So you're going on a cruise?

Yes, an expedition cruise

Like Captain Cook or Shackleton?

 

In a way.  In fact we did follow the venerable captain from the Bay of Plenty on New Zealand's North Island south to Astronomers Point.  There we walked through a forest of ancient trees to an area of moss covered stumps where Cook cleared a space, tracked the stars and figured out longitude – at the time a phenomenal feat.

 

But back to expedition cruises – there is also size.  Expedition ships hold about 100 people and have minimal impact.  At Napier there were three ships in the harbor.  Two looked like latter day leviathans crowding the harbor and dwarfing the pretty town famous for its pastel art deco architecture.  Hundreds of passengers crowded into the streets f rom dozens of buses bringing with them pollution and the air of a carnival.   There they were again at Wellington.  Five decks of cabins stacked like high-rise condominiums casting dark shadows on the jetty.  Then we lost them.

 

There was no sign of them as we cruised – like Cook and whalers - Queen Charlotte Sound.   And as Bogart said in Casablanca, "Where we were going no one could follow."  From then on there were few jetty landings, even the final disembarkation was to a tender on a rainy morning in the middle of Milford Sound.

 

 Instead deserted coves, inlets and islands reachable in black rubber zodiacs, defined our lives.   Accompanied by ornithologists and botanists we walked through tree fern canopies as New Zealand's unique natural world of breathtaking beauty unfolded.  There was Motuara – a predator free sanctuary – where diminutive blue penguins could be seen asleep in nesting=2 0boxes and curious South Island Robins posed for photographs.

 

Off New Zealand's southern tip we anchored between Stewart and Ulva islands. The day began on trails around Ulva – another sanctuary where fantails, wekas, saddlebacks and red crowned oystercatchers greeted us. Walking through the lush rainforest, accompanied by melodic bellbirds, every twist in the path brought primeval picturesque vistas.  Lichens, mosses, orchids, ferns with coiled fiddleheads and trunks and branches of trees thick with epiphytes.

 

Another element of expedition cruising is the chance of the unscheduled.  On an expedition off the coast of New Guinea we found that a Kula Boat had been blown off course and the occupants of the traditional carved canoe were stranded.   We could not take the boat, but we did go off course, take the weary travelers home and were there to witness their joy when they were reunited with their families.   On this journey we continued south past Stewart Island to The Snares in the Sub Antarctic.   I have written in details about this extraordinary Snares visit in a previous posting.  For many it was the highlight of the trip, and for everyone it will remain a special memory.

 

A huge storm in the roaring forties meant we could not follow the itinerary.  However due to size and the relationship developed with the local pilot and his wife we were able to anchor in Bradshaw Sound.   Uninhabited, this fjord is a UNESCO world heritage sight and we were in another world.  Heavy rain caused water to run down the vertical rocky cliffs in hundreds of white foaming silvery waterfalls, glistening rivulets and sheets of roaring water.   Out we went in our zodiacs in the pouring rain, to nose right up to the spray and inch under mossy branches to take in and photograph the incredible beauty.   

 

The desire to discover the remote and experience the unique brings travelers together on small expedition ships.  Lectures on history, flora, fauna and geography, with cocktail hour recaps and photographs add depth. There is no formal late night dancing or cabaret.   Instead there are albatross to be photographed as they dip and soar in the twilight behind the stern and early morning alerts of whale or dolphin sightings.    Tomorrow zodiacs will be ready and bobbing off the stern around 8:30 ready to take the curious to explore another inlet, spot more birds or photograph penguins.

Yes it is an expedition. 

No, it's not really a cruise.

And yes, it is a tiny bit like Captain Cook or Shakleton as there is always the element of the unknown.

 

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What does a force 10 gale with gusts of 70 miles per hour feel like when you are on a boat in the sub arctic?  Terrifying.

 

The swells and high waves began during the afternoon and I found I was better prostrate.  I missed cocktails and the offer to send dinner to the cabin sounded good to M and me. Though M lost two loaded wine glasses when they crashed to the floor.

 

We were informed over the loud speaker that we would be out of the storm in four hours.   I looked out of the window, it was still light, and I could see the water below the window churning like a washing machine with the agitator on heavy duty.  Each wave was crested with a white foaming angry cap of spume.  I returned to prostrate pose.

