February 19
Today was a wonderful day, a day needed to rest up from the previous ports. Once we turned the northern edge of the North Island of New Zealand and entered the Tasman Sea, the waters were still and looked like a mirror. The cost line was rocky and very sandy. There were several lighthouse atop the rocky shore. We saw whales, dolphins, hundreds of jellyfish and even a fish as the water was very clear. (There was even a fish with a big fin which I decided was a shark.) We could watch the dolphins swimming underwater than exploding to the surface. It was an amazing day and the best for sightings on all the miles we have sailed. Below is a few pictures of the Tasman Sea and the sunset.
On board now is Captain Stubbing, of Love Boat fame. Yes Gavin MacLeod. What an amazing career he has had and the number of movies he has been in. He gave a talk for over an hour on his multi-faceted career in music, on stage, in television and in film. It was very interesting. Tomorrow he is talking about his friendships with Tony Curtis, Cary Grant and Steve McQueen and shares stories from both on and off the set of his films. Surprise, he is also a spokesman for Princess Cruise Lines, so it is actually commercial too!
February 20th Happy President’s Day !
Today as we continue sailing down the New Zealand coastline, the oceans are no longer smooth as glass but mildly choppy. It is warm and we have kept our balcony door open most of the day. We get the sun in the afternoon but it still nice to sit on the balcony. We have seen Australasian gannets, Royal Albatross and Oyster catchers but have not seen any Yellow-eyed Penguins yet. They say it is possible along this coast. I had another Photo Elements class and my head is spinning from it. I hope I retain some of the information.
The Evening Show times were changed so we caught the end of it. The entertainer was Peter Paki, a New Zealand variety entertainer. At the end he did a Haka impersonation which was rather funny, and he sang the Haka song in English. I’m glad we missed the rest of the show however, it was marginal at best.
Through the night we will continue on our course to Fiordland National Park. We are scheduled to arrive around 7am.
