Dusky and Milford Sounds

Sorry not to have posted a blog for a while but we’ve been busy.  Lots of Ports in New Zealand and then perhaps the most spectacular cruise through Dusky & Milford Sounds. It was an unusually clear day in a place where it rains at least 193 days of the year.  Ken assures me that we’ve been here before but I am certain he is wrong.  I would have remembered something so amazing!!  I think he is mixing it up with our Saguenay trip which was almost as breathtaking!!  And we all know who has the better memory don’t we??

We have seen a lot of New Zealand on this journey and it is truly a beautiful country.  Rugged mountains meeting the sea and clean, modern cities like Wellington where the downtown is built primarily on landfill with houses perched on the side of green mountains that surround it.

Mike and Linda hosted a lovely garden party for some of the crew and a few passengers at the Picton Yacht Club.  It was perfect weather, lovely music, great food and drinks and we were delighted to be included.  A good time was had by all.  Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera to the party!

We have spent the last two days crossing the Tasman Sea and it never fails to provide an uncomfortable passage.  As I write this, I am in our suite trying to type as the ship rolls through swells as high as 80 feet.  Makes manoeuvring around the ship quite treacherous!  The Captain has ordered that nobody is to be on the open decks.  Ken went to the library about two hours ago and hasn’t made it back yet.  But knowing him, he’s probably busy chatting with people in one of the bars.

It is already Valentine’s Day here and I suspect there may be a small numbers in the dining rooms tonight.  We’ll dock in Burnie, Australia much later and at least sleep will be easier while we are tied to land.

After Burnie, our next port will be Melbourne.  Two days there and then the task of beginning to pack for our return home from Sydney.  We’ll be overnight there before we head to the airport for the long plane journey to Toronto via Dubai!!

It’s been a lovely cruise with many old friends and new.  Hard to believe it’s almost over.  I have been monitoring the weather at home and must say I am not looking forward to getting back to the cold!!  But life goes on and all good things must come to an end.

I’ll probably do one more post and then it’s back to reality!!!  Thanks for following along.

D & K
P.S.  These photos are from Dusky and Milford Sounds.
P.P.S.  Go Canada at the Olympics!!!

Coming to Kiwiland

Today we are in Auckland, New Zealand.  This comes after a visit to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Nuku’alofa in Tonga and Bay of Islands, N.Z. with a few  “at sea” days in between.

We’ve experienced mostly good weather but as they say, “into everyone's life,  a little rain must fall” and there is a reason why this part of the world is so green!  Two days of heavy downpour with occasional short storms but it hasn’t dampened our spirits or good times.

Lots of fun evenings including a Polynesia night where everyone was encouraged to dress appropriately,  including the crew.  The dining room was decorated with banana leaves and flowers and it was hilarious to see some of costumes people showed up in.  I think I’ve sent some photos of that night.

We crossed the International Date Line and lost a whole day so I am totally confused about dates and time zones now.

Yesterday in Bay of Islands we had a short visit with our very first Silversea Captain from the World Cruise in 2007.  Captain Chiesa retired after that journey (and no, it wasn't anything we did) and lives in New Zealand half the year and Italy the other half.   His wife Laura who was also on that cruise joined him and we had some time to reminisce about  the highlights of that journey  10 years ago.  We saw him five years ago in Italy but since then,  he has had some health issues and doesn't look as fit as he once did.  But I suppose that comment could apply to all of us!!

Tomorrow some of our passengers will disembark and newbies will arrive.   It’s always fun to look for old friends from our perch at the pool bar.

We monitor the weather back home and someone just wrote to say that Wiarton Willy predicts another six weeks of cold.    Not looking forward to that!!

Stay warm and be well.

D & K