Azamara Journey - The ship

The Cruise

The deck plan for Azamara Journey is online at https://www.google.com/search?q=azamara+journey+deck+plan&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari.

Azamara at Queens Dock

On March 9, at 9:30 we took Ubers the 1 1/2 mile to Queens Dock where Azamara Journey waited for it’s anxious guests to board. Our passports were checked, temperatures taken and champagne poured. We made it, hopefully the coronavirus did not. As a newbie, we followed Steve to the sign-in table for a few upgrade dinners in the boat’s primer dining rooms. Then it was off to the buffet for lunch. In that short hour of check-in, boat card distribution, dinner reservations, and champagne we had received 3 doses of liquid sanitizer. The buffet was plentiful and

outstanding. The itinerary for our Cruise was:      

DATE.         LOCATION
3-10.            Gisborne     North Is.
3-11.            Napier.        North Is
3-12.           Wellington   North Is
3-13.            Picton.         South Is
3-14             Akaroa.       South Is
3-15.            Dunedin.     South.Is
3-16.            Milford Sound.   S Is
3-18/19.       Hobart.      Tasmania
3-20.            Melbourne. Australia
3-22-23.       Sydney.      Australia 

Auckland, Pre Cruise

Auckland, even though the world is in the mist of coronavirus, New Zealand at that point seemed to

Sky Tower from waterfront, Auckland

be business as usual. Kim and Laura had arranged for us to have 2 sets of 2 bedroom apartments in “downtown” Auckland (in fact, across the street from Sky Tower). We are now 4 couples with the addition of Betty and Greg from Clarendon Hills, IL.  The area where the apartments were located seemed a little sketchy (looked like old time Time Square with some XXX dance lounges, and dive food diners), but it turned out to be a good location.

So in the evening, we headed toward the wharf and marina where there were loads of restaurants. Plus the site of the 2021 American Cup Marina, where there was one of the winning catamarans from the 2017 American Cup race. Plus there were a few beautiful catamarans like the one below left at the marina. Kiwi’s love their sailing.

 

On Sunday March 8, before we boarded Azamara Journey on Monday, Kim and I spent the day exploring Auckland on the On and Off bus, but since it was NZ marathon day part of the route was

closed so we headed for the Auckland Museum where “there’s a wonderful Maori collection and a cultural show”. The cultural show was spectacular, and so were the Polynesian exhibits and history. A special exhibit on the two guides from Tahiti, who accompanied Captain Cook on his 1st voyage and were able to speak the language in the islands and in New Zealand. The war memorial section of the museum was amazing. And it seems in every town we visited there is a war memorial. After the museum, we spent part of the afternoon at a concert in the park. We finished the afternoon back on the bus taking in the sites we missed because of the marathon. In the evening it was back to the waterfront for a delicious meal. Auckland seems to be a very livable vibrant city. 

Timaru and Christchurch

Last 3 days of the driving trip on South Island.

After our wonderful 2nd farm stay near Fairlie, we had a short drive to Timaru, a working port town on the east side, where Kim and I went to two wonderful museums -
Te Ana Maori Rock Art Centre (where examples of Maori rock painting can be found along with a nice history of the Maori people is explained along with some history of the strange birds and vegetation).
South Canterbury Museum was the second museum with its “historic and natural artefacts of the south Canterbury region.“  The picture on the right is the Anglican Church in the Edwardian style next to the museum.

In Christchurch, we did the on and off trolley and stayed across the street from the Cathedral which still has the Earthquake damage from 2011, bell tower is gone, and may never be rebuilt (picture on right).  We watched the gondola rides on the Avon River and spent about 2 hours in the CC Art Gallery. Then it was the hunt for a book “Fun with Flax” on weaving foliage, which we were successful in finding.  Then on Saturday, March 7 we flew back to Auckland to experience that city before our cruise b gan on March 9.

My Cook/ Mt Aoraki and Farm Stay 2

Mount Aoraki (Mt. Cook) is the highest peak in New Zealand at about 11,700 feet and the mountaineering center of New Zealand is in Mt. Cook village.  On a sunny day the mountain looks like the image to the right, but the picture below and at the Church of the Good Shepherd below right is all we could see. But we did get a long view of Mt Cook on the day we left the farm stay.

 

Te Anau, Manapouri, and Cromwell

March 3-5.

