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Around the World 2025
  • Jeff Allison
  • Jeff Allison

Around the World 2025

Around the world cruise on Oceania Insignia Lue lisää
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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja

    Geelong

    15. toukokuuta 2025, Australia ☁️ 59 °F

    Geelong is across the harbor (harbour) from Melbourne, basically a suburb or exurb. Here’s Liz’s FB post and pictures from the day.

    "Be water. Flowing, flexible, and soft." The boys have wrapped day 20 without their dad & have scrambled with many AU schedule changes. But they're water: going with the tide, still grateful for the journey, excited for what's ahead. (Also, for those who texted, I actually haven't been posting every stop, but here you go -- a few shots of yday's Geelong stop. The weather changed constantly, making for many different looks of ... water! )Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Looking out over the water behind one of the dams at Zealandia.
    Looking out over the water behind one of the dams at Zealandia.Wetlands in Zealandia.Kakas at a feeding station in Zealandia.A Tui, an endemic New Zealand bird.New Zealand Robin, another endemic.Zealandia trail view.View along one of the Zealandia trails.Botanical gardens trail.A Kaka I saw in the botanical gardens.View from the botanical gardens.Trolls outside the Weta workshop.Hobbit feet at the Weta workshop.Typical Wellington street and sidewalk.Downtown Wellington near the waterfront.This structure is specifically to let people jump into the water. I love it.This building is called "The Beehive." Not really my style of architecture.My issues with visas are pretty insignificant.

    Wellington recap

    16. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti ☀️ 64 °F

    No progress on the Australian visa, so I’ve been wiling away my time here in Wellington. I’ve got a great one-bedroom apartment Airbnb smack in the CBD. It’s less expensive than a hotel room and I’ve got a full kitchen and laundry, which I considered must-haves. Paul, who owns the apartment and lives upstairs in the building, is a great guy and he gave me a rundown of a number of things to see and do in Wellington.

    First up was a place called Zealandia. This is a one square mile preserve that is surrounded by a critter-proof fence. All the invasive animal species have been eradicated from the preserve in an effort to recreate a natural New Zealand landscape from the time before Europeans arrived.

    I walked down to where the free shuttle departed and hopped on. I was the sole rider, so I got a personal rundown on what Zealandia is and how it works from the driver. Once there I paid my entrance fee and walked in. I was immediately impressed with how beautiful it was. Just green everywhere, with huge tree ferns making it feel like a place where dinosaurs should be roaming. There were many trails, so I picked the main one and took off. I’d hoped to spot a few New Zealand birds even without my binoculars, but I was not prepared for how great the birding was. I almost immediately had a kaka, a New Zealand parrot, fly right over my head on the trail. I also spotted Tui, North Island Saddleback, Stitchbird, New Zealand Pigeon, and several more.

    I wound up walking around for a couple of hours at Zealandia, just soaking it in. I enjoyed it so much that I returned the next day to do it again! The ticket was good for two days, so it didn’t cost anything extra. I took a bunch of trails I didn’t take the day before and wound up spotting a few more local birds. I totaled fifteen life birds on the two days.

    The next day I went to the New Zealand National Museum, or Te Papa. "Te Papa" is the Māori name for the museum, meaning "container of treasures." The museum had a number of exhibits covering everything from the native flora and fauna to how the Māori built canoes to the immigrant experience in New Zealand. The highlight was a large installation covering the failed invasion of Gallipoli in the first world war. This was really well done and did a great job conveying the absolute misery those poor souls endured.

    The day after the museum visit I walked up to the Botanical Gardens, which basically sit between the apartment and Zelandia. Wellington is built on a hill (I guess all of New Zealand is basically mountains with water on both sides; I’m not sure any of it is flat), so if you like to walk, and I do, you are going to be doing a lot of climbing. Many of the sidewalks turn into stairways to cover the steeper sections. I was huffing and puffing by the time I got up to the top of the gardens. Well worth it, though, for the views of the city and the bay. The gardens themselves are quite nice. Not as spectacular as Zealandia, of course, but for a park in the middle of the city they were wonderful.

    My other outing was to visit the Weta Workshop. If you’re not familiar, this is the special effects studio that did the work for the Lord of the Rings films as well as many others. We’d scheduled a ship’s excursion for this, but I was more interested than Liz or the boys, being the huge LOTR nerd that I am, so we decided that I’d go on my own and we’d all do something else when the ship is in Wellington. I took the bus over to Weta, but it turned out that I took the wrong bus. There are two Number 2 buses that go to similar but slightly different destinations. Why are there two number two buses? Numbers are not in short supply. Why not give every bus route its own number? At any rate, by the time I discovered that I wasn’t headed directly where I needed to go I was about two miles away. It was either get off and try to find the proper bus or get off and try to cover those two miles in the 20 minutes I had. I decided the latter course was better, so off I went.

    Since this is Wellington, a good chunk of the walk/jog was straight up the side of a hill. That just about did me in, but I conquered it and carried on. Google maps thought I’d be late for my 10:00 tour, but I took that as a challenge and made it by 9:55.

    The tour was cool if you’re into that sort of thing. If you know what the shards of Narsil are or who the Witch King of Angmar is, then you’d love it. If you don’t, you’d still probably get a kick out of seeing how face casts are made.

    I miss Liz and the boys something awful, but I’ve been trying to make the best of my time here in Wellington. It’s a great city. It’s the capital of New Zealand but only has about 200,000 people. It’s very walkable, has a great bus system (once you figure out which one to get on), and is surrounded by beautiful countryside. It really feels like a place I could live in.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja

    Australia changes

    17. toukokuuta 2025, Tasman Sea ☁️ 66 °F

    The itinerary for Australia has been changed again. This time it’s reportedly due to heavy weather in the Tasman Sea. Burnie, Tasmania, has been canceled, as has Eden. Sydney got moved up two days, Picton, New Zealand, was canceled, and Brisbane was added. There have been a lot of changes to the Australia ports. Here is the original sequence of ports from the initial itinerary:

    Broome, Geraldton, Perth/Fremantle, Busselton, Albany, Esperance, Adelaide (overnight), Penneshaw, Portland, Melbourne, Geelong, Burnie, Eden, Sydney (overnight), Picton, Wellington.

    Here’s how it has been and how it stands now:

    Perth/Fremantle (overnight), Busselton, Albany, Adelaide (overnight), Penneshaw, Portland, Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney (overnight), Brisbane, Wellington.

    That’s 16 ports originally and 11 as of now. And lots of timing changes as well, meaning those of us who planned things that were not Oceania excursions had lots of work to do to get things canceled and rebooked. With me in exile here in New Zealand it’s been hard to help out as much as I’d like. Let’s just say that this segment is not going to go down as a highlight.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja

    Sydney

    18. toukokuuta 2025, Australia ☁️ 61 °F

    Again, from Liz's FB post:

    Too many photos to post of all we saw and did in Sydney. Here something magical seemed to await us around every bend -- even as we so reluctantly sailed out. One more Australian stop, then we swing by NZ to pick up the missing piece of our merry band of travelers. ❤️Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    View from the top looking down at the city.
    View from the top looking down at the city.View from the top looking out at the airport and toward South Island.Maori pouwhenuaTrail view coming down Mt Victoria.Large tree down along the trail.Kaka in a pine tree.Colorful fungus along the trail.View from about halfway down the trail.I like this guy's license plate.Lots of different kinds of architecture in Wellington. I like this art deco building.

    Wellington - Mt Victoria

    20. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti ☁️ 52 °F

    After a couple of rainy days I wanted to get out and walk. Mount Victoria looked like a good spot to see, but I didn’t really want to walk all the way to the top. So I took a bus to the top and walked back down and into town. The view from the top really is spectacular. You can see all of Wellington, the airport, the harbor, and dimly in the distance the outline of South Island.

    I found the trail that would lead me back down to the city center and headed out. The trails are very well marked and have signs indicating whether the trail gives priority to hikers or bikers. Despite having rained heavily the past couple of days, the pine needles and roots kept the ground from being marshy. I took my time and watched where I stepped and had no problems with slipping or getting muddy.

    It was a beautiful walk. Lots of pines up near the top of the mountain, mixed in with tree ferns and vibrantly green underbrush, plus some eucalyptus, which I assume are Australian imports. I saw a number of birds, including a Kaka getting after some pinecones, numerous Tui calling, a pair of Swamp Harriers, and an Eastern Rosella (non-native, but very colorful).

    It was probably somewhere between two and three miles back into the Wellington CBD from the top of the mountain. All downhill, so very easy walking! I’ve normally been making all my own meals in the apartment, but the timing was right and I was hungry so I grabbed a falafel kebab for lunch, which was quite tasty!    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja

    Brisbane

    20. toukokuuta 2025, Australia ☀️ 73 °F

    Once again, from Liz's FB post:

    That's a wrap after 20 days cruising Australia. What an awesomely indefinable place it is, too. Meticulous cities butt up against wild lands and beaches, steel & glass structures tower behind Victorian colonials, modern art is celebrated beside Indigenous work, and the warmest, funniest folks joke about the real dangers that lurk seemingly everywhere. Brisbane was just as wonderfully complicated, and a lovely end to this part of our journey. Thank you, Australia! I hate to leave you, but someone special is waiting for us in New Zealand! ❤️Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Back together at the welcome back gathering in Horizons
    Back together at the welcome back gathering in HorizonsSome of the folks who were so wonderful during my absence. Thank you all!Walking through the cemetery on our way down from Zealandia.A bit of the botanic gardens I'd missed on my previous visits.Crossing the suspension bridge in Zealandia.Kaka posing for a closeup.

    Wellington - reunited

    25. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti 🌬 59 °F

    The day finally came – the exile was over and I could reunite with my family. I Ubered over to the port, checked in with security, and was on board by 8:00. It was wonderful to be able to hug Liz, Thomas, and DJ again. Many “welcome back” greetings from passengers and crew as well, which was very nice.

    I dumped my luggage in the room and we headed out for our port day in Wellington. It was a bit strange doing a port visit to a city I’d been living in for nearly three weeks, but at the same time it was nice to be able to show Liz and the boys where I’d been. We went to Zealandia, which I’d been to twice already but which I find incredibly beautiful and peaceful. We got good looks at Kakas, both flying and eating at the feeders. We ate at the café there, then walked back down to the city via the botanic gardens.

    We popped in a few stores, including the Lego store, and then headed back to the ship. Unbeknownst to me, Liz and some fellow conspirators aboard had set up a welcome back gathering for me in Horizons. DJ lured me up there and I got a nice surprise from the 25 or so assembled people wishing me a welcome back aboard. We had some champagne and some cake and I was able to thank people for their incredible support during my exile.

    With a lot of walking and a lot of reunions it made for a physically and emotionally exhausting day. I was in bed early, very happy to be back with my family and our floating village.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Thomas high-fiving some street art in Napier.
    Thomas high-fiving some street art in Napier.Tennyson StreetDJ experiencing what life was like for us old-timersTesla coil in action.Human-powered fan.DJ checking out the Van de Graaff generatorFound him!Sunrise as we come into Napier.

    Napier

    26. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti ☁️ 63 °F

    Napier is a smallish town on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. We didn’t have a real plan for the day, but we were determined to give Liz the day off after a month of solo parenting. We’d found a local museum called the Faraday Museum built in an old power station that was supposed to be very interactive. That sounded like a good match for us, so that became our destination.

    There was a mandatory shuttle ride to get out of the port, but it was only about ten minutes to the drop off point. From there we walked about 20 minutes to the museum. I was a little taken aback by how small it looked, but we went on in. I made a fool of myself by asking if they were open even though it was Sunday. The guy at the desk said yes, they were open, and it was Monday. It gets hard to keep the days straight.

    The museum was small but packed with exhibits. The first room had the electrical double-whammy of a Van de Graaff Generator and a Tesla Coil. There were also things like a pneumatic tube messaging system, a manual typewriter that fascinated the boys, old telephones, and pinball machines (no quarters required!). We ran into Sarah and Mike there and wound up spending a couple of hours in the place.

    It was a short stay in Napier, so with only a couple of hours left before all-aboard we could either go to lunch in town or just head back to the ship. We decided on the latter. We got our laps in after lunch then the afternoon was at leisure. Dinner was in the Grand Dining Room, then the boys and I attended a screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in the Insignia Lounge.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    The first part of our walk was along the beach.
    The first part of our walk was along the beach.Look back at Insignia. This was one of those nice ports where you just walk off right into town.The water was much calmer on the harbor side of the headland.Song thrush posing on a massive tree stump.The trees and ocean made for a beautiful walk.Waves coming ashore.The crew mid-hike.A seal catching a nap on the rocks.Rock formations along the coast.Shenanigans at the playground. I'm happy they still get a kick out of stuff like this.Tsunami warning sign at the park. Note the "don't wait for the warning signal" bit.Sunset behind Mount Maunganui

    Tauranga / Mount Maunganui

    27. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti 🌧 63 °F

    Our stop for the day was labeled Rotorua, but Rotorua is some forty miles inland, so the stop was really in Tauranga. To be even more specific, it was in Mount Maunganui, a small town along the coast. While traveling to Rotorua was an option we had decided to pass on that. We didn’t see a whole lot of options for activities in Tauranga / Mount Maunganui, so we let the boys sleep in as we figured we’d play it by ear. It was raining pretty steadily in the morning but had let up by 10:00 when we headed off the ship. Our plan was to walk around the base of the eponymous Mount Maunganui, a hill that sits at the head of the harbor.

    It was still sprinkling as we left, but not enough to cause any trouble. We walked along the beach to the trail, where we spotted a few interesting birds: a sacred kingfisher, a Pacific reef egret, and a song thrush. The trail quickly became very beautiful, giving good views of the harbor and then the open ocean. It was a great combination of a forest trail and a rocky coast.

    At the end of the trail we popped into a pizza place called Rustica where the boys shared a cheese pizza and Liz and I each had a veggie pizzanini, a sandwich made with pizza crust that was delicious. After lunch we walked through the town, with a quick stop at a playground along the way, and back to the ship. It wound up being a delightful day in town.

    Once we were back the boys got some video game time while I went downstairs to go over our account statement, which had become pretty confusing. It was only after spending time with both the purser and destination services that I understood how the excursions that were part of our package were handled in the case of cancelations. It’s all rather opaque, with the main lesson I learned being that they really don’t want you cashing in one type of balance, say for an excursion, for another, say onboard credit for services. I suppose there’s some reason for that, but it wasn’t clear to me going in. Caveat emptor, I suppose. I also didn’t like getting bounced from reception to destination services. I feel that if you’re labeling yourself as a luxury brand you should take ownership of my problem. Don’t push it back on me to figure out who I’m supposed to talk to. Nobody wants to play accountant when they’re on the trip of a lifetime.

    We were early to bed as we wanted to get up early and get after Auckland the next day.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Off the ship and straight onto Queen Street. Also fun to mingle with locals commuting via ferry.
    Off the ship and straight onto Queen Street. Also fun to mingle with locals commuting via ferry.Some art in a plaza along our walk.Lichen-covered headstones in Symonds Street Cemetery."K Street"Some sidewalk art on K Street.Playground in Myers Park.I thought this gallery in the art museum was very pretty.This pigeon just strolled into Gorilla Kitchen while we were there 🤣 More like pigeon kitchen.Huge camellia in Albert Park.Statue of Queen Victoria in Albert Park with the Sky Tower in the background.Auckland University clock tower.A little free library on the wharf.View of the city from the wharf.

    Auckland - Day 1

    28. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti ☁️ 63 °F

    Auckland marks the end of another leg of the ATW cruise. Passengers will disembark and a new group will come on board. According to GM Lauren we are expecting some 300 new passengers and will be sailing at full capacity to Papeete. It’ll be interesting to see how that impacts dining and service in general.

    We were up early and ready to head out for a day in Auckland. Liz and I had identified several sites we wanted to see and things to do. It’s a convenient port for a big city: we were docked at Princes wharf, which is right downtown. No shuttle bus needed and you can walk right off the ship and onto Queen Street. So that’s exactly what we did.

    We walked up Queen Street to “K street,” more properly Karangahape Road. This is an older part of town and has some funky shops and restaurants. We stumbled upon Symonds Street Cemetery, an old cemetery with classic headstones and graves from the 19th century. Some of the headstones were covered in a mix of green and orange lichen, giving them a colorful look on a gray day.

    As we walked along K street we came across a pie store called PieFee and could not resist, so we shared a small blueberry-apple pie at 9:30 in the morning. We went back down Queen Street, cutting through Myers Park, which had a playground that the boys took advantage of despite the wet conditions. Then we made our way over to the Auckland Art Gallery. We hadn’t taken in much art over the course of the trip and this was a good opportunity to do so. The most striking bit to me was an exhibit by a New Zealand born photographer. He had taken many photographs of Samoan people who were coming to New Zealand in the 70’s looking for work, focusing on their tattoos, which are a bit part of Samoan culture. What struck me was how this forced the photographer to think about his identity as a New Zealander as compared to the identity of the Samoans and their long lineage of Pacific Islanders. There were other good installations and exhibits as well. It was a small enough museum to see all of it, and it was free!

    After the museum it was time for lunch and we headed to Gorilla Kitchen, which advertises itself as “100% vegan fast food.” We had some tasty faux-chicken sandwiches, a vegan hot dog, and a falafel burger along with some fries. Good stuff. Then we went back over to Albert Park, which was pretty and more formal than Myers Park. It was also on the way to Unity Books, which I wanted to see as it was coming up as many people’s favorite Auckland bookstore. It was a bit of a disappointment as it was pretty small. We didn’t spend a lot of time there.

    There were two more things on our agenda: get some ice cream and hit up “Holey Moley” for some mini golf. For the ice cream we went to Giapo, which has become Instagram famous for their elaborate ice cream cones. Liz and I shared a 2-flavor cup of blueberry-lemon and dark chocolate, which was very good. DJ had cookies and cream in a chocolate cone and Thomas had dark chocolate in a chocolate cone. It was all good, but rather extravagantly priced. I think the Internet fame has pumped up the pricing.

    We then attempted to walk off the ice cream and pie with a game of mini golf. Holey Moley is really a bar with a miniature golf course inside it, but during the day it’s family friendly and it was indoor mini golf, which was nice on a drizzly day. We played our nine holes, with the boys tying for the win. Then we took a circuitous course along the docks back to Insignia. We wound up with a pretty good step count to weigh against our rather excessive calorie intake for the day.

    Later tonight there’s a screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that Thomas and I plan to attend. Not sure if DJ will make it for this one or not. Tomorrow is another day in Auckland.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Ferry terminal building on a slightly less gray day.
    Ferry terminal building on a slightly less gray day.One of the inspirational messages at the All-Blacks Experience. I liked this one.Filmed haka at the All-Blacks Experience.Devin runs the agility drill at the All-Blacks Experience.Auckland Harbor Bridge at night.Auckland skyline at night.

    Auckland - day two

    29. toukokuuta 2025, Uusi Seelanti ☁️ 57 °F

    The three boys did finish The Two Towers, which meant a later bedtime and a resultant later getting up time for Thomas and DJ. Liz and I went ahead and had breakfast alone and brought some food down for the boys. We had just two things on the agenda for the day: visit the All-Blacks Experience and stock up on some essentials.

    The All-Blacks Experience is a tourist attraction that focuses on the New Zealand national rugby team, the All-Blacks. It’s pretty fascinating how a small country like New Zealand has dominated international rugby for so long. They touched lightly on the history of rugby in New Zealand, went into in some depth what it means for the players to be selected to the team, and let us do some rugby drills at the end. The coolest part was watching both the All-Blacks and Black Ferns (women’s team) do their pre-game hakas on a huge wide screen.

    We had lunch back on the ship and let the boys stay on board while we went back out for some necessity shopping. We figured Auckland was the best chance to stock up ahead of the island hopping that will be our itinerary for the next several weeks. The weather forecast was rather dire, but we avoided any rain while we were out.

    Speaking of the weather, the forecast was bad enough to cause a cancellation of our final New Zealand port, Bay of Islands. Winds were forecast to be above 50 mph and Auckland was under a tornado watch. The captain said we’d spend the next day sheltering on the east side of North Island, letting the weather pass and then steering north toward New Caledonia.

    With my extended stay in Wellington I wound up with a much longer New Zealand visit than originally planned. I really liked the country. I think “livable” describes it best. It’s beautiful, of course, it isn’t overly crowded, both Wellington and Auckland are very walkable and have good public transit, the air is clean, the people are friendly. Overall high marks from me!    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Sunrise as we approach New Caledonia.
    Sunrise as we approach New Caledonia.Flags of New Caledonia and France, along with a pilot onboard flag.Liz and Devin get the snorkeling underway. Note the shark net in the background.Statue at the entrance to the Place de Cocotiers.Fountain in the Place de Cocotiers.Carvings in the Place de Cocotiers.New Caledonia pines silhouetted against the sunrise on day 2.Lots of blue looking out from our balcony the morning of day 2.Backlit Virgin Mary gets a nice halo effect.Google tells me this is an Allamanda, which would make it introduced to New Caledonia.Seahorses at the aquarium.View of Baie de Citrons, where we snorkeled on the first day.View out toward the southern reaches of New Caledonia.The crew atop the hill with New Caledonian islets in the background.I expect the Australians who installed these guns would enjoy seeing them used this way.Boats aplenty in Nouméa harbor.Our route away from New Caledonia took us through a narrow strait next to Ile Ouen.View toward the stern as we exit the strait between New Caledonia and Ile Ouen.

    Nouméa

    2. kesäkuuta 2025, Uusi-Caledonia ☀️ 73 °F

    With our scheduled stop in Bay of Islands canceled we had three fairly uneventful sea days on our way to New Caledonia. We bounced around pretty good on an active sea for the first two days, but it never got too bad.

    With all the itinerary changes – Port Vila in Vanuatu has been cancelled due to “storm damage” – we are now staying overnight in Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia. I was frankly a little surprised that this stop was not cancelled or replaced. There has been considerable unrest in New Caledonia recently, with 13 deaths occurring in riots that happened just over a year ago. The underlying issue is how the territory, a possession of France, should govern itself going forward. France sent police and military forces to watch over the situation, and a minister is here talking to the local populace, but nothing has been decided.

    With all that as the background, we pulled into Nouméa harbor early on June 2nd. The city itself is frankly not very attractive, but the surrounding hills are a nice backdrop. Many have the endemic New Caledonian Pine growing along the ridgeline, making for nice silhouettes against the sunrise. We had no plans until later in the morning, so we had a late breakfast. We had signed up for an “excursion” that would drop us at Baie des Citrons for some snorkeling. I put “excursion” in quotes because this was literally nothing more than a 10-minute bus ride. We only signed up for it because we thought we had some free excursion slots to fill. That thought was called into question, but more on that later.

    The bus dropped us in front of the aquarium rather than right at the beach, so we took a walk around the point to where we could stake out a spot. It turns out that we could have cut across the base of this little peninsula for a shorter walk, but we didn’t know that at the time. The walk was nice and the exercise welcome, so no problem there.

    We set up camp and tried the water, which turned out to be a bit cooler than we’d expected. Nevertheless, Liz and DJ got their snorkel gear and waded in. DJ didn’t last long, saying that it was too cold, so I replaced him. It was cool at first, but plenty warm enough once you got used to it. And the snorkeling was actually quite good! It was not crystal clear water, but there were large coral formations and plenty of fish, clams, and other invertebrates to check out. It was well worth doing.

    We didn’t stay too long and took the bus back to the ship in time for a late-ish lunch at Waves. After a quick cleanup we went back out into town for a walk. We walked around a park, which was nice, but the town had a very closed-up vibe. I could find no reference to a holiday of any sort, and I am wondering if the tourist trade has simply been hollowed out by the unrest. Many stores and restaurants were closed, and the handicraft market at the cruise port was only about 25% staffed.

