22nd November 2009
We had a half day to spare before our long flight home and met up with a couple who were on the same cruise as us to have breakfast together. She had been poorly with a chest infection whilst on the cruise which had led to a 2 days stay in the hospital and a US $1500 bill! I hope their insurance covers the costs.
Still feeling brave after our climb up the Pylon I decided we would visit the Sydney Tower Observation Deck. Avril and Les had done this on our first visit to Sydney but I had declined to join them at that time. The Observation Deck soars a quarter of a kilometre above the city streets and offers breathtaking 360-degrees views of the whole city. The ticket also includes OzTrek which is an amazing virtual reality ride across Sydney to the Australian bush and beyond. I did decline to upgrade to do the Skywalk which takes you onto the outside of the tower at 260 metres above the streets onto a walkway which has glass floor overhangs!
By now it was time to say farewell once again to Sydney and as we boarded the plane for the long flight home it was time to reflect on our holiday.
This isn't quite the end of the blog. I will sum it up in a few days time so please keep checking to see when we reach The End.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Monday, 23 November 2009
21st November 2009
Well, it's hard to believe that 8 months after we left Sydney we sailed back into her port this morning. Up on deck by 5.30 am this morning, the sight of us sailing into the harbour and berthing between the Opera House and the Bridge was almost worth the price of the cruise alone. Disembarkation from the ship went smoothly and we were at our hotel by 8.45; luckily our room was already available so once we had sorted ourselves out we were off into the city. We set off for the area known as The Rocks and decided to use the light railway, which is something we have never been on before; so you can imagine our surprise to find that the train has 3 levels! We have both bought ourselves UGG slippers as we have decided to be trendy and the price seems quite reasonable.
I would like to tell you that we both did the Bridge Climb but that would not be true, however we did settle for second best as, having looked at one of Rosalyn's guidebooks I discovered that you can climb to the very top of the South East Pylon of the bridge and taking the 200 steps very very slowly we were rewarded with spectacular views of the city of Sydney. If you want to find out more statistics about where we went you can go to
www.pylonlookout.com.au
We then went for lunch before visiting the Queen Victoria Building which houses some very expensive and exclusive shops. In the central area there is a most magnificent Christmas Tree whose trunk and sparkly bits are actually Swarovski crystals. By now both of us were tiring as it is very hot and we returned to the hotel for a wash and rest.
This evening we went for a walk round Darling Harbour. I've never seen so many people, the place was literally heaving. The build-up to Christmas has begun here with a fantastic fireworks show, lasting about 10 minutes. Having seen how they celebrate New Year's Eve we weren't surprised at the spectacle.
An observation I have made is that there are large numbers of young smokers here in Sydney, far more than I have seen anywhere else. If Australians are suffering with large numbers of people developing skin cancers as a result of the strong sun, then I wouldn't be surprised if lung cancer wasn't far behind.
It seems strange to be walking about in November, wearing shorts and t-shirt and we are making the most of it before we have to board the plane home tomorrow. We know the weather has been pretty horrendous in the last few days and we are hoping things will have settled down.
I don't know if we will get a chance to upload any more of our blog, but please keep looking in as I will attempt to sum up everything and perhaps fill in those things I have forgotten.
Well, it's hard to believe that 8 months after we left Sydney we sailed back into her port this morning. Up on deck by 5.30 am this morning, the sight of us sailing into the harbour and berthing between the Opera House and the Bridge was almost worth the price of the cruise alone. Disembarkation from the ship went smoothly and we were at our hotel by 8.45; luckily our room was already available so once we had sorted ourselves out we were off into the city. We set off for the area known as The Rocks and decided to use the light railway, which is something we have never been on before; so you can imagine our surprise to find that the train has 3 levels! We have both bought ourselves UGG slippers as we have decided to be trendy and the price seems quite reasonable.
