New Zealand

Auckland New ZealandThe City of Sails was a 2-day visit for us which was very welcomed after many days at sea. The first evening I enjoyed dinner at a harbor restaurant. This big yellow duck was docked there and they say they are going to take it around the world. Super Bowl Monday (which was Sunday in the US) was our second day in Auckland. We found a pub/sports bar with the game on and even found some cheeseheads to cheer with.


Christchurch New ZealandLittle did we know when we visited this charming city that 11 days later they would experience an earthquake that destroyed 1/3 of the city. While there I visited a private residence within the city that had 100s of species of trees from around the world, some quite odd then visited a farm with a sheep-sheering demonstration. New Zealand is home to many sports enthusiasts. There’s lots of hiking trails around the city and countryside. Their term for the hikers is “trampers”.

Since the quake, our company has donated $5000 to the city of Christchurch on behalf of our ship, the Amsterdam, and we have also collected over $10,000 in donations from our caring passengers whose most recent visit will not be forgotten.


Dunedin, New ZealandThe home of Cadbury Chocolate! I toured the factory which was nothing like (Willie Wonka’s) and of course had to buy some of their goodies.

Oban, New ZealandMost of the time we only hear about New Zealand’s two islands – the North Island and the South Island. We had the chance to visit their third island – Steward Island, the port of Oban. It is a small fishing area that is, as you can see, quite windy.