The Fiords of New Zealand

 With it's jagged misty peaks, glistening lands and fiords, Fiordland National Park is one of New Zealand's premier World Heritage Sites.     Fiordland is home to Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds where cliffs soar almost vertically from deep indigo waters.     While these are not true Sounds, the names continue on..

The spelling of Fiord vs Fjord was done to distinguish these areas from others.

These Fiords are home to many fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins.       We had a very rain and misty day for this visit, thus most of my photos appear black and white.

Bob was checking the weather mid day - no change coming.

 

SYDNEY

 

We arrived in beautiful Sydney harbour on December 23^rd .     This was transition day for us as we are on back-to-back cruises.      Most people are departing.    The ship will be cleaned and the new guests will arrive for the next two weeks.     We arrived during the early hours so I didn't get a shot.     One of my new friends shared this with us.

 

Bob and I went exploring on our own.      Our first area was the downtown shopping area.      It was full of energy with all the Christmas decorations and people out shopping for last minute gifts.      Their trees are decorated a little differently from ours, but beautiful.

We moved on to the famous Opera House.    What an incredible building.     Unfortunately tours were not offered when we were there, but we did have lunch at their outdoor cafeteria.      

This is also the area where NY Eve fireworks are shows.    I took a picture of the pricing for early dinner and/or the actual fireworks.    A bargain at $350 per person for snacks and a chair.

 

Day 2:     This is a special day.    We spent the day at the Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park.    This is a hands on park with many of the animals roaming freely, especially the various breeds of Kangaroo.

My favorite part - hugging a Koala.     What adorable creatures they are.

These penguin look alikes are only about 12" high, but they walk just like their larger counterparts.

Christmas on the ship.........

As usual, we had a great dinner   (I love anything with squid ink)

Some of the crew and our other favorite bar tender

A final view as we leave Sydney Harbour.      I think this is an absolute favorite photo of mine from the trip.      More "fine art" than blog photo, but .....    What do you think?

 

NOUMEA   NEW CALEDONIA

 

 

This is the first cosmopolitan city we have seen in the islands.    It’s quite a change from the small villages we’ve seen.       It is a French territory.    New Caledonia has developed a reputation for being an exceptionally expensive destination.   Reports suggest that the cost of living is about 20% to 37% more expensive in New Caledonia than in Australia or New Zealand.

The Island's reef is the world's second largest, just behind Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The land is unsuitable for cultivation so food and produce is all imported. This means that not only is it really expensive, there didn't seem to be a great importance of fruits or vegetables being available.

Having served as the headquarters of the US Army during WWII, the tropical shrubbery of the Ouen Toro Mount is now under the protection of abandoned Naval guns.   The Memorial here is in honor of Allied troops that protected the island.

The Church of the Conception was one of our stops.   It was built by missionaries in 1874.    Most of the island's residents are Catholic.    We are here a few days before Christmas, so the Nativity is displayed.

The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre showcases Kanak heritage.   It opened in June 1998 and was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the leader of the independence movement who was assassinated in 1989 and had a vision of establishing a cultural centre which blended the linguistic and artistic heritage of the Kanak people.

There are many of these "half" buildings connected to make the Centre.     It is very impressive from the front and back.     Unfortunately I didn't get any distance photos.

 go

Back to the ship and an evening of food, after dinner cocktails with one of our favorite bartenders and of course a sunset.

This is our Good Bye to French Polynesia (South Pacific)     What a wonderful two weeks it has been.   We will wake up tomorrow in Australia with many more pictures and commentary.