PurpleTraveller

Thursday December 14 - Sea Day Overcast Skies 73°F/23°C It was sunny but still windy this morning. The upper decks were still closed but we had our breakfast on the back deck of the Horizon buffet in the sunshine. After making a visit to the Future Cruises and Loyalty office we spent the morning at a table and chairs outside the Crown Bar reading and watching the world go by. We also made a quick visit to the shops to see what they had on sale to use up some of our leftover nonrefundable OBC. We then spent the rest of the morning in our cabin. When we went into our bathroom we were surprised (and a first for us) as we had been given pool towels instead of the usual white towels. We went up to the Lido deck and had burgers for lunch. It was the end of the Boat Building Challenge which was held at the pool and was well attended even though it was quite windy. We returned to the cabin and I got to the sad duty of packing our suitcases. At 3.00pm was the Princess Pop Choir in the Piazza which had one of our lovely Cruise Critic members singing. They sang really well and the final song was "Sweet Caroline" which was a lot of fun when everyone joined in. We had our final dinner at the Concerto Dining Room then bid farewell to our wonderful team who had looked after us so well. At 7.00pm we went to the Theatre for the Farewell Variety Show. There were numerous performers including a fabulous solo performance by an Assistant Cruise Director and then a large number of crew came up on stage to farewell us. Today's Princess Patter

Wednesday December 13 - Sea Day Part 2 After the Culinary Demonstration we then went on the Galley Tour which was interesting. We were also given an Information Sheet for the Galley Tour. When we returned to our cabin the sun was out though it was still windy. At lunchtime we went up to the Lido deck for some pizza. The upper decks were closed and the pools and hot tubs were closed with nets over them. At 1.00pm DH went to the "Navigation at Sea" Presentation by a First Officer in the Theatre. He thought it was a very interesting presentation with information about how the bridge operates, how each cruise is planned, an overview of how the ship runs and the First Officer's training. Dinner was at the Concerto Dining Room followed by the Captain's Circle Cocktail Party at 6.45pm at the Vista Lounge. There were 3635 passengers on board of which there were Blue - 1674 Gold - 821 Ruby - 301 Platinum - 535 Elite - 304 The most travelled passengers were 1st - 1139 2nd - 1036 3rd - 813 We then went to the Production Show "Sweet Soul Music" at 7.30pm in the Theatre. We put our clocks back an hour overnight. Today's Princess Patter

Wednesday December 13 - Sea Day Overcast Skies 66°F/19°C We woke to an overcast and windy morning. We had breakfast in the Horizon buffet and it was very busy. We found a table quickly but many passengers were walking around looking for somewhere to sit. When we returned to our cabin we found Disembarkation Information and Incoming Passenger Cards that everyone must complete. We had not been given a form earlier in the cruise to request a time or type of disembarkation, unlike all previous Princess cruises we have done. Instead they had just given everyone random tags depending on where your cabin was. Like the rest of our section of Caribe deck we were given Pink 4 though we were doing Self Walk Off. I rang guest services to see if we could walk off at the time we wanted and they said it would be fine as we didn't need any luggage tags. Later in the day there were long queues at Guest Services with many people wanting to change their time of disembarkation and luggage tags. At 10.00am we went to the theatre to see the Culinary Demonstration with Rodelio Florentino the Executive Chef and Enache Popescu the Director of Restaurant Operations. We were given an information sheet about the Culinary Demonstration participants and the recipes of what they cooked.

I'd never seen a rainbow when at sea before so was very surprised when I saw it. The rainbow didn't last long and only a minute or so after I took the photos it was gone. The history of New Zealand is very interesting and I'm glad that you've enjoyed reading about the little I learned during the cruise. I love reading all the information signs I come across when on a trip. 😊

Thanks. You can barely see it in the photos but it was a double rainbow. I'd never seen a rainbow when at sea before. 🌈

