Report on Week 5 - February 01 – 08, 2008 (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Milford Sound, NZ to Sydney, Australia)

We arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, very early Friday morning, February 01.  To New Zealanders, Auckland is known as the City of Sails, perhaps because one in every four households owns a sail (or power) boat.  The city is the largest and most modern in New Zealand and is located on the northern most part of the North Island (the two main islands are North Island and South Island).  Home to ¼ of the country’s 4 million people, Auckland is within an hour’s drive of 102 beaches.

Our all-day tour included a tour of the city, followed by a drive through the countryside, on our way to Ayrlies Garden, in Whitford.  The 12-acre garden began in 1964, privately funded by Malcolm and Beverly McConnell, and had an incredible array of trees, flowers and plants from around the world.  Mrs. McConnell and her staff greeted us with a private tour of the magnificent grounds and then served tea, coffee and treats around her pool area at her home (right within the gardens).

After a day in the Auckland area, our next stop on February 03 was the capital city of Wellington, located on the southern most tip of the North Island.  Wellington became the capital of New Zealand in 1865, replacing Auckland, and is the southernmost national capital city in the world, with latitude of about 41° south.  The day was spent with a short tour of the city, followed by a long, but fabulous, Holland America hosted luncheon for all World passengers booked in one of the ship’s suites (we qualified).  The luncheon was held in the recently renovated Town Hall, with plenty of food, wine, and interesting entertainment including, Maori singers and dancers, sheep-shearing and cow-milking demonstrations and a special appearance by the Mayor of Wellington (a female).

FYI, the first settlers to New Zealand came from Polynesia 1200 years ago and their descendents are known today as Maoris.  In 1769, Captain James Cook circumnavigated the two main islands aboard the Endeavour and while his initial contact with the Maoris proved violent, Cook was impressed with their bravery and spirit and recognized the potential of the land.  Consequently, he grabbed the islands for the British crown before setting sail for Australia.  Today, only 12% of the population is Maoris and the majority European population is mainly descended from British migrants who settled after 1840.  New Zealand became a dominion in 1907, self-governing from 1926 and fully independent in 1947.  It was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1893 and in 2001, the posts of prime minister, leader of the opposition, and governor-general were all held by women.

After Wellington, we crossed Cook Strait on our way to Christchurch, on the east coast of the South Island.  Wellington is the South Island’s largest city and is known as the Garden City and one of the nation’s most attractive.  The city is filled with public parks and private gardens and the town center is reserved for pedestrians.  We covered as much as possible, including a walk on the Avon River that runs through the city, and then it was back to the ship in time for the game!  Super Bowl XLII was shown live, via satellite, on Monday, February 04, in the Queen’s Lounge.  Just in case you missed it, the mighty New York Giants (underdogs) beat the 18-0 New England Patriots, by a score of 17 - 14!

Another overnight sail ended with our morning arrival in Dunedin, at the head of Otago Harbour, on Tuesday, February 05.  Dunedin was founded in 1848 by the Lay Association of the Free Church of Scotland, as the principal town of its Scottish settlement.  Growth was assured when gold was discovered nearby in 1861.  Upon disembarkation from the ship, we immediately boarded a small tour boat owned by a company named Monarch Wildlife Cruise & Tours (www.wildlife.co.nz) to tour the Otago Peninsula, one of New Zealand’s most renowned eco tourism areas.  The tour company’s slogan - See what can’t be seen from land with Monarch – turned out to be 100% accurate.  While on board we saw: a Royal Albatross (on land and in flight); a number of other birds including, Spotted Shag, Black Shag, Black Swan, and Oyster Catcher; and several marine mammals, including Sea Lion and Elephant Seal. We disembarked and went overland in 6-passenger, 8-wheel buggies to a very secluded and protected beach to see the world’s rarest penguin, the Yellow-Eyed.  While we had hoped to also see Little Blue Penguins, none were around to be seen.  We were sad to leave the Otago Peninsula area, as the day turned out to be one of our most unique and enjoyed, so far.

After another overnight sail around the southern most end of the South Island, we entered the Milford Sound area on February 06.  The Sound is located within Fiordland National Park, which is in turn part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.  The sound runs 9.3 miles inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise almost 4,000 feet on either side.  We first cruised through Dusky Sound and Doubtful Sound (both, in one end and out the other) and then entered Milford Sound (one way in and the same way out).  It was a spectacular day of cruising with beautiful views and lots and lots of picture taking (1,200 passengers, 900 with cameras, taking about 1000 pictures each, maybe?).  One of the most unusually and thrilling activities of the day was when the Captain maneuvered a 360° turn in the middle of narrow Milford Sound (ship stats - 61,000 ton, 780 ft. long, 106 ft. wide).

After Milford, our last stop in New Zealand, we vowed to return someday, and we certainly will.

On February 07 & 08 we sailed the rough and rocky Tasman Sea enroute to Sydney (not fun).

Check out Nick’s website - www.nide.smugmug.com - for six pictures from New Zealand (slow internet has limited posting)

è Next Report will be Week 6 – Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, Australia.

PP Georgiana and Nick Ide