Sungirl goes LIVE from the Century - New Zealand/Australia 12/12/11

[KCSungirl]

Dec. 13 - Bay Of Islands

 

We awoke to the most gorgeous scenery in the Bay of Islands. I am teasing that this is the Florida of New Zealand, as this is the warmest area of New Zealand with a lot of beaches and summer homes. The weather is not perfect today, but nothing will interfere with our enjoyment of the day. I keep saying New Zealand shines, and when the sun comes out it will sparkle also.

 

After breakfast in the buffet, we tendered on shore. Much to my surprise, we arrived in the charming village of Russell. I thought we were tendering to the town of Paihia. I had pre- booked Fuller’s Dolphin/Bay/Hole In the Rock cruise on line, as they offer a 10% discount to book online. $85/pp They have pick-ups in Paihia and Russell. Since I had booked for Paihia, I had to go the Fuller’s office in Russell and have them change my tickets. No problem. We were early for our 9:15am departure so we went to a café along the waterfront for coffee. If you book this excursion independently, make sure you sneak off the ship with the tenders going ashore with the Princess tours. If you wait for general tendering you might not have enough time to make the 9am cruise. The day cruise was fantastic. Even though we saw no dolphins and did not make it to the Hole In the Rock due to sea conditions, it was a primo excursion for us. The high speed catamarans are very clean and comfortable. It is a fully narrated excursion with several highlighted areas, You make a stop at a small island for an hour. You can hike up a mountain and enjoy unbelievable views or sit outside and enjoy lunch/coffee/snacks from the cafeteria type restaurant. We did both of course. I had Hoki fish and chips. On the excursion we met a darling family with three kids under the age of ten. We became fast friends and it was fun sharing the experience with them. After the morning cruise, we returned to Russell about 12:45ppm. We immediately hopped on the mini bus tour of Russell. $24/pp It was a quick hour long tour. I think it was the sweetest tour I have every taken. Narrated by a sweet man named Chris. After the mini bus tour we walked around town, shopped, and enjoyed more coffee. I bought a cute black military style cap with the Pohutakawa flower embroidered on it. We tendered back to the ship around 3:30pm. No lines, no crowds, perfect day in the Bay Of Islands and the village of Russell.

 

Since it has been showering on and off since we arrived in NZ, my hair is looking pitiful. I am too tired to re-do the hair in the evening, so I look like a drowned rat. Hopefully my hair will improve as the weather improves.

 

After we returned to the ship we went to the Rendezous lounge to enjoy the accoustic guitarist Jana. She is wonderful. She sings primarily ‘60’s/70’s singer/songwriter type music. We went to the 7pm featured entertainment in the theater - Glenn Amer, an Australian Liberace/Van Cliburn type pianist. He did a nice show, even though I am not a huge Liberace or Van Cliburn fan. I am always in awe of the talent of musicians and aritsts, as I have no artistic talent. I am good with money though. After the show we went to select dining at 8pm. Enjoyed Chicken Wellington and many more of our favorite things = escargot, French onion soup, Caesar salad, and a variety of breads. We met our new friends from the dolphin excursion at dinner and the kids wanted to come to our cabin to see the Christmas decorations. We had everyone over for some Christmas cheer. The kids loved the fun décor. They are such sweet kids, I am tempted to invite them for a slumber party, but I don’t think the cabin could accommodate us.

 

Fun Facts - 700 Aussie/Kiwis on board

600 Americans

200 Canadians

200 Asians

 

They are offering trivia seven times per day, but no evening trivia as of now.

 

Offering a photo package for $299 - all the photos you want for the entire cruise. A pretty good deal if you like to buy photos like I do

 

Internet has been running pretty fast for me and I am getting in-cabin reception. YAY!

I bought a package for $200, which I think gives me 600 minutes or so. Not cheap, but I have to spend that shipboard credit on something.

 

Goodnight, see you in Tauranga

[rokalada]

KC,

I am loving reading your reports. We, like you, don't care too much for ship shore excursions. So, I am curious - what are your plans in the different ports?

