Cruising 'Round New Zealand
Apr. 11th, 2023 09:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanNow that I have a new keyboard with a working 'z' key, I can tell you all about the holiday Long-Suffering Partner & I had in March - we cruised to, around & back from New Zealand, on Royal Caribbean's Ovation Of The Seas... just a small boat!!
We'd originally booked this cruise back in 2020 - the year of diminished expectations (Let's go to Japan... nope. Let's cruise to New Zealand... nope. Let's go to Tasmania...nope. Let's do the Great Ocean Road... nope. Okay, let's just do a roadtrip around New South Wales... okay!!) & all of a sudden the day of departure arrived. As with all check-ins, the morning was full of 'Hurry up & wait' Hurry to get ready for the shuttle bus to the port. Wait for it to turn up. Hurry to the check-in point. Wait as it snaked its way through the terminal's various inspection, customs & security points. Hurry to find our balcony room. Wait for our luggage to arrive. Hurry to unpack, do the safety & emergency procedures, then get some late lunch. Wait for the ship to actually leave Sydney a little later than planned - mostly because there were 3 other cruisers in town - including the Queen Mary II, which made our not inconsiderably-sized ship look tiny...
While waiting for that last bit, I discovered via Instagram that a friend I hadn't seen for many years was also on board, taking a solo holiday. He was pretty happy to find we were there as well though & plans were made to keep ourselves entertained & occupied over the next 2 days at sea until we reached the west coast of New Zealand. These mostly consisted of try various restaurants & bars on board, testing our trivia wits & not a little karaoke - though I was a little disappointed that this ship didn't offer karaoke with a live band, which was a heap of fun last time... Mostly though, we talked a lot, catching up on our various life adventures, of which my friend had a few - including a heart transplant 10 years ago!!
Early on the third day... Land Ahoy!!
We'd arrived on New Zealand's west coast, not far from our first destination, Milford Sound. L-SP & I had been here before in 2011, but we'd driven there & taken a boat trip around its sheer walls & many waterfalls on an extremely chilly September morning (I had never been so cold in my life... & haven't been so cold ever since!!). Even on a giant 5000 person cruise ship the high mountains on either side, capped with snow despite it being the end of Summer, were a magnificent sight & a lesson in perspective
Dwarfed as it was by the landscape, our ship was still too big to turn around inside the Sound, so in an impressive feat of navigation & helmsmanship, we reversed out to the Tasman Sea & continued south, towards Doubtful & Dusky Sounds - two of the main reasons I'd wanted to do the cruise, as these places are only accessible by ship, being in the middle of Fiordland National Park & there are no vehicle accessible roads anywhere near them. Doubtful & Dusky weren't closed Sounds like Milford & it was wonderful to cruise slowly & quietly along them through the afternoon. The only disappointment was that we'd booked the North Star Observatory at a time when we'd be in Doubtful Sound & were looking forward to the views from nearly 100 metres in the air above the ship. But... when we turned up at our allotted time, we were told it wasn't operating, due to some hydraulic issue - at least we hadn't been stuck inside it when that was discovered!! Still the views from the open upper decks on both sides of the ship were breathtaking enough - until the rain swept in through Dusky Sound & sent us running to the nearest Bar with a view...
Early the next morning, we entered Otago Harbour & arrived in Port Chalmers - the nearest port to Dunedin that could accommodate a ship of our size. We'd booked a cruise around the Harbour on a (much!!!) smaller boat, so left our friend to his own devices for a couple of hours as we were bounced around by the incoming tide up one side of the Harbour & down the other. Hillsides that looked like a possible location for at least one scene from Lord Of The Rings, sea caves that looked like the faces of the Dead Army from another scene in LOTR & evidence of New Zealand's nickname The Shakey Isles, with fresh scars in the landscape where parts of it had recently fallen into the sea during an earthquake...
A bus ride into Dunedin, a rendezvous with our friend & together we wandered the streets near the bus terminal, finding a great little record store, a nice little Asian restaurant, a larger than expected supermarket, where we picked up some local produce for the folks back home, as well as some supplies for our room attendant, as the poor guy wasn't allowed to go ashore during the cruise & a novelty gift shop, where we bought some suitably Celtic headwear for St Patrick's Day later in the week. Again, L-SP & I had visited Dunedin in 2011 & had seen many of the sights back then, including the must-not-bother-to-see Larnach Castle. Unfortunately we didn't have time for the couple of hours required for the Albatross Centre outside town, but never mind... The busride back to Port Chalmers was absolutely packed sardine-style & L-SP elected to put a facemask on when someone near us began coughing up a lung. We'd both brought masks along, as you still can't be too careful on a cruise ship in these times of Plague, but I'd forgotten to grab mine when we went ashore...
Leaving Otago Harbour that evening, I was able to get a second look at some of the sights from our boat trip that morning, including the lighthouse keeper's cottage, perched somewhat precariously ¾ of the way up the seacliff wall. There was a cloud front moving in at sunset & I went a bit snap-happy with that as well !!
Sleeping off yet another delicious, but large dinner, we awoke to find the ship docked in Lyttelton Harbour, a cargo port suitably large enough for us & a short bus ride away from Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island - even after losing many buildings in the earthquakes of 2011. L-SP & I had last been here just after those 'quakes & it was nice to see that the city had pretty much recovered, though its once-mighty cathedral is yet to be finished. Our friend had been to town already, so we headed in to find coffee & a light meal, with the intention of visiting the Gondola on the way back to the ship. L-SP was feeling a bit woozy when we got to town & wasn't sure if it was motion sickness from the ship, or something else, so a quick, but not cheap visit to a chemist later, we found coffee & food to take tablets with. On the way back, she wasn't feeling any better, in fact a bit worse, so we chose to leave the Gondola for "next time" & headed back to our room with a view of the Lyttelton cargo yard. By now, I had that feeling in the back of my throat that says a cold is on its way, so we both took Rapid Antigen Tests, thinking you can't be too careful in these times of Plague. We were both negative, so it was just a cold... Annoying, but not as bad as it could be. Not long after, I got a text from our friend telling us he'd tested positive for Covid19. Given his medical issues, this was pretty serious & he was in contact with the ship's medical staff & of course, now confined to his stateroom with a view. Thinking back over the last few days we'd been together, we surmised that the crowded bus trip back from Dunedin was the likely hotspot, though we couldn't figure out how he'd caught the Plague & all we'd managed to get was a cold - not that we were feeling all that fortunate by then - even a cold knocks you about for the first couple of days
The next day was an 'at sea' day, as we travelled up New Zealand's east coast & crossed from the South to the North Island. Both of us were feeling a bit worse for wear & spent most of the day in our room with a view of the sea & middle-distant coastline, venturing out only occasionally for food & drink, suitably masked-up of course. I'd brought 2 masks with me & the one with the lower half of the Mona Lisa's face was proving to be a hit with both the crew & my fellow passengers, especially when combined with the giant green hat I'd bought in Dunedin for St Patrick's Day - which was today. Not really in the mood for Guinness & potatoes though... & I wasn't even sure I could get a pint of Guinness anywhere on board anyway. Ah well, Sláinte St Patrick, I'll drink to your health back in Sydney, after I get mine back first!!
Early the following day, we came to the coastal town of Tauranga, which looked very pretty from the port side of the ship (our side!!), but yet another shipping port town on the starboard side. Feeling a little better, but not quite up to a shore excursion, L-SP found we could get a free trip up in the now-repaired North Star, so we decided to see what Tauranga looked like from above... Much the same really, only smaller from high above the ship. No photos, as the glass of the capsule was scratched, smudged, yet still too reflective to get any decent shots. A lovely view for the eyes though, of the picturesque entry to the Harbour & the boats & ships of all shapes & sizes coming in & out of it. A couple of calls with our quarantined friend, who was feeling the full force of the Plague & not having a great time, so we went out to our balcony, he went out to his & we were able to at least see, wave & smile to each other - a bit too far away to talk & we didn't think shouting about how sick we were & how much sicker he was, was a conversation anyone else would want to hear...
We arrived in Auckland early the next morning, docking at yet another shipping port, but at least this one was actually in the city we were visiting. A shuttle bus was required to take us out of the port & over to the ferry terminals, as you're not allowed to go wandering through an active container port with giant forklifts, semi-trailers & people running around in day-glo safety vests with clipboards & 2 way radios. Today was the day my old friend stuck on board the ship had organised to meet up with another old friend of ours, who's been living in Auckland for the last 20 years or so & with whom I'd fallen out of touch somehow - either he changed phones & lost my number, or vice versa, or... Anyway, even though it had been decades since I'd seen him, he was easy to spot, waiting for us where the shuttle buses dropped us at the ferries. I did notice that even with me making a brisk beeline straight toward him, he didn't recognise me until I was almost right under his nose. He was concerned about our mutual friend, being familiar with his compromised immunity, but was happy to see me again & to meet L-SP & see what kind of person had managed to get me to the altar. His suggestion of seeing the city from its highest point - the Sky Tower, was readily accepted & we walked the waterside streets of Auckland, noticing just how similar in look & feel they are to the same area in Sydney. Even the Sky Tower itself is really just another Centrepoint Tower, though they are very keen to point out that Sky Tower is about 20 metres taller than Sydney's one... High scores are very important to some people... The view from the top observation deck, looking out over the city & to the harbour, or east to the mountains, was undeniably impressive though
We stayed up there long enough to see a couple of people do the bungee dive off the top... & long enough to be absolutely bloody positive that wasn't something we'd EVER want to do!! Once back at street level, we found a global cuisine-inspired pizza place, found some convenient seating & compared the Indian Tandoori pizza with the more traditional New York-style pepperoni. With that verdict still out, we once more headed down to the ferry wharves, as we were starting to run out of time to get back to the ship before it sailed off without us. A farewell & update of contact details, now including e-mail addresses (our friendship has officially entered the 21st century!!) & a promise to say hello to our Plague passenger, then it was back to the room with a view of Auckland Harbour, as we slipped ties & steamed off at a slow pace - our next destination wasn't all that far from Auckland, only 191 kilometres as the ship sails...
With the ship's coal shovellers & stokers obviously given the night off, we arrived at Paihia, in the Bay of Islands at dawn the next day. Even in the pre-sunrise glow, it looked to be a beautiful place - this was the other place I'd really wanted to see on the cruise & I was glad we were both feeling well enough to enjoy it...
We'd pre-booked another boat cruise around the Bay, on what turned out to be a reasonably large 2-storey boat, captained by a local Maori with an entertainingly laconic style of commentary over the P.A. An example: "When we get up to speed, it gets very windy out on the Bay, so if you lose your hat, raise your hand. I will then raise my hand & instruct the passengers & crew to raise their hands... & together, we'll all wave goodbye to your hat" His advice for parents of any children on board was amusingly & pointedly succinct: " If you have your children with you, please make sure they are not running around on board, that they are safe & happy. Why? Because they're yours, so please make sure you look after them" I nearly burst into applause. It was almost a shame that, in fact, there weren't any kids on board...
There are 144 islands of varying size in the Bay, from glorified reefs, to substantial-sized ones with dozens of houses built on them, while others are nature reserves &/or sacred places in Maori culture. Our destination for the trip was Motukokako Island, more generically known by its defining feature - Hole in the Rock, a hole large enough to take a 2-storey boat through... so of course we did
Or see here if the video doesn't load properly...
All too soon we were back on our big ship & it was time to say goodbye to New Zealand... Two more 'at sea' days before we got back to Sydney, which we filled with my last attempt at Karaoke, where I discovered the damage the Dunedin cold had done to my voice, a couple more big dinners & some seasickness tablets for L-SP because the seas were, as the Captain put it in a ship's announcement, "grumpy", so we were rocking & swaying a fair bit. It was fun walking down the corridors of the accommodation decks making pinball noises as we bounced off the walls. Well, it was fun for me, for about 90 seconds until L-SP told me to stop!!
Our sick friend was no longer answering the phone in his room, so I was a little concerned, but figured there wasn't much I could do... I certainly couldn't go down & knock on his door & wouldn't know what to do if I did!?
On Thursday morning around 4.00 (I think... we were both sound asleep) we docked at the Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay, back where we'd started 12 days earlier. We woke at 4.30am to find the ship all tied up, powered down & the lights of the Opera House & nearby buildings shining brightly through our windows. We'd both wanted to see the ship coming 'home' through the Heads of the Harbour, but we'll have to save that for next time... & set the alarm for even more ridiculously early. Or just not go to sleep at all - yeah that's the best idea!!
Within an hour, the dawn was well underway & so were all the ferries leaving Circular Quay for their various destinations around the Harbour, to return laden with CBD workers...
Disembarking was a faster process, with nowhere near the amount of rigmarole involved with getting on... we didn't even go through a customs point on the way out of the Terminal. Once back on Australian soil, the city greeted us with, apparently, the first rain in 2 weeks. Thanks Sydney - love you too!!
P.S. I received a text message from our friend saying that he'd been in the ship's hospital for the last two days with a collapsed lung, but was okay & was now at St Vincent's Hospital, where all his doctors & collection of ologists are, so he couldn't be in safer hands. He was there for about a week & was finally turfed over Easter. We're having dinner with him later this week so we can show him some photos & he can show us his new scars...
