Travel with Art

Canberra, ACT Off the ship at 9:00 and quickly through customs but then a 45 minute queue for a taxi. We still arrived very early for the booked time to collect the rental car. 'No worries' they obliged and we had the car. Before heading out I turned on the Garmin GPS but got no signal. Oh well I decided to head out and follow the first signs I found directing me to the airport which would give much clearer access to open skies. It finally locked in after 15 minutes and off we headed to Canberra. We travelled through city suburbs for quite some time before being in countryside, but once in the country it remained sparse of human population until Canberra. Our route took us off the main motorway, onto the Old Hume Highway and through the villages of Mittagong, Moss Vale and Sutton Forest. We stopped off at The Linden Winery for a taste of Canberra Region wines before the final 40km to our hotel. Although it was still early we stayed in as my cold had gotten worse. Next d...

2 Days at Sea We left the sounds in nice blue skies but that did not continue. The winds and seas picked up overnight and by the time morning dawned it was full gale force. The outdoor decks were closed for passenger safety. The pools were closed as their water sloshed over the sides. Still the ship is big enough that we were not crowded. Also the gym was a lot less full so access to the treadmill was easy. Hobart, Tasmania The winds had died and the skies were blue as we pulled into Hobart. It is a really pretty city surrounding a large harbour and Mount Wellington forming its backdrop. We were docked within walking distance of the city center. Mom stayed on board and I explored on foot. Salamanca Square with it's converted warehouses, shops and restaurants. The battery hill with its old colonial and Edwardian homes, and the Elizabeth Street Mall with more shopping. It was great to take time and sit and watch people go by. Melbourne Port Melbourne is one of the two la...

Akaroa and Christchurch We docked at the port of Akaroa - another port created from the crater of an ancient volcano. This is now the port for cruise ships to access Christchurch as the normal port remains closed to large ships following the 2010/2011 earthquakes. A bit cooler but otherwise sunny as we take 20 minutes to ride the tender from ship to shore. Then it was 90 minutes on a large bus over twisty turny roads following ridge lines from the old volcano. Absolutely great commentary from our driver as we took in the fantastic views. Then we arrived in Christchurch. The city centre has gaps. Deconstruction is ongoing to take down and clear buildings too damaged to save. New buildings are being erected but it does not seem to be at the same pace. The rebuild is set to take another 10 years. But what will the city the look like? It's hard to replace landmarks like Christchurch Cathedral and the other Victorian buildings that used be here - and the new buildings need to not...

Auckland: boarding Off to Auckland to board the ship. Once again avoiding toll roads took us on a twisty windy road to get there. As before unbelievable that speed limits are 100km when 80km is all I could manage. A little clay after returning the rental car before a taxi arrived for the short 1.2km journey to the cruise ship terminal - afternoon congestion meant a $12 fare! From that point we had a few short lines but easily went through luggage check in, security scanning, immigration exit, and Celebrity tag issuance and boarding. Finally a chance to get a drink! Later we met up with the other people in the tour group I booked with for complementary open best and meet the cruise ship officers. Dinner, drinks, and late night to bed as the ship sailed on to The Bay of Islands. Bay of Islands I could not sleep in and went to breakfast early, while Mom slept in (after being disturbed by my phone - which I did not hear during the night). The stop was a tender location and Mom and I...

Sunday the rains came. We had wet weather for the 5 hour drive from Rotorua to Mahia but that was OK as we were not really sightseeing, just taking in the misty rolling hills, steep gorges, and pastoral farmland. One stop along the way for a bit of wine tasting and then we arrived at the beach home of Ron, Sue and Megan Janes. Drinking, dining and card games before retiring for the night. Still raining the next morning. We headed into Wairoa after breakfast and the skies cleared to a beautiful blue with warmer temperatures which became hot even before the day ended. Views from Ron & Sue's 'bach' I found a bit of energy on New Years Eve day and headed out for a very nice 10km run along the coastal road of Mahia. Many locals were out to the beaches and out further on the water with their fishing boats. Megan headed out to ring in the New a Year with the young crowd. While we played cribbage with the guys beating the gals. We did a drive around the neigh...