 

Another question - when you have your first "formal night," could you let me know what percentage of men are in tuxedos. My husband is not wanting to take his tux along, and I am voting that he do so.

 

Also, did you make any arrangements for a cell phone in NZ? Again, trying to make that decision before we leave on 12/27 for the 1/6 Century sailing.

 

THANKS for the newsy posts!!!!

[Jrnee4ever]

Hey Jrnee4Ever,

 

Come on by the roll call thread for your cruise on January 6. There's a whole bunch of us at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1247548&page=31

 

We are a very friendly bunch and you can meet folks before you board, all just as excited as you are.

 

Jim

 

 

Jim,

I'm Mindy's (MinSuFL) mom and have been to the thread almost every day for the past several months. I have found that it really does increase my overall anticipation for the trip - getting to know all the wonderful people who generously share their vast knowledge and thoughts. After a year of planning this trip, I am thrilled to be able to say, "See you soon!"

Susan

[May B]

What a great, ongoing trip report! You are doing a huge mitzvah for so many of us. This is the epitome of a Cruise Critic thread.

 

Plus, you should certainly win the Best Teacher award for your Optimism 101 lessons.

 

Your new and most ardent fan,

May

[DrKoob]

Jim,

I'm Mindy's (MinSuFL) mom and have been to the thread almost every day for the past several months. I have found that it really does increase my overall anticipation for the trip - getting to know all the wonderful people who generously share their vast knowledge and thoughts. After a year of planning this trip, I am thrilled to be able to say, "See you soon!"

Susan

 

Sorry Susan, I didn't realize that was you. I don't think Mindy ever told us your screen name. I will add it to the roster.

 

Jim

[KCSungirl]

Kia Ora from Tauranga. Warning: You will need a triple shot in your coffee today to keep up with me today. We have docked, and the view of Mt. Maunganui is beautiful. The HAL Volendam is also berthed. The container ship is still in the water on the reef. They are removing a few containers a day, but the oil is gone. Another sad disaster for the environment.

 

We have an extremely labor intensive day planned. I am not sure we will complete our ambitious itinerary, but we will try. We invited the family we met yesterday on the dolphin cruise to join us on our adventure.

 

No time for breakfast this am, but my devoted DH brought me coffee to the cabin. I travel with a large thermal mug so I can keep my coffee warm.

 

I had reserved a rental car in advance from Thrifty. $107US for the day. I called the owner of the Thrifty franchise, Grant, in advance to confirm he would be at the port at 8am to pick me up, as I had no time to spare. He guaranteed me there would be no problem. As promised, Grant was waiting for me at 8am. Our friends also rented a vehicle from him thru the I-site office on the pier. We have to shuttle ten minutes to the airport to pick-up the vehicles. I was very tempted to rent one of the Porsche convertibles in the port parking lot. $395/day. Here I go again being a prudent Princess, I am so boring.

 

We were off to spend the day touring Rotorua. Rotorua is a Maori cultural and Geothermal attraction. There are so many things to do and see, one day would never be enough to see everything. We were going to try, however, to set a world record for the most sightseeing done in one day by a cruise ship passenger.

 

