South Island's French Port

January 28, 2013 at anchor Akaroa, New Zealand – Where the Passengers Outnumber the Locals

J had just started his morning walk when the Silver Whisper passed the heads of Akaroa harbor; then we began a one-hour transit up the “Long Harbor,” as it was called by the Maoris.  The ship anchored off the village of Akaroa at 8:00am, joining two other cruise ships in the harbor.  Akaroa is a village of about 500 full-time residents and normally, another 500 tourists in the summer season.  It was about to be invaded by approximately 3,000 cruise-ship passengers, mostly from a 2,000 plus Princess cruise ship.  Disaster in the making!

Sunrise over the Heads, Akaroa Harbor

The Banks Peninsula forms the left head.

Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here

Just what you always wanted to attend -- a cruise ship convention.

Use of Akaroa as a cruise-ship port was caused by the Christchurch earthquakes, which have made Christchurch’s port, Littleton, unusable.  The story that we were told:  the seafloor on the north side of the Banks peninsula rose during the earthquake, making the port too shallow for large-draft vessels.  Also, Christchurch is reportedly not “ready” to accept tourists.  Consequently, Akaroa is the only substitute port for cruise ships on the South Island’s east coast, north of Port Chalmers (Dunedin).

The village of Akaroa has an interesting history.  It was originally settled by French colonists in 1840.  The French wanted to establish a presence in New Zealand to balance the growing British influence in the southwest Pacific.  However, belatedly, they landed colonists at Akaroa just after the British had claimed sovereignty of all New Zealand and signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the Maori.  Those French colonists remained and were gradually assimilated with British settlers.  Today, most of the “Frenchness” of Akaroa is nothing more than a tourist hook.

Finishing breakfast, we prepared ourselves for the tender ride into the Akaroa pier.  We had been warned by Fernando, the cruise director, that there might be some “congestion” at the pier.  Theoretically, the long tender run into the pier takes about 30 minutes.  With congestion, it was about 45 minutes before we were “feet dry” on the pier.  There were tourists everywhere.  It was like a plague of locusts!

Relocated Akaroa Lighthouse from 1879

This peaceful scene will shortly turn to passenger chaos!

Slogging our way through the mass of passengers on the pier, we finally made Akaroa’s main street, Beach Road, and began our walk.  It was like facing the sidewalks of mid-town Manhattan, so we took the first side street and found that Akaroa without cruise-ship passengers was a quaint village with a number of interesting public buildings and private homes.  Many houses were B&B’s, home stays, or specialty shops.

Houses

Quaint houses, now home stays, B&Bs, or specialty shops.

Civic and Commercial Buildings

Dating back to the 19^th Century, many are still in use.

Sometimes, walking gives you access to little tableaus that are worth reporting:

The following sign was seen at a local al fresco restaurant:

OK, As Long As It Is ONLY Food

Question:  Is admitting the possibility of food theft a good marketing strategy?

Just across the street on the beach was this hungry-looking flock.

Call the Cops!  We have found the food thieves.

Question:  Does your lunch take precedent over survival of the species?

By 1:00pm, most of the cruise-ship passengers had disappeared, either into the local food factories or back to their ships – floating food factories.   Meandering at a leisurely pace along the beach front was a relaxing change.  Not once were we subjected to shoving by an overweight American woman, who just had to have that refrigerator magnet.

Where Have All the Passengers Gone?

To find the passengers, follow the trail of food particles, if you can get to them before the birds.

After watching another game of tender congestion at the pier, we boarded the Silver Whisper’s tender for the 30-minute run back to the ship.  On board, it was lunch on the pool deck, reading, cards, and afternoon nap before trivia.  Note:  no birds joined us for lunch.  We guess that they don’t like “seafood.”  At 6:00pm, the ship upped anchor and set course for Port Chalmers.  We all gave a sigh of relief as the other two cruise ships set course in the opposite direction toward the North Island.  Are there more refrigerator magnets in that direction?