 

With darkness the rolling from side to side increased.  Now there was another element, a deafening judder jerked the bed and then the20boat seemed to dip with a thud.  As the rolling increased the bed tipped backwards, the blood rushed to my head, my stomach muscles flexed as I was tossed backwards – then forwards.  Then another terrifying and loud thud.  Rock and rolling I though I had heard earlier in the cruise.  Rolling from side to side I thought grimly – the rock was the terrifying crash.   Everything was falling.  The minibar flew open and cans of coca cola shot across the floor like missiles.  Mini vodka bottles crashed into bottles of Heineken.  Glasses fell to the floor and joined the bottles and other flotsam on the floor sweeping back and forth with the rhythm of the ship rolling like the tide ceaselessly and unstoppably ebbing.

 

M and I clung to one another.  M made some comment about not understanding the way the ship was reacting, which unsettled me.  I made some flippant comment about a new experience and he said "Its good you have not lost your English sense of humor."=C 2 Around 2:15 I said I was going to investigate.  Why lie in bed wishing I had paid more attention to lifeboat drill, being tossed around surrounded by the tide of flotsam, which was clinking and rolling endlessly on the carpet around the bed.   At the end of the corridor outside the cabin I stopped at the door to the deck.  I could hear the wind moaning as it whistled past the door.  I did not open it.   Went downstairs into the breakfast room.  Plates were smashed on the floor and knives and knives and forks were rattling back and forth.  One marble topped table had come apart and as the marble crashed to the floor it had smashed more china.   Jewellery and other tempting items in the gift shop were heaped on the floor of the showcases.  There was a heavy metallic banging, which sounded as if a lifeboat was banging against the side of the ship.  I went down another floor.  There was no one around.

 

Back in the cabin I picked my way through th e swirling tide littering the floor I said to M – "I'm the only fool who is out there – everyone else is in bed."  Just then the ship lurched and a shower of spray hit the window.  Time to return to prostrate

 

It was around 8:00 am when we finally heard about the hurricane force winds that had buffeted the boat for over 12 hours.   Some cabins had lost their TV's; in another the bed came off its moorings.  Some cabins had three inches of water.  Everyone was shaken, tired and everyone had a tale to tell.   TTFN

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Operation Penguin Watch

 

            "There's nothing between us and the Antarctic said the guide in the black inflatable zodiac."   It was 8:30 in the morning, the swells were a heaving six feet and we were cocooned in waterproof gear and life jackets, hanging on for dear life. 

 

Just after sunrise we anchored off The Snares, a small rocky archipelago designated as part of the New Zealand Sub-Artic Island's World Heritage Area by UNESCO for its outstanding biological diversity.  This was an unscheduled visit for us.

 

Albatrosses had been tailing the ship for the last couple of days with black and white petrels, which soared and glided in graceful arching sweeps behind the stern.  We watched them fascinated long after the sun set at 9:30 and the long southern twilight was warmed by a golden full moon.  Today we would see one of their main nesting sites, a protected sanctuary for thousands of se a birds.

 

As the zodiac approached the islands, large groups of yellow-billed penguins surrounded us bobbing in the water and calling to one another with hoarse squawks.  Ahead we could see the penguin freeway, a trail that leads up the steep cliff from kelp to tree daisies where the penguins nest.    The rocky islands with their caves and rugged fissures are rimmed with a thick band of yellow ochre kelp at waterline and topped with a forest of Tree Daisies.  The penguins who had greeted us – swimming alongside – now swam for the shore and somehow clambered up the slope slick with wide bands of shiny kelp.  Some splashed back into the water only to try again.

 

Penguins, to me, have a humorous demeanor and the ungainly scramble up the kelp added to the comedy.  Once up and on the flat rocks they shook, smoothed out their shiny tuxedo plumage and began to walk around with their unique rocking gait.  The Snares Crested Penguins have tufts where their ears might be which gives them a look of judicial seriousness.  (Sorry too many lawyers in the family).    On the rocks they preened and convened.  Others began the big trek up the rocky freeway to the Tree Daisy forest, passing others on their way down.

 

The zodiac was heaving in the swell and we needed to keep moving so we moved into another cove where Hooker sea lions begin to swim alongside.  We then became aware of hundreds of them lying on brown rock ledges – resting and perfectly camouflaged.  High above us on the cliffs albatrosses nested protected by overhanging outcrops, and still petrels in every size and type wheeled and dipped around the cliffs and high above the zodiac.  I didn't see any sooty shearwaters – though the islands are home to the largest (3 million) colony in the world.   They nest in burrows, which honeycomb the ground under the tree daisy forest – another species unique to these islands.

