Another Visit to Spectacular New Zealand

In Ray and Traci’s adventures around the globe, one country has stood out as their favorite international destination – New Zealand. The beautiful scenery coupled with exciting metropolitan life in the cities is hard to beat. They decided to repeat their 2017 visit (and take their own advice) by spending a few days in Auckland and then taking a cruise ship around New Zealand ending in Sydney, Australia. The link for our first trip to New Zealand:  http://rayandtraci.blogspot.com/2017/12/ray-and-traci-decided-to-make-their.html

Their adventure started on a Saturday night in February – Ray and Traci boarded an Air Canada plane for a short trip to Vancouver BC and then an overnight 13.5 hour journey from Vancouver to Auckland. After flying overnight both travelers arrived in Auckland and took an Uber to downtown Auckland. Ray and Traci stayed at the Hilton in the central business district – the location was ideal for accessing all of the cities’ attractions and public buses, and the Hilton is also located on the wharf where their cruise ship would dock. Their plane left Vancouver at 12:30 AM and Ray and Traci arrived at their hotel just minutes before Super Bowl 58 started (3:30pm Sunday in Seattle - 12:30 pm Auckland on Monday after crossing the international date line). Their room wasn’t quite ready but Ray managed to stream the Super Bowl on his iPad in the lobby before they moved into their room during halftime. Ray and Traci were pleased that the Super Bowl was on the Hilton’s TV and they watched Kansas City pull out the game in overtime. Afterwards, Ray and Traci went to Harbour Eats which is a large food hall very close to the Hilton. Ray went to a vendor called Needo and enjoyed a spaghetti bolognese, while Traci ordered a Buncha pork dish from Nam Nam Vietnamese Street food. The food was tasty and the food hall in general was spacious and clean with an upscale feel to it. With appetites satisfied, Ray and Traci decided to visit Mount Eden to watch the sunset over Auckland. February is the middle of summer for New Zealand with an 8:22 pm sunset. They took a bus from downtown to the Tahaki Reserve and then walked 20 minutes up to the summit. Auckland transit buses are easy to ride using an “AT HOP” card which you tap in and tap out of the buses with. Although AT HOP cards are available at the airport, Ray and Traci bought their $25 NZ cards at the Ferry Terminal near their hotel. The card gave them $20 NZ in credits for bus fares which was ample as most of their bus trips were around $2 NZ. Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, is Auckland’s highest natural landmark and a great place to view the city. 

The travelers finished off their evening with a stop at Movenpick Ice Cream which was located very close to the Hilton on the wharf that serves as the cruise port.  

 Monday brought more good weather and Ray started the day with a walk along the waterfront. Experiencing some recurrent Achilles tendon issues, he had to forgo running in Auckland but watched many other runners traverse the paths lining the waterfront. At the end of the path, a large marina with some amazing private yachts was found. After returning to the Hilton, Ray and Traci enjoyed the hotel’s breakfast buffet – the food wasn’t outstanding but the variety of dishes was quite comprehensive. To begin the day, Ray and Traci took an Auckland Transit City bus to the Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium, about 15 minutes outside of downtown. The travelers have been to many aquariums during their travels and found Auckland’s to be  quite impressive. Highlights included the Antarctic Ice Adventure with its many large King and Gentoo penguins waddling around (some were the size of human toddlers!).

Another was the large acrylic tank which contains rescue turtles being rehabilitated by the facility. Giant sea turtles are not frequently found in New Zealand (they prefer warmer climates like Hawaii), but ones found in New Zealand often need surgery or special care and are rehabilitated to health in the large tank. The aquarium’s shark experience was unique in that visitors stand on a moving walkway that enters a circular tunnel inside the tank. During their midday visit, the vast majority of patrons were adults without kids. Like many businesses in Auckland, cash is not accepted so bring your Visa card (Amex is not accepted at many places). From the aquarium, Ray and Traci walked to Bastion Point, with the Michael Savage Memorial Park – New Zealand’s 23^rd prime minister, the first of the Labour Party and pretty much the Franklin D. Roosevelt of New Zealand. Back on the bus, Ray and Traci went to the Auckland Museum which is actually a huge building containing several different museums and galleries. 