Wellington & Te Papa Tongarewa

January 27, 2013 in port Wellington, New Zealand – Welcome to Hobbit Land

Silver Shadow docked at Aotea Quay, Port Nicholson (Wellington’s harbor) at 8:00am and caught the 10am shuttle into Brandon Street and Lambton Quay in the Wellington downtown.  Our plan was to visit recently-completed Te Papa Tongarewa – Museum of New Zealand which was in walking distance along the Wellington waterfront.

Wellington, New Zealand and Aotea Quay from Port Nicholson Harbor

Horror of horrors!  Another cruise ship in port!

The sun was shining and making it a wonderful Sunday for an outing.  Large numbers of people were  strolling along the waterfront, or participating in numerous tourist activities – jet skis, sailing, and high diving.  (New Zealanders are an adventuresome lot, with a taste for things like bungee jumping and other suicide-oriented endeavors.)   The waterfront area is under redevelopment, with old go-downs being converted to other uses – art centers.  Some older buildings have been torn down, but buildings of historical, architectural and/or cultural significance are being rehabilitated or maintained.  Wellington has been the capital of New Zealand since 1895.  The lynch pin of this revitalization is the Te Papa Tongarewa – Museum of New Zealand, whose collections are housed in a recently-completed, extremely impressive, modern building

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Converted and Restored Buildings

Buildings of these types make the waterfront area very attractive.

Entrance to Te Papa Tongarewa – Museum of New Zealand

New Zealand’s equivalent of the Smithsonian Institution.

On entering the Te Papa, the local vernacular for the museum, you are greeted by a volunteer.  The volunteer immediately explains that the museum is free of charge, except for traveling special exhibits.  And, that its four-plus floors of exhibits contain natural history, ethnography, historical, and fine art collections.  Needless to say, the museum is huge and cannot be viewed in a single visit.  It houses probably the finest collection of materials on Maori ethnography in the world.  The whole thing is overwhelming, and you must pick a specific collection or part of a collection for viewing.  To consider the alternatives, we went immediately to the coffee shop for a cappuccino.

On the way, we passed a relic of Capt. Cook’s explorations of New Zealand and the Pacific:  A cannon, from the HMS Endeavor, which had to be thrown overboard off New Zealand to free Endeavor from grounding on a reef.  A Capt. Cook Society member, J was fascinated and took MANY pictures of the salvaged cannon.

HMS Endeavor’s Cannon

Maybe five images are a little excessive.

After much debate, we chose to spend most of our time in the museum’s exhibits on immigration to New Zealand.  They traced the history of New Zealand’s European and Asian immigrant population through their artifacts and handicrafts.  The exhibits were extremely well done and illustrated the country’s history from the early 19^th until the late 20^th century.

Te Papa’s Artifacts of History

Maori war canoes, Endeavor’s anchor, and an early air craft – the stuff of history.

After looking at the exhibits for about two hours, we were saturated and could absorb no more.  Stopping in the museum shop on the way out, J found a t-shirt with a New Zealand Stamp on it and immediately purchased it for an exorbitant amount.  Just what he needs -- another overpriced t-shirt.  He justified it as financially “helping” the museum.  Rationalization is wonderful.

Leaving the museum, we walked back through Wellington’s downtown to reach the shuttle bus stop.  Wellington is another city, like Auckland, with a great diversity of architecture, and we enjoyed seeing the city on-foot.  It took us about two hours to get back to the shuttle bus stop, and we were beginning to feel we might have enjoyed the walking a bit too much.

Wellington’s Varied Architecture

It is good to take building photos from the street when there is no traffic.

We caught an early afternoon shuttle back to the ship in time for a late lunch.  The rest of the day was spent recovering for our extensive walking tour of Wellington.  At 5:30pm, just after that important event, “Team Trivia,” we sailed for Akaro, our first port on the South Island of New Zealand.

Port Nicholson (Maori -- Great Harbor of Tara) from Seaward

Goodbye, Wellington; we’re headed for the South Island.

