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February 2024

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    Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    West Terrace Cemetery

    28. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Cemeteries often have monument shops nearby, but the one in Adelaide features an eye catching statue out front.

    Like other burial grounds we’ve visited Down Under, we enjoyed birds and their melodious calls as we explored. At one point, a half dozen Superb Fairy Wrens appeared and began foraging along a line of headstones.

    The wrens are aptly named; they do flit like little fairies, with iridescent turquoise feathers around their necks adding a delightful flash of color.

    West Terrace offers a whopping 4 different walking tours, with signs featuring QR codes throughout. I chose the Culture and Symbolism tour.

    I was stopped by groundskeepers twice during our visit. They simply wanted to know how I was doing and if they could help. Both times I let them know how much I enjoyed their walking tours and the fact that they are protecting heritage plants.

    Christian monuments dominate the landscape, but there were Jewish, Afghan, Muslim, and Syrian Druze sections.

    That said, my favorite monument there is the cherub with butterfly wings that we saw on our way out.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Adelaide Wandering

    27. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 97 °F

    In Adelaide, our ship was met by a band called “Ewe Calyptus.” Always nice when locals come out to greet us like that.

    The cruise port is quite a way from Adelaide, so everyone needed to take the train if they wanted to go into town.

    The ticket booth closed, so the station agent told us to buy a cruise day pass when we got off.

    Once there, our departing throng overwhelmed the ticket booth, so much so that they shooed us along and told us to buy tickets upon our return. So that’s what we did!

    After taking a cab to Adelaide Cemetery, we hoofed it back to the train station, admiring the architecture and stopping for iced mochas and pastries along the way.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Melbourne Cemetery

    26. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Our friends had never visited Melbourne General Cemetery (MGL), but they accommodated my wishes by including it on our walk.

    Well, we actually took the tram for part of the journey. Good thing they were with us to sort that out.

    The ticket machine didn’t work at the port, so the tram driver told us all to board it anyway, because she was heading to the free ride zone.

    Melbourne General Cemetery has the largest caretaker’s cottage I’ve ever seen. Inside, I bought a book about the burial ground and picked up a walking trail brochure.

    I was happy to see that MGL has a program called “Project Cultivate” which plants native trees and grasses to the burial ground as a way to revitalize the land.

    I had two monuments on my list to see here, and we found them both: the Elvis grotto and tomb of a famous billiard player.

    After those goals were met, we had an aimless meander through the old section, which is always my favorite part.

    My favorite monument there features a large statue of the Archangel Michael.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Melbourne Friends

    26. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We met Carol and Steve on our world cruise last year, and they met up with us today at the port!

    Our other Melbourne pals couldn’t make it, but we spent a fun filled day with Carol and Steve, catching up, eating fish ‘n’ chips, exploring a cemetery, walking some more, and capping it all off with decadent pastries and espresso.

    We barely scratched the surface of all that Melbourne has to offer, but it was the perfect way to spend a day here.    Les mer

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    Sydney Sail Away

    24. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Our tablemates, Clive and Thelma, invited us to watch the Sydney sailaway from their suite, and it was sweet, indeed.

    As we pulled away from the dock, I had a great view of a tugboat at our bow, and was surprised to see that there was a line attached to our stern.

    Must say that Sydney’s opera house is just as striking in person as it is in all the posters and movies I’ve seen it in.

    At one point, Clive asked, “What sort of bird is that?” Moments later, we realized it wasn’t a bird at all, but was in fact, a large bat! It was the size of a raven. Truly special way to end our day in Sydney.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Sydney Walkabout

    24. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Sydney’s port swarmed with people, but we had a good time exploring the area just the same.

    Friendly volunteers handed out maps at the pier. The lady I spoke to told us how to enter the opera house for free, adding that, “Be sure to visit the bathrooms, too, they are quite picturesque.” I’ll let you be the judge from my photos!

    Along the way, we saw some Aborigines busking. I’m a sucker for the didgeridoo, so I walked up to take a photo of the guy playing it while the other guy danced.

    I didn’t expect the dancer to pose for pics with me, but he was very exuberant. After our first pose, which was rather sedate, he goes, “Let’s do another shot, but make it a bit crazy!” Sounded good to me, so that’s the shot I’ve shared here.

    Sydney’s historic neighborhood, aka The Rocks, was especially busy, with an open air market full of goodies.

