Our next adventure began on 3 March when we flew to Auckland for a couple of nights. The skies were the bluest we have seen in the city, and the temperature was great for walking.
At Sky City Casino we enjoyed a drink whilst watching punters on the roulette tables win - and lose - their money. But later, one of the patrons won a $95,000 Ford Mustang V8 car!
We had a relaxing couple of days in Auckland, except when Penny discovered she had left all her jewellery at home we made a quick visit to Lovisa in Queen Street.
Penny took this photo and was then told she couldn't!
On 5 March we boarded the beautiful Celebrity Edge for our 13-night cruise to Fiji and Samoa. Our first port of call was the beautiful Bay of Islands. Having just visited Paihia in December, we again took the ferry across to Russell and had a delightful lunch at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel overlooking the water.
The next two days, both sea days, were relaxing as we again found our way around the ship and particularly enjoyed the nightly acoustic music duo in the Eden lounge, and Australian entertainer Jason Singh who brilliantly performed hits of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury.
One highlight was an organised tour of the ship's art and architecture. Edge has over 4,000 pieces of art, sculpture and photography on board. We viewed just a few of these pieces from Deck 3 right up to Deck 15. On Deck 3 there is a wall of panels, some of which are set at an angle to allow passengers to see the actual shell of the ship with original markings from when it was constructed.
Part of a whole wall 3D wall mural representing corals
Wall art of small glass pouches containing butterfly wings. The pouches are forever moving which makes them look like butterflies
The 'Winged Victory' crafted from chicken wire
Part of a 'live' 2D mural 4 metres x 2 metres comprising 12 'TV screens'. The flowers lose their petals, a white butterfly flies all over and a beautiful bird sits on a branch, moves its tail feathers and calls, then takes to the wing.
A ship made completely from strands of pearls
'Arion' the giant brass horse sculpture on Deck 15
- we passed him on the walking track in the mornings
One of many 'people' sculptures around the ship. During COVID in 2020/21, when crew compulsorily stayed on board, many of them used to 'talk' to these sculptures!
One of the many photographs on board, this one by Australian artist Alexia Sinclair.
This amazing entrance to Eden, our favourite lounge, cafe and bar, represents roots underground and is accompanied by eerie whale like music. Multiple mirrors made the corridor seem much larger than it is. Apparently, some guests feel uncomfortable walking through it, but we love it! Eden (meant to represent the Garden of Eden) has real plants and a 'green' theme throughout.
Our next port of call was Suva, the capital of Fiji with a population over 200,000. We left our air-conditioned ship and immediately felt the 30C+ temperature outside. Fortunately, an air-conditioned bus picked us up for our shore excursion to the Nausori Famers' Markets where we saw wonderful local fruits and vegetables ... and thousands of eggs.
We passed, amongst other buildings, Government House, the President's residence, the United States Embassy, the Australian High Commission and the Mormon Tabernacle. In Fiji, our local guide Lydia explained, all religions are welcome and mixed marriages are quite common. We couldn't get over the number of churches of different denominations we saw along the way!
US Embassy
Mormon Tabernacle
Suva CBD
Departing Suva
The next morning we docked at Lautoka, Fiji's second city with a population of almost 50,000. Again, the 33C temperature and high humidity hit us hard but we took a shuttle into the city and enjoyed walking the main street which is mostly undercover - and we were favoured with a breeze. Palm trees adorned the centre of the street, and the shops were clean and well presented, and air-conditioned.
There was a large modern department store called Tappoo where Penny added to her animal collection, 'adopting' a small turtle made from local native polished hardwood called Vesi.
Lautoka's main street
The Lautoka Mosque
Inside the modern Tappoo shopping complex
Lautoka Port
Sailing away from Lautoka
Another restful day at sea and we then docked in Apia, the capital of Samoa and home to some 38,000 people. Although it was only a couple of kms into town, we took a shuttle rather than walk in the 30C+ heat. As it was, we walked nearly 4kms through town, a lot of which was undercover, and thankfully we were favoured with a great breeze. The town has many large government buildings and churches. One church stood out though, the amazing Immaculate Conception Cathedral which is stunning inside and out.
Circular artistry on the ceiling of the cathedral that leads up to an opening in the roof
'No. 1' government building. We went inside where there were cafes, and we viewed an exhibition of a recent cyclone in the islands
That evening we were privileged to enjoy the music of a wonderful pianist who played both classical and pop, along with the ship's orchestra. His name is Joel Bowerman and he is Tasmanian!
Our next port was the very picturesque Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa with a population of around 15,000. Again, we were welcomed by local dancers on the wharf!
Jim ventured out that day in the intense heat and walked about 4kms getting a real feel for this delightful 'city', passing interesting buildings, a market and even some wildlife on the street...
Port of Pago Pago
Homes tucked away in the bush, halfway up a mountain
American Samoa Legislature
Catholic Cathedral
Local markets
Office of the Governor
We departed Pago Pago thinking we would probably never return. However, a medical emergency aboard necessitated us turning around at 2am and sailing back. The affected passenger's condition was worsening, and it was necessary to take them off the ship at Pago Pago so they could receive further medical attention. This of course happens from time to time and we all understood.
The result for the ship was that our three sea-day cruise to Tauranga was now 16 hours behind with our new arrival time 2.30pm instead of early in the morning. Naturally, morning shore excursions were cancelled with some rescheduled for the afternoon. We were only planning to walk around Tauranga, so we were unaffected. Thankfully, the following morning the captain announced that the affected passenger was now stable.
On our last day at sea, we attended a fascinating talk by some of the ship's officers on modern ship navigation and the advanced systems that keep the ship operating. We also heard from the environmental officer about innovations in recycling and the care and attention given to the environment including what comes out of the ship and where it goes! Very impressive.
Tomorrow afternoon we sail into Tauranga and then on to Auckland and home. Jim spent some time near Lautoka circa 2014 building homes for Rotary, and Penny visited Suva some 43 years ago, so it was basically all new to us and we enjoyed seeing it all!
No comments:
Post a Comment