Down Under - Day Ten, Sunday - February 15, 2014 - Picton, NZ

Following the Blue Line to Town

We docked at the sleepy little town of Picton, New Zealand this morning.  Picton connects the north island to the south island of New Zealand by way of a three and a half hour ferry ride.  That's pretty much Picton's major purpose. 
Stevie and I followed the blue line into town and found the beautiful Waikawa walking trail which we  hiked for 5 miles.  

New Zealanders are big on following lines.  But I must admit, it was very effective way to find the town center and the trail, which was beautiful.  The flora was phenomenal and in some areas completely encapsulated the trail like going through a green tunnel.  We found a blackberry bush and had a little snack.  

We returned to the ship for a leisurely afternoon poolside.   Later in the afternoon, we were invited to tour the bridge.  It was quite interesting.  I kept looking for the ship's wheel, but everything is pretty much computer driven now.  

Stevie clears the way for me to take her for a spin.  

My take away was ... don't offer to "fill her up."  The ship's fuel tank holds 265,000 gallons of fuel necessary to power the 4 sets of diesel engines that put out 30,000 horsepower.  When the ship is traveling 12 knots, it takes three quarters of a mile to stop her.  I asked if Stevie and I could take her out for a spin.  

Annabelle "escorting" us from the bridge after our attempt to drive the boat.

Surprisingly, none of the crew laughed.  They just looked at us like we were crazy.  British humor, I guess.  Or lack thereof.  So we were escorted off the bridge, which really didn't bother us.  We've been thrown out of far better places.   So we headed to the patio deck for the "sail away" party.  Champagne and Caviar.  Divine.

Independent Travelers Party.  Woopie!!

Stevie and I decided to venture out tonight and check out the "Independent" travelers gathering in the lounge.  What we found was a gathering of folks that may have taken a leave of absence from their "Assisted Living Homes."  Well, some of them may have been a cane and a walker beyond that!  Not exactly what we expected of the "solo" or "singles" party.  The good news ... we felt SOOOO young!!  We didn't stick around long.  The sun was going down so most of them had to get to bed anyway.  

"Refreshing my bubbles."

Cheers!

We had a lovely dinner at the Colonnade Restaurant where I got tickled at the waiter's continuous question of "May I refresh your bubbles."  Which he did so well.  

Sun set

Full Moon Rise

The sunset tonight was breathtaking, but the moon rise was equally as spectacular.  We're off to our next stop.

Full moon tonight.  Taken from our balcony.  

Down Under - Day Nine, Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  I've sent it your way.  It was Valentine's Day here yesterday.

What a fabulous day we had in Wellington today.  Stevie and I went on a walking "foodie" tour with the most delightful guide, Fiona, with Zest Tours.  Her enthusiasm and love of the city was contagious.   We set off from the ship and  literally ate our way through the city stopping at the "best of the best" award winning gourmet shops and restaurants.  Wellington is known as the Coffee Capitol, Cultural Capitol, Culinary Capital and just recently, the Craft Beer Capitol of New Zealand.  

Parliament Building sits adjacent the "Beehive"

The "Beehive" houses the Prime Minister

Before we began our tasting tour, we drove around the Parliament and government buildings which were an interesting juxtaposition of architecture, one building very traditional and the one next door crazy modern.  

Built of timber but appears to be a stone building.

I can certainly understand why some of the Wellingtonians have mixed reviews.  I was fascinated by this government building.  It appears to be built of stone, but it is made entirelyof timber.

Inside St. Paul's looks like a ship

Next stop was at a beautiful church called Old St. Paul's Cathedral.  

Old St. Paul's Cathedral 

The inside of the church was beautifully designed to resemble the inside of a ship.  The church flies an American Flag inside as a reminder of the American Marines who were deployed to New Zealand during the 2nd World War to protect New Zealand from Japanese invasion.  This was their house of worship.

Our next stop was to the "Starbucks" of New Zealand, Mojo's Coffee Central.  We were greeted by coffee roaster, Lambros who shared his coffee bean roasting secrets that he has perfected over the years.  

Lambros and his collection of various imported beans are displayed in front of the 50 K coffee roaster.

Now I'm not a coffee drinker, but Lambros's brew won me over to the dark side.

Mojo Coffee and Cookies.   Not a bad way to start the day.