    With a latish lunch we had a light dinner served via room service. Then some laps around the running track to wrap things up.

    The next day we had an earlier excursion so we got the boys up and into the Terrace for breakfast by 7:45. We did our post-meal laps outside on a gorgeous morning. Our excursion for the day was a simple “best of Noumea” tour, but it turned out to be quite nice. We started off with a trip up to a statue of the Virgin Mary that overlooks the town. It was an interesting little shrine and provided some nice views. From there we went down to the aquarium, which was small but excellent. They had some very good displays featuring sea creatures we hadn’t seen in aquariums before, such as sea snakes.

    From the aquarium we wrapped up the tour with a trip up to a hilltop for some more good views of the area. I got a couple of life birds on the hill, which was a nice bonus. The trip was basic, but we enjoyed the aquarium and the views. We really only took it because we had some excursion slots to fill…we thought. We’ve been battling with destination services to get a clear understanding of our account status. I don’t know why this is hard, but the account summary provided from reception is a mess and we get different answers about how many excursion credits we have from destination services depending on who we talk to. This has caused some unnecessary stress as we don’t really want to be spending time doing bookkeeping. We’re going to try one more time to walk through it with someone there. If that doesn’t work we’ll escalate the issue to the GM to get it sorted. (Late update...per the account status available on the TV we now have some shipboard credit rather than the startling amount due that was showing previously. Progress, I guess.)    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Inyeug, or "Mystery Island," from our balcony.
    Inyeug, or "Mystery Island," from our balcony.Mystery Island welcoming committee.View of the water between Inyeug and Aneityum.Thomas checking out the area.Walking to the kayaks. The island was beautiful.We didn't use this one.There's a WWII-era airstrip on the island that is still in use.We met Patty on the path and she gave us a heads up on the good snorkeling beach.DJ ready to snorkel.Thomas checking out the beach we snorkeled at on our own.

    Mystery Island

    4. kesäkuuta 2025, Vanuatu 🌬 79 °F

    “Mystery Island" is the cruise industry name for Inyeug, a tiny islet lying off the shore of Aneityum, one of the islands that make up Vanuatu. There are no permanent inhabitants on Inyeug, but people come over from Aneityum to provide some services for visitors.

    Our original plan for the day was to simply hit a good-looking beach and snorkel. But with all the cancellations and itinerary changes we had an excursion slot to fill so we picked a glass-bottomed kayak and snorkel excursion. We should have stayed with the original plan. The weather was cloudy and windy and threatened rain, but we pressed on to see how much we could get done ahead of the weather. We were on the tender at 9:00 for what was supposed to be a 10:20 meetup for the tour. Figured we’d rather spend the time on the island than the ship. Well the tour didn’t really get going until 10:45, at which time we walked over to the kayaks. We were on the side of the island facing the wind, and it was very choppy in the water. Nevertheless we put in, with DJ and I in one kayak and Thomas and Liz in another. It wasn’t awful in the water, but we definitely spent more time trying to stay positioned and make headway than we did looking down through the bottom of the boat. One couple in our group literally sank, with their kayak full of water and only their heads above the surface. It was rather comical.

    We only kayaked for about 15 minutes, after which we grabbed snorkel equipment and did a brief drift snorkel back down to where we’d started. There were some fish, but again it was rough and choppy and not the best experience. We were overall quite disappointed with the excursion and felt that it should have either been cancelled or changed due to the weather conditions. I think the operators get a lot of pressure from Oceania or other cruise lines to provide the tour that is described. But if it’s going to be a mess it’d be better to give them some flexibility.

    We carried on and decided to just walk around the island. That was the best decision of the day, as we ran into Patty and Jerry who told us a beach we’d come upon was great for snorkeling. So we made camp and using the masks and snorkels we’d brought with us jumped in. It was really excellent snorkeling! The beach was well behind the reef break, so the water was calm and clear and had lots of life to observe. We really enjoyed it and the experience frankly saved the day. One more reason to always press on and keep at it.

    We were back to the ship a little before 2:00 and had lunch at Waves. Just in time, too, as the skies opened up and we had a true tropical downpour. It rained for the rest of the afternoon. Our weather luck held up again!    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    The crew on the beach in Champagne Bay.
    The crew on the beach in Champagne Bay.If you don't bring a chair you can make one in the sand.Saying hello to a local doggo.The tree we were under was an excellent climbing tree.Liz and DJ head out snorkeling.View up the beach. Note that the post holding the volleyball net is leafing out.Even the view away from the beach was beautiful.The boys sample the water.View of the beach as we arrive.

    Champagne Bay

    5. kesäkuuta 2025, Vanuatu ☀️ 84 °F

    Champagne Bay is a small cove on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island. We’d been advised that our stay at Champagne Bay would be shortened due to an outbreak of coconut rhinoceros beetles. Apparently if the ship stayed past sunset the lights would attract the beetles and then we’d transport them to another locale. An understandable precaution, but it meant that our departure time was moved up from 7:00 PM to 4:00. The captain did do his best to shorten our transit time from Mystery Island and got us to our anchoring station by 11:00 instead of the scheduled noon. With the first tender leaving at around 11:30, that would give us four hours or so on the beach.

    Unsurprisingly there was a mob scene in the Insignia Lounge to get tender tickets. We got there early and Thomas held his ground in line despite some rather aggressive pushing by some folks (“segmenters” as Thomas rather snootily referred to them 😊 ) and got us tickets on the first tender.

    The beach was absolutely gorgeous. Aquamarine water, clean white sand, and trees leaning over the beach to provide shade all made for a perfect location. We set up shop under an enormous tree on the east end of the beach, where we’d read that the bubbles that give the beach its name can be seen. We never did see any bubbles, but we had a great time anyway. The boys dashed right into the water, which was warmer than we’d experienced the past couple of days. We then snorkeled pretty much the whole time we were there. It was terrific, with a wide variety of coral and fish, including some large staghorn coral that we rarely see any more (this may not be the technically correct name, but it’s the branching coral that used to be common and is now nearly all dead).