There are large exhibits dedicated to nature with creatures big and small. Another area follows the indigenous Maori people who were the first settlers of New Zealand from East Polynesia. Other galleries focused on contemporary history, and the entire 2^nd floor is dedicated to being a war museum honoring those that served in many conflicts often at the behest of other nations (as part of the British Commonwealth). The whole museum complex is quite overwhelming especially for foreign visitors. Ray and Traci then took a short walk to Domain Wintergardens which is a botanical garden complex. Inside greenhouses were very colorful flowers from a myriad of rare and not so rare plant species. A reflecting pool and fern garden are found outside. The silver fern is the symbol of New Zealand – the Maori believe the silver fern stands for strength, stubborn resistance and enduring power. Silver ferns are found on the rugby uniforms of the famed New Zealand All Blacks, considered one of the sports world’s most successful teams. Ray and Traci completed their second day in New Zealand by having dinner at the Donburi House. While the epitome of a hole in the wall restaurant on Queen Street, the reviews were quite compelling and Ray and Traci enjoyed an excellent and fulfilling dinner. Traci had their chicken udon noodles, while Ray had fried teriyaki tofu and a side of karaage chicken.

Ray woke up early on Tuesday, and still not able to run, decided to take an early morning walk around downtown. Auckland is a very cosmopolitan city with a vibrant downtown – many US based companies have their names prominently displayed on tall glass and steel towers – Price Waterhouse, Aon Insurance, Ernst and Young, to name a few. The public transit system is very efficient at moving people around with very frequent bus service. The perceived safety of the streets was what stood out the most – even in early 6 AM hours, people were milling around and appeared comfortable traversing the city alone. Traci started her morning with a waterfront run, then both reunited for another Hilton buffet breakfast. Ray and Traci decided to start the day by taking a short 12 minute ferry ride from the downtown terminal to Devonport, a quaint bayside village immediately north of Auckland. About 5,000 people live in Devonport, and Mount Victoria rises from downtown which serves as a beautiful viewing area of the water and land surrounding Auckland. The walk up from the ferry terminal to the Mount Victoria summit is about ¾ of a mile, and is somewhat steep although added stairs make the journey easier. 

Afterwards, Ray and Traci took the $6 NZ ferry back to downtown and took a short bus ride (2 stops) to visit the Auckland Art Gallery. The museum is a quite large modern building in the middle of downtown. It is free to enter. The first two levels are a combination of New Zealand artists from the Maori native artwork as well as European influenced ones. Some modern day art exhibits are also hosted. The third floor has a collection of art work from the masters – Picasso, Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse and many others. The fourth floor has very modern work, the type you find in the MOMA (Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York city). There aren’t many museums where you will see a masterpiece by Monet on one floor, and a hole with a talking mouse on the next! Ray and Traci were quite impressed with the whole collection! It isn’t New York’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art, but was a very worthwhile free attraction. Before returning home, the travelers visited Albert Park, just outside the art gallery. It has a nice statue of Queen Victoria, a fountain and colorful flowers. Ray and Traci left the park and walked 25 minutes back to the Hilton. Tired from their long day, the tourists decided to go back to the Harbour Eats food hall where Ray enjoyed some more spaghetti at Needo, but Traci was somewhat disappointed in her dinner at a vendor called Eden which consisted of bland noodles and fatty pork. Fortunately, more Movenpick ice cream salvaged her meal.

Wednesday was departure day, Ray and Traci had a somewhat smaller breakfast in anticipation of the ship dining. They left the Hilton and brought their luggage to check in which fortunately wasn’t far – about 100 feet as the hotel shares the pier with the Cruise Terminal. The travelers decided to visit one more Auckland attraction – the Maritime Museum which was located on a neighboring pier. The museum was a nice combination of New Zealand maritime history, with features about navigation (still  a challenge today with modern technology, can you imagine how hard it was for ancient sailors?), lighthouses, and a whole building dedicated to the sailing race America’s Cup, won in 1995 by the Kiwis. Ray and Traci left the museum with quite a bit of knowledge on many interesting seafaring topics. From the Maritime Museum, they returned to the cruise terminal and boarded their home for the next 10 days – the Celebrity Edge.