Learning to drive on the left. This was a little challenging at first, but we got the hang of it quickly. We drove highway 33 to Rotorua. A 60 minute scenic drive through forests, mountains, and farmland. We made our first stop 30 minutes south of Rotorua at Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. $33/pp We barely made the 10:15am Lady Knox Geyser erruption. A guide explains about Geysers - only four places in the world have Geyers - Yellowstone, Iceland, Chile, and NZ. I had no idea the science behind a geyser. I thought it was a blow hole of some sort. The two main thermal attractions are TePuia and Waiotapu. TePuia has a Maori cultural element that Waiotapu does not have. Waiotapu features the Champagne Pool and the neon green Devil’s Bath. The drive from Rotorua to Waiotapu was gorgeous. I love scenic driving. After we watched the Geyser errupt, we walked one loop of the park to view several types of thermal activity. Very much a science lesson for me. The kids were loving this place. We left Waiotapu and went back to Rotorua. The central business district is very busy with tourists this time of year. Our next stop - The Skyline Gondola $31/pp with one luge ride. We rode the gondola up the mountain which gave us a panoramic view of the entire valley and Lake Rotorua. If the showers would stop and the sun appear, it would all just be blinding beautiful. After you ride the Gondola up the mountain, you have the option to luge a portion of the way down the mountain. There are three tracks for different levels of speed. We took the scenic track. It was fun. The kids took two rides, but one was enough for me in the rain. We left the Skyline to go to the Agrodome to enjoy the 2:30pm sheep show. $29/pp This is a popular sheep show. It was very fun and interesting to see 19 different breeds of sheep, sheep shearing, and dogs. I got a huge laugh from Terry, our friend. There were a lot of cruisers at the show on a tour. Terry was relaxed and having a good time knowing that all of these other cruiser were headed back to the ship like we were. UNTIL, I told Terry the cruisers were off the Volendam and leaving at 11pm, not 5pm. Terry’s eyes got huge with fear when I told him there would be no other Celebrity cruiser crazy enough to be at the show that ends at 3:30pm and drive back to Tauranga for a 5pm departure. The Amazing Race had just taken on new life. We drove highway 36 back to the ship. The most fun drive ever. Lots of curves and beauty. We got gas, returned the vehicles to the airport, and shuttled back to the ship The ship was holding the gangway for us. It is a mile walk from the ship to the pier exit, we were running that mile. Gold Medal for achieving a sightseeing record. The day was so great I could cry tears of joy.

 

We had made no time to eat today, so we immediately went to the grill for hamburgers and hot dogs. According to DH, the burgers are the best he has ever had at sea. I think I might have just won the cruise lottery with my DH’s new found love with Celebrity.

 

It was formal night, but we did not bring dress clothes. I thought maybe they would allow us in the dining room if we went late. The hostess turned me away at 9pm. Does she know who I am? The Princess! The Super Model! The Cruise Lizard! We went back to the cabin and enjoyed formal night dining in our PJ’s. Room service delivered lamb, kingfish, escargot, French onion soup, Caesar salad, and gnocchi. It was not nearly as good as it would have been in the dining room, but we were grateful to get to eat dining room food.

 

We are enjoying all of the in-room movies on the television. I will try to make a list of titles. Tonight’s feature was Russell Crowe in The Last Three Days, or something about three days. We also watched Sean Penn in Fair Game, the Valerie Plame story. Then Limitless with Bradley Cooper.

 

I went to the song and dance show, Dance Around the World at 11pm. I had seen the show before, but everything is new again with a different cast. Great show.

 

Goodnight, see you in Napier.

[DrKoob]

Keep up the great work Sungirl. You rock.

 

Can't believe they did formal night in Tauranga, probably the longest day of touring there is on this itinerary. Crazy. I am bringing my tux but may just do the buffet that night.

[Strode Wallace]

KKC...Be sure to ask Richard Rubin to show you his "Most Entertaining" Performer Award (not most talented...but most entertaining) from the 2011 Alaska to San Diego cruise.

[Waihekean]

Thank you for posting your blog and I am so glad you are keeping your spirits up Sungirl! because the weather is so bad, believe me it usually is not like this:( so wet and cold Brrrr....But the darkness helps with the Christmas atmosphere:D

 

But you said you are going for a month, so I am sure you will get some nice weather somewhere.

[bendigoboy]

kcsungirl you mention the formal night and being turned away. Can you give us a guide as to the minimum dress standard that they would accept (or you saw) for entry to the dining room on that night. Especially mens wear.

[busykymom]

We saw everything on the Nov 30 cruise. My adult son wore dark button down shirt and pants (no jacket) -- even to Murano -- no problem. One gentleman in Muranos had on a windbreaker jacket. Very few men in tuxedos. Very few long dresses.

[busykymom]

Try the Kangaroo burgers at the grill on the port side! My husband had them everyday!