    We were very happy to be joined on the beach by Mike, Sarah, Ken, and Jennifer. The whole afternoon had the feel of a giant Oceania beach party as our ship was the only one there and we had the beach to ourselves. With the weather cooperating, the beautiful beach, the excellent snorkeling, and the outstanding company we had a perfect day. It was capped off by taco night in the Terrace. We all agreed it was one of the best days of the trip.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Sailing in to Lautoka.
    Sailing in to Lautoka.White-tailed tropicbird on the pool deck. Clearly in distress, not sure what happened to it.Me and Thomas geared up and ready to go.The group heads up to the first platform.Thomas taking off.Thomas getting upside down.We explored a cave as part of our zipline experience.View from near the top.Our zipline guides. They look like they'd make a pretty good rugby 7s team.

    Lautoka, Fiji

    7. kesäkuuta 2025, Fidži ☀️ 75 °F

    Our original plan for this stop was to take a sailing trip to a nearby islet, but that was cancelled due to “lack of participation.” So we split up, with Thomas and I signing up for a ziplining outing and Liz and DJ doing a tour of the garden of the sleeping giants. Thomas was excited both by the prospect of ziplining again (we did it in Thailand) and by the fact that our friends Ken, Jennifer, Mike, and Sarah would be on the same tour. He made sure to arrange a meeting in the lounge so that we’d all get tickets at the same time.

    That we did, and we piled on the bus at 8:30 for our departure. The writeup had said it would be an hour to the ziplining park, but the guide told us it would be an hour and forty-five minutes. Doing the math that meant either that we’d have much less time ziplining or we’d be back later than advertised. In any event, we were on our way. We made a pit stop at a gas station/market that would not have been out of place on a US interstate. Thomas and I hit the restroom and picked up some snacks for the drive. It was an interesting drive, passing through Fijian villages and giving us nice views of the coast and the interior.

    Once at the ziplining park it took a while for everyone to get geared up. Then it was up the hillside to the first platform. The walking on this tour was more strenuous than anything we’d done on an Oceania tour. Lots of stairs and climbing. It was all good though; it felt nice to get the exercise and the weather was not too hot.

    The ziplining itself was terrific. There were sixteen lines of varying lengths. The guides were terrific: very supportive, friendly, and enthusiastic, but not in a touristy fake way. Everyone enjoyed the activity, and by the end Thomas was going upside down on the lines.

    We had lunch right there at the site and they had a nice vegetarian option for us. Often on these excursions lunch is a bloated affair that seems stretched out to fill a time slot, but here it was just right. Get your food, sit down and eat, and then it’s time to go. We skipped the pit stop on the way back and were back at the ship a little after 3:00.

    I texted Liz that we were back and she and I met on the dock to take the shuttle into town. With a 5:30 departure time we didn’t have a lot of time to waste. We walked the downtown area a bit, which was fine. The best part was seeing the people out and about on a Saturday, playing rugby, going to a carnival, and doing their shopping. Then it was back to the ship for a terrific dinner at the GDR.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    1Sunrise over Suva.
    1Sunrise over Suva.Our group setting out on the trail.Crossing the bridge over the upper pool.Nice spiderweb alongside the trail.The crew at the upper pool.Thomas waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.View up the creek.One of the middle pools.Some of the stairs and a bridge along the trail.DJ out on his own.Typical view along the trail.Thomas launches into the pool with a cannonball.Boys in the waterfall.View of the mountains on Viti Levu.

    Suva, Fiji

    8. kesäkuuta 2025, Fidži 🌙 73 °F

    We had an Oceania excursion scheduled for our Suva stop: “Suva and Rainforest Walk.” Given our mixed experiences with excursions we weren’t really sure what to expect. What we got was a scenic bus ride to a trailhead in a protected rainforest area. It was a good sign when we were offered the option to go on the long hike, the medium hike, or the short hike. That meant that folks who weren’t up for walking a long way or handling steeper trails and steps could opt for a shorter, easier hike. We naturally went for the long one 😁

    We had a couple groups of ten people, each with a guide. The trail was initially flat but quickly led down to a stream and a waterfall leading into a pool. This was the first of around twenty pools we would see on the walk. The trails were breathtakingly beautiful, lined with trees and flowers, and we even heard the weird call of the Barking Imperial-Pigeon.

    When we got to the final pool the boys jumped in, along with a few of the other hikers, while Liz and I remained dry on shore. The water was described as “refreshing,” which I took to mean as “cold,” but the boys had a great time swimming under the waterfall.

    We got them dried off and back in their boots and hiked back up the trail to the parking lot. It was a pretty good walk up the hill, which felt nice. There was a shopping stop on the agenda but we all voted that down and just returned to the ship. The gorgeous locale and the nice walk made for an excellent outing despite it being only a few hours.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Sunrise as we approach Samoa.
    Sunrise as we approach Samoa.The harbor at Apia.Welcoming committee on the dock as we pull up.Immaculate Conception Cathedral.The local buses are brightly painted and decorated.A coconut palm plantation.Typical Samoan road, with lush gardens and obligatory dog.View along the water at the giant clam sanctuary.View back the other direction at the sanctuary.We stopped at this pool on our drive back. Many towns have these.Old tires were used as decoration in many creative ways.We were awarded certificates for crossing the date line.

    Samoa

    10. kesäkuuta 2025, Samoa ☁️ 81 °F

    Samoa lies in the Western Hemisphere but is also west of the international date line, giving it the rather odd time zone of UTC +13 hours. Apparently the country used to be east of the date line, but with much of their business oriented around Australia and New Zealand partners they moved themselves west of it in 2011.

    We spent a lot of time fussing over plans for the day, trying to accommodate the weather, the locations of various things we might want to see, and whether the boys would get tired of snorkeling. We cooked up a series of stops we could visit, but when Thomas looked at a BBC weather forecast that showed temperatures in the high 80’s and humidity levels up to 95%, he suggested we just snorkel. So we ditched the carefully crafted itinerary and decided to go to the giant clam sanctuary, which we had as our target early on.

