This week has 6 days

With our three mid-Pacific stops complete we saw the departure of Captain Aseem A. Hashmi and the arrival of his replacement Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge. Now with a woman in charge we shall most certainly not get lost as she will not be reluctant to stop and ask for directions, or so I have been told. We get to meet her this evening at a reception before dinner. 

Last night we set the clocks back another hour so that the time is correct for New Zealand only the day is not. Tonight, Monday 19 February we cross the International Date Line and magically we awaken on Wednesday 21 February. We will recover our lost day in April when we return to Hawaii. The poor folks that are continuing east to Southampton never get their lost day back. 

Saturday evening after leaving Moorea and Sunday were very pleasant with relatively smooth seas. Today, Monday, we have 31 knot head winds into which we are sailing at 20 knots. The lower decks have been closed and the salty sea spray reaches the upper decks. Those who don’t mind the wind find 24°C temperatures. The pools remain open but the slosh factor is quite high.

While we were berthed in Papeete we watched an interesting marine ballet. The ship at the adjacent berth was essentially a floating dry dock carrying several vessels. The Yacht Express would partially submerge to allow yachts and a small ferry to sail on. Yacht Express would