SinbadThePorter

Today on Coral in Lyttelton.

In the Bay of Islands make sure to get out to the Hole in the Rock.

My only suggestion is to stay close to the ferry terminal so you can get out to the islands and even to Coromandel. Waiheke Island is known for its wines and vineyards.

I always do that. In fact, being extra stingy, I catch the bus from the Airport Domestic T3 terminal to Mascot train station and then get on the train to Circular Quay. This avoids the airport train surcharge and allows for last minute shopping for supplies at Mascot Woolworths. My only caveat is to travel light.

On a general note about marine weather in Australia/NZ you need to note the intense low pressure systems that rotate around the Southern Ocean from west to east. These are usually a few days apart and they push high seas, rain and cloud up into the Tasman Sea. In winter these lows move north and are more intense around Southern Australia and NZ. In between them you can get quite good weather. Of course, predicting the intensity and movement of these systems is not possible beyond a few days.

That looks different to this one. https://nzeta.immigration.govt.nz/

When you say "it" do you mean the NZ ETA app from the NZ government? Unfortunately Australians don't get much exposure to NZ visas as they aren't required for us.

A door wedge is simpler. It will slow down anyone trying to get in, giving you time to take stock, and if their intentions are good they will probably not try to force the door anyway. If there is a medical emergency it's not much of a problem to get past it.

The increase in land area appears to be mainly due to the deposition of eroded material. So the questions are, where does this material come from, is it a natural process and will it continue? Lots more research to be done yet. The processes and conditions are naturally different for each region of the Pacific, especially with regards to salination of freshwater aquifers on the islands, which is what makes those islands habitable in the first place.

I just purchased two FCDs a few minutes ago on Majestic. They said that the booking must be made before 8th Dec 2024.

As a self proclaimed pie aficionado, I declare the best pie I've ever had in NZ was today from the bakery in Paihia. A truly delicious steak, bacon and cheese pie. Is it better than the best pies I have found in Brisbane? I'll have to go back to Tony's Bakery in Sandgate to find out.😁

They have been renovating Hobbiton for the past few months and are trying to limit the numbers of visitors. The way they are doing this is to only allow local tour operators in. So cruise booked tours are not running. Once you get to Tauranga you should be able to book a Hobbiton excursion at the wharf, or else online.

It was meant ironically. Las Vegas as a 24 hour excitement city and Brisbane as the opposite.

I lived in Sydney for 40 years. There are two Sydneys. One lives near the water and the other doesn't. The first one is fun to visit. The second one is fun to leave.

Virgin Airlines sent an email with this link. You don't need to be a Virgin Airlines member to use it.

There were two recent offers. The first one was to buy a Virgin cruise (up to 6 nights) for 79,999 Velocity points. That one is finished. The second one runs until the end of November and involves getting 50% off the cruise fare (not fees and taxes) if you enter "VirginAustralia" as an access key when you book online.

Given how often they are visiting it, I think the entire crew will be world class experts in Burnie by the end of the season. 🤪 I also have a 4 day Hobart cruise booked, but in January. Who knows, if you are at the trivia I may see you there.

Not to Queenslanders. 😜

From what I've gleaned, it seems there is a free for all for dining bookings 45 days out from a cruise (midnight Miami time) and then another one on boarding. If you miss out, you miss out. Although some say you can generally get into most restaurants outside of peak hours because of people with bookings who don't turn up. Same for shows.

The price is the same for 2 single plans as it is for a 4 user plan. You may as well get the 4 plan.

The US economy is actually very strong right now. I don't know where people get the idea it is so bad. The U.S. economy is set to expand at a 5.8% annualized rate in the third quarter Unemployment is at record low levels. Wages are rising. Inflation is coming down. That last one is probably why there is a slight uptick in the AUD/USD rate. Downward pressure on interest rates make the US dollar less desirable to investors, so they start looking for other places with higher rates of return, which increases demand for second rank currencies like the AUD.

On the Virgin website direct. I already had set up an account with Virgin Voyages. When you login it shows Upcoming Voyages. You click on View Payment Balance. Then there should be a Make a Payment option. If you don't have an account I'm not sure how it works. The discount is good until 30th November, so if it doesn't work out you can always try again later.

I should add that getting a signal at Tangalooma was no problem last time I was there.

I just paid by credit card on the Virgin Voyages website. There wasn't even a credit card surcharge.

Make sure that roaming is disabled with your mobile service provider so that your phone will only connect with them. Telstra and Telstra resellers have the best coverage along the coast. It's patchy, but you can often get a signal from the top deck if you can see the coastline. Especially going past the big towns like Port Macquarie or Coffs Harbour.