Auckland on Our Own

January 25, 2013 in port Auckland, New Zealand – Hunting the Great Auk

When J went out for his usual 6:45am walk on deck, Silver Whisper was in the process of docking at the Queen’s Wharf in Auckland Harbor.  The ship docked so close to the Central Business District (known quaintly as the CBD) and downtown areas of Auckland that from deck, you seemed to be parked in the city’s center.

View of Auckland from Silver Whisper’s Observation Deck

It was as if you had parked your car to go shopping.

After breakfast, we went ashore and walked to the base of the pier; out through the entrance of the old ferry terminal; and onto Quay Street.  Because of the close proximity of the ship to the major urban attractions, we decided not to take a tour but to explorer on foot on our own.  The area around Auckland harbor was redeveloped for the America’s Cup in 2003 to include facilities for racing yachts and associated activities.  Along Quay Street, paralleling the harbor, this has created an architectural mix of Victorian, Edwardian, and modern, which is rather pleasing in an eclectic way.

 

Auckland Harbor -- Ferry Building, Ferry Piers with Silver Whisper in Background

The Silver Whisper’s bow is lost in mist -- luckily not in rain.

Quay Street Artifacts

The Edwardian street lights, modern statue (Yard Art), and Oriental-style gate, just scream eclectic.

Among all of this street art was a small obelisk commemorating the New Zealand War Dead of WWI who worked for the ferry company prior to the Great War.  The obelisk seemed strangely out of place in this modern concrete jungle.

Obelisk Honoring WWI War Dead

In every town and city in New Zealand, you will find monuments to the war dead of WWI and WWII.

Heading to the small boat harbor, we saw sailing and motor yachts of every type, including Americas Cup yachts, ocean-going, private-motor yachts, and small sail boats.  It is said that Auckland, with its population of 1.1 million, has more pleasure craft per capita than any other city in the world.  Whatever the truth of that statement, there were a great number in the Auckland harbor.

Boats in Auckland Harbor

A small sampling of sailing and motor yachts, plus one ferry.  Note:  America’s Cup catamaran, “Prada.”

It soon became apparent that it would be very difficult to get lost in Auckland, because no matter where you are in the city, all you have to do is look up and you can see the Sky Tower to orient yourself.  The Sky Tower (built in 1996 as part of a casino and hotel complex) is a 1,082-foot TV, cell phone, and advertisement tower that looms over everything else in central Auckland.  In what is essentially a low-rise city, it is not very attractive, unless you are a bungee jumper or free diver.  There is a saying in Auckland that your property’s value increases immediately if you do not have a view of the Sky Tower.

Auckland Sky Tower from the Streets

No matter where you are, the Sky Tower is always with you – sadly.

We continued our walk into the Downtown and CBD districts of the city.  They are filled with well-preserved, late 18^th and early 20^th Century commercial buildings that give the districts a look of permanence that many cities with only modern commercial buildings lack.

Preserved Early Buildings in Auckland

There is a lot to be said for diversity in the urban landscape.

An excellent example is the old Customs Building, which was converted to a shopping mall known locally as an “arcade.”  It  is now the home of a number of high-end retailers, such as Louie Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, etc., etc., etc.-- all under the banner of DFS Galleria, a Hawaiian-based retailer committed to spreading needless mark ups worldwide.

The Old Customs House

The building is now the home of DFS Galleria boutiques, where the mentally-challenged, affluent shop.

Our final stop was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Auckland.  The Cathedral has been recently restored.  Its location within a hill-top park provided an excellent counterpoint to the urbanized  surrounds.  So, this was a good place for a little rest before we began our trek back to the Queen’s Wharf.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

God’s retreat in the heart of Manon.

It was a sunny day -- one of the few we had since leaving LA.  Luckily, walking back to the ship was downhill, alongside buildings that provided shade on at least one side of the street.  On our way back, we met Hotel Director Norm, who immediately took our picture.  (Norm’s hobby is taking pictures, so we humor him.)  However, in retaliation, J took Norm’s picture.  Both are included as part of the quid pro quo of images.

