January 21 Dunedin, New Zealand

After sailing all night we arrived at Port Chalmers around 8 am. The city of Dunedin is about 7 miles from this port and again, we pre-booked for a tour of the city.

The ship slowly approaching Chalmers port

It is keep left in New Zealand and Australia. If we have to survive as pedestrians we have to learn to look right, then left, and right again before crossing the streets. Luckily, most of their cities are not as populated as most cities elsewhere in the world...and traffic is consequently light and more importantly, less dangerous.

I took this shot from inside our tour bus on our way to Larnach castle.

A charming gazebo at Larnach castle

Those tiny mounts looked like islets...maybe they are considered as such.

Lyttelton and Christchurch

Early in the morning of January 20 the ship docked at Lyttelton Harbor which is about 10 kilometers from Christchurch. For those who wanted to see the city on their own, there were buses that shuttle back and forth from dockside every half hour. We were pre-booked for a city tour so we did not have to worry about taking the shuttle.

This is the ship's outdoor pool shown here very early in the morning



The equivalent of a swap meet in Christchurch

A local mode of transport in the city

Christchurch Botanical Garden

Christ's College

One of the nightly show at the ship's main theater

Escargot

Yummy!

January 19 At Sea

Lyttelton was our next port of call but it is almost 600 miles away from Tauranga so we had a full day at sea to catch up with onboard daytime activities, of which there are a lot.

The first formal night was held during the night - cruisers dressed up in their fineries, assembled at the Atrium for cocktails and picture taking with the Captain (if one so desires) before going to dinner. One can also dress like a slob and just go to dinner at the buffet resto or other food venues or have food delivered to one's stateroom.

It is either an inferior camera, ill-timed subject, a photographer who does not know what he is doing or all of them, that resulted in this piece of sh.. LOL.

A few of these paintings were done by a young, promising Pinoy based in Hawaii.

Some of these paintings and more, not shown, were auctioned of during the cruise.

Musical group at the Atrium

Almost all cruise ships have an Atrium like this one, bigger or less so.

Caviar, anyone? I don't know what the big deal is with these fish roes; I had them in St. Petersburg, too and they all tasted the same...like crap to my low-brow taste bud.

January 18 at Tauranga, first port of call in New Zealand

After spending two nights in Auckland, we boarded our cruise ship late in the afternoon of the 17th. We made an overnight run to Tauranga, New Zealand arriving there around 7 am.


Diamond Princess at berth in Tauranga, New Zealand

One of two swimming pools on the boat.

The ship's theatre where nightly Las Vegas style shows are presented. It is also use as a lecture hall during the day and as staging area for onshore group tours.

A kiwi orchard

This guy was explaining the "ins and outs" of the kiwi export business. They are in short supply of farm workers they have to import foreign workers during peak season.

A campsite near the beach

My choice of dinner entree for the night. Wrong choice! It tasted as bad as it looked. You can always ask them to change it and they will do so with a smile.

Back from Kiwi Land and the Land Down Under

Auckland, New Zealand

We flew in to Auckland, New Zealand from Los Angeles to board the cruise ship, Diamond Princess, for a 12 day cruise in New Zealand and Australia. My wife and I decided to leave several days before the cruise commence so we can check out the city and what it has to offer.

We ran into many New Zealander pinoys in the city and we are happy to note that they are doing very well in their new adopted country.

I took this shot from inside our tour bus. The tall structure in the background is the Sky Tower, the tallest building in New Zealand.

This photo was taken from inside the observation deck of the Sky Tower.

This young girl was trying to convince us to buy a photo of our foursome (shown in the computer monitor) with the Sky Tower in the background. The photo was expensive but her smile eased the pain in my wallet LOL.

A cross-sectional view below and above the ocean water line as seen from a cafe where we stopped for a coffee break.

On our way back from Waitomo cave, we stopped for lunch at this family run facility. Good lunch, good view...more than made up for the run-of-the-mill cave we visited outside the city but for the presence of glowworms.

New Zealand and Australia

Late today, my wife and I will be flying to Auckland, New Zealand where in a couple of days later we'll be boarding a cruise ship for a 12 day cruise in New Zealand and Australia. I'll see if I can get a satisfactory (meaning cheap and fast) 'net connection on board. If I do, I'll keep you (my two regular site drop-ins and a few unexpected visitors) abreast of my daily shenanigans; otherwise, I'll post the highlights of our cruise when I return.

Montage Resort, Laguna Beach

A friend of ours mentioned a place in Laguna Beach that is worth a drive. It is less than an hour by car from where we live so we decided to check it out. The place is called Montage Resort, an upscale hotel which looked more like a condominium complex. A stone's throw away is a cute little park with picnic tables, gazebos, benches and a convenient access to the beach below the bluff. These are some photos I took when we visited.