Whitsunday Island

 February 10, 2025

Mom packing light!

Happy Birthday to my dear mother!

She is 88 years young today and still going strong. She's in the rotation to play piano preludes for our church's services. I wish I could convince her to sing with the choir too because her voice is still a pure, clear soprano. And don't mess with her in a game of Hand & Foot. She comes to play!

When I was a kid, she was a model and was regularly photographed for a syndicated exercize column in the Des Moines Register. She and Dad were avid square dancers and had dozens of matching outfits. As a grandmother, Mom also played on a competitive volleyball team. I've always been so proud of her beauty inside and out, her accomplishments and positive attitude. 

She still lives in her own home, but while we're on the Sky, she's visiting one of my sisters and I know she's having a wonderful time! Best wishes, my dear little momma!

Today, we're in the Whitsunday Island chain just off the northern coast of Australia. In fact, the islands are so close, their electricity and potable water comes from the mainland. The island group was first mapped by Captain Cook who used the date of the chain's "discovery," for it's name--Whitsunday (celebrating the 7th Sunday after Pentecoste) 

Anybody else see the giant kangaroo in the sky?

We're on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef but the overcast sky has muted the usually vibrant blue and emerald water. It's also making it impossible to view the reef from above the surface. 

The tall flat-topped mountain is called Passage Peak and is visible from many other parts of the island chain. Cook used it as a point of reference for his early charts.

But we still took an island cruise to see what we could see. The Whitsunday's have been developed into a world class resort destination including a PGA level golf course on one of the islands. Scuba diving and snorkeling is big business but they are careful to protect the reef. It's illegal for a dive boat to drop an anchor. Instead there are strategically placed bouys in desirable diving areas that boats can tie up to for two hours at a time. After their alotted time, they must move on and give another group a chance.

Back on the Sky, the Viking crew was celebrating the Superbowl with a special culinary event while the game was broadcast on the big pooldeck screen and in our staterooms. Sadly, there's no joy in Mudville. Our mighty Chiefs were thoroughly trounced. It wasn't even a good game. 

However, congrats to the Eagles. Better luck next year, Chiefs.  

Crocodiles are Easy!

 February 8, 2025

"Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first." ~ Steve Irwin

We'd still rather hang out with people than crocs, but Steve has created a great venue for us to see some potentially dangerous wildlife in a safe-for-us-and-them environment.

 

I loved the zoo. It reminded me of when we took our daughters to the NC zoo in Asheboro. Good times! 

Crikey! Not Another Cricket!

 February 7, 2025 

Mooloolaba ~ based on the Aboriginal word for "Red Bellied Black Snake"
Sounds like a regular Garden of Eden, huh?

Actually, Mooloolaba, our next port of call, is a very beachy, resort style area. Quite charming. And it was destined to be the location of our first encounter with wildlife in Australia. Unfortunately, it wasn't a cuddly koala or gentle kangaroo. 

It was an Australian cricket. 

I have an absolute horror of crickets at the best of times, let alone one that's big enough to fill a man's palm. 

If that sounds a bit unhinged, let me give you some background. When I was in 6th grade, some weaseley boys in my class decided it would be fun to wad up a ball of black yarn, throw it at the top of my head and shout, "Cricket!"

I sincerely dislike any creature possessed of more than four legs. They give me the willies. Always have. The worst school assignment I ever got was to create a bug collection. I begged my teacher to let me draw detailed pictures of the little nasties based on images in the encyclopedia instead. I'd even label the parts, I promised, but she insisted that I catch the bugs, drive pins through their carapaces and affix them to note cards. I felt sick the whole time I worked on the assignment and though I was used to getting A's, I didn't care when my efforts were only worth a C. I'd have taken an F if it would've gotten me out of doing it.

So when I had reason to believe one of those disgusting creatures who wear their skeletons on the outside was burrowing into my head, I screamed blue murder and started tearing out my hair.

The boys were wildly entertained. I came away from it feeling my deep antipathy toward insects was well founded. As was my disdain and healthy suspicion of sixth grade boys. 

Thank God, I have a husband who understands my phobia of things with 6 or 8 legs. When he told me not to go out onto the veranda this morning as we were just coming into the bay of Mooloolaba, I didn't argue with him. He's my primary bug killer (the man once stepped on a tarantulla for me!), but he just wasn't sure what to do with this one. He couldn't grab it and throw it overboard. There are strict rules against throwing anything over the rail. Smashing it would leave a mess for our room steward to clean up. If he tried to catch it and flush it, it might get away from him and I couldn't bear the idea of the thing being loose in our cabin. 

