We had an early tour this morning so we got up a little extra earlier to work out at the Fitness Center. As I was walking up the steps to the Fitness Center, I saw a very familiar face from the night crew that works so very hard to clean all of the common areas of the ship during the late night hours. We enjoyed a chuckle since I often see him near the same area each and every morning. In some ways, it reminded me of the movie Ground Hog Day starring Bill Murray as on most days we say hello to each other and wish each other a very nice day. Sometimes, we chat for a few minutes. All of the members of the night crew work so very hard and are very pleasant just like the rest of the wonderful crew on board this ship.
Some of the other regulars had the same thought. Mary was already on the treadmill when Keith arrived and after a little while Anne Marie, John and another regular Marv were also working out. Between the five of us we utilized two elliptical machines, two treadmills and one stationary bicycle. We enjoyed a very nice workout and before we finished we could see the lights from shore as we were making our way to Auckland, New Zealand.
We enjoyed a quiet breakfast in the Lido Café. We spoke to a few other passengers who were also there and took in the beauty of New Zealand, as we got closer to land. We are very excited to be visiting this area of the world for our very first time. We arrived in port at about 7:30 AM. The weather was about 65 degrees when we first docked.
We listened to the Captain’s daily report and he said that some rain showers were in the forecast today. His thought for the day was “Sometimes it is far better to be 80 years young than 40 years old”. We truly believe this. Just last evening we were talking with a very nice couple that we first met last year. The man is 91 years young and his wife is 87 years young. Each and every morning they walk on the treadmill and in the afternoon they take a long walk on the promenade deck. They have a very positive outlook on life, a passion for cruising, a dedication to friends and family, and they truly are role models for those around them. They do, in fact, act younger than many people we know who are half their age. We look forward to seeing them each day throughout this voyage.
I can list many other examples of this on our current cruise. We know another couple that probably dance each and every dance during the various receptions held in the Palm Court. Yet , we have known other people over the years who are probably half their biological age who would not be able to keep up with them.
Several passengers that we spoke with have visited here multiple times, yet were still looking forward to seeing all of the ports of call on our voyage. That speaks very well for this area of the world.
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and it is located between the Taman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It is also known as the “City of Sails” as it boasts more boats per capita than any city in the world. It is also one of the few cities in the world to have Harbors on two separate bodies of water. The city offers many outdoor activities for both residents and tourists. Amazingly, one out of every three residents of New Zealand’s lives in Auckland. Auckland also has the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere, which is the Sky Tower.
We had a wonderful time in Auckland. It is by far one of the nicest and most beautiful cities we have ever visited. It has many nice characteristics similar to San Francisco and other Pacific Northwest cities and some of the charm that we have seen in some selected cities around the world. It did rain a few times today but just for a very short time and we were fortunate to be inside most of the time when it rained.
This morning we took a complimentary tour offered by Crystal for all passengers on this sailing, regardless of whether they are sailing on one segment, multiple segments or the full World Cruise. The tour was called Auckland Acquaintance. Our tour included a drive all they way to the top of Mt. Eden, which is one of more than 60 dormant volcanoes in this area. We also enjoyed a cultural performance, which included singing and dancing at the Auckland Museum and we spent an hour touring this very nice museum. We also drove by other areas which included Victorian buildings which have been converted to charming boutiques and to very nice specialty stores, and we also passed by other areas such as a rose garden, various beaches, where we also had a beautiful view of the harbor and various beaches and cliffs. We also crossed the Auckland Harbor Bridge, which provided beautiful views of the surrounding area. This was a perfect tour for us in order to get a very nice overview of this beautiful city.
When we arrived back to the ship we enjoyed a very nice lunch in the main dining room. Afterwards we took a walk for a couple of hours around this beautiful city. We walked around a wonderful park called Albert Park that had beautiful floral displays and some very unique trees. We also walked up several different streets. We also walked by Auckland University. We found this city to be charming and the locals to be extremely helpful and friendly.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. The food and service were wonderful.
This evening the ship is staying in Auckland. Those passengers whose cruise is ending will depart the ship tomorrow; approximately 300 passengers. At the same time a new group of passengers will be joining the ship tomorrow.
We have another shore excursion planned for tomorrow.
Keith & Anne Marie
