On leaving Hobart the TasmAn Sea lived up to a reputation like the Bay of Biscay. We had two days at sea and encountered 6m waves. Sapphire Princess didn't move but I wouldn't expect this from a ship her size. One of the highlights was seeing Royal Albatross dipping and skimming over the waves at the stern of the ship. These birds are big with a wingspan up to 10 feet. ( It is in fact the worlds largest seabird - (John Firth) )Once the young take flight they may fly the Soutern Oceans for 4 years before returning to their birth place to mate. Trying to photograph them with the ship moving as it did and them being so quick was a challenge, but I succeeded.
We couldn't cruise Milford Sound as it was so rough and windy. The Captain took us to Thomson sounds, Transit Breaksea and Dusky Sounds, but the weather was very misty and what we did see was very similar to the Norwegian fjords which excited the non-Britsh passengers who hadn't seen anything like it.
The ship docks at Port Chalmers which is over a hill from Dunedin and not easily reached so you really need to do an excursion. We opted for a half day tour of Dunedin by classic car in a 60's Jaguar which was all teak wood and chrome. We saw the Botanical gardens and visited a settlers museum which had a mock up of a cabin they lived in for the 3 month voyage form the UK. Given the disease, sea sickness and lack of sanitation etc. they were sturdy people to survive and then to build towns out of nothing. Dunedin is very hilly and the car managed well with the gradients especially the one when we parked outside Speight's brewery. I'm not a beer drinker but the latest addition to their range which had an apricot flavour went down very well. The final stop was Olverston house built by a wealthy family in the early 1900's which had every mod con and was very advanced for the era it was built in. It has remained unchanged from the time it was built and was gifted to Dunedin when the last family member died in 1966.
The tour we took was out of Christchurch itself as we wanted to see some of the surrounding country side. Farmers have had to divesify so many provide lunches for the tourists. We had a barbecue lunch at a sheep farm with a shearing demonstration and another working sheep dog demonstration. The family house on this farm was spectacular. After lunch we headed to the Antarctic centre in Christchurch as it is the start point for many Antartic scientific expeditions. To experience a white out with warm clothing provided gave some idea of the conditons the scientists live in.
We did a tour that took in the Country roads of New Zealand. What amazed us was the disatnce people lived from Wellington over a mountain range yet got there by car or rail because of the cost of property in Wellington. In some cases people took over an hour each way! We had lunch at a country house that had a tea room and then visited the Pua shell factory to find out more about the Pua shell and the uses of it..
We didn't do a tour on disembarkation as one of the tours left at 07.15 and our flight wasn't until 22.30. Insetad we had a leisurely breakfast and were taken to a courtesy hotel. After checking in our hand luggage for safe keeping we set off to explore the main part of Auckland. Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant near the hotel and we didn't relaise how big the main course protions were are one was enough for two. Still we ate most of the dishes as we had a long flight home and didn't know what the food wouold be like on the aircraft. After lunch we got a taxi to Kelly Tarlton's underwater world which was nice and quiet so we could take our time. Auckland is nice but housing is expensive. The ship berthed very near the centre of the city so if you were on a port stop here it is possible to walk to the city centre and the tower.
Air New Zealand aren't as good as BA. Immigration at Los Angeles was an intimidating experience and took 3 hours in total for 200 passengers going on to Heathrow. You are photographed and have your index finger prints taken but this is currently done each time you enter/exit the US. Sadly, some of the US officials see nothing wrong with being stern, unwelcoming and intimidating to jet lagged tourists. We never even left the gate the plane was berthed at and had to go through the full immigration procedure for the sake of the plane just touching down to re-fuel, get cleaned and re-stock. Be warned that in a similar situation you don't get access to toilets or water until immigatrion is complete.
The weather is more like our summer so you can get all seasons in a day! Having said that it can be hot, so again a high protection sunscreen, water, hat and good sunglasses are needed. With the sunlight being so strong photographers may need a filter or hood or simply use shady areas if you haven't got this equipment.
( Thanks to Caroline Morrell)
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