The first thing I noticed when standing on the balcony watching our slow, early morning approach to Auckland, was all the boats/ Sailboats in particular/ No wonder they call it the city of sails! Rod had told us that he looked up our hotel and we should be able to walk to it from the boat! Awesome news – no taxi needed/ I grabbed the binoculars and started looking across the giant, sprawling harbor for the Hilton/ Turns out, we parked right next to it! Awesome!
Our plan for our first day in Auckland, which was our last full day and night on the ship, was to grab a ferry to Waiheke Island/ Our friend Karen, who we’ll see later in Brisbane, told us we had to try to get there/ We invited Rod and Louise along with us because they also didn’t have an excursion planned for the day/ What we didn’t know was where to catch the ferry/ In another great stroke of good luck, and I kid you not, the ferry port was the only thing between our cruise ship and our future hotel! Boom!
We were able to grab ferry tickets and hop on hop off bus tickets in one spot and we lined up for our cruise to the island! The ferry was nice and big and crowded! We knew there was at least one cruise excursion going over and we’d hoped we’d timed our trip to not be constantly running into them – too many people all in one spot! After a very scenic 35 minutes, we were there!
The hop on hop off bus picked us up right at the ferry terminal/ There were 15 stops and we could come and go all day as we pleased – and since we were overnighting in Auckland and not traveling on, the cruise ship had a 24 hour gangway so it didn’t matter what time we got back—except we did need to at least get the last ferry back, which left at 7:30/
Now, this particular bus catered to the wineries and restaurants so it would drop you off at the road side and you could walk up to wherever it was you were going/ I’d seen a few cranky people complaining about the walks on trip advisor so I had a feeling there were a few longer or steeper walks – which was true/ For us, it was so incredibly gorgeous, quiet and pristine that we didn’t mind the walks at all! On the way over, Rod and Jason mapped out a plan for the day so off we went to our first stop/
As luck would have it – the place our awesome French waitress recommended to us back in Wellington was on the bus stop! We headed there first/ Rod had made a lunch reservation for us at the #1 spot on the island—our map showed that as a 15-20 minute walk from the first winery, which was perfect/ Do a tasting, take a walk, eat some lunch/Well, somehow while walking to the winery (maybe Rod called??) we figured out that because of some recent rains, the trail was washed out so we really couldn’t walk and would need to call a taxi/Poop! BUT, once we got to the winery, we found the #2 restaurant was right there and so we quickly changed our plans/
The tasting was lovely – we sat outside with the 20 year old winery cat who curled up right in the middle of our table/ Lunch was superb! We agreed to order a bunch of things and share – family style – we had everything from duck hearts to lamb and FINALLY Jason got to taste the New Zealand lamb and he loved it! It wasn’t gamey like our lamb tends to be/ So, so good! What a treat!
The rest of the day continued to delight as we hopped off and went to taste wine or see the views/ We just kept saying, “Is this the prettiest place we’ve ever been?” It helps that it was a beautiful spring day with everything in bloom – lavender and flowers galore/ The last spot we visited, Mudbrick Winery, nearly did us in – just amazing/ And not the wine – it was the views, the gardens, the fields of lavender/ As is our new normal, we were all sad to board the ferry and leave such a beautiful place, but what a lovely day packed with fun memories of a tiny heavenly island full of flowers, sheep, alpaca, wine, and more green than your eyes can even take in/
And so – there we were – the last night on the ship/ As a reminder, the longest cruise I’ve been on was 7 days and Jason 14/ I’d started thinking about it like a very long summer camp – where you quickly made good friends and you are so, so sad to leave them when you head home/ But, 31 days? Oh boy/ We were truly sad/ And at the same time, what a stunning reminder of how great people are and how great our lives are/ We are created to connect with each other and share our stories/ I’ve always believed that/ I believe we hold puzzle pieces for each other – things we need but cannot get without connecting, sharing, listening and later, in reflection, realizing what we’ve gotten from that encounter/
Rod and Louise asked about dinner, but we still needed to close out in the art gallery and start (and finish) packing! Sheesh! We’d made a 7:00 appointment with Rachel in the gallery and we would need to hustle to get there/ We decided to go straight there and not even go to the room/ We figured it would take about 15 minutes to close out the things we’d bought and then we could head to the room to begin packing, since neither of us was really hungry we didn’t even bother to factor that in/
As it turns out, we tragically underestimated the time it would take to close out our account We’d won things, bought things, been given upgrades – much to sort out/ All in all, it took several hours/ We did pop up to the Lido and grabbed a bite/ I think I ate a single pita triangle and 1 tablespoon of hummus/ Sometimes you need sustenance but just cannot go on, you know? So, now it is after 9 PM and the 3 of you reading this know I go to bed then, when I go to bed late;) We’re still in the gallery/ Haven’t begun packing! We need one final signature and Jason can do that so he sends me up to start packing while he wraps it/ He’s still another 30+ minutes!
In the meantime, I’ve lost the will to live and am randomly throwing everything into a suitcase/Since we’d be spending the next night in Auckland, I figured we could re-sort there and have things ready for our flight back to Australia/ Jason didn’t like my plan as much – he’s much more into order and reasoning/ I pointed out that we could order wine, watch Monday night football (at lunchtime on Tuesday) and re-pack/ Bam! He was onboard/
And there you have it – our last night ended up being a non-stop frantic “ACK!” trying to get ready, which now that I’m typing it – that’s precisely how the whole thing began 31 days prior/ How’s that for complete?