 

Mojo Coffee.  18 Wellington locations have shut down Starbucks

One of the factory workers had prepared some Greek wine biscuits to go with the coffee, so this stop launched our tasting tour.   Lambros had a very edifying spiel and a display of various beans that are imported for roasting as well as a display of items he's removed from the imported beans such as rocks, bolts, wire, nuts etc.

Left: Coffee Beans from Mexico.  Right: debris from the beans.

All of Mojo's beans are imported as coffee beans do not grow in New Zealand.  In third world countries beans are placed on the road to dry so various litter gets scooped up and into the bag of coffee beans.  I'm so grateful Lambros has a thorough screening system to sort the beans from the debris.  We had a lovely and informative visit with Lambros and then moved on down the wharf continuing our foodie walking tour.  

This 20 ' diameter aluminum ball is suspended above the square

Fiona pointed out various sculptures and pieces of art along the way to Gelissiomo Gelato where we were warmly welcomed by Graham who invited us to taste all of his very interesting and different flavors of Gelato.  

Graham uses fresh organic milk for his Gelato and walked us through his workshop sharing the Gelato making process with us.  In addition to traditional flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip, Mango, Salted Caramel, Coconut, etc, he likes to experiment creating unusual Gelatos such as his Gorgonzola Gelato that he prepared for a restaurant to accompany a poached pear dish.  His cucumber, lime and ginger Gelato was also quite tasty.   After tasting EVERY SINGLE flavor, I settled on a combo of Salted Caramel, Mint Chocolate Chip, Coconut topped off with a small serving of his incredible dark chocolate.  SO good.  There goes the scale in the wrong direction.

Gabriella - owner shows us a cocoa bean pod.

As we walked a bit further into the heart of Wellington, Fiona introduced us to The Cocoa Press, a chocolate factory.  Now that's what I'm talking about!!!  What better way to follow up Gelato than with chocolate?!!  

Roasted Cocoa Beans

Tucked away on the little side street of Leeds, The Cocoa Press dazzled us with their unique method of making chocolate bars ... from "bean to bar."  They travel the world in search of the perfect Cocoa beans, import them to the factory, roast and hull 

them, pulverize them until they 

From Bean to Bar.

reach a peanut butter consistency, then add sugar that begins the emulsification process turning the beans and sugar into creamy chocolate, which goes into the molds for chocolate bars.  

Old Bags sitting on Bags of Cocoa Beans imported from Guatemala.  

Mmmmm!  So yummy!!  Of course we sampled every flavor they had and then bought several bars at $13.50 each!  Dang.  Remember when a candy bar cost .25 cents???

On the way to our next stop, we quickly visited the bakery that was awarded the cuisine award for the best croissant and salted caramel cookies.  Croissants were sold out, but we scored a Salted Caramel Cookie.   Need I say more about the bakery?

Best breads from local bakers

These meats aren't on the shelf at Publix

Next stop was Moore Wilson Fresh, a gourmet supermarket.  Local Chefs come to Moore Wilson to gather "the best of the best" for their menus.  

Various Fish, mussels and even fish heads

Also open to the public, the store has unique items that one certainly doesn't find at Publix, like Wild Pork Belly and Wild Venison Osso Bucco, Diced Wild Goat and breads from all the local bakers.  Fiona parked Stevie and I at a lovely butcher block table in the middle of the store and brought out a tray containing the local cheeses and oat crackers all of which have been awarded Cuisine Magazine awards.  

We were introduced to golden Kiwi, which has a mellon consistency and Elderberry and Feijoa Chutneys.   Instead of wine, we had an Elderberry Soda, a very light, sweet carbonated soda.  It complimented the cheese and chutneys perfectly.  We also sampled a non grain granola that was spectacular.  Wish I could have brought it all home with me to share with all of you.  But trust me, Stevie and I put away enough cheese and  chutneys for all of us.  

So after the coffee and cookies, gelato, chocolates, cookies, cheese and chutney, it was time for lunch at Logan Brown.  This restaurant is in an old bank building and the food was amazing.  We started with Paua Ravioli.  Paua looks and tastes just like abalone.  delicious.  Next courses were Zucchini and Green Onion Fritters, Filet of Beef and roasted Monk Fish.  Dessert was a lemon grass Panna Cotta.  I was SO happy to see the dessert was something that I just really don't care for.  I ate the Salted Carmel Cookie instead.  The bank manager's office has been converted into the ladies room.  So after lunch, I excused myself to "do some business with the manager," which is the customary saying at Logan Brown when one needs to use the facilities.   

