29th February Brisbane to Auckland
This year we have been given the luxury of an extra day in the month of February so what better way to start this extra opportunity than with an alarm set for 4am!! Well 4:15am but I was awake at 4am.
Today we were starting our holiday to Papeete via New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and French Polynesia, then returning to Brisbane via New Zealand.
At the agreed time Wayne arrived to take us to the airport. I know it seemed early, but they always say be there from 3 hours ahead of your flight and I didn’t know what impact the COVID 19 virus health checks would have on timelines. Turns out we arrived a little too early for the check-in staff who hadn’t yet opened their check-in counters, however after a short wait, we had the privilege of being the first guests to check-in and send our luggage on its way. Surely the cases would be aboard the plane after being checked in so early!!
Moving through quarantine, customs and immigration was very smooth and soon we found ourselves walking through the duty-free shops and making our way into the International Departures waiting area. How to fill in the next two hours until boarding was easy due to my Qantas Club membership maintained for a few years after work for this sort of occasion.
The flight was called, and we boarded after noticing that the seats we’d selected had been changed at check-in and we were now sitting in an emergency row. This gave us unlimited leg room and the ability to get up from our seats with ease. The flight left the gate on time and taxied out to the runway for take-off. Here the pilot said that for a technical issue they would not be taking off but would taxi down the runway and take a side exit. Well our thoughts ran wild with the reason for this technical issue. Maybe our luggage did miss the flight? Maybe we had left a passenger behind? Maybe the co-pilot wasn’t sitting next to the captain? Well after a few minutes the captain explained that there had been a warning light show up in the cockpit triggered by one of the smoke detectors in a toilet. The crew believed that it was a false alarm, so they were going to reset the system and recheck the alarms. With no further issues discovered we were able to re-join the line of take-off aircraft and soon we were hurtling down the runway, reached lift-off speed, and soring over the houses below before the pilot pointed the nose of the aircraft towards the Tasman Sea and our destination Auckland.
The journey was uneventful although a little bumpy at times, however the pilot made up some time after the delayed take off and landed only a few minutes behind schedule.
Passing through New Zealand border security was straight forward and we emerged into New Zealand terminal to look for a phone and contact the pre booked shuttle service taking us to our accommodation. This process was also straight forward after changing a NZ dollar note into coins for the phone – that wouldn’t accept our plastic cards.
Because there was a three-hour time difference once we arrived at our hotel and settled in our room for the night it was a quick walk outside to find some tea as it was now late afternoon. Unfortunately our hotel was at the top of a large hill and the eating places were down the hill so off we set. We passed several Asian eateries but eventually found a McDonalds restaurant at the bottom of the hill. After a meal of New Zealand beef, we headed back up the hill to our apartment. Beside our apartment is an old cemetery so I don’t think we are going to have noisy neighbours tonight!!
1st March Auckland
This morning was a normal wakeup time – if you call 3:30am Brisbane time normal. However, in Auckland it was 6:30 and a reasonable time to exit the sheets. After a continental breakfast at the hotel this morning it was back to our room to repack the little we had out for our one night stay then down to reception to check out. Check-out was at 10am and the staff were happy to call us a cab and it arrived promptly so were at the wharf looking up at the bow of the Maasdam by 10:30. Boarding wasn’t to commence until 11:30 so leaving our cases with an attendant we walked some of the foreshore streets of Auckland to pass the time away. When we returned about 11:15 the queue to board was “rather long” in fact it stretched the length of the terminal building and for a few minutes we were at the end of the line. As promised the boarding process started at 11:30 and soon we were at the end of the line with our cases and filling in a health declaration form. After that the luggage drop-off, issuing our ship identity card and Border Security were all very smooth and soon we were on our floating home for the next two weeks and in our cabin. Our bags arrived soon after us, however we had more important things to do – it was lunchtime and the dining room was open.
We shared a lunch table with a couple from the USA who were on their ninth Holland America cruise, so we chatted to them about travelling and the various places that each of us had seen.
