A 5 month adventure on land and sea

Cairns, Australia      8:00am-6:00pm Cairns...Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and lush rainforests. It is a small city with a population of under 200,000, with tourism being one of their main attractions. They also grow sugar cane, tropical fruits, and now boasts the world's first tropical fruit wine region. We have already been out to the Great Barrier Reef so this time we decided to check out the rain forest. Besides.....it was still raining when we arrived in port, and was predicted to continue all day, so what the heck. And since it was Sunday, we didn't want to wander around another city center like we did yesterday. We booked a 6 hr tour through the ship to take the historic Kuranda scenic railway up to Kuranda, spend a couple of hours in Kuranda and then take the Skyrail Rain Forest Cableway in a gondola traveling high above the rainforest canopy back down. We were hoping that it was going to be a little cooler in the mountains than in the city. We left on the tour

Townsville, Australia     Saturday 8:00 am- 5:00 pm Shipboard Meanderings....... After leaving Sydney we had 2 sea-days to rest and recover. I am beginning to like sea-days more and more. Back-to-back ports of call or overnight ports are sometimes exhausting, especially in this heat and humidity. Sailing slowly north along the east coast of Australia, we had fairly calm seas with intermittent rain showers, and at some points very shallow water. We were starting our sail through the south-west part of the Great Barrier Reef. By regulation, and depending on the size of the ship or boat, it is required that a certified reef pilot has to be on board to help guide the ship through the sometimes shallow waters, and make sure it does not release any toxic or harmful substances into the ocean which could be harmful to the reef or fish. He boarded in Sydney and will stay onboard as we sail north through the reef, the Coral Sea and disembark in Darwin...our last stop in Australia. He will al

Sydney Australia   March 5th 7:00 am - March 6th 6:30pm  March 5th The ship was scheduled to pull into port at around 4 am, so the sail-in through Sydney harbor was going to be in the dark. Kind of disappointing, but when we sail out the next day it will still be light. From our last experience, sailing under the bridge and past the opera house was something to remember. Sydney is the last stop in a segment so the ship had to have a zero count. That means everyone has to get off the ship, have a face to face with customs, and then either go out and about or stay and wait until the ship is cleared and they give the okay to get back on. It usually takes about 3 hrs. We collected our passports from the front office the day before (we haven't seen them since we left Ft Lauderdale) in preparation for inspection. We were also given a number so everyone is not getting off at once. We were up early since we wanted to catch the shuttle onto the city after our number was called and not

Shipboard Meanderings Two days at sea sailing across the Tasman Sea To Sydney. New Zealand ambassadors were onboard until Sydney to give us a cultural show and teach classes on the ancient Maori dances. Bruce loves that kind of thing so he attended every class. He learned the Haka, and how to make Poi. Not the kind that is eaten, but the white puff balls that the Maori women use to twirl and dance with. It was fascinating and entertaining. That's one thing I like about world cruises.....they always try to bring onboard the local people to give lectures, classes, and informative shows on their native cultures and ways. It's interesting, and I learn so much more than just sailing from port to port. When we are in Northern Australia, a reef pilot will be onboard to guide us through the Great Barrier Reef and give lectures on the subject.  Sea days are also made for Gala nights.....Bruce hates wearing a suit, but it's always nice to have a special meal that is usually the

Picton New Zealand   7:00am-2:00pm Another beautiful but colder day awaits us. We woke up a little earlier this morning since we are only in port until 2pm...all aboard by 1:30pm. So we needed to get an early start. I was amazed when we looked out the window....Are we in Alaska? Were we silently beamed up and transported from NZ to Alaska sometime during the night? Taking another look, we were certainly docked at the head of Queen Charlotte sound in Picton harbor, but it sure looked like any Alaskan port. A small harbor surrounded by tall mountains, and the small town of Picton a brisk walk away. Even the weather felt like it....55 degrees when we walked off the ship. Sweaters for sure this morning. Picton is a small town of about 3000 people and is considered the gateway to the Marlborough region, which is famous for its wineries, sheep farms and scenery. I don't doubt the scenery at all...it was fabulous. The town was only about a 1/4 mile from the port so no shuttles today.

Wellington New Zealand After a leisurely day in Tauranga and a sea day to relax before we docked in Wellington, we were ready to hit the ground running.  Another big city day was awaiting us. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and is known as the world's windiest city. A few days before, they experienced hurricane force winds which did some minor damage. I'm just glad we didn't have to deal with that. But maybe that's why the seas have been so rough lately. With a population of almost 500,000 it is the second biggest city in NZ. It is a thriving urban area filled with shopping, arts, restaurants, cafes and is home to the country's government and national treasures. Many scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed in the outlying areas. Another sunny cool day, with only a slight breeze was in store for today. Perfect weather for a bit of a stroll through the city. After docking at 8am, the ship was cleared by port authorities by 9. This is a working port, so

Tauranga New Zealand We had a short uneventful sail overnight to Tauranga. Located on the western part of the Bay of Plenty it is in the heart of  kiwifruit growing country. It is also the gateway to Rotorua, famous for spouting geysers and bubbling mud pools. Tauranga is the principal city of the Bay of Plenty and it's Maori name is "resting place for canoes" There were many excursions to these places today, but we decided to walk around the peaceful seaside town of Mount Maunganui where we were docked for the day. Tauranga was about a 20 minute drive away from the port. The city's historical sites, business districts, and most of the population live in and around Tauranga, but we heard the waves crashing on the beach and after Auckland we were ready for some down time. It was going to be a beautiful day....sunny and in the mid 70's. I'm beginning to like New Zealand more and more. We walked down the mall which is a very nice peaceful walkway along the bay