Cable Car Departing

We'd eaten everything that Wellington had to offer and it was time to return to the ship, but first, Fiona took us to the top of Mount Cook to view the harbor and see the cable car.  

Kudos to Fiona and Zest Tours.   Without exception, the New Zealanders that I've met have been the nicest, most polite, friendly, humorous and helpful people I've ever met, but Fiona even exceeded that.  She made us feel like members of her family.  The sparkle in her eyes when telling us about the foods we were eating and the cuisine awards they had been awarded just made the food taste that much better.  She could have fed us a dog turd and made it sound good enough to ask for seconds.  She was just a splendid guide and I would suggest the Wellington Foodie Tour to everyone.  Hopefully, you'll be lucky enough to get Fiona.  Thanks Fiona!!

Maori tattoo their faces

Maori Tribesmen

Upon returning to the ship, we were treated to a show by a local Maori tribe.  Quite interesting and colorful.  The Maori  tattoo their faces with designs to depict their family heritage and major accomplishments.  The more tattoos, the more important the person.  I think I prefer medals to pin on a jacket, but the tattoos seem to work for these people.

Alistair passed out roses to us.  Love a guy in uniform!

Since we'd been eating all day long non stop, we didn't want to change our eating pattern, so we had a lovely Valentine's dinner, guests of the Bridge Director.  The ship set sail around 10:00 and we were off to our next adventure.

Down Under - Day Eight, Thursday, February 13, 2014

Day at Sea

Big shout out today, February 13th, to my mom who is celebrating her birthday today.  Hope you have a great day, Mom!!  It's also my dear friend Sheryl Johnson's birthday.  Birthday greetings to you, too, Sheryl.  Since it's a day earlier here, I'll be celebrating with you both for two days.  

A day at sea has allowed me to catch my breath and really relax.  It's wonderful, but it also allows me to ponder, which may or may not be a good thing.  I've had a chance to catch up on my blog and reflect upon it.  My blog website allows me to see how many times my rather lame attempt at writing has been viewed.  Two times.  You know who you are and thank you.  I was disappointed at first.  I guess I thought I was writing a best seller.  But then I asked myself why I'm writing this blog, besides the fact that my mom wants a running account of my travels and lots of photos.  I guess the truth lies somewhere in between my desire to keep my mom happy and my desire to have a chronicle of my trip.  Guess the main reason I write is to allow myself to pay attention to the details of each day; to seize each moment of this adventure, really appreciate it and back it up through written words.  It's also a way of sorts for me to reconnect with who Julie was, is and can be.  To try to figure out where I belong.  For the past 17 months, I've done a lot of traveling.  I know I can't wander forever.  I actually have no clue what I'm looking for.  But I think travel is a great way to sort things out.  I'm exposed to different parts of the world, different people and cultures and perhaps different ideas, and in the process, I'm having a really good time.  But sometimes, even around these new people and good times, I find myself feeling really alone. Is this still a part of grieving?  I'm told there is no set time for grief, but I'm sure ready for a new chapter in life.  To find some real meaning.  To learn who Julie is, or perhaps who she wants to be.  Sometimes I ask myself if I ever really had "meaning" in my life before September 17, 2012.  I was certainly busy all the time being a wife and mother and constantly volunteering for one good cause or another.  But did I have true meaning and identity?  I thought I did.  I guess people have been looking for purpose and meaning in life forever.  Maybe the answer is to just live life appreciating every moment.  I once read a bit of graffiti on a wall in Hermosa Beach, California that said, "Don't spend time looking for the perfect moment, rather find the moment and make it perfect."  Sounds logical and pretty easy, yes?  But if either of my two readers have any suggestions for me, please send me an email.  I'd love to hear some fresh ideas.  AND I'd just love to hear from you in general.  All of this philosophical crap is giving me a head ache.  This is what happens when I have a day at sea with too much time on my hands.  Next time, I'll take the dance and bridge lessons and go to the seminar on local tours instead of sitting around the pool pondering.

After my relaxing afternoon, Stevie and I joined two couples for our first formal dinner as guests of two crew members, Natalie and Alistair.   The lady sitting to my right, Liz, from the UK, married to Robert, a deaf gent who could read lips and speak beautifully, were so much fun.  Liz, retired from a company that handles 7000 company's payrolls and is now into traveling the world and hypnosis.  Hypnosis?  Very interesting, indeed.  She asked some very thought provoking questions about my future that I won't get into here because I don't have answers for them yet.  But she really has me thinking.  