Today, I need to apologize for my lack of timeliness on the blog because I know I am a week behind, but when you are busy living it is hard to post history (the excuse I’m giving), plus internet has been spotty.

The road to TeAnau was full of distant mountain views and ranch land full of thousands of sheep, cattle, and venison (raised like cattle). Kim had a “perfect” almond milk mocha in Mossburn a small but popular cafe along the road. 

In TeAnau, we had a reservation for a Cruise to the “glow worm caves” so after a quick steak pie and chicken pie it was off to see the worms. Not real worms, but the larval stage of a Diptera (fly), this species only found in New Zealand, that grows and emits light to attract other bugs for food in limestone caves.

To describe the experience, picture total darkness except the
greenish-blue glow from thousands of faint lights as in the night sky trying to pick out the various constellations, plus your in a small metal boat with the sound of water rushing toward the abyss under you. Pretty cool!

The caves are on the mountain side of Lake TeAnau, so the catamaran takes us to the cave. Lake TeAnau is the largest natural lake in New Zealand and also the deepest.

After the Cruise, we walked through a beautiful botanical garden in TeAnau on our walk back to the motel.

In the morning, we took a short side trip to Manapouri with Lake Manapouri, another large lake for breakfast, then back to Mossburn (our most southern town while driving) for Kim’s mocha. Back to Queenstown on our way to Cromwell, for a quick stop at the world famous Ferg Burger, it was delicious. Just outside of Queenstown we stopped at the Kawasaki River Gorge for the site of the first bungy operation at AJ Hackett Bungy and Zipline center. No one decided to take the plunge, but there were plenty of young kids to watch.

Cromwell, our nights destination was an old town that had been flooded by a hydroelectric dam, so they moved a few of the old buildings of historic Cromwell to a new site as a tourist attraction. We rewarded our long drive with a few margaritas at a Mexican restaurant.     D

Queenstown and surrounding area

February 28 - March 2

In Queenstown, the adventure sports capital of New Zealand, with water sports, winter sports,

 mountain biking, bungy jumping, zip-lining, and loads of bars/pubs we stayed at a 3 bedroom condo overlooking Lake Wakatipu. On Friday, February 28 we became 3 couples with the Wallace’s joining us.
So we did the tourist things, gondola ride to view Queenstown the I did a “luge” ride (a modified tricycle) which like the real luge uses gravity for the driving force.
March 1 went to Glenorchy, a “modern ecological hippie community” where we took a beautiful hike along a marsh where black swans

were abundant. Kim comment, “I could live here”. Then off to Arrowtown an old mining community with a beautiful main street where we had a delicious lunch, and some shopping.







View from Gondola ride, Queenstown (below).

                           Everyone trying for that perfect
                             picture of the black swans
                             Near Glenorchy

To Franz Josef then to Queenstown

February 26, 2020

Franz Josef is a town near the coast, which has the hike toward the Franz Josef Glacier. A small tourist town where the sound of helicopter could be heard every 15 minutes, as it took tourists up

to the glacier to get personal with the glacier. On the way to Franz Josef, we stopped to see if we could get a tour to the nesting of the white herons, but they were done nesting for the year. So instead we headed to Okarito. A tranquil beach where life was moving slower.




After lunch in Franz Josef, it was off to search for the glacier (glassier) Where Brian and Laura are standing was where the glacier was in 1908, it has receded over 3 km since then.  On the hike, there was a waterfall at every little crevice in the mountain sides. 



On Feb. 27 it was a rainy, cool blustery day as we did the 200+ mile day to Queenstown, the active sport, destination in New Zealand.  
We will spend 3 nights in Queenstown in a condo over looking Lake Wakatipu. Friday, we picked up Steve and Carol from South Carolina, formerly from outside Chicago to make us a group of 6.  

Arthur’s Pass and Hokitika

February 25, 2020

Our Farm Stay was a joy with Faye and Paul, a lovely couple who were built to entertain with talk and culinary delights. A 5 star on trip advisor, I’m sure. Perfect little farmette with lambs and a vegetable garden that produced more than they could ever consumed. Charming Glentunnel - quaint little village built up during the mining rush.

 

With a short stop at Sheffield for coffee & Kim’s Mocha (“a good one”), we were off to the mountains and a hike or two. The mountains are beautiful with a different texture and shape than those in the USA.

