Wellington, New Zealand's Windy City

This morning we arrived in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington is known as New Zealand’s entertainment and cultural capital. It attracts many visitors who live in New Zealand, particularly on the weekends. The national museum of New Zealand is located here. The population of this city totals approximately 350,000 people. The major drivers of the economy appear to be tourism and farming. All of the people who we met who live in this lovely area are very kind and also have a nice sense of humor.

We woke up early this morning and once again began our day in the Fitness Center. Keith worked out on the elliptical machine and Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill. The fitness center was not too busy since many passengers have tours today.

After our workout we enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the Lido Café. We sat with one other couple who we know quite well. The Café was fairly busy as many people were getting breakfast before their tours. We had a beautiful view from the café as we arrived in this port of call.

The Captain’s daily report was very encouraging. Unlike yesterday, the forecast was for good weather for most of the day and any showers are forecasted for later in the day. We were very fortunate that although it was a bit nippy with the temperature being below average for this time of the year, we did not have any rain during our tour. ☺ During his daily talk the Captain did say that later this evening the seas would likely be quite choppy. ☹ Let’s hope that he is wrong at that. ☺

His thought for the day is “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” This is certainly another nice thought and one that we certainly believe in.

We went on a wonderful shore excursion called Seal Coast Safari. As part of this excursion we boarded a 4x4 vehicle to travel to New Zealand’s rugged coastline. Upon leaving the pier, we first traveled through the nice town of Wellington, before heading to another town called Brooklyn (yes, Brooklyn). We also traveled by a beautiful park called Central Park (yes, Central Park) on our way to the top of a tall mountain where we got a birds eye view of an enormous windmill. This windmill was installed as part of a test, and plans are now underway to install a total of 100 windmills, each at three times the size of the current windmill. These windmills will be capable of providing electricity to over 1,000 homes. Yes, this truly was a very windy mountain.

From there we traveled even higher along a two-lane road (probably less than a two lane road), which winded around the mountains until overtime the road narrowed down to one lane. As our journey continued there were beautiful valleys on one side of the road and cliffs on the other side of the road. We saw various types of wildlife including some deer and ostriches.

Eventually we came to the beach area and that is where our 4X4 vehicle was essential. We drove a couple of miles on the beach much of it on gravel, with portions on black sand. At times we had to maneuver around various large rocks and other impediments. We were traveling along Zealand’s rugged coast until we reached the highlight of the tour, which was to see the seals. It was at this point where we got out of the vehicles and we saw over fifty New Zealand Seals. The guide told us a good deal about the seals and we stayed another 30 minutes before it was time to make our journey back to the ship. We went a different way so that we could take a more direct route back to town without having to go back up the high mountain ranges. During our drive back we passed an area where the rocks had quite a bit of red in them and we also went up and then down a very steep hill. It was almost like being on an amusement park ride where you were at a point where you could not see in front of you and the next thing you know is that you are going down a very steep hill.

This tour was terrific and we are so very glad to have had the opportunity to not only see the various wildlife but to also take-in the very spectacular views of the mountains, valleys and ocean. There was only about twelve passengers on the tour. We shared our 4x4 vehicle with book dramatist Barbara Rinella and her husband. She presents a one-woman show dramatizing current literature on board the Crystal Serenity. The other day she appeared as Albert Einstein and last year when we first saw her perform she appeared as Dolly Madison. We were very fortunate to not have any rain during the tour.

This evening’s attire around the ship was informal. Before dinner, we attended a reception for those passengers on the Full World Cruise called The Road to Oz. There were two receptions; one for those guests who dine early and one for those guests who dine late. The reception was outstanding. We posted one picture with Anne Marie with the World Cruise Hostess who is also Anne Marie who played Dorothy in this evenings performance.

In a few days there will be another reception for all passengers on board the ship. We think it is wonderful that Crystal is offering at least one special event on each World Cruise Voyage for all of the passenger’s in addition to the regular evening events that are usually offered on each and every Crystal voyage throughout the year.

