Holidays in the South Pacific

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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 38
perjantai 30. joulukuuta 2022 klo 13.00
☁️ 15 °C
Korkeus: 38 m
Uusi Seelanti Lyttelton Harbour -43.601585, 172.717343°36’6” S 172°43’2” E
A Blustery Day-Lyttleton & Christchurch
30. joulukuuta 2022, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
We woke up to winds of 27 mph gusting to 32. Luckily it settled down during our tour, and didn't rain until we got back.

Nice bus tour. We were the first ship to visit Lyttleton since the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010. We saw an overview of the town, and got a lot of history of the area- including the earthquake, the aftermath, and the ongoing effects.

We went to Mona Vale Gardens, and saw lots of roses. A few were fragrant, but surprisingly, many had no scent.

The bus driver was kind enough to stop so that another lady and I could hit an ATM to get NZ dollars.

Lunch at Cagney's- dinner at Windows- The braised brisket was amazing.Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 39
lauantai 31. joulukuuta 2022 klo 7.00
⛅ 13 °C
Korkeus: 8 m
Uusi Seelanti Kaiwharawhara -41.267176, 174.78426141°16’2” S 174°47’3” E
Wellington-TePapa Tongarewa Museum
31. joulukuuta 2022, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We had breakfast, then visited Onda for coffee while our room was being done. We were visited by the coffee and pastry squad.

The TePapa Museum has a wealth of info on nature, the Maori culture, and a great exhibit on New Zealanders in Gallipoli during WWI. There is a Colossal Squid!

We went to the lookout over the city, and saw many sites in Wellington.

We shall see what New Year's Eve brings😁Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 39
lauantai 31. joulukuuta 2022 klo 23.59
🌙 14 °C
Korkeus: Merenkorkeus
South Pacific Ocean -41.80194, 175.125241°48’7” S 175°7’31” E
New Years' Celebration at Sea
31. joulukuuta 2022, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We experienced New Years before most of the rest of the world.

Festive!
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 40
sunnuntai 1. tammikuuta 2023 klo 10.00
☁️ 16 °C
Korkeus: 21 m
Uusi Seelanti Napier City -39.478471, 176.91482439°28’42” S 176°54’53” E
Napier- Art Deco and Wine Tasting
1. tammikuuta 2023, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Fun day.

We had a drive around Napier to see the Art Deco buildings. We visited a Honey producer (actually, the bees are the producers, but we visited the packagers.) Sadly, we can't take honey into Auckland, even if it originated in New Zealand.

We had wine tastings at two vineyards: Askerne and Mission. We also had an amazing port produced by our guide, Don.

Evening found us back on the ship for some preliminary packing, a worship service, and dinner in Le Bistro with Judy & GlennLue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 41
maanantai 2. tammikuuta 2023 klo 12.00
☁️ 19 °C
Korkeus: 300 m
Uusi Seelanti Pohutu geyser -38.160255, 176.254138°9’37” S 176°15’15” E
Tauranga- The Rotorua Experience
2. tammikuuta 2023, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We had a nearly 2 hour bus ride to Te Puia. On arrival we had a nice lunch.

We saw kiwis, geysers, and had a wonderful Maori welcome.

Back to the ship, wrote Hero cards, and Cagney's for The Last Supper, and "goodbye" to our crew members. And packing. Have I mentioned that I hate packing?Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 42
tiistai 3. tammikuuta 2023 klo 10.00
☁️ 20 °C
Korkeus: 44 m
Uusi Seelanti University of Auckland -36.849616, 174.76338136°50’59” S 174°45’48” E
The Saddest Day So Far...
3. tammikuuta 2023, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
...is the day we have to leave the ship.

We had our last breakfast in Cagney's, and said goodbye to the wonderful team that took such good care of us.

Checkout was smooth- until the part where they owed me money-- but that's a good thing!

Customs/Immigration was a breeze.

With sadness in my heart, I bade farewell to our home for the last month-plus.