I would like to tell you that we both did the Bridge Climb but that would not be true, however we did settle for second best as, having looked at one of Rosalyn's guidebooks I discovered that you can climb to the very top of the South East Pylon of the bridge and taking the 200 steps very very slowly we were rewarded with spectacular views of the city of Sydney. If you want to find out more statistics about where we went you can go to
www.pylonlookout.com.au
We then went for lunch before visiting the Queen Victoria Building which houses some very expensive and exclusive shops. In the central area there is a most magnificent Christmas Tree whose trunk and sparkly bits are actually Swarovski crystals. By now both of us were tiring as it is very hot and we returned to the hotel for a wash and rest.
This evening we went for a walk round Darling Harbour. I've never seen so many people, the place was literally heaving. The build-up to Christmas has begun here with a fantastic fireworks show, lasting about 10 minutes. Having seen how they celebrate New Year's Eve we weren't surprised at the spectacle.
An observation I have made is that there are large numbers of young smokers here in Sydney, far more than I have seen anywhere else. If Australians are suffering with large numbers of people developing skin cancers as a result of the strong sun, then I wouldn't be surprised if lung cancer wasn't far behind.
It seems strange to be walking about in November, wearing shorts and t-shirt and we are making the most of it before we have to board the plane home tomorrow. We know the weather has been pretty horrendous in the last few days and we are hoping things will have settled down.
I don't know if we will get a chance to upload any more of our blog, but please keep looking in as I will attempt to sum up everything and perhaps fill in those things I have forgotten.
20th November 2009
Following on from last night I must just add that Bjorn Again did not disappoint. They did a 45 minute set of ABBA songs to which most people sang along. Dancing Queen brought people to their feet, dancing in the aisles and the whole performance was met by a standing ovation.
Today has been another day at sea. We were a little disappointed that although the temperature was much higher, the wind was too strong to sit out by the pool. We spent most of the day in the solarium reading and at 5.15 returned to our stateroom to start packing as we had to have our luggage outside the room to be taken to the terminal when we arrive in Sydney. We have said our goodbyes to our 8 travelling companions. We have been really very lucky with our table as we all gelled quite quickly, even to the point where we would have a drink (or two) with them during the evening. It certainly has helped to make the cruise very enjoyable – after all think how it might have been if we hadn't got on with any of them.
Although it will be an early start we want to be on deck to see us arrive in Sydney.
Following on from last night I must just add that Bjorn Again did not disappoint. They did a 45 minute set of ABBA songs to which most people sang along. Dancing Queen brought people to their feet, dancing in the aisles and the whole performance was met by a standing ovation.
Today has been another day at sea. We were a little disappointed that although the temperature was much higher, the wind was too strong to sit out by the pool. We spent most of the day in the solarium reading and at 5.15 returned to our stateroom to start packing as we had to have our luggage outside the room to be taken to the terminal when we arrive in Sydney. We have said our goodbyes to our 8 travelling companions. We have been really very lucky with our table as we all gelled quite quickly, even to the point where we would have a drink (or two) with them during the evening. It certainly has helped to make the cruise very enjoyable – after all think how it might have been if we hadn't got on with any of them.
Although it will be an early start we want to be on deck to see us arrive in Sydney.
19th November 2009
Overnight we put the clocks back thus gaining one of the lost hours. Today was at sea sailing towards Sydney. We spent the day relaxing by the pool in the solarium, as it was a little cold and windy out on the deck by the main pool. Hopefully it will be warm enough tomorrow to sunbathe outside on what is our last day of the cruise. Twice I have mentioned how rough the sea has been, just think how difficult it is to take a shower and do the other things necessary in life whilst the floor is going up and down and swaying from side to side.
Tonight in the theatre is probably the best known worldwide Abba tribute band Bjorn Again, which we are looking forward to with great anticipation. More about this tomorrow.
Overnight we put the clocks back thus gaining one of the lost hours. Today was at sea sailing towards Sydney. We spent the day relaxing by the pool in the solarium, as it was a little cold and windy out on the deck by the main pool. Hopefully it will be warm enough tomorrow to sunbathe outside on what is our last day of the cruise. Twice I have mentioned how rough the sea has been, just think how difficult it is to take a shower and do the other things necessary in life whilst the floor is going up and down and swaying from side to side.
Tonight in the theatre is probably the best known worldwide Abba tribute band Bjorn Again, which we are looking forward to with great anticipation. More about this tomorrow.
18th November 2009
We arrived early in a very wet Wellington, the Capital of New Zealand. The town has a population of 350,000 inhabitants. The city's focal point is the harbour, one of the world's best protected. The picturesque rugged hills and cable cars have often caused the city to be compared to San Francisco. Since Wellington lies in the path of the only major gap in NZ's central mountain range, the city has earned its nickname of Windy Wellington.
After a short shuttle ride into the city we dashed out of the rain and into the Tourist Information Centre. With only a few hours here we decided to visit the Te Papa Museum, which is New Zealand's bold and innovative national museum. What we didn't realise was just how big and how much stuff there is to see and so we had to make a difficult decision on what to leave out. In the end we spent about only 3 hours in the museum and we barely skimmed the surface. Hopefully if we come back we have mentally pencilled in virtually a whole day just to do this one museum.
By now the rain had stopped and we were able to appreciate Wellington much better. We decided to take the cable car to the top of the hills and the Botanic Gardens. Construction of the system started in 1901, opened in 1902 and by 1912 a million rides were taken a year. The gradient is 1:5 and at the top we visited the cable car museum. We then took a short stroll round the Botanic Gardens which give great views of Wellington. We could have taken a 40 minutes walk down back into the heart of the city, passing by the Rose Garden, but time was against us and Rosalyn was tiring so we took the tram back down. After another stroll around what is obviously a very busy city with some beautiful shops we headed back to the ship; our visit to New Zealand was over.
The seas were a little rough again as we sailed out of Wellington. I have an update on the breakages that occurred the night of the gales. We now know that in excess of 2000 pieces of crockery were broken not the 800 first mentioned. Two people were slightly injured and I also understand that quite a few bottles of wine (expensive ones) were lost.
We arrived early in a very wet Wellington, the Capital of New Zealand. The town has a population of 350,000 inhabitants. The city's focal point is the harbour, one of the world's best protected. The picturesque rugged hills and cable cars have often caused the city to be compared to San Francisco. Since Wellington lies in the path of the only major gap in NZ's central mountain range, the city has earned its nickname of Windy Wellington.
After a short shuttle ride into the city we dashed out of the rain and into the Tourist Information Centre. With only a few hours here we decided to visit the Te Papa Museum, which is New Zealand's bold and innovative national museum. What we didn't realise was just how big and how much stuff there is to see and so we had to make a difficult decision on what to leave out. In the end we spent about only 3 hours in the museum and we barely skimmed the surface. Hopefully if we come back we have mentally pencilled in virtually a whole day just to do this one museum.
By now the rain had stopped and we were able to appreciate Wellington much better. We decided to take the cable car to the top of the hills and the Botanic Gardens. Construction of the system started in 1901, opened in 1902 and by 1912 a million rides were taken a year. The gradient is 1:5 and at the top we visited the cable car museum. We then took a short stroll round the Botanic Gardens which give great views of Wellington. We could have taken a 40 minutes walk down back into the heart of the city, passing by the Rose Garden, but time was against us and Rosalyn was tiring so we took the tram back down. After another stroll around what is obviously a very busy city with some beautiful shops we headed back to the ship; our visit to New Zealand was over.
The seas were a little rough again as we sailed out of Wellington. I have an update on the breakages that occurred the night of the gales. We now know that in excess of 2000 pieces of crockery were broken not the 800 first mentioned. Two people were slightly injured and I also understand that quite a few bottles of wine (expensive ones) were lost.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
17th November 2009
Today we arrived in the port of Lyttleton which is the port for Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island. With a population of 324,300 it is often described as the most English city outside England, known for its parks, gardens, treelined avenues and gracious 19th century stone architecture. Our 30 minutes journey on what turned out to be a very pleasantly warm day took us through a tunnel cut through the hillside.