After dinner, we went to the Grand Salon for the show "Bravo", a collection of Broadway tunes sung by the two entertainers we had dinner with the first evening on board, Meredith and Chris.  They put on a great show.

Now I'm snuggled in bed waiting to be rocked to sleep again.  The wind is howling outside, making for rougher seas, but just makes for better rocking.  Night, night.  More news and more photos tomorrow.  Cheerio.

Down Under - Day Seven, Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sailing AWAY from the sunset last night.  Beautiful!!

Seabourn's first stop - Tauranga, New Zealand

Last night was very smooth sailing.  The gentle rocking of the ship was like knock out drops. I was out like a light in no time at all and woke up in Tauranga.  

Stevie had arranged a private tour through "Tour by Locals".  We disembarked the ship to meet Julie and her vintage Rolls Royce for a tour of Tauranga and the neighboring countryside.  

Ponga Trees resemble palms

Tauranga, the principal city on the Bay of Plenty, is the largest export town in New Zealand.  It's also one of the primary kiwi fruit and orchard regions and the gateway to the geothermal park, Rotorua.   My biggest surprise was the vegetation, which is almost tropical.  Ponga trees dominate.  They look like giant ferns with their curled shoots unrolling.  They grow tall like palm trees.  The Maoris used Ponga leaves for houses because the leaves repel water and made their homes water proof.  I commented that they looked like something out of Avatar and Julie said Avatar was filmed locally.  

Kiwi Fruit grows on vines like grapes

Then next surprise was the Kiwi orchards growing on vines instead of trees.  Farms are surrounded by tall, closely planted Japanese Cedars that have been tightly groomed to become 30 foot barriers (likened to a huge hedge) to block the wind from orchards preventing the kiwi from being 
knocked together causing blemishes on the delicate fruit.
  

Hopefully you'll get the idea of the tree walls. Kiwi are inside the walls.

I tried to get some photos of the tree walls, but just couldn't seem to capture the look.  Avocado orchards are prevalent along with the kiwi in this region.   Gorgeous Hydrangea and Agapanthus grow wild along the roadside adding to the beauty of this area.

Most of the building in KatiKati have murals depicting times gone by.

Julie took us to her home town of KatiKati.  A small little town that was falling off the map, the town council gathered to brainstorm ideas to get people to stop and visit their little town.  Julie's art teacher suggested that they paint up the town.  So the buildings became the canvas for murals.  Each mural tells a story of the town, past and present.  The murals are magnificent and quite successfully converted this sleepy little town into an outdoor art gallery.

After all the gold is retrieved, this quarry will be filled with water 

The next town we visited, Waihi, is an active gold mining town.  Quite interesting watching the trucks driving in and out of the quarry with their loads of rubble that will be crushed and searched for gold.  

Stevie and our guide Julie at Ohinemuri Estate Winery

We continued our drive to Karangahake Gorge area where we stopped at a lovely boutique winery for lunch.  Ohinemuri Estate Winery is nestled amongst the mountains with an enchanting little cottage surrounded by herb gardens.  They serve only one meal per day and we just happened to be in the market for it ... LUNCH. 

 

Summer Vegetable Tart prepared by Chef Missy

The kitchen was small, but the Chef Missy certainly knew her way around.  She whipped up a summer vegetable tart that was not only a beautiful presentation, but scrumptious!  It's too damp here to grow their own grapes, so the wine maker buys grapes locally and produces only a few hundred bottles of each of his various types of wine.  But what he makes is exquisite.   But I forgot, we weren't going to drink wine today.  Oops!

Anthenree Homestead

After lunch, it was time to head back to towards the ship. By now, we'd been in the car for hours.  We chose to do the rest of our sightseeing "drive by" style.  We did a "drive by" of a beautiful little place called Anthenree Homestead.  A lovely little home that has been renovated by ancestors and converted into a restaurant.  Look kids ... it's Anthenree Homestead.  Then on the the beach where we had a good look, then a quick tasting at Mills Reef Winery in Bethlehem.   By then, after seven hours in the lovely vintage Rolls Royce, it was time to get back to the ship.  Don't get me wrong.  We had a great day of sightseeing, but enough already.

We cast off around 5:30 making our way to Wellington.   We had a fabulous dinner poolside at the Patio Grill and then I was rocked to sleep by the hum of the Odyssey's engine and the gentle sea.