orange, cranberry juice and very nice.

Dinner was prawns/Hawaiian fish/bread and butter pudding. Enquired and found out the fish was from the dolphin family and how it was cooked made it delicious.

Did not go to the theatre, as I had seen the show ‘Singers’ before and went up on deck to do some star gazing.

I was looking out for the constellation of the Southern Cross, because of the light pollution of the ship and a full moon; I could not find it in the sky.  Though, I did see something remarkable.  Between the clouds scurrying by the moon when it was clear there was a perfect halo surrounding the moon.  I have seen this before, but the halo has been much smaller and is the foretelling of bad weather to come.   This halo was massive and covered 45% of the night sky and where is standing on the aft deck, I was the only one witnessing this.  Needless to say, I went off to bed, feeling very happy after seeing another of nature’s wonders.

 

Day 34 - Lahaina, Maui

Day 34 – Wednesday 12^th February 2014 – Lahaina, Maui

Awake at 07.30 and on deck for 08.00 as we anchored off the small town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui.  Were anchored in the Auau channel and could see the other Hawaiian Islands of Lanai, Molo and Molokai.

In this channel is the best place to see the humpback whales, who come here each year to give birth and nurse their young before heading north to feed in May.  I saw numerous whales here and there were quite a few boats out with tourists doing exactly the same.

At 10.00 we went to the ballroom to be given a ticket allocation for the lifeboats, of which there were four involved with running the passengers ashore.  Into the ship’s lifeboat by 10.45, and ashore by 11.00.

Polynesian Dancers

To be greeted on the quayside by the Polynesian dancing girls and backing group.  In the movies, it is always young girls doing the dancing; we got the senior citizens (Derby & Joan Club) with the old codgers ukulele band.  This certainly brought a smile to the whole proceedings.

The little town was all hustle and bustle with a lot of tourists from the hotel complex which we could see from the ships about three miles away along the beach.  I was surprised at the number of shops, mostly selling clothes, jewellery and a few art galleries.  It was all good gear and Hawaiian shirts were everywhere.

Plodging

Onward, through the town, until we found our way onto the beach.  A bit of plodging to cool down in the Pacific, did not bother with the swimming, as informed, last year two German tourists did not make it, after losing limbs to sharks, nasty.

Beach

Set back on the shore line there some wonderful bungalows with fine views over the beach and the bay.  An ideal place to live, some may call it paradise.

We left this lovely spot and made our way into town to do some shopping.  I eventually found a musical shop and asked to see the Hawaiian ukuleles, the lady asked what price range, and I said $100. She brought out the exact same Chinese model, I have at home.  I eventually got a hold of a genuine Hawaiian made ukulele,but it was a smaller soprano version at a price of $500.  I had a little strum on it, the sound was very nice but not worth the extra money, so I handed it back to the lady, and thank her for the experience.

View from Bar

On the main street most of the bars were packed and queues forming for the restaurant tables but we found a place called Sugar Cane and settled down to a cool beer.  On the second floor, they had wi-fi access, so ideal for us two.  We ordered lunch of lobster fondue for me and burger and chips for Colin, washed down with pinna coladas.

After a couple of hours here, we made our way to the queue for the lifeboat, to go back to the ship at 15.00.  The crew were very good on the quayside dispensing cold water to those who wanted it and we were back on board for 16.00.

It's a whale

Onto Deck 9 for more whale watching and the sail away party with the Nexus band belting out their reggae music.  I took a lot of photos and here if you look very closely, there is a humpback whale rippling the surface.

I always took a movie of the whales and actually witnessed one leaping out of the water, of course, my camera was pointing in the wrong direction.

Lanai Sunset

 As the sun was setting, we left our anchor and set a course to the south west.  It had been a fascinating time on the island of Maui, not as busy, or as commercialised as Honolulu.  The big bonus today was watching the whales, and being inspired by being able to watch these wonderful creatures

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We did not fancy today’s cocktail Mojito and stuck with the G&T’s for pre-dinner drinks.

Tonight was informal dress and for dinner, prawn sea food/lamb/caramelised banana, all very nice.

Into the theatre for the Two on Tap show, consisting of two Americans, man and woman tap dancing.  The poor guy murdered the song ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ with his singing and good old Bruce Forsyth can tap dance as good as these, therefore, a bit disappointed with this show.

Finished off in the Golden Lion for the wipe out trivia quiz, and we won it again.

A fine end, to another adventurous day.