After lunch – back to the cabin to unpack – then the mandatory emergency drill before sailing out of Auckland harbour. Tonight (being Sunday) there was an interdenominational church service which we attended along with 12 – 14 people from USA, UK and Beth and I representing Australia.
After that service (approx. 45 mins) we headed to the Lido deck for a buffet dinner before resting our heads on the pillow to be rocked to sleep by the motion of the cruise ship underway.
2nd March Bay of Islands
Today dawned overcast however we had to be in the main lounge by 8am for departure on our excursion so we breakfasted early in the Lido Buffet and were there before the sun rose. During breakfast the ship arrived at the anchorage point and the crew started to prepare the lifeboats that would act as tenders and take us ashore.
We were ready at the allocated time and shortly after left to get the tender that would take us into Waitangi where we met our excursion leaders and the vessel in which we were to travel. The bay was a little choppy this morning however we boarded our vessel (a high-powered aluminium and steel raft) that was to take us on our cruise around some of the 88 islands that make up the Bay of Islands. We were told that our first point of call was doubtful because of the choppy seas, however the skipper would make a final decision as she motored further out into the bay. Leaving the shore, we travelled out towards our anchored ship so we could get a picture of it from the angle of the sea rather than being tied to a dock or from onboard the ship.
From near this point those in charge could see that the sea was too rough for a comfortable ride to our first point – Black Rocks, so instead we headed for a run (and bounce) across the bay to the Island of Motuarohia where there was a large cave at sea level. The boat could get reasonably close to the cave mouth, however as our skipper loved her job and didn’t want to be on the 6pm news for all the wrong reasons we didn’t try to enter the cave. From here we travelled to a nearby island called Moturua which had a memorial to say that Captain James Cook was the first white person to land on this land. He and his crew stayed there for about 10 days to do some repair work and while there did some extensive mapping of the surrounding islands. Captain Cook climbed to the top of a mountain (a hill by New Zealand standards) and with the 360 degree views from the top named this region the Bay of Islands. From here another fast and slightly bumpy ride brought us to the island of Urupukapuka and the section of the island known as Otehel Bay. This bay had the only commercial establishment in the Islands which are now declared National Parks and here we were able to land at a jetty and get out of the boat to assist the local economy by buying a coffee or some food. Coming from a cruise ship and soon after breakfast, some passengers were willing to purchase a coffee but not too many purchased food!!
After about 30 minutes we reboarded the boat just as a rain shower came across for the return journey to the township of Paihai. This was the end of the excursion and an opportunity to explore some local markets and the local shops.
From here we caught a shuttle bus to take us back to the tender and our return journey to the ship. This afternoon was a time for rest and wandering around the ship to get our bearings before dinner and the evening show. Tonight a singer Amanda Harrison from Australia performed on stage.
Tonight we were told that the French Polynesian authorities had made a decision that all incoming vessels must clear customs and health restrictions through their main port Papeete. This cruise was to call at Moorea first before moving onto Papeete so this cannot occur now. We will be proceeding to Papeete arriving earlier than planned and staying longer that originally planned. This is the second change to the original plan for this cruise.
3rd March At Sea
A more leisurely start to the day today as there was nowhere to go today except the dining room for a sumptuous breakfast, some information sessions, walking the decks, lounging on deck chairs watching other people walk, watch the calm seas glide by, and RELAX. So that is what we did!!
We did complete six laps around the deck which equates to a mile and ½ so we did some exercise.
Finished the day with a show by the Runaround Kids featuring rock music from the 50’s and 60’s then came across a duet playing classical music on the piano and violin.
4th March At Sea
Today another day at sea as we continue our journey towards Fiji. This morning we dined for Breakfasat in the Dining Room to a wonderful menu that features so many choices that we will never get to taste all of them. Then we attended a talk on the next season of Holland America cruises worldwide – don’t worry we didn’t book any!!