We'd originally booked this cruise back in 2020 - the year of diminished expectations (Let's go to Japan... nope. Let's cruise to New Zealand... nope. Let's go to Tasmania...nope. Let's do the Great Ocean Road... nope. Okay, let's just do a roadtrip around New South Wales... okay!!) & all of a sudden the day of departure arrived. As with all check-ins, the morning was full of 'Hurry up & wait' Hurry to get ready for the shuttle bus to the port. Wait for it to turn up. Hurry to the check-in point. Wait as it snaked its way through the terminal's various inspection, customs & security points. Hurry to find our balcony room. Wait for our luggage to arrive. Hurry to unpack, do the safety & emergency procedures, then get some late lunch. Wait for the ship to actually leave Sydney a little later than planned - mostly because there were 3 other cruisers in town - including the Queen Mary II, which made our not inconsiderably-sized ship look tiny...
While waiting for that last bit, I discovered via Instagram that a friend I hadn't seen for many years was also on board, taking a solo holiday. He was pretty happy to find we were there as well though & plans were made to keep ourselves entertained & occupied over the next 2 days at sea until we reached the west coast of New Zealand. These mostly consisted of try various restaurants & bars on board, testing our trivia wits & not a little karaoke - though I was a little disappointed that this ship didn't offer karaoke with a live band, which was a heap of fun last time... Mostly though, we talked a lot, catching up on our various life adventures, of which my friend had a few - including a heart transplant 10 years ago!!
Early on the third day... Land Ahoy!!
We'd arrived on New Zealand's west coast, not far from our first destination, Milford Sound. L-SP & I had been here before in 2011, but we'd driven there & taken a boat trip around its sheer walls & many waterfalls on an extremely chilly September morning (I had never been so cold in my life... & haven't been so cold ever since!!). Even on a giant 5000 person cruise ship the high mountains on either side, capped with snow despite it being the end of Summer, were a magnificent sight & a lesson in perspective
Dwarfed as it was by the landscape, our ship was still too big to turn around inside the Sound, so in an impressive feat of navigation & helmsmanship, we reversed out to the Tasman Sea & continued south, towards Doubtful & Dusky Sounds - two of the main reasons I'd wanted to do the cruise, as these places are only accessible by ship, being in the middle of Fiordland National Park & there are no vehicle accessible roads anywhere near them. Doubtful & Dusky weren't closed Sounds like Milford & it was wonderful to cruise slowly & quietly along them through the afternoon. The only disappointment was that we'd booked the North Star Observatory at a time when we'd be in Doubtful Sound & were looking forward to the views from nearly 100 metres in the air above the ship. But... when we turned up at our allotted time, we were told it wasn't operating, due to some hydraulic issue - at least we hadn't been stuck inside it when that was discovered!! Still the views from the open upper decks on both sides of the ship were breathtaking enough - until the rain swept in through Dusky Sound & sent us running to the nearest Bar with a view...
Early the next morning, we entered Otago Harbour & arrived in Port Chalmers - the nearest port to Dunedin that could accommodate a ship of our size. We'd booked a cruise around the Harbour on a (much!!!) smaller boat, so left our friend to his own devices for a couple of hours as we were bounced around by the incoming tide up one side of the Harbour & down the other. Hillsides that looked like a possible location for at least one scene from Lord Of The Rings, sea caves that looked like the faces of the Dead Army from another scene in LOTR & evidence of New Zealand's nickname The Shakey Isles, with fresh scars in the landscape where parts of it had recently fallen into the sea during an earthquake...
A bus ride into Dunedin, a rendezvous with our friend & together we wandered the streets near the bus terminal, finding a great little record store, a nice little Asian restaurant, a larger than expected supermarket, where we picked up some local produce for the folks back home, as well as some supplies for our room attendant, as the poor guy wasn't allowed to go ashore during the cruise & a novelty gift shop, where we bought some suitably Celtic headwear for St Patrick's Day later in the week. Again, L-SP & I had visited Dunedin in 2011 & had seen many of the sights back then, including the must-not-bother-to-see Larnach Castle. Unfortunately we didn't have time for the couple of hours required for the Albatross Centre outside town, but never mind... The busride back to Port Chalmers was absolutely packed sardine-style & L-SP elected to put a facemask on when someone near us began coughing up a lung. We'd both brought masks along, as you still can't be too careful on a cruise ship in these times of Plague, but I'd forgotten to grab mine when we went ashore...
