Monday 2nd January - Sydney

Hello, this is my last cruise post!

I was hoping to share with you some brilliant photos of Sydney Harbour at dawn, 

but bugger.  Events became out of my control..

Our docking time at White Bay was set for 6am, so we set the alarm really early, but for some reason we were both awake at 2am. (Probably due to all the time changes?).

I lay there and wondered why the ship was so still, and in my stupid sleepy state I thought we must be outside the heads waiting for the Pilot. Doh, the ship wasn't moving Kim.

And  in the photo above, this was our early morning view, White Bay! We arrived early. Every other port we docked nearly right on time except for the one I really wanted to photograph.

I'd lay money that we were in port around 2am, which is why we woke up.

We were so disappointed and I had planned lots of lovey shots going under the bridge, blaaah..

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Our disembarking was very well organised, we were in the lime group, (thank you to the very organised Holland America Line). 

We took a shuttle bus  to Sydney's Central Station and then a quick taxi ride  to the Pullman Hotel Hyde Park, and fortunately (as our actual arrival time at the Pullman was 9:30am instead of the usual 2pm check-in)  our room was ready, so rather than just dropping off our bags, we went to our room and made some very needed cups of tea....

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So that's, that, then.

 

I've reviewed these Christmas Cruise posts  and I've noticed a few non-deliberate typos so I'll go back and do some editing. (Yes I do make deliberate typos, haven't you noticed?).

 

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Graham is nearly back to normal, health wise, and I didn't catch his germs,  so YAY! 

Another week of our leave and YET there is one more adventure is left to come!

We are back on a flight to Sydney, this time we are  following the Yellow Brick Road.

 

 

Ohoo, I caught that kiss thanks Elton and I slapped it on my cheek!

 

The doggies are a bit peeved off that they are off to the kennels again...

 

 

Sunday - New Years Day- At Sea

Its our last day.

So, we have to say goodbye to everyone and everything on the ship.

Including, as above,  our gorgeous Steward heroes,

 Alim and Gede (G'day, he loves that Aussies call him that), 

I miss them!

 I took this  photo just outside our cabin door, we were right near the forward  elevators, 

which is nice and close when your feet are hurting, 

not so good when everyone leaves a show at the World Stage  at once. 

then you can't get a spot in the elevator!

("Um Graham, lets go and have another drink in the bar and wait unit he crowd clears", says Kim)

 Our cabin was 6044. Upper Verandah deck.

Here below is my card with its pink sparkly lanyard.

 Above, this is in the elevator. 

Oh dear, I do take photos of  reflections of myself , and there I am once more,,,

  (Notice the mask I'm wearing.  We had to wear masks in all areas, unless in your room. Or if eating or drinking, which I thought was a conspiracy to increase the guests booze bill ).

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So, its goodbye to the observation deck

When we were on one of our fist sea days  we met a lovely couple in the observation deck, Toby and Suzie from Canada,

Suzie and Toby have been on this ship for over 80 days. 

Really, 80 days, geeze? 

And they were on this ship in 2020 when no port would let them land due to the first round of covid.

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Goodbye to the Lido deck,

Goodbye to the Lido Market...

Then the crew said goodbye to the guests

With a song.

Goodbye cabin..

Our last entertainment of the cruise was the final classical performance in the Lincoln Centre.

For these performances, you had to make sure you arrived early or else you couldn't get a seat.

This was the musicians last performance as their contract finishes at the end of the cruise and they will be returning to their homes in various parts of the world.

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The Noordam will sail again the same day we arrive in Sydney, back to NZ but a shorter cruise and going the opposite way around. Then I believe they do NZ again and again and again,  until they cross the Pacific to Alaska for the northern summer. 

We'd very much like to do a cruise to Alaska, maybe one day.

Saturday - New Years Eve - At Sea

New Years Eve, and all the action was on the Lido deck.

Lido, I think, is Italian for beach, Which is why the pool deck on so many cruise ships are named Lido

But, the first thing for the day was Captain Marek Zoll, with ask the Captain question's, with a huge audience in the big theatre and a slide show about how the ship works. Here is the Captain above with the cruise director, the lovely Daniel. Apparently the ships currently on cruise control,  and those first couple of sea days weren't rough at all, not compared to some of the seas the Captain has sailed on.

Apparently, it wasn't that rough on the first leg of our voyage, ha ha ha. Not rough for him I suppose.

Those cheeky towel magicians left us a bulldog today!

[Those are my spare pair of  glasses being worn by the dog.  I leave on my bedside table because they are better for reading, than my multi-focal's).

Back to the dining restaurant, with it beautiful glass flower ceiling, and covering two decks. 

Here is the NYE menu,,,

and crab and jumbo shrimp....

Also the Five Spice Duck,

and finally the Chocolate Countdown.

And finally the countdown to midnight back on the deck. Although I wasn't really sure what the time actually was!  Somewhere in between AEDT and NZ time. The clocks on board go back another hour tonight, then we will be back on the same time as home.

Last full day tomorrow.

Friday 30th December - Bay of Islands

Coming to the end of the New Zealand 2022 -2023 cruise posts.