[busykymom]

We had a lot of cool misty mornings on our Nov 30 cruise and with naturally curly hair like mine, I had to give it up too. :-). Most days it would clear up by noon and we would see a little sun. Bay of Islands was our only full day of misty/rainy and we did sea kayaking so didn't have to worry about getting wet! Cool temps were actually nice when you are rowing! Great excursion and our adult kids loved kayaking right into the waterfall!

[KCSungirl]

Welcome to Hawke’s Bay/Napier. It’s still raining, but it has not slowed us down yet. We desperately needed some extra rest today, so a noon arrival is appreciated. I attended the Celebrity Connections party at 10am. Held in the Hemisphere Lounge hosted by Ian, the cruise director. I was very impressed. It was well attended and everyone was happy to put names with faces. Our roll call wasn’t the most active, but friendly nevertheless.

 

I had not made definite plans for today. I had several activities in mind, but wanted to wait to check out the I-Site and see if the weather was going to cooperate. We got off the ship around 12;15pm. There are a few bonuses when it is raining. The rush to get off the ship is not as bad/, thus less crowding. We shuttled from the ship to the city center. We immediately went to the I-site to see what our options were. I got the last two seats on the best excursion of my life - Black Rose Limousine, a city and winery tour. $65/pp It was a “limo” bus - plush leather seating, bar, etc that accommodated 14 people. We had over an hour to spend shopping around town before the tour left at 2pm. We made a predictable stop at Starbucks. I am now collecting the Starbucks coffee mugs from around the world. Bought the New Zealand mug with a Kiwi bird.. We walked Tennyson Street, one of the main shopping streets of Napier. The Art Deco architecture was interesting. If you have read your Frommer’s guidebook, you might know that Napier was destroyed in a 1931 earthquake, and rebuilt in art deco style. It’s second only to South Beach, for the variety of deco styles.

 

We walked back to the I-site to join our tour. Our driver ,Glenn, was waiting for us. The bus held 14 people. We had seven couples, all Aussies except us. It was great fun being the minority. The city tour was lovely, some interesting fountains, sculptures, and landmarks. After we left the city we make three winery stops - Craggy Range, Black Barn, and Te Amata. The vineyards were gorgeous, the facilities were amazing. Wine never tasted so good. My favorite was the Sauvignon Blanc from Craggy Range. We purchase three different varieties of wine, all were in the $25 range. No problem bringing wine on board the ship at any port. It’s New Zealand for gosh sake, a wine capital. We made a stop at the Te Mata Peak,in Hastings, a 1300 ft mountain. On a clear day, you can see lots of mountain ranges, valleys, and the sea. Visibility was limited today, but I could see lots of sheep. Love those sheep. We ended the day with fresh strawberries from the strawberry patch, a darling fresh produce farm. Glenn returned us to the ship around 5:15pm or so. I had 12 new best friends, felt no pain, and couldn’t stop giggling. If I was any happier, I would explode. Another great day spent in New Zealand.

 

Since I was a wee bit drunk and had not made time to eat yet today, we immediately went to the grill and buffet. The grill closes at 6pm, which is too early IMO. DH is going crazy for the Indian curry station and the cheeseburgers. As much as he likes the dining room, he really prefers the variety in the buffet. After dinner we attended the 7pm featured entertainment in the Celebrity Showroom - Darren Williams, an Aussie Vegas style singer. He was fantastic. I loved the show so much, I went back to the 9pm performance. In between shows, I tried to go win a watch at the watch shop. They had a Tag Heuer event with a raffle drawing. I never win anything!

 

Our movie for the day - The Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman. Deep, loved it.

 

We wanted to go to the Liar’s Club game show at 10:30pm to meet our new friends from our tour, but we were exhausted. On to bed we go so I can keep writing my blog. I write late at night and early in the morning

 

See you in Wellington…….

