Gallivanting Grandma

Monday – October 29, 2018

There were rough seas all night long as the ship passed through Foveaux Straight and rounded the southern end of New Zealand.  Our destination was Fjordland National Park also known as Te Wahipounamu in the Maori language.  The park takes up the entire south-western coast of New Zealand and is a UNESCO Heritage Site.

The ship entered Dusky Sound about 8:30 in the morning as the clouds began to lift and the sun poked through.  Ian Thorne, one of the park rangers was aboard to provide commentary over the loudspeaker as we slowly rode through the calm and beautiful fjord.  The ship sailed around Resolution Island and out through Breaksea Sound.

The Majestic continued north to Doubtful Sound and entered our second fjord about eleven o’clock under a bright blue sky and excellent visibility.

Ian Thorne’s commentary was excellent because he was born in the region and lived his entire life in the National Park.  He told about his many hiking and camping trips and the park’s conservation efforts to preserve New Zealand’s flora and fauna.

The ship continued to cruise up the windy coast.  The plan was to turn in and explore three fjords before crossing the Tasman Sea to Australia.  After Dusky and Doubtful Sounds, the Majestic entered the amazing and awe-inspiring Milford Sound.

The mountains in Milford Sound were taller and more spectacular than the previous beautiful Dusky and Doubtful Sounds.  There was snow on top of the mountains and we watched as the ship slowly passed through the narrow stone canyon walls.  Fiordland reminded me of Norway.

The fjords were spectacular and the views were once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Later in the afternoon, Majestic left beautiful New Zealand behind and we continued westward.  The ship was back in the open ocean, crossing the windy and rough Tasman Sea on our way to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.  The Captain informed us that the wind had gusts up to 70 knots and waves over 16 feet high.  I’m glad I’m on a big ship with stabilizers and not in a small boat!

We have two Sea Days on the Tasman Sea before we reach the Australian island of Tasmania.  We’re looking forward to a few activities and lots of rest & relaxation……

Sunday – October 28, 2018

My brother, Bob, suggested that I take a photo out of our balcony door every morning to record the weather.  It had been sunny and clear all the previous days so I didn’t post those photos, but this morning gray clouds were moving in and look very threatening.

The ship entered the protected harbor of Port Chalmers and followed the channel markers to its assigned dock.  Two tugboats assisted in the docking procedure.  Port Chalmers is the commercial port for the city of Dunedin in the southern part of New Zealand.  I watched as one of the tugs kept the Majestic from touching the large container ship which was docked nearby.  The tugboats are really big, but look small in comparison to the large ships around them.

We had several options in Port Chalmers.  We could have taken a shuttle bus into the “Scottish” town of Dunedin and explored the city. It’s supposed to be a vibrant “college town” with a variety of pubs and great coffee.  Dunedin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh in Scotland and was named by the early Scottish settlers.  We also could have explored the lovely town of Port Chalmers on foot.  We opted to ride the famous Taieri River Gorge Railway which travels inland so we could see some of the interior of south New Zealand.

The train picked us up right at the dock near our ship.  Very convenient!  We sat in the comfort of vintage 1940s railroad cars and shared our adventure with a couple from Toronto Canada and two couples from Davenport, Iowa.  The weather outside was grey and cool – 53 degrees – but warm and toasty in the train.

There are supposed to nine sheep to every one New Zealander.  We rode past a number of bright green fields speckled with white sheep and young lambs.

It was a pleasant ride through the countryside.  Spring flowers were in bloom and the deep valleys were lovely.  The train stopped at the end of the line and we all got off to take pictures.  Local people had set up tables filled with craft items to sell to the passengers.  As we stretched our legs, the locomotive turned around and reconnected with the back of the train for the return journey.  The host of our car mentioned that the engineer driving the train was a woman.  Good for her!

The train drove back through the beautiful New Zealand hills and stopped at the famous Dunedin train station.  This is reputed to be the “most photographed building in New Zealand.”  We joined the other amateur photographers and took lots of pictures inside and outside the station.

The train took us back to the port which was a short 15 minute ride.  We passed through ship’s security as a gentle rain fell on Port Chalmers.  We enjoyed a nice relaxing day out in “the bush” as the New Zealanders call their remote interior.

The Port Chalmers’ tug boats waited for the Majestic Princess to depart.  I watched a huge crane off load containers from the commercial ship on the adjacent dock.

Saturday – October 27, 2018

Akaroa is a tiny town of about 700 permanent residents located in a gorgeous protected harbor on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand.  There are no port facilities so cruise ships have to anchor in the bay and passengers take tenders to the town. This is the entire town of Akaroa:

The first settlers of Akaroa were from France so the village is considered a “French” town.  Yellow spring flowers were in bloom along the top of the surrounding hills.

Many of Majestic’s passengers booked excursions to the nearby city of Christchurch.  Jeff and I preferred to stay in Akaroa and explore the small town.  We made the right choice because Akaroa was absolutely gorgeous.  Even with the invasion of a thousand people, Akaroa was peaceful and calm and lovely.

Everywhere we looked there was a postcard photo.  Akaroa became another one of our favorite towns in the world and we wished it was closer to home so we could visit often.

“Historic” buildings were only a century old but they were well maintained and painted in bright colors:

Some streets had French names like Rue Joli and several business flew the French flag. There was an outdoor Saturday market selling local produce and crafts.

It’s wonderful to know that there are such beautiful towns in the world and how lucky the residents are who live in Akaroa.