    I chuckled at the sight of a Berliner booth because of JFK’s famous gaff. When visiting the city of Berlin, he grandly stated, “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

    He meant to say that he was a citizen of Berlin, when he was actually proclaiming that he was a jelly filled donut.

    Seeing Vegemite for sail put the Men at Work’s “Land Down Under” song in my head. We also saw a variety of kangaroo products for sale.

    The little phone booth I show here would’ve come in handy when Larry and I were trying to book a cab earlier in the day. You can use it to make free calls in Australia. It also says that it has free WiFi, but I’m not sure how it all works.

    Ozzies drive on the same side of the road as Brits do, so the “look” sign on the pavement was a good reminder. We travel so much that I look both ways before I cross the street no matter where we are.

    Larry has a special way with birds, and was able to feed some wild Lorikeets we saw loitering on some cafe umbrellas.

    Seeing “pet shop birds” in the wild is such a delight. During our cab ride, for instance, I saw a dozen lorikeets standing on an apartment railing. The cabbie explained that the birds had “adopted” the people living there. I like the idea of people being pets to animals.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Cold Front Clouds

    23. februar 2024, Tasman Sea ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    The night before we reached Sydney, a big cold front blew through and cooled the city down from triple digits to a very pleasant seventy-something.

    Our dining table is located at the ship’s transom, so we had a great view.

    Sunsets at sea are a wonderful sight to behold.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Waverly Cemetery

    23. februar 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 90 °F

    Sydney’s Waverly Cemetery is a beautiful burial ground overlooking the sea. Although filled with Victorian and Edwardian monuments, it’s an active cemetery, and still receives new burials.

    I never found out what type of lizards the street sign refers to, but apparently they cross the road by Waverly’s front gate.

    We spent several hours wandering up and down and all around. It was hard to choose which photos to share here.

    One of my favorite monuments depicts an angel with butterfly wings. I was quite intrigued by a monument to a young man who, as the epitaph explained, died during a circus stunt in which he dove into a bucket from a great height.

    Afterwards, we found a cafe nearby and enjoyed some delicious iced espresso. Hailing a cab turned into quite a challenge, however, so we lingered longer than planned.

    My Uber app wouldn’t work, and when I called for a cab, I got an automated menu that wanted me to input an Australian phone number. We tried waving down a few passing cabs, but none of them stopped.

    I finally managed to get a human on the end of the phone (which was an international call) and book a cab. Phew! We enjoy walking, but that would have been a bit too much.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Glow Worm Caves

    20. februar 2024, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Our second stop in New Zealand took us to the gorgeous Bay of Islands. I was eager to see native Tui birds there, but locals explained that it was too hot. The birds were staying cool in the deep forest.

    Ah, well. I don’t blame them. It was too hot in the sun for this Tui, too.

    We compensated for this ornithological disappointment while exploring the seaside village of Paihia. Larry found a pair of Tui earrings with a matching pin and sneakily bought them for me. I love them and have been wearing them ever since.

    Later, we took a bus to the Kaiwiti Caves where we saw glow worms twinkling in the darkness. Glow worms emit light in order to lure insects into the sticky threads they dangle from the walls of the cave.

    After dining on their prey, they quit glowing until they get hungry again, which can be as long as a month.

    Our guide, Hinemoana, was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions with aplomb. I regret, however, that I can’t share pics of the glow worms. Since the caves are sacred to Maori people, photography is forbidden inside.

    In addition to hundreds of glow worms, we also saw a big eel in the cave. Priscilla, as she is called, is 4 1/2 feet long and well over 80-years-old!

    You can see Hinemoana standing on a meteorite in one of my photos. It fell from the sky and landed at a nearby farm many years ago. They rolled it here so people can marvel at the heavy rock.

    Larry and I enjoyed how low key and informal the whole experience was. The cave has no electricity inside, there’s no gift shop, and the only toilet facilities were a couple porta-potties.

    The New Zealand countryside is so pretty. I’m in love with the gorgeous forests and great big fern trees.

    I definitely want to visit New Zealand again. After all, over yet to see a Tui bird!    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Weta Workshop

    19. februar 2024, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    While our cemetery jaunt bolstered my ongoing research, our stop at the Wets Workshop was pure fun.

    We’re offers a behind the scenes glimpse at the filmmaking process, especially the special effects aspect. They have miniatures and big-atures and all sorts of paraphernalia for sci fi, horror, and fantasy films.

