Friday, Day 34 - Feb 9 - 10am to 6pm, Picton, South Island, New Zealand

Picton is located in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound on the South Island. This is our first port of three on the South Island. The town is named after Sir Thomas Picton, the military associate of the Duke of Wellington, who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo. The Edwin Fox Maritime Center features the Edwin Fox, the only surviving ship that transported convicts to Australia, which is undergoing preservation and restoration. We got off the ferry from the North Island here in 2009, picked up our rental car and headed west to the Able Tasman National Park to start our exploration of the South Island. Today we are going to explore the wine producing area of Marlborough on a free ship’s tour, Iconic Wines of the Marlborough at 10:30AM for four hours.

Today we visit three premier vineyards in New Zealand's renowned Marlborough wine-producing region and sample their signature, award-winning vintages. We drive through Koromiko Valley and on to Blenheim, the largest city in the Marlborough wine-producing region. Hailed as the "Gourmet Province of New Zealand," Marlborough contains more than 60 wineries, the majority of them acclaimed for their distinctive, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, one third of the region's grapes are planted in Sauvignon Blanc, which thrive in the free-draining alluvial soil. Plus it is just a beautiful area!

We visit Wither Hills, a winery that produces the definitive Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. It's an intensely herbal wine, a reflection of the region's unique climate and the vineyard's intricate pattern of gravels and silts in the soil. Wither Hills also produces an extraordinary Dry Riesling and Pinot Noir.

Then it's on to Forrest Winery. The winery was established in 1988 by the Hunter family and is still very much a family business. It has become one of New Zealand’s best known wineries and produces a high quality of wines, earning it numerous awards over the years. We have a chance to sample some of their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir wines.

Next, it's on to the family owned and operated Allan Scott Winery, another highly esteemed winery in Marlborough. The vineyard's gravelly soil is ideal for the production of the aromatics, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. We learn about  each wine's characteristics and sample some of the finest vintages. The wineries today are, to our taste, the best of the lot over all, though Mission was very good.

After our sojourn in the Marlborough wine region, we stop at Makana Chocolate Factory, one of New Zealand's leading producers of handmade chocolates and other sweet temptations, Makana offers classic truffles, macadamia bark, Marlborough wine gelées and plenty of sugar-free treats. They are offering samples and like all cruise ship passengers, we are worried about our next meal, so we pig out! The chocolate is really good and everyone is carrying a bag to go with the bags of wine already on the bus!

After a loop through Picton, again we are a little late back to the ship. The wine tours seem to take longer than what is scheduled, but the ship held the La Veranda open so we head up there for some lunch at 2:30PM as we are a bit tipsy from all the wine samples in the middle of the day!

An afternoon nap is in order and then it is on to dinner. We arrive at Sette Mari as they are opening. We want to sit out on the back deck and enjoy every bit of the sail away through Queen Charlotte Sound. After all the beautiful scenery and a leisurely dinner as the sun set over the Sound we head back the room and bed!

It has been a very nice day and maybe we are finally on the mend except for the cough.

Thursday, Day 33 - Feb. 8 - 10AM to 6PM, Napier and Hastings, North Island, New Zealand

Napier and Hastings are unique twin cities located within the region of Hawke's Bay on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. The area is blessed with a Californian-Mediterranean climate, boasting one of the highest sunshine averages in the country. The area is also dotted with colorful vineyards and orchards, with some of the most fertile farmland in the country. Within the region are more than twenty of New Zealand's finest vineyards,

This is also a new port for us and we are eager to try some of the area wines on our free ship’s tour, Hawkes Bay Wine Trail at 10:30AM for 4 1/2 hours through the picturesque countryside to the Gimblett Gravels, an area which has become quite famous for its production of high quality wines. The very special soils and unique climatic conditions - together with the expertise of local winemakers - are key elements to producing ultra-premium wines in the Gimblett Gravels district, which represents 32 wineries and wine growers. A distinctive feature of this area is that it is up to three degrees Celsius warmer during the day in summer and autumn, compared with most other areas in Hawkes Bay. The evenings are also warmer because of the thermal conductivity in the stony soils.