On our way to Arthur’s Pass (an old Maori route to the west coast first traversed by Arthur Dobson), we stopped at Castle Hill, a hillside of large boulders used in The Lord of the Ring trilogy.
Interesting little hike up through the rocks.

A quick lunch at the Arthur’s Pass, then up to Devil’s Punchball Falls with it’s 476 steps up (a real test for Kim’s new knee). Then we attempted a smile for the picture and rewarded ourself with a drink at the bottle shop, “womaned” by a lady from Asia who had a difficult time finding an amber beer for Brian (NZ has lots of part time immigrate employees especially during the tourist season who work here on a short visiting visa).
A very short drive to find Arthur’s Pass B&B.   Certainly an eclectic little house -  train workers home from the 1920’s.  Innkeeper - Renee was our host (the shorter lady, 5th generation Kiwi) Nothing short of a spitfire!  A unique opportunity in New Zealand is to be able to be “a helper” - a cool way to “work” your way thru NZ for a bed and food.  Claudia from Germany was the helper.

Arthur’s Pass’ residents number 30. Gotta like your neighbors!
One road in and through to the west coast. This is the same
route as the main railway line, in fact Arthur’s village was mainly constructed to house the workers during the construction of the railroad.

Hokitika was our next day’s journey, down the mountain to the west coast. 2/3 of the way to the coast we turned toward Greymouth, since the Monteith’s Brewery was there for lunch. A great place, both the town and brewery for a quick afternoon stop. Then off to Holiday Park in Hokitika where we stayed in #20 a cute little cabin with a queen bed and a bunk in a RV park. Hokitika was a lovely town famous for it jade and green stone. It also has a beautiful old Carnegie Library (1 of 18 in New Zealand)
which has been compromised by recent earthquakes. At sunset 8:30 the town or tourists turn out to watch the Sunset.

Glentunnel, New Zealand - A great farm stay

Bucket lists are always good. Going “down under” was one of them.  So off to New Zealand for the 2020 adventure.  Thirty five days with friends to explore a new culture

Friday * February 21

Kim and I are in New Zealand, after a 13 1/2 hour flight from LA and the loss of a day. We had a delightful stay in Newmarket, just outside of Auckland. We rested for a couple of hours then met Julie and David Haak (friends of Wendy & Steve from England) for a wonderful Italian dinner near where we were staying Non Sol Restaurant.

Saturday *  February 22

Early start to our day after a good nights rest - meeting Laura and Brian at the Auckland Airport for a quick trip to Christchurch on the South Island.  Driving tour starts- only a 70 kilometer drive to Glentunnel for a two night stay at a “rural stay” bed and breakfast with fabulous dinners included and easy conversation with our hosts - Faye and Paul Q.

 

Sunday * February 23
Sunday February 23
Spent the day exploring the countryside. - driving on the left side of the road was a thrill for the two in the back seat. The guys did a great job - the better part of the day was on gravel backroads.  The scenic views were spectacular!  The Glacial lakes were a deep blue, around each turn brought a new outstanding view.

Part of the “rural stays” are to enjoy the home and what it has to offer.  So the sheep were definitely part of  the fun,  Faye and Paul’s garden a delight and the big blue sky - a good start for our adventure!

2019

2019

June 10^th brought Isla Scout Hermansen into our lives.  Four grands and we could not be happier!  Her sweet smile – even the day she was born warms our heart! 

Cora is a wonderful big sister.

February was spent at a flower event in Philadelphia for the FTD World Cup – second time in the USA in over 50 years. Kim of course volunteered!  Flew back home – packed up the RV and headed south towards Arizona – Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs and a super visit with Uncle Bob and Mary Pat. We so enjoy hanging out with these two!

Flew back home – packed up the RV and headed south towards Arizona – Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs and a super visit near Mesa with Uncle Bob and Mary Pat. We so enjoy hanging out with these two! 

We drove the RV to San Jose where we met Danylle, Andy and the boys – had a couple of fun days there – they headed north on an adventure up the coast and through the redwoods in the RV. We flew to Chicago for a quick visit with Father.