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands Part 3 We walked out onto the Paihia Dock. The propeller of the HMNZS Canterbury which was commissioned in 1971, decommissioned in 2005 and sunk in 2007 at Deepwater Cove, Point Brett in the Bay of Islands is in the gardens next to the Paihia dock. We also liked the old telephone boxes one of which was being used as the Paihia Free Little Library. At 12.40pm we walked along the seafront to Waitangi. From the footpath along the seafront we had a good view of Royal Princess. It took us 15 minutes to get to the tender dock. We got on a tender at 12.55pm and left five minutes later. We were back on the ship at 1.20pm. We had lunch at the International Cafe and then spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony in the sunshine. While we were sitting there reading and watching the tenders come and go, a few dolphins swam by that were very close to the ship. At 4.10pm we watched some of the tenders being raised. At 4.40pm the last tender arrived at the ship with dolphins swimming in its wake. The tenders were raised and we departed at 5.20pm. We had dinner at the Concerto Dining Room followed by a quiet night watching a movie. While we were watching the movie all of a sudden I saw a beautiful rainbow over the ocean. Today's Princess Patter

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands Part 2 We walked through the site of the Church Mission Station which was established in 1823 by Reverend Henry Williams. There is nothing left of the station other than some stone foundations. Next door is a magnificent tree. The Elizabeth Colenso nee Fairburn Norfolk Pine was planted in 1880. Elizabeth Colenso was a missionary and Bible translator in the 1800's. Close by is the place where the mission ship "Herald" was launched by Reverend Williams on January 24, 1826. We then walked to Stockyard Point and enjoyed the views to the surrounding islands and beach. We walked up the hill to get views across to the islands, the beach and Royal Princess. We returned to town along the beach. We then went up to the Maiki Hill Lookout for more views over the town and Paihia dock.

Tuesday December 12 - Bay of Islands Few Clouds Predicted 68°F/20°C We were woken at 6.30am by the tenders being lowered below our balcony. We had a lovely view of the bay. The previous evening we had been told that tender tickets would be available from 7.00am at the Photo Centre on deck 6. At 7.00am they started calling for the first tender tickets holders so they must have started handing out tender tickets earlier than 7.00am. The tender tickets were the names of sea creatures and started with names starting with the letter "A" and then "B" and so on. There are a number of names starting with the same letter ie. Abalone, Anchovy and Angel Fish. My husband went to get tickets at 7.15am and got Hammerhead. We had breakfast at the Horizon buffet on the back deck in the sunshine before returning to our cabin to wait for our tender. At 8.15am when still on "C" tender tickets they announced there was a delay in the tender process but then at 8.20am they then called for a couple of "D" tender tickets. At 9.05am Hammerhead was called and we made our way to Deck 4 midship. The tender left at 9.20am for a 20 minutes ride to Waitangi. At the dock were free shuttle buses for the 5 minute ride to Paihia. Paihia is a cute town and we visited the market and local shops. There was free wifi at the Paihia Library which is in the historic Williams House. We walked down the road along the seafront and visited St Paul's Anglican Church which was built in 1926. The first church at this location was built in 1823.

Thank you! I'm really pleased that you have enjoyed my review. Hope you enjoy the rest. 😊

Yes, it was a Princess Shore Excursion. Princess looked after them and got them back to the ship in Auckland. I was on the ship and everyone was very pleased when they got rejoined us.

Monday December 11 - Auckland by DH While I was enjoying myself in Devonport my DH went to MOTAT the Museum of Transport and Technology. On his HOP card we had loaded NZD8.00 to cover the NZD3.78 fare each way. You can not pay public bus fares with cash and must have a HOP card. He got the #18 bus from Bus Stop #1004 on Little Albert Street. He got the 9.00am bus and it took 20 minutes to get to MOTAT. MOTAT opened at 10.00am and the entry cost NZD19.00. He got a tram from the front gate to the Aviation Hall. The tram is free and it is 2km from the front gate and Technology Section to the Aviation Hall. He enjoyed seeing the planes. He then got the tram back to the Technology Section. There he saw cars, tram and car workshops, steam pump engines, fire engines, tractors and a small village of timber buildings. There is a cafeteria for food and drink. MOTAT is also on the Hop On Hop Off bus route. If you want to go to the Auckland Zoo from the city you can also catch the #18 bus as the stop after MOTAT is the stop for the zoo. He got the 1.20pm #18 bus to the city and he returned to the ship at 1.50pm.