    Larry found the workshops inspiring for his mad scientist laboratory back home. It’s definitely a place that would be fun to take the grandkids. As you can see, we had fun playing around during g our visit.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Aukland Walk

    18. februar 2024, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    After a taxi to a historic cemetery. We hoofed it all over Auckland. Definitely got our steps in and got a little taste of the city along the way.

    The “haere mai” sign brought back pleasant memories of Polynesian dance lessons I took as a kid. We did a poi ball routine in our Maori garb while singing a welcome song called “Haere Mai.”

    Everywhere you go in Auckland, the Sky Tower pops into view, making it easy to navigate.

    It was a fun day of wandering, and we enjoyed some tasty espresso along the way. I’m still scratching my head over the “tepid baths” place, though.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Tonga Food & Dance

    15. februar 2024, Tonga ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    We enjoyed a tasty Polynesian buffet on Tonga. I especially enjoyed the chance to try breadfruit prepared several different ways. The breadfruit chips were especially good.

    After our meal, we watched a Polynesian dance performance. Really fun day!Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    The Friendly Islands

    15. februar 2024, Tonga ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    Captain Cook nicknamed Tonga, “the Friendly Islands,” and from our experience the moniker still holds true.

    For instance, when a Tongan man saw me admiring a pretty white flower, he walked over, picked a blossom and handed it to me. Later, a woman handed me the blossom she wore in her hair when she saw that the white flower I was attempting to shelter from the breeze was starting to wilt.

    The Kingdom of Tonga is proud to be the only Polynesian nation that was never colonized, however, Jesus Christ has certainly made the rounds. There are churches all over and a variety of denominations: Catholic, Latter Day Saints, among many others.

    The woven “apron” Tongans wear is called a “ta ovala.” These are handmade (our guide’s mother made his) They are woven from local plant fibers and worn by men and women in formal situations. It’s rather like the equivalent of a man’s tie in Western society.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Touring the Kingdom of Tonga

    14. februar 2024, Tonga ⋅ 🌬 82 °F

    Our tour of the Kingdom of Tonga included stops at some blowholes, a three-headed palm tree, the Tongan royal palace, and the Royal Tombs.

    Of the four, the blowholes were the most impressive. Between the heavy waves and sharp volcanic rocks, you certainly wouldn’t want to go swimming, but the spouting water was a mesmerizing sight.

    Our tour guide was quite shy and didn’t offer much information. When he spoke, we could barely hear him. He was very sweet, though, and loved to sing. We enjoyed being serenaded by him, even though his repertoire consisted of Christian hymns sung in Tongan.

    I was disappointed, however, that a great big fence kept us so far away from the Royal Tombs that all we could do was zoom in with our cameras to see any details at all.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Tahiti Flower Market

    10. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    One of my favorite memories from our visit to Papeete in 2019, was visiting the fresh flower market. Not only did I enjoy the fresh fruit and flowers, but I liked seeing that it caters to locals as well as tourists.

    Just like last time, I was eager to buy a headband made of real flowers. Not only does it look beautiful and make me feel like a tropical princess, but it smells divine.

    Locals wear these pretty headbands, too, not just tourists like me. The guy we bought mine from gave Larry a tiare blossom and instructed him to wear it behind his left ear to show that he is taken.

    On the other hand (or should I say ear?) flowers worn behind the right ear signal that you are single and looking to mingle. I saw locals wearing them on both sides throughout the day.

    Before we reboarded the ship, I nabbed a few tiare blossoms that folks had discarded. My leftover coconut makes a handy vase, and our cabin smells wonderful.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Welcome to Papeete

    9. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 77 °F

    After missing three ports due to a Tropical Depression, we were all feeling a little tropical depression of our own as we wondered if we would ever make it ashore in the South Pacific.

    At last we docked in Tahiti’s capital, the city of Papeete. Locals handed us fragrant tiare blossoms as we disembarked, and a lively Polynesian band serenaded us on the dock.

    It was late afternoon when we arrived, and most places were closed for the day, but we had a quick explore before dinner, during which we enjoyed a marvelously vibrant sunset.    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Papeete Wandering

    8. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Tikis and baguettes go hand in hand in Tahiti. The French influence is quite apparent as you stroll the the city of Papeete.

    Up until recently, people here had special mailboxes at their houses, except that instead of mail, they would receive fresh bread deliveries twice a day! I saw a few of these old baguette boxes as we toured the island the next day, but didn’t manage to get any good photos of them.Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Pirates, Murder & Scrabble - Oh, My!