[KCSungirl]

CSI: CELEBRITY

 

The DH was on a mission to solve the crime. I cruised on the Century in April with my BFF. We were pretending to be hot, young, and sexy in the disco one night. My 5 inch wedge heel hit a gap between the path lighting and the wheelchair ramp and I went flying thru the disco. I ripped up my ankle, spent the second half the cruise in a wheelchair and had a cast for a month when I returned home. The DH needed to investigate if I wiped out due to the vodka or the path lighting. I was guilty til proven innocent. I had to go back to the scene of the crime in the Hemisphere lounge and re-enact the whole thing for him. I was found NOT guilty of the DUI - Dancing Under the Influence. Case closed.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Arriving in Wellington as I post.

Local time...Friday 16 Dec 8.30 am

 

Have a great day in Wellington.

 

[DrKoob]

Arriving in Wellington as I post.

Local time...Friday 16 Dec 8.30 am

 

Have a great day in Wellington.

 

 

David,

 

I am appreciating your photos almost as much as KCSungirls narrative but I would ask one thing of you. We are on Century's January 6 trip that is a duplicate of the one they are doing now. Could you try and get some better weather before we get there. I don't know if there is a Maori dance that can be done or perhaps a special ceremony but a little sun would be nice. :D

 

Keep up the great pics. In all seriousness, where was this one taken from? Looks like a camera on ship right behind Century.

 

Jim

[bronnie]

Hi KCSungirl

Enjoying your blog so...oo much. We are on the 24 December sailing - so gleaning tips from you.

Hope the weather improves a bit as you come south. The local weather forecast for the lower south island says it is expected to improve over the next few days. I live in Oamaru which is between Christchurch & Dunedin.

Look forward to your next posting.

Bronnie

[Kiwi Kruzer]

where was this one taken from? Looks like a camera on ship right behind Century.Jim

 

Hi Jim,

The port in Wellington is called Centre Port and they have a series of live web cams..

 

http://www.centreport.co.nz/cargo-tracking/web-cams

 

I think this one is from the ferry terminal for the InterIslander service ,(between the North and South Islands) and it looks over to Aotea Quay , where the cruise ships dock.

 

 

 

 

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Wonderful Live. I havent been on Celebrity in too long! Thanks for taking the time. Love your writing.

[Wormy53]

CSI: CELEBRITY

 

The DH was on a mission to solve the crime. I cruised on the Century in April with my BFF. We were pretending to be hot, young, and sexy in the disco one night. My 5 inch wedge heel hit a gap between the path lighting and the wheelchair ramp and I went flying thru the disco. I ripped up my ankle, spent the second half the cruise in a wheelchair and had a cast for a month when I returned home. The DH needed to investigate if I wiped out due to the vodka or the path lighting. I was guilty til proven innocent. I had to go back to the scene of the crime in the Hemisphere lounge and re-enact the whole thing for him. I was found NOT guilty of the DUI - Dancing Under the Influence. Case closed.

 

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! It is always questionable after dinner and drinks whether or not one is guilty as charged. Glad to see you were found innocent on all charges!!!:D

[KCSungirl]

We are missing our call to Akaroa due to tendering conditions. The coastline is gorgeous, scenic cruising today. Be back shortly with a Wellington report.

[busykymom]

We had some troubles tendering there -- very rough waters and a couple of the boats broke down. Many complaints from people who waited 2 hours to make it back to the boat. Ugh. We did get a free cocktail sailaway party the next day to make up for it. We had no troubles on our tender, so we were lucky.

[KCSungirl]