 

The journey back from The Snares to the south Island was very rough.  I took to the cabin=2 0so M and I had dined there quietly on local lobster tail, the dinner du jour.  It was a perfect end to a day which was unexpected.  It was completely unscheduled, off the itinerary,  a surprise – Another thumbs up for expedition cruising.  ttfn

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Lunch at a sheep farm

Just been for lunch at a sheep farm owned by the Stephenson family. It was very special and one of the highlights so far. First we had demonstrations of sheep herding by their boarder collies, then sheep shearing.
The farm has been in the Stephenson family since 1877 when it was built by their ancestor who came from Paisley in Scotland. It is a delightful Victorian home surrounded by sweeping lawns and beds filled with topiary and lavender. There are several formal pools with water lilies. We had a delicious english-style lunch in the garden complete with family silver. The family treated us like long lost friends. It was New Zealand hospitality at its best
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Gannet Colony

Gannet Colony

 

After a morning admiring Art Deco in Napier we headed out to a Gannet Colony in a nature preserve.   There on a headland – rather like the coastline near Stinson Beach – is a huge gannet colony.  Here thousands of birds nest on the cliff top.   There were hundreds off fluffy chicks in all states of growth and parents with glorious apricot coloured heads and blue eyes.  The sound was quite raucous and the air fragrant but it was an amazing experience.

M sat on a bench fascinated while I ran around and took masses of photos –the bright sun and white plumage presented a photographic challenge.  It would be amazing to be there at sunset or sunrise when the light is soft – but I did my best.  Meanwhile the guides set up card tables and gave us tea and cakes when we were tired of taking photographs – great Kiwi hospitality.

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Friday January 9

 

Lazy morning aboard Clipper Odyssey

M is having breakfast in bed.  Pancakes, salmon, two over easy eggs, pineapple, OJ and coffee.  Whale watching was on the schedule this am and I was due to go.  So suggested to M that rather than rush around he could take it easy have breakfast in bed, finish his PD James mystery that Irene gave him for Christmas.  So rushed around myself only to find that the Whalewatching has been cancelled.  Swells of 6 feet.  M will get up later and be ready to go onshore this afternoon for an afternoon of Maori culture.  M looks rested, happy and was delighted to find Monsanto stock he purchased just before cruise has doubled in 10 days – its setting up to be a good day!

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Napier The Art Deco Capital of the World with Bertie Wooster

 

In 1931 a devastating 7.5 earthquake wiped out the town of Napier – just north of Wellington.    It was rebuilt in glorious Art Deco style.   The whole town is like something on a film lot – all is preserved.  I took tons of photos.  

Napier is now capitalizing on its elegant unique look.  Tour guides are dressed in 1930's outfits.  Vintage cars tool the streets including an Austin 7 with a license plate which reads WHATHO driven by a later day Bertie Wooster.   Every February there is an Art Deco Festival

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Passengers on Clipper Odyssey Expedition Cruise

 

This is one of the nicest groups of passengers we have ever traveled with.  The expedition staff are Kiwis and their laid back humorous (yet efficient) approach filters down to the passengers.  There are only 49 of us so we are getting to know one another quite well.  My personal goal is to learn all of the names.  Something I am not good at so it's a good way to begin the New Year.

There are at least 8 Brits, some South Africans, Australians, and Americans  from all over the U.S from Maine to Arizona and quite a few from Houston– a good mix from the English-speaking world.

The lecturers are diverse too, a Brit Botany PhD who lives in the Amazon, a Frenchman who lectures brilliantly on history, as well as other naturalists, geologists and then a piano player from the Philippines for the evenings.

Last evening as I was trying to catch up on my blog the action at the bar heated up as the Brit Botany PhD took to the floor with a lady from from Haselmer e (UK), another Brit sang beatles songs (sort of in tune) ---I must say nothing changes –give a Brit a couple of drinks and they are dancing on the tables!  Rule Britannia!

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Yesterday's visit to White Island brought new weight to the word awesome.   White Island is a small island which is a volcanic cluster with several craters.   Until 1913 the outer walls were a typical symmetrical volcanic island shape.  Then a section of this outer wall collapsed killing sulphur miners living on the island.   

