March 4, 2018 – Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Crystal Symphony anchored in the Bay of Islands this morning in a driving rainstorm which continued through most of the morning and early afternoon. The bay we entered is a natural harbor on the east coast at the far north end of the North Island of New Zealand. The bay was named, once again, by Captain James Cook (in 1769), and describes the 144 islands around which one must navigate in order to reach the end of the bay. This part of New Zealand is called the Northlands, stretching upwards from Auckland. We’re now a short drive of less than two hours from the northern-most point of land in the country.

The Bay of Islands was the first area in New Zealand to be settled by Europeans ─ the first missionaries arrived here in 1814. This was also the site where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. We learned a lot more about these two parts of history during our tour this morning, called “Highlights – Bay of Islands,” which we booked through our travel agency before leaving home in January.

Since we were anchored offshore, it was necessary to take an uneventful and smooth tender boat ride to shore at Waitangi. We were thoroughly soaked with rain after going ashore, even though we had rain jackets and umbrellas. Our local tour guide, Jill, was waiting for us about 20 steps from the wharf. There were about 10 of us from Symphony on the tour, and we fit well in the small 15-seat minibus Jill was driving.

We remained in the minibus for much of the tour and didn’t take pictures due to the rain.

The village of Waitangi (population: 300) is known as the birthplace of New Zealand, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Queen Victoria’s representative and 500 Maori chiefs. The treaty agreed to the end of English - Maori warring, ensured the Maoris of their rights to their lands, and to New Zealand becoming part of the British Empire. Jill drove past the treaty grounds and the museum but didn’t stop. She told us there are many rivers coming out of the mountains into the river leading to the Haruru Falls near the treaty grounds. The river was flooding and we couldn’t drive in there.

We continued to the town of Kerikeri (population: 11,000). Jill lives here and told us there is a lot of wealth in this town because of all the retirees that move here from Auckland, England, and the U.S., bringing money with them. It looked like a pretty little town to us. Then we made a stop at Makana Chocolate Confectionery Store. They gave each of us a sample of one of their chocolates, and they were so good that most bought some to take home with us.

Still in Kerikeri, we went to see the first missionary house in New Zealand (built in 1822 and sometimes called the Kemp House). It is said to be New Zealand’s oldest wooden structure. The Stone Store (built between 1832 – 1836), next door to it, is said to be the oldest stone building in New Zealand. It was formerly a storehouse, but now houses a store selling old-fashioned household items. It is a very peaceful, serene, and picturesque site. The rain temporarily stopped for a few minutes, so Jim snapped a couple of photos.

So far, we were fairly close to the coast. We left the Kerikeri area and traveled inland, passing through the town of Kawakawa, near to where coal was discovered in 1864. There is no longer coal mining here, and the economy is now based on farming.

The town is most famous (locally) as the location of special public toilets designed and made by Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. There’s also a vintage steam train that occasionally goes on tacks through the center of town. That wasn’t enough incentive for any of us to get out of the van, in the rain, to visit the famous toilets. So, Jill suggested a short stop at the Redwoods Restaurant for a snack. Jim had hot chocolate, Ginny had Ginger-Lemon Tea, and we split a thick slice of apricot bread.

After the relaxing break at the restaurant, we visited the Te Waimate Mission House, which was built in 1832 on behalf of the (Anglican) Church Missionary Society. We were told this is the second oldest standing building in New Zealand. After walking through the house, looking at the spartan furniture, we walked over to the nearby church and cemetery which are still in use today.

Last stop was at the nearby Kawiti Glow Worm Cave. A tour is provided by a Maori family who own the land. We had visited the Waitomo glow worm cave during a previous visit to New Zealand and decided to skip the dark, damp walking experience in this cave. The remaining people in the group reported that the “worms” here are bio-luminescent and appear on the ceilings of the cave in the pitch-black dark, about 20 feet over their heads. They seemed to enjoy it, but thought the walking path was slippery and it was very dark when the flashlights were turned off. After that, we returned to Waitangi for the tender boat ride back to the ship.

We enjoyed seeing the countryside along the way. It was hilly terrain and mostly farmland. Interestingly, they don’t raise sheep here, because it gets too hot for them in the summer. We did see a lot of cattle and horses grazing in the fields. Crops include kiwis, apricots, wine, and timber (to be shipped to China and Japan). Jill was an excellent guide, especially her honest remarks about living in the Northland of New Zealand. One interesting thing she said is that many of her friends in Kerikeri leave during the winter months (when tourist business is slow) and fly off to Europe or the U.S., for the warm northern hemisphere summer weather. They are called “swallows,” similar to the “snow birds” we see in Florida during winter months.

This port stop ended our time in New Zealand – visiting 11 different ports in 12 days (2 days in Auckland and 1½ days in Tauranga – including the first day in Fiordland (Doubtful, Dusky, and Milford Sounds). This full segment in New Zealand is what we were most looking forward to on this World Cruise, and it fulfilled all our expectations.

We’ve been so busy documenting all the sights we’ve seen in New Zealand ports that we haven’t talked about activities on board Crystal Symphony. Of course, there has been wonderful food, world-class entertainment every night, and too many other activities to mention. Here are some of the entertainment shows we’ve attended while in New Zealand:

• Peter Cousens – marketed as Australia’s most prolific leading man in major musical productions. Sang numbers from major musical productions in which he has performed.

• Neil Lockwood – former star of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) Part 2. A hard-rock performer that had everybody’s blood pumping in overdrive.

• Soul Mystique – “Transformation Artists” who specialize in quick costume changes while dancing.

• Keith Scott – A great impressionist – cartoon characters, politicians, royalty, movie/TV stars, and famous singers. Great fun.

• Joe Turner – Magic Castle at Sea Magician

• Crystal Entertainment Team Production Shows – ‘Curtain Call”, “Speakeasy”, “Crystal in Motion”, “5, 6, 7, 8”, “Variety Showtime” with Jonathon Hawkins & Sarah Hayes, “Dance Production” featuring Lead Vocalists Julie Bell & James Burn. Jonathan Hawkins also did a solo show with the Crystal Show Band.

We’re currently heading to Fiji, and should arrive in Lautoka on Wednesday, March 7.

Jim & Ginny




Jim & Ginny