We first drive through the Art Deco town of Napier where every thing was rebuilt in the 1930's after a devastating earthquake. We then visit the first of two wineries, Moana Park which has a different take on wine making with no additives. They freely admit that this makes their wines unpredictable from year to year. We thought that the wines were very astringent!

From there we drive out into the countryside to Te Mate a jagged point of a mountain. After we twist and turn and are guided part of the way by a police escort since the road is not wide enough for the bus and an oncoming car, we are treated to a stunning view of the whole bay area.

Our final visit is to Mission which is Hawkes Bay's most iconic vineyard and New Zealand's oldest wine producer, started in 1838 by a group of French missionaries. The vineyard's beautiful old seminary building is set on the hills above Napier and has been faithfully restored. It is home to the Cellar Door, walk through time and history in a setting that complements both the old and new. The Mission vineyard consistently produces some of the country's most sought-after wines which we sample. These wines are much more to our liking especially the 2017 Late Harvest. It is a dessert wine along the lines of a German ice wine without the freezing temps since this part of new Zealand doesn’t get that cold.

The tour is rushed as drive time was more than allowed for, but it is a good tour and Mission is a beautiful place.

Again we are worn out by the time we get back to the ship a few minutes past all aboard time. We have a Prime 7 date with a friend. So after a good meal and good conversation we are more than ready for bed,

Wednesday, Day 32 - Feb 7 - 8am to 3pm, Rotorus, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand

Rotorus is the center of a large citrus and sub tropical fruit-growing area and is a favorite base for deep-sea anglers. Across the harbor is the major port for the region, Mt. Maunganui, which is also the major overseas outlet for the vast timber industry established in the center of the North Island. Tauranga has become a rendezvous for thousands of holiday makers to whom the lure of its sun-baked sands and sparkling waters prove an irresistible attraction. This is a new port for us. Our plan is a free ship’s tour to some local wineries, Tauranga Highlights & Wine Tasting starting at 9:30am for 3 1/2 hours. It includes a drive across Tauranga Harbor to Tauranga, the principal city of the Bay of Plenty. Tauranga's founders, a group of 19th-century missionaries, left a legacy of well-planned parks and gardens for the benefit of future residents, a drive by the Monmouth Redoubt 
en-route to the Elms Mission House, built in 1847 by Archdeacon Brown. There is a guided walking tour through this historic Georgian-styled home and surrounding gardens. Then onto a scenic drive through Tauranga and past Gate Pa, where the last major battle between the British and Maori people took place in1864. Also included is a stop at Minden Lookout for a great panoramic view over the Bay of Plenty and then sampling a few award winning wines  at Mills Reef Winery.

Both of us are in the depths of a cruddy cold but Dick is slightly better off than Carolyn.  Our tour is to meet at 9:15AM and Dick decides to give it a try. Carolyn passes but goes to breakfast and then Dick heads out for the tour and scores a seat at the very back of the bus on the right-hand side.  He has a big window all to himself.  The bus is modern with comfortable seats but the AC only thinks it is working.  As predictable, an elderly woman who has not been able to stand the heat on some of the island tours is dressed in a down jacket zipped to her chin and is still complaining of being cold. The temperature is 71F!  Dick is sweating and many people are fiddling with the AC vents above their seats trying to get some air movement but to no avail. One wonders what her perfect temperature must be! It is actually pleasant outside the bus in a breeze but the bus windows do not open and it is unpleasant inside.

Our first stop is the Mills Reef Winery which also sells wines under the Hawke’s Bay label.  The winery sits in the middle of a pleasant, new neighborhood of single family homes.  All the vineyards were removed and the land sold off.  Grapes are now brought in to the winery from the South of the North Island and the North of the South Island for processing.
Dick likes most wines and decides that the cold has thrown his taster off because all the wines taste like vinegar today.  He hears very favorable comments from some of the other people on the tour.

