Days 6, 7 and 8 - October 23, 24 and 25, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 6, October 23, 2018 – Transition

It’s been a transition day as we enjoyed yet another breakfast at Savor and Devour, then finished packing and Ubering to the Princess Warf to drop off our luggage.  We tooled around the harbor for an hour or so before going through the somewhat slow process of passing through security, then by a New Zealand checkpoint to leave the country and finally checking in to get our cruise cards to board the Majestic Princess.

And the Majestic Princess is indeed majestic!  It is only a year old and is nicely decorated with many places to eat or have a drink. It is a long walk from one end to the other, over 1,000 ft, and many steps to climb between floors! The ship houses up to 3,500 passengers with a crew of 1,300; so at least for today with everyone coming in at once, it did seem rather busy and crowded. As the ship quietly slipped away from the wharf, we enjoyed seeing the boats and sailboats all lined up seemingly giving us a grand send-off.

Of course, the food for dinner was excellent and our waiters are terrific.  With so many laughs together already, it’s obvious this is going to be a grand time!  What a Blessing to be able to enjoy all this … plus the extra bonus of enjoying it with wonderful friends!

Day 7, October 24, 2018 – Maori Culture and Traditions

Our first stop on this cruise is at Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island at the natural harbor of the Bay of Plenty. Tauranga is known for its kiwifruit (the fruit … not to be confused with the term for the people of New Zealand who are called Kiwi, named after the nocturnal kiwi bird). The local beach here is considered the best beach in New Zealand and fourth best in the South Pacific by Trip Advisor. What struck me was the many “modern” homes and condominiums, buildings of sleek architecture often with flat roofs and plain glass sides along the outdoor decks. We’re told the housing market is very expensive at this time because of foreigners purchasing them. Because this makes it difficult for the locals to afford $1 or $2 million dollar houses, a law has just been passed that one must have a resident visa to purchase property.

We are taking a tour to a Living Maori Village, but our driver, who has just become a NZ citizen, provides some interesting information about the country.  She explained that generally the Kiwis are serious about staying fit, going to bed as early as 8:30 p.m. and rising at 5 or 6 a.m. to walk, jog or run before enjoying their favorite coffee!  The North Island never sees snow; the country is very neat and clean; there is little crime and most people in this area grow their own fresh vegetables.  If there is a surplus of vegetables, they will be put out in front of the house for sale in the morning along with a bucket for payment.  In the evening, the vegetables are gone and money is in the bucket --- all based on the honesty system.  Dairy is the biggest industry in New Zealand, followed by logging, tourism, meats of beef or lamb, wine and kiwifruit.  Over 90 percent of the milk is exported, mostly to Asian countries, in the form of powder for baby formulas.  Immigration to NZ is difficult and based on a point system, points given for age, skills useful to the country, etc.  Over the age of 45 receives zero points (that leaves us out!)!  Plus one must be in excellent physical health. First a two-year work visa is issued; and if one contributes to the country during that time, it requires a minimum of another three years to get a driver’s license and become an official Kiwi citizen. 

This area is a large producer of kiwifruit, which is not native to here but was originally from China. Surprising to me, the kiwifruit grows on vines with very high, narrow evergreen hedges intertwined in the fields to prevent the wind from knocking over heavily laden kiwi plants. Mostly it looks like the vineyards we see in the States and elsewhere. All kiwifruit is hand-picked, with workers imported from the Polynesian Islands by the growers, who must post a $15,000 bond for each worker and is responsible to see that the worker returns home after the season is over.

So the Maori are the first inhabitants of New Zealand, coming here about 1,300 years ago. There were many local tribes that didn’t get along, so the ritual evolved of strong, vigorous dancing for the warriors to psych themselves up for battle. These dances consisted of deliberate moves, loud noises, sticking out the tongue and bugging out the eyes, loudly slapping their bodies, all in the hopes of intimidating the opponents so they wouldn’t fight at all. Tattooing is also part of their heritage, but only the king could tattoo his entire face and the queen would tattoo her lips and chin. Others had tattoos, generally indicating their mother and father’s family lineage.