A talk by the cruise director followed on what to expect on the three islands of Fiji that we will be visiting. While we were seated in the main show lounge waiting for this talk to start the Captain made a ship-wide announcement. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Tonga has closed its ports to cruise ships for the month of March so that means that we will be unable to visit two of the destinations on our tour. There was an audible sigh of disbelief across the lounge as this announcement was made. This decision effects three other cruise ships that were to visit the kingdom during the month. The captain doesn’t have the authority to choose a different destination as that decision needs to come from Head Office so at this stage it looks like another two days at sea to replace the port calls. With the exclusion of Alofi already due to storm damage to their wharf that makes three ports of call crossed off the list. We wait to see what the Cook Islands do in the coming days. We also hope that Tahiti doesn’t follow suit as we are due to disembark there along with several other passengers and fly back to Australia.
Lunch today was at the Captains request. As previous Holland America travellers we were invited to have lunch with the captain today – although he didn’t stay to eat as he had other pressing matters to attend to. The lunch was a lovely four course meal.
This afternoon time for resting and reading on the deck. We completed four laps of the deck before Richard attended a computer class and we readied ourselves for dinner. Because of the sumptuous lunch we decided on the buffet dinner tonight where we could serve ourselves and have something light.
The show tonight featured a musical couple from Australia called Strings Alive. A husband and wife act where the wife played the violin and sang, while her husband played the guitar and piano – not at the same time. It was a very good performance and, in our opinion, the best so far on the cruise. After this performance we stopped by the classical duet again before one last lap of the deck and retiring for the night.
5th March Suva Fiji.
Today we arrived into the port of Suva and pulled up to a wharf – something that may be a novelty on this cruise. We had a tour of Suva and surrounding suburbs booked so a quick breakfast was in order so we could be at the Showroom at Sea meeting point at the appropriate time. The tour was in a modern airconditioned bus and the guide (Lawrence) was very informative and friendly. First stop was at a viewing point allowing photos of the city and our ship at the wharf. The tour then went through various suburbs of Suva and wound its way back to the Fiji Museum. Here we were allowed an hour to peruse the museum and the gardens in front of the building. While here the sirens started to wail, and an announcement was made over the city-wide loudspeaker system that a tsunami was approaching and everyone should move to higher ground. No-one seemed to be taking any notice of it including us tourists as we had been told before leaving the ship that there was to be a test of the alarm and warning system between 11 and 12 noon today. From the museum our next stop was a shopping visit to a local store called Jacks (no relation to Hungry Jacks) for some retail therapy, then our final stop was back at the dock and our floating residences.
After lunch we walked down the gangplank once again this time to venture to the local markets and some shops by ourselves. We visited a nearby market complex where stall holders each had a little section about 2 by 3 meters in which to display their wares. They would sit or stand outside their stalls and invite you to have a look inside. One gentleman really wanted Richard to by a necklace for a price of Fiji $70 by the time he was leaving empty handed the price had come down to Fiji $10. Guess Richard missed a real bargain!!
From here a gentleman wanted to show us his friends clothing shop just in town. Here we would be able to buy Fijian made clothing no imports!! “Instead of Billabong this is called Bullabong!!” Well we let him show us and after walking down the street and crossing two streets we finally came to the shop where he left is in the companionship of his friend. We had a look through however there was nothing of interest to us, so we walked out empty handed. The shopkeepers want to show you their goods, however are not forceful or pushy if you say no.
We walked through some of the shops making our way toward the fruit markets we had seen from the ship. The fruit markets were something fantastic – every possible fruit you could imagine and spread over a wide area. It is more a market for the people of Suva so they can buy fresh produce. Apparently the stallholders come from other Fijian villages bringing their surplus goods and stay there from Monday to Saturday, going home for Sunday and to restock before returning to the market on Monday morning. The stall holders are mostly women as the men remain home to tend the crops.
Back on the boat for dinner before a wonderful evening performance by Martin Ralph – billed as the friendliest comedian he was funny but also demonstrated his prowess with yoyos, whip cracking and lasso’s as part of the act. His finale was to make a lasso from over fifty feet of rope – it brought the Showroom at Sea audience to their feet with a standing ovation. Finishing the evening by listening to the last half of the classical music concert by Pianist and Violinist.
