2010 closed out with a low key Christmas - just the two of us at home in Christchurch. We decided to plan a lighter menu since it was so warm outside instead of the traditional Christmas fare. This included some shrimp scampi with linguine, potato salad and of course kiwi and passionfruit pavlova! It was a great day.
Christmas Dinner :)
Unfortunately, the next day, Boxing Day, there was another sizable earthquake here in Christchurch which was centered a mere 2 blocks from our apartment. It was very similar to the first one on September 4th and shockingly took more things down off of our walls, etc. than the initial one. It was a shame since Christchurch is still trying to dig itself out financially (and emotionally) from the 7.1 quake and having to have stores close down on Boxing Day when people are all out to shop was not a good thing at all. It did prompt us to put rubber bands around our cabinets and take the tv off the stand before we left the next day for our 2 week adventure in Auckland and the South Pacific cruise on the Pacific Pearl.
The next day we took a short hour flight to Auckland where we decided to spend a few days prior to our cruise which left out of Auckland Harbour. We took a convenient shuttle from the airport to downtown and walked to our hotel which was centrally located. We got a spacious room at the Grand Chancellor Hotel with a full kitchen, balcony, living room and a bird's eye view of the harbour! It was spectacular - not that we spent much time in the room.
The first day the weather was not great but we got there early enough to have brunch at a local cafe on a cobblestone side street. People on the South Island tended to talk down Auckland but it is a city in its own rite - much more so than Christchurch in our opinions. Next we decided to take in our surroundings and just walk down Queen Street which has many shops and restaurants and down to the Viaduct with some more upscale restaurants and bars right on the water. We ducked out of the rain for a wee bit and enjoyed some drinks at a bar/restaurant called Snapdragon which had an Asian influence and was definitely more Jocelyn's style than any place she has found in Christchurch. After our drinks we took the opportunity to do more indoor activities and headed to Auckland's Sky Tower.
Auckland Sky Tower
Jocelyn looking out one of the floor windows
Both of us standing on the glass floor
It was definitely more fun than the one in Sydney we felt. We walked around the tallest level as well as the one below it and watched some people bungy jumping off off it. That was pretty neat. They also have a casino in there which we passed on checking out as well as bars and restaurants. We did enjoy a glass of wine on one of the highest levels and took in the excellent view of the city and its surroundings.
View of Auckland harbor from the Sky Tower
This isn't the North Pole
That evening we did a low key dinner since we had woken up early and did a lot of walking around the city. Jocelyn had heard online about an "authentic NY style pizzeria" which she was dying to check out. Even people in NY had given rave reviews so we figured it was worth a shot. We walked in and immediately got a good feeling about it. It was tiny, with just a few booths with the signature red cushions that any respectable NY/NJ pizzeria has. Just 2 things on the menu: garlic knots and pizza. Simple. Basic. We ordered a pitcher of beer and a large pizza to split. You could already smell this was going to be good. They brought out our pizza on a silver pedestal. It was thin, with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. After one bite, Jocelyn was in heaven and truth be told, was so nostalgic she almost started to cry!! For anyone's reference it is called Sal's. We HIGHLY recommend it!
Me like pizza and beer!!!
Day #2 in Auckland was the shopping day! Trey faithfully took Jocelyn around to shops in Newmarket and Ponsonby Road in Auckland. We started by having a champagne brunch at a cute restaurant on Ponsonby Road and then shopping we went. It was sadly another rainy day but we did not let it spoil the fun. Jocelyn found one of her favourite shops - Sass and Bide and a few other stores only found in major cities. Trey was a good sport and Jocelyn even picked up a few goodies. That evening we decided to go dress up and go out - first some cocktails at Bellini Bar in the Hilton hotel and then to a nice dinner on the Viaduct to a place that had been recommended called Soul. Bellini had some really interesting cocktails and we just had to try some. Trey tried a special mojito but Jocelyn went with an award-winning molecular creation which was garnished with an actual chili pepper - and it was definitely spicy!
