Author: Karen

The trip from San Francisco to Paris is over ten hours, and I’ve been told that it takes one day per hour change to get over jet lag. I’m at day four. Six to go.

GOOD NEWS: I slept six hours straight last night, from 4:00 am to almost 10:00 am. Of course that means that I was up for much of the night before the Sleep Fairy did her job.

Settling in means doing a little bit every day.

When I arrived on Wednesday, I got to my destination at about 1:00 pm. I literally ran into my hostess as she was coming back from the boulangerie and presented me with my first croissant as well as some wonderful bread and jam. It really hit the spot! You saw the photo in my last posting.

After putting some of my stuff away, my hostess and I did a short walk to run some errands in the neighborhood: go to Monoprix ( the French version of Target) and learn a bit about the options available for food and drink nearby. Later on in the day we stopped at a local café and enjoyed catching up with the past several years and doing some people watching.

We’re in the 8th arrondissement, or district, close to the Church of the Madeleine and walking distance to many highlights such as the Place de la Concorde , the Champs- Elysees, the Garnier Opera house and the big department stores. Metro and bus access is excellent for all of the city.

it was an early night. Sleep came for a few hours and then I was up for the rest of the night.

We went further afield day two, taking the local bus to see the new Samaritaine department store. I used to go there because of the beauty of the architecture, the reasonable costs of its retail offerings and the view from the right bank over the Seine from its cafeteria terrace. It closed in 2008 because the structure didn’t meet building codes and reopened again, but this time with a five store hotel attached to the property.

We began by taking the bus and zipped through the area near the Louvre; however, when the bus driver went to the Left Bank we knew there’d been a mistake. Passengers were confused. We got off as soon as we could and retraced our way back to the Seine and the Right Bank. We thought of it as an extra walking tour. When you get lemons, make lemonade and all that.

One of us was taken by the artist’s paintings of the river and took the occasion to pick up some art work. It was a glorious fall day and the light was exceptional.

Hunger overtook us so we stopped for a delicious lunch in the scenic Place Dauphine before heading on to the department store. It was a wise choice.

We examined menus around the square and picked a spot. The food was delicious but the wait was long, which was cutting into our sightseeing time.

Back on the road, it was just a short trek to the department store where many others were also checking out the grand opening. It’s European school vacation time so it’s busy in central Paris. The renovation of this former art nouveau/deco masterpiece is a sight to see!

We were limited on time, as my friend had a 4:00 appointment, so we taxied back. She went to her appointment and I wandered the neighborhood, stopping at the Madeleine church. The facade is being renovated but the lovely inside remains intact, with a slew of visitors.

Our lunch was huge so dinner was very light. We had to get ready for a new tomorrow. My friend left for the weekend; Diego and I will be waiting for her.

When I started my day, I knew I would have plenty of time to get to the airport. The airline asked the passengers to arrive four hours in advance, but that seemed excessive to me. I figured three would still be more than enough time. To get to the airport, I usually take a bus to the BART (local train) station and an hour later I arrive at the airport. Since I had a medium sized suitcase and a carry on, I decided to tske a taxi to the station..

The taxi arrived on time but as we were driving down the main street, I couldn’t remember whether or not I’d turned out a certain light, and I knew that the thought of that light burning would bother me, so the driver took me back, and I ran through the house. No lights on! Whew!

i was afraid that I wouldn’t make the train, but I did, with about five seconds to spare. The reluctant elevator from the concourse to the station didn’t take forever, and I was grateful. An hour later, I was at the airport

The international terminal was empty, or nearly so. It seemed very strange. No crowds of people waiting in lines. I marched up to the lonely customer servoce representative and got checked in. I’d already downloaded my bording pass but we decided that I woukd be more comfortable in a different seat, since the flight was not filled. He examined my vaccination card. I was all set.

I have TSA PreCheck so security hasn’t been much of a problem and with an empty airport, the whole procedure took about five minutes.

As I wandered around the terminal, I discovered that the only people I saw were coming from arriving planes.

I enjoyed checking out the local merchandise involving landmarks and sports teams and actually bought a better iPhone case to replace my flimsy one. Having a medicinal alcoholic beverage also is one of my pre-flight traditions.