So I did the only sensible thing I could, while the DH and Wayan, our room steward, captured and removed it.  

"Where are you, Miss Diana?" Wayan called out as he came in to help.

"I'm in the bathroom hiding from the cricket!" I told him through the door. Silly man. 

Anyway, my encounters with Australian wildlife ticked up seriously after that. We went to Steve Irwin's Zoo and had a lovely time exploring this lush area with large enclosures for the well cared for animals. The DH has put together a montage of some of the critters we enjoyed visiting. I'll post that as soon as the Sky's wifi cooperates.  

In the meantime, please enjoy the terminal cuteness of this sleepy koala.

One of our guest lecturers on board has told us that half of a koala's skull is filled with water instead of brains, so they're not terribly bright. But they are terribly sweet looking and beat any cricket by my reckoning by several orders of magnitude!

But I want to leave you with a final thought. We weren't anywhere near land when the DH discovered the cricket on our balcony. 

How did it get there?

Sydney Video Montage

 The DH has finished the video with our pictures from Sydney.  We are still feeling euphoric after our afternoon at the Sydney Opera House.  

We hope you enjoy all these pictures!   

A Dream Realized

"Opera is a planet where the muses work together, join hands and celebrate all the arts.”
Franco Zeffirelli

 

You may or may not know that once upon a time, I used to sing opera. In fact on my birthday 40 years ago, I was winning the District Metropolitan Opera Auditions. (It was a very happy birthday!) I sang with a number of regional companies and orchestras, and was offered an artist-in-residence position with a company in Europe. However, singing professionally turned out not to be compatible with having a normal home life, so I didn't go to Europe and traded one dream for a better one--my family.

But I still love opera. It speaks to my soul. 

So once we knew when we'd be in Sydney on this cruise, my DH started watching the opera company's website so he could snag a couple of tickets for whatever was being presented on the day we'd be "Down Under."

It turned out to be "La Traviata," an operatic tour de force, and incidentally the first opera the DH and I ever attended together back when we were first dating! I've studied the role of Violetta and sang her Sempre Libera in many competitions, but never performed the entire role. However, after hearing Samatha Clarke sing Violetta, I hung my head in shame. She is a remarkable coloratura soprano. Read: very high voice that is strong enough to fill a hall the size of Sydney's Joan Sutherland auditorium without amplification, and yet facile enough to effortlessly shape the runs and trills. Having the "money notes" is important, but having a "trick piano," the ability to sing very high and very softly at the same time really pulls an audience in.

Samantha Clarke is a singer in full possession of her glorious instrument (her voice) and as an added bonus is a beautiful actress as well. She made me weep. I managed to speak to her after the show and compliment her phrasing and the way she shaped all her runs and embellishments in ways that really communicated the pathos of Violetta. I'm sure I was babbling, but she was totally gracious.

Samantha Clarke on my right, Catherine Bouchier who sang Annina (Violetta's maid) on my left and there I am, the short little dunker in the middle surrounded by gorgeous, very tall divas!

  

I was flying high after this amazing experience, but our day was not over.  We met back up with new friends, Susan and Cecile, we'd come to the opera with and grabbed a cab. We'd all skipped lunch (La Traviata started at 12:30pm so we were all peckish) and Susan had scouted out Raggazzi's, a little hole-in-the-wall Italian place next to the Sydney City Recital Hall.

Susan and Cecile, fellow opera lovers because their daughter-in-law is a soprano. It's always more fun to explore a big city with friends. 

Viking had arranged a special concert of the Brandenburg Baroque Chamber Orchestra at Sydney City Recital Hall for all Sky guests who wanted to attend. The program was heavy on Vivaldi, so it was glorious. But they diverged from Vivaldi to include Pachelbel's Cannon in D. This piece is so mathematically perfect, so achingly sweet, that it's an affirmation that there is still truth and beauty in the world. (Of course, I also used to use it in the car to get the kids to sleep when we traveled! It always worked like a charm.)

In the morning, we'd taken the city water shuttle that dropped us off at the steps of the Opera House. After the Brandenburg concert, we hitched a ride back to the ship on one of the buses Viking had arranged for the outing.  

The Sydney Opera House in the shadow of the Sydney Harbor Bridge (affectionately known by locals as "the Coat Hanger." 

For our second day in Sydney, we took the included Harbor cruise tour excursion. It is a huge harbor and heavily developed all around. According to our tour guide, it's a very expensive city to live in. Studio apartments can be well over a million AUDollars. 

