HUATULCO

First view of the bay from our balcony at 0700

Part of the beach where we spent the day

Following the success of Cancun, the Mexican Government looked for an equivalent resort on the Pacific coast, the result was Huatulco, based around 9 bays and 22 miles of stunning beaches.

Huatulco Bays are located at the foothills of the Southern Sierra Madre Mountains in the beautiful state of Oaxaca.  It is 513 kilometres south, down the Mexican coast from Acapulco.

What a pretty little place, and so unexpected to find such a lovely beach a minute’s walk from the ship.

The temperature was 25c at 0700 and forecast to be 34c by the afternoon.

After an early breakfast we walked around the little town, which took all of half an hour, then back to the ship to change so we could have a swim and spend some time on the beach.

The water was beautifully warm and the beach was backed by little restaurants serving drinks and meals.  We decided to have a drink, a local beer and a Margarita for me.  Very refreshing!  It didn’t take much thought to decide to have lunch by the beach instead of the ship, so another Margarita joined a white wine to accompany our fish lunch, which was delicious.

We got back onto the ship around 1630 ready for an 1800 departure, but unfortunately a passenger was taken ill and he had to be taken off the ship into a waiting ambulance.  He gave us all a wave from the stretcher so hopefully he will recover soon.

We are now at sea for two days, ready for our transit of the Panama Canal.

FIFTH AND FINAL LEG : ACAPULCO TO SOUTHAMPTON

Part of Acapulco beach

Catch of the day!

View from Aurora on leaving Acapulco

We arrived into Acapulco in glorious sunshine and that remained throughout the day with temperatures around 30c.  That’s more like it! 

Because we had been to Acapulco before, we chose this time to take a long walk along the front, stopping off for a refreshing beer  - or two!

We went back to the ship for lunch and off again in the afternoon for another walk, this time along the beachfront the other way.

We left Acapulco at 1800 for a short trip down the coast to Huatulco.

SAN FRANCISCO : END OF 4TH LEG

What a disappointment that for the first time on this long voyage we had rain all day. In fact the only thing that made it better for us was learning that it hasn’t really stopped raining there for three weeks!

We did venture out, just after breakfast, and immediately found the pavements etc were flooded.  Despite having waterproof jackets on below that trousers/jeans were soaked in minutes, so after 45 minutes we decided to call it a day.

A quick trip to the launderette on board found us in a queue of people trying to get trousers and jackets into tumble driers before they were going out again!

So, not many photographs I’m afraid.  The first one shows the view from our balcony and you can just make out the bridge in the distance. The other two were taken on our departure at 1800 when yes, you can guess, the sun shone briefly.  Alcatraz is the second photo and finally the bridge, as we sailed beneath.

Time is simply flying by now and our next stop will be Acapulco.  The temperature in San Francisco was 8c but we understand it will be around 30c in Acapulco.  That’s more like it!

HONOLULU

The Buddhist Temple

Wooden Buddha

Green sea turtles, with people shown for scale

Something different, bark of eucalyptus tree

Despite rain on our arrival into Honolulu the weather did clear to be mainly bright, fairly warm with some showers.

We were booked onto a tour entitled “Oahu’s Famous North Shore” which started with a drive over the Ko’olau Mountains to the Valley of the Temples, location of the stunning Byodo Temple.  This beautiful Buddhist temple is a replica of the 900 year old Byodo-In located in Uji, Japan.  Inside the temple is the largest wooden Buddha carved over 900 years ago and decorated with gold and lacquer.

From the temple we went to Sunset Beach, famous for its huge waves, but unfortunately these waves usually only occur in the winter season, so the sea was fairly flat.

From there we went to Turtle Beach where we were lucky enough to see three of the rare green sea turtles resting on the sand.  They are called green sea turtles because although now protected, they were hunted for food and when they were cut open their body fat was green – they live on a diet of only seaweed.

From there our final stop was to the Dole Pineapple Plantation where you can buy pineapple in all its forms, from ice cream to chocolates to spices.

Honolulu is a lovely place and because there is so much to do and see, one of only a few places we would like to visit again for a holiday. 

At sea now on our way to San Francisco which is the end of the fourth leg.  It is so hard to imagine that in just over three weeks we will be home!

Our clocks go back at 12 noon today (Monday) which will make us GMT -9 and this will continue for the next 2 days so on arrival there we will be GMT -7.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Yes, that rain cloud did come our way!

The local council offices!

Christmas Island, or Kiritimati as the locals know it was our port of call yesterday, and quite an adventure it was too!

The height of this island is only 10 feet above sea level so although it was in the path of the last tsunami, thankfully for them not enough wave height to do any damage.  They are afraid though, that a really big wave will wipe the island out.

The first tenders left just after 0900 with their 100 passengers and on their return, some hour or so later, they were immediately hoisted back onto the ship – the tenders that is, not the passengers! It seems that the journey from ship to shore was in extremely shallow water and both tenders had “bottomed out” on the coral below.  Not good for the coral and definitely not good for the tenders.

After inspection they were returned to duty later, but the ship could then only safely carry 20 passengers ashore and they had issued over 1,000 tickets. Logistically that meant our chances of getting ashore were very slim, but around lunchtime the number was increased to 39 passengers because it was high tide – the only difference between high and low tide is 3 foot! 

I have included some photos but please don’t rush down to the nearest travel agents to book a cruise there!  We were there only 25 minutes, just enough time to photograph the children dancing and a quick walk up the road.  Sanitation arrangements, like their housing is extremely basic – and smelly! However, they are very happy and smiley people and seemed genuinely pleased to see us as not many cruise ships stop there.  I wonder why!

The water looked very inviting, but we had been warned there were tiger sharks and interesting to note there were no locals in the water either.

So, Honolulu next stop, a place we haven’t been to before, so we are very much looking forward our visit. 

APIA, SAMOA

Frangipane, botanic gardens

Our lobster lunch at Aggie Greys

Tsunami

For anyone reading this blog who might have been a little concerned about our welfare during the tragic events of the last few days in Japan, especially with regard to the first tsunami, the ship was ‘hit’ around 0500.  P&O Southampton were monitoring the situation, but we were north east of New Zealand, closer to the tsunami, but were advised our position in the ocean was the safest anywhere.

Our next stop, Western Samoa, was also hit by the tsunami but thankfully with no loss of life.

Our arrival into Apia, capital of Samoa, located on the northern coast of Upolu island, was very damp, with tremendous squalls and dark grey skies.  As were had a tour booked, it didn’t look promising but our rain dances must have worked because by the time we got off the ship at 0845 the skies were clearing, mosquitoes were out in force and the sun shone.

It was a pleasant tour that ended with a visit to private botanic gardens, which were absolutely beautiful.  Our arrival was greeted with a selection of tropical fruits and the choice of coconut ‘juice’ still in its original container!  It was very refreshing but there was such a lot of it!

Following the tour we wanted a walk and made our way to Aggie Greys, a very famous hotel which seems to be frequented by ‘celebrities’ and royals.  We looked at their lunch menu and decided to stay for a local beer and a lunch of lobster, and very good it was too.

The ship sailed at 1700 for our next port of call, Christmas Island – which is not to be confused with the Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.  More of that in my next blog.

P.S. Because we had March 12 x 2, we are now GMT -10!

AUCKLAND, CITY OF SAILS

We arrived in Auckland early – around 0700 – again to miss the ferry traffic.  The weather was beautiful but we had to be off the ship by 0840 to find the dentist for my 0910 appointment.  An hour in the chair, lots of drilling and probing, I came away $300 lighter – about £150!  I will have to see my own dentist after 14 April because the filling is only temporary.  All the work was just to insert antibiotic dressings into the roots!!

Not coming out of the dentists until 1030 we had time for a coffee and a quick lunch on the waterfront before going back to the ship for a visit to three wineries!  The first winery was Soljans, a winery that unfortunately doesn’t export to the UK but the wines, port and champagne were excellent.  In fact we bought a bottle of champagne to share with the other couple on our table who were married in the same year and the same date as us!

The next winery was Nobilo, with a larger number of tastings!  After that it was Coopers Creek where he had lined up around 15 wines that we could taste.  We gave up after a couple of tastings at the last winery because after you have tasted around half a dozen, then apart from the colour, the individual taste etc is very difficult to discern.  Very enjoyable though and a very happy coach load of passengers embarked Aurora to sail for Apia, Western Samoa!

Just had the 12 noon briefing on and it seems we are set for a few more rough seas.  The ship is pitching about at the moment, but the sun is trying to shine through and the majority of us are used to the movement now.

You may remember in one of my previous posts I told you about going to bed on a Monday night and waking up the next day and it was Wednesday?  Well, we’ve gone the other way now, and we have two Saturdays, 12 March!

The ports are going down very quickly now and we have under five weeks left before we return to Southampton!

Will post another blog after Apia.

P.S.  Is this blog still on a white background?  All I can see on my laptop is blue which makes it very difficult to read.

TAURANGA

What another beautiful day, and much warmer.  As I write this at 1600 the temperature is 22c.

We took the shuttle bus into Tauranga town at 0930, and what a pretty place it is.  Kept my hands in my pockets because there were really wonderful kitchen shops – even better than Lakeland! – and I was sure I could find something that I needed!  But I didn’t buy anything – keeping money ready for the trip to the dentist in Auckland tomorrow morning, as not sure what he is going to do.

We decided we would go to a winery for a tasting and lunch, and joined up with a couple from the cabin next door to share the taxi.  Very good tasting, and an excellent lunch, with plenty to drink of course!  We came away having bought 6 bottles of wine, so will now have to find out how much we can take back into the UK, otherwise we have some drinking to do!