It was boarding time. Normally it takes a while to board the plane, but by the time I made it from the bar to the gate, most of the people had already boarded. I got to my economy plus section, with seating for about forty. There were seven people. I decided to sit in the middle section, all by myself.

Service was wonderful. I read my book. I watched the onboard entertainment.
I checked to see when we would arrive. The flight was smooth. One thing I didn’t do: sleep. Jet lag will be a constant companion for several days. It happens on every trip.

We landed early. Passport control was a breeze. Got luggage in a half hour. The trip into town took longer than expected because of traffic. I took pictures in the taxi.

When we got to our destination, my friend had just arrived from the bakery so I could enjoy my first fresh croissant!

Welcome to Paris!

The weather gods continued to cooperate as we sailed into the picturesque city of Tauranga by Dawn’s early light. Again, we opted to take a tour to learn about the history of the area and its agricultural products.

The first part of our tour today concentrated in the beginning of the settlement with a visit to the Elms/ Te Papa, one of New Zealand’s oldest heritage sites. You will see the mission house, which brought the Anglican Church and its clergy to the new town in 1838 by the Reverend Alfred Brown. . It’s still a fully functional gathering site today and can be hired out for special events, such as weddings.

For more information, go to theelms.org.nz.

The guides were all dressed in period costume, and our guide was very informative and perky. She showed us the house the family lived in, gave us a history of the family, and we saw the downstairs rooms of their living quarters, which remains today as it was in those early days.

The gardens developed over the years and were beautifully kept, as there were many outdoor receptions and gatherings among the early settlers. Once in the chapel, our guide explained the role that the first spiritual family played In the cultural and spiritual life of the early settlers.

As the settlement grew, several outbuildings were added, such as the kitchen and the sheds. The plants in the gardens were also used for medicinal purposes to safeguard the health of the early inhabitants.

My favorite little house on the property was the library, where we could see the writing desk and area where the minister prepared his sermons. The room even housed his old books. He could stay warm with the coal fire.

After leaving this interesting place, we drove over to other parts of the city where we went to a community center with an area for tea and kiwi fruit scones, then we were offered an opportunity to taste and purchase products made from kiwi fruit, from kiwi fruit chocolates to liqueur to remedies for constipation. The golden kiwi, not yet exported to the US, was very tasty and we were told we can expect to find it in our local supermarkets in a few years.

We stopped in another factory to learn about the bees of New Zealand and their production of manufacturing honey, and, again were offered a buying opportunity for products from skin cream to wound care and cough medicines.

The most interesting part of this tour of the kiwi was the visit to the kiwi orchard, where, under the fruit canopies, the owner explained how the kiwi fruit is formed and cultivated with the help of the honey bees.

As always, our time was limited and we were not able to stroll around the area near the ship after the tour, so we were unable to see the nearby seaside resorts, which were beautiful and extensive. We visited some rural areas so I was surprised to see that this is also a very prosperous area, with multimillion dollar homes fronting the sea and an extensive area for tourism.

The sailaway was quite lovely.

Our evening hours were spent packing, eating dinner, going to the main show, packing, visiting our favorite two groups, Lincoln Center and the billboard boys, packing, and setting out luggage before the witching hour of midnight. We finished out the evening at Billboard on board, where Anderson and Justin took requests. They’ll be on board for seven more weeks. If you take this cruise in the not-too- distant future, go see them!

We have brown luggage tags,which means we can leave the ship at 9:00-9:30. All we have to do is throw in our clothes and grab some food in the Lido and we are off to Aukland, our final destination.

It’s Friday morning and I have some free time before our excursion at noon. Yesterday we spent the morning in the charming, lovely seaside town of Napier, in the Hawkes Valley wine area, where a catastrophe lead to renewal.

The catastrophe was the earthquake in February of 1931 that was instrumental in wiping out a good portion of the city. The renewal was the choices that the city fathers made when they were forced to start over again: build the town in one unified style, Art Deco.