    We took the shuttle into town where it was easy to get a driver willing to take us around the island. We hit a snag, though, when I discovered that I’d come without my ATM card. This was an aftereffect of my New Zealand banishment, where I’d gotten used to walking around with a wallet again. My ATM card was in my wallet on board, I had no way of getting cash with my credit card, and both the taxi and the sanctuary wanted cash. So the driver took us back to the ship (turns out the shuttle wasn’t really necessary) and Liz ran up to grab the card. We got cash and were on our way.

    The drive was lovely, going through Samoan villages, plantations of coconut palms and pineapple, and natural jungle landscapes. It took us about 45 minutes to get across the island to the sanctuary. Once there Devin and I jumped right in to explore. We found the clams about 100 yards out in an area lined by ropes. There were all kinds of giant clams with different colors: blues, greens, oranges, and pinks. There was also some coral and some fish, but the clams were the attraction. Liz and Thomas followed and saw at least one large sea turtle – either more than one or the same one multiple times – which was a thrill.

    The boys found the clams eerie and didn’t really like the experience, but Liz and I loved it. We got rained on, but there was a shelter to keep our stuff under and we were wet from snorkeling so we did not mind at all. The rain cooled the air and washed off the salt water. Aside from one family from New Zealand who left about twenty minutes after we got there, we were the only ones at the sanctuary.

    After we were done we told our driver we were ready to go and he took us back, going a different route. He took us through the village where he lived, which was cool, and we stopped at a couple of other sites to take pictures. It was a fun time and we felt like we saw a good chunk of real life on the island. Good day.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja

    American Samoa -- NOT

    10. kesäkuuta 2025, Yhdysvallat 🌬 81 °F

    Going from Samoa to American Samoa one crosses the international date line. This gave us back all the hours we’d lost as we traveled east all at once. Of course, as DJ pointed out, this did nothing to help with the lost sleep! We did get two June 10ths, though, which was unique.

    Our scheduled stop for the second June 10th was American Samoa. Liz and I were up early as usual and noticed that we sailed right on past Pago Pago, our intended destination. Around 8:00 Captain Leo came on to inform us that no, we would not be stopping. Winds were too strong to make docking at Pago Pago safe, so we’d have an unscheduled sea day.

    That was a bummer for us, and more so for the folks who were hoping to visit the National Park of American Samoa. If you’re a national parks fan, this is a tough get. I felt especially bad for Mike and Sarah, who have been to a lot of national parks and really wanted to get to this one.

    To once again recap the canceled ports, here’s what we’ve missed:
    • Tristan da Cunha – scrubbed due to weather. Bummer as this was a really unique port of call.
    • Mossel Bay - scrubbed due to weather.
    • Mayotte – canceled due to storm damage.
    • Broome, Australia – canceled due to “port congestion.”
    • Geraldton, Australia – canceled due to “port congestion.”
    • Esperance, Australia – weather, I think?
    • Burnie - weather
    • Eden – not sure
    • Picton - weather
    • Bay of Islands - weather
    • Port Vila – port damage
    • Pago Pago – weather

    There were a couple of ports added – Brisbane and Sumba – both of which I missed during my exile.

    On a positive note, we had a good sea day on the 11th, which was capped off with the final ATW dinner. The previous dinner had been a dud, so we made sure to get a table to share with friends fo this one and it worked out much better.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    The view from Horizons as we sail in.
    The view from Horizons as we sail in.There were many dogs around on Bora Bora. Not all were energetic.Typical scenery as seen from the boat.Mt PahiaOne of the rays seen from the glass-bottomed boatBlack-tipped reef shark showing how it got its name.We're going to need a bigger boat.Church and Mt Pahia in the town of VaitapeDJ and me heading in to snorkel at Matira Beach.Thomas enjoying his ray encounter.

    Bora Bora day 1

    13. kesäkuuta 2025, Ranskan Polynesia ☁️ 79 °F

    The name Bora Bora is apparently a European corruption of the Tahitian Pora Pora, meaning “first born.” This refers to the island being the first to be created after Raiatea in Tahitian mythology.

    We pulled into Bora Bora around 8:00, which was earlier than the original itinerary time of 11:00. When Pago Pago got nixed we were able to get to French Polynesia a bit faster. We did not do much with that time, however, as we had a ship excursion booked that left at 1:00. So we let the boys sleep in and lounged a bit in the morning, which is something that we very rarely do.

    The excursion was a simple glass-bottom boat outing that we’d signed up for because we had extra excursion slots to fill after previous cancellations. You never know about these kinds of outings, but this one turned out to be quite good. First, the location is simply spectacular. Mount Pahia on the main islad dominates the view wherever you are. The lagoon is a patchwork of blues: darker over the rocks and coral; lighter turquoise over the sandy stretches. And everything that is not water is covered in greenery.

    Beyond the scenery, we got to see some good sealife through the boat. The highlight was stopping where black-tipped reef sharks and rays gather. We saw probably a dozen sharks and several large rays. Some folks spotted a sea turtle on the trip back to the dock, but we missed him.

    With some daylight left we decided to get ourselves out to Matira Beach for some snorkeling. It was only about a 15-minute drive and the beach was beautiful. We grabbed a spot and DJ and I went in with our snorkel gear. He didn’t last long for some reason; I don’t know if he was cold or what, but he left and Liz came in. The snorkeling was quite good, with lots of fish. We also saw a large ray that was a different species from those we saw earlier from the boat. Later on we walked down the beach and met a man who was feeding the rays in very shallow water. We figured he was looking for tips for pictures, but no, he just seemed happy to be doing what he was doing.

    With darkness not far off we returned to the dock to tender back to the ship. I’d been fighting a cold for a few days, so we showered and ordered room service for a relaxing evening.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Sunrise behind Mt Pahia
    Sunrise behind Mt PahiaFaint rainbow out on the horizon.The crew serenades us on our way to the snorkel spot.Rays in the water.Boys fresh from snorkeling with the sharks and rays.Mt Pahia with a cloud crown.Some goofball out on deck 5.

    Bora Bora day 2

    14. kesäkuuta 2025, Ranskan Polynesia ⛅ 79 °F

    We had the unusual experience of an overnight tender stop in Bora Bora. For our second day we had two excursions planned: a snorkeling tour that would stop for a swim with sharks and rays plus another in a coral garden, and a catamaran tour.

