Day 12 - Tauranga (Rotorua)

The highlight of our visit to Rotorua was the exploration of the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Now the “Wonderland” part is probably going a but over the top (pls. add your own Kiwi accent :-) however we’re really glad that we took the 90 + minute drive to see the geothermal activity up close and personal. Unfortunatly photos NEVER adequately portray the complete volcanic experience of smells and sounds (especially the smells) or the sense of geological time which continues to get my neurones in a knot.

The Wai-O-Tapu thermal area is covered with collapsed craters, cold and boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles. It’s located on the edge of the largest volcanic caldera (the huge depression left after an explosive volcanic eruption) in this area. The water beneath the earth’s surface is heated by magma left over from earlier eruptions and in some instances reaches 300 deg. C.

The highlight is the Champagne Pool – a 65m dia. (and 62m deep) spring with a surface temperature of 74 deg. C. It was formed only 700 years ago (a millisecond in geological time) and features brilliant crystalline colours associated with Antimony, Sulphur, Iron Oxide, and Silica.











We were told later by the ship's Travel Guide - Spencer Brown, that if you stay too long (exposed to the highly corrosive hydrogen sulfide gas) in these places, the acidic volcanic gases will ruin your camera, burn your skin and eat your clothes!

We chose to tour Rotorua with a private tour company operator and owner Michelle, from Learning Journeys who drove a group of 7 of us around in style and explained everything about NZ from Maori history and legend, vulcanology, Kiwi Fruit, to contemporary NZ culture, modern history and politics. I don’t think we were able to stump her on any subject and on top of that she was both a passionate and extremely personable host.

After the Thermal Wonderland we took a slight deviation from our drive back into Rotorua and a short hike down a bush track to check out a hot spring fed stream (pretty much a swimming spot just for the locals) in the bush off the beaten (tourist) track. All the girls in our group went for a wade.







Highlights in Rotorua included the Ohinemutu Maori settlement (with St Faiths Anglican Church and a large Marae (Maori Meeting House) on the edge of Lake Rotorua followed by a quick outside look at the Bath House (now the Rotorua Museum) and the various other geothermal spa which have offered therapeutic treatments to visitors from all over the world for upto a century.

Saint Faiths church contains magnificently decorated Maori carvings and woven panels that add a unique dimension to the European Tudor-style architecture. The quality of this century-old artistry leaves you in no doubt of the importance of this building to Maori people. A memorable feature is a window etched with the image of Jesus clad in a Maori cloak - he appears to walk towards you across the surface of the lake.

Steam rises from the grounds of both the marae and the back yards of many of the surrounding houses.

St Faith's Anglican Church, Ohinemutu

Ohinemutu Marae

Rotorua Museum

Volendam waited for us in the coastal port of Tauranga (pronounced a little bit like Taronga)in the coastal suburb of Mt. Maunganui. This is also the name of the extinct volcanic cone which rises above the town creating both a harbour beach (Pilot Bay) and an ocean beach with great surf, within a short distance of each other.

View from the top of Mount Maunganui

It was a big day for this regional centre (100,000 + residents) as both Volandam and Millennium (Celebrity Cruises) were in town on the same day. Being a Saturday and school holidays, the presence of two huge passenger ships drew hundreds of residents over to Mt. Maunganui (the suburb) to witness this spectacle up close and to watch Millennium leave just before sunset. We decided to have a couple of drinks (Lion Red) and meet some of the locals at the nearby Sports Fishing Club. It was fun to share our enthusiasm and their excitement for cruise holidays with a Tauranga family booked to cruise on Pacific Sun (P&O) later this year.

Volandam and Millennium

After dinner (around 10pm) we took a stroll along the Mt. Maunganui foreshore taking in the balmy summer temperature, the lights of the town and the port and the sounds of lapping waves on the beach. Unfortunately we missed the on-board party on Lido Deck which sounded very grand however the policy we’ve adopted for the whole holiday is to have no regrets and to simply enjoy doing what we have chosen! There seems to always be too many options.

More tomorrow.

Day 11 - Napier

Napier is a tricky port for a ship our size at the best of times according to the captain during yesterday afternoon’s briefing.

A moderate swell developed late yesterday and into the evening last night. Most of the time the stabilisers completely eliminated the ship’s roll the odd large wave would “beat” the system and we’d roll a tiny bit. There was much more movement last night than at any other time on our cruise so far. The Captain woke woke everyone around 7am with an announcement that we should either remain seated or stay in bed for the next 15 minutes as it would get a bit rocky. Easy decision for me (according to Helen) - I was still snoring away in bed anyway. Entry to the harbour at Napier involved turning side-on to the swell just before passing the breakwater. Both the reduced speed and the closeness to the breakwater meant that the stabilisers could not be used. The ship started to roll quite a bit for a few minutes until we got inside the shelter of breakwater.




