Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Akaroa New Zealand

Akaroa, New Zealand

November 11,2017

Akaroa quickly turned into my favorite port of New Zealand.  It is nestled in a cove with beautiful blue waters surrounded by majestic peaks in shades of blues,greens and yellows.

The ship was unable to dock here so we were shuttled assure via tender boats.  The tides change quickly thereby increasing the chances that we would be allowed to tender.  When we first arrived the skies we cloudy and there was increased chance of rain but by the time our day was over there was bright blue skies overhead.

We decided to first explore the streets of this small harbor town before our scheduled sailing onboard a vintage schooner.  We followed the street as it hugged the coast stopping for coffee and French pastry.

  Akaroa is a French settlement making us feel right at home among the fleur di lis everywhere.

We came upon a town green area where youth cricket was being played. 

We decided to watch and learn a bit about this game we knew so little of.  After an hour of so we did a bit a shopping before heading back for our sailing tour.

Our sail captain was waiting on the wharf and off we went.  It was a lovely 2-1/2 hours.  We were chased by dolphins, spotted a family of New Zealand fur seals sunning along some rocks and blue penguins swimming in the waters.  Afterwards we shared a cup of delicious fish chowder.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Picton New Zealand

Picton

November 10, 2017

We went to tastings at 3 local wineries and a chocolate tasting.  

Our guide was Paul, a retired minister.  We were driven through gorgeous countryside dotted with sheep farms.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Wellington New Zealand

Wellington

November 9, 2017

Wellington is a huge eclectic city.  

Our ship provided complimentary shuttle service into town.  From there we purchased cable car tickets up the Mountain for a fantastic view of the city & coastline. 

We then walked down via the botanical garden followed lovely rose gardens.

We viewed the Parliament House then proceeded to a lovely waterfront park we found accidentally.  Next we walked down Cuba Street and Courtney Place.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Napier New Zealand

Napier, New Zealand

November 8, 2017

Napier is a wine lovers delight.  We toured several  local wineries, each providing breathtaking views of the countryside in addition to delicious wines. 

We stopped at a very scenic overlooks along the way.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Tauranga (Rotorua) New Zealand

Tauranga/Rotorua, New Zealand

November 7, 2017

We arrived in Tauranga around 7am.  With our tour of Rotorua not meeting until 9am, we had the opportunity to explore the small seaside resort town of Tauranga on our own.

The town is a peninsula with a beautiful lake in front of mount? one side and the ocean on the other.  We began our walk along the lake watching boaters, swimmers and walkers. 

Next we crossed through the quiet residential homes to the opposite beaches along the ocean.  We were treated to seemingly endless miles of beach.

Next we walked though the Main Street lined with parks, shops & sidewalk cafes.  We ended our walk back at the ship, just in time for our tour of Rotorua to begin with Zealandier tours.

Our tour began with along the beaches until we reached the mountains.  

We soon passed numerous dairy and Kiwi farms.  Our stopped at a local kiwi farm for tasting and to learn how they are grown.  

Next we stopped to see some beautiful New Zealand silver ferns followed by lunch along side a beautiful lake.  The lake was home to the majestic Black Swans.

Our final stop was to see the volcano and hot springs which are all located on the land owned by the Maori native tribes.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Auckland New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand

November 5-6, 2017

We arrived in Auckland late afternoon, exhausted from our hurried transfer from ship to Sydney Airport and onto our 3 1/2 hour flight.  We checked into the Crown Plaza Hotel.  Our room had a lovely view of the cruise terminal.  

We did a short DIY walking tour the next morning before heading to the ship.

Auckland is a very large city and we only slightly touched the surface with much more left unseen before we ran out of time.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Brisbane Australia

Our tour guide, John of personallyyours, was waiting for us as we exited the port.  John was a informative guide with an obvious love of his country and of course Brisbane.  He loaded us into his van and off we went.

Our first stop was a beautiful scenic overlook of the city and river.  It was so lovely.

Next, John took us on a tour of Queensland homes and neighborhoods.  We felt a real connection with the locals.

Our pub lunch was inside a grand old hotel for some delicious fish and chips.

Next we headed to the sanctuary where John accompanied us to see wildlife such as kangaroos, bats, emu & of course we were able to cuddle a koala.

We were dropped off at the entrance to the ship after a full day of touring Brisbane.  We really enjoyed this city!

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Alotau, Papua New Guinea

We took a short trip to Alotau,Papua New Guinea.  We arrived just in time to attend a local festival..Our arrival was also on Halloween.