6th March Savusavu Fiji.
Today started as overcast with the prediction of showers during the day. Today we anchored off the shore of Savusavu as little town on the second largest island in the Fijian group. Our excursion this morning was titled as the Savusavu Sightseeing Tour and after getting off the tender we were directed to our coach. This coach had the latest in free air-conditioning – opening windows, and Richard’s seat looked very plush until you sat on it and all the air escaped, fortunately without making a rude sound!!
Our first stop on the tour was a Coca Manufacturing plant. Very manual in all factory processes and included free of charge the pungent smell of the coconut washing and coconut oil extraction process, not to mention the free flys!!! A tour of the factory showed us the machinery that washes the raw coconut then reduces it to pulp extracting the oil and discarding the water. We were then taken outside to see the manual process of extracting the white coconut from the harvested coconuts. One person had the role of splitting the coconut with an axe while others removed the white coconut from the shell, throwing the shell into a pile. The hygiene around the factory left a little, no, a lot, to be desired!!
From here we boarded our “coach” for a drive along the coast and past the various estates owned by foreign residents, some in the hands of caretakers for many months of the year as the owners only visit their properties once or twice a year. We also drove through some Fijian villages and our tour stopped at one village called Vatudmu which just happened to be the home village of our guide for the day. Here at their community hall we were welcomed to the village with a traditional carva ceremony – fortunately they didn’t choose Beth or I to be the official acceptors of the carva. – Following the ceremony we were treated to traditional dancing by some of the village girls and ladies. We were also given some fruit and a bottle of water as welcome refreshments. Our final stop was a visit to the local hot springs where some people were steam cooking a meal which we were told included a cake mixture. The cooking process was for the villagers evening meal so it was not on the agenda of this tour for us to sample!!
After the tour we walked by some of the roadside market stalls set up because it was a cruise ship visiting day before returning to the boat and some exercise around the deck – Beth five laps, Richard four in preparation for our evening feast which the chefs had been preparing – not over hot springs I might add.
Sail away was around 5pm and the captain pointed the ship towards our last Fijian stopover Dravuni Island.
Dinner tonight was a complimentary visit to the Canaletto Restaurant one of the restaurants on board where people pay a surcharge to indulge in just a little finer dining. The menu was extensive and so very hard to choose from; however we had some expert help from the waiters who are experienced in helping fine dining novices like us!! Suffice to say that we were presented with very nice portions of beautifully cooked and presented food.
After a sumptuous dinner we made our way to the forward lounge for the evening show by guitar virtuoso Louie Shelton who had accompanied several of the musical big names since the 50’s and onto today. All of the instrumental players we have seen onboard can make their instrument “speak” with the normal chords as well as playing tunes on individual strings and Louie was no exception.
7th March Dravuni Island Fiji.
Today dawned cloudy and overcast with showers of rain – not really weather for a day on a tropical island or our last day in Fiji. But like most things in the tropics the rain didn’t last long however the clouds took a little longer to lift. We didn’t have an excursion booked for this island so we were able to take some time this morning on deck reading and relaxing watching the weather slowly clear. By late morning there were small patches of blue sky so our plan was to have an early lunch then venture over by tender to the island. This we did.
Arriving on the island brought back memories of Champagne Bay from our 2019 cruise. The island doesn’t have a bay however long stretches of white sand and some of the tropical colour in the water – although the overcast conditions didn’t make the water colour so bright. The tender pulled up to a pier made just for this type of vessel and we just had to walk to the end of the floating pier before stepping onto the beach – not fine sand like some Australian beach but it had a more coral sandy texture. Dravuni Island is home to approx. 150 people and it contains a small three teacher primary school with 32 students. We spoke to one of the teachers who said that some students are willing to learn while others come to play – sounds like a typical school anywhere in the world. We walked past some of the island housing before listening to some of the school children and a separate group of adults singing before returning to the beach to find a shady spot to rest our belongings while we took a swim. The water was a little cool to get into but once you were acclimatised then getting out was the hard part. We must have been in the water for more than an hour. Coming out we dried off then Richard walked to one end of the island to get some photos before returning and walking part way along the other half of the beach for photos with a different aspect.