Walking the Coathanger is an available excursion, but not one I'm up to. They are understandibly strict about the fitness level of those who line up to take the walk. You'll need to demonstrate an ability to climb stairs and ladders with ease. In fact, if you're over 75 you'll need a letter from your physician stating you're healthy enough to make the trip.

This little amusement park at the water's edge has been there for over a hundred years. But that didn't stop the people who built homes and buildings on the land behind it from complaining about the noise people make when they're having fun! 

We decided to have a lazy day after our morning harbour cruise and even ordered room service on our balcony. It was the perfect place to enjoy our 6 PM sail out. 

My hero and the one who makes all my dreams come true!

Thank you, Sydney. Like Hawaii, I've decided not to say goodbye to you. I'll always hope to visit just one more time... 

Tauranga, Napier & Wellington Photo Montage!

 "God bless America. God save the Queen. God defend New Zealand and thank Christ for Australia!" ~ Russell Crowe, my favorite Kiwi actor

The DH has put together a running photo tour of our last three World Cruise stops--all of which are new-to-us ports!

Enjoy!

Weta? Wait, what?

Feb 1, 2025 

"Weta" ~ Maori for "small ugly thing"

In many ways, New Zealand is like a whole different world. The trees and plants aren't the ones we're surrounded by in the Ozarks. In fact, there are a few almost fossle-like throwbacks, cyclades, that were present when the dinosaurs roamed. They have no large predators like our coyotes, small black bears and the occasional mountain lion. Their birds are often flightless. The rugged landscape has been shaped by earthquake, tsunami and fire. 

It was perfect for Peter Jackson's vision of Middle Earth. Not only did he have natural settings to film his Ring Trilogy of Tolkein's epic stories in NZ, he found a partner in a small prop and fabrication company in the fledgling Weta group. 

"What's a Weta?" I hear you ask. It's a disgusting six-legged beastie that seems to be an unholy combination of cricket and cockroach. They grow to a length of 3 or 4 inches and make my skin crawl at the thought of them. But the designers and imagineers who worked with Jackson were diehard sci-fi, fantasy, and horror fans, so why not name their company after this nightmare of an indigenous  insect?

Our excursion today was a visit to the Weta Workshop. It provided 48,000 individual props, costumes and effects for the three Ring movies. Needless to say, the company that started with only 2 employees experienced explosive growth in short order. 

Some wanted to make this sign say "Wellywood" like the Hollywood sign since Lord of the Rings made them a film-making powerhouse. But Wellington is the country's capital, not just a Lord of the Rings mecca. It's also known as Windy Wellington, one of the windiest capitals in the world.

Peter Jackson wanted to shoot the three Ring movies at once, so that meant moving the cast to NZ for a year and a half. He rented out houses for them and their families to relocate to and the result was a very family-like atmosphere in the cast. 

Golem, the pitiful creature who was utterly consumed by the One Ring.

Inside the Weta workshop, we were only able to photograph in the anteroom. Inside the shop, the company has posession of a lot of items they had produced, but the rights to them, so we weren't allowed to take pictures.

The DH and a model of one of the dwarves

Sometimes, the workshop made full body copies of actors so they could be filmed in situations that would be too dangerous for humans. In the case of the dwarves it was a 1 to a certain percentage to give the appearance of a smaller size. For another film, they made a full body double of the NZ actor Sam Neil and we saw him sitting there, realistic down to the last eyelash. 

The techno-wizards at Weta are able to take anything and make it appear as if its something else, with an appearance of great age and weight. Inside the workshop, we saw chainmail made from plastic that looked alike ancient rusted metal. Those were used for extras and long distant shots. Up close, they fabricated things to exacting standards. Vigo Morensen, who played Aragorn, insisted on wearing actual metal chain mail and nearly paid for his method-acting sensibilities with his life when he fell into a river. 

From a high point just outside Wellington

Weta created special effects for dozens of movies as well as the LOTR trilogy. They worked on Avatar and we saw a replica of the 10 ft. tall blue chick. Their horror film credits stretched as long as my arm, but since I'm not a horror fan, I didn't recognize many. They also did small model work on movies like Master & Commander at the Far Side of the World. (You didn't really think they filmed full-sized sailing ships nearly sinking in the Drake Channel, did you?)

New Zealand is incredibly beautiful, but I'm told for sheer awesomeness, the northern island can't touch the southern one. Sadly, we will not see the site of Mt Doom or any of the other rugged locations used in LOTR. 