Molecular "Si Way" Molecular Si Way is the unique cocktail that won Loic “Bartender of the year” at the 2010 New Zealand Culinary Fare. This drink mixes Tommy's Margarita with premium Patron Silver Tequila, Lime juice, Cointreau and Agave - syrup produced by the same plant tequila is made from. This blend is layered with a mango chilled coriander molecular foam.
The Drake The grandfather of the Mojito – named after the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake or ‘Francis the Dragon’ and prepared just the way he used to drink it. Jamaican rum, fresh mint, lime and just a hint of sugar, built together with crushed ice – not a cocktail for the faint hearted.
Next we went on to dinner and were fortunate enough to get a table for two outside on the patio with a great view of the Viaduct. Dinner was delicious and definitely had a refined "soul food" flavour. We actually enjoyed it so much we wound up going back when we spent the day in Auckland upon returning from the cruise!
The Sky Tower at night
Our final day in Auckland was fortunately a beautiful one which was great since we had planned a trip 35 minutes outside of Auckland via ferry to Waiheke Island. So many Kiwis had told us to go there that we could not possibly miss out. After breakfast we boarded the ferry and got a great seat - perfect for taking photos of the city of Auckland as we drifted out to sea.
View of Auckland from the ferry
Once we got off the boat, we had planned to take a taxi but when we saw none around we panicked a wee bit. Fortunately, in true Kiwi fashion a rainbow coloured bus pulled up and out jumped a young guy with dreadlocks and super laid back attitude. "Hey bro! Jump in! Hop on, hop off Island Hopper!" We both sort of looked at each other quizzically. "How much?" we asked. "Dude, it's free today only! It's the first day we are doing this and it is just a trial. We only printed a few maps but I will take you anywhere on the island you want to go. Spend time at a winery then I will swing back and pick you up, and so on and so forth bro." We figured we had nothing to lose and we have officially lived in New Zealand long enough that this didn't strike either of us as too odd. We hopped on the Island Hopper. :)
The Island Hopper
First stop was Mudbrick Winery. This had been recommended to us and the Island Hopper dude told us it was the nicest winery on the island. The property was truly amazing.
Looking up at Mudbrick Winery
The view from Mudbrick
We did a wine tasting and both decided our favourite was the rose' which was perfect on such a hot day. We each got a nice cold glass and ordered some nibbles to eat outside and take in the spectacular view of the water and the city of Auckland in the distance.
Wishing we could bring a bottle of Rose on the cruise
Next stop was Cable Bay Vineyard. Equally stunning we also did a wine tasting here. We decided we did not enjoy the wine as much but it was still lovely to taste. The lawn at Cable Bay was just screaming to be enjoyed and since we already had two wine tastings under our belts, we obliged by laying out on the green grass in the sunshine amongst the sculptures and trees.
View from cable Bay Winery
Enjoying the lawn at Cable Bay
The grape vines at Cable Bay
Since we only had a small snack at Mudbrick, we decided to have a few more nibbles here with a glass of wine. The two snacks together was plenty of food for the day. Of course since it was so hot, we also made sure to drink plenty of water between sips of wine as to not get dehydrated which is all too easy in this hemisphere. We were aiming to take the 4pm ferry so our time was just about up. We waited for the rainbow bus which faithfully appeared and we went back to the pier to take the boat back to Auckland. We both decided that Waiheke is probably one of our favourite places we have been to! That evening we had a casual bite to eat at another recommended restaurant steps from our hotel called Monsoon Poon. We were pretty knackered from the wine and the heat and needed to pack up our stuff to check out early the next morning.
The next morning we headed to the pier where our cruise ship was docked. The check in process was very easy and as soon as we boarded we decided to take a look around to see what the ship had to offer! It was nice that they had it decked out for Christmas but we still struggle to be able to get into the Christmas spirit when it is lovely and warm outside.