Time to sit on the beach and admire the view before another quick swim for Richard. Drying off we eventually boarded a tender heading back to the ship.
The day turned out to be a beautiful day at a beautiful destination.
Everyone was back onboard by 4:30 the tenders were restored to their appropriate place on the side of the ship and we set sail around 5pm and headed further out into the Pacific Ocean.
While the Captain and crew were busy with these preparations we were indulging ourselves in our dinner menu and watching the sun set through the floor to ceiling windows. After dinner it was a quick trip to the back deck of the Maasdam to photograph the beautiful sunset before another concert in the main lounge and a visit to the classical music presentation – this is becoming a habit for after-dining entertainment so perhaps it is time to shake up the routine a little.
Clocks going forward one hour tonight – so one hour less sleep tonight.
8th March At Sea
Today being Sunday we started our day by attending the 8am Interdenominational Church Service held on board and led by one of the passengers who is a retired pastor. After the 45 minute service we went to the buffet dining room for a bite of breakfast before retiring to the deck area outside our cabin window to relax, read and rest until (I hate to admit) lunchtime!!
Again after lunch more R, R & R before a special Captains meeting in the main lounge area for an update on happenings impacting our cruise. The Captain and his officers have been trying to work out options for our itinerary following the refusal of the Kingdom of Tonga to allow us entry to their islands removing two stops from our tour. They have a plan which involves arriving at the Cook Island port one day ahead of schedule, however, he is still waiting confirmation that they will or can accept the ship at that time. At this stage the boat is still allowed to dock in Papeete although we must do this first which means missing out on another Tahiti port although they have a plan for that as well which was discussed. The situation is very fluid at this time as things can change so quickly.
The seas today were very smooth and a light wind with temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius.
After this meeting we completed five laps around the deck for some exercise and Richard went to a computer class before it was time to eat again – hey what else is there to do at sea!!
Tonight’s entertainment was a repeat of a band we had heard earlier so we broke with tradition and dined in the all-you-can-eat buffet which just happened to be serving jumbo prawns and pavlova together with the regular selection of wonderful gourmet delights. Instead of attending the performance in the main lounge we adjourned to the Explorers Lounge to hear the complete recital by Adagio the Piano and Violin duo who have been on board. They were on our tender going to the island yesterday and in course of conversation they mentioned that they had been onboard this ship playing their music for the past eight months.
Once again, the ship’s clocks advance one hour tonight so less time for us to party or sleep – yeah sleep!!
9th March At Sea
According to the original itinerary today was to be a day at Nuku’alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga, however the kingdom has closed their ports to cruise vessels so we had a day at sea and sailed by some of the Islands of Tonga watching them go by our starboard side.
Instead of being ashore today learning about Tonga culture we undertook some research of our own starting shortly after breakfast. We took our position on the Lower Promenade deck chairs and watched those intrepid people trying to walk their way to a healthy lifestyle. It was hard work lying there watching the same pair of legs go around and around the deck so many times. As the morning progressed, we noted that some legs were replaced by other sets all moving at a similar pace. We believe that the owners of the legs were undertaking this program in the hope that they could lose some of the calories from breakfast so that they could replace them at lunchtime. In between watching people go around and around, we read our books and watched the passing water. The ocean was remarkably calm nearly to the point of being flat. The passing parade of Tongan Islands on the horizon and a school of about half-a-dozen dolphins moving off at ninety degrees to the boat helped pass the day but it was really a day of rest, reading and relaxation. I hasten to add that we did partake in some walking exercise ourselves today for about 30 minutes.
This afternoon the Captain announced that he had received confirmation for a change to our itinerary. We will now be at the Cook Islands one day ahead of schedule and will also be able to dock in Papeete two days ahead of schedule. This early visit to Papeete will allow the ship to pass the required entry requirements to Tahiti and then the ship can leave Papeete to visit Moorea on the 14th March as scheduled and return to Papeete that night allowing passengers to disembark as scheduled on the morning of the 15th March, all in all a wonderful solution to what started out as a disappointment at being forced to miss so many ports.