That just means we'll have to come back someday, doesn't it? 

Napier~ Art Deco from the Ashes

January 31, 2025

"Oh gosh, we thought it was the end of the world." – Hana Lyola Cotter

Feb 3rd~This day in history, in 1931, Napier, New Zealand was rocked by a 7.8 earthquake that killed 256 people, raised 42 square kilometers from seabed to dry land filling in the bay in a moment, and pretty much demolished the main area of town. 

But the doughty Kiwis didn't give up. They decided to rebuild. And not just in a slapdash, ulititarian manner. The town decided to adopt the newest style of architecture and ornamentation--Art Deco. This sleek and elegant aesthetic catapulted Napier into the Great Depression era with a bit of a flair. 

This member of the local car club drove his 1930's Austin cabriolet down to the wharf to share his automotive passion with the Sky's passengers. He was quite pleased when I commented on his very "snappy chariot!" Behind us, you can see a giant charging station. The Sky was attached to several landbased electrical stations so the big engines that run our ship's systems could be turned off.

A bit of a confession--most of what I know about Art Deco comes from watching PBS Masterpiece's Poirot with David Duchet. From the music, to the clean lines of his oh-so-stylish apartment building, to the curvaceous automobiles of the time--the series is a feast for the senses even before you are mesmerized by Agatha Christie's mind-bending stories. 

Mural art dots the business district, almost all calling attention to climate/environmental issues

Parts of Napier made me feel we'd wandered into a Poirot set.

But parts of the town survived the devastation. 

This is the unobtrusive door to the "Stranger's Room" in Hawke's Bay Gentlemen's Club. Ladies might be sneaked into the establishment by slipping them through this chamber so they didn't wander through the more public areas of the Victorian structure.

The Club was threatened by fire that followed the quake, but it was saved at the last possible moment by a shift in the wind and the sea blew the flames away from the gentlemen's exclusive enclave. 

I had no trouble  getting in because this was the main destination of our excursion. 10 local wineries joined forces to set up a tasting for the Viking guests. Since we're not big on wine, we didn't try more than a couple each and only a sip or two at that, but it was a fun venue with quite a colorful past. 

The Grand Staircase

After the dramatic change in their oceanfront, it seems Napier became more interested in building up. I worry a bit about subsidence in these cases, but it doesn't seem to deter them. All over NZ, we've seen neighborhoods that are so vertical, individual homes sometimes have small funniculars to transport the residents from the street level up to their front doors. 

In real estate, as in life, "seek the higher ground!"

Upon returning to the ship about 6 more motorists were lined up to show off their shiny obsessions. Watching lots of American Pickers with my mom has taught me to appreciate everything that goes into reviving these period vehicles.

On to Wellington tomorrow!

When is a Bird also a Fruit?

 January 30, 2025

"Someone once threw me a small, brown, hairy kiwi fruit, and I threw a wastebasket over it until it was dead." ~ Erma Bombeck

While we waited for our excursion to begin, we walked along the wharf. I couldn't resist snapping a pic of this tugboat. Robert was my dad's name.  

Rotorua, also known as Tauranga, is in the aptly named Bay of Plenty region. Captain Cook gave it that moniker because the natives were friendly and willing to trade essential goods with the explorer. It's also near the most volcanically active part of New Zealand. Remember that tragic eruption on nearby White Island in 2019? 22 of the 47 tourists and guides on the island at that time died or were never recovered and the others all suffered terrible burns.

If we'd wanted, we could've signed up for a tour to visit the geyser area (not White Island, of course!), but we used to live five hours away from Yellowstone Park. We'd camp in this thermically active park every year to be amazed by the regularity of some thermal features and to see how the techtonic plate had shifted to shut down some areas and open up others over time. But as we're not serious fans of the smell of sulphur, we elected to visit a kiwi farm instead.  

Actually, the two things are related. The reason kiwis grow so readily here is because of the rich volanic soil. The typical kiwi farm is only a couple of hectares (a hectare is about 2.5 acres) but the land produces in abundance. Growing kiwis is heavily regulated and requires a license. The vines take 7 years to reach maturity and are able to produce export quality fruit. 

Kiwis plants are either male or female and aren't able to self pollinate because they don't produce nectar. Plants are arranged in six rows of female plants with one row of male ones running down the middles. Farmers rent bees in the millions for a week at 1 cent a bee to pollinate their vines. After a week, the beekeepers move the hives out so the frustrated bees  can go back to nectar producing plants and making honey.  