The main stairway of the ship
It was around lunchtime so we decided to go to the sit down restaurant to have a meal. We were seated with another couple around our age from Auckland which was nice. We both enjoyed our lunch and made our way upstairs to the top deck for the sail away party. The captain informed us that we would leave a little later than expected because they were still waiting on some supplies for the ship. We had some drinks and the time seemed to pass rather quickly. It was fun to watch the city slowly move out of view and even though we did not do much that day, it seemed quite eventful with exploring our new surroundings so we opted to do the buffet for dinner and head to bed on the early side.
Leaving Auckland
Sun setting over the Pacific Ocean
Unfortunately, though Jocelyn was armed with her sea legs medication and sea bands the seas proved a bit too rough for her and overnight she became quote seasick. She spent a majority of the night without sleep and vomiting. The further we went out to sea the worse it seemed to be and there was no stopping in sight as this was only the first few hours at sea and we were scheduled to stop in the first port 2 days later. Since we boarded the boat on the 30th sadly this meant that we missed out on New Years Eve since she was still very ill. In fact, even when we docked at the first port in Vila, Vanuatu, Jocelyn was still not well enough to get off the ship.
Port Vila as seen from the cruise ship
Jocelyn told Trey he should go but he would not leave her. That day we went to reception and mentioned that Jocelyn was very seasick and was not even able to get out at the first port. Fortunately, there was a lovely woman who helped us. She asked what Jocelyn had been taking and when we told her she said, "Oh no. Take what we take who work on the ship" and handed us a box full of something called Avomine. Jocelyn took the first dose that night and it was literally as though a switch had been flipped! Magic! That night she was able to eat most of her meal and get a full night's sleep! On a sidenote, after speaking to many people who got off in Port Vila, we did not miss anything. People described it as dirty and sad and mentioned that the cruise ship was only required to stop there so they could visit Mystery Island. So, in the end, if there was a port to miss, it was probably that one.
The next morning we docked at Mystery Island in Vanuatu.
Arriving at Mystery Island
For this port, and the next two, the cruise ship anchored in the middle of the sea and tender boats were used to take passengers from the ship to the dock. The system they had was actually quite good and we usually did not wait more than 10 minutes to board a tender boat. There were no excursions to do on Mystery Island since it is very small it only takes 45 minutes to walk around the entire island. Mystery Island is a small uninhabited that was used as a landing strip for allied forces during WWII. Locals boat over on "ship days" to set up a market and charge for things like passport stamping which we took advantage of. The locals make sure to leave the island before dark because they believe it is haunted The island was beautiful and had a great lagoon to swim in.
Finally on dry land
We did not have snorkel gear but the water was so clear that as we were swimming around we spotted fish and our favourite blue starfish that we recognised from the Cook Islands! The locals had music as well as markets to shop at. The main thing we noticed about Vanuatu and its people was that they seemed sad. When we went to Cook Islands, people definitely did not have a lot but seemed happy and friendly whereas the people in Vanuatu made us realise the difference between being poor and poverty. They were selling beautiful handmade items, some of which must have taken hours for the equivalent of $1-3. We bought a few souvenirs and figured even if things were confiscated at customs, it was still important for us to leave money on the island.
Some local kids playing on a boat
Fortunately, nothing was confiscated so it was a double win! The weather was not perfect and there was intermittent rain but we did not let it spoil our fun on Mystery Island. It was a great day off the ship. After a final swim, we took a tender boat back to the ship and got a late lunch at the buffet. It was great for Jocelyn to get through a full day without feeling sick.
The next port was Lifou, New Caledonia.
Arriving at Lifou
View of Jocelyn and the ship
This began our tour of New Caledonia which though many Americans have never heard of, is quite popular with the French as it is part of the French Republic and along with island languages, French is widely spoken. We heard there was great snorkeling here so we booked a snorkeling excursion with the gift voucher that we had received from Trey's sister's and husbands. Once the tender boat dropped us off, we walked to the other side of the island, passing by locals building a hut which was very interesting so see.