New Zealand keeps getting more beautiful the farther south we travel. Wellington is a beautiful harbor. We slept in a bit, ate a fast breakfast, got off the ship at 10:30am. There is a city provided shuttle service ($8/pp RT)from the port to the city center. The line was moving very slow to purchase tickets, so we hopped a cab for $16. Don’t waste precious time standing in line for the shuttle service. We had the driver drop us at the I-Site so we could make our plan for the day. There is so much to see and do in Wellington. You will have to choose the attractions that are most interesting for you. The three top city attractions would be the Museum of Wellington, the Cable Car ride with a stroll thru the botanic gardens, or the Wellington Zoo. If you have any physical limitations, the cable car and botanic gardens would be difficult. The walk is straight down the hill and you need to be strong to fight gravity. If I had one more day in Wellington I would have taken John’s HOHO bus tour. 18 stops, a two hour loop ($39/pp) Leaves every hour from the I-site. We decided we wanted an “off road adventure”. We booked the Seal Coast Safari ($107/pp) at the I-site. We had a few hours before our safari, we shopped, walked to the Cable Car ($3/OW), rode up the hill and walked thru the botanic gardens back downtown. Spectacular. If you are into World Cup Rugby souvenirs, both Auckland and Wellington had “Official” World Cup souvenir outlets. We bought three t-shirts and a nylon bag for $42. The official shops will be closing soon, but I am sure you can find rugby souvenirs everywhere. The line for tickets at the Cable Car, was slow. We stood in line 30 minutes for a 3 minute ride. The view from the top is lovely. The botanic gardens are beautiful. It was a glorious walk. The rose garden was especially beautiful. We made our way back to the I-site, with a Starbucks stop along the way. We walked over two hours, I hope I burned a few hot dogs/fries! Our safari driver picked us up at 1:30pm at the I-site. We had a Toyota 4WD vehicle for four people. Kent, our driver, was an excellent driver and host. The tour normally uses Toyota Land Cruisers for 8 people, but as overflow they have a few smaller vehicles. This was an awesome adventure. Again, if you have any physical limitations, this excursion would be difficult. It is a very wild ride.

 

The safari was fabulous. We traveled thru Brooklyn to the top of a mountain with amazing views. The tour operator pays a private owner to have access to the farm we travel thru as we make our way down the mountain to the shoreline. We saw some Ostrich, deer, and goats. When we get to the shoreline, we go off road on a black sand beach to a seal colony. The views are dramatic. Lots of rocks for the seals to sun themselves. Riding off road with a full bladder was getting difficult. I had to go to the bathroom badly. I walked several yards away from the vehicle to find myself a nice rock to squat and pee on. Yes, even a Princess has to squat and pee sometimes. I took my pants down, started to pee, looked behind me and there was a huge seal that I did not even notice as they blend with the rocks. I know my fat, white ass must have scared the crap out of him. I started screaming and running as I thought since he was barking at me he would charge me like an elephant. It was so funny. My DH made me re-enact the whole scene to get a picture with me squatting with the seal behind me. There wasn’t just one seal, I found two more. We stayed and watched them for 30 minutes. I was so close to them, I could touch them. Fascinating. We drove the coastal road around the mountain til we met pavement closer to the city. Kent returned us directly to the ship. We shared the tour with a young boyfriend/girlfriend from Sydney. They were fun. I was completely exhausted by the adventure and couldn’t imagine how the drivers make the trip twice a day everyday. It is very rough. It was 5pm when we returned to the ship. Another awesome day ashore.

 

We met our friends from our wine tour the day before for happy hour. The weather is too cold to sit outside, so we happy houred inside. We ate in the dining room around 7pm. We want a window table, so we usually wait a few minutes for a table. No problem. We ordered every entrée on the menu - blackened grouper, braised short ribs, quail, and seafood fettucini., plus our regular escargot, salad, and French onion soup. Delicious. We moved tables for dessert to spend time with the family we shared the excursion in Rotorua. We have become Aunt and Uncle to the three kids. We love them, and miss them when we don’t see them. They loved the Santa hat I was wearing.

 

The featured performer in the showroom was Martin Lass, a violinist. We stopped to listen to a few minutes at the 9pm show but we were too tired to stay. I turn into a pumpkin at 10pm.

 

In cabin movies for us today - The Tourist, The King’s Speech

 

Goodnight

[Aussie Gal]

KCSungiril,

 

Thanks for a great post. You have certainly given us ideas of what to do when we are in Wellington. By the sound of it, the weather must have behaved itself for you. Did you notice if it was windy! It is known as the windy city.

 

Jennie