DAY 53 DAY 41 SERENITY

WELCOME TO THE BAY OF ISLANDS - NEW ZEALAND

Thank you for the recent comments.
 
Bill...We appreciate your comments and agree with you about attire including at the Fitness Center.
 
Gilly, Carolyn, Terry, Bob & Jeannie, Karin, Sophie and Diane.... Thank you all for your good wishes about our new Grand Baby Savannah.

Joanthan…We do measure though the iWatch our steps and miles.  Anne Marie gets 10,000+ steps regularly and Keith gets 20,000 to 40,000 steps and ten to twenty miles. When Keith uses the Indoor Cycling App for the Cycle classes he doesn't get credit for steps.  
 
Last evening we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon.

​We  also attended the Cruise  Critic Meet  &  Mingle Party.

We dined at  Prego.  It was  a  Crystal Society Dinner for the two of us hosted by Crystal Society Hostess Alyssa along with Future Sales Consultant Paula Jean.

Dinner was wonderful.  We enjoyed  delicious food, wonderful service and  lovely  conversation.  We dine for close to two and one-half hours.

The evening entertainment featured International Jazz Pianist Kym Purling.

Serenity was relatively  calm as we sailed to Bay Of Islands.

We began our day with another beautiful sunrise.  

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We  continued to enjoy  beautiful views as  we ate breakfast.  

This is our third visit to this area; first in 2015 and  most recently in 2019.  In 2015 we were supposed to stop at another area but the stop was cancelled  as the tender pier did not meet the safety requirements for Crystal.  This port-of-call was substituted.

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 to walk outside on the Promenade Deck.  For a portion of the walk she saw dear friends Glo and Bob and ended up walking for awhile with Bob.

Keith had already  taken the tender over to the Island and Anne Marie saw him  getting in the tender.  

The day began with temperature which called for a light jacket but it warmed up to a delightful temperature.  Keith did a combination walk and run from the tender pier into town.  He stopped to smell the roses in the figurative sense taking in the natural beauty all around.  

On the way back he ran all the way from the down to the tender pier and this is when he wished he was not wearing the light jacket.  LOL.

Back on the ship we enjoyed  lunch at Marketplace and  after lunch Anne Marie walked and Keith ran.  We also  spent time with members of Team Serenity and fellow guest.

This is the daily Reflections Program.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith