Saturday, January 25, 2020

New Zealand Day 4 Dunedin


Day 4 Dunedin

John had been looking forward to this day. Overnight the boat had docked in Dunedin. We had breakfast looking out to Port Chalmers and the green hills of the surrounding farms. We were tied up next to the Viking Orion. The grumbling headache was back but having paid $175 for the excursion ticket, I batted away the pain, scoffed some pills and got on with it. After breakfast we went down to the theatre for the briefing and separation into carriage groups. I got talking to a guy from Ballarat and somehow got on to Ginny painting her tiles. He said he had friends who had done the same thing and it had been successful.

To leave the ship we had to go through passport control, but it was quite a circumspect check. Then we walked across the gangplank past an enormous stack of logs apparently destined for paper and cardboard making. We had been allocated to carriage E which was a vintage affair made in the 1930s. Our guide was a cheery volunteer called Prue. As soon as we were seated, there were drinks. We weren’t used to being offered wine and beer at 10.30 in the morning. Then there were snacks and a huge lunch. Of course there was afternoon tea and then a bag of lollies. We were well taken care of.
The 300 plus metre train travelled through the Taieri Gorge. It made its way through the suburbs of Dunedin, across the Wingatui plains and then climbed into the gorge. This gorge went on forever. Dizzying falls appeared on either side of the train track as we travelled along iron bridges and viaducts that were created about 130 years ago. At the bottom of each valley their snaked a tannin stained watercourse. The hills were covered in sheep. God knows how they kept their footing on those steep sided outcrops. The journey was truly impressive.

At the end of the outbound journey we had a brief stop and never missing an opportunity to sell stuff to tourists, a market had been set up under the trees at Pukarangi. We resisted the temptation to buy tatt or to be seduced by a busker on a ukulele and just took a short walk instead. We were encouraged to have a look at the train station and its amazing tile work. Pretty though it was, I think the fuss over the interior was overdone. As John said, when you have seen the mosque in Cordoba, the railway station in Dunedin doesn’t even raise an eyebrow. The trip on the train was a good chance for us to see a bit of inland NZ as most of our journey is around the coast.

By the time we arrived back to Port Chalmers, the weather had become distinctly cooler and it was no fun waiting on the wharf for the passport check and bag x ray before we could return to the boat. After over six hours on the train we were both pretty tired and really couldn’t face a fancy dinner and entertainment. We went up on deck to see the ship pass by the world’s biggest albatross breeding ground, then had a lovely dinner at the Lido. As we sat down to dinner the sky darkened and a mist swept in giving the landscape very wintery look. Johnny had Ling and I went for the angus beef roast. I asked the server if I could have it well done and instantly it was returned to the kitchen and brought out just as I wanted it. Now that’s service.

All we both wanted to do, was crawl into our jammies and cuddle up under the covers. I don’t care who is singing out her heart in the Britannia room. Bed is BEST, especially when you have a British comedy on the TV and chocolates and port to go with it.




















New Zealand Day 3 sailing to Fiordland


Day 3 sailing to Fiordland

We had our clothes already laid out when the alarm rang at 6am. The early rise was so we could catch the ship entering Milford Sound. Curiously, captain Cook made two voyages to the area and missed the sound on both occasions. The entry to the sound can seem well hidden. Our first of the glaciers and peaks was at sunrise and in the distance the land mass seemed to be a distant greyish cloud. We walked around the decks to find the best vantage point and opted for one of the higher decks. At first we seemed to be part of only a handful of passengers interested in the sight, but one after the other they emerged and crowded near the rails.

As the ship passed into the sound, the hills changed from grey shapes to densely forested sheer surfaces. The Queen Elizabeth is a massive ship but we were dwarfed by the fjords al around us. A pilot boat had delivered a ranger to the boat and throughout the day we were treated to a wonderful running commentary on the history, geography and wildlife of the region. At some stages f the journey the ship seemed to only have 20 metres of spaces on either side as it glided deep into the sound, before turning and working its way back out and south along the coast. With coffee and hot chocolate in hand we watched some gloriously impressive jagged mountain ranges slip by. The fjords stretched along for many kilometres. Hungry after a couple of hours of sightseeing we went back to the Lido for breakfast.

We had brilliant, clear, sunny weather for this part of the journey and soon the long trousers and puffa jackets had to be shed. There was a bit of a mad search in the cupboards as I thought that I may have culled too hard and left the shorts out of the luggage, but no, they were hiding in the back. We changed into shorts and caps and returned to the top decks as the ship made its way in and out several other sounds and from west to east along the south coast of NZ. Glorious as the landscape was, I found myself snoozing and reading Untold Stories by Alan Bennett. I couldn’t help but think how we would have loved to bring my mum on a trip like this. She would have loved the sights, the food, the dancing, the mingling. How sad that at a time of her life when all this was within reach, she dies so suddenly.

We had done a lot of sitting down on day 3 so a few laps of the deck were needed to get our 10,000 steps in and there was just enough time to get them in before dinner. We were back in the Tasman Sea by this time and the sea has lost the green tinge it had along the coast and put on a very deep blue. The last of the sun was a golden yellow and the sky a crisp blue.

Dinner was in the Lido as I really wanted to try the carvery. While I got a very nice cut of pork, Johnny’s was a bit disappointing. We sat next to a Lebanese couple that had moved from their house of 30 years to Narre Warren. They’d had a hell of a year with their son dying after an accident, Malike suffering a heart attack, his mum dying suddenly from a thrombosis and then a second heart attach for Malike. They decided they’d had enough warnings, threw in the towel and had a complete life change.