 

With the outer wall gone,  as one approaches the island there is a wide vista of the interior of the bubbling, steaming, active interior.  Luna landscape maybe a cliché but it is hard to think of a better description.   It is an inhospitable scene of jagged pointed rocks, white hot pressure mounds with steam seeping out, streams of white liquid acid laced with arsenic surrounded by sulphur streaked cliffs and huge noxious clouds of steam.

 

We were issued hard hats and gas masks and told what to do if there was an eruption of any kind. (Don't run – explosive material travels faster than bullets)   The giant's foot was the most active of the vapor outlets and our guide was excited that there had been activity in the night and the walls of the maw were plastered with fresh material.  We donned our gas masks as it was extremely toxic and caused coughing and sneezing.   We passed a footprint of a visitor who had inadvertently stepped on the edge of a pressure mound.  Fortunately a guide hauled him out before he was too burned. We hiked all the way to the lake, which was a clear pale turquoise, which comes from the minerals – the water was constantly heaving with the energy from underground steam vents.

 

I am pleased with photographs of puffy clouds of steam, bright yellow sulphur streams and vibrant colored rocks. It was by far the best volcanic experience I have ever had.  Some visitors arrive by helicopter.  The parked helicopters give a feeling of a desolate landscape after a catastrophe when the first visitors from the outer world arrive.

ttfn

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Queen Charlotte Sound, Thursday

We arrived at Queen Charlotte Sound last night at about 10:00pm, so we had a restful night.  Wellington was very windy - living up to its reputation, and so sailing around Wellington was quite bouncy.  

 Queen Charlotte Sound is at the top of the South Island.  The weather is warm, though when we woke up this morning it was overcast.  This is where Captain Cook landed.   In fact he had five landings here.  Before he left for the first time he planted vegetable gardens so that there would be fresh veggies when he returned.  This morning we climbed up to the top of the island where there is a large waterfall. The walk through the forest of ferns and palm trees is very beautiful.  This afternoon we went to another island which is a sanctuary.  The amount of birdsong was wonderful.  There were nesting penguins, robins with white fronts and parakeets in the trees.  It is predator free so the birds are fearless.  We were not allowed to take any bags - not even camera bags incase we were smuggling in a mouse or other forbidden creature.

M did not come on the excursions today so I was his eyes.  I took many photographs and brought them back and downloaded them right away.  He is feeling a little stronger today.   The sniffle that he had when leaving San Francisco was not going away and the ships doctor has put him on antibiotics.  We are about to hear a lecture on Captain Cook and M is enjoying the lectures, views of scenery from the decks and the fellow passengers.  ttfn

En route to Rotarua

We boarded the Clipper
Yesterday afternoon after a day touring around Aukland. Because of the high volcanic activity of the region there are volcanic plugs and craters everywhere which makes the area incredibly scenic. The weather was not great -- showery.

The ship is great. And it only has 49 passengers, but still the same compliment of crew -- 75 to look after us and 9 expedition staff, we shall be comfortable and our cabin is huge. Ttfn

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Owls meet kiwis

On the bus ready to do our city tour of Aukland. M is seated next to a fellow Bohemian from Philadelphia. He is busy trying to establish mutal contacts with m. Fun for m to have an instant chum. Ttfn
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Safe arrival

We arrived safely this morning at 5:oo am. Flight was great. Cocktails, 3 course dins,champers, movie and flat bed. Watched The Duchess first half twice. Could not figure out ff but enjoyed it immensely anyway -- first time I have watched anything other than murder mysteries in months. Fun to meet play rite Sheridan. Got to the part where she and charles gray are falling in love. Memo to self. Put it on netflix list pronto

M is doing well. Did not want wheelchair at sfo. But it was useful to have one meet us in Auckland after the long flight. I pulled the two carryons and we were able to go through all the quick cuts and priority lines. Getting lots of upper body training lifting bags! M seems pretty perky. Napping now but it was a super easy flight and easy airport

Auckland has a population of about 1.5 mil. Drove in through pretty suburban streets that looked like Surrey where I grew up. There is even a burb called epsom. Lots of hydrangeas, jacaranda trees in full blue blossom glory.

Hotel is all decorated for christmas. Great - I feel a little done out of the after christmas glow so I can get it here. And by the way it was a novel way to spend ny's eve. Aloft --and missing ny,s day completely. Ttfn
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Waiting in FCC

Its been a long day. Got up at 4 to take all of my precious ornaments off the c tree. I have over fifty countries represented. Now I shall be able to add nz. Have so much gear. A whole bag of electronics and cameras. What happened to those days when holidays meant a few good books and postcards.

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