J and E Street-Walking in Auckland

Photo by Norm Rafelson, paparazzi of the Silver Whisper

Norm on the HUNT!

J took this in retaliation.

Returning to the ship, we lunched, napped, and read until about 4:00pm, when the fuel barge (tied up  alongside Silver Whisper to fuel since morning) departed.  We had not fueled since Papette.  And, the car carrier, M/V Eternal Ace, got underway from the pier next to us.  M/V Eternal Ace is a Ro-Ro (Roll on, Roll off) car carrier.  Its descrption from the web is included below.  Needless to say, it dwarfs Siiver Whisper and may be one of the most unusual hulls at sea.  Watching it get underway and leave port was an event worth recording.

Current Data on Eternal Ace from Google

Looks like a very large floating box.

Eternal Ace Leaves Port

It is a lot like herding an elephant with a fly swatter.

In the early evening, we had a performance by Maori dancers, which was (except for the Hakka war dance) a lot like hula. (No surprise there.)  Regretfully J, as is his wont, forgot to take the camera.  About 7:00pm, we sailed for Wellington, New Zealand, our next port-of-call.

Note:  J discovered that the Great Auk (a bird) had nothing to do with Auckland, which was named for Lord Auckland, a functionary in Her Majesty’s government at the time of Auckland’s founding in the 1840s.  He refused to change the title of this section to “Hunting Lord Auckland;” it seemed inappropriate.

January 26, 2013 en route Wellington, New Zealand – Nothing of Consequence to Report.

A typical sea day with the usual activities:  Looking for sea creatures, but none seemed interested in us  (maybe we sounded like a Japanese whaling ship).  There were only the sea, sky, and sun.  Sun was kind of novel.

Sunset off New Zealand

Only the sun, sea and sky to be seen.

Land and Sun at Last

January 24, 2013 anchored in Bay of Islands, New Zealand – Into the Land of the Kiwi

Approaching the Bay of Islands from the northeast, the coast islands and coastline of the far northeast of New Zealand’s North Island gradually emerged from the morning haze.  By 9:00am, we were anchored in the Bay of Islands, and shortly thereafter, tendering operations to Waitangi Wharf had begun.  We had breakfast; waited until the ship’s tours and the “me first” crowd had gone ashore; then went into the wharf and took the shuttle bus into Paihia.

  Bay of Islands, New Zealand -- First Shuttle Returning

  J & E lack the queuing, pushing and shoving skills for the first shuttle.

Waitangi is the site where (in 1840) the Maori chiefs signed an agreement, the Treaty of Waitangi, with the British Crown placing New Zealand under British rule and opening the country to British settlement.  The Treaty House, now a museum, is part of the surrounding Waitangi National Trust Estate that also includes a Maori cultural center, meeting house, and war canoe.  Because we had visited Waitangi on a 2007 trip, we decided to skip the site and went directly to Paihia.

Waitangi National Trust Estate from Seaward

How imperialism works:  Maoris give land.  Gracious Queen gets land. Maoris get screwed!

Paihia is a coastal resort town which is the transport hub and tourism center for the Bay of Islands.  After arriving, we communed with an ATM machine for local currency, and walked around the local shopping center looking for a bank to trade some old New Zealand money for the latest types of notes and coins.  Regretfully, some of the coins J had squirreled away had become demonetized and were worthless.  (This may speak to the limits of burying cans of money in the back garden, whatever the currency.)  We also went to a local artisan’s art-glass store, where J bought a glass paperweight with an embedded kiwi bird design. (It now resides on the desk in the suite and holds down the numerous pieces of paper involved in preparing these blog posts.)

Russell, New Zealand from Ferry Wharf

Welcome to “The Hell Hole of the Pacific.”  Sanitized for tourists, and now rated “G.”

