Napier Museum
26 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
⛅ 21 °C
Napier - the museum. 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake and tsunami flattened the town and what wasn’t flat was burned in the fires. The town has been rebuilt to the art deco style of the time.
Facts:En savoir plus
Aspects of Napier
26 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
⛅ 22 °C
In town - and back. The port is border-protected, so we to go thru checking on our shuttle as we return.
Hawkes Bay
26 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
⛅ 25 °C
Hawkes Bay is a large semi-circular bay which extends for more than 100kms. It has black pebble beaches with a huge tide. There are lots of vineyards in the hinterland.
Napier's Art Deco Vintage Cars
26 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 22 °C
Napier - art deco vintage cars now lined up on the dock to bid us farewell.
Wellington Sail In
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌬 15 °C
Sitting right on the stern window for breakfast - bit daunting when the Queen Elizabeth is coming straight for you with no tugs!
Wellington City
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌬 15 °C
Wellington, the capital of NZ - built on the reclaimed waterfront and steep hillsides. Earthquakes aplenty here.
![Colossal Squid from the deep ocean. Parts [L-R]= stomach, trunk, head, tentacles.](http://media.fp-files.com/footprint/65963f7e9f3df5-44850793/8uimdjuw5wtuc_m_s.jpg)
Te Papa Museum, Wellington
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌬 16 °C
Premier Museum of the capital. The galleries of repute are the Gallipoli exhibit, Volcanoes and the Maori Culture. The museum is very crowded during our visit. Most interesting item we found was theEn savoir plus
Zealandia Conservation Sanctuary
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌬 16 °C
Zealandia is a protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand, the first urban completely fenced ecosanctuary, where the biodiversity of 225 ha of forest is being restored.
The sanctuary,En savoir plus
Zealandia Eco-Experience
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌬 17 °C
A world-first, custom-designed fence was constructed around the entire area to keep out all mammalian pests. It was constructed between 1993 and 1999. Natural vegetation is being restored and nativeEn savoir plus
Kea - the rare mountain parrot
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌬 17 °C
We are super-lucky to see the Kea in the wild. This rare mountain parrot is endangered but a few have been reintroduced into this area. They are nesting in hollows of the California Pines (anEn savoir plus
Wellington Sail Away
27 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☀️ 18 °C
We begin the crossing of Cook Strait which separates the North and South Islands. Wellington has been windy, but not wet.
Timaru - at the dock
28 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 16 °C
A very tight port only for smaller ships - The Noordam came in bow first then had to flip around for docking. Manoeuvre took almost 90 minutes. A dock which was just a few metres longer than theEn savoir plus
South Canterbury Museum, Timaru
28 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 17 °C
What's special in this small museum?
1. The Tuatara specimen = known as the "living fossil", this reptile dates from the dinosaur period. It is the only surviving member of its order dating back 240En savoir plus
Early Immigrants to Timaru
28 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 17 °C
The early European settlers came to the South Island in the 1860's by sailing ship. They were free settlers. Conditions on the journey were less than ideal. Landing at Timaru proved a difficult taskEn savoir plus
Living in Timaru, early 1900's
28 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 17 °C
St Mary's Anglican Church, Timaru
28 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 17 °C
Timaru - St Mary’s Church. Really gorgeous little gem. The granite pillars were repurposed after being used as ballast on a ship. There’s even a place to store your top hat under the pew. We signEn savoir plus
Dunedin Historic Railway Station
29 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 14 °C
Docking at Port Chalmers, we boarded the train for the Taieri Gorge. We travel from the dock into Dunedin historic railway station. A prominent architectural landmark. it was completed in 1906. It isEn savoir plus
Taieri River Valley
29 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
☁️ 16 °C
The Valley before we hit the gorge is lush and fertile. Large equestrian farms and sheep are the mainstay along with substantial sustainable logging of radiator pine.
![Yes, it's that steep in the gorge [taken from inside our carriage].](http://media.fp-files.com/footprint/65979ebf9c99a5-75562512/784slvuatvlml_m_s.jpg)
Taieri Gorge
29 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
🌧 16 °C
We switch to a narrow gauge line to head into the gorge through 6 tunnels and over 3 bridges. The river floods badly during storms. End of the line is Hindon where they switch the locomotives aroundEn savoir plus
Port Chalmers
29 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
Back at the dock, there is a small colony of albatross nearby. This is our last port of call in NZ.
Leaving Port Chalmers
29 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
The skies have opened up - as we sail out the squalls continue on and off. Very rugged coastline on the Otago Peninsula.
Fiordland, NZ
30 décembre 2023, Tasman Sea
The rugged, wind-swept south-west of New Zealand which was formed by glaciers. The map shows our sailing route through the fiords. Designated in 1986 as a UNESCO World Heritage Area, Fiordland makesEn savoir plus
Dusky & Breaksea Sound
30 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
We enter Dusky Sound, travel for some 40 kms and turn into Breaksea Sound. On the port side we have been following Resolution Island. Thickly forested with walls that fall into the water, it's veryEn savoir plus
Doubtful Sound
30 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
Doubtful Sound is very rugged with many waterfalls. It is the deepest of the fiords at 421m. First named Doubtful Harbour by Captain Cook in 1770.
The Turn at Seymour Island
30 décembre 2023, Nouvelle-Zélande
We turn into Thompson Sound where this is a small island called Seymour Island. History tells that it was named after a hermit by the name of Seymour. He was a teacher who lived his reclusiveEn savoir plus