The Edge was built in 2018 with a capacity for almost 3000 passengers and 1250 crew. Ray and Traci had never been on a Celebrity cruise ship, so it was a somewhat new experience. The accommodations turned out to be quite good, and they appreciated the selection of ports as well as the fact this was a one way journey, negating the need to cross the often rough Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand twice.

The itinerary called for stopping at Auckland ports for the first 6 days of the journey, Ray and Traci awoke Friday morning in Tauranga having booked an excursion booked thru Viator (online experience company owned by tripadvisor.com). Tauranga is a beach community not far from Auckland. Ray and Traci previously visited Tauranga in 2017 and took an excursion which included a visit to New Zealand’s geothermal (i.e. Yellowstone) park, a native animal kingdom, and a lunchtime cruise – a wonderful tour!. This time, Ray and Traci boarded a van which took a long 2.5 hours to go to Waitomo, location of caves and their famous glow worms. Visitors walk into a natural cave complex and then get into a boat to float on an underground lake. On the cave roof are glowing green dots which represent “Glow Worms” trying to attract mates.

Hanging from the worms are strands of filament which are coated with toxin that can paralyze insects as large as cockroaches.. The attraction was quite interesting, but the 2.5 hour drive was a big drawback. The tour also stopped at a nearby town for lunch and a visit to a Kiwi bird shelter. Unfortunately the Kiwis were sound asleep (they are nocturnal creatures) so Ray and Traci didn’t get to see the famed New Zealand bird. After an even longer journey back due to rush hour traffic, Ray and Traci boarded the ship for dinner.

On Saturday, the Edge docked in Napier, an art deco coastal town. On the weekend Ray and Traci visited, Napier was having a festival celebrating its art deco history with old cars, music, biplanes, and residents dressed up in roaring 20s garb. During their last visit to Napier in 2017, Ray and Traci went to Cape Kidnappers to see the gannet colonies and unbelievable scenery. On this visit, the ship was only docked for 5 hours, and Ray and Traci took a rather mundane tour bus around Napier and surrounding towns which showed tourists the nearby towns with two stops at a honey factory and a fruit stand. Wandering around Napier during the art deco celebration or taking another trip to Cape Kidnappers would probably have been a better use of the short stop.

The Edge sailed to the South Island of New Zealand overnight, and arrived at Picton on Sunday morning. The sail in was very pretty with nature on display in front of sunlit seas. Ray and Traci walked to the start of the Tirohanga Track which is a 1.3 mile hike (each way) to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the town and seacoast. Ray and Traci found the Tirohanga hike to be fairly challenging due to the steepness. However, the dirt trail was very well marked and maintained. If it was raining it would probably be a muddy mess. At the hilltop, the views are simply spectacular.

After descending the path, a short 5 minute walk brought the travelers to Picton Memorial park where a Sunday flea market attracted guests from two cruise ships (the Celebrity Edge and the Oceania Regatta). A stroll thru downtown followed and then Ray and Traci returned to the Edge for an afternoon of lunch and relaxation on the ship.

 

Unfortunately, expected high winds at their next port (Lyttleton/Christchurch) required cancellation of Monday’s port of call. Because the huge surface areas created by the size of the large cruise ships, wind gusts hitting the sides of the ships can make it impossible to navigate into ports. Since Ray and Traci didn’t get to stop at Christchurch during their 2017 expedition, they were especially disappointed at missing the town again. Later in the afternoon it was noticeably colder as the ship sailed south and everyone headed inside.