After snooping around several souvenir shops, we walked down Paihia wharf and purchased a round- trip ticket for the ferry to Russell.  Russell, known in the late 18^th and early 19^th Centuries as Kororareka by the Maori and original settlers, was the site of an early European whaling port.  Because of the collection of whalers, deserting seamen, traders, missionaries and settlers, Russell soon became known as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific,” a southern hemisphere equivalent of Lahina, Maui during the same period.  Of course, there was the ensuing tug-of-war between the godly town’s people and the ungodly sailors.  The godly, as they usually do, won.  They organized the Kororareka Association, the local vigilante committee, and it could fight better sober than the sailors could, drunk.  A sad tale but true.  Russell became the capital of New Zealand from 1840 until 1841, when the capital moved to Auckland.  The town’s fortunes varied after 1845, when it was sacked by the Maori.  Because many of the 19^th Century buildings have survived, Russell is a charming tourist attraction today.

18^th Century Cannon Used in Defense of Russell

It proved ineffective against the Maoris, and Russell was sacked.

Landing at the Russell Terminal and Wharf, we walked along The Strand past an early 19^th Century ship’s cannon, used in the failed defense of Russell against the Maori in 1845.  Turning inland, we passed some local handicraft-vendors’ tents and the War Commemorative Obelisk for local men lost in WWI, WWII and Korea.  A short distance further inland, we reached Christ Church, probably the most historically important building in Russell.

War Memorial for WWI, WWII, and Korea

Even in Russell, the high human cost of the 20^th Century is recorded.

Christ Church and Churchyard

Russell’s history written in stone.

Christ Church is the first Christian church in New Zealand, built in 1835.  Governor William Hobson’s first reading of the Treaty of Waitangi to the British settlers was from the church’s pulpit. It is claimed that there are bullet holes in the church dating to the Maori war of 1845 (more likely, drunken sailors in action!).   In the church-yard cemetery, the mortal remains of many of Russell’s early settlers and town defenders are buried.   Until the present, the church has an active Anglican congregation.

Interior, Christ Church, Russell

Settlers, traders and missionaries, only.  No sailors allowed!

Needlepoint Seat Cushions, Christ Church, New Zealand

God can be comforting in more ways than one.

Tombstone of the Men of HMS Hazard Killed by Maori

Maybe the city fathers had to reconsider their no-sailors attitude.

Charles Bell, Commander of HMS Hazard – Drowned

A less than heroic end.

Our next stop was the locally-supported Russell Museum, which features exhibits on local natural and cultural history.  Although of modest size, the museum contains excellent exhibits, which provide insight into the history and lifestyle of the local area, from settlement until the present.  Leaving the museum, we walked along The Strand past restaurants and pubs full of tourists having lunch; past early-restored houses; and past avant-garde art galleries, ending at the wharf for our return ferry trip to Paihia.

1860s House, Russell, New Zealand

Currently, the residence of the local policeman.

Dog on Ferry Ride to Paihia

Dog photo is included to add cheerfulness.

Back in Paihia, we visited the local farmers and crafts market, organized because of the “ship in port.”  This market was full of locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as locally-made handicrafts of all sorts.  We resisted many temptations and returned empty handed to the shuttle bus for our short trip to Waitangi Wharf and the tender back to the Silver Whisper.

When we arrived at Waitangi Wharf, we had to wait for our tender.  Tied up at the wharf was a small, in-shore, New Zealand Coast Guard cutter.  The cutter had brought an injured crew man (from a racing yacht participating in a Bay of Islands regatta) to the wharf and was waiting for an ambulance from the local hospital.  What was unusual was that the 4-person crew manning the cutter was all local volunteers, something you would never expect in the US.  We have never seen anywhere else the degree and spirit of volunteerism that we witness in New Zealand.

Once back on board, we had lunch, napped, played trivia, and watched the racing yachts in the regatta.  All-in-all, it was a very quiet afternoon, before we upped anchor and sailed for Auckland, New Zealand.

Bay of Islands Regatta -- Down Wind with Spinnakers

It was a beautiful day in the Bay of Islands.

Across the Wide Pacific

January 18, 2013 en route to Rarotonga, Cook Islands – Has Anyone Seen the Sun?

