On Feb 23, 2024, we continued to sail north in the Coral Sea along the east coast of Australia. It was another relaxing, peaceful day with much good food, and good weather. For lunch we were invited to a special meal at the Thomas Keller Grill. It was a five-course spread especially prepared by the chef for passengers on the World Cruise.
On Feb 22, 2024, we anchored in the harbor of Moreton, Queensland, Australia. Moreton Island is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Ninety-eight percent of Moreton Island, which is over 27 miles long, is sand, and 95% of the island is a national park. We took a tender to the pier, and then a bus excursion, on a very bumpy sand road or on the beach, to the northern point of the island. The beaches were very wide, pristine and beautiful. We had a picnic lunch on the beach and were able to climb a large dune to see a lighthouse. Then we drove back to the pier, and reboarded our ship.
On Feb 21, 2024, we started heading north in the Tasman Sea, with Australia to our west. Throughout the day, we experienced rain showers, but kept ourselves busy. In the evening the entertainer was Nikki Bennett, an Australian singer and actress who has a show entitled The Helen Reddy Story which combined the story and greatest hits of Helen Reddy, an Australian single mother who became the worldwide Queen of 70’s Pop and a trailblazing icon of feminism. Nikki’s performance was really great.
On Feb 19, 2024, we sailed into Sydney Harbour, going under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and past the iconic Sydney Opera House, before docking at the White Bay Cruise Terminal for a two-day stay.
Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities. Indigenous Australians have inhabited the Sydney area for at least 30,000 years. In 1770, during his first Pacific voyage, Lt. James Cook landed at Sydney, where he claimed possession of the east coast of Australia for the British Crown. In 1788, the first fleet of conflicts arrived to found Sydney as a British penal colony. Penal transportation ended soon after Sydney was incorporated as a city in 1842. After World War II, Sydney experienced mass migration and became one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Today it is a vibrant city and one of the fifteen most-visited cities in the world.
We took a bus tour of the city and saw many of the prime sites and neighborhoods that make Sydney so interesting. Our excursion included a guided tour inside the Sydney Opera House where we were able to view a number of the performance venues, including the main concert hall, of this multi-venue performing arts center. It is widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.
Later that evening we went to a special dinner at the Museum of Modern Art and were entertained by Jim Morrison and his jazz band.
On our second day in Sydney it rained, and we were on our own, so we decided to take a shuttle into the center of town and explore by ourselves. In a downpour, we ventured out from the shuttle terminal and started walking, eventually ending up at the Queen Victoria Building, an historic building that was recently completely renovated into a beautiful shopping center that covered a full square block and was three stories tall. The entire shopping center was full of high-end stores and places to eat. Every floor had extensive stained glass and marble, and there was a huge clock tower in the center of the complex.
We then ventured out into the rain again, saw the Sydney Tower, and headed toward Hyde Park, a large central park in Sydney. On one end was St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, a very large church, and on the other end was the ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corp) Memorial, honoring all of the service men and women that lost their lives in wars since World War I.
From there we headed back to the ship in our drenched clothes. However, as soon as we got back on the Sojourn, the sun came out and we were treated to a great “sail-away” from Sydney.
On Feb 16, 2024 we started a three-day voyage westward in the Pacific Ocean from New Zealand to Australia. Our first port of call will be Sydney. It is 1,146 nautical miles (approximately 1,000 land miles) between New Plymouth, New Zealand and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Our sea days were very relaxing, but there were a few special events. On Feb 16, 2024 we were treated to a Seabourn Signature Event — the Galley Market Lunch. This lunch is held in the main restaurant, but it is a buffet in which we were able to take our plates through the galley and enjoy all of the wonderful offerings prepared by the amazing chefs and culinary artists. Some of the items are shown below. The person serving one of the desserts was our Captain.
On Feb 18, 2024 we enjoyed another Seabourn Signature Event — the Epicurean & Team Member Salute. This event takes place on the pool deck and Epicurean delights — caviar, appetizers and desserts — are served with champaign, wine and drinks while the Sojourn House Band provides music. This event is held to celebrate many of the team members that will be leaving the Seabourn Sojourn in Sydney to take a two-three month vacation at home, or reposition to another ship in the Seabourn fleet.