We thought we would get along to the theatre after dinner as there was a musical performance. We were shocked to find that every seat in that 1000 seat theatre was full. We ended up standing at the back. Next time, we’ll arrive earlier.































New Zealand Day 2 At sea


Day 2 at sea

The day began well with an early start and into our exercise gear. We dd 5000 steps around deck 3 and were surprised that there were only a handful of others taking in the opportunity for some exercise. On one of the turns around the deck we caught sight of a pod of dolphins that were keeping us company. Overnight, we had made our way deep into Bass Strait and the sea had developed some swells that sent the ship into a rocking motion. The movement of the ship was not spectacular, but it kicked off some sea sickness in me. This called a halt to the walk and when we got back to the cabin, all i wanted to do was to lie down. Johnny went up to the Lido for breakfast but I lay in bed and could only face a sweet roll that Johnny brought back for me. Johnny tracked down dome sea sickness pills and I started on them. I wasn’t up to much for the rest of the day. I got up for a bit of lunch and then we popped into the big theatre to watch a great move, Green Book. I didn’t want to spoil Johnny’s fun, so we went back to the Lido in time for scones and tea. We were just in time as I overheard an old hand at this sailing lark complaining that this was the first time she had ever seen the kitchen run out of scones. By this time, the room was again starting to spin, so it was back to the cabin for a lie down.

We both decided that the Lido was the best option for dinner as I didn’t feel I could do all the dressing up thing required in the Britannia. We had a lovely dinner and happened to be sitting at the table next to the Captain of the ship and his entourage. They and their partners were all spivved up in the formal gear as it was Gala Night.

After dinner we took a walk around the ship and chanced on the dancing in the Queen’s Lounge. There was a whole big band and glittering couples gliding across the floor. We were certainly not dressed for it, but we found a couple of seats and sat down to watch the show, They were all dances that Johnny and I could have managed...Cha Cha, Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep...In the end we were seduced by the atmosphere and ordered some drinks. Johnny had a Ginny Hendricks and I had a very powerful Irish Coffee. People had planned ahead for this event. The men looked very swish in tuxedos and the women sparked in black and white ball gowns. There was also an appearance by a couple of professional dancers (who Johnny tells me were a lot better than the ham-fisted efforts of the passengers taking dancing lessons earlier in the day, while i was resting in the cabin). It seemed very late when we got back to our cabin.

We woke quite late the next morning as the clocks kept getting put forward as the ship progressed along the great circle route. I took a precautionary travel sickness pill and we ventured out for breakfast. At home i usually skip breakfast but on the ship it was too tempting. We sat next to an older couple, Lorraine and Ray, from out Caroline Springs way and enjoyed their company over breakfast. Then we took a few turns around the deck and got back in time to attend a talk on the Christchurch Earthquake. The presenter, Sir Robert Parker, (who oversaw the aftermath of the earthquakes) was very engaging and at times funny. He was a public servant involved in the recovery effort and his wife was the Mayor at the time. It was really interesting.

The talk finished just in time for lunch.  The lido put on another magnificent and varied spread. There was no point thinking about modest sandwich with all that wonderful variety spread before us. We gave in and enjoyed it, before decamping to the theatre for the showing of Downton Abbey. You could see echoes of that past grandeur in the outfitting of our ship. Everywhere you look there are gleaming surfaces and echoes of art deco glamour. Every activity on board is supervised by an army of smiling “help” there to ensure that you want for nothing.

Dinner was in the Britannia room and again it was very nice. Both John and I has plaice with chips and vegetables. The desserts were warm Bakewell tart and chocolate crème brulee. We decided not to go on to any entertainment afterwards as we planned an early rise for the passage through Milford Sound.













New Zealand Day 1

Leaving Melbourne on the Queen Elizabeth

Day 1
Ginny and Zak arrived bang on time to take us down to station Pier to begin our holiday to New Zealand on the Queen Elizabeth.

It was typical Cunard service as we were checked in and guided to our berth, with our luggage arriving at the room within 10 minutes. A quick change out of our “smart” shoes and we set off to explore the ship. I quickly lost all sense of where we were but thanks to Johnny’s diligence with the map, we guided our way right up to the top deck, taking in a quick game of bowls as we went. We got back just in time for the “muster” where we had a mandatory safety briefing. Waiting for it to start, I got talking to a nice old chap. Believe it or not, he was a Thornbury boy from way back. He attended Hutton St Primary and lived in Collins St. Rob and wife Lynne, spend the summer in box hill and then drive their caravan to QLD when it starts to get cold down south. Not a bad life.

Our first stop was the Lido to get a bit of lunch. I had a delicious creamy fish pie and salad but it should come as no surprise that Johnny opted for afternoon tea with scones topped with jam and cream. It was lovely to get a call from Hamik, who had driven down to the docks to see us off. Too late my friend. We were already on board and tucking into that delicious food.

The entertainment began immediately all the passengers were on board with music and dancing on the massive outdoor deck next to one of the pools. The alcohol was flowing freely. We took our bottle of champagne to another quieter part of the ship and watched the Melbourne coast slip past on the way to the heads and south towards NZ.

Dinner was in The Britannia restaurant. Johnny had booked early so we got or preferred seating, a table for two by the window. We had a lovely dinner and I had a chance to try goose. It had been a big day so I was pleased when we went straight back to the cabin for sleep.