The inspiration for this style was the work of the architects in New York and other parts of America: Frank Lloyd Wright, Tiffany, Louis Sullivan and others who were influential during this period. Louis Hay was a prominent New Zealand architect who designed many of the buildings in Napier post-earthquake. Not only is the city center unified in this period of style, but the outlyng neighborhoods all have similar housing styles as well. Napier has the largest collection of Art Deco buildings outside Miami.

We left the ship and were on the bus at 8:15, where we were given a one-hour driving tour of the region, then we returned to the city center, and we went to the Art Deco Center, where we watched a film about the earthquake, saw the devastation and ultimate renewal. We spent some time in the fully equipped Art Deco shop – of course – then, with one of the volunteers, did a one-hour walking tour of the city center.

Here are some examples of the buildings we saw on our fun-filled, perfect-weather morning:

This building is not located downtown, but in the nearly Port of Ahuriri . The owner of the building, Gerhard Husheer, a German tobacco tycoon, saw his business destroyed in the earthquake. Fortunately, he still had funds and spared no expense; he hired Louis Hay to design the building for him, which is a combination of Art Deco geometry and art nouveau ornamentation. Between 1956 and 2001 the building was purchased by the Rothmans and is subsequently known as the Rothman building. .

Back in town, we saw the movie, spent a bit of time in the gift shop, and strolled downtown with our guide:

Art Deco Weekend is a major event in Napier , with more than 4,000 participants, celebrating the movement by dressing up in period clothes, bringing their vintage cars, dancing, dining and stepping back in time to the 1930s for three days. Doesn’t that sound like fun?!

All good things must come to an end, and, as our time was limited, we reluctantly headed back to the ship. As we sailed away, we watched “Rocket Man” on our TV – our second rock star biopic, since we saw ‘Bohemian Rhapsody” a few days ago. Since it was our first warm day, we also spent time at the pool where one of us went for her one hour swim and the other of us vegged out in the hot tub.

Sometimes my posts may sound a bit too upbeat. There are times when things do not go well and last night’s dinner in the “pay extra” Italian restaurant was one of those times. I love Italian food but the calamari appetizer was rubbery – sent it back – and the lobster ravioli was so smothered with oregano that I was coughing so I also sent it back! Fortunately I was offered a second Aperol Spritz – another drink for you to research- which helped to raise my spirits. My cassata dessert was fine. My sister had a similar experience with her choices. We survived. She definitely enjoyed her Irish coffee substitute.

Our evening entertainment varied: we sampled a little classical tunes, with music from the movies, Motown with BB King and the billboard boys, of course. The last big production number from the singers and dancers was a showstopper in more ways than one: this was their last performance after six and a months at sea. They were great and got a standing ovation. As usual, we finished off the evening with Anderson and Justin, the billboard boys.

I’d planned to finish off this post this morning but the best laid plans don’t always work out as I’d planned…we were off the ship all afternoon for a very nice tour of Tauranga, which included an extensive tour of the first mission house, then we went to sample some local products made from kiwi fruit and manuka honey, the two major exports of the country. We also enjoyed visiting with a kiwi producer at his farm.

I hope to give you more details of today’s excursion tonight or tomorrow but I’m not sure when. It will be a busy from now on.

We have to pack now because we’ll be kicked off the ship tomorrow by 9:30 AM. We will check into a hotel in Auckland then will meet a friend of my sister’s who will take us around a bit. We spend Saturday night at the hotel in Auckland then get on the plane Sunday, but not until the late evening, so we’ll have Sunday for touring the city as well. We get on the plane, fly for eight hours, arrive in Honolulu and it will be Sunday – again!

We’ll be in touch but I don’t know where or when. Hope you enjoyed the cruise!

Our bus driver / guide made this comment when we ended up in a difficult parking situation so I thought I’d include it here. How quaint and wholesome – as was the city itself!

We had wonderful weather for our tour of the city and gardens of Wellington, which is also filled with construction crews and roadblocks. New Zealand is building! Like Sydney and Christchurch, the city center is filled with skyscrapers but there are also gorgeous parks and landscapes throughout the city.

Our first stop was to the war memorial, honoring those who fought for New Zealand in various conflicts around the world.

