Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone.

Down here in Australia, we will be among the first in the world to ring in 2009.

2008 was a very good year for me, so 2009 will have a lot to live up to.

One Tour to Rule Them All

After multiple tries I was able to go on one of the 2 tours we offer that goes to Lord of The Rings film sites. This one goes to a few sites, Helm Deep, Minas Tirith, and Rivendell. Even though the main set pieces are no longer there it is still a cool tour and neat to see the sites that the movie was made. It was raining fairly badly that day, so it was not the best day to be outside and walking around the film sites, but luckily it was not raining as badly as it was in the city.
We had a tour guide who worked on all 3 movies as well as King Kong, so he had a lot of good stories and behind the scenes info about Lord of the Rings. One thing he told us was how many of the big set pieces were created out of Styrofoam, and then painted. They used so much Styrofoam during the filming that Peter Jackson created his own company to produce the stuff. And then after the filming was done he had everything recycled, and it was sold as home insulation. Our tour guide had his home redone, and asked the installer if he was getting Lord of the Rings insulation. But they told him he was getting all King Kong stuff. But that’s still cool.
After the film sites tour we were taken to the local wine region, where we had lunch at a restaurant and wine tasting place. A nice assortment of local wines and food.
And then we went to 2 other wineries nearby, both specialized in Pino Noir, but they had a very nice variety of whites and reds. One of the families’s doing the tour owned a winery of their own in the Napa Valley, so the people running the tasting were interested to hear their opinions on the wines.
One thing that was interesting during our drive between the film sites and the winery’s was the mountain pass road we took. The road hugged the edge of a very steep cliff, which would have been very scenic if it wasn’t for the low lying clouds and the rain. But what was interesting was the fact that the only thing stopping you from falling down the cliff in a accident was a series of small white posts stuck into the ground, with some wire strung between them. I wouldn’t even call it a fence. Our tour guide joked that they recently upgraded the safety of the fence… a second coat of paint.

This was a good tour despite the rain, and it’s one of the most sought after tours to be an escort on (lots of Lord of the Rings fans), now hopefully I can do the Hobbiton set tour next time, that one has some of the hobbit holes still there.

Olympic Restaurant

I just got back from dinner at the specialty restaurant; The Olympic.

The name comes from the fact that the wood paneling is from the old ocean liner The Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic.

The specialty restaurant costs $30 to eat at, for guests or crew, but the food is amazing.

I ordered: Goat cheese souffle, and Fois Gras as appitizers. Lobster and Scallops as my main. And lemon cheesecake and lemon sorbet as dessert.

The meal is done in the french style (meaning 3 hours long) and also had a nice cheese course with a very good selection of cheeses.

I also had some great wines to go with the courses. This will definitly push my bill I have to pay at payday into a much higher level, but it was all worth it.
Interesting note on the wine selection, there was a bottle of champagne from 1904 that was part of a shipment of many thousand that was sunk durring WWI, and remained under water for many years only to be found. The cold water perserved the bottles and the corks were intact. For the measly fee of $7000 you could have this bottle.
Also there is a bottle of red wine that has a less interesting story of being from 70 year old vines, grown at a high altitude. A mere $12,400.
My wines were not quite up to that level or cost, but still very good.

Overall it was a great meal, and experence.

Merry Christmas too alll and too all a good night

Merry Christmas to all.

Crazy party for all the crew.

And too all a good night

To the top of Mount Doom, did anyone remember to bring the ring?

Yesterday we were in Tauranga, one of my favorite cities we stop at in New Zealand. We decided to climb Mount Maunganui. Its not quite Mount Doom, but a good climb none the less. It was a very windy day, as we waled by the beach it was suprisingly empty for a saturday, and it would have been a great day for surfers, as the waves were good size. But I guess it being close to christmas and the 15 minutes of rain that just blew past scared away the beach goers.



Our group of people who planned to climb the mountain was smaller then the original plan, as we left late, due to a party the previous night, keeping people in bed longer then planned, my roommate not making it our of bed at all that morning/afternoon (a not unusal occurance)



After we got back to sea level, I went to the local surf shop, and bought a skim board. The beach is perfect for skim boarding, and as we will be back at this spot many more times, I should be able to get a lot of use out of it.