 We saw firsthand a performance of some of the warrior dances as well as the love story between the king and queen of the tribe living in this village. Fascinating! This particular sub tribe, consisting of 25 families all with lineage to the same chief of 300 years ago, is the only tribe that lives in a geothermal area. It’s like a mini Yellowstone with steam coming up out of the ground all over, with a miniature version of the Mammoth Hot Springs that has two Old Faithful type geysers on top that erupt about every two-to-three hours.  The 80+ people who live here do not heat their homes, as they come to the local bath area to enjoy the warm therapeutic qualities of the local communal, nude, hot springs bath. The tribe also does all of its cooking over a hot springs. They just place the meat and vegetables in a pan or bag and lower it into a homemade box built over a hot spring, and the steam cooks the food in two to three hours.  We tasted delicious corn cooked three minutes in the hot sulfur springs … sweet and delicious!

Our cooked corn from the hot springs

Cooking over steam

Homes are never for sale in this village, as they are simply passed down from one generation to the  next. The Maori are a very spiritual people, and it was interesting to see how they weave their cultural believes of life, earth and death into the Catholic and Anglican churches. What a fascinating way to live using the earth’s resources of mud-pools, steam vents and bubbling pools.

After a wonderful lunch at a local hotel, we enjoy a short stroll through a portion of the Redwood Forest – the same California redwoods which were planted here in memory of the fallen in WWI and WWII.  So while these tree trunks are younger and not as enormous as what can be found in California, they certainly are big, tall and straight. It was interesting to see that the silver fern grows beneath these giants creating a lower canopy below the extremely high redwood canopy on top.  Another stop was at the large lake called Lake Rotorua where we enjoyed seeing many black swans and the beautiful scenery. Finally, we stopped at a kiwifruit farm where we could see exactly how the kiwifruit vines are staked to keep them from falling when heavily laden with fruit. We also got to taste the green and sweeter golden kiwifruit and juice, as we also learned about a new, even sweeter, beet red kiwifruit that will be coming out in the markets within the next year!   We learned so much today … it was a fantastic tour!

Black Swans

Trudy, Richard and Mary Jo decided to walk toward Mount Maunganui for a bit before coming back  Then after happy hour and yet another scrumptious dinner, the other two couples went to the show, which they said was excellent. I was beat, so we just came back to our room to chill out.  Overall it was a busy but wonderful day exploring New Zealand.  After being here several days, I’m getting more used to driving and walking on the left … and it’s even getting easier to understand what they are saying, as their accents often pronounce words differently.  We continue to be Blessed to be able to learn and experience this beautiful country.
on board ship.

Day 8, October 25, 2018 - At Sea

The Fifth Floor Atrium of Magistic Princess

Awwwww.  This is the life … waking up whenever you want and looking out the window to see the beautiful deep blue sea and the rugged white cliffs of the North Island shore a ways off!  We enjoyed coffee and croissants brought to our room this a.m., prayers out on our balcony, then tooling around the ship scoping out the shopping and many bars and restaurants. I enjoyed mimosas at the jewelry store and found a gorgeous ring (unfortunately way over my budget!). Then Bob and Richard attended a reception for military/veteran guests, men and women vets from many countries and many services, sharing stories and experiences of military life. I attended a seminar on How to Increase your Metabolism.  It was very informational, though I haven’t yet decided if I want to spend the money to participate.  Bob and I had lunch at the World Fresh Marketplace buffet.  Yummy.

This afternoon we participated in a fun wine tasting with Glenn and Trudy.  A couple of the wines were really delicious.  Glenn has been frustrated all day trying to get the computer to work so he can apply for his Australian Visa (something he thought had been completed prior to our leaving the States).  This frustrating task was finally completed late this afternoon.  

Trudy and Glenn

Mary Jo and Richard

 The Captain’s welcoming reception was held this evening.  A pyramid of champagne glasses was built in the main atrium and people had a chance for a photo opt of pouring champagne into that waterfall.  The main staff was introduced and we all enjoyed a complimentary glass of the bubbly before going to experience another fabulous dinner.  Our waiters are so caring and witty; and many of the Staff came over to present Richard with a birthday cake and sing to him as well. We’re stuffed!  It was another delightful day at sea … we certainly do love cruising!

Happy Birthday, Richard