Places we have been and want to go again.
- Machu Picchu
- Galapagos Islands
- Komodo, Indonesia
- Shanghai
- Denmark
- Australia
Month: January 2021
New Zealand – Visits to Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Wellington, and Nelson
A cruise provides the opportunity to see many different ports and sites without packing and re-packing. Evening provides a familiar location for dinner and cozy room accommodation. (This was intended to be a 23-day cruise from Auckland to Bali but mid-cruise the ship was re-routed and then stopped early due to Covid 19. We were disappointed but it was a wonderful, informative and exciting experience.)
We boarded the Regent Seven Seas Cruise in Auckland on January 21, 2020 and sailed overnight to Tauranga. Tauranga is on the western Bay of Plenty on the east coast of New Zealand. The name “Tauranga” is Maori and translates as “a sheltered anchorage”. The climate is warm and dry. The town is surrounded by horticultural lands growing tangelos and kiwifruit. The pier was a quick shuttle (boat) ride where we chose to take a walk around a small mountain on a well-maintained path.
The walk provided views of the local wildlife including sheep and birds. The statue of a fisherman in the bay is a reminder of the fishing as a staple of the past. The beaches were beautiful and clean. We stopped for a cool drink at an open café.
Gisborne
Gisborne is the first city in the world to greet the sun each morning. The region is sheltered by high country to the west leading to mild temperatures for growing wines. There are boutique wineries to be toured with Chardonnay as a preferred grape to be grown. Adventurous travelers can do cycling tours of wineries others take a stream train or van. We went on a morning tour of wine country and had our first tasting at 9:30 a.m. where we also had bread, appies and three glasses of wine.
Napier
There Was a large earthquake in 1931 that leveled most of Napier. We drove through town and saw lots of Art Décor buildings. (For a future trip, a full day minimum in this interesting town.) Next we drove to Hastings, over the Tiki Tiki River.
We went to Gimblett Gravels wine area where there are 78 wineries along with breweries and cideries. We stopped at Mission Estate, the oldest winery in New Zealand. One glass was provided for tasting three wines and no bread or appies. Not as impressive as in Gisborne.
Wellington
Brief visit to Wellington where we drove up Mt.Victoria for incredible views of the city (360 degrees) including the bay and the forest below with mountains in the distance.
Then on to Otari, and a walk with a guide in a botanical garden. We did a short tour of the gardens (too short) and saw incredible ferns and plants. (This site would be worth a day trip as it was a lovely, large garden.)
Nelson
We walked from the ship down the main street of this small, clean town. We admired the charming gift shops and note the people have a sense of humor.
After our walk, back to the ship and time to sail to our next port. On the ship we took a galley tour on Regent, relaxed, ate great foods and wines while we sailed. Next port, Sydney, Australia.