Overnight, there was little or no improvement in the weather as we continued west south-west under gray skies, intermittent rain squalls, and moderate sea swells.  Not the brochure description of cruising the Central Pacific.

    

J was up at 6:30am and did his 30-minute, no-dog walk, followed by cappuccino and conversation in the 0bservation Lounge with John, our Trivia team partner.   At about 7:45am, it was back to the suite to wake up E, ready or not, and to go to breakfast.  During the day, on offer were the usual, passenger diversions (lectures, bridge, games) and, in the evening, live entertainment.  Also available were the usual number of opportunities to overeat.

That evening was the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Reception which required the “Full Monty” (as the Brits say) and evening gowns.  Our participation could have been avoided, except that E wanted to attend the Artist of the Silversea, our resident entertainment company, singing arias from well-known operas.  Think “Nessun Dorma,” etc.  It was well done, and enjoyable.  J only slept through about one-fourth of it.

January 19, 2013 off Rarotonga, Cook Islands and en route to Bay  of Islands, New Zealand – Was that Rarotonga we just sailed past?

On deck for his morning walk, J watched the approach to Rarotonga.  Since there is no bay to act as a harbor on Rarotonga, the Silver Whisper had to anchor in the roadstead off Avarua’s small boat harbor and tender passengers ashore.  It soon became apparent that the swell would keep the ship from anchoring and from safely operating tenders.  (It is hard to get seniors, canes, walkers, and wheel chairs  embarked on a tender when six-foot-plus swells are running.)

 

At about 8:00am, the Captain announced that we could not anchor and operate tenders, given the current sea state.  There was a collective sigh of disappointment.  Many passengers had been looking forward to visiting Rarotonga -- why, we are not entirely sure, because Cook Island does not seem to be that different from the islands of French Polynesia, which we had just visited the last several days.  Passengers were hoping for clear, sunny skies, and no squalls.  The weather was better than the previous several days – blue skies and few clouds.  Probably, if we had gotten ashore, the weather would have changed.  Shore visits are a chance to get very cold and wet; or, if you are really unlucky, get hit on the head by a falling coconut!  To date, weather pessimism reigns supreme on this cruise.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands from Seaward

The longer you have been at sea, the better land appears.  From this distance, swells are invisible.

Another View of Rarotonga, Cook Islands

This is about as close as we approached to land.  Visible surf.

Avarua Village, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

There was a post office here that J wanted to visit.  Too bad!

Goodbye Rarotonga

We are bound for New Zealand.

The highlight of the day was a wonderful Italian dinner in La Terrazza with Tracy and Jon.  Jon is the Destination Lecturer on the ports we visit, and Tracy is a member of our Trivia team.  It was an evening of excellent Italian food and stimulating conversation.  After dinner, classical pianist, Gregory Kinda, treated us to a concert of mostly Chopin.  A wonderful evening, making up to some degree for a missed visit to Rarotonga.

January 20 to 23, 2013 en route to Bay of Islands, New Zealand – Water, Water Everywhere

The next three days at sea, en route to the Bay of Islands, passed very uneventfully.  The daily routine was well established:  J up at 6:30am, walk and coffee; E up at 8:00am, breakfast.  The rest of the day was lectures, reading, games, and entertainment.  A few more days and it would have become boring.  The weather remained cloudy, and squally, with occasional rain showers.  Swells were moderate, but always with us.  No smooth sailing.

Notice that three days were taken up by the transit, not four days as the January 20 to 23 in the header would indicate.  That is because somewhere west of the Cook Islands, we crossed the International Date Line (IDL) east to west and lost a day.  Since we will not cross the IDL west to east on this voyage, the day never will be recovered.

On the evening of January 23, there was visible excitement among the passengers.  Our arrival at the next port was eagerly anticipated; also, there was support for better, even if cooler, weather than we had since departing Los Angeles.  (We were sailing further south, away from the tropics into temperate climes.)  Everyone, passengers and crew, wanted off the ship, the sooner the better, and we all were looking forward to anchoring at 9:00am the next morning in Bay of Islands.