Scenic Cruising: Fiordlands

Although our last port of call was officially Port Chalmers, there was still a little more to come, or a lot if you’re talking about scenery, with scenic cruising through the Fiordlands, the main attraction being Milford Sound.

Below are photos from both last year, 2013, and this year.

Dutchy enjoys the sunrise from our balcony.

This was one day it really made the balcony worthwhile.

Ordering a little room service made the view even more enjoyable.

The sky was a beautiful blue this year, unlike last year’s overcast weather. Last year we were on deck because we had an interior stateroom.

The five and six metre swells later that day created a wave effect in the swimming pool.

All too soon it meant we were on our way home, but there was still more fun to be had.

Sixth Port of Call: Port Chalmers

Gateway to Dunedin, which is situated 12 kilometres away, lies Port Chalmers. On both visits here we have opted not to go further afield to visit the Scottish-influenced town.

You can often get some good photos from the deck of the cruise ship. In 2013 the Dawn Princess was berthed next to the Diamond Princess, while this year we seemed to be stalked by a Silverseas smaller ship named Silver Whisper.

Some good views were found on our initial walk last year up to Lady Thorn Dell.

This year Dutchy stayed onboard, except to go to the free Wi-fi tent provided by Port Otago. Many ports, especially the smaller ones, seem to offer this service, perhaps to encourage you to go onshore, and then maybe support the local economy?

It left me free to explore the shops by myself. I met Dawn, who runs Aurora, a shop that sells cloches designed and made by Dawn herself, plus restored furniture, another skill she has. I had a lot of fun trying on her hats, and was sorely tempted to purchase one. They are not cheap, at $85, but when you consider they are original works of art and certainly not mass-produced, the figure is not unreasonable.

I was lucky enough to find a book of sheet music with 120 Superhits from the 50’s 60’s and 70’s from a second-hand bookshop. Then I went into a vintage clothes shop, and the lady there took a shine to my sheet music book and we ended up singing Stormy Weather together, much to the amusement and entertainment of the other customers. My other souvenir from Port Chalmers is a vintage skirt that reminds me a little of a couple of teatowels stylishly held together.

When I returned to the ship a lot of people had finished utilising the free Wi-fi, so I was able to get a seat and do some serious blogging before the Dunedin shoppers arrived back on their shuttle, all wanting to use the internet. Good timing on my part!

Fifth Port of Call: Akaroa

Being a francophile, (someone who loves all things french), I like Akaroa because of that influence.

This port requires taking a tender, as the bay is too shallow for a large cruise ship. It necessitates cruise passengers obtaining a ticket so that first in gets to go ashore in groups of ninety-five. The trip across took at least twenty minutes.

 

You can take a picture of yourself in a portrait, which is rather fun.

Fourth Port of Call: Windy Wellington

Here is a little visual to show how Windy Wellington, at the bottom of New Zealand’s North Island, achieved its nickname.

From CentrePort Wellington, shuttle buses are available to take you into the CBD for NZ$5 each way. However, it is not an onerous walk, taking approximately 15 minutes. We even walked back from the Museum, at a good pace, in about 20 minutes.

In 2013, we chose to take the Cable Car up Mount Wellington and walk back down, wending our way through the Wellington Botanic Garden.

The walk back down, which finishes at Parliament, takes about 40 minutes, including capturing a few photos for posterity on the way – all good for working up an appetite for another delicious three-course dinner on the Dawn Princess.

This year our main plan was to get some of our favourite cruise photos printed. Apparently in NZ you can do this at a pharmacy. We checked one out but decided for our 27 prints it was a little much at 80 cents each. The Kodak shop’s machine was out of order, and wouldn’t be online until the next day, when we would already be in Akaroa. Someone helpful suggested Harvey Norman, which entailed even more walking.

We enquired at the counter to find there may be a 2 ½ hour wait. Oh dear, we didn’t have that much time to play with before the ship sailed, because we had had a slow start to the day. However, when I explained our dilemma, the helpful photo assistant managed to fit us in the queue, telling us to come back in twenty minutes. Even better, they were only 15 cents per print.

Meanwhile, I was hungry, having been off the ship and walking for hours, so I set off to find both a toilet and some fruit to tide us over. Ending up at Moore Wilson’s, a sort of buy in bulk/department store, I found out that they have two separate areas, one for household goods, and another for fresh food. I also discovered that while they didn’t accept credit cards, my eftpos card wouldn’t work either. Off I went to the ATM, which Dutchy/Quiquinou had suggested I do in the first place. Okay, I admit that this time he was right, a rare occurrence I know….

All that for a 65 cent banana which we shared! But the photos came out well and a good day’s exercise was had by all.

Back in the Saddle? No, Back on a Ship

Dear Reader,

It has been almost a year since my last post on Travels With Princess and Quiquinou. Somehow other blogs and life in general got in the way. This is about to change.

Princess and Quiquinou are on a cruise to New Zealand, aboard the Dawn Princess. Funnily enough, we also did the same cruise one year and two weeks ago. Last year we travelled with another couple, and we tested out an interior room, while this year we are travelling as a couple in a balcony stateroom.

There will be comparisons of both as well as photographic evidence detailing some of our experiences, which, though similar, will be quite different. And that’s the beauty of cruising; each journey brings with it different memories. Happy cruising!

The Dawn Princess awaiting our embarkation at Station Pier, Melbourne.