Locals building a hut
Once we got to the other side, there was a patch of grass, not a beach and a wooden ladder leading down to a lagoon with LOTS of coral and fish! We have learned that we love to snorkel so this was our idea of a perfect day.
That was a good snorkeling spot
The sun was shining and it was much nicer than the previous days. Even though we loved the snorkeling we did in Fiji on Malolo Island, we decided that Lifou was the best coral we had seen. It was so colourful and vibrant. We saw some clams and parrot fish. Some of the fish were quite large. It was nice that much fewer people seemed to venture over to that side of the island so it was also more private and relaxing. After our snorkel adventure we headed to the other side of the island where the tender had dropped us off to enjoy the beach and swimming since snorkeling had taken a lot out of us.
A local boy holding a giant hermit crap
A sea turtle waving goodbye as we boarded the tender boat
That evening we decided to take in a show of Pacific Cirque which is a group of entertainers on board who do some very impressive circus/gymnastic feats.
At first this looks hard then take into consideration that the boat is rocking back and forth and traveling at 20 knots
The show was done outside on the top deck while the ship was at sea which made it even that much more impressive. They did all sorts of acrobatic stunts. We enjoyed it so much that we went to two other shows of theirs while on board the ship.
Next stop, Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.
Being greeted by the locals on the Isle of Pines
In the 1870's the French made this island into a penal colony for 3,000 political rebels. We initially had a shore excursion booked to do more snorkeling here but unfortunately we received a notice the day before saying that the local operators had warned them that they had spotted blue bottle jellyfish, which is also known as a Portuguese Man of War. If a tentacle attaches itself to a human, it releases a poison (through the use of nematocysts), and if you continue to rub the skin after the tentacle has been removed more poison or venom will be released. We decided that since the beginning of the trip had been dampened because of Jocelyn's illness, we would not take our chances. This wound up being an excellent decision since on the Isle of Pines, we discovered the most wonderful and picturesque swimming beach!!
A nice little swimming beach
At the beach by the sacred rocks
Don't even think about climbing
The island is very interesting because you do not really expect to see huge pine trees amongst tropical surroundings.
Tropical pine trees
The water was so perfect and you could literally just sit down in what was the softest sand we have ever felt. Jocelyn kept rubbing the wet sand on her body and asking Trey if it had any healing properties in the hopes that she would have an excuse to do so! We swam around the sacred rock which is cherished by the locals but were advised that it was very important not to touch the rock. We figured that by spending the day swimming we would be relatively safe since the blue bottle jellyfish had been spotted on the opposite side of the island - and this island was much larger than the previous islands we had visited on our trip. It was also one of our favourites.
Final stop of the Pacific Pearl was Noumea, New Caledonia.
Noumea as seen from the ship
People had described this as similar to the French Riviera so we were excited to explore. To our surprise, it was a real, actual city - practically in the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific! It was busy, bustling and vibrant with lots of shops and eateries. Here there was much more of a mix of people - typical islanders that you would expect to see but also plenty of French white people! Jocelyn wore her shirt that says "bonjour" on the front and "au revoir" on the back in hopes of winning some French friends since we know how much the French like Americans ;-) wink wink At this port there was no tender boat necessary since the port is relatively large. We decided to explore the city on our own. It was a very hot day so it did not take us long to walk around and decide to take a cab to the beach rather quickly. We had done some prior research but were not sure if we should go to Baie de Citron (Lemon Bay Beach) or Anse Vata. We decided since Lemon Bay was on the way, we would ask the cab driver to drive past it and decide if we wanted to stay or go on to Anse Vata. When we drove up to Lemon Bay, it seemed pretty crowded with lots of cruise ship towels and did not look like much so we decided to go up a little ways to Anse Vata. There seemed to be a lot fewer cruise towels and a lot more locals so we felt this was a good decision on our part! While it was pretty and 2 years ago we may have called this paradise, since we have been to so many amazing beaches it just did not live up to the same standards of beauty. Since Noumea is a lot more populated there seemed to be a lot more trash lying around and in the water which did not make for a pleasant experience. We took a quick swim and it was not long before we were hungry for lunch. We had been recommended to go to a place called Le Roof which was just a short walk from Anse Vata and sat out on a pier overlooking the water.