On arriving in the city centre, known as Cathedral Square, we decided to do a walk following a printed guide from the local information centre. (All the stops into the various cities drop you outside the information centre). This walk timed at 45 minutes if we didn't stop took us close to 31/2 hours. One of the marked stops was at the statue of Robert Falcon Scott which had been sculpted by his widow. It was very impressive and Rosalyn thought it looked a lot like John Mills (played Scott in Scott of the Antarctic for the uninitiated)! We then stopped to watch people punting on the River Avon which looked like fun. After various other stops we arrived at the Botanic Gardens which are absolutely glorious even though it is still quite early in the season for a lot of the flowers. They even had a small Victory Garden which had been started during World War II where they had planted, potatoes, leeks, lettuces, etc. Following on from this we went into the Canterbury Museum which was rather impressive. There are lots of different galleries, which range from dinosaurs to an Egyptian mummy, but the star of the show as far as I was concerned was the Antarctic gallery. I understand there is another museum in Christchurch completely devoted to Antarctica, but this, although on a smaller scale, was very well done. There were a number of vehicles that had been to the South Pole on show including a Ferguson tractor -modified for the conditions of course as well as facimilies of Scott's diary.
We had intended at this point to go on and complete the 2nd walk (3 in all which formed a huge circle round the city area) but we were both tiring so we walked back into the city square where we watched a busker doing some tricks. There was a market so we had a look around but even here the merino wool jumpers are ridiculously expensive. We have decided that NZ is not cheap and it is not solely down to the poor rate of exchange.
We both liked what little we have seen of Christchurch and hope to be able to come back and really explore the area. Very tired we returned to the ship to have a little sleep ready to face the evening fun and also with the realisation that our holiday is very nearly at its end. We have one more stop in NZ at Wellington before we cruise back to Australia and Sydney for one night and then home.
Today we arrived in the port of Lyttleton which is the port for Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island. With a population of 324,300 it is often described as the most English city outside England, known for its parks, gardens, treelined avenues and gracious 19th century stone architecture. Our 30 minutes journey on what turned out to be a very pleasantly warm day took us through a tunnel cut through the hillside.
On arriving in the city centre, known as Cathedral Square, we decided to do a walk following a printed guide from the local information centre. (All the stops into the various cities drop you outside the information centre). This walk timed at 45 minutes if we didn't stop took us close to 31/2 hours. One of the marked stops was at the statue of Robert Falcon Scott which had been sculpted by his widow. It was very impressive and Rosalyn thought it looked a lot like John Mills (played Scott in Scott of the Antarctic for the uninitiated)! We then stopped to watch people punting on the River Avon which looked like fun. After various other stops we arrived at the Botanic Gardens which are absolutely glorious even though it is still quite early in the season for a lot of the flowers. They even had a small Victory Garden which had been started during World War II where they had planted, potatoes, leeks, lettuces, etc. Following on from this we went into the Canterbury Museum which was rather impressive. There are lots of different galleries, which range from dinosaurs to an Egyptian mummy, but the star of the show as far as I was concerned was the Antarctic gallery. I understand there is another museum in Christchurch completely devoted to Antarctica, but this, although on a smaller scale, was very well done. There were a number of vehicles that had been to the South Pole on show including a Ferguson tractor -modified for the conditions of course as well as facimilies of Scott's diary.
We had intended at this point to go on and complete the 2nd walk (3 in all which formed a huge circle round the city area) but we were both tiring so we walked back into the city square where we watched a busker doing some tricks. There was a market so we had a look around but even here the merino wool jumpers are ridiculously expensive. We have decided that NZ is not cheap and it is not solely down to the poor rate of exchange.
We both liked what little we have seen of Christchurch and hope to be able to come back and really explore the area. Very tired we returned to the ship to have a little sleep ready to face the evening fun and also with the realisation that our holiday is very nearly at its end. We have one more stop in NZ at Wellington before we cruise back to Australia and Sydney for one night and then home.