 The farms are protected with wind breaks and are divided into separate types of kiwis--the familiar green fleshed fruit and a more esoteric golden variety. There's also a red one in the works but it's not widely available. 

The golden kiwi vines are trained to grow up into teepee shapes and the fruit is more prone to damage. Farmers have difficulty hiring local workers to harvest kiwis. It is hot, back-breaking labor, so guest workers are brought in from Asia. They are housed and well-supported for the three month season. Green kiwi harvesters are paid by the number of bins they fill. Gold kiwi workers are paid by the hour because they must go slower to avoid bruising the fruit.

After our trip to the fields, we were treated to a Maori dance group while we snacked on kiwi slices, biscuits and tea.

 
Is this more than you ever hoped to know about kiwi fruit? 

I confess I was weirdly fascinated by what it takes to produce these odd-looking little nutrient-dense powerhouses. And we haven't even reckoned on how they ship them around the world! 

But I expect to buy them more often when I get back home. It'll be a sweet, healthy reminder of our time here in NZ. 

 

Auckland Adventures

 "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." ~ Edmund Hillary, Kiwi mountaineer who was the first to reach the summit of Mt. Everest

Last time we were in Auckland back in 2018, it was a very drippy day. Today, the sky is brilliant blue, and the temps are in the low 70's. Really kinda perfect! But we still venture out with my O2 concentrator on my back and the rest of our gear in DH's backpack, which holds an extra battery for me, my yellow umbrella for rain or shine, water, and, in an abundance of caution, a rain poncho. One thing we can't bring is anything to eat. NZ has strict bio-protective laws designed to keep unwanted pests from this beautiful country.

We're off on the included excursions from Viking. It's pretty much a bus tour with a couple of photo stops and a visit to the War Memorial Museum. Our friends Kristy and Dave saw this museum back in 2018 and raved about it, so we're looking forward to the exhibits.

The human eye really responds to symmetry, doesn't it? This lovely garden commemorated the first Labour Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage. From what I can gather, he led the country in establishing a social security system and our driver told us he thanked Savage for the 40 hour work week. 

The museum is very well curated, all the artefacts displayed to tell the story of the seafaring Maori people. This outrigger canoe speaks to me of a clever engineering solution to the bounding waves. I wonder how long it took for someone to figure out that short of a double hull, this extra running keel off to the side would provide stability. The Maori's were resourceful and creative. This sort of thing proves to me that people are people. We don't really change. Only our technology does.

This beautifully ornamented war canoe was carved from a single tree trunk. It's 82 feet long. That's longer than my house. I cannot imagine how long it took for them to fell the tree, cut it in two lengthwise and hollow out the trunk without the benefit of metal tools. Be sure to check the DH's photo montage for more detailed pics of this vessel.

One of the places we were not allowed to photograph was the marae that had been re-assembled inside the museum. A marae is a sacred space and is specifically designed to honor the ancestors of the village. The intricate carving is reminiscent of totem poles with one figure atop another. The eyes, like those on the canoe above, are made from abalone shells and certainly give those in the marae a sense of being watched. I couldn't help but think of the beginning of Hebrews chapter 12--"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..."

The SkyTower behind this handsome fellow is the tallest building in southern hemisphere. There is an option of being able to bungee jump from the tower, but "tis an honor I dream not of."  

We really love New Zealand and consensus from so many on board the Sky is if we didn't live in the US, this is a place where we could feel at home. There certainly seems to be plenty of space. 90% of the world's population lives north of the equator. 

So this is how the other 10% lives...

Auckland in pictures

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Welcome to Auckland, New Zealand's second capital city. The first one was Russell, a smallish town across from where we disembarked at the Bay of Islands. 

More soon...

Bay of Islands in Photos

 Bay of Islands, The Winterless North

When you live in the northern hemisphere, north means cold. South of the equator, the northern part of land masses are warmer than southern. So beautiful Bay of Islands doesn't have to worry about snowfall.

Here's the DH's photo montage of our visit:

Crew contract on Viking run 6 months on, 2 months off. They work 10 days, 7 days a week, yet they are unfailingly cheerful and fascinating to talk to. This is Tabeth, our excellent senior server at The Restaurant. She is leaving us in Auckland to return to her home and family in Zimbabwe.

Godspeed, Tabeth. You made every meal an event for us! Thank you.