Looking out at Le Roof from Anse Vata
We definitely wanted to try some authentic French food whilst in New Caledonia. We were fortunate enough to get a table on the deck over the water.
Happy after a nice French lunch at Le Roof
We started with a beautiful goat cheese appetizer with local honey which we salivated over. Trey tried the local beer and Jocelyn, a glass of French wine. Trey ordered seared tuna for his main and Jocelyn took the opportunity to get duck and foie gras which is oh so French!! The food was amazing and the view superb! We were so glad we took the time to enjoy it. After lunch we walked back to the beach and went against urban legend by going for another dip in the ocean. Before going back to the ship, we stopped in a french patisserie hoping for some tasty pastries but were sadly disappointed and were even happier about our choice for lunch, only regretting not getting dessert there as well. Prior to boarding, right outside the ship, some locals had come to do some traditional dancing for the cruise passengers which we stopped and enjoyed, taking in our final dose of New Caledonian culture.
The next two days were back on the ship before returning to Auckland. We saw a few shows and checked out the casino where Jocelyn won $50! As for the cruise itself, there were some highlights but in the end, I think we decided that we are not cruise people. Though there was a good mix of ages, etc. on this cruise vs. the one we went on to Bermuda, everyone seemed to enjoy things like Bingo and Scrabble which is simply not our thing. We checked out the night club which was just ok and some of the shows were just not our humour. The restaurants were definitely refurbished nicely but the staff is clearly new and at the a la carte restaurant Jocelyn had the wrong dish brought to her on at least four occasions. It was in the end an excellent way to see islands that we could not have otherwise seen which made the entire experience completely worth it!
The ship
We docked in Auckland on a beautiful day and stored our luggage at a hotel while we took in the Viaduct yet again and enjoyed brunch at Soul.
It was a great vacation, albeit with a few hiccups but nonetheless a great start to 2011!
If you want to see all of our pictures click here.
The Sky Tower at night
Our final day in Auckland was fortunately a beautiful one which was great since we had planned a trip 35 minutes outside of Auckland via ferry to Waiheke Island. So many Kiwis had told us to go there that we could not possibly miss out. After breakfast we boarded the ferry and got a great seat - perfect for taking photos of the city of Auckland as we drifted out to sea.
View of Auckland from the ferry
Once we got off the boat, we had planned to take a taxi but when we saw none around we panicked a wee bit. Fortunately, in true Kiwi fashion a rainbow coloured bus pulled up and out jumped a young guy with dreadlocks and super laid back attitude. "Hey bro! Jump in! Hop on, hop off Island Hopper!" We both sort of looked at each other quizzically. "How much?" we asked. "Dude, it's free today only! It's the first day we are doing this and it is just a trial. We only printed a few maps but I will take you anywhere on the island you want to go. Spend time at a winery then I will swing back and pick you up, and so on and so forth bro." We figured we had nothing to lose and we have officially lived in New Zealand long enough that this didn't strike either of us as too odd. We hopped on the Island Hopper. :)
The Island Hopper
First stop was Mudbrick Winery. This had been recommended to us and the Island Hopper dude told us it was the nicest winery on the island. The property was truly amazing.
Looking up at Mudbrick Winery
The view from Mudbrick
We did a wine tasting and both decided our favourite was the rose' which was perfect on such a hot day. We each got a nice cold glass and ordered some nibbles to eat outside and take in the spectacular view of the water and the city of Auckland in the distance.
