Last of the Sea Days

Sailing into Sydney at dawn: The Harbor Bridge and the Opera House beyond

ms Amsterdam
February 12-14, 2013

The three sea days between Picton and Sydney just flew by. Our luck held out: we had perfect weather and relatively calm seas save for one day that was a bit rocky. You can always tell when rough water is ahead; there are bowls of green apples and soda crackers at the front desk and little white bags discreetly hanging by every elevator. After five weeks we were quite experienced with the one-handed hair shampooing in the shower while hanging onto the safety bar with the other hand, walking the narrower halls along the stateroom decks rather than the wide open spaces of the shops/library/casino/etc deck so you can either bounce off the walls or hang on to the railings on either side of the halls and carrying a full glass or coffee cup at the Lido Buffet without spilling a drop. I'm not quite sure how we'll use these skills at home once we regain our land legs. After being on the ship for so long, when you are on dry land every once in a while you find yourself rocking with the non-existent waves on the non-existent sea.

The Tasman Sea can be quite stormy so we were more than happy to have such a smooth crossing entertained by  the occasional enormous pod of dolphins passing by.

Sea days are frequent and special on this long cruise. We've been educated by retired professors and other experts about earthquakes, volcanoes, maritime history of the Pacific, explorers, Polynesian migration, astronomy and geology. We've been entertained by singers, dancers, classical pianists and guitarists, comedians, folkloric troupes and even a magician and ventriloquist. A floating Ed Sullivan show. There is live music every afternoon and evening, from classical trios, to jazz quartets, dance bands and three different pianists at three different piano bars. And my new besties, the knitters. We met every sea day at 10 am in the Explorers Lounge for an hour to knit/crochet blankets for the Linus Project, catch up on what everyone had done in the various ports and just enjoy each other's company. I learned a lot from the experienced knitters, providing a good deal of comic relief in the process. I knitted a couple of blankets for charity, three patterned dish cloths to donate to a craft fair, five kitty snuggies for the no-kill shelter in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, plus two cowls for myself. They also pointed me toward some lovely yarn and quilt shops in New Zealand. We were truly an international group from the US, Canada, Bolivia, Brazil, Thailand, UK, NZ, Norway, Australia and more. I started to miss them the moment I left the Lounge the last sea day before Sydney.

We have had a fantastic adventure. Never in my life did I think I would cross the vast (boy, is it vast!) Pacific. And without getting seasick. I guess my grandfather and father were right; I did outgrow it!!! 40 days was a long time to be so far away from hearth and home. I was ready to go back to Kennesaw and catch up with life there but given the chance Jim would've stayed on the Amsterdam for the entire 115 days. Trust me, I will dearly miss the wonderful staff on the ship. Who will snap open my napkin at dinner and place it on my lap?

Our last night was a formal dress night for Valentine's Day. The ship was decked out from bow to stern with red hearts and streamers and flowers. We had another of the ship's officers at our table for dinner so the wine flowed. We all got a little misty-eyed when we said good bye to our table mates as well as the servers who had taken such good care of us. 81 of us disembarked in Sydney but 200 were joining the cruise so tonight two new people will take our seats at dinner.

Oh, remember Ginger? Well she and her sainted husband were on the airport bus with us this morning so I got to catch up on one last session of shipboard news: One couple had to fly home to Michigan to deal with broken water pipes that had gone all Katrina on their house but intended to catch up with the ship in Manilla, 26 people had not gotten their visas to visit China so had to spend a day in Auckland at the Chinese consulate acquiring the documents, Mary Ann's husband died shortly before the cruise started but had made her promise to take the trip anyway and so she did and has had her good days and bad days (and I have no more idea who Mary Ann is than you do!), there were several budding romances amongst the ship's staff, and Ginger and sainted husband were flying to SFO on their way home to Chico. It was only a 30 minute trip to the airport but Ginger talks a mile a minute. Jim was ready to tear his ears off but I think she's a total hoot! Plus she was wearing gold lame ballet flats for the trip home. I had to give her bonus style points for that.

This is the end of the saga. I'll put up some pictures after I get home. Thanks for sharing the past six weeks with me.

Picton, New Zealand

The Cloudy Bay Winery in Picton, New Zealand

Picton, NZ
The South Island
ms Amsterdam
February 11, 2013

Since the earthquakes in Christchurch on the south end of the South Island, some of
the cruise ships are starting to call in Picton which is on the north end of the South
Island. It's a tiny little community of 2,000 people and 2,000 boats (New Zealanders love
their water sports) but just over the coastal mountains is the Marlborough Valley, one of
the premier wine making regions in New Zealand.

For a long time, this valley was planted with apples, nuts, stone fruits, corn and probably
squash, too. They grow a lot of squash in NZ. It looks so much like the Napa Valley with
coastal mountains on one side and dryer hills on the other side but much, much bigger.
There are still lots of apple orchards and corn fields and of course sheep (the sheep
population is ten times the people population) but now tens of thousands of acres are
planted with grapes, specifically sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.

We opted for the Wine and Garden tour which, happily, was in the afternoon. I'd rather
taste wine at 2 pm than 10 am! We visited two vineyards, Cloudy Bay and Wither Hills
and had grand tasting experiences at both. Cloudy Bay is closer to the wetter coastal
hills while Wither Hills is named for the mountain range on the dryer side of the valley.

We did our tasting by candlelight in the barrel cellars at both wineries (reminded us
so much of the setting for our niece Erin's wedding at the Wente Winery in California)
starting with sparkling wine at each working our way through young to aged sauvignon
blancs then finishing with a pinot noir. Many of the people who were staying on the ship
for the entire cruise went back with several bottles from each winery.

Like the California wineries, each has a distinct architectural style and beautiful
grounds. They also serve light lunches which can be eaten as picnics on the grounds.
Although we didn't partake, we saw lots of people sprawled under the towering
eucalyptus trees at Cloudy Bay and the wisteria arbors at Wither Hills enjoying the day,
the place and the wine. There aren't near as many wineries as in Napa/Sonoma, but
there are quite a few throughout the valley, many offering "Accommodations" as well as
wine and food. Most on the tour voted for the Wither Bay offerings.

On the way back to the ship we stopped at Upton Gardens, a private garden planted
and maintained by a couple who had bought the property 25 years ago to renovate the
Victorian cottage located there. When the house was finished, Barbara Upton started
planting. The garden covers about an acre and a half with "rooms" defined by sharply
trimmed boxwoods and red cedar. There is a classic knot garden, a perennial garden,
an olive grove, vegetable garden and fruit orchard of apples and citrus and with pears
espaliered on a used brick wall. Completely untrained in landscape design, Barbara has
created a jewel of flowers, fruit and greenery. It was the perfect way to end our day in
the Picton region. Now to Sydney and home.