Not wanting to go back to the ship the broadcats manager and I stayed in town for a few beers, and talked to some locals about how great our jobs are. Nothing beats getting paid to go to the beach and drink beers in town. We made it back to the ship in the last few minutes before the crew call time. Which still left us with lots of time before the ship actualy left, as our call time is before the guest call time.

Jet Boat and more

When I was in Christchurch I went on a excursion that involved Jet boating and a winery and pub stop. This tour was undersold so we sent 2 crew as escorts.

We as usual started leaving the ship for a long bus ride to our first destination, a winery in the region. We did a wine tasting and I got to try a bunch of wines from the region. Then it was back on the bus to head for the place we were having lunch.

We had lunch at a hotel close to the area we were going to go jet boating, it was a good buffet lunch, and we had a bit of time afterwards to look around the small town we were in.

After that we headed to the river that had the jet boats. A jet boat is basically a small speedboat with 2 V8 engines that is built to zoom around the river.
We had 16 people in a boat that can fit 20 so we were not squished in Which was good because this was not a leisurely ride down the river. The driver told us first not to put our hands outside the boat, don't stand up, hold on to the hand rail etc.
But as we left we soon found out that keep your hands inside was not just something he was saying, as we passed within a few inches of the cliff sides of the rive, and it wouldn't have taken much to lose an arm. Also we did more then 5 360's, during different areas of the river.
I was not willing to risk bringing my camera on the ride, in the end it probably would not have been to risky, but luckily we were able to get some pictures taken by guests who did take their camera, and a guest that bought the pictures that were taken by the jet boat company offered to let us copy them.
The ride was very thrilling, the driver was obviously very skilled and knew what he was doing but he still left the guests unsure exactly what he was going to do, and many shouts of shock were heard as we passed close to rocks and cliffs, and a few times some surprised ducks, that had to swim fast to get out of the way.

After the jet boat we started heading back towards the ship, and our last stop was at the oldest pub in New Zealand. Dating back to 1860. We were a bit pressed for time, but we still had enough time for a beer and a snack.

On the was back to the ship, we rather then go through the tunnel through the mountain (built in 1960) we took the over the mountain route. Much more scenic, but wouldn't be very good for actual shipping of goods.

New Canuck

I just read on the cbc news website, Sundin signs with the Canucks.

Hopefully he can add some scoring durring the time we must still use our backup goalies.

Go Canucks Go!

New readers

Welcome to new readers.

Got a new post in the comments section from my parents next door neighbour.

Stay warm all those in Vancouver under all that snow.

What you get for $1.

At Home:






On Ships:

Shrimp scampi, rack of lamb, and strawberry sorbet.

Best meal this week

I'm sure I have posted in the past about ordering from the main dining menu. They put the menu in the staff mess, and you can order a 3 course meal, and all it costs is having to tip the waiter.

Well it can be hit and miss sometimes, but today was a great meal.

Cod Fritters, Pan seared Macadamia nut crusted Ahi Tuna, and lemon meringue tart. All for $1. Which is the standard amount that is expected to be tipped.

I have been meaning to take my camera to the mess to show some of the food we get, but I keep forgetting.

Quick lets save 6 cents

Just a quick post on something interesting I watched on the ship the other day.

We have some coke machines on the ship in the crew areas, but they never are plugged in or filled with any pop.

This is not an issue as the staff bar is always open and you can buy a coke there if you want one.

Well the other day they filled the coke machine.

I witnessed lines of people crowding around the machine and many were walking away with bags full of pop. By the next day the whole thing was sold out.

Now it’s not like there is a shortage of pop to be had, if someone wanted a bag full of pop you can get it just the same in the staff bar.

The only difference I could see was that the pop machine cost 60 cents and the staff bar costs 66 cents.

The people that were the ones buying the pop were mostly the lower wage earning crew, so I guess the savings were worth while. But if your that worried about saving money why are you buying bags full of cokes.

'Come to Tazmania' 'Down in Tazmania' 'We mean you!'

Today we docked in Hobart, Tasmania.

I didn't go on any tours at this city, and I already got to see some tasmanian devils from previous cruises.

I am going to post a few pictures that are leftover from my blue mountains tour.

Me petting a Koala

Southern Cassowary

Wombat

Dingo

Family reunion in Sydney

While we were in Sydney this last cruise, we had 2 overnights. This was a nice change from the standard; into a port a 7am out by 6pm. It also gave us a chance to go out and enjoy some night life of Sydney. Also we docked in the main part of the city so it was really easy to go out and do things.