Waitangi--Bay of Islands

 "Haere Mai" ~ "Welcome" in the Maori tongue

January 28, 2025

If we look happy, it's because we are! Today is the first day in a long time that we don't have matching high 90's temperatures and humidity. Here on our initial New Zealand stop, we're expecting a high of only 73 degrees and negligible humidity. Lovely exploring weather!

Bay of Islands, where the Sky dropped her anchor this morning, is dotted with 140 islands, islets, and rocks that have permanently poked their heads above water. In 1769, Captain James Cook charted both the nothern and southern islands of New Zealand and gave Bay of Islands its name. 

We had to ride a tender in to the pier to catch our excursion bus, and in an abundance of caution, we went early. The nearby little town of Paihai runs a shuttle bus to their business district every twenty minuts, so we hopped on and went in search of cough drops. I still have plenty, but it's always good to keep up our stock of consumables. Unfortunately, the girl who helped me look in the pharmacy said she'd never heard of sugar free cough drops, which I need to use. Oh, well... I'll check again in Sydney. 

 

The DH loves waterfalls, so we were delighted when our first stop was at Rainbow Falls. It is aptly named because on this sunny day, the DH was able to snap a photo of the bow near the base of the falls. To reach the falls, we enjoyed a leisurely walk through a forest that was alive with bird calls and redolent with the sweet breath of flowers and green growing things. I'm sure the DH will include his rainbow shot in the photo montage he's working on. 

Built in 1822, the Stone Store, shown to the left of the white clapboard Mission House, is the oldest structure in New Zealand. The picturesque river rollicking in the foreground is very unique, above the row of rocks that bridge the stream, the water is sweet. Below the rocks, the water is brackish because the river feeds into the sea and tide reaches its salty fingers inland. 

I find New Zealand very similar to our Ozarks as far as topography goes. We too have green rolling hills, are surrounded by deep forest and have sparkling clean spring-fed streams. The difference is the type of flora and fauna. I have yet to recognize tree species and many of the flowers in New Zealand.

Our last stop was at Kawakawa, an unabashedly touristy town whose claim to fame is this public toilet designed by Austrian artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He avoids straight lines at all cost which leads to undulating walls and floors. I defy anyone to locate a 90 degree angle in the place. 

Not sure what I think about it. I wish Kawakawa would invest in a custodian to keep the place cleaner. But if you've ever wanted to relieve yourself in the middle of a modern art installation, this is your chance! 

More soon...

Rarotonga Thru The DH's eyes

 I have traveled a fair amount, and I have visited some great cities. I love architecture and museums and castles and ruins and central markets and even double-decker bus tours. But, I am a sucker for a tropical beach.~ Chelsea Cain

One of the things that allures me to the South Pacific is the concept of "island time." We have an approximation of it in the Ozarks. Being punctual for anything is the exception rather than the norm. But in these islands, the "timelessness" of life is on steroids. If it doesn't get done today, tomorrow is coming. 

There's no need to hurry. Nothing is so urgent that you can't slow down and enjoy the moment.

 

I feel my blood pressure lowering just thinking of the blossom-soaked air and light breeze on these islands...

Unless of course the tide is out. Then it's tainted by sad trapped sea creatures who didn't quite make it back to the open ocean. One of the photos in this montage is of a wild dog chasing fish in the shallows. We did enjoy watching the dog pounce and splash around until it caught its lunch. 

Sadly, that dog may be someone else's lunch eventually. I remember our guide on Bora Bora in 2016 asking us not to hate him, but sometimes, he just got hungry for dog. He was quick to say that the feral dogs that run wild in the South Pacific are no one's pets, so it's not like eating my Charlie or Albert (though truth to tell, at 5 pounds, Albert wouldn't make a mouthful!) 

I still think dogs are what Hugh Ross, a noted astrophysisist, calls "soul-ish" animals. They feel. They think. They dream. 

And I'm so thankful never to have been hungry enough to eat one.  

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

 Jan 22, 2025

"Kia orana" ~ Means "May you have long life."

Rarotonga is the first "new-to-us" port on our itinerary. We were supposed to visit it in 2016 on our 30 day HAL cruise, but the ocean was too rough for tender service. We had to settle for "scenic cruising" around the entire island, but weren't allowed to set foot on this little patch of English protectorate, the largest of the Cook Islands. Our previous islands have been decidedly French, but for a bit going forward, all our stops will have a British past.

You can tell the Brits have been here. Everyone drives on the left, and we saw at least one "roundabout." (We call them traffic circles in the States.) English is spoken as well as the Maori  tongue. 