Wishing we could bring a bottle of Rose on the cruise
Next stop was Cable Bay Vineyard. Equally stunning we also did a wine tasting here. We decided we did not enjoy the wine as much but it was still lovely to taste. The lawn at Cable Bay was just screaming to be enjoyed and since we already had two wine tastings under our belts, we obliged by laying out on the green grass in the sunshine amongst the sculptures and trees.
View from cable Bay Winery
Enjoying the lawn at Cable Bay
The grape vines at Cable Bay
Since we only had a small snack at Mudbrick, we decided to have a few more nibbles here with a glass of wine. The two snacks together was plenty of food for the day. Of course since it was so hot, we also made sure to drink plenty of water between sips of wine as to not get dehydrated which is all too easy in this hemisphere. We were aiming to take the 4pm ferry so our time was just about up. We waited for the rainbow bus which faithfully appeared and we went back to the pier to take the boat back to Auckland. We both decided that Waiheke is probably one of our favourite places we have been to! That evening we had a casual bite to eat at another recommended restaurant steps from our hotel called Monsoon Poon. We were pretty knackered from the wine and the heat and needed to pack up our stuff to check out early the next morning.
The next morning we headed to the pier where our cruise ship was docked. The check in process was very easy and as soon as we boarded we decided to take a look around to see what the ship had to offer! It was nice that they had it decked out for Christmas but we still struggle to be able to get into the Christmas spirit when it is lovely and warm outside.
The main stairway of the ship
It was around lunchtime so we decided to go to the sit down restaurant to have a meal. We were seated with another couple around our age from Auckland which was nice. We both enjoyed our lunch and made our way upstairs to the top deck for the sail away party. The captain informed us that we would leave a little later than expected because they were still waiting on some supplies for the ship. We had some drinks and the time seemed to pass rather quickly. It was fun to watch the city slowly move out of view and even though we did not do much that day, it seemed quite eventful with exploring our new surroundings so we opted to do the buffet for dinner and head to bed on the early side.
Leaving Auckland
Sun setting over the Pacific Ocean
Unfortunately, though Jocelyn was armed with her sea legs medication and sea bands the seas proved a bit too rough for her and overnight she became quote seasick. She spent a majority of the night without sleep and vomiting. The further we went out to sea the worse it seemed to be and there was no stopping in sight as this was only the first few hours at sea and we were scheduled to stop in the first port 2 days later. Since we boarded the boat on the 30th sadly this meant that we missed out on New Years Eve since she was still very ill. In fact, even when we docked at the first port in Vila, Vanuatu, Jocelyn was still not well enough to get off the ship.
Port Vila as seen from the cruise ship
Jocelyn told Trey he should go but he would not leave her. That day we went to reception and mentioned that Jocelyn was very seasick and was not even able to get out at the first port. Fortunately, there was a lovely woman who helped us. She asked what Jocelyn had been taking and when we told her she said, "Oh no. Take what we take who work on the ship" and handed us a box full of something called Avomine. Jocelyn took the first dose that night and it was literally as though a switch had been flipped! Magic! That night she was able to eat most of her meal and get a full night's sleep! On a sidenote, after speaking to many people who got off in Port Vila, we did not miss anything. People described it as dirty and sad and mentioned that the cruise ship was only required to stop there so they could visit Mystery Island. So, in the end, if there was a port to miss, it was probably that one.
The next morning we docked at Mystery Island in Vanuatu.
Arriving at Mystery Island
For this port, and the next two, the cruise ship anchored in the middle of the sea and tender boats were used to take passengers from the ship to the dock. The system they had was actually quite good and we usually did not wait more than 10 minutes to board a tender boat. There were no excursions to do on Mystery Island since it is very small it only takes 45 minutes to walk around the entire island. Mystery Island is a small uninhabited that was used as a landing strip for allied forces during WWII. Locals boat over on "ship days" to set up a market and charge for things like passport stamping which we took advantage of. The locals make sure to leave the island before dark because they believe it is haunted The island was beautiful and had a great lagoon to swim in.
