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Springtime in New Zealand

Robbie 4 Comments

We left Sydney harbour on October 22 bound for the South Island of New Zealand to explore Fiordland as our first stop.  The seas were a bit rough but overall the 2 day crossing was pleasant with cooler weather.  In this part of the world, the further south you go, the colder it gets.

The stunning beauty of the fiords is hard to describe and capture in photos.
We were up on the upper deck before 7am so we could witness the entry to Milford Sound.  It was a very chilly morning at plus 5 degrees.  We were wishing for parkas and mittens.
There were snow capped peaks that brightened with the dawning of the sun. It was a rare sunny day in this area.
We arrived in Doubtful Sound in the early afternoon.
We arrived in Doubtful Sound in the early afternoon. These areas experience significant rainfall for many days of the year.
From Doubtful sound we carried on to Dusky Sound. The rock formations and small islands were beautiful.
Several times we were in narrow passageways that put us very close to the rising cliffs.
We will forever remember the beautiful sights in Fiordland and the gorgeous weather we experienced there.

We sailed around the southern tip of the South Island of New Zealand that night and arrived in Dunedin the next morning.

Arriving into port near Dunedin to the sounds of sheep and cows grazing in the hills above.
A tug escorting us into harbour in Dunedin.
It started raining an hour before we left Dunedin. But that didn’t dampen the spirits of the bagpipe band that was on the pier to send us off.

The next day we arrived in Christchurch on the South Island.  This area experienced a significant earthquake in 2017 that caused massive destruction.

Standing in front of an old church that survived the last earthquake.
Beautiful scenery along the Avon river that runs through Christchurch.
Spring flowers were blooming despite the chilly weather in Christchurch.

The next day we arrived in Wellington – New Zealand’s capital – which is at the south end of the North Island.  It is often very windy here as we experienced.

We rode a cable car to the top of one of the city’s mountains to the start of the Botanical Gardens.
We hiked down the mountain through the lush gardens to city centre.
There were massive trees and many types of unusual vegetation from what we are used to.
A Japanese style garden at the bottom just past the rose gardens.
Commemoration for Queen Elizabeth in Wellington city centre.

The next day we arrived in Napier in the North Island.  It was one of the nicest weather days we experienced in New Zealand.

We rented bikes and rode for 2 hours along the ocean walkways.
Beautiful sights along the ocean on our journey.
There were several beaches and some had families swimming and fishing.
We visited acclaimed wine maker Tony Bish’s Urban Winery which specializes in Chardonnay.
They welcomed us for tastings even though they had not yet opened for the day.
Award winning Fat and Sassy chardonnay which has a very reasonable price.

Our last New Zealand port was Auckland.  We took a ferry to Devonport to explore the small town charm.

Arriving in Devonport – 15 minutes via ferry from downtown Auckland.
Lovely walking trail along the ocean in Devonport and charming downtown area with shops and great gelato.
Warrior statue in downtown Auckland.
Enjoying some fabulous French cuisine onboard the ship at Murano.

We had an extremely rough 2 day crossing between Auckland and Sydney.

Incredible last day sailing in the Tasman Sea.
The waves were over the top of the windows in the deck 3 dining room.  Ken loved it!

It was difficult to move around the ship and we lost significant time during the crossing which resulted in a delay in our next sailing out of Sydney.  Our next blog will highlight the trip we are on now sailing up to the Great Barrier Reef area of Australia.

 

 

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Laurie Myres
    Reply

    Thank you for this great update! Such beautiful photos from the fiords!! You’re both looking fantastic and most definitely enjoying yourselves. As it should be!! Cheers to the next chapter of your travels!!

  2. Fran Anderson
    Reply

    The Japanese garden reminds me so much of Hatley Park in Victoria BC. Lovely photos and looks like you are having a wonderful time! Randy and I got engaged in Auckland, so some special memories there. Thanx for sharing your trips and experiences.

  3. Sharyn and Ted
    Reply

    Omg, your photos are so beautiful! I laughed when it was mentioned you wished you had parkas and mittens , when I noticed Ken probably wished he had socks on!!! Love your journey! By the way healing going on here has been great. Last night we got our first snow, and of course Betsy being a bit confused over it, now thinks it’s wonderful!

    Those seas looked fierce, beautiful to look at though! You both look well and so happy, Ted and I both love viewing your dream 🤗🥰👍🙏🏻🫶❤️

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