    We met in the lounge around 8:30 and tendered over to the dock for our meetup. We took a nice little boat out to the shark and ray snorkeling area with about a dozen other folks. This was the same place we’d been the previous day on the glass-bottomed boat tour, but that was fine as now we’d get a chance to get into the water. It was fun swimming with the black-tipped reef sharks and a couple of species of ray. Henry loaned me a dry bag for my phone so I could take some pictures, but they all came out pretty blurry. Hence not so many photos in today’s footprint.

    After spending 45 minutes or so with the sharks, we went out to the “coral garden.” This was a nice snorkel area with multiple coral formations threaded through with sandy patches. It was pretty shallow, so you mostly needed to swim over the sandy parts to avoid any contact with the coral. There were plenty of fish, including a few varieties we hadn’t seen on our other snorkeling outings.

    We were back to the dock around noon. We had tickets for a catamaran snorkeling outing at 1:00, but after being in and out of the water for three hours we decided to skip that. I don’t think I’ll ever really tire of snorkeling, but getting into some clean dry clothes was welcome.

    The Grand Dining Room was serving their spinach and mozzarella cannelloni, which has become a family favorite, so we ate there. And that was a wrap on Bora Bora, which we loved. A stunning locale with excellent snorkeling around the reef and lagoon and not overly crowded. What more could one ask for?    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    One of the islets we sailed past as we entered the lagoon.
    One of the islets we sailed past as we entered the lagoon.Looking out across the lagoon.The town of Uturoa.Insignia's shadow visible on the trees.Looking back at Bora Bora.Our entry to the lagoon was between those two islets.Our picnic spot on the motu off of Taha'a.Walking to the vanilla farm.Vanilla plants growing up trees that are planted to support them.Sunbeams on Taha'a island.The Windstar cruises ship Star Breeze anchored off Taha'a island.Thomas up top as we sail back to Raiatea island.DJ on the return trip.Sun setting as we pull away.

    Raiatea

    15. kesäkuuta 2025, Ranskan Polynesia 🌬 82 °F

    In the previous footprint I asked what more could you ask for beyond what Bora Bora offers? Well, you could ask for Raiatea, which I found even more perfect than Bora Bora. A beautiful setting, a quite little town complete with a dock for our ship, and a huge lagoon shared with Taha’a island make this a truly idyllic South Sea island.

    We cruised into the lagoon through a narrow strait that looked barely wide enough to accommodate us. We were docked fairly early, but our excursion was not until the afternoon. So the boys got some free time while Liz and I took a short walk. It was a Sunday, so many of the businesses were closed. I was hunting for some Advil, but the market did not have any and the pharmacy was closed, so that would have to wait for Papeete. The patisserie was also closed, sadly, as we had hoped to bring some goodies back on board for later. C’est la vie.

    Our excursion was a “Motu island picnic” and visit to a vanilla farm, plus some snorkeling. The description of the tour did not wind up matching exactly what we got. We’d hoped that the picnic and beach would be together so we could eat quickly and maximize beach and snorkel time. But there was no beach at the picnic area. Snorkeling happened from the boat, and it was just so-so. The area was mostly sandy with a few coral heads and there was a fairly strong wind and current, meaning you had to swim pretty hard to get to where you wanted to go. We did see a good-sized Moray Eel, which was cool.

    The vanilla farm piece was fine; the best part being the setting and the lovely walk to and from. And it smelled good. But we all felt that a beach break and some better snorkeling would have been a better bet.

    Even with the so-so excursion I loved Raiatea and could see myself spending some quality time on the island.    Lue lisää

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  • Jeff AllisonAround the World 2025Matkaaja
    Sculpture in the park we walked through in the morning.
    Sculpture in the park we walked through in the morning.A memorial to the effects of the many nuclear tests the French carried out in French Polynesia.Black sand beach with Liz, Linda, and David in the water.Thomas emerging from the ocean.Bit of a rainbow spotted from the Le Tahiti hotel.

    Papeete

    16. kesäkuuta 2025, Ranskan Polynesia 🌬 79 °F

    We arrived in Papeete at 5:00 AM, so when I came up to Horizons we were docked despite it still being dark out. The first thing I saw were the headlights and taillights of traffic along the road. It felt like we hadn’t seen traffic in months and it was a bit jarring. It confirmed my suspicions that the Papeete stop would be quite different from the others in French Polynesia.

    The upside of the larger population was easy availability of some items that we’d run low on. I needed Advil and there was a pharmacy directly across from the port terminal, so we did a quick walk over to pick that up. We also walked around town a bit and perused the local market. Liz’s cousin Linda and her husband David were due to board the ship in Papeete, so we looked for them in the termina and voila, there they were. They couldn’t board yet, but it was nice to see them.

    David and Linda were able to board around 11:00 so we all had lunch together in the Terrace. Our plan for the afternoon was a bit vague, but we all wanted to find a good beach. We found one that looked pretty and headed out. That’s when we ran into a snag. With five of us (Devin was feeling run down and stayed behind) we wouldn’t fit in a standard taxi. We went to the taxi stand and they called a van for us. When he got there he said he could take us to the beach, but when I asked if he could pick us up later he was not interested. He said people returning from the beach were wet and sandy and he wanted nothing to do with that. I didn’t want to wind up at the beach with no way back, so we asked if there was somewhere else he could take us. He suggested a black sand beach near a hotel where we could call for a taxi when we were done, and we agreed.

    The black sand beach was near the “Le Tahiti” hotel. It was no good for snorkeling, but it was pretty and the water was warm. We enjoyed some swimming and relaxing. When it was time to head back we had the hotel call us a taxi. The driver who came was infinitely more pleasant than the guy who had driven us out and we had a nice conversation on our way back to the ship.

    Liz’s dad Tom was also due in this day, but not until much later. Thomas was very excited at the prospect of his grandfather coming on board and headed down a couple of times to Tom’s room to see if he was in yet, but just missed him. We’d have to wait until the next day.    Lue lisää

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