 This is our last on shore day at the Bay of Islands in northern NZ, Graham is above with one of the Noordam's bright orange tenders in the background.

When I took these photos we were very near the Waitangi Treaty Grounds,  which I would have liked to have visited,  but we only had a couple of hours and it was $60.00 per person (for a two day ticket), maybe another time....

Very pretty, with lots of people out on the water, in boats and para sailing.

This above is again one of the tender boats ferrying guests from the Noordam to the shore. Then there was a 'school bus' shuttle to the center of town with a singing bus driver. (who more than likely drives a school bus in his other life).

This below is the township of Paihia. I hope lots of other guests spent lots of money because we didn't, even the ferry to Russell was full.

In hindsight we should have booked a tour for this day, but oh well you live and learn.

Above: back on the tender boat and back to the ship. There's our cabin waiting for us!

Below is the view of the tender boats from our verandah.

So, we say farewell to New Zealand. 

Two more nights before we reach Sydney and I am pleased to say it was a much more gentle voyage on the return leg across the ditch.

It became very quiet in the dining room, we heard rumours that there were a number of people in isolation towards the end of the cruise. We never heard how many (and some had gastro and other things rather that covid, huh, maybe even streptococcus). We did hear from someone (gossiping at breakfast as you do on a cruise),  who told us that her husband was isolating with covid and that the support and medical help was excellent, they even got anti viral drugs. Also cruise credits.

New Years Eve next post!

At least the clocks are now going back an hour,  yes I've got it right this time an hours more sleep!

Thursday 29th December - Auckland day 2

After learning how to use the public transport system and buying Hopper cards, with the help of a lovely lady in the transport office,  we caught a bus going to Glen Innes!

The buses run every 15 minutes, unlike the Armidale to our Glen Innes bus which only runs once a day.

 Our first stop was a visit to Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Centre.

 

Kelly Tarlton was a diver and environmentalist, who built this aquarium in disused sewer pipes.

It was one of the first in the world with a moving walkway and the tunnel for viewing the fishes.

 

 It opened in 1985 and Kelly Tarlton died shortly after, 

(really! only a few weeks later, like in March 1985), in his sleep aged 47. 

Reportedly, a heart attack due to stress and overwork. 

 

Well, there's a lesson for us all.

 

The first exhibit was about Scott of the Antarctic. 

Another one to add to the history book of tragic deaths.

 

 

The theodolite photo is for Sean.

 

Well,,, at least the this penguin will keep still. (picture below)..

 Unlike his living ancestors,

I tried to take photos but with mixed results!

I even had my lovely Canon on sports mode.

Below: At last, this rascally penguin is not moving..  

because it is asleep, of course.

Well, it was asleep before I tried to take its photo and I got a very dirty look for my trouble.

 This one is molting

It is always a challenge to take nice photos through glass/perspex and with the blue light.

However, I rather like the one below, this is a starfish, clinging to a dome shaped viewing window.

 And some  jelly fish.

Now, the 'thought for the day'. (Apart from avoiding having a tragic death).

I love the above photo, the anemone moved so beautifully, it was like anemone ballet.

Below:- But, then there was Nemo,

and there were more fish,

and sharks,

and sea horses, that looked like carrots,

 and crayfish, too big to eat, (do lobsters get tougher the bigger they get? I wonder)

and more fish. 

Okay,

that's enough fish tales.

In part 2 for the day we were above the waterline as we paid a visit to the maritime museum. 

For which we both got seniors rates, and they didn't even question it or ask for proof which was a bit disappointing! Do I look that old? YES, Blaah!

I am very glad that my new suitcase has really good wheels...

and that our cabin is a tiny bit my more glamorous than this one from the 1950's...

Below:- Here is the boat that won the Americas Cup for NZ in 1995.

NZL32, which is a very unimaginative name, but I guess it has a meaning. Uh ha, I just googled it, it was also called Black Magic, maybe that name is considered racist these days.

ENZA means, Eat New Zealand Apples.

 

And I'm not even going to start about Sir Peter Drake and his murder in 2001. There seems to be a repeating, tragic death theme thingy happening in today's post.

Blah, if you are interested in the amazing life of Peter Drake, please see,

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Blake_(sailor)

 

 We sailed at 4pm, these are photos taken from our upper verandah deck.

 

The tug boat performed 'wheelies' as a farewell, (went round and round in a spin) which was rather funny to watch, but not good to photograph.

 

Above is North Head.

 

Below (once again) is my spectacular photo from 2014 when we were sitting on the same North Head.

Now we are sailing past it in the year 2022, who would have thought?!

 

 Guess what?

There are folks up there on the North Head, taking photos right back of us!

I can see the sun glinting off their cameras/phones.

 

Their photos must have been pretty special, it was an afternoon with a sparkling Auckland harbour, a glorious blue sky, and an huge, but elegant, lady sailing through the same said harbour. 

(My Dear Readers, that's the Noordam as the huge lady,  not Kim, thank you very much).

 

You can't go wrong with those elements to make a great and special photo.

 

 

Last shore day tomorrow and its the Bay of Islands.