This evening’s restaurant menu in the Main Dining Room was called the New Zealand Dinner as it featured several items to recognize our sailing in this area of the world. Some of the chef’s suggestions included Green Shell Mussel, Gave Bird Consommé with Cabbage Strudel, New Zealand Lamb Loin and a Land Down Under dessert, which consisted of a Raspberry Chiffon Dream on Kiwi Puree with Passion Fruit Pralines. While we chose other items we appreciate the thought that goes into preparing each of the dinner menus. A few nights ago we enjoyed a fresh fish that is local to New Zealand. We did enjoy a wonderfully prepared dinner in the Main Dining Room. One of the very nice things about Crystal is that you can also get many items not on the menu. If you provide 24 hours notice you can get just about anything prepared for you as long as the ingredients/food is on the ship. At the same time, many times you can get other items on the spot. For example at lunch we normally get a salad entrée and if we don’t see a particular salad entrée on the menu that interests us we can have them prepare a variety of salads for us. Also, if we want to change how a particular item is prepared many times they can do that for us right on the spot as well. We truly appreciate the flexibility of the dining room staff.

On a related note let us also mention one of the advantages of the assigned dining room tables. The wait staff quickly knows what you like and don’t like. While the lunch tables are not assigned many times we try to sit at a table with a particular waiter who we first came to know last year. He knows that we enjoy a nice salad entrée for lunch and he normally knows which ones we like and which ones we don’t care for. So, when he hands us the menu if he knows it’s one that we don’t like he usually notes that when he hands us the menu and then mentions a few others that he knows we will probably substitute in lieu of the ones on the menu. He also knows that we enjoy fruit and that we each get a different type of fruit and he knows precisely what we want. This is no different than the senior waiter and the waiter we have for dinner. Those two individuals quickly learned what we prefer and how we prefer it. Once in a while we tell them that one time we will order something completely different to surprise them. ☺ They are all wonderful and we are so fortunate to be sailing with such a wonderful crew.

The captain said that the seas this evening would be quite rough with 18-foot waves.

Keith

Christchurch, New Zealand

Today, we visited Christchurch, New Zealand. This city is home to almost 350,000 people. A large portion of the area is devoted to public parks, recreation grounds, and reserves. Christchurch is the third largest city in New Zealand. The local economy is driven by farming, fishing, and tourism. Approximately fifty cruise ships now visit this area and this is expected to increase significantly next year.

We awoke early this morning for our daily workout in the Fitness Center. It is a pleasure to just walk up a couple of flights of steps and we are ready to workout. Keith worked out on the elliptical machine and Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill. It was not too crowded as many of the passengers have shore excursions planned for today. Keith talked with Mary for a good portion of his workout.

We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the Lido Café. We sat with three other passengers and spoke with several others. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast since we did not have a tour planned for today. As we arrived in Christchurch it was raining quite hard and some passengers were hoping that their excursions might be canceled as some involved boat trips.

During the captain’s daily report he mentioned that periods of rain were in the forecast throughout the day. The captain’s thought of the day is “Sometimes forgetting is just as important as remembering.” This is so very true in many ways.

All passenger’s have been reminded several times, starting in Auckland, that the New Zealand Department of Agriculture Regulations forbids taking food products ashore. When we went down to the main lobby local authorities were on board the ship along with a dog and even though we did not have any food with us the dog went up to us and was sniffing our backpack. Interestingly enough, Anne Marie had a small cosmetic bag in the backpack. She had carried that cosmetic bag inside a different bag this morning and that bag had a banana in it, which we took to the Lido Café just in case they didn’t have any bananas out. So, while we didn’t have any food with us, the cosmetic bag must have had a scent from the banana that the dog picked up. It was also a very cute dog. ☺

Crystal provided a complimentary shuttle to take passengers from the area where the ship was docked over to the town. We traveled approximately eight miles in each direction with each ride taking about 30 minutes. It rained during our entire stay in the town and the rain was much needed as they have been experiencing a drought for most of this summer. The town seemed quite nice and we walked around for a little while before we took the shuttle back to the ship.