Springtime in the Northwest  is “iffy” sometimes … a special Orchard Tour was planned by Laurie and Gregg near Yakima – seeing their family orchards – “the iffy” part was it had been quite cold and no fruit trees were in bloom … BUT  we were educated by Gip on the workings/ pruning/ gathering of the harvests. Next time we will go when the orchards are in bloom! Delicious food, visits to local wineries, hot dog bomb fire, just hanging out …we had a blast! 

In May we - Dad and the Dunker siblings went to Fremont to lay Mom’s ashes to rest.  It felt right to take her back to Nebraska.  Good visits with family plus a special lunch with Aunt Gladys – 99 years old. Dad and Kim returned to Nebraska for the October  celebration of Aunt Gladys 100^th birthday!

AIFD was in Las Vegas – Steve and Wendy flew home with us – a few days on the sailing boat and Wendy was hooked.  Just what we needed – peace and quiet.  Other sailing adventures in the fall included a week with Bud and Sue and a long weekend with Laura and Brian. Both were super and filled with joy.

Dale had an incredible 2 week experience in August – he was asked by Sonny and Carole to help bring their Grand Banks Trawler “Evening Star” home from Seward, Alaska.  Dale was on the 700 mile voyage – 5 days across  the Gulf of Alaska.  As they say “they had some weather” – so to say the least it was an adventure. Saw some marine wildlife, fished for halibut, and the scenery was magnificent. 

 

October is a perfect time to go to British Columbia – spent 5 days with Em and Kyle – enjoying the little girls – Kyle and Emily took turns mountain biking the slopes.  Whistler is one of our favorite places to go.

2018

2018

Love sharing the news of our third grandchild – Jude Andrew Kappler was born on May 2, 2018.

Theo is an incredible big brother and we are thrilled to have another little boy to love on !

A whirlwind is all we can say about 2018 – Kim traveled throughout the United States and British Columbia on behalf of AIFD.  Highlights – Vancouver, Philadelphia Flower Show, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Washington DC and to Indianapolis for the FFA Floriculture National competition – Plus a few other cities and flower shows.

June sailing in the San Juans – Companion was a wonderful haven for Kim to rest and for Dale to feel the wind at his back!  In September we shared her with Bud and Sue and enjoyed a week in the San Juans and at one of our favorite anchorages – Sucia Island.  We knew this year would not be a sailing year but the time we had on her was exactly what we needed!

AIFD was in Washington DC  - Kim fulfilled her obligation as President of the Association.  It was a wonderful symposium that embraced all that her committees had envision  - goals set three years prior were accomplished.  An incredibly positive experience for Kim, Dale and AIFD.

The end of July took us back across the pond.  Spent a relaxed week with Steve and Wendy exploring some new sites (Charles Darwin’s Home & Winston Churchill Home) before taking the fast train to Paris where we meet Nancy and Doug for a birthday wine/food/art/music/ scenic, Paris and a week barge trip down (which was north up) the Yonne River.  What a delightful gastronomical, history and wine immersion, with daily relaxing bicycle rides along the canal. 

A once in a lifetime experience!

 

Dale at the helm of a 1917 barge " L'ART DE VIVRE" (over 100 ft long) on the Yonne Canal.

An experience we will cherish for the rest of our lives. (Pictured above left shows how little room on each side of the barge in the locks)

Home in time for another family wedding – Scott and Kathy married in the country outside of Chicago.  Scott’s godmother had a ball designing all the florals for their special day!  To see Kim’s passion as she shares her passion is a unique experience – her heart is big!

The Fall was sorrowful … watching our sweet loving Mom become fragile was difficult.  She lost her battle on November 10^th.  Her legacy is strong – sharing her faith to the last moments and loving on her family – we gain strength from her memory.  Miss her every day!

As most of you know – Kim has always loved the Tournament of Roses Parade (instilled by her Mom’s love for it).  In March we had the biggest secret to keep – Kim was invited to be one of the three Judges for the Rose Parade.  What an honor … in September we could share the secret.  Mom knew and “was all about it!”  So we were treated to another once in a lifetime opportunity as guests of the Tournament of Roses. Kim “worked” and Dale enjoyed the benefits!  Two days of full on judging, cocktail party, gala evening, 4am wake up call for Parade morning, best seats in the house for the Parade, fabulous tailgate party and then 50 yard line seats for the Rose Bowl Game (the grand daddy of them all!) It was a first class week.  Kim smiled so much her face hurt!