Finally on dry land
We did not have snorkel gear but the water was so clear that as we were swimming around we spotted fish and our favourite blue starfish that we recognised from the Cook Islands! The locals had music as well as markets to shop at. The main thing we noticed about Vanuatu and its people was that they seemed sad. When we went to Cook Islands, people definitely did not have a lot but seemed happy and friendly whereas the people in Vanuatu made us realise the difference between being poor and poverty. They were selling beautiful handmade items, some of which must have taken hours for the equivalent of $1-3. We bought a few souvenirs and figured even if things were confiscated at customs, it was still important for us to leave money on the island.
Some local kids playing on a boat
Fortunately, nothing was confiscated so it was a double win! The weather was not perfect and there was intermittent rain but we did not let it spoil our fun on Mystery Island. It was a great day off the ship. After a final swim, we took a tender boat back to the ship and got a late lunch at the buffet. It was great for Jocelyn to get through a full day without feeling sick.
The next port was Lifou, New Caledonia.
Arriving at Lifou
View of Jocelyn and the ship
This began our tour of New Caledonia which though many Americans have never heard of, is quite popular with the French as it is part of the French Republic and along with island languages, French is widely spoken. We heard there was great snorkeling here so we booked a snorkeling excursion with the gift voucher that we had received from Trey's sister's and husbands. Once the tender boat dropped us off, we walked to the other side of the island, passing by locals building a hut which was very interesting so see.
Locals building a hut
Once we got to the other side, there was a patch of grass, not a beach and a wooden ladder leading down to a lagoon with LOTS of coral and fish! We have learned that we love to snorkel so this was our idea of a perfect day.
That was a good snorkeling spot
The sun was shining and it was much nicer than the previous days. Even though we loved the snorkeling we did in Fiji on Malolo Island, we decided that Lifou was the best coral we had seen. It was so colourful and vibrant. We saw some clams and parrot fish. Some of the fish were quite large. It was nice that much fewer people seemed to venture over to that side of the island so it was also more private and relaxing. After our snorkel adventure we headed to the other side of the island where the tender had dropped us off to enjoy the beach and swimming since snorkeling had taken a lot out of us.
A local boy holding a giant hermit crap
A sea turtle waving goodbye as we boarded the tender boat
That evening we decided to take in a show of Pacific Cirque which is a group of entertainers on board who do some very impressive circus/gymnastic feats.
At first this looks hard then take into consideration that the boat is rocking back and forth and traveling at 20 knots
The show was done outside on the top deck while the ship was at sea which made it even that much more impressive. They did all sorts of acrobatic stunts. We enjoyed it so much that we went to two other shows of theirs while on board the ship.
Next stop, Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.
Being greeted by the locals on the Isle of Pines
In the 1870's the French made this island into a penal colony for 3,000 political rebels. We initially had a shore excursion booked to do more snorkeling here but unfortunately we received a notice the day before saying that the local operators had warned them that they had spotted blue bottle jellyfish, which is also known as a Portuguese Man of War. If a tentacle attaches itself to a human, it releases a poison (through the use of nematocysts), and if you continue to rub the skin after the tentacle has been removed more poison or venom will be released. We decided that since the beginning of the trip had been dampened because of Jocelyn's illness, we would not take our chances. This wound up being an excellent decision since on the Isle of Pines, we discovered the most wonderful and picturesque swimming beach!!
A nice little swimming beach
At the beach by the sacred rocks
Don't even think about climbing
The island is very interesting because you do not really expect to see huge pine trees amongst tropical surroundings.