Like all the islands we've visited since leaving Hawaii, the geography is strikingly similar. The interior is ruggedly mountainous and any roads cut through the dense undergrowth are not generally traversable by less than a four X four filled with stout hearted folk! Most people use the coastal road that rings the island to get from one place to another. There is a flat plain of arable land where most people choose to live. 

And where they bury their dead.

Homes tend to remain within families because it's likely that grandma and grandpa are entombed in cement vaults in the front yard. There's not enough topsoil to allow anything other than above ground burial. 

Tender service to the island was an adventure. The waves heaved with a three to four foot swing between the Sky and the tender boat. Fortunately four able crewmen were on hand to tell us when to step and to steady us as we made the transfer. Still, I was thankful for a fresh scopolamine patch while we rocked and rolled!

Our excursion took us to a little museum where we were treated to the most thorough explanation of how the ancient seafarers migrated from Asia and Africa. They didn't just row the double hulled canoes. They had twin sails which they used to sail tacking against the prevailing wind and current. That way, if they traveled far enough without sighting land, they could turn around and be fairly assured of being able to make it home with the aid of those natural propulsion devises. They made use of studying the apparent location of our nearest star--the sun--to navigate, along with studying cloud formations (which tend to pile up over land masses) and of course sighting seabirds.

The museum lecturer also posited much lower ocean levels in the ancient past, which allowed for land bridges from Asia to Australia and some of the nearer islands. 

This double hull canoe was highly ornamented with carved sides. While possessed of lovely lines, it certainly showed the ancient Polynesians had to travel light!

In 2016, our Polynesian Cultural guide told us that a muumuu was like a bank. A man knows what's in it. He's just not sure how much.  

Our tour included some beach time, so I'd dressed in a muumuu over my swim suit. Unfortunately, the tide was out, making this beach unsuitable for swimming or wading. And more than a little odiferous. Heavy sigh...

So we headed back to the lovely Sky and spent some time in the spa. 

Are we spoiled rotten or what?   

      

The Body Remembers...

 Jan. 21, 2025

"It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve." MyGriefAssist.com.au

I woke feeling very low on the 21st. I was listless. Unmotivated. My back ached and my throat felt tight. I didn't even feel like going to passenger choir. 

I suspected it was because the anniversary of my dad's death was looming. He died a year ago on January 22nd. But on the 21st, we knew he was "transitioning," as his hospice nurse told us. There was nothing more we could do. The tumor that would steal him from us was running its course, as inexorably as a boulder rolling down the side of a mountain.   

We could only keep vigil at his bedside, holding his hand, speaking our love to him though he was unable to respond, trying to sing songs he loved, reciting the 23rd psalm that he'd been repeating over the previous weeks as he struggled to put on his socks. Into the dark hours just after midnight, I waited and watched in helpless sorrow as the first man I ever loved slipped away. He taught me so much. The last lesson was how to die.

We were all entirely spent. Drained to the last dregs. 

As if my body remembered, it was that same feeling that held me fast this year on the 21st. My DH and Dad had become very close, so he understood how I felt. So we declared a day in. After lunch, we retreated to our cabin and watched a movie that had captivated Dad's imagination--The Life of Pi. It's a quixotic tale of action and adventure with spiritual overtones. It's beautifully shot and I enjoyed  seeing it again, remembering how it pleased Dad so that I'd watched it with him. There's no romance, so Mom was not a fan, but Dad enjoyed stories that made him think. 

He also loved sci-fi, so while we ate our room service supper (excellent, BTW) we watched The Martian, another favorite of Dad's.  He loved stories that rewarded hard work and determination, traits he exhibited all his life.

By the time we turned out the lights, my spirit had lifted. I reminded myself that Dad was on the greatest adventure of his life. He is with his Savior and if ever he remembers his life here with us, it must seem like a dream. We feel the separation, but he doesn't. I told him in his final days that he will look over his shoulder and there we'll be, right behind him.

On the 22nd, we visit Rarotonga, our first new-to-us port on this itinerary. So I'll be sharing our doings for that day soon. 

  

Tahitian Photo Montage

 Jan 21, 2025

The DH has put together a short collection of photos from our 2 visits to Tahiti. We really only expected to see it once on this trip, so the extra day was a gift! 

 

Yes, this part of the world really is just this gorgeous! 

More soon...