    6. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    The ship surprised us by having a pirate themed dinner. Not only was the dining staff attired in buccaneer gard, but our table was littered with gold doubloons, and the menu featured items such as “Bilge Water” and “Dead Man’s Arm.”

    The entertainment and events on this ship have really impressed us. The other night, for example, they held a murder mystery in the theater.

    After an interrogation by the audience, we were given ten minutes to write a four line poem explaining who we thought the killer was. The best rhyme won its author a bottle of champagne.

    In other news, we have a World Champion Scrabble player aboard, and he led a ship wide competition, which much to my surprise, I won!    Les mer

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    Black Sand Beach

    4. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Since Nuku Hiva is a volcanic island, some beaches feature dark brown sand and black rocks. After walking in the heat and humidity, I enjoyed a refreshing splash in the gorgeous azure water, but only one other person joined me.

    Instead, those who wanted to swim headed to a cove with traditional white sand.

    “I don’t want to get that dirty black sand on me,” I heard a woman sneer as she walked past.

    Wonder if she knows that white sand is essentially parrot fish poop?    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Paradise Found?

    4. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We loved our time on Nuku Hiva, even though the heat and humidity made it a meltdown.

    After walking the coastline and visiting the cathedral, we stopped at a little shack for fresh juice. There was quite a wait, but a fresh breeze kicked in and we had a good time chatting with other customers, most of whom were from the ship, as we waited.

    Before long, every chair in the place was taken and the gal taking orders had to pilfer fresh fruit from her place settings.

    Good thing I snapped a pic when I did, because the pineapple you see here was turned into a tasty pineapple and ginger juice for me. So good that I drank two of them!

    Nuku Hiva is definitely one of those destinations that makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into a travel poster. I hope to return for a longer visit sometime.    Les mer

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    Tiki Sculptures

    4. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    As we walked along the beachfront to the Nuka Hiva’s cathedral, we passed several traditional tiki sculptures.

    I don’t know the stories behind them yet, but I find them intriguing and beautiful and look forward to learning more.Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende
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    Nuka Hiva’s Notre Dame

    4. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Nuku Hiva’s cathedral is built on ground considered sacred by ancient Marquesans. It was on these “paepae tapu” (sacred grounds) that sacrificial rites took place, including tattooing, sculpting, and the recitation of poems to transmit their history.

    Enter the Spaniards, who brought horses, descendants of which still roam the island. Next came the French, who claimed this remote island as their own.
    In 1848, France sent the Bishop Dordillon to lead the Catholics of Nuku Hiva, and his grave is inside the church at the foot of a wooden carving of “Our Lady of the Marquesa Islands” aka “Maria Peato te Kui o te Fenua Enata.”

    A statue of Bishop Dordillon stands on a hill beside the cathedral. It is carved from a centuries-old tou as an homage to the tou tree beneath which he often enjoyed some shade.

    Having grown up in France, I’m sure the heat and humidity of Nuku Hiva were something to contend with.

    As I hiked up the path for a closer look at his statue, a medley of tropical birdsong accompanied me. Try as I might, I was unable to get a good enough look at the feathered crooners to ID them.

    In 1853, the chief of Nuku Hiva and his wife decided “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and converted to Christianity. In return, they expected schools and teachers. Giving their kids a European style education seemed a good way to cope with all their changing world.

    The Marquesans are reknowned throughout Polynesia for the quality of their wood carvings. I was intrigued by the syncretic details they were included, such as the tiki head and hooks at the feet of Saint Paul. The hooks refer to Marquesan rituals. I’m not sure what the tiki means.

    I’m very curious about another symbol as well; I saw it all over the island. I’m talking about the squiggly symbol next to the words “Nuku Hiva” in the photos I’ve shared here.

    I learn a lot on our travels, but there’s always so much more to learn!    Les mer

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  • Tui SniderFebruary 2024Reisende

    Welcome to Nuka Hiva

    4. februar 2024, Fransk Polynesia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    When Herman Melville visited Nuku Hiva in the 1800s, his ship was greeted by a bevy of naked women who swam out and boarded his vessel.

    “What a sight for us bachelor sailors!” he exclaims in his book, “Typee.”

    I’ll bet it was!

    While not as dramatic, the Marquesans of Nuku Hiva gave our ship a warm reception, welcoming us ashore with drumming and chants, punctuated by long blasts from a conch shell.

    They also gave each of us fragrant flower blossoms. I tucked ours in a water glass and sat them on my nightstand. Three days later, they still perfume our cabin.    Les mer

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