Our dear friends Glenn and Judy helped us schlep our baggage to our hotel. It was a nice walk, and there's no way we could have done it without them. The taxi ride would have been only 3 minutes. Way for the Americans to piss off the Kiwi cab drivers!!! (Even if we tipped big, they'd lose their place in queue for a larger fare.)

The Holiday Inn looked like a reunion for Spirit cruisers- many familiar faces waiting to check in.Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 43
keskiviikko 4. tammikuuta 2023 klo 12.00
🌧 19 °C
Korkeus: 46 m
Uusi Seelanti Ewelme Cottage -36.860126, 174.779736°51’36” S 174°46’47” E
Rainy Day in Auckland-HoHo & Weta
4. tammikuuta 2023, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
We hopped on and off at Sky Tower- then I headed to the Weta Experience. Weta studios produce special effects for NZ films, including the LOTR series, and the upcoming features Origins and a couple of others. Yes. I'm a nerd.

I also dropped a few bucks on the slots in the Casino. Less nerdy.Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 44
torstai 5. tammikuuta 2023 klo 15.00
🌧 20 °C
Korkeus: 6 m
Uusi Seelanti Mechanics Bay -36.848176, 174.78139136°50’53” S 174°46’53” E
Auckland- Museum, Giapo Ice Cream
5. tammikuuta 2023, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
We took the HoHo to the Museum- leaving from in front of the Hush Hush Strip Club. The Museum had a great exhibit on Stonehenge, Maori culture, and a couple of T-Rex. It remains rainy and windy.

At Darla's recommendation, we went to Giapo for ice cream. Worth the visit!Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 45
perjantai 6. tammikuuta 2023 klo 12.00
🌧 20 °C
Korkeus: 5 m
Uusi Seelanti Duders Beach -36.832151, 174.79560436°49’56” S 174°47’44” E
Ferry Ride to Devonport
6. tammikuuta 2023, Uusi Seelanti ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
After breakfast at the hotel, we took the ferry to Devonport. It continued to be rainy and windy, but the ferry ride wasn't too choppy. We walked about, and had some fine fish & chips at Manuka- a pub in town. Then back to the hotel for a final pack.Lue lisää
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Holidays in the South Pacific
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Päivä 46
lauantai 7. tammikuuta 2023 klo 1.00
⛅ 5 °C
Korkeus: 15 m
Yhdysvallat North Branch Little Hunting Creek 38.728804, -77.08278738°43’44” N 77°4’58” W
Homeward- The Longest Day
7. tammikuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
We got up and had breakfast, checked out of the hotel, and took our shuttle van to the airport. On the shuttle, we encountered an Australian family who had been in Spirit with us. They shared their positive experience- we all agreed it was a fine cruise.

The Auckland airport was uneventful, although there were long lines for immigration and security. I forgot that I had stowed sunblock in with the snorkel gear- my mistake, and $25 worth of sunblock down the hatch🙄.

We visited the Strata lounge, and arrived at the AA gate in time for boarding. Our gate was one of the furthest, and it felt like we walked halfway across New Zealand to get there. We were in Premium Economy- the best deal out there.

We departed on Saturday at 1:40 pm. After some 13-1/2 hours, we landed in Dallas the same day at 7:55 am. Our luggage was on the carousel, and with a couple of carts, we were on our way to re-check our bags. Then to Customs. We needed to do our Global Entry Interviews, so flew through, as there was only one person ahead of us.

Not to be outdone by the Auckland airport, we again had a distant gate. So after walking halfway across Dallas, we arrived at our gate, and had a short wait until we boarded. We had a window and aisle in the exit row. We were joined by a guy who took up every cubic centimeter of the center seat and then some. Would have been ok, but he fidgeted constantly and usually as I was falling asleep. I was pretty tired, so I guess it made me a bit grumpy.

We got home in one piece, and all was well. We are, of course, dealing with jetlag, so we're pretending these are sea days.Lue lisää
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7. tammikuuta 2023