Tahiti Redux

 Jan. 20, 2025

Our return to Tahiti gave us a chance to explore Pape’ete, the capital city of French Polynesia. Pape’ete means “bowl of water”—a precious thing to seafaring people. There are 180,000 residents on the island now. When British Captain Cook arrived on the island in 1769, he estimated there were over 200,000 on the island of Tahiti alone.

Our guide, Erik the Viking (His favorite way of describing himself) led us through the congested streets to the royal palace. There is no royal family now but the lovely building is available for weddings. Our next stop was the market place. The lower level was filled with fishmongers, fruit and vegetable sellers, pearl merchants, and flower stalls. I didn’t go upstairs to the “knickknacks and scarcities” section because I don’t collect anything and I feel bad looking at handicrafts and not buying something.

Then we walked to the big Catholic church in the center of town. Polynesians were animists with a dash of ancestor worship prior to the coming of missionaries. English missionary Henry Nott had to learn the language, devise an alphabet for it, translate the scriptures into the new written language and then teach the Tahitians how to read. This happened around 1840. Now about 95% of Polynesians identify themselves as Christians. 

Talk about successful evangelism!

French Polynesia is a semi-autonomous territory belonging to France. It’s made up of 5 archipelagoes—the Society Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, Gambier Islands, the Marquesas, and Tubuai Islands. It’s around 130 islands altogether, not all of them inhabited. They are allowed to send 5 representatives to Paris to serve in the governing assembly, but they are not French citizens. 

Check out the eel among the koi fish in the pond in the private garden. Tahitians revere eels and do not eat them. 

As Eric led us into the private garden behind the government house, he told us no one wants to be an independent country. Unlike New Caledonia (another French possession in the south Pacific) that is in political upheaval now because they are seeking independence, French Polynesia needs the protection and patronage of France to enjoy the standard of living they’ve achieved. New Caledonia has plentiful nickel deposits so they have something to build an economy on besides the very fragile tourist industry. 

Pape’ete is a modern city. They have a university, a hospital, air service to several continents. To be honest, when you think about the fact that this people group has catapulted from the stone age to the 21st century in a little over 200 years, I think they’ve accomplished something quite remarkable. 

The tour was supposed to be 1 ½ hours long, but at 2 ½ hours with no sign of slowing, we tipped Eric and found our way back to the ship. The matching temperature and humidity really exhausted me. To be fair, we often have high 90’s with high 90’s humidity in the Ozarks, but we believe in air conditioning there! 

Plus Percival (my purse sized portable oxygen concentrator I wear in a back pack) was down to 14 minutes worth of supplemental O2. The DH was carrying a spare battery in his backpack, so I was never in any danger, but it’s nice to be able to make it back to the ship on one battery. 

More soon…or, as often as the DH can bend the Viking wifi to his will! 

Bora Bora in Words

Jan 19, 2025

Technical note: There has been a flurry of technical difficulties getting my posts up. Evidently my 5 year old computer is too old to deal with the Sky's wifi updates. DH to the rescue. He's set my blog up on HIS computer, but everything still moves with the alacrity of a sea cucumber. I promise to write my impressions and gather up the photos, but I can't promise my blog posts will be regular. (Insert sad face here)  

Hope you enjoyed the DH’s photos. Bora Bora is an enchanting place. 

As usual when we travel, I want to learn more about the lives of the people who call the place home. Our delightful captain for our lagoon cruise introduced himself as Mana, whose name means “power.” He was a mean ukulele player and a fount of information. 

He was candid about Bora Bora’s struggles due to decreasing tourism. The island is dotted with several failed resorts, some that have been closed since the economic downturn of 2008. Some kept a skeleton work force just to care for the property while others have allowed the island to reclaim the buildings with its lush vegetation. More than a few have been scavenged for building material.  Other hotels reopened only to be crushed when covid shut down the island to all visitors.  Now Bora Bora is adding to its available “over-the-water” bungalows because 80% of the island’s guests are on their honeymoon.

Raiatea is a one hour ferry ride away from Bora Bora

The island visible in the distance is Raiatea. It’s the second largest island in French Polynesia, after Tahiti. High school aged students on Bora Bora used to have to take the hour long ferry to this sister island for the higher grades. But they didn't take the ferry every day. The kids stayed on Raiatea for two months while class was in session, then they’d be home on Bora Bora for a month throughout the year. Mana was proud to point out that Bora Bora has its own high school now. To attend university, they’ll have to go to Tahiti.

One last fun fact about Mana’s name. It turns out the DH’s name means “Strong & Powerful.” Pretty close to Mana’s meaning. I wonder how many other male names around the world mean “power.”  

More soon…