Now for something completely different

[NSWP]

3 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Air New Zealand did some .

 

 

Chilling, when you know they all perished. In about 1994 I attended the Australian Emergency Management College at Mt Macedon, Victoria to do a 2 week course in Disaster Management, as I had the Sydney Airport in my area.  One of the lecturers was a Sgt from NZ Police, who was a Disaster Victim Identification expert. He worked on Mt Erebus and afterwards in the morgues in NZ etc, doing Victim ID.  The photos, videos we were shown were horrific. But we learnt a bit.

Edited April 11, 2021 by NSWP

[onlyslightlymad]

I would offer to pick you up in Tauranga, Lyle, but i don't know it I'll be here or away on holiday myself.  We are booked on the cruise after yours.

[Blackduck59]

1 minute ago, onlyslightlymad said:

I would offer to pick you up in Tauranga, Lyle, but i don't know it I'll be here or away on holiday myself.  We are booked on the cruise after yours.

 

If you are there then maybe we could get together for coffee, we are going to start getting a better idea of what to do at the ports during the coming monthes. I so the next cruise after mine is the Sydney to south pacific cruise? So if you think good thoughts that our cruise will go and we think good thoughts your cruise will go maybe they'll go 😎

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

If you are there then maybe we could get together for coffee, we are going to start getting a better idea of what to do at the ports during the coming monthes. I so the next cruise after mine is the Sydney to south pacific cruise? So if you think good thoughts that our cruise will go and we think good thoughts your cruise will go maybe they'll go 😎

The best excursions out of Tauranga are either to Rotorua or to Hobbiton. However if you don't want to do either of those there is plenty to see around Tauranga and Mount Maunganui - the cruise terminal is actually on "The Mount" side of the harbour.

[onlyslightlymad]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

If you are there then maybe we could get together for coffee, we are going to start getting a better idea of what to do at the ports during the coming monthes. I so the next cruise after mine is the Sydney to south pacific cruise? So if you think good thoughts that our cruise will go and we think good thoughts your cruise will go maybe they'll go 😎

Well we may as well be positive but also have a back up plan.  We can make plans closer to the time.  I am a 15 minute drive from Pilot Bay where the cruise ships pull up so that's easy.  

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The best excursions out of Tauranga are either to Rotorua or to Hobbiton. However if you don't want to do either of those there is plenty to see around Tauranga and Mount Maunganui - the cruise terminal is actually on "The Mount" side of the harbour.

Great town Tauranga, enjoyed our time there by ship and by car. Friendly people.

Edited April 11, 2021 by NSWP

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The best excursions out of Tauranga are either to Rotorua or to Hobbiton. However if you don't want to do either of those there is plenty to see around Tauranga and Mount Maunganui - the cruise terminal is actually on "The Mount" side of the harbour.

We enjoyed our day in Tauranga.  We walked around Mount Maunganui then caught local bus to Tauranga, where we had the best shop in NZ.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 4/11/2021 at 9:22 AM, NSWP said:

Talking about tours - something different -  did you see on Sunrise Ch7 this morning. Mr Chimu is doing charters on a Qantas Dreamliner to see the Southern Lights, from Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne.  Does not really appeal to me. Prices from around $1200 in economy to $6500 in business.

Les, there is a good article, with a couple of great photos, about Mr Chimu's Southern Lights flights in the print edition of the SMH. I couldn't find the article online though.

 

I hope he gets lots of bookings for those flights. I'd love to see the Southern Lights but sering them on a flight doesn't appeal to me.

[OzKiwiJJ]

[By The Bay]

I found this image that was taken on the first southern lights flight of Chimu adventures chartered Qantas 787-9 probed towards Antarctica on Friday night. (Nick Moir / Sydney Morning Herald )

[Blackduck59]

4 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

I found this image that was taken on the first southern lights flight of Chimu adventures chartered Qantas 787-9 probed towards Antarctica on Friday night. (Nick Moir / Sydney Morning Herald )

 Cool

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Les, there is a good article, with a couple of great photos, about Mr Chimu's Southern Lights flights in the print edition of the SMH. I couldn't find the article online though.

 

I hope he gets lots of bookings for those flights. I'd love to see the Southern Lights but sering them on a flight doesn't appeal to me.

When we were in Tassie the last time in January, we ran into a photographer.  Seeing my daughter's camera, he said did you see the Southern Lights last night?  Until then I thought you could only see them in winter.

 

I think the flights over Antarctica would be a wonderful memorable experience for people who wouldn't otherwise be able to see Antarctica.