Monday December 11 - Auckland Part 4 The return trip took 15 minutes and I was back on the ship at 1.15pm after a quick stop to admire Royal Princess. I had a quick lunch at the International Cafe and dropped my purchases in the cabin. I left the ship again at 1.45pm. I walked to the Viaduct Harbour which was less than five minutes from the ship. The Viaduct Harbour was redeveloped after New Zealand won the America's Cup in 1995 so that it could host the Cup race in 2000. There are many restaurants and bars and some very expensive boats. A quick walk to Queen Street Mall before heading back to the ship. I really liked the bright red lamp posts and railings at the port. I was back on board at 2.35pm and met up with DH. We had a quiet afternoon on our balcony and compared photos from our outings. We had dinner at the Concerto Dining Room then went up to the Sports deck to watch the sail away. The captain made an announcement at 6.45pm that we would be sailing at 7.00pm as planned and also welcoming back the passengers who had not boarded the ship in Picton. We were very pleased to hear that they had made it back to the ship safely. At 7.00pm the ship reversed out into the harbour blocking all harbour traffic including a navy ship. Then 15 minutes later there was an announcement from the Staff Captain that we would be returning to the dock for a medical evacuation. We were back at the dock at 7.30pm. At 8.30pm we left the dock again and sailed out of Auckland Harbour. While we were at the back of the Sports deck to see the view back towards Auckland we had a first for us. There was a passenger playing his saxophone which was very loud. I don't know how long he had been playing before we got there but we heard him for about 15 minutes. After he finished his repertoire of songs he then decided to sing opera very loudly. Fortunately his singing did not last long. We had a great view of the city lights as we sailed away from Auckland. Today's Princess Patter

Monday December 11 - Auckland Part 3 A bit of retail therapy was in order then I thought that since I was almost there I should walk up to the top of Mt Victoria. It was a 15 minute walk to the top and there were wonderful views over the harbour to the city and to North Head and out to sea. There is also another disappearing gun at the top. It took 10 minutes to walk back down and then I walked around the base to see the churches that I had seen on my way up to Mt Victoria. St Paul's Anglican Church with its small cemetery was very cute and St Francis de Sales Catholic Church was next door. Across the road was this lovely house for sale. Hmm, could I be tempted? I got the 12.45pm ferry back to the city, once again with great views of the city and Royal Princess.

Monday December 11 - Auckland Part 2 I walked up the hill to the top of North Head where there were views along the coast and to the outer islands. I saw the gun emplacements from when North Head was a defence facility defending Auckland Harbour. There is a disappearing gun that covered the entrance to the harbour that was installed in 1887. There were wonderful views of the city, the harbour, Devonport and Mt Victoria. Once I had finished at North Head I walked back to Devonport which took 20 minutes. The waterfront is lovely to walk along and I passed the Devonport Yacht Club and even the entrance to the beach is lovely. I walked through a park which has magnificent fig trees and a cute cat statue in Christmas attire.

Monday December 11 - Auckland Overcast Skies Predicted 69°F/21°C We arrived in Auckland at 6.20am with the sun shining. Breakfast was in the sun on the back deck of the Horizon buffet. There were great views of the city. At 8.40am we left the ship and walked the short distance to the Britomart Station. There we bought HOP cards which are the system used for public transport in Auckland. Each card costs NZD5.00 and we each topped up our cards with enough funds for our respective journeys that we would be making. My card was topped up with NZD11.00. After sending DH on his way to his bus stop I walked to the ferry terminal and got the 9.15am ferry from Pier 2 to Devonport. The cost was NZD5.22 using my HOP card compared to NZD8.00 if purchasing an individual ticket. I also have the HOP card ready to be topped up for my next visit to Auckland. As we left the ferry terminal there were great views of the Old Ferry Terminal Building and Royal Princess. The ferry ride was short and in ten minutes we were at Devonport. When you leave the Devonport ferry terminal you are right at the shopping area. The shops in Devonport don't open until 10.00am so I decided to walk to North Head. Along the waterfront I passed many lovely houses and gardens. The houses range from grand to cute cottages and everything in between. The walk from Devonport along the waterfront past Torpedo Bay and to North Head took 20 minutes.

