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World Cruise

a travel blog by edoyle

I'm starting a blog so I won't be inundating your inboxes with e-mails.You can follow my travels,if you like,at will.
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New Zealand

Tauranga, New Zealand

Beautiful drive to see a geyser which erupts every day at 10:15am with a little help from a friend.The geyser has 2 chambers,boiling water in the lower and cooler in the upper which acts as a lid.A park Ranger throws in an eco friendly detergent which decreases the surface tension of the cooler water allowing the boiling water to erupt,which it does to about 30m.The temp.is 300 degrees Celsius.
Rotorua has hot mud pools and we walked around.These are much larger than I expected.
Quite a smell of sulphur everywhere.It was all very impressive.
We then took a Gondola up a Mountain for a buffet lunch and a show by several Maoris

Hot pool

The ship then sailed to Milford Sound going between the North and South Islands.
This a beautiful area.We sailed up the fjiord and saw 2 waterfalls.Pleasure ships sail up and down.I took pictures which I'll try to get reduced and post.
One day at sea and then Wellington

permalink written by  edoyle on February 10, 2011 from Tauranga, New Zealand
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The capital,Wellington

Wellington, New Zealand

Lovely city,many hills.Many houses are built on the side of the Mountain with lovely views of the bay.Access is by steep steps and appliances have to be brought in by helicopter.
Went on a pub tour,4 different pubs trying a different beer in each one.Had a very refreshing lemon-lime beer in one pub but could only manage a sip in the others.
A couple of us sat at a table with a man who looked like someone out of an old painting of a grizzled pioneer.He wore a knit cap,had missing teeth and had a huge bushy beard and we couldn't understand a word he said.He was happy to let me take his picture.He and his mate had the day off,Saturday,and his mate was outside smoking.

permalink written by  edoyle on February 12, 2011 from Wellington, New Zealand
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Wellington,the capital

Wellington, New Zealand

Arrived in the capital,weather pleasant,able to wear short sleeves.Went on a pub tour,4 very different pubs.I tried a lemon-lime beer in one which was very pleasant.I could just have a sip in the other pubs,trying a different beer in each one.
A couple of us spoke to a man at a table where we sat.He was on his second pitcher.He wore a knit cap,missing teeth and a huge bushy beard.He looked like a picture of a grizzled pioneer.He was happy to let me take a picture of him.



permalink written by  edoyle on February 12, 2011 from Wellington, New Zealand
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Christchurch

Christchurch, New Zealand

Docked in Lyttelton for Christchurch,the most English city in NZ.The Canterbury Assoc.was formed in 1849 to found a Church of England colony in NZ.Space was limited by the sea and Mountain in Lyttelton so the settlers went over the Mountain and built Christchurch on the Canterbury Plain.It is a lovely city with the Avon river running through it.The river was not named for the well known river in England but for the one in Scotland.
Punters are common on the river.There is a beautiful botanical garden,in which I had spent hours some years ago,so I took en excursion to the Intl.Antarctic Ctr.
We saw injured penguins being cared for and rode on a Hagglund All-Terrain Snowmobile,a tracked 16 person vehicle used in the Antarctic by both the US and NZ
We went up and down hill simulating craters and finally through water.Quite a hairraising ride!
We were driven through the city again on our way back to the ship.
Many buildings were damaged by the Sept.eartquake. the magnificent cathedral with its impressive spire had scaffolding around it and was considered unsafe to visit.

permalink written by  edoyle on February 13, 2011 from Christchurch, New Zealand
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Dunedin

Dunedin, New Zealand

Mon.14th Dunedin is considered to be the Scottish city of NZ.Somewhat hilly and clean as are all the cities we've seen in NZ.There is a very nice shopping area which I had seen before but didn't visit again,all prices are very high.Most edibles and clothes cost more than in the US.
I went on a wildlife safari which was quite rugged.It was a drive of 1 1/2hrs to Nature's Wonders.We were given green oilskin jackets and got into all wheel drive vehicles with 8 wheels,4in the back and 2 up front with the driver.The terrain was muddy from the recent rains,hence the jackets.
We went to a fur seal colony and saw adorable baby seals.We then drove to a yellow-eyed seal colony.They are extremely rare so no one is allowed near.I saw 2 blobs on the sand,one of which moved,so I assume it was a Penguin.
The drive back was lovely along the water.

