DAY 59 DAY 47 SERENITY

2/23/2020

WELCOME TO WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

We returned to the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink.

We were joined mid-way through by Charles and Alice. We will be touring with them tomorrow and also have a dinner planned together. They are a lovely couple and we are so glad we met them through cruising.

Then it was off to the Italian Specialty Restaurant Prego for dinner. We were joined by Crew Officer LeRoy. We have known LeRoy for many years. He started on Serenity in Waterside (back then it was called the Crystal Dining Room), moved over to the Reception Desk. From there he went to Shore Excursions and eventually became the swing Assistant Shore Excursion Manager. The last few years he has served as the Crew Officer. In this position he has many crew related responsibilities from training to room assignments and the planning of crew events.

Below Anne Marie with Head Waiter Morne.

Dinner was wonderful. The first photo is a seafood salad Keith had. This has been on the menu before but served in a glass rather than plate/bowl. A nice presentation.

Evening entertainment included:

Two shows performed by Comedic Impressionist Keith Scott.

Two shows Sweet Soul Music performed on many voyages featuring the music of soul vocalists Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight Stevie Wonder and lots more artists.

We slept well until early morning when the sea swells turned strong and we could feel the vibration and shaking of the ship and some noise outside. In time things calmed a bit although it went back and forth. Serenity was sailing to our next port of call of Wellington, New Zealand. We began the day with a workout for Keith and breakfast.

Shortly after breakfast we saw the Tug Boat arrive. It was very windy outside, rainy and cold.

We have been to Wellington, NZ in 2008, 2011, 2015 so this marks our fourth visit. We have done organized tours on two of the prior trips so today we just visited this city on our own.

The population of the city is close to 215,000 residents. Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand and the third most populous areas of the country.

Major highlights include:

Te Papa Museum which opened in 1998 and includes dresses and textiles that date all the way back to the 16th century.

Museum of Wellington City & Sea which opened in 1972 and contains four floors covering the history of Wellington.

Cable Car & Botanic Garden. The cable cars were established in 1902 and the Botanic Garden includes several components including a Rose Garden, and Begonia House.

Zealadia Karori Sanctuary is a protected nature area on 560 acres and was created in 1999. The sanctuary is home to various native birds and reptiles.

Old St. Paul's Church which was opened in 1866 and is built in a Gothic Style and constructed from New Zealand's native timbers, with stained-glass windows.

By the time we took the shuttle into town the rain had stopped. The sun came out for part of the walk around downtown. One of the local tourist people thought our ship would not make it in today given the strong winds. Thankfully we did.