On Feb 15, 2024 we docked at Port Taranaki in New Plymouth, a city located on the west coast of the North Island. Our trip to the South Island only lasted for one day, at Picton.
Port Taranaki is the only deep-water port on the North Island’s west coast and plays an important part in the industrial development of the region’s oil and gas resources. From the port area, we toured a 7-mile Coastal Walkway which winds along the coastline, along the city front and its beaches, to the dramatic curved-rib architecture of the Te Rewa Bridge. In the distance was the snow-capped pyramid of Mt. Taranaki, a site sacred to the local Maori.
We then went to a local museum. The Len Lye Center is named after an artistic native son, whose works include a 148 ft. red fiberglass mast that bends in response to the changing breezes. His other works in the museum were large kinetic sculpture pieces.
Below is a picture of one of the islands in the harbor by New Plymouth that we saw while leaving New Zealand for Australia.
We docked at Picton, New Zealand this morning. Picton is a small town (population of 4,000) in the Marlborough Region of the South Island. The town is located at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound.
We took an excursion of the region to see some of the beautiful scenery in this area. Our first stop was at a sheep farm where we watched the farmers show how their dogs are trained to take out the sheep to designated areas, and then bring them back. The dogs are all guided by whistles with individual sounds for each direction that the farmer wants the sheep to go. Then we witnessed the sheep being sheered. A task that is completely manual and requires skill and strength.
We left the sheep farm and proceeded to the Marlborough wine country. Marlborough is home to New Zealand’s largest wine region, producing 77% of New Zealand’s wine and 90% of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc. The winery we stopped at for viewing and tasting was Spy Valley Wines.
On Feb 13, 2024 we docked at Wellington, New Zealand, the nation’s capital city. It sits on the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait, between the North and South Islands.
We took an excursion that took us on a scenic tour of the hilly city. We started by taking the red Wellington Cable Car up to the top for a scenic view over the harbor, and then a stop at the Wellington Botanic Garden. From there our bus took us down the hill through beautiful neighborhoods on very winding streets. Throughout the day we experienced the winds off the Cook Strait which gives the city its nickname — “Windy Wellington”.
When we got back down to city center of Wellington we saw some of the government buildings, including the Parliament Building which is nicknamed “the beehive”, and the Government Building, which is the largest all wooden structure in the Southern Hemisphere. While it looks like limestone, the three-story, full block building was constructed entirely of wood as wooden structures are better able to withstand earthquakes than stone buildings. We also visited St. Paul’s, an old Anglican church from the 1800’s that was also built entirely of wood.
On Feb 12, 2024 we spent the day at sea travelling between two ports on the North Island of New Zealand. But it was not a boring day as we started watching the Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at 12:30 PM. We were able to see everything except the new commercials as we were watching on a streamed telecast. The afternoon was filled with every imaginable sports game food favorite — hamburgers, hotdogs, barbecued wings, French fries and popcorn — and plenty of beer and wine. The chefs even prepared a cake with Kansas City Chiefs icing at the conclusion of the game.
On Feb 11, 2024, we docked at Tauranga, New Zealand, the fifth largest city in the country, and the largest port. Tauranga is located on the North Island of New Zealand and is known for its stunning landscapes and thriving economy. It serves a hub of trade, tourism and horticulture, with the surrounding region known for its kiwifruit orchards and avocado groves.
We started the day on an excursion to see the town, and then traveled to Rotorua, a geothermal area known for its bubbling mud baths, geysers, and hot springs, all fueled by intense heat from the volvanic activity deep below ground. We also learned how the ancient Maori considered this area Hell’s Gate and worshipped many gods associated with the area.
We left Hell’s Gate and went to a more beautiful area and took a boat ride on a peaceful lake and observed local New Zealand birds, and bubbling hot streams that fed into the lake. It was a very serene area that was surrounded by forests that are harvested and are a main export of the region.
World Cruise - 2024 