We were dropped off in the bustling downtown area to take a cable car ride to the top of the city. Late spring is the perfect time to see the flowers here.

We got back on the ship late afternoon and shortly thereafter were underway once again.

I wanted to do research on my favorite drink, so when Happy Hour arrived, I asked the bartender to show me how to make the drink called Strawberry Dream. I was told it was a Holland America concoction.

Here are the directions:

Mash a piece of orange at the bottom of a glass.

Add vodka, lemon lemon mix, strawberry purée, and add ice. Shake. Add champagne. Garnish glass with a chunk of orange and pour.

We enjoyed the Lincoln Center stage group, then attended the main show, where a sand painter showed how to create his art. We concluded the evening sipping our drinks with the billboard boys. They were wild tonight! During a romantic song, Justin got silly, left his piano, and climbed on top of Anderson’s piano to serenade him. They’re so much fun – and so entertaining.

When we arrived back at the room, we were greeted by this towel animal. Can you identify it?

Our next stop is the Art Deco city of Napier, which had to be rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake. We have a tour that begins at 8:15 AM.

Our day did not start early today, which was a relief. We were able to have a leisurely breakfast and spend time up at the Lido, enjoying the views. We were docked next to a lumber mill.

We met the other participants on the gangway and got on buses for our afternoon excursion, which took us to the train station, where we boarded the Passchendaele Marlborough Flyer, a steam train that was built in 1915. It was named for the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele. It is now known as the moving World War I memorial.

It was a half hour ride to the town of Blenheim, the gateway to the Marlborough wine country, and we enjoyed a complimentary glass of wine as we travelled through the countryside.

Our final destination was THE WINE STATION, a tasting room where we paired our choice of wines with a very generous and delicious charcuterie platter. The servers weren’t quite ready for us so we waited a bit and chatted with the other participants.

The process was ingenious and high tech: there are no more ladies meandering among the crowds with bottles, offering tastes. Instead, we were each given a credit card loaded with $30, with tasting stations, delineated by vintage. We could choose the wine with the amount: there were three amounts, from two ounces to four ounces to six ounces. Depending on the cost of the wine, a two-ounce tasting varied between $2 and $4. Conveniently, bottles were placed beneath each tap – with price tags, of course.

It was fun to make a selection at the tasting station, then return to the table for food. It was all free-flowing, once we got the hang of it. I limited my tasting to Sauvignon blancs, my favorite vintage, and my sister tasted the reds. We each made a selection of one bottle which we will take back to Honolulu for Thanksgiving. It was all very scientific and serious – really!

We spent about an hour here, then boarded the train back to the ship.

Since we’re on the topic of alcohol, my favorite drink here on board ship is called Strawberry Dream, with many ingredients, including, of course, strawberries and Prosecco. I must find out how to make it.

We enjoyed a very funny Australian comedian tonight, two sets of the Lincoln Center group and a game called What Everybody Thinks, where we’re supposed to guess the most common answer to a question. I won! I didn’t win a prize, just the joy of knowing that I can predict the pulse of the populace. It’s a heady feeling.

Time for bed. Our tour of Wellington doesn’t begin until just after noon. Another sleep-in day!

Once again, we were up early to catch a tour. We decided to do Christchurch on our own, but still had to get there. It was a two-step process: first the tender, then the HAL bus.

We met in the World Stage, as usual, for our tender tickets. Weather was first described as “rain” and there was an early morning chill in the air, so I wore my rain jacket and hat from Tasmania which keeps me warm, and took my little umbrella.

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We landed in the quaint village of Akorara, which is a popular tourist spot in the good weather. There are lots of cute cottages and tons of flowers, which we will explore on the way back to the ship.

We got on our bus for the hour and a half ride into Christchurch, over beautiful scenic rolling hills filled with sheep and cows, water features and some magnificent views. The camera’s eye can’t capture the beauty of the scenes, especially while riding in the bus.

There are a few blurred shots but I’ll show you the best shots I could get, both going into town in the morning and returning in the afternoon. It was a spectacular Journey.