On the second day of the overnights my sister came into the city from the school she was attending in a nearby town. We were able to meet in the area in front of the ship, a fairly good landmark, being the largest thing in the harbour. She came aboard and I gave her a tour of the ship, showed her all the good food we get to eat, where I work and what I do, and the cabins we squeeze ourselves into.

We got to tell each other all the cool stuff we have been doing; lots of beaches and surfing for her, lots of tours and sightseeing for me.

I also got to meet some of the people she is going to school with who also came out to Sydney that day. We all walked around looking for a place to eat, and eventually found a really good restaurant, that had really great wood fired pizza ovens. I got a pizza that was a lot like the Californian pizza from Earls at home; I even had them add pesto to drizzle over the top of it.

I also went to go see the new James Bond movie. I had planned to see it in the ‘Gold Theater’ which is a special cinema that most theaters have these days. It costs more then regular seats, but it only seats 40 people and they are all given big leather recliners, and there is waiter service and you can order things like pizza and beer. When we got there it was 9:10 and the gold theater started at 9:00, so we went with the regular.

Blue Mountains and more

I completed the cruise a perfect 6 for 6. A tour for every city, this last one was a close call, with my alarm not going off, or my not hearing it. I got called at the last second and had to rush to the bus. But all was good and I made it on time.

This tour was to the Blue Mountains, and a wildlife park. The first part was a 2 hour bus ride to get to, which was perfect for me because I could catch up on my sleep. We arrived at the Blue Mountains at 11am, and first had some time at the lookout point for pictures, and shopping. The area was made up of large cliffs and sandstone formations. The name Blue Mountains comes from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance.

Blue Mountains National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage sight. Adding another one, to the list that I have seen during these cruises also including; Cartagena Colombia’s old town, the Volcanoes of Hawaii, Fiordland National Park, in New Zealand, and the Sydney Opera House.

After everyone took photos, we were taken down the road to a gondola sight that would take us across the gorge. This gondola is unique for having the world’s first glass floor that can be changed from opaque to clear. I stood on the glass floor as they changed it while we were crossing over the gorge. The ride across only took about 5 minutes.

Once we were across, we were given lunch in the revolving restaurant on the other side of the gondola. The food was very good, and best of all I got to try kangaroo. It was very tasty, kind of like a mix of beef and lamb. But as it was cooked thinly sliced in a stir-fry style was kind of hard to tell its true taste.

After lunch we went to the wildlife sanctuary. I have been to one the last time we were in Australia, and I enjoyed it very much but there were a few animals that I didn’t get to see. This park however was far and away better then the one I went to in Melbourne. First of all as we entered an employee was holding a baby wallaby, and we could pet it and take our pictures with it.
Once we got inside we soon found out that the kangaroos and other various animals can be found walking around all over the place. They did have their own pens that had barriers, but they were just small logs that were more to tell the guests where to stay out of. We found many animals just walking around or in the case of kangaroos lying in the shade, and they thought nothing of letting people go up and pet them, and take pictures.
I also got to see Tasmanian devils, and wombats. 2 animals that I didn’t get to see last time.
Also interesting were the huge Varity of birds that the park contained, many that I had never seen before or even herd of.
One of the best parts was the employees took koalas out of their trees and put then on small trees so we could pet them and have our pictures taken with them. They felt as soft and fuzzy as they looked, and as long as they had a branch of eucalyptus to chew on they barely noticed we were there.
I took so many pictures, and there were so many interesting things that I never bothered to turn the camera off, that by the end of our time there I was getting the flashing battery warning light, and was worried that it wouldn’t make it to the end of the park.

I have done a lot of tours this trip, but this one is definitely in the top 3 of all the ones I have done.

One for every port of call

So just to keep up with my shore excursion for every port; I did one last one, totaling 6 over the last 2 weeks.

This one was called Jackaroo, and Jillaroos. A jackaroo is what farm workers were called, and for our tour we went to a private farm out in the country. The farm covered over 11,000 acres.

The owners were extremely friendly and made the experience a great time.

The first thing we did upon arriving at the farm was to go into their house for coffee, and snacks.

After that a bunch of sheep were headed into the shearing area and he showed us how it was done. It was very cool when he was finished and he threw the whole pile of wool onto a table, and it all stuck together in one big piece. You could still identify the areas of the legs and head.

