.jpg)
We had a grey day in Auckland today, but no rain. It turns out that this summer has been the wettest and greyest that New Zealand has had in a very long time. Too bad, but it’s comfortable without the humidity that we had in French Polynesia.
It’s a national holiday in Auckland, sort of like their Independence Day. It’s the day they signed a treaty with the Maori, their indigenous people. So there isn’t a lot going on downtown. Dale was off early to the Internet café and I tried to sleep in a little. Today we don’t have much planned…except to watch the Super Bowl.
At lunch we ended up sitting next to a nice couple that are also getting on the Regent ship tomorrow and who also just got off the Regatta! Small world. We found out that there are around 600 people getting on the ship tomorrow, it only holds 700 passengers, so it will be pretty full.
We also learned more about the cyclone that the Voyager went through last week just south of New Zealand. They lost a bunch of their deck chairs from the back of the ship. Hopefully they got some new ones here in Auckland!
While Dale was out and about this morning he discovered a hair salon and decided to get his hair cut. He thought the guy did a great job, so he talked me into getting mine cut as well. So I did and the hairdresser was a real life Edward Scissorhands! He was amazing. He cut a LOT of my hair off, which he said I needed badly. It feels better now. It is a little risky to get a hair cut at a new place (and in a different country), but I think Dale called this one correctly.
We met Gary and Dawn at a cool pub a few blocks from our hotel to watch the Super Bowl. We were a bit late but were happy to see that they were able to save us 2 seats right in front of a large screen TV! We had a couple Guinness drafts and really enjoyed the game…Gary and I were sad that the Patriots lost, but it was a very exciting game.
Tonight we went to a Gala Dinner that Regent hosted for those of us that are on the “Grand Voyage”, which is what they are calling those of us that are on from Auckland to Athens or beyond. We had a great time at dinner. They picked up approximately 60 of us and we rode in buses about 10 minutes to a restaurant named “Sails”, located on the edge of the harbor.
The Maori welcome was performed (very similar to what we saw at the Thermal Village) in the parking lot! The show was good albeit a bit strange as all the while we were standing in a parking lot next to a freeway. After we were escorted into the building for dinner. We had a great view of the harbor and some nice wine and food. It was a pleasant event and it gave us a chance to spend time socializing with the folks with whom we will be spending the next 69 days!
It is clear that we are on the “younger” side of the demographic, but that is typical for longer cruises. The crowd seemed happy and we enjoyed speaking with the three other couples at our table including Alex & Sue from Clearwater, FL, Wendy & Bob from the UK and Terry & Vivian from Brisbane, NSW, Australia.
Photography Comments:
I’m growing weary of trying to get the South American books completed and uploaded so we can get someone to bring them on the next leg. But, I’m pretty persistent so I keep trying. But, not trying so hard as to miss the Super Bowl, especially when it’s on at noon on a Monday, which is a national holiday here in Auckland. But not because of the game of course. Go figure. Not much going on in the photography department today…just making sure we got some shots of the super bowl party mostly. Looking forward to our departure on the Voyager tomorrow and hoping for a nice sunset as we move out of town.
Trip Summary » Travel with Dale & Margaret - […] Auckland, New Zealand […]