And, because we were 2/1999 people who didn’t need wheelchair assistance or luggage help, we got expedited boarding and were off the plane at 6:30 AM/ I’ve said this before, but listen: I am a morning person all day long/ I love mornings/ But I don’t like being somewhere in the morning/ Mornings are for coffee, or sunrises, or walks/ Not frantically getting up and showering and doing stuff to be someplace/ That ruins mornings! That said – we were up and out/ Praising God again that the Hilton was right there waiting as we rolled our suitcase over/
We dropped our things with an awesome bellman and were told the room was still occupied – which we expected/ We decided to go enjoy a hop on hop off tour of Auckland to see the city and kill a few hours – off we went/
I have to say – there is really nothing wrong with Auckland/ But, even New Zealanders will tell you (boy, will they tell you) Auckland really doesn’t count as New Zealand;) Everything you dream about New Zealand – the ruggedness, the stark, incomparable beauty of the wide open spaces, well, that’s not Auckland/ It’s a big city with beautiful parks and little neighborhoods tucked every which way/ We enjoyed the tour and then thought wed head back to the hotel to see if, by chance, we could get into our rooms/ We sure wanted a nap!!
So, there we are, walking across the street and we see Rod and Louise! HA! What fun! They are getting ready to head out on a 3 hour tour/ We made some loose plans to possibly meet up afterward and try the Hokey Pokey ice cream that Mark told us was a must do while in NZ/
We did have to wait a bit in the lobby for our room, but we passed the time drinking coffee and watching football AND laughing at how many people from the boat were streaming in to check in We got another free upgrade (we were already staying in a balcony room for free) and went to see the room – WHOA! We had a huge room with a huge balcony that overlooked the Noordam (awwww!) and the bay/ What a wonderful hotel! The room had approximately 5490 plugs and USB ports/ Never seen anything like it/ A large soaking bathtub (COULD NOT WAIT TO GET IN IT)/ all kinds of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate/ big loungers out on the balcony/ so impressed/
That said, we had things to do! We did rest for a bit but then we were ready to get out and enjoy our last day in NZ (sniff, sniff)/
We decided it was time for lunch and we were wanting some fresh seafood, because, wow, that would be different;) We ended up at a place called the Crab Shack (not to be confused with Joe’s Crab Shack) because Karen had told us she ate some good chowder there while in Wellington/ We hadn’t heard from Rod and Louise yet so we decided to send them an email (our only way to connect) and just tell them where we were and if they happened to be nearby, they could consider coming to join us/ Well, I no sooner hit send than Jason said, “There’s Rod!” They just happened by at that moment, hadn’t yet seen our email! Hahaha! They also remembered Karen’s recommendation/ They joined us and we had a great time catching up/ Afterward, we all went to try the infamous honeycomb ice cream, which did not disappoint/
We split up then, making more loose plans of “maybe coffee” in the morning before we headed out/ They were staying an additional night in Auckland before a long flight back to Canada/
That evening, I wanted to watch the Noordam set sail and be sad We knew the all aboard was 7PM so we figured it would sail about 7:30/ We headed down to the bar to grab a glass of wine and watch/ We had free drink vouchers because I’m a diamond member so we cashed those in/ While waiting, Jason noticed one of the bar tenders making a cocktail/ He sniffed the air and then said, “Is that an old fashioned?” Bar keep, “It’s a very good old fashioned” Jason, “who’s it for?” Bar keep, “The American gentleman over by the window” Jason, “Let me taste it; I won’t tell him” Bar keep, “Ok, I mixed a large one anyway/” And a fascinating conversation begins about their inability to source certain ingredients, such as the luxardo cherry that any old fashioned connoisseur would want/ Bar keep was a friend from then on/
As we said goodbye to the Noordam, I felt both sad and so thankful/ What an incredible trip/ And, in some ways, it was just beginning/ If you’ve traveled a lot, you know that being overseas is always an adventure – but there are places and scenarios that either increase or decrease that/ Being on the boat was “safe”/ Controlled, easy to understand/ being on land was to be a whole different ballgame!
We had just decided to order a salad and pizza to our spot in the lobby when Karen and Lynn (who had been on our excursion in Tasmania) came down/ We invited them to join us/ Lynn ran to grab his drink vouchers / They were celebrating their 40th anniversary and the Hilton had left them a big tray of chocolates, which they brought down to share with us/ As we talked, Lynn asked us if we had heard about the incident at Bonorong Wildlife Rescue (where we fed the kangaroos)/ We said no/ He showed us the video on his laptop – so, apparently, someone on our boat happened to be videotaping the roos at the very moment 2 of them started fighting/ Some poor woman was standing with her back to all this and a Roo backed up and accidentally knocked her down/ She fell over like a sack of potatoes and laid on the ground motionless/ The 2 Roos continued to box and, hilariously, more Roos came in to join (like a Roo gang) before the whole thing ended as though nothing happened/ The woman (who was also on our boat) was fine, though bruised and sore from falling/ I couldn’t help but think – man! Is she going to have a GREAT story to tell or what?!!!?
We ended up sitting down there for 3-4 hours, chatting, telling stories, watching the harborfront/ Maybe part of it was not wanting it all to end/ I don’t know/ But I was sure tired when we finally crawled into bed/
The next morning was a bit of a blur/ We got free breakfast (diamond member) and it was incredible – good heavens/ Everything you can think of and then some/ I’m still on a smoked fish bender of about 33 days at this point so I carried on there/ They brought out customized trays that said, “thank you for your loyalty” in chocolate and had the most exquisite raspberry croissants/ Geez, USA, you need to catch up!
We caught a cab to the airport and spend some time in the fabulous Qantas lounge with delicious free food, a pour your own full bar/ While there, we saw our Argentinian buddies from the wine tasting in Marlborough/ Man! So funny/ We didn’t get to see Rod and Louise again, but I know we’ll stay in touch/
And so, we were ready to head back for the land portion of the trip in Australia/ Unsure of pretty much everything but excited that the trip wasn’t over and there was still so much to look forward to/ Adelaide, here we come!
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