Day 16 — Napier
This was a really short day in port (which, at least this time, was part of the plan). We only had about four hours, which was too bad because Napier looks like a neat town. It’s known for its Art Deco style and actually reminded me a bit of an old-time Florida beach town.
With such a tight schedule, we headed straight for the aquarium so Mom could see her blue penguins. Blue penguins are the smallest penguin species and live in southern Australia and throughout New Zealand. They’re tricky to see in the wild since they head out to sea during the day and only return to the beaches at night—so the aquarium was our best chance for a guaranteed sighting.
The Napier aquarium is fairly small, but it has several good exhibits. We lucked out by arriving early and discovering that they had opened ahead of schedule because of the cruise ship. That meant we had the penguin exhibit entirely to ourselves for a good while before the crowds arrived.
After we got our fill of penguins it was back to the boat. That evening we treated ourselves to a very nice meal at the ship’s upscale restaurant—a welcome change from the usual dining room fare.
Day 17 — Tauranga
In Tauranga we opted for a boat tour on Lake Rotoiti with a stop to soak in the natural mineral hot springs that are so common in the region. We finally had some good weather luck and enjoyed a lovely day out on the lake.
The hot springs we visited were part of a small resort area with seven different pools, ranging from “slightly cool” to “scald your skin” hot. Mom and I rotated between several of them, with the occasional dip in the cold lake for me. It was a very relaxing few hours—despite the fact that we emerged smelling distinctly like rotten eggs.
Day 18 — Auckland
Today we disembarked the ship, and I don’t think either of us were sad to say goodbye. Fourteen days is a long time to be on a boat (and a number of passengers had actually sailed all the way from Seattle!). Now begins our two full days and two half days in Auckland.
After getting off the ship, we dropped our bags at the hotel and then headed right back down to the harbor to board yet another boat. (Next trip: no boats allowed!) This time we were hoping to spot dolphins and whales. The weather stayed on our side, and we got beautiful views of the Auckland harbor and the surrounding islands.
About an hour after setting out, we came across a pod of Common Dolphins (so named because they’re widespread around the world). It was wonderful to see them up close, and I even managed to get some decent shots despite not having my big camera. After a good stretch of time with the dolphins, we moved on in search of whales. We did find one, though he kept his distance, so much so that we couldn’t even get a confirmed species ID. Still, it was lovely watching him surface occasionally with a beautiful backdrop of sea and sky behind him.
Then it was back to port and back to our room for an early night. Tomorrow starts bright and early with a long day trip to Hobbiton and the thermal pools of Rotorua.