[Blackduck59]

Here I am enjoying a cup of Earl Grey and a couple of Peek Freens Fruit Creme biscuits🙂

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

Here I am enjoying a cup of Earl Grey and a couple of Peek Freens Fruit Creme biscuits🙂

Enjoy!  The joys of being a part of the Commonwealth.  Earl Grey tea is my western tea of choice.  I currently found some Lady Grey tea, but it is weaker than Earl Grey.  I know Peek Freens brand but am not a fan of creme biscuits.  I've recently discovered NZ ginger nuts,

[Blackduck59]

2 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Enjoy!  The joys of being a part of the Commonwealth.  Earl Grey tea is my western tea of choice.  I currently found some Lady Grey tea, but it is weaker than Earl Grey.  I know Peek Freens brand but am not a fan of creme biscuits.  I've recently discovered NZ ginger nuts,

 

I like ginger in many things but not biscuits (cookies). We have a tea shop that mixes their teas in house. We haven't been there for over a year with the whole covid thing but we do enjoy their "Creamy Earl Grey" which has a hint of vanilla.

[MMDown Under]

7 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I like ginger in many things but not biscuits (cookies). We have a tea shop that mixes their teas in house. We haven't been there for over a year with the whole covid thing but we do enjoy their "Creamy Earl Grey" which has a hint of vanilla.

Oh that sound delicious.  I have Dilmah's Rose with French Vanilla.  Milmah produces their tea from Sri Lanka.  Their tea is pure Ceylon tea - either tea or tea bags.  You should take some home to Canada with you.  www.dilmahtea.com

Ginger nuts don't taste like ginger.  

 I always bring back tea from London plus tea accessories.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

When we were in Tassie the last time in January, we ran into a photographer.  Seeing my daughter's camera, he said did you see the Southern Lights last night?  Until then I thought you could only see them in winter.

 

I think the flights over Antarctica would be a wonderful memorable experience for people who wouldn't otherwise be able to see Antarctica.

I was hoping we might see them on our last NZ cruise which left Auckland end of March 2019. There is a website you can check which shows the likelihood of seeing the Southern Lights but unfortunately it wasn't a period of high activity.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Les, there is a good article, with a couple of great photos, about Mr Chimu's Southern Lights flights in the print edition of the SMH. I couldn't find the article online though.

 

I hope he gets lots of bookings for those flights. I'd love to see the Southern Lights but sering them on a flight doesn't appeal to me.

My son was not on it, he is up in Noosa on holiday with family. But his co founder/director, Chad was, they put a load of media on board with the paying pax. Spectacular. In this current climate, any business is better than no business. Thank you for your support.

Edited April 12, 2021 by NSWP

[Docker123]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Enjoy!  The joys of being a part of the Commonwealth.  Earl Grey tea is my western tea of choice.  I currently found some Lady Grey tea, but it is weaker than Earl Grey.  I know Peek Freens brand but am not a fan of creme biscuits.  I've recently discovered NZ ginger nuts,

One of those weird “did you know” things ....

 

ginger nuts are made to different recipes in each state. Don’t know about NZ

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-20/arnotts-ginger-nut-biscuits-differ-across-australia/8533136

[OzKiwiJJ]

23 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

One of those weird “did you know” things ....

 

ginger nuts are made to different recipes in each state. Don’t know about NZ

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-20/arnotts-ginger-nut-biscuits-differ-across-australia/8533136

NZ has the best gingernuts, made by Griffins. You can sometimes get them at Coles here. 

[MMDown Under]

24 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

One of those weird “did you know” things ....

 

ginger nuts are made to different recipes in each state. Don’t know about NZ

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-20/arnotts-ginger-nut-biscuits-differ-across-australia/8533136

The NZ ginger nuts are better than any ginger nut biscuit we can buy here!  

[MMDown Under]

Just now, OzKiwiJJ said:

NZ has the best gingernuts, made by Griffins. You can sometimes get them at Coles here. 

Agree.  You can buy them at IGA here.  When they are on special, I buy six packets!

[MMDown Under]

30 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

One of those weird “did you know” things ....

 

ginger nuts are made to different recipes in each state. Don’t know about NZ

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-20/arnotts-ginger-nut-biscuits-differ-across-australia/8533136

That is really interesting.  I'll now have to buy ginger nuts from each state on my travels.  I thought the ginger nuts weren't as good as I remembered because a foreign company bought the brand!  I'd have to be blindfolded to enjoy biscuit on the right.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

  I'd have to be blindfolded to enjoy biscuit on the right.  

They are really awful IMHO.

 

I try to keep a little stash of the NZ ones. They are really good if I have a bit of an upset tummy. Supply of them here is very variable so each time we did an NZ cruise I'd bring some back with me.

Edited April 12, 2021 by OzKiwiJJ

[lyndarra]

3 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

That is really interesting.  I'll now have to buy ginger nuts from each state on my travels.  I thought the ginger nuts weren't as good as I remembered because a foreign company bought the brand!  I'd have to be blindfolded to enjoy biscuit on the right.  

Yep, got bought by a foreign company, I forget which one. They changed the recipe. They were once a really hard biscuit and were changed to a soft cookie. Before the change it was next to impossible for them to fall in your cup of tee while dunking. I stopped buying them.