We ate lunch in the main dining room and enjoyed a very nice lunch. In the afternoon we relaxed on the ship and took care of a few errands.

This evening we attended Sabbath Eve services. We said our prayers for a friend and for his lovely wife.

After the service, we dined in Silk Road, which is the Japanese Specialty Restaurant. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with outstanding service.

Keith & Anne Marie

En Route TO Christchurch, New Zealand

Happy Valentines Day from New Zealand. Since we are one day ahead of most time zones it is already Valentines Day here. It is hard to believe that it was only last year when we were celebrating Valentines Day while in Buenos Aires, Argentina during last years World Cruise.

Last evening we sat on the verandah for the sail away from Auckland. We enjoyed this beautiful city and we enjoyed the spectacular views of this city during the sail away. We spoke with a couple who we know quite well who are in an adjacent room next to us on the ship during the sail away and we all agreed that this is a very beautiful area of the world.. We look forward to returning again.

This morning we woke up early to begin our day and were the first ones in the Fitness Center. Keith worked out on the elliptical machine for the entire time while Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill. Mary was on the treadmill in between us so we both spoke with her during the workout. We enjoyed hearing about what Mary and Stan did during the time we were in Auckland and likewise we told Mary about our time in this lovely city.

For the first time during the cruise, all of the elliptical machines were in use towards the end of our workout. It seems that some younger passengers (in terms of biological age) came onto the ship in Auckland, which probably explains why all the elliptical machines were being used.

We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the Lido Café. In particular, the fruit was delicious especially the bananas and the grapefruit as new fruit has been brought on board. And we enjoyed wonderful tasting blueberries last evening and other delicious fruit during the day such as strawberries and raspberries. The café was not to busy since today is a sea day and some passengers were sleeping in a little later.

When we got back to the room, we decided to do some laundry and it is a good thing we started early as before not too long all of the machines were in use. It was good to get this out of the way. Many of the passengers who embarked in Auckland had flown in several days before the cruise began and evidently had accumulated lots of laundry to be washed.

During the Captain’s daily report he mentioned that we were making good progress as we cruise towards the next port of call. We are moving at a very nice clip. The Captain’s thought of the day is “It’s not so much what you do but what others do because of you.”

Today is a busy day in terms of activities. Keith attended the Rap with the Rabbi while Anne Marie finished the laundry. We had a terrific discussion during this mornings session.

Other lectures in the morning included Dr. Wolff who presented “Aborigines and Explorers” which was a talk about a people older than time who inhabited a vast and almost empty continent. Dr. Wolff is truly an exceptional lecturer and we have enjoyed all of his presentations.

Later in the morning, Rob Warne, Diplomat, Professor of International Relations and CEO presented “New Zealand: A Young Nation assumes an international Role”. He presented a wealth of information about New Zealand and during the course of this segment of the cruise will be giving three additional presentations.

We enjoyed a very nice lunch with another couple who we first met on last years world cruise.

Before dinner, we attended the Captain’s Welcome Reception and had a wonderful time. Afterwards, we attended dinner in the Main Dining Room. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner made even more special since today is Valentine’s Day.

The Captain Announced that on February 18 at approximately 4:00 PM we will be in the same area at sea as the former Crystal Harmony which was the first ship in the Crystal Fleet. We are looking forward to seeing the ship which we last sailed on in 2002.

Tomorrow, we will visit our next port of call, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Keith & Anne Marie

Auckland-The City of Sails

Last evening Anne Marie attended the farewell show for the conclusion of the second segment of the World Cruise. She thought that the show was very good.

Many of the crew that we spoke with last evening was planning to spend time in Auckland after their shifts ended last evening, while others were planning to go ashore this morning. They were all looking forward to enjoying the city. There are many restaurants and other venues located in close proximity to where we are docked, which is at the Prince’s Wharf in downtown Auckland.

