Last night in NZ 😞
28 марта, Новая Зеландия ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
We headed out to explore a local theater -- took a few pics of Christchurch along our walk b/f it got dark.
Travel day
29 марта, Австралия ⋅ 🌧 66 °F
Up at 3:30am, for a 6:15am flight, arriving in Australia around 8:30am (gaining 2hrs to our day). Customs was surprisingly easy, fast and efficient. Walking out of the airport, Uber had a queue inЧитать далее
Transfer to ship
30 марта, Австралия ⋅ 🌧 70 °F
How fun to hook up with friends Donna & Norm from a prior cruise!
Day at Sea
1 апреля, Coral Sea ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
Getting settled in the cruise, we both went to the gym, Mark had an abs class (big 'ouch'), then played pickleball, followed by some ping pong, then more pickleball and a nap. Afterward, we went toЧитать далее
New Caledonia: Nouméa, Grande Terre
2 апреля ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
'Grande Terre' means 'main island' in French; there are over 140 in the archipelago. New Caledonia is a French territory and Nouméa is its capital.
We took a water taxi (~20 min ride) to SignalЧитать далее
New Caledonia: Lifou Island
3 апреля, Франция ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Our cruise ship stopped at Easo on Lifou Island in New Caledonia. While tendering to the island, we ran into Victor & Dawn (from Canada), so we decided to explore the area together. Scooters weren'tЧитать далее
Local cave on Lifou
3 апреля, Франция ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
Thanks to Vic's social nature, the Lue Jajinyi Cave was our next destination to explore.
Easo Village on Lifou: snorkeling
3 апреля, Франция ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
At the end of our walk, we hit the water for a bit to try to beat the heat. Mark grabbed some cool pics while snorkeling. And check out Mark's video of a local sea snake. It's technically called a NewЧитать далее
Vanuatu: Mystery Island
4 апреля, Vanuatu ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
The local people believe that Mystery Island is inhabited after dark by ghosts, so no one wants to stay there after the sun goes down. The indigenous name of the island is Inyeug, but the cruise linesЧитать далее
The fun finds
4 апреля, Vanuatu ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Just a few things that made us smile along our walk around the island.
When I see the beautiful flowers & various greenery on these trips just make me think I'm a closet plant-person. Hence, the plantЧитать далее
Fiji: Viti Levu Island, Lautoka - Day 1
6 апреля, Фиджи ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
Being a Sunday, there wasn't much to do. We just walked around Lautoka with Donna & Norm to take in the near-port sights.
Fiji: Viti Levu Island, Lautoka - Day 2
7 апреля, Фиджи ⋅ 🌩️ 79 °F
Rented a car with Donna & Norm and did a little inland tour to see more of this area of Fiji.
Fiji: Viti Levu Island, Suva
8 апреля, Фиджи ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
Mark found a river rafting day that we ell enjoyed. We were picked up at the Port, enjoyed an ~45min drive with interesting commentary about the area by our driver, boarded a longboat for an ~1hr rideЧитать далее
Fiji: Dravuni Island
9 апреля, Фиджи ⋅ 🌧 82 °F
Dravuni Island is a small island (~2 sq km) with about 150 residents. It's a favorite destination for cruise ships: the island receives cruise visits a few times a month on avg. We were here in '23Читать далее
Dravuni snorkeling
9 апреля, Фиджи ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
Swimming out ~100 yards over sea grass, we found this beautiful soft coral area. Regretfully, the locals are most likely spearfishing as we saw very few fish. But the coral was very much alive andЧитать далее
Fiji: Vanua Levu Island, Savusavu
10 апреля, Фиджи ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
Last time we were here, we dove. This time, our visit in port didn't allow enough time for more diving; so Mark found a hiking trail close to the tender pier that we pursued with Dawn and Vic.
Meandering around American Samoa
11 апреля, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ 🌬 82 °F
Arriving in America Somoa, we first attempted to rent a car, but there were no cars available. So Plan B: a local tour bus; $20 per person for a 3 hour tour. Regretfully the tour only covered the westЧитать далее
Pool party
11 апреля, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 84 °F
Costume party on the pool deck with the full band
King Neptune
13 апреля, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌧 81 °F
The King Neptune ceremony is a tradition performed aboard ships when crossing the equator, marking a sailor's first crossing of the line. It involves sailors, often referred to as "Polliwogs" orЧитать далее
And some days, it rains.
14 апреля, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
Boat entertainment
16 апреля, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Some cruise ships have interviews with the entertainers. We really enjoyed those on Volendam; Westerdam wasn't as consistent. But tonight they interviewed the house band that we have found to be theЧитать далее
Hilo, Hawaii - Roaming around (pt. 1)
17 апреля, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
We rented a car w/ Victor & Dawn & started roaming around Hilo.
Hilo (pt 2): the Caves & the fun finds
17 апреля, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
Beach walk
18 апреля ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Walked 4 miles Waikiki beach from the Hilton Hawaiian Village (it's been here since 1955!) to Diamondhead Vista. Lunch at Tiki's then headed back to the boat.
Local dancers perform on our boat
18 апреля, Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

































































































































































































































































































































Путешественник
Lovely