No Showroom at Sea concert tonight so we were able to listen to the entire recital by the classical pianist and violin players on board.
10th March (the first) At Sea
After the day of rest yesterday, today was a day of lectures. Holland America invite specialists onto their ships to provide lectures to passengers. The topics are usually under the specialists field of work or interests. Today there were lectures on the dispersion of coral and fish across the oceans of the world, the history of pearls and Longitude, Latitude and the International Date Line. There were other lectures throughout the day but we felt attending three on one day was enough particularly with other activities bidding for our attention – especially those deck chairs!!
The change of itinerary gives us an extra day in Papeete and so opened up the option of some extra shore excursions during that day. We had received details of the available excursions the previous evening and made our choices, however after lunch today we received a note to say that the excursion that we wanted to go on was fully booked. We had been placed on a waiting list however not wanting to miss out on any tour we reviewed the list and made our second choice. During the day we went to the excursion office and made the arrangements for an alternate trip if we weren’t successful in getting a place on our first choice.
After a few days dining in the all-you-can-eat buffet we decided to attend the stuff-you-full-of-lovely-food dining room for lunch and dinner today and this evening the Maasdam musicians were playing a concert in conjunction with video presentations from the BBC production Planet Earth 2. The musical score was written particularly for this performance. It was the same show that we had seen on the Noordam last year but well worth seeing again as the photography is stunning and it is nice to have it accompanied with live music.
10th March (the second) At Sea
A special day today our second 10th of March 2020. Now we have already made good use of one extra day this year on the 29th February but this cruise now crossed the International Date Line so the 10th of March was repeated. Some people going onto America now are on track to have 367 days this year – depending on how and when they came out to the South Pacific. We will miss a day on our flight back to Brisbane so there are still only 366 days for us in 2020.
Today was a mixture of rest and lectures today. Our first lecture was by a photographer who has recently visited the Falkland Islands off the tip of South America. It was a very interesting talk with accompanying photos showing aspects of island life. One fact was mentioned that the islands are devoid of trees, so it makes the landscape look different as there is nothing on the horizon apart from the outline of the hills. In some ways it is like our view during the days at sea where there is nothing obstructing the horizon except water.
After lunch (and a rest) there was a lecture by the Cruise Director about what we can expect tomorrow when we arrive in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The Cruise Director gave a similar talk as we approached Fiji that was very interesting and informative.
After the talk there was time for seven laps of the Lower Promenade deck before more reading and preparation for dinner and the show by piano entertainer Tim Abel. He gave an excellent performance made more interesting because they televised the keyboard onto the big screen so all could see his hands at work.
As usual our evening finished by listening to the classical pianist and violinist.
11th March Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Today started off clear and sunny and as we made our way to breakfast we could see the island of Rarotonga. Last night the captain said that the weather report was for sea swells which may put at risk any transfer to the tenders from the ship. From our breakfast vantage point eleven decks from sea level the swell didn’t look to bad and we were pleased to see that the tenders were already floating around our ship.
After breakfast we made our way to the assembly area – the sea lounge – for our excursion. The process of releasing groups to the tender was a little slower this morning and we were told that it was because the swell was making it difficult and slower, however soon our group was called and we were on our way ashore.
Our tour was a round island trip but instead of following the coastal route the entire was round the driver veered to an inland route through farmlands which were mainly fruit tree farms. Land on the island is owned by the people and if other people, businesses and government agencies that want to build can only lease land from the land-owner for 60 years. After that time the lease can be extended or the land goes back to the land-owner. Another interesting fact is that families often bury their ancestors in graves on their own property. Overall the level of housing is better than we saw on the Fijian Islands.
The tour came back onto the coastal road and followed that for the rest of the trip stopping at the lagoon where several ancient canoes left the Cook Islands to discover land to the west and they found the land of the long white cloud – an amazing feat in those times and using the canoes that they built.