permalink written by  edoyle on February 14, 2011 from Dunedin, New Zealand
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Milford Sound

Milford Sound, New Zealand


waterfall in Milford Sound

Milford Sound
Tue.15th At sea.We went around the tip of the South Island to Dusky Fjord,Doubtful Fjord and Milford Sound.In 1986 UNESCO bestowed World Heritage status on this region.
We saw Sheer cliffs,snow capped peaks in the distance and a Waterfall at each end of the Sound.Sightseeing boats ply the banks.
The wind was just strong enough to cover the water with whitecaps.I took pictures of the bigger Waterfall from my balcony and the ship was sending ribbons of white from its side.
Tomorrow is another day at sea and then Tasmania.

permalink written by  edoyle on February 15, 2011 from Milford Sound, New Zealand
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Tasmania

Hobart, Australia

Fri.18th We arrived last evening at 7:30,earlier than expected.Immigration officials came on board and we all had to go to the main lounge for clearance and a stamp.Our table was lucky,we went between the main course and dessert.
Went on an oyster and wine tour.On the way we were driven up to view the city and our ship.
Went to Barilla Bay to an oyster farm.The water is pristine here.They begin with baby oysters the size of the tip of a pencil eraser,put them in mesh baskets and feed them special algae.As they grow they are moved to larger containers with larger holes and the water washing over them supplies food.During this time,about 18 mos. they are collected,mud washed off briefly,weighed and put back in the sea.Those that are not growing or are sick are kept out.We were given 2 oysters each with either a plum sauce or hot sauce.They were very good,I had one each of the sauces.

We then went to a winery where the upstairs floor was carved with the history of the winery and with faces and fruits.All of this made the floor uneven and we were warned to beware.Avery interesting visit.


permalink written by  edoyle on February 18, 2011 from Hobart, Australia
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At sea on way to Melbourne

Hobart, Australia

The sea is rough today.The top two decks are closed.The captain is trying to get to Melbourne by midnight to get out of the storm.We'll be safe in the bay.

permalink written by  edoyle on February 19, 2011 from Hobart, Australia
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Still Fr.Polynesia

Papeete, French Polynesia

[!--RETRO--> Arrived in Papeete,capital of Tahiti,the largest island in French Polynesia.It is a self-governing Fr.region.I took a tour called "In Paul Gauguin's Footsteps"We visited the Gauguin museum,4 buildings in a square where one walks in the open to each one.All the original art is locked away because of the heat and humidity,we saw replicas.We also saw the House he built himself and in which he lived for many years,in the museum.It was a small 2-storey wooden shack.He lived downstairs and he had a studio upstairs which equalled the entire downstairs.
Local dancers performed onboard that night.

Polynesian dancers on board Voyager

permalink written by  edoyle on February 20, 2011 from Papeete, French Polynesia
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Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia

Docked in Melbourne.Lovely city,considered the cultural centre of Australia.The river Yarra
runs through it,dividing it into north and south banks.The old part of the city has wrought
iron balconies,reminiscent of New Orleans.Ships carried iron ballast and sold it cheaply when loaded with provisions to return to England.
Went up Eureka Tower,88 storeys,good view of the city.Windows all around much like the Dominion Tower in Toronto which is taller.
We remained docked for two days and I went on a safari to see kangaroos and koalas in the wild.A group of kangaroos is called a mob and we couldn't get close enough to the first mob to see much even with binoculars.We did get closer to the second mob and saw a joey feeding from outside the pouch while a younger joey was inside.Apparently when the mother mates she can put conception on hold if conditions are not right,or having conceived she can put development on hold.When a joey is born he finds his way to the pouch and latches on to a teat and that is his to come back to until his mother thinks he is too big when she tightens a muscle so he can't even get his head in.While she is still nursing she can have another joey and that teat will have richer milk,so she is supplying 2 kinds of milk at the same time.This is so amazing.
We had lunch in a tent and were entertained by an aborigine playing a didgeridoo.It is rather like an alphorn.After lunch we were unable to see any koalas

Aborigine playing a didgeridoo

permalink written by  edoyle on February 20, 2011 from Melbourne, Australia
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