Leaving Otago Harbour that evening, I was able to get a second look at some of the sights from our boat trip that morning, including the lighthouse keeper's cottage, perched somewhat precariously ¾ of the way up the seacliff wall. There was a cloud front moving in at sunset & I went a bit snap-happy with that as well !!
Sleeping off yet another delicious, but large dinner, we awoke to find the ship docked in Lyttelton Harbour, a cargo port suitably large enough for us & a short bus ride away from Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island - even after losing many buildings in the earthquakes of 2011. L-SP & I had last been here just after those 'quakes & it was nice to see that the city had pretty much recovered, though its once-mighty cathedral is yet to be finished. Our friend had been to town already, so we headed in to find coffee & a light meal, with the intention of visiting the Gondola on the way back to the ship. L-SP was feeling a bit woozy when we got to town & wasn't sure if it was motion sickness from the ship, or something else, so a quick, but not cheap visit to a chemist later, we found coffee & food to take tablets with. On the way back, she wasn't feeling any better, in fact a bit worse, so we chose to leave the Gondola for "next time" & headed back to our room with a view of the Lyttelton cargo yard. By now, I had that feeling in the back of my throat that says a cold is on its way, so we both took Rapid Antigen Tests, thinking you can't be too careful in these times of Plague. We were both negative, so it was just a cold... Annoying, but not as bad as it could be. Not long after, I got a text from our friend telling us he'd tested positive for Covid19. Given his medical issues, this was pretty serious & he was in contact with the ship's medical staff & of course, now confined to his stateroom with a view. Thinking back over the last few days we'd been together, we surmised that the crowded bus trip back from Dunedin was the likely hotspot, though we couldn't figure out how he'd caught the Plague & all we'd managed to get was a cold - not that we were feeling all that fortunate by then - even a cold knocks you about for the first couple of days
The next day was an 'at sea' day, as we travelled up New Zealand's east coast & crossed from the South to the North Island. Both of us were feeling a bit worse for wear & spent most of the day in our room with a view of the sea & middle-distant coastline, venturing out only occasionally for food & drink, suitably masked-up of course. I'd brought 2 masks with me & the one with the lower half of the Mona Lisa's face was proving to be a hit with both the crew & my fellow passengers, especially when combined with the giant green hat I'd bought in Dunedin for St Patrick's Day - which was today. Not really in the mood for Guinness & potatoes though... & I wasn't even sure I could get a pint of Guinness anywhere on board anyway. Ah well, Sláinte St Patrick, I'll drink to your health back in Sydney, after I get mine back first!!
Early the following day, we came to the coastal town of Tauranga, which looked very pretty from the port side of the ship (our side!!), but yet another shipping port town on the starboard side. Feeling a little better, but not quite up to a shore excursion, L-SP found we could get a free trip up in the now-repaired North Star, so we decided to see what Tauranga looked like from above... Much the same really, only smaller from high above the ship. No photos, as the glass of the capsule was scratched, smudged, yet still too reflective to get any decent shots. A lovely view for the eyes though, of the picturesque entry to the Harbour & the boats & ships of all shapes & sizes coming in & out of it. A couple of calls with our quarantined friend, who was feeling the full force of the Plague & not having a great time, so we went out to our balcony, he went out to his & we were able to at least see, wave & smile to each other - a bit too far away to talk & we didn't think shouting about how sick we were & how much sicker he was, was a conversation anyone else would want to hear...
We arrived in Auckland early the next morning, docking at yet another shipping port, but at least this one was actually in the city we were visiting. A shuttle bus was required to take us out of the port & over to the ferry terminals, as you're not allowed to go wandering through an active container port with giant forklifts, semi-trailers & people running around in day-glo safety vests with clipboards & 2 way radios. Today was the day my old friend stuck on board the ship had organised to meet up with another old friend of ours, who's been living in Auckland for the last 20 years or so & with whom I'd fallen out of touch somehow - either he changed phones & lost my number, or vice versa, or... Anyway, even though it had been decades since I'd seen him, he was easy to spot, waiting for us where the shuttle buses dropped us at the ferries. I did notice that even with me making a brisk beeline straight toward him, he didn't recognise me until I was almost right under his nose. He was concerned about our mutual friend, being familiar with his compromised immunity, but was happy to see me again & to meet L-SP & see what kind of person had managed to get me to the altar. His suggestion of seeing the city from its highest point - the Sky Tower, was readily accepted & we walked the waterside streets of Auckland, noticing just how similar in look & feel they are to the same area in Sydney. Even the Sky Tower itself is really just another Centrepoint Tower, though they are very keen to point out that Sky Tower is about 20 metres taller than Sydney's one... High scores are very important to some people... The view from the top observation deck, looking out over the city & to the harbour, or east to the mountains, was undeniably impressive though
We stayed up there long enough to see a couple of people do the bungee dive off the top... & long enough to be absolutely bloody positive that wasn't something we'd EVER want to do!! Once back at street level, we found a global cuisine-inspired pizza place, found some convenient seating & compared the Indian Tandoori pizza with the more traditional New York-style pepperoni. With that verdict still out, we once more headed down to the ferry wharves, as we were starting to run out of time to get back to the ship before it sailed off without us. A farewell & update of contact details, now including e-mail addresses (our friendship has officially entered the 21st century!!) & a promise to say hello to our Plague passenger, then it was back to the room with a view of Auckland Harbour, as we slipped ties & steamed off at a slow pace - our next destination wasn't all that far from Auckland, only 191 kilometres as the ship sails...