Our last stop was at Muri Beach where we had some fresh fruits to eat and a demonstration on opening a coconut to get the coconut water.
The last part of the tour completed our island circuit and we arrived back at our starting point by lunchtime. Today we had decided to return to Muri Beach on the public transport bus which circles the island – one in a clockwise direction while the other travels in the anti-clockwise direction. After getting some local fish and chips we waited for the clockwise bus to arrive, paid our return fare and enjoyed the open windowed transport. It took about 20 – 25 minutes to make the journey and soon we were standing on the white beach of Muri Lagoon looking out at the colourful waters. We swam and sat in the temperate waters for a while until a rain shower came through and not wanting our belongings to get wet, we headed for the shelter of a beachfront resort. The shower passed so we ventured back into the water for a final swim before catching our return bus to the ship tendering point.
Onboard tonight just before we left our anchorage the Captain made an announcement that Tahiti had just advised him that due to the COVID 19 virus they had closed their ports to all cruise ships for the next month. Interesting decision as we are only two days sailing from the port and the Captain and crew had worked so hard to rearrange our schedule to meet their demands of a few days ago – things in the world are certainly moving fast at the moment.
At this stage the captain doesn’t have a plan and he was relying on the Tahiti stop for refuelling, restocking supplies, changing some crew and we heard about 860 passengers were to disembark and new passengers join for the leg to USA. There is no virus on this ship so we are all healthy and quite free to walk around the ship and partake in all the onboard activities. HAL HO is aware of the current situation and hopefully the new day will bring some form of solution.
12th March At Sea or on Land
When we woke this morning the Island of Rarotonga was still in sight in fact it was as close to the ship sa it had been yesterday. During the night the Captain had circled the Island and anchored in the same place as yesterday.
An announcement was made by the Captain that they hadn’t left the island because they were working on a plan that may allow passengers who were to disembark in Papeete to disembark here at Rarotonga. It meant working with the authorities on Cook Island to gain their approval and requirements for passengers to leave the ship at this port and work out how to get luggage and passengers ashore as this was a tender stop and there were no wharf docking facilities large enough for the ship to use. The captain suggested that if people wanted to leave the ship today or tomorrow then they should return to their staterooms and start packing. We took this advice while waiting the results of the discussions between ship and shore.
Later the Captain announced that an agreement had been reached allowing passengers who wanted to disembark here could do so. The ship would remain anchored at Rarotonga for the remainder of today and tomorrow to allow passengers time to leave the ship. One note of caution made by the Captain was that he could not guarantee that the sea swell would hold through until tomorrow to allow the tender vessels to be able to transport people safely ashore. One stipulation was that people leaving had to show proof to the ship’s officers of confirmed air tickets from Rarotonga within a few days. Failing this they would have to stay onboard and the next port of call would be Hilo in Hawaii in four or five days’ time.
We had confirmed flights from Papeete to Brisbane so after a few phone calls and emails to our travel agent in Brisbane we had confirmed flights from Rarotonga to Auckland and then Auckland to Brisbane, arriving in Brisbane around 7am on Sunday 15th March.
We were then able to arrange for our transfer from ship to shore. Holland America Line arranged accommodation for the time between leaving the ship and leaving the Cook Islands which for us was one night. All this took most of the day so we waited for our cabin number to be called so we could take our luggage to the collection point and prepare to go ashore.
Our number was called in the third group and it was getting close to six o’clock in the afternoon that we boarded our lifeboat tender and crossed from ship to shore for the second time in two days. Last time as visiting cruise ship tourists, this time seeking visitor status on the island. This meant that as we landed, we were taken by bus to the airport – not to be deported – but to be processed by immigration officials. The airport was the place where we could be reunited with our luggage and complete the immigration process as facilities were already in place. After being accepted into the Cook Islands we reboarded the buses and were taken to our accommodation, a nearby resort complex that had enough rooms to accommodate the approx. 200 people that left the ship that day.