A couple of photos, one of the street where we had a coffee and the other of a very large stingray which was just cruising around at the very edge of the marina.  He must have been some 3-4ft across, so glad I wasn’t swimming!

Will post tomorrow after we have left Auckland.

NAPIER

We cruised into Napier around 0800 to blue skies and the temperature a little warmer at 15c. 

Because of an earthquake in 1931 measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, Napier was rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the time.  It is also New Zealand’s oldest wine growing region owing to its superb Mediterranean climate.  No vineyard visits for us today, but we decided to follow Napier’s famous Art Deco Walk which was extremely interesting.

Unfortunately an abscess under a tooth necessitated the finding of a dentist in Napier who could prescribe some antibiotics for me.  This was done and the ship’s Reception are hopefully getting another appointment for me in Auckland to get it properly checked. 

We are sailing today at 1700 although goodness knows why as our next stop is Tauranga, a port which has to be under 100 miles away.  We all reckon we’ll be going round in circles during the night!

So you know our next port, and hopefully another post after that; we are also hoping for some warmer weather, which we should get around Auckland on Thursday.

WELLINGTON

The 'beehive', parliament building

We arrived in Wellington at 0900 on Monday 7 March; skies were overcast and the temperature still only 10c.  After breakfast we left to do some exploring, making first for the cable car that would take us up to the Botanical Gardens.  From there we planned to walk back down and look at the Beehive – the parliament building – and find the oldest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere (and third oldest in the world).  These photos are included in this blog.

After that it was lunchtime and after purchasing some jewellery asked where we could find a good – but not too expensive – restaurant for lunch.  The sales girl directed us to a small restaurant called ‘Pravda’ which proved to be excellent.

We had the fish special of the day – New Zealand snapper on risotto with green lipped mussels together with a pear and rocket salad.  A fantastic glass – or two! – of Sauvignon Blanc each rounded off the lunch excellently!

After a final look around the shops we got the shuttle bus back to the ship at 1600 from where I am writing this blog.

In all, an excellent day, and apart from a shower or two, good weather.  At least the sun is shining now and we can catch up with a bit of sunshine on the balcony, as it is our side of the ship – starboard.

Off to Napier tomorrow from where the next blog will come.

SECTOR FOUR - SYDNEY TO SAN FRANCISCO

Milford Sound

The Old Station, Dunedin

MILFORD SOUND & DUNEDIN

Saturday 5 March saw us entering Milford Sound on our way to visit a total of five Sounds, Milford, Thomson, Doubtful, Breaksea and Dusky.  The weather was good although we had had a very rough 24 hours prior to entering the Sounds -  force 8 gales and a swell of 8m and Aurora did a fair bit of dancing around!  We were ok though, again no need of any medication.

The early mist and rain cleared to reveal sunshine for the greatest part of the cruise through, and when the rain came later, I changed to black and white photography!

On Sunday 6 March we docked in Port Chalmers, the port for Dunedin, South Island.  It was very cold, especially having only recently been in temperatures of 35c in Sydney.  It was 8c and forecast to rise to 13c!  Again it was dry and reasonably sunny for our walk around the town centre.  Being a Sunday there weren’t many shops open, but although we had a coffee in McDonalds, the earthquake in Christchurch had taken out a lot of broadband/wifi signals, so had to wait until I got back onto the ship, which is even slower!

The old railway station was wonderful and definitely worth a visit.  Built in the Flemish Renaissance style with a majestic interior of colonnades, balustrades and mosaic paving; with so many people around difficult to photograph, so the outside was all I could manage.

It was a short visit to Dunedin having to be back on the ship by 1430; we are sailing to Wellington (having to miss out Christchurch, of course) and need the extra few hours to reach there.

Will post again tomorrow following our visit to Wellington.

SYDNEY - END OF SECTOR THREE

We arrived in Sydney at 0645 on the 1^st March; it couldn’t be any later because the ferries start running at 0700.  Aurora was berthed in Circular Quay, right in the heart of Sydney.  We were off the ship soon after 0900 as we had been warned the weather would be extremely hot.  It was, 35c by midday!  We have seen so much of Sydney before in our previous visits, but we re-visited all the tourist sites and eventually arrived in Darling Harbour where we were ready for a beer and lunch.

Further walking in the afternoon around the Rocks area and then back to the ship about 1700 to shower and get ready for dinner.  After dinner we walked around to the Opera House which I think makes a more striking photo than in the daytime.

We have now ended our third sector of this voyage, and as I write this we are at sea on our way to New Zealand and it is 1015 on Thursday morning.  I believe yet again we have rough weather ahead of us, but whether this is because of the earth tremor in Wellington yesterday, or just that this is a rough patch of sea, I’m not sure.  Time will tell – or certainly the captain will!

We are cruising in Milford Sound on Saturday, so the next blog will not be until the evening of Sunday 6 March, when we will have visited Dunedin.  We put our clocks forward tonight which will make the time GMT +12.