DAY 50 - DAY 44 CRYSTAL SERENITY

WELCOME TO BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Catherine R. glad you enjoyed hearing about the Panel Discussion. You had asked if there were simple foods to eat on the ship and the answer is yes.  For dinner you can have Chicken, Salmon and Steak any evening.  Sometimes there is Meatloaf  or Turkey.  For lunch there is the Trident Grill serving Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and other items such as Salmon with or without bun. Waterside might have a Hamburger on the menu from time to time and Marketplaces has lots of simple items including soup, sandwiches, chicken, etc.
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We wanted to begin with some photos from the Tug Of War Event.  This is the winning team which is the waitstaff team from Waterside followed by photos of some of the other teams.

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This is a photo of the second place team from the Engineering Department.

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We began last evening attending the 2019 World Cruise Games Closing Ceremony. This ceremony recognized the guests who placed first, second or third in the final ten scheduled events. Winner were awarded a gold, silver or bronze medal.  The events included lap swimming, mixed doubles shuffleboard, men’s doubles table tennis, Crystal Family Paddle Tennis (one crew member and one guest on each team), duplicate bridge, social bridge, photo contest, and mixed doubles tennis.  Keith and his partner Rosa were each awarded silver medals for coming in second place in the mixed paddle tennis double tennis event.

Before the ceremony began the World Cruise Choir sang.  At the end of the closing ceremony we watched Dancers Curtis and Beverly perform.  They dazzled all of us with amazing dance.  Several times Curtis lifted Beverly into the air and she slid on the floor a couple of times.  They are amazing dances and it was fitting that they closed the ceremony as they are champions in dance.
 
Afterwards, we dined at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant with good friends John & Linda.
 

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These are the menus from Waterside.

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Dinner was terrific.  We had such a great time dining with Linda and John. Lots of great conversation, terrific food, outstanding service and such a nice dining venue.

Our waiter was Azem and our sommelier was Lubo.  We both had Caesar Salad and Keith had Veal Limone and Anne Marie had the Veal Marsala.  

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We slept well as we sailed to our next port of call of Bay of Islands, New Zealand.  Keith worked out in the morning and this was followed by breakfast for the two of us. We then got ready to visit Bay of Islands which we visited for the first time in 2015.

The Island has a population of 160,00 residents.  It is Northland's main attraction.  The island has a subtropical climate and is considered to have some of the finest game-fishing waters in New Zealand.  This is the area where the first European settlement was established and where modern New Zealand became a nation.  

It was in this area that a treaty was signed between the Maori and the British making New Zealand part of the British Empire.

Major attractions include:

Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the signing of the Maori Treaty of Waiting took place in 1840 between Maori Chiefs and the British Crown.

Paihia Harbor which has public access beaches.

Russell Museum which reflects history of the town.

Haruru Falls where in the 1800s 100 Maori village lined the banks of the Haruru River.

Te Waimate Mission which was considered the first farm in New Zealand.

Anne Marie stayed on the ship and Keith took one of the first tenders.  It had rained earlier in the morning so Keith wore a rain jacket.  We had visited this Island a few years ago when it was substituted for a missed port.  Although a shuttle was available to take guests to/from the downtown area Keith walked to the town.  It is a scenic walk and he walked part of the way along the wharf and part of the way across the street.  He stopped at various sites and once he arrived to the town he walked up and down several side streets.  On his return from the town he walked past the entranced to the tender pier and over to Waiting Treaty Grounds.

The good news is it didn't rain.  Temperature was 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  He chatted with some locals in town and at the Treaty Grounds and they were very friendly which is one of the aspects of New Zealand which we enjoy.  We also love the natural beauty of New Zealand and how things are kept clean.  Speaking of clean every couple hundred feet there was a trash can which we think encourages people not to litter.

While Keith was waiting at the tender pier, friend John arrived from the shuttle bus so they shared the tender back to the ship along with two other guests and chatted the entire time.

​After returning to Serenity we had lunch at Marketplace.  We walked inside the ship after lunch.  We are enjoying the rest of the day on Serenity.

Tomorrow morning we arrive to Auckland, New Zealand.

Anne Marie & Keith

Following is the daily Reflections Program.