Today’s shore stay was the shortest of the cruise – leaving port at 2pm. Still this was enough time to take the Napier Art Deco walking tour. We were off the ship and had joined the tour by 9:30am - that’s a record for us. We are usually thinking about joining a bus queue at this time. Completely rebuilt after the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 1931 that lasted for around 5 minutes (and devastating fires that followed), Napier is now famous for its classic Art Deco architecture. Almost the entire business area was rebuilt in the two years following (at the lowest point of the Great Depression). The one exception to this was the Public Trust Office (constructed using reinforced concrete instead of masonry).





Naturally the walking tour started with a short lesson in Architecture and early 20th century design styles. We learnt that with so much work to be undertaken in a very short time, local architects engaged numerous graduates and undergraduates to assist. This, together with a desire by locals to minimise the amount of decorative masonry elements in the new structures meant that the latest decorative styles using reinforced dominated the redevelopment. In addition to the classic Art Deco form we were shown examples of Spanish Mission, Stripped Classical and the use of New Zealand’s unique Maori art throughout the town.

In recent times the community has picked up on the uniqueness of its history and successfully and enthusiastically promotes itself especially for the cruise ship clientele. On our return from the town, seven members & partners of the Napier community (dressed in period costume) had assembled vintage cars from - (you guessed it . . .) the 30’s period.

Talking to one of the driver/owners as we waited to board the ship, he revealed that he is an enthusiastic Geocacher – an interest I’ve also developed over the past few months. The most interesting part of our conversation was he had based an entire travel itinerary (during a recent holiday in Europe) around locating Geocaching sites. Certaily takes the concept of relying on the recommendations of locals to a whole new level! Once again we were farewelled by local musicians playing on the wharf. On this occasion we were serenaded with a five piece jazz band playing a number of standards and concluding with Auld Langsyne as we pulled away from the wharf.

Leaving port was interesting as it was only a small harbour. For the first time this cruise we were assisted by 2 tugs as well as the ships own bow and stern thrusters. The large swell outside the harbour was refracting around the end of the breakwater and creating quite a bit of movement of Volendam at our berth.

I was quite surprised by the size of the port for such a modest sized regional town. The quantity of timber and containers being exported was pretty amazing. Did I mention the woodchip stockpile . . . . . ?

Lunch today was barbecued prawns and bugs on the Lido (pool) deck as we started the overnight leg to Tauranga. The swell has continued to ease all day so we’ve hardly noticed any pitching and the stabilisers have got any potential rolling action completely sorted.

More tomorrow.

Day 10 - Wellington

Under a clear sky and light breeze we approached Wellington Harbour around 11:30pm. With our cabin pretty much directly above the ships twin props, we noticed the change in prop speed as Volendam slowed to pass between Barrett Reef and Pencarrow Head, line up with the flashing navigation lead lights. Up on the darkened sports deck (just above the bridge) watching our ship glide through the channel past Seatoun toward the twinkling lights of Lower Hutt was a pretty amazing experience.

The stillness of the evening was in totally stark contrast to the early morning of 10th of April 1968, when in the midst of an incredible storm, the almost brand new drive-on passenger ferry Wahine struck Barrett Reef and eventually sunk. Almost all of the causalities lost their lives along the Pencarrow coast that day after the order to abandon ship, as they were swept away from the closest shore and back out into channel on the outgoing tide. Of the 610 passengers and 123 crew on board, 53 people (including several children) lost their lives that day. This modern day shipping disaster took place only 41 years ago and within a short distance of shore near Seatoun, the suburb of Wellington I'd just watch pass on the ships port side.

Barrett Reef

Wahine entering Wellington Harbour

The Wahine listing and being abandoned

The Wahine lying on her side and partially submerged in Wellington harbour, just a few days after the disaster

The inter-island rail ferry Aramoana heading out through the entrance to Wellington harbour for a crossing to Picton in seas much smaller than those on April 10th 1968

I was just eleven at the time of this accident but I remember the reaction at home to this terrible news story. My plan was to learn as much as I could about the loss of the Wahine during my first visit to Wellington (especially as we would pass the spot where she capsized twice in one day). The opportunity presented itself at the Museum of Wellington City & Sea. This museum is housed in the 1892 Wellington Harbour Board Head Office and Bond Store.

Museum of Wellington City & Sea

Whilst the museum was originally dedicated to the Maritime history and culture of Wellington, it’s scope now includes social history of the region. The permanent Wahine Disaster exhibit takes up a significant proportion of the Maritime history exhibit.

That was as you can probably sense, this was all pretty interesting for me but we also spent a bit of time checking out the Bond Store exhibit and the magnificently restored Board Room before moving on to the Te Papa - New Zealand’s national museum just along the waterfront.

Te Papa Museum with Wellington CBD behind

Te Papa is a massive contemporary museum with Māori cultural treasures and engaging interactive displays. The following are just a few of the more fascinating exhibits.

The Map - a 14 metre long satellite map of New Zealand is laid out on the floor (sort of a massive Google Earth display). As you walk over the map you trigger sensors that project associated images onto large display screens on the walls.


Awesome Forces – featuring New Zealand's seismic activity and volcanic eruptions, and their effects on people and the land. The display shows New Zealand’s position astride two mighty tectonic plates, and explains how the movement of the plates is measured.

Signs of a Nation - focusing on the Treaty of Waitangi and challenging us to consider whether it is a vision of peaceful co-existence or the cause of disharmony, an irrelevancy, or the platform on which all New Zealanders can build a future

A complete contrast (after considering these profound issues) we came across this shortened Mini Cooper on our walk back towards the CBD. As you can see it was pleading to have it’s picture taken.

Helen's next brmmm??

The afternoon featured a walk through the Botanic Gardens. Fortunately the 100 year old Wellington Cable Car makes the steep climb from the CBD a snack. Despite its name the current Wellington Cable Car is a funicular, having two counter-balanced cars permanently attached to each other by a cable, rather than a true cable car (in which the cars may grip or release the cable as needed). The original Cable Car was a hybrid between a true cable car and a funicular and the name stuck.

Wellington Cable Car

Located just a few metres from the cable car's upper terminus and from a lookout with spectacular views over Wellington, the Wellington Cable Car Museum tells the story of the country's only remaining public cable car system.

We also discovered that due to the steep sided suburbs around Wellington, this city is home for dozens of privately owned domestic cable cars.






Back on board Volendam, we watched Millennium (Celebrity Lines) pull away from the wharf next to us before heading out of the harbour ourselves 30 minutes later. We will meet up with Millennium again at Tauranga in a couple of days.

Celebrity's Millennium leaving port - racing us to Tauranga

On a more domestic note, on return to our cabin we were amazed to discover we’d been bestowed our washing (sent out the day before). As you can see, the consignment was beautifully gift wrapped and placed in a basket and all the items were neatly and attractively folded. Just goes to show we’re impressed by the little surprises as well as the big ones.

Washing (wrapped or unwrapped) never looked so attractive . . .

The Beehive

Botanic Gardens (from the Treehouse)

So after a very full day it's off to Napier. The captain's promising a little bit of a swell overnight. That'll be different!

More tomorrow.

Day 9 - Picton

The frantic pace of this adventure is starting to catch-up with us and with nothing on our “must do” list we had a very slow start (nearly missing breakfast!)

Picton is the gateway (ferry terminus) to the south island. Consequently there was a constant coming and going of ferries (two shipping companies). Roughly about half the length of Volendam, each ferry would approach the wharves at the end of Queen Charlotte Sound then swing under its own steam using a bow thruster and come alongside the roll-on roll-off wharf. Unloading of vehicles (from small cars to semi-trailers) and dozens of walk-on passengers would then occur within minutes of the ramps being lowered.





The small, picturesque township (population around 2000) was very busy with cruise passengers plus inter-island travellers either waiting for their turn to cross over to Wellington on the North Island or preparing to head south to Christchurch etc.



Ironically, the one thing the town did not excel at was Internet Facilities and what little that was available was painfully slow thus yesterday’s blog was only part completed on the day.

The township is also a mecca for recreational boating as well as having a robust water based tourism industry. The Maritime Museum also operated a small floatplane for scenic tours of the sound.



We took a bit of a hike up the nearby hill (centre of picture below) overlooking the end of the sound and the wharves and got talking to a young couple from the North Island who were travelling home after four weeks holiday down south.



The following flower was quite prolific along the pathway along with an apparently flightless bird which we need to look up when I get a chance back home.



On the outward journey in the late afternoon we called into Ship Cove to view (from the deck of the ship) the monument commemorating Cooks multiple visits to Princess Charlotte Sound during his voyages of discovery and the devastating realisation that the “Great South Land” was non-existent.

The ship (once again) was manoeuvred with tremendous precision into the small cove and was then swung through one and a half complete turns so that passengers with verandah cabins on both sides of the ship could see the monument.



The cruise north into Cook Straight was another highlight of this holiday. The scenery was spectacular and the weather was perfect.



So that we could visit Ship Cove, we took a longer route that the Interisland Ferries – they turn east part way along the sound and head out to sea using Tory Channel (see below).



Regular (dedicated) readers will no doubt be hanging out to find out about the state of the waters in the notorious Cook Straight. (I have attached evidence below in care you think I’m just making it all up.)

The fantastic weather and smooth seas we have enjoyed throughout this entire voyage so far have not let us down (again) and the crossing was almost a smooth and the run down Sydney Harbour! As we entered Wellington Harbour around 11:30pm, the star filled sky and still conditions were quite breathtaking - apart from the breeze created by the movement of the ship (around 25 km/h).



More tomorrow.