Thanks so much. I just thought that people reading my review may like to read more details. I'm so glad that Princess did something for them after they got back on board. Appreciate all your information. 😊

I just saw your post on another thread about the passengers who were not able to return to the ship in Picton. Would you mind writing about what you know or me quoting from that post for those that may be interested? Thanks. 😊

Sunday December 20 - Tauranga Part 2 Twenty minutes later we were back at Mount Maunganui. Here all the shops and cafes were open and we got lunch at a bakery. We then walked to Moturiki Island which is on the coast next to Mount Maunganui Main Beach. From the island which is attached to the mainland was a lovely view of Mt Maunganui and the lovely sandy beaches. We walked out to the end of the island to see the blowhole but the water was very calm so there was no water coming through the blowhole. There was a lovely view to Motuotau Island through the Pohutukawa trees with their gorgeous red flowers. Pohutukawa trees are native to New Zealand and have beautiful vibrant red flowers that bloom from November to January. We saw these trees at many places we went during the cruise. We returned to the mainland over the beach and used the Mount Maunganui free wifi before walking to the harbour side of Mount Maunganui. It was very windy there but we enjoyed the view of the Mount and returned to the ship at 2.45pm. For anyone in Tauranga on a Sunday I would probably not bother going into Tauranga City Centre as nothing was open other than the cafes, restaurants and bars along the waterfront. People we know walked to a Shopping Centre in Tauranga where all the shops were open. In Mount Maunganui everything was open and much more alive. Dinner was at the Concerto Dining Room. The ship sailed at 5.20pm and we spent the evening in our cabin watching a movie. Today's Princess Patter

Sunday December 20 - Tauranga Overcast Skies 72°F/22°C We were woken at 6.30am by the PA announcement that we had arrived in Tauranga. The captain had made up the five hours lost due to leaving Picton late which was good news for anyone who had a private tour. As usual we had breakfast at the Horizon buffet on the back deck. We were docked very close to Mt Maunganui. The ship actually docks at Mount Maunganui a small seaside town about 7km from Tauranga. On our numerous previous visits by land and cruise ship we had been to Hobbiton, Rotorua and climbed Mt Maunganui but never been into Tauranga. We left the ship at 9.00am and at the port exit there were people from the iSite Information Centre giving out maps and providing information to passengers. Just around the corner on Salisbury Avenue was the local bus stop. At 9.31am the #5 bus came and a large number of people got on. The fare was NZD3.40 one way per adult or a day pass cost NZD7.80 per adult. The bus didn't leave until 9.50am as it took a while for the people who were not sure of the ticket or money system to buy their tickets. It took 20 minutes to get to the Tauranga City Centre. When we got off the bus we walked to the waterfront. As we walked we noticed that all of the shops were closed because it was a Sunday and only cafes, restaurants and bars were open. At the waterfront was a small market that we walked through. A little further along was a sweet park with "Hairy Maclary and Friends" statues. Hairy Maclary is a series of lovely children's books featuring Hairy Maclary, a dog and his friends and are written by Lynley Dodd who lives in Tauranga. Further along the waterfront we saw a floral steamer that was originally built in 1938. Close by is the Herries Arch, named for Tauranga MP Sir William Herries who bequest £1000 to build a park which was established as Herries Park in 1928. Our next stop was the Monmouth Redoubt built in 1864 by British Forces to prevent the flow of supplies and reinforcements from the Maori tribes to the Maori King movement which was resisting the occupation of land confiscated by the settler government in 1863. Little remains other than the remains of the earthworks and ditch. The Rose Gardens and the Display House which had a lovely display of orchids was our next stop. Our destination was the Mission Cemetery where residents of the mission station, military personnel and Maori are buried. The military personnel who died in the battles in the area in 1864 are buried here as well as the Maori warriors who died in the battle of Te Ranga on 21 June 1864. The cemetery is beautiful with lovely large trees and it is very peaceful. We then walked past The Elms Mission House which was built in 1847 as part of the Te Papa Mission Station established in 1838 by Alfred Brown. We decided not to go in as a tour bus from the ship arrived just as we got there. The entry fee was NZD20.00 per adult. As we headed back to the city centre we passed the Old Post Office which was built in 1905 and is now a hotel. As the shops were not open we decided to head back to Mount Maunganui and got the 12.35pm #5 bus. There was a huge crowd of ship passengers waiting for the bus and when the bus came the driver let people off at the stop behind our bus stop then let people get on there. This resulted in a rush of people to get to the bus as most had been waiting in a queue at the correct stop but everyone was able to get on.

We were very pleased when we heard the Captain's announcement in Auckland welcoming them back onto the ship. Do you know how they were looked after while they were off the ship?