Monday, 16 November 2009
16th November 2009
Just an update on last night, the Captain told us it was a gale that we came through and at times the ship was rolling through about 8 degrees which does not sound a lot, but believe me it is. The captain also said that the roll of 8 degrees was a lot for a ship of this type and we are just pleased he told us that afterwards. The restaurant had lost about 800 plates and almost 300 pieces of glassware. Furthermore, the Sun Princess which was in Dunedin yesterday and supposed to sail last night could not get out of port because of the high seas and did not leave until early this morning. Anyway, it has been an experience, just one neither of us would like to repeat and it was a pleasure to get on dry land today.
Now for today; the wind was cold, the temperature about 8 degrees and we had several showers of sleet, but when the sun shone it was quite warm. We went into Dunedin. The coach journey took about 20 minutes and our first view of New Zealand was green and lots of sheep! Dunedin is a bustling university city located at the head of the long, narrow and wonderfully picturesque Otago Harbour. It is the 2nd largest city in the South Island with a population of around 100,000 people. Plans for the town were drawn up in England without regard to the actual topography of the land and as a result many of the streets in the city go straight up very steep hills. Dunedin actually boasts the steepest street in the world as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. I would hate to drive here in the winter when the roads are icy. I would imagine it is a nightmare.
We had nothing planned so took an hour long guided bus tour round the city. The centre has 1 main street (with streets off), but seems well covered with 'cheapie' shops to well-known branded ones. The tour ended at the Railway Station which is a most impressive building with a floor laid with Royal Doulton tiles. There is only one problem though, there are no trains!!! Apart from goods trains there have been no passenger trains for nearly half a century. We then went to look at the Settlers Museum which also housed the Transport Museum and a gallery on Freemasonry. It was all very interesting. Rosalyn would have liked a merino wool jumper, but despite there being more sheep than people here in NZ, the cost was ridiculously high, anything from £75 to £250 so she didn't get one!!!!
Our overall impression in such a short time in Dunedin was one of a small English town – although the Scottish wouldn't like that comment as the first settlers were obviously from Dunedin in Scotland. We couldn't hope to do the place justice and can only say that having listened to other people who did the various ship excursions that there is plenty to see.
Just an update on last night, the Captain told us it was a gale that we came through and at times the ship was rolling through about 8 degrees which does not sound a lot, but believe me it is. The captain also said that the roll of 8 degrees was a lot for a ship of this type and we are just pleased he told us that afterwards. The restaurant had lost about 800 plates and almost 300 pieces of glassware. Furthermore, the Sun Princess which was in Dunedin yesterday and supposed to sail last night could not get out of port because of the high seas and did not leave until early this morning. Anyway, it has been an experience, just one neither of us would like to repeat and it was a pleasure to get on dry land today.
Now for today; the wind was cold, the temperature about 8 degrees and we had several showers of sleet, but when the sun shone it was quite warm. We went into Dunedin. The coach journey took about 20 minutes and our first view of New Zealand was green and lots of sheep! Dunedin is a bustling university city located at the head of the long, narrow and wonderfully picturesque Otago Harbour. It is the 2nd largest city in the South Island with a population of around 100,000 people. Plans for the town were drawn up in England without regard to the actual topography of the land and as a result many of the streets in the city go straight up very steep hills. Dunedin actually boasts the steepest street in the world as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. I would hate to drive here in the winter when the roads are icy. I would imagine it is a nightmare.
We had nothing planned so took an hour long guided bus tour round the city. The centre has 1 main street (with streets off), but seems well covered with 'cheapie' shops to well-known branded ones. The tour ended at the Railway Station which is a most impressive building with a floor laid with Royal Doulton tiles. There is only one problem though, there are no trains!!! Apart from goods trains there have been no passenger trains for nearly half a century. We then went to look at the Settlers Museum which also housed the Transport Museum and a gallery on Freemasonry. It was all very interesting. Rosalyn would have liked a merino wool jumper, but despite there being more sheep than people here in NZ, the cost was ridiculously high, anything from £75 to £250 so she didn't get one!!!!
Our overall impression in such a short time in Dunedin was one of a small English town – although the Scottish wouldn't like that comment as the first settlers were obviously from Dunedin in Scotland. We couldn't hope to do the place justice and can only say that having listened to other people who did the various ship excursions that there is plenty to see.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