The best part of this tour was when our bus was taken out into fields and then, using an ATV hundreds of the wild kangaroos that live on the farmland were herded past where we were standing. I got some great videos and pictures and, I’m really glad for the 10x zoom lens on my camera.

After that we went back to the house for lunch. The lunch was all cooked in the house, and included food from the farm, like lamb chops and lamb sausages. The lunch was very good, and we were also given local wine, and beer.

After we were done eating our host played the didgeridoo, and then told us how 10 years ago when he wanted to first start playing, he didn’t want to buy one before he knew he could play one properly. So he said that he practiced using his grandmother’s old vacuum cleaner hose. Then to prove he wasn’t kidding he pulled out the hose and actually played it. It actually sounded fairly good, and I even checked it to see if it was rigged or something. I have videos of both for everyone to see when I get home.

This tour was really fun, and it was the hospitality of the owners that made it so great

One other thing I noticed was that there were tons of wild cockatoo all around the farm. The people there said that they are a big pest and they cant plant any grain because they would eat it all. Its funny how back at home many people pay a lot of money for these birds, but here there are hundreds of them, almmost like seeing crows back at home.

Trains tours

In keeping with my efforts this cruise to do an excursion for every port of call, I did another two during our last two stops.

Both were train trips: The Tranz Alpine Train, in Christchurch, and the Taieri Gorge Train, in Dunedin.

The Tranz Alpine Train goes through what are called the Southern Alps, and crosses over them to the other side of New Zealand. Our trip only took us half way, and then we boarded a bus that took us back to the Ship. The train ride was great and the scenery was awesome, very lord of the ringish. Huge mountains and valley’s. Rivers crossing over large flat gravel beds. This was my first train ride since I was in Switzerland and went on the Jungfrau Railway to the top of the real Alps. The tour I went on was what was called the deluxe tour so it included an extra few stops after the train ride.
First we stopped at an old farm, the Homebush Homestead. It is a 6th generation family owned working sheep farm, we had lunch here, and it was a very good meal that included wine, and dessert. After that we did some standard touristy things, like seeing sheep shearing, and watching the sheepdog round up a flock of sheep. Watching the dog chase all the sheep around was a great time, you could tell he was having a great time and I got some good videos of it.
After lunch it was back on the bus and we headed for a garden’s that used to be a summer house for a sheep station owner, called Mona Vale. This had a river running through the gardens and a few guests with some kids had a great time feeding the ducks.
Lastly we did a quick tour through Christchurch, and then it was back to the Ship.
Another great tour, but a very long day, off the ship at 7:45 and back only 20 minutes before last call for guests to be back.


The second train trip we did was at Dunedin the following day. There were also a lot of guests doing this tour that had also been on the other train tour yesterday.
This one was more about being a scenic train tour then a functional railway. As this one only goes up the mountains and then back down, rather then crossing the mountains like yesterdays tour.
The train is a historical one with wooden cabs, rather then the more modern trains we used yesterday.
The trip began with a fairly basic ride in the country, lots of sheep, and cows, and a few llamas. But as we started to climb up the mountains the scenery got more interesting. Steep cliffs and mountains on both sides, and there were many large bridges made of cast iron, including the largest one in New Zealand. Our cab was at the back of the train so we were able to get some really good pictures of the bridges from the back window. We made a few stops for pictures, and at the top of the railway the locals had setup a craft fair where guests could buy stuff, while the rail crew switched the locomotive to the other side of the train for the trip back down the mountain.
On the way back down we were served lunch, it was a boxed lunch that was ok, but nothing compared to the one form yesterday.
My tour also had a city tour included, and this has its own very interesting story, but I think its best I don’t post it here. Ask me later.

After these 2 days of riding trains, I’m all trained out. It’s a good thing too, because there was one other train tour that I could have done, an overnight tour that went to Milford sound, where we pickup the guests from there just before our crossing to Australia. Well as we approached the sound the captain decided that it was too rough to enter the sound, and so the 40 guests and escorts were left behind in New Zealand. They will have to be taken to Queensland, and then flown to Melbourne where they will rejoin the ship. Kind of an interesting experience for them, but one that will no doubt cause many complaints. Also it will end up costing the company a boat load of cash.


Pictues to come soon