Thanks for reading. The rest of the cruise will be coming soon. They did make it back to the ship in Auckland. Hope you have a great cruise! 🛳️

Thanks! It was lovely to meet the two of you as well. Hope your trip home wasn't horrible. I'm sure you need a good rest now. 😊

Saturday December 9 - Sea Day Scattered Clouds 61°F/16°C We woke up to a sunny but windy morning. The upper decks were closed as it was so windy. We had breakfast at the Horizon buffet on the back deck. At 9.00am we went to the Theatre for the Destination Presentation for Auckland and the Bay of Islands with Leeanne. At 10.00am also in the Theatre was Meet the Captain and Senior Officers. Hosted by the Cruise Director the Captain, Staff Captain, Hotel General Manager and Chief Engineer Officer answered questions about the running of the ship and also shared information about their personal lives. We went up to the Lido deck to have pizza for lunch and though it was sunny it was still very windy and the top decks were still closed. We spent the afternoon in our cabin watching a movie then went to dinner at the Concerto Dining Room. After dinner was the Production Show "Colours of the World" in the Theatre at 7.30pm. For the first time we saw seats reserved for those on the Premier package. The reserved seating was policed by two crew members on our side of the theatre until about ten minutes prior to the show. The show was only 30 minutes long and we enjoyed the music and singing. Throughout the day everyone we spoke to was talking about the shore excursion bus that did not return to the ship the previous night. This is what I heard but can not confirm that this is absolutely correct. On the way back to the ship after their excursion there was a very bad road accident with a vehicle overturned and a number of people medically evacuated by helicopter. Fortunately the shore excursion bus was not involved in the accident but it was caught up in the traffic jam as the road was completely blocked. As the only way to get back to the ship was a five hour detour after getting disentangled from the traffic jam, the decision was made to put the passengers in a hotel for the night. Princess was not able to get them to Tauranga so they will fly them to Auckland to catch up with the ship there. Their personal valuables, passports and medications were taken off the ship and were to be taken to the passengers. This is one very good instance where thankfully the passengers were on a Princess shore excursion so that Princess was responsible for looking after them and getting them back to the ship. Today's Princess Patter

Friday December 8 - Picton Part 2 We started to make our way down back to Picton but this time headed the opposite way to where we had come up. It was a lot longer and not as steep but it was not as well maintained as the way we came up and also had some stairs. I thought the way we came up was the better way even though it was steeper. There were views down to the water on the way down. You can see Royal Princess peeking out from Shakespeare Bay between the two hills. It took us about 50 minutes to get back down to Newgate Street which included a couple of photo stops. We walked to the town centre where we visited a number of gift and souvenir stores and also got some hot chips for lunch. The town centre was a hive of activity with live music being played at a number of places. It was a really lovely atmosphere and a pleasure to spend some time there. As the day progressed the clouds drifted away and we were in full sunshine by 2.00pm. We walked to the local markets and then to the beautiful waterfront and marina. At 2.20pm we joined the queue for the shuttle and ten minutes later we were on a shuttle to the ship. We were back at the ship at 2.45pm. We spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony watching the activity on the dock before going to dinner at the Concerto Dining Room. At 6.00pm the captain made an announcement that we would not be leaving Picton at 6.00pm as planned because a Princess Shore Excursion bus was late due to traffic and our new departure time would now be 9.30pm. This was disappointing because it meant that we would miss the beautiful scenic sail out through Queen Charlotte Sound because it would be dark when we sailed but was completely understandable. After dinner we went up to the Sun deck to look at the view before returning to our cabin for a quiet evening watching a movie. The late Shore Excursion bus did not return and at 10.45pm the gangway was removed and the ropes started to be removed from the shore. We sailed at 11.00pm without our missing passengers. Today's Princess Patter

Thank you! You can understand why if the wind is blowing at the entrance to Otago Harbour as it is a very narrow channel. Pity that you missed Christchurch particularly as it was just before the earthquake. On our first time on a cruise to Dunedin we weren't able to get into the harbour because of the wind and we sat at sea for half a day. The storm that came with the wind was so bad that we had to turn around (we had come from Christchurch) and go back up the east coast and then sail through the Cook Strait between the north and south islands to get back to Australia which meant we didn't get to go to the Sounds.