So ended our cruise, but not our adventure. Were we stranded on a desert island? … to be continued …
13th March Rarotonga Edgewater Resort
A different view greeted us this morning as we opened the curtains. The resort was on the western side of the island and right on the beach so after breakfast we explored our new surroundings. We found sand, palm trees, beautiful lagoon, a souvenir shop (of course) and sun lounges.
This morning we noticed our ship still anchored offshore and heard later that about another 150 people left the that morning before it continued the voyage.
Our flight left Rarotonga at 10:30pm so we spent the day at the resort enjoying their facilities by walking along the beach, relaxing on the sun lounges – moving them every so often to stay in the shade, and reading our books, making sure to leave the last few chapters to read at Auckland airport during our 5 ½ hour stay while waiting for the connection to Brisbane.
At 9pm a bus was collecting us from the resort to take us to the airport for our flight. At 8:45 there was quite a group of people at reception with bags waiting to be taken to the airport. As well as our flight to Auckland there was an Air New Zealand flight to Los Angeles leaving around midnight.
We checked in our bags which just made the weight qualification but were tagged with a “Heavy” label and waited by the departure gate for the time to pass.
Our flight boarded and left on time arriving into Auckland a little early however somewhere during the flight we jumped from Friday to Sunday as we recrossed the dateline.
14th March In the Air
In transit from Rarotonga to Auckland making it one of the fastest days we have experienced.
15th March Auckland to Brisbane
Touching down at a little after 1:30am we left our plane and made our way to the transit area at Auckland airport. We had arrived a little early and the transit security area didn’t open until 2am, but we weren’t going anywhere so were happy to wait.
After security checks we wandered around the airport trying to fill in the wait until boarding our next flight around 7am. We passed the time by drinking a hot chocolate bought at McDonalds – the only place open at that time of the morning, trying to find a seat comfortable enough to catch a few minutes of sleep or talking to some friends from the ship that were going home as well. Other shops started to open from 4:30 or 5am and around 6am we were notified of the departure gate for our flight. Of course, it had to be at the farthest end of the terminal – oh well it all counts towards our 10000 steps for the day!!
Arriving into Brisbane around 7:30 we had another long walk from the gate to the baggage collection point before passing through customs and back into the main terminal. Heidi, Lily and Jack were there to welcome us and bring us home.
The rest day was spent talking to family, unpacking and resting. Needless to say, we had a wonderful night’s sleep after travelling for some 15 hours to get home without a lot of sleep in the planes.
One question still to resolve – when and where is our next trip to?
Postscript
Why was our trip cut short?
We know that the COVID-19 virus caused problems worldwide and the smaller South Pacific countries not wanting to be affected, or those slightly affected and not wanting to increase the risk, closed their ports and borders forcing plan changes. What we didn’t know and couldn’t foresee was that the Australian Government would impose a 14-day forced self-isolation rule on all passengers arriving into the country after midnight on Sunday 15th March. Because our holiday was cut short and we had to make the earlier return flight we were home 17 hours before that order came into effect. If the holiday had of gone according to plan, we would be arriving back into Australia at 5pm Tuesday 17th March and would have been subject to the self-isolation restrictions.
We enjoyed our time in Fiji, Cook Islands and our time on the ship. We met some nice folk along the way and were totally spoilt in every way, enjoying the relaxation too and it was a great opportunity to read some inspirational books while relaxing on the deck overlooking the vastness of the ocean. Couldn’t help but be reminded of the words of the chorus “Wide Wide is the Ocean” which took on a whole new meaning of the magnitude of God’s love for us as being out there where it is so remote. When Tahiti closed its port and we had the sense of needing to get home we were so grateful to the Cook Island people for keeping their port open and allowing us to stay on the island for a full night and day at a resort till our flights were available. We were also thankful that the island had a decent size international airport. Despite everything even in the turmoil Gods hand was upon us for which we are truly thankful.
Sometimes things happen in life and at the time you don’t understand why but we can trust that our God is looking after us and knows the entire picture and is able to change our schedule or our plans to our benefit.
Richard & Beth Morse 