Tropical pine trees
The water was so perfect and you could literally just sit down in what was the softest sand we have ever felt. Jocelyn kept rubbing the wet sand on her body and asking Trey if it had any healing properties in the hopes that she would have an excuse to do so! We swam around the sacred rock which is cherished by the locals but were advised that it was very important not to touch the rock. We figured that by spending the day swimming we would be relatively safe since the blue bottle jellyfish had been spotted on the opposite side of the island - and this island was much larger than the previous islands we had visited on our trip. It was also one of our favourites.
Final stop of the Pacific Pearl was Noumea, New Caledonia.
Noumea as seen from the ship
People had described this as similar to the French Riviera so we were excited to explore. To our surprise, it was a real, actual city - practically in the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific! It was busy, bustling and vibrant with lots of shops and eateries. Here there was much more of a mix of people - typical islanders that you would expect to see but also plenty of French white people! Jocelyn wore her shirt that says "bonjour" on the front and "au revoir" on the back in hopes of winning some French friends since we know how much the French like Americans ;-) wink wink At this port there was no tender boat necessary since the port is relatively large. We decided to explore the city on our own. It was a very hot day so it did not take us long to walk around and decide to take a cab to the beach rather quickly. We had done some prior research but were not sure if we should go to Baie de Citron (Lemon Bay Beach) or Anse Vata. We decided since Lemon Bay was on the way, we would ask the cab driver to drive past it and decide if we wanted to stay or go on to Anse Vata. When we drove up to Lemon Bay, it seemed pretty crowded with lots of cruise ship towels and did not look like much so we decided to go up a little ways to Anse Vata. There seemed to be a lot fewer cruise towels and a lot more locals so we felt this was a good decision on our part! While it was pretty and 2 years ago we may have called this paradise, since we have been to so many amazing beaches it just did not live up to the same standards of beauty. Since Noumea is a lot more populated there seemed to be a lot more trash lying around and in the water which did not make for a pleasant experience. We took a quick swim and it was not long before we were hungry for lunch. We had been recommended to go to a place called Le Roof which was just a short walk from Anse Vata and sat out on a pier overlooking the water.
Looking out at Le Roof from Anse Vata
We definitely wanted to try some authentic French food whilst in New Caledonia. We were fortunate enough to get a table on the deck over the water.
Happy after a nice French lunch at Le Roof
We started with a beautiful goat cheese appetizer with local honey which we salivated over. Trey tried the local beer and Jocelyn, a glass of French wine. Trey ordered seared tuna for his main and Jocelyn took the opportunity to get duck and foie gras which is oh so French!! The food was amazing and the view superb! We were so glad we took the time to enjoy it. After lunch we walked back to the beach and went against urban legend by going for another dip in the ocean. Before going back to the ship, we stopped in a french patisserie hoping for some tasty pastries but were sadly disappointed and were even happier about our choice for lunch, only regretting not getting dessert there as well. Prior to boarding, right outside the ship, some locals had come to do some traditional dancing for the cruise passengers which we stopped and enjoyed, taking in our final dose of New Caledonian culture.
The next two days were back on the ship before returning to Auckland. We saw a few shows and checked out the casino where Jocelyn won $50! As for the cruise itself, there were some highlights but in the end, I think we decided that we are not cruise people. Though there was a good mix of ages, etc. on this cruise vs. the one we went on to Bermuda, everyone seemed to enjoy things like Bingo and Scrabble which is simply not our thing. We checked out the night club which was just ok and some of the shows were just not our humour. The restaurants were definitely refurbished nicely but the staff is clearly new and at the a la carte restaurant Jocelyn had the wrong dish brought to her on at least four occasions. It was in the end an excellent way to see islands that we could not have otherwise seen which made the entire experience completely worth it!
The ship
We docked in Auckland on a beautiful day and stored our luggage at a hotel while we took in the Viaduct yet again and enjoyed brunch at Soul.
It was a great vacation, albeit with a few hiccups but nonetheless a great start to 2011!
If you want to see all of our pictures click here.