From the winery we proceed around the bay to “The Elms,” the former Te Papa Mission Station, established in the late 1830s.  Here is where Anglican missionary, Rev. A.N. Brown and his family settled.  Both he and his wife learned Maori and were accepted by those people.  While not a true doctor, he was a healer and walked a 600 mile circuit once a year preaching and treating the ill. 

Their home once had a beautiful view out over what is now the port but the port land was reclaimed by filling after WWII and the home now sits on a bluff overlooking this industrial area.  The home contains many artifacts and much furniture original to the home as it was occupied by the descendants of the Brown family until the 1970s and was then taken over by a local “heritage society” for preservation.  All-in-all an interesting place to visit.
Back to the ship shortly after noon and a bite of lunch.  Giving in to our ills, we nap the afternoon away before going to dinner at 6:30PM having missed the traditional “Welcome Aboard” cocktail party.  Back to bed about 8:30PM with hope that our low grade fevers will break and our laryngitis will not get any worse.

Tuesday, Day 31 Feb. 6 - 7am to 7pm, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

Beginning of the Second Segment

Auckland, “The City Of Sails”, is spread over a narrow isthmus between the sparkling waters of the Waitemata and Manukau Harbors on New Zealand’s North Island. It earns its sobriquet from having more boats per capita than any other city in the world. The first settlers here were the Maori, and they are still a vibrant component of its cosmopolitan population. Auckland offers all the amenities of a world-class city. Great shopping on Queen Street and the Parnell area with its galleries and boutiques in quaintly restored Victorian buildings. Mount Eden, the city’s highest point, offers a magnificent panorama of the city as does Skytower. Minutes from downtown one can relax on a black sand beach, or further afield there are the spectacular pine-clad Waitakere Mountains, the amazing Waitomo Glowworm Caves and the verdant vineyards of Kumeu River Wines. We were in Auckland on the Queen Elizabeth in 2015 and did a long day ships tour to Rotorua and the Thermal Valley.

Originally we had planned to take the ferry out to Waiheke Island today and explore the famous wine country, but we are still under the weather with the cough. We sleep late and finally get our act together about noon and get off the ship. We head to the BIG “I” looking for ideas and decide to take the HOHO bus that has a pick up a block or so from where the ship is docked. It offers two bus routes and a ferry ride over to Davenport, a quaint little Victorian town across the harbor from Auckland. We buy tickets for the whole deal for NZ$90 ($65.99.)

Auckland is crawling with visitors today since it is New Zealand’s version of our 4th of July. There is a big Maroi meeting at their church and cemetery grounds on the water front with ceremonial dancing and food and more food. Hundreds of New Zealand families are out in force on their bikes taking advantage of the sunny, cool day.

The first route runs along the waterfront stopping at Princess Wharf, Bastion Point, a lookout over the bay, Kelly Tarltons, a unique underground aquarium built in the old sewer system, before heading inland to the Parnell Rose gardens, Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Here we change to the second route which takes us through some of the oldest residential parts of Auckland, past sporting venues and the Zoo before taking us back to the Museum to pick up route one back to the harbor. Auckland is a beautiful city, lots of gardens and green spaces and well preserved Victorian architecture, plus some really cute shopping areas. Once back at the wharf we take the ferry ride over to Davenport just to say we did, but we are not up to exploring the quaint little town. As we head back to the ship we stop for something to eat at the Crab Shack. As good as the fish and chips are, it is a mistake as it is 4PM and we have only had a bowel of cereal all day so it ruins our dinner and points out how tired we are.

It is the start of a new cruise so we have to have a life boat drill at 5:15PM, that includes going out on the open decks to stand beside the boats. Regent  is one of the few lines that do more than meet at the muster stations. This is a bit of overkill!

We are exhausted and ready to go to bed which we do as soon as we get back to the suite about 6PM. This cold is killing us right at the moment.