Live from Voyager—Feb 20 to Mar 6, 2018–Sydney to Auckland with RachelG

[RJ2002]

Enjoyed your reporting and pictures very much Rachel. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Save travels.

[flossie009]

Thanks for the very interesting blog with such fabulous pictures.

Enjoy your last hours aboard then have a safe journey home.

[Travelcat2]

Rachel - thanks so much for this wonderful blog - I have enjoyed every minute. I'll miss waking up and seeing your photos and reading what adventures you have been on. On the other hand, the Voyager will finally be making its way up to Bali where we will join it later this month.

 

Safe travels home!

[eliana]

Thanks Rachel for your enjoyable blog and excellent photos.The Voyager seems in good nick for when we join her in Dubai in May. Can’t wait.

[ronrick1943]

Rachel, can't say enough about how much I enjoyed your trip-really nice writing and photos. Makes me can't wait as we cruise Regent in April. Safe travels. Rick

[crusin7]

Thanks Rachel for the great blog. I really enjoyed your commentary and photos. Safe travels!

[lprp]

Hi Rachel

Thanks so much for your blog, it has really whetted our appetite for our upcoming cruise.

We are travelling to Sydney on Thursday to join Voyager on Saturday en-route to Bali (Regent offered a special deal) for the 'split' cruise.

We will be doing most of the itinerary you did in reverse - I can't wait, especially after reading your descriptions and seeing your photos.

Safe travels home

[poss]

Safe and uncomplicated travels home, Rachel and George. Thanks so much for the voyage.

[gjkov]

Rachel I’ve loved your photos and commentary. Thanks for sharing and safe travels home!

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, Rachel, for extending our Voyager cruise another two weeks with your terrific reports and pics. Wishing you and George a safe return and easy re-entry.

 

Rich

[RachelG]

March 6, 2018–disembarkation in Auckland New Zealand

 

Thanks for all the well wishes and for following along. I love to write when I am writing about something that I love, and I am happy to share a little of our journey with whoever wants to read.

 

We were up early with everything packed and ready to go. Off the ship at 8:00 am. We carry our own luggage off so that we can disembark when we want. Walked right off and through customs in no time at all.

 

Our driver, Lilia, who I had arranged online, picked us up right on time, and we set off on a morning tour. She owns her own agency, Tour Zealand, and is very good. And has a great price as well. We had been driving to our first stop, about 20 minutes, when we had a bit of drama. George realized he had left his backpack in the cruise terminal. Lilia got them on the phone, and we explained the situation. They went searching and found it, with all his stuff including his iPad still inside. So we raced back and picked it up.

 

She then took us to Mount Eden which is a dormant volcano where you can hike around. The center part is collapsed, but grass covered since it has been dormant for 600 years. After a nice walk around, we headed to the big greenhouses in the city park to see all sorts of ferns, tropical plants, and flowers. It is lovely, and free of charge. There was a huge meat eating plant, large enough that it could consume a mouse.

 

We then drove along the water front with great views on all sides and down to where some huge sailboats are in the process of an around the world race. George loved that part!

 

Then on to the airport, via a sushi restaurant where the sushi was nearly as good as the hole in the wall place yesterday. Checkin at the AA priority desk was SLOW, but we are finally through security and in the qantas lounge. And on to LAX in about an hour.

 

It has been a wonderful trip, even with the disappointing start with the change of itinerary. I would come back to Australia and New Zealand in a heartbeat.

[MalbecWine]

Thank you for your wonderful blog and amazing photos.

[rarin2go]

It has been a wonderful trip........

And it has been wonderful reading about it and sharing it with you both - thank you!

[Keith1010]

Rachel, I have enjoyed reading each of your posts.

 

You are a great writer.

 

Thank you for taking us along.

 

Safe travels.

 

Keith

[Gilly]

Rachel, I can't believe you are on your way home already. I guess it must almost be time for me to take up the baton, assuming Navigator makes it to Singapore OK :o Safe travels back home and thank you once more for sharing your cruise (and George's birthday) with us!

[Hambagahle]

Thank you Rachel for a wonderful blog. Loved the photos and you write beautifully. Have a safe flight home.

Gerry

[zqtchas]

We too would like to add our thanks to your untiring travel logs. We have been down that way on Silverseas awhile back but will be doing a land adventure next Jan/Feb for a month. So your adventures added to our must sees. And as former Tex governor Ann Richards said, "poor George". Thanks again.

[forevertravel]

Rachel, thank you for the wonderful blog. We have friends on that cruise and I emailed her that we were traveling with them through you. I told her they would recognize you with George and his hat. She emailed she had met "Dr. Rachel". They as well as us share our love of Regent. We also share with you the same travel agency. Safe travels home. Maybe we'll cruise together sometime in the future.

[Stumblefoot]

It has been a wonderful trip, even with the disappointing start with the change of itinerary. I would come back to Australia and New Zealand in a heartbeat.

As we contemplate a similar itinerary in 2019 it’s great to hear you’d go back! I echo so many of the others here in saying thanks for sharing your trip with us.

 

 

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[irishwitchy]

Thank you, you gave me places to review as I plan our land trip next year!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Rachel

Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful journey. We have traveled that route before and it brought back wonderful memories.

Hope to meet you and a George on another Regent cruise.

Safe travels.

Sheila and Herb

[rich48100]

Rachel

 

Thanks for all of you insights into the area. We will be going on the Grand Voyage from Miami to Sydney on the Mariner, so this portion was particularly insightful.

 

I also couldn’t help but see that you are from Tulsa which is also our hometown. Welcome home to Tulsa Town and again being on Tulsa Time.

 

Rich and Barbara

 

 

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[RachelG]

Thanks, everyone, for all the kind words.

 

Forevertravel, I did indeed meet your friend. I have my morning tea in the Coffee Connection, and she came up and introduced herself. Very nice lady.

 

Rich and Barbara, how have we not met you in Tulsa!?! I am a doctor at Warren Clinic, and my husband is an attorney and rancher.

[rich48100]

It is a small world. We don’t get to meet very many Okies when we travel, but there were two couples we met from OKC on our last Regent cruise on the Voyager last year from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi. Great itinerary!!!!

 

We are retired oil folks, from AMOCO. Actually I just mentioned your name to my wife and she thinks you are her doctor. We also have our primary care physician at the Warren Clinic.

 

 

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[RachelG]

I am a gyn surgeon, Rich, and have a whole lot of patients, so if your primary care is with Warren Clinic, I have probably treated your wife at one time or the other. We were once on a regent cruise and met a lady at the block party who lives less than a mile from us.