Fremantle, Australia

This was out last day in Australia. Fremantle had two free buses that went around different parts of the city. I road both and got off when we can to something interesting. I visited the Maritime Museum. It had some wonderful exhibits including the Australian II that won the American's Cup. The first time in 138 year it left America. There was also a submarine and not my sons I did not go in. I went in a wonderful church with some stained glass windows. On the way out there was a bride and groom coming in and I got a picture. There is also a picture of me at one of lhe sculptures at the town center. Three sea days after this. This was day 50 so we are almost half way through the cruise.

Sail into Albany

The sail into Albany was really beautiful so I wanted to post 3 of the photos I took. One shows a old building with people watching the ship. Another shows part of a trail along the shore and the last one is a view as we came in.

Albany, Western Australia

I spent the day in Albany a city in Western Australia. The locals worked hard to make us welcome. This is a fairly new port for cruise ships. They now have around 11 per year. Unfortunately it rained for most of the morning which spoiled the day for some. I had the rain coat I purchased and used in Alaska and it worked just as well in Australia. The town is small enough that I could walk to many of the attractions. I visited the Albany Convict Goal Museum built with convict labor in 1852. There are three photos from there. One is of the wall and exercise yard, one is of some of the aborigines symbols in the wall of the Aborigines cell and one of a small black lizard native to Australia. I also toured the Patrick Taylor Cottage. It was built in 1932 and is the oldest surviving intact dwelling in Western Australia. From there I went to the Western Australia Museum and saw a very good exhibit about the Aborigines and the European settlers. The museum is located in the former home of the Governor General and I included a picture of that building. My last visit was a full scale model of the Brig Amity. This was the ship that brought the first settlers to Albany. It included convicts to help build the town. There is a picture of me in front of the Amity. Many of the yards had gardens in front of the houses. There is also a picture of one of those gardens. As you can see it is full of plants. The last picture is of an Aborigine man that was located in a small par.

Kangaroo Island

So far this has been my favorite stop in Australia. Kangaroo Island is the third largest island in Australia but has a very small population. We were tendered in to Penneshaw, a small town on the coast. I took a free shuttle and stopped at the first stop, KI Artworks where local artist had art work for sale. One of the ladies working in the shop lived next door. She took me over to her house for a treat. Turns out is was two young kangaroos whose mothers had been killed by cars. THey were Ginger and Christmas, a young female and a young male. I got to pet and hold Ginger. She was so soft and was just a sweet baby. They will stay where they are for another 6 months and then will go to a half-way house to get them ready to go back into the wild.

From there I walked down to one of the beaches and spend some time walking in the ocean. From there I walked around the town and the surrounding areas before going back to the ship. Pictures of my visit with the babies are attached.

Entertainment

I know what I am going to miss the most when the cruise is over, the live entertainment. Every night at 8:00 p.m. I go to the Queen's Lounge for a live show. There have been some really outstanding entertainers. Tonight it was two violinest, last night it was a pianist, and tomorrow it will be a comic. Many are on what appears to be a cruise ship schedule, going from ship to ship. Others come on for one or two shows before going to other venues. Someone is doing a great job of finding a scheduling for this 115 day voyage.

Sydney

I forgot my camera on the first day so no pictures. I visited the Royal Botanical Gardens and walked around the area around the Opera Center. I do have a photo of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera Center. The Gardens were some of the pest I have ever seen. They take up a large areas so I only saw part with they were truly wonderful. But no photos. There were also some great older building but again on photos.

Sydney Chinese Friendship Garden

Another attraction at Darling Harbor was the Chinese Friendship Garden. It was a gift from the Chinese People. Like the Japanese Garden in Portland, OR it is a small area filled with water and plants. It is another great place to visit in Sydney. The statue was a gift from the architect that designed the garden.

Sydney Zoo

I didn't go to the mail zoo across the harbor but I did go to the Australia exhibit at Darling Harbor where we were docked. This was only creatures native to Australia and the area I would have visiting at the main zoo. If you look very close in the photo with the trees there is a Koala. They blend very well.

The other three are easy to identify. Kookaburra. crocodile , and kangaroo. There were many more. It was a very good exhibit.

Picton, New Zealand

This was out last stop in New Zealand and the only one on the South Island. I took a Farm and Garden tour. We visited two gardens. The first was a formal English Garden where we visited and had tea. The next was a working farm with sheep and cattle as well as a large garden at the house. Photos are of the Formal Garden, the sheep shearing, the sheep dogs herding the sheep, the miles and miles of grape vines in the area and me in the garden. We had a great lunch at the last garden and then drove back to the ship. It was a all day tour so I did not see much of the town of Picton. The time and New Zealand had been great and I really hated to leave. The country is beautiful and the people very friendly. I know why so many peole visit and think it would be a great place to live.

Wellington, New Zealand

We arrived in Wellington on Sunday. Once again we had beautiful weather. I rode the shuttle to downtown. It was short walk to the Cable Car that carried we up to the Botanical Gardens. From there I through the Garden back down to town. The photos are of the view from the top, the rose garden, the begonias ( they were really our of this world), some of the air plants, the Beehive ( part of the Capitol), and houses built on the hill side. Wellington does not have that much room by the harbor so it has grown up the hills. Since this is a earthquake area they did not look that safe to me. Since the earthquake in Christchurch all of the buildings are being evaluated to see how they would hold up to an earthquake. Some are being reinforced and some will be torn down and rebuilt. I spent a lovely day there. The last part I sat at the waterfront where there was free wifi. I shared a bench with a couple who lived in Wellington and had a nice visit.

Rutorua

My camera card died here so I missed some pictures until I changed cameras. I took a 8 hour tour here and saw Hell's Gate, a thermal site, Rainbow Springs where I saw a Kiwi, and Rainbow Spring where I watched a Maori show and saw them row a nine man war canoe. I did get a few pictures so here they are.

Napier, New Zealand

No tours today. I road the shuttle to downtown. This is a wonderful town. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1931 and was rebuilt in the Art Deco style. There weather was just perfect. This is a great place to be outdoors. There was a bagpipe contest in the park. There were teams from all over the south part of the North Island. The winner will go to compete in the nationwide contest. I got a new card for my camera, ate Hokey Pokey Ice Cream and just enjoyed being outdoors. The gardens were great. I visited the National Aquarium of New Zealand. They have the penguins that are native to New Zealand. All that they have have been injured and cannot go back to the wild. This is my favorite port so far.