Here are two shots from our morning journey into town:

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Once in Christchurch we were left off at the impressive art museum.

It was cold on the bus so our first stop was to the museum cafe for cappuccino! We even had a bird visit, who must have been hungry or thirsty.

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Christchurch has been described as “the most English of cities outside England,” because of its history, geographical setting and architecture, but many of the wonderful buildings were destroyed in the earthquake. The crown jewel of the city, the magnificent cathedral, is still left in ruins today because neither the Anglican diocese nor the city fathers have been able to figure out what to do with it. It is left right now as a reminder of the ferocity of Mother Nature. It’s especially frightening for me to see this, since I have lived all my life in Earthquake Country.

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Many buildings were razed and replaced by parking lots which will be needed, as the new buildings will be high rises. There’s quite a bit of construction still going on in the central city area. Our bus driver described the hardships endured after the quakes, as the population had to scramble to find new housing. It was a terrible event.

Parts of the city, however, retain the original charm, with traditional park and river views mix with modern street art. The old mingles with the new.

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We stopped for lunch near the Bridge of Remembrance, which honored those soldiers who fought valiantly in the wars for New Zealand. We perused menus for about a block finally decided on this one. Our restaurant is called Original Sin- and with our order of blue cod fish n chips, my sister had a margarita and I enjoyed a glass of The Ned Sauvignon Blanc. The wine here is so much better than the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I get at home. The difference is noticeable .

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After lunch we had an hour of free time before getting on the bus, so we wandered through the arts center at the University of Canterbury, where we saw some lovely jewelry made by the students, a café and a fudge shop, where we succumbed to a few purchases. Has anyone ever had Hokey Pokey fudge ?

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We had an hour to examine the art work across the street from the arts center at our waiting spot, the museum . A man on the street who told my sister he was a chairman said to “see the chicken – man statue” – so we did. We spent a wonderful hour examining the works while the storm pounded on the rooftop! Don’t you love the chairs hanging from the ceiling? The admission was free and the staff was very friendly. Ironically, this modern glass structure not only survived the earthquake but served as the emergency command center directly after the harrowing event.

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We met the bus at 2:20 and made our way back. The only rain we had was during our time inside so we were lucky and there were times during the day when it was bright and sunny, as you can see by the photos .

I got a few nice afternoon images on our return and the bus was even able to stop once for the panoramic image of the entire area from the top of the highest hill.

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We came back to our quaint village to examine some of the holiday homes and gardens before getting back on the ship.

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We had such an ambitious and satisfying lunch that we skipped dinner entirely and devoted our evening to listening to music before heading off to bed a little earlier than usual, at about 10:30. We’d had two long days.

It’s now Tuesday and we go on an afternoon wine train. We are in the area of Picton. We will spend the afternoon eating and drinking.

It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it. We’re up for the challenge.

We awoke to sunshine as we sailed into Port Chalmers at 6:00 AM.

The weather was sunny and warm- 60s- and we caught a glimpse of the charming village of Port Chalmers before getting on the coach for our thirty minute drive to Dunedin to see the botanical gardens and a stately home. We also spent some free time in Dunedin for lunch and headed back on the shuttle to explore more of Port Chalmers before ending our day. We sailed out at 5:30.

Here are some photos:

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The stately home we visited was massive and impressive, with artifacts from all over the world. Much of the furnishings are original. It was built by hard-working enterprising Jewish immigrants who made their fortune in the furniture business. They gave back much to the artistic community of the growing town and when the family died out, the home was given to the city by the family, who maintains it to this day. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.

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We were set free to wander after our tour and we found a charming local place on the main street called THE REEF, where my sister had seafood chowder and I had fried calamari. Both were fresh and delicious. We supplemented our food with a pairing of beer for her and my favorite Sauvignon Blanc for me. It was a wonderful lunch.

After some souvenir shopping, we headed back on the shuttle to explore Port Chalmers before getting back on the ship. I enjoyed the funky shops. There was lots of local color with pristine views of the water.

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Our sailaway was as beautiful as our sail in to this lovely part of the world, as we looked for albatross sightings.

Tomorrow: Christchurch. Another early day.

Time to sleep!