This morning those who will be leaving the ship disembarked. We have met some very nice passengers who are leaving us and we look forward to sailing with them again. This segment of the World Cruise sold out quickly as it is an extremely popular itinerary. There will be about 50 more passengers on board the ship for this segment compared to the previous segment.

During this second segment of the World Cruise we sailed from Papeete, Tahiti to Auckland, New Zealand. We cruise a total of 3,295 Nautical Miles or the equivalent of 3,789 land miles.

Today marks the start of Segment 3 of the World Cruise. During this segment we sail from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia. We stop in several ports along the way located in New Zealand and Australia.

Once again, we woke up quite early and began our day with our daily workout in the Fitness Center. There were very few passengers in the Fitness Center since many are departing the ship this morning while others chose to sleep in a little later this morning.

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the Lido Café. We spoke with the headwaiter from Prego who also works in the Lido Café and he is going back home today. He will be back in April and we look forward to seeing him again.

This morning we took our second shore excursion since arriving in Auckland. This one was called Maori Heritage Walk. We were taken by bus to the top of Mt. Eden, which is the highest volcanic mountain in Auckland. Just as we did yesterday when we visited here we took in 360-degree views of this beautiful city. We then descended down the mountain by foot as our tour guide pointed out many areas as we descended to lower levels along the mountain. He told us a great deal about the history of the Maori people who lived here We then took a short refreshment break before we continued our walk through the Domain and then we arrived at the University of Auckland. During our walk we also went by the High Court, the Old Government House, and the former post office, now Auckland’s new railway station. The tour actually took two hours longer than the original schedule, which provided an opportunity to learn more about the area and to see some additional sites.

During the welcome talk that was given by the tour guide, which included a talk in the Maori language, we were asked to select someone from the group to introduce our tour group and to provide some background. As it turned out, Keith was selected to give the talk.

Our tour guide was outstanding and during the course of the tour we also had the opportunity to meet his wife during the refreshment break and one of his sons accompanied the tour in its entirety. We also met his cousin as we were leaving the Auckland University.

We are very fortunate to have spent almost two full days in this very beautiful city and it is clear to us why they refer to Auckland as the City of Sails. It is a very unique city from its two harbors, to being surrounded on all sides by water, to its lush greenery, to its 48 volcanoes, to its rolling hills, to its very diverse population, to its wonderful restaurants specializing in seafood, to the diversity and enthusiasm of its residents.

By the time we got back to the ship, it was too late to go to the Main Dining Room for lunch and several of the other dining venues were closed, so we ordered room service and enjoyed a very nice lunch in our room. The weather was wonderful today, which added to our enjoyment of this beautiful city. We wanted to mention, once again, that we thought that Auckland is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited.

Before dinner there was a lifeboat drill for all of the new passengers embarking the ship in Auckland. We enjoyed a very nice dinner in the Main Dining Room.


We also spoke with our daughter and our son earlier today and it was great to hear their wonderful voices. This is a very big week for both of them.

As part of our son’s college major, tomorrow evening he and a college student partner are in charge of the entire dinner that is being served at his college’s restaurant, which should be attended by approximately 100 patrons. They had to do all of the planning for this dinner from developing the menu, to deciding on the food, to coordinating the execution of the meal and developing the dinner’s theme, to signing up the students to attend. If all 100 patrons show up that would fill every seat at every table at the restaurant. We wish him all the best as he has worked so very hard in coordinating all aspects of this dinner as part of this class.

Also, this weekend, our daughter is running in her cities marathon and we wish her all the best as she runs in her very first marathon. We know she has worked so very hard in preparing for this event. Her husband, our dear son-in-law, also had trained equally hard for this event but injured his knee in a soccer sports related accident, which prevents him from running in this marathon.

We wish we could be with our son and our daughter and son-in-law this week and we wish them the very best and will be thinking about them as we do each and every day.

We will be at sea all day tomorrow as we sail to Christ Church, New Zealand.