The next morning, brilliant sunshine accompanied 50 degree weather. The ship docked in Dunedin at the southern tip of New Zealand. Ray and Traci signed up for a ship organized tour of Dunedin led by a very funny driver named Malcom. During his very entertaining tour of Dunedin, tourists got to see the iconic train station followed by a tour of Olveston House – a fully originally furnished 35 room mansion built in 1904 by a business tycoon David Theomin. Afterwards, the group toured the Otago museum which included both natural history and native Maori culture. Outside, the large 30,000 student University of Otago was having an orientation festival which created a street fair like atmosphere. A quick stop at the botanical gardens completed the tour, then Ray and Traci had some time to wander around downtown Dunedin before taking a shuttle bus back to the ship.

Wednesday morning started out misty and windy – the ship’s final day in New Zealand included sailings into Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, and Milford Sound. Although all three are called “Sounds” they are in fact fjords created by glaciers, not rivers emptying into the sea. Fortunately the seas became calm and the drizzle stopped when the ship entered Dusky Sound, named by Captain Cook because of typical dreary weather.

Unfortunately, not a lot of wildlife activity was noted by passengers, but the views were quite compelling. Next up, Doubtful Sound was entered – called that because Captain Cook believed it was not navigable, something later found to be incorrect by later sailors. The weather became brilliant sunshine, and all aboard the Edge saw nature’s beauty with majestic mountains surrounding the water passages below. Doubtful Sound gets 220 inches of rain a year, so Ray and Traci felt very fortunate to have such perfect weather. 

Late in the afternoon, the exploration in New Zealand came to an end with the ship sailing into Milford Sound. Like the old saying, “save the best for last,” Milford Sound was simply the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Ray thought the mountains, waterfalls, vegetation, and water blended into a perfect natural panorama, the best he has ever seen from the deck of a ship. During Ray and Traci’s 2017 visit to the area, poor weather hid much of the beautiful scenery – this 2024 sailing could not have had more perfect weather for viewing. Sadly, the Celebrity Edge sailed out of Milford Sound and left New Zealand after treating its passengers with a breathtaking vision of heaven. 

Thursday and Friday were transit days crossing the Tasman Sea. Often ships encounter rough seas between New Zealand and Australia but Ray and Traci thought the journey was peaceful. Ray was finally able to run both days without any joint problems. Having back to back days at sea can be a bit boring, but Celebrity did a good job entertaining passengers with everything from a physicist lecturing on quantum mechanics to having an extremely talented singer do a Whitney Houston concert.

Ray and Traci awoke Saturday to confusion – looking at the navigation information on their TV screen, it appeared that the Edge was headed away from their final port – Sydney. Originally, the Edge was supposed to go to the town of Eden in Australia, but circumstances changed well in advance of the cruise and the itinerary called for an overnight stay in Sydney before passengers disembarked. The Captain surprised everyone Saturday morning and told passengers the ship could not enter Sydney Harbor due to high winds. While may passengers feared their plans would be cancelled, the port opened up 2 hours later and shore excursions could proceed albeit late. Ray and Traci signed up to go to Australia’s famed Blue Mountains about 2 hours from the Sydney waterfront. First the delay, and then it appeared a dense fog and drizzle were going to adversely affect their visit. Indeed, cloud cover blocked mountain views. The bus made a lunch stop at the town of Katoomba, where Ray and Traci enjoyed a chicken meal. Next, the group went to Scenic World which is a very popular tourist destination. Visitors can take either a funicular rail train or a ski lift style gondola to travel down the 1600 feet to Jamison Valley. Both the train and the gondola are the steepest lifts of their kind in the Southern hemisphere. The Jamison Valley is a rain forest with elevated wooden pathways. Ray and Traci explored the rain forest made all the more authentic by the grey skies. A third transport system takes visitors across the top of the mountains to a beautiful waterfall. While territorial views were very limited due to the prevailing weather, Ray and Traci enjoyed their Blue Mountain experience.

On the way back to the city, the bus passed Sydney’s Accor stadium which was hosting one of the final Taylor Swift concerts in Australia. Ray and Traci returned to the ship for a quick meal in the buffet and then an evening of packing up their cabin.

Sunday was a beautiful day in Sydney. The weather changed from nearly 100 degrees and sunny on Friday to 60s and drizzly on Saturday back to 85 degrees and Sunny on Sunday. Ray and Traci left their home on the Celebrity Edge, and took a short taxi ride to the Sydney Hilton. They had very ambitious plans for their first Sydney day and walked to the Botanical Gardens of Sydney. Having previously visited the gardens in 2017 (but in 110 degree weather!), this visit was much more pleasant and the travelers enjoyed both the flora and fauna as well as the great views of Sydney Harbor.

Afterwards, Ray and Traci headed to the nearby Art Gallery of New South Wales which offers free admission for visitors to see a collection of modern art, work done by Australian artists, and as well as some classics. On their way back to the Hilton, Ray and Traci stopped at the Australian Museum to see the many exhibits focusing on the country’s rich history. In the late afternoon, the visitors walked to the Sydney Bridge to climb to the observation platform high above the roadway. One of the most popular attraction in Sydney is a bridge climb along the top of the support beams. Unfortunately, the attraction was sold out during their 2 remaining days in Australia. The so-called pylon climb was available – patrons walk along the pedestrian path from the Sydney waterfront on to the bridge, then climb steps located inside one of the support towers to get amazing views of the harbor.

The pylon climb was also much cheaper ($25 AUD instead of $300 AUD) and does not require reservation – just remember to access the pylon by walking on the bridge, not using Google Maps to find your way to the Pylon on the street below the bridge (there is no access from the street). The spectacular harbor photos with the Sydney Opera House in the background are similar from the top of the bridge climb as the pylon, so the thrill of the bridge climb is the experience – those that want pictures can just walk up the pylon (and also learn the history of this iconic bridge). Exhausted from the long day in Sydney, the travelers returned to the Hilton for a restful night.

Monday brought more sunny weather to Sydney. Ray and Traci walked from the Hilton to the ferry terminal “Circular Quay” and boarded a ferry to the Taronga Zoo. They were the last passengers to board the packed ferry for the 12 minute ride to the zoo. On board, Ray and Traci noted that the vast majority of ferry riders were adults without children. This proved to be true at the zoo as well. One great feature of Sydney’s public transportation is the ability to use debit/credit cards (Visa, Mastercard or Amex) to tap on and off busses, ferries and light rail – you don’t have to buy a transit card. Once at the zoo, a short walk takes visitors to the entrance which accepts online advance tickets or ones purchased on site (the zoo is a cashless facility.) Ray and Traci were quite impressed with the zoo – it is well organized, features many animals found in Australia as well as many that aren’t. Shows featuring specific animals take place during the day, and for an extra fee, close up encounters with animals like Koalas are available. Ray and Traci enjoyed the sea lion/seal show for showing the intelligence of the animals (and their fondness for eating fish). Another Australian animal, the dingo, which was referenced on Seinfeld: https://youtu.be/sYTIGXvc88Y?si=vm5krJIJckeMNIFC – Ray, not being a regular viewer, didn’t know what a Dingo was and found the presentation on these dog like creatures quite interesting.

Capybaras – the world’s largest rodents – were another unique animal which found a home in this large zoo.

It did seem that a fair number of zoo patrons went to the Taylor Swift concerts based on the number of tour shirts being worn. Ray and Traci took the ferry back and after a brief lunch stop, went back to the Australian Museum to tour the special exhibit of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II. Ray and Traci encountered very light crowds on Monday evening which was not the case on their Sunday visit to the museum. The exhibit includes the Pharaoh’s coffin as well as many artifacts from his time owned by relatives and other royalty. Ray is a fan of ancient civilizations and their accomplishments – just before traveling to New Zealand he was informed his 3^rd attempt at cruising to Egypt originally scheduled for 2025 had been cancelled. So perhaps seeing touring shows of ancient Egyptian artifacts will be as close to the Pyramids as Ray will ever get.

After a final night in the land down under, Ray and Traci left the Sydney Hilton and took an uber to the airport for the long trip back to Seattle after an amazing experience abroad.