With the ship's coal shovellers & stokers obviously given the night off, we arrived at Paihia, in the Bay of Islands at dawn the next day. Even in the pre-sunrise glow, it looked to be a beautiful place - this was the other place I'd really wanted to see on the cruise & I was glad we were both feeling well enough to enjoy it...
We'd pre-booked another boat cruise around the Bay, on what turned out to be a reasonably large 2-storey boat, captained by a local Maori with an entertainingly laconic style of commentary over the P.A. An example: "When we get up to speed, it gets very windy out on the Bay, so if you lose your hat, raise your hand. I will then raise my hand & instruct the passengers & crew to raise their hands... & together, we'll all wave goodbye to your hat" His advice for parents of any children on board was amusingly & pointedly succinct: " If you have your children with you, please make sure they are not running around on board, that they are safe & happy. Why? Because they're yours, so please make sure you look after them" I nearly burst into applause. It was almost a shame that, in fact, there weren't any kids on board...
There are 144 islands of varying size in the Bay, from glorified reefs, to substantial-sized ones with dozens of houses built on them, while others are nature reserves &/or sacred places in Maori culture. Our destination for the trip was Motukokako Island, more generically known by its defining feature - Hole in the Rock, a hole large enough to take a 2-storey boat through... so of course we did
Or see here if the video doesn't load properly...
All too soon we were back on our big ship & it was time to say goodbye to New Zealand... Two more 'at sea' days before we got back to Sydney, which we filled with my last attempt at Karaoke, where I discovered the damage the Dunedin cold had done to my voice, a couple more big dinners & some seasickness tablets for L-SP because the seas were, as the Captain put it in a ship's announcement, "grumpy", so we were rocking & swaying a fair bit. It was fun walking down the corridors of the accommodation decks making pinball noises as we bounced off the walls. Well, it was fun for me, for about 90 seconds until L-SP told me to stop!!
Our sick friend was no longer answering the phone in his room, so I was a little concerned, but figured there wasn't much I could do... I certainly couldn't go down & knock on his door & wouldn't know what to do if I did!?
On Thursday morning around 4.00 (I think... we were both sound asleep) we docked at the Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay, back where we'd started 12 days earlier. We woke at 4.30am to find the ship all tied up, powered down & the lights of the Opera House & nearby buildings shining brightly through our windows. We'd both wanted to see the ship coming 'home' through the Heads of the Harbour, but we'll have to save that for next time... & set the alarm for even more ridiculously early. Or just not go to sleep at all - yeah that's the best idea!!
Within an hour, the dawn was well underway & so were all the ferries leaving Circular Quay for their various destinations around the Harbour, to return laden with CBD workers...
Disembarking was a faster process, with nowhere near the amount of rigmarole involved with getting on... we didn't even go through a customs point on the way out of the Terminal. Once back on Australian soil, the city greeted us with, apparently, the first rain in 2 weeks. Thanks Sydney - love you too!!
P.S. I received a text message from our friend saying that he'd been in the ship's hospital for the last two days with a collapsed lung, but was okay & was now at St Vincent's Hospital, where all his doctors & collection of ologists are, so he couldn't be in safer hands. He was there for about a week & was finally turfed over Easter. We're having dinner with him later this week so we can show him some photos & he can show us his new scars...
(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-11 02:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-11 10:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-11 05:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-11 10:13 pm (UTC)He seems to be okay now - certainly back to posting on Instagram regularly, which is a good sign. I'll find out more on Friday!