Keith & Anne Marie

Auckland, New Zealand

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

En Route To Auckland, New Zealand

Today, we continue to cruise towards Auckland, New Zealand and are on schedule to reach this port of call by tomorrow morning. The seas are a bit choppier, but not enough to be bothersome.

It was a little more challenging getting up this morning as we had moved the clocks forward by one hour last evening. Nevertheless, we were up by 5:00 AM and began our day in the Fitness Center. Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill and Keith worked out on the elliptical machine. A few of the regulars also worked out, including John and Mary. Keith had a wonderful conversation with Mary during a good portion of the workout. The center was not too busy.

After our workout, we went to the Lido Café for breakfast. It was a little less crowded than normal since some passengers were likely sleeping a little later since we moved the clocks forward one hour last evening. We enjoyed a great breakfast and one other passenger joined us for breakfast. We also spoke with some of the passengers who always sit at a table adjacent to the table we sit at.

The Lido Deck Stewards continue to be outstanding and we are very appreciative for all that they do to make our voyage so wonderful. There are three teams of Lido Deck Stewards who work on the Lido deck and each team is composed of four individuals who are truly amazing. They are so very attentive and they seem to remember everything from what type of coffee each of drinks to many of the items we like to eat in the morning on a regular basis. Each day they make our breakfast so very special. We wish we could take them all home with us. ☺

Since today is the last day at sea for this voyage, there are lots of activities planned throughout the day. There are many lectures throughout the day and afternoon hours and many other activities including language classes, art classes, various fitness classes, movies, computer classes, and many other activities to choose from. Crystal does an outstanding job in this area.

During the Captain’s daily morning talk he clarified why we set the clocks back on hour last evening. This is due to the fact that New Zealand observes daylight savings times through the third Sunday of March, whereas when we visited the last port of call, Fiji, they were not on daylight savings times. The Captain’s thought of the day is “A mile is the shortest distance between to people.” We will continue to travel at around 20 knots per hour in order to reach New Zealand on time.

This morning we attended a lecture given by destination lecturer Dr. Jay Wolff titled “Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey.” He discussed Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton who sailed from New Zealand on his expedition to reach the South Pole, but instead sailed into legend. He discussed what he accomplished during this journey. It was quite a courageous journey and, once again, Dr Wolff gave an outstanding presentation.

Later in the morning Scott Ritter, the former United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector, gave a presentation titled “Iraqi Endgame.” This was the third and final presentation given by Scott Ritter and like the others it would the information that Mr. Ritter provided was very informative and stimulated a great deal of discussion. He also took questions from the audience.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the main dining room. At the same time there was the Crystal American Classic Buffet featured on the Lido Deck.

This afternoon we attended a Classical Concert with Internationally Acclaimed Virtuoso Pianist Hyperion Knight. He has given several concerts throughout this segment of the World Cruise and we also saw him perform during last years World Cruise. In addition to appearing regularly with orchestras across the United States, he has been a featured entertainer at Manhattan’s Rainbow Room and Essex House. He played to a packed audience this afternoon and we thoroughly enjoyed his concert.

The attire for this evening was formal. We attended the Captain’s Farewell Reception prior to dinner where we danced and also enjoyed conversation with several of our fellow passenger’s. The Captain’s birthday is tomorrow so we sang Happy Birthday to him. At the reception they also recognized the employee of the month which was a crew member who ahs been with Crystal for twelve years.

We then enjoyed a delicious dinner in the main dining room. We always look forward to the formal evenings around on the ship. At a time when some cruise lines have gone to less formal attire on the ships such as country club casual, we are very happy that Crystal Cruises continues the tradition of formal attire. We believe that this adds to the overall ambience throughout the ship.

After dinner we decided to go to the second Captain’s Farewell Reception as it provided a wonderful opportunity to talk with some passenger’s who we don’t always see during the daytime since they have late seating. We also had the opportunity to view a very pretty sunset. Right before the sunset you could see a green sparkle just for a split second before it set. How beautiful!

Tomorrow our adventure continues as we visit New Zealand for our very first time. We can’t wait!

Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Auckland, New Zealand