January 19, 2019 - Auckland, New Zealand

A great day in Auckland shopping and then lunch.

January 23, 2019 - Melbourne, Australia

We have spent the last three days at sea from Auckland and arrived this morning in Melbourne.

Sadly our trip here was marred by a tragic suicide of a young man who deliberately went overboard. Very sad for all onboard. 

We tried to make the best of it and went shopping in Melbourne negare getting lunch and returning to the ship 

January 18, 2019 - Tauranga, New Zealand - Excursion to Hobbiton

Today we have arrived at the port of Tauranga, New Zealand.

After a relaxed breakfast we got ready to go out on our excursion to Hobbiton, the outdoor movie set from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

What a story this place has....it’s on a farm, Peter Jackson found this farm and asked the owners if he could use their property to make his films.

The hobbit houses and built up sets still remain and it’s now a massive tourist attraction with busloads arriving every day!

The farm is still there of course and still works as a farm around the sets. 

Here are some photos from our visit.

At the end of our tour we were served refreshments.

A good day out 

January 16, 2019 - Wellington, New Zealand

Today we are in Wellington New Zealand. We took the free shuttle bus from the port into the shopping district and browsed the shops for a few hours. Nice walk through the mall.

We then stopped for lunch at an Italian place ‘Scopa’.

January 15, 2019 - Akaroa, New Zealand

Today we are anchored off Akaroa in New Zealand. A cold 13 degrees here today so the morning walk was chilly but enjoyable nonetheless with the lovely view. We share the bay with another cruise ship today which makes the backdrop even nicer.

We took in a movie in the theatre today and had a relaxing day.

January 14, 2019 - Dunedin, New Zealand

Today we are in Dunedin, New Zealand. We arrived st Port Chalmers early, had a quick breakfast and then went out on a half day tour of the city and a visit to Larnach Castle.

 

January 10, 2019 - Melbourne, Australia

Today we are in Melbourne and as the ship prepares to disembark 2000 passengers and take on 2000 more, we headed off to the Melbourne Zoo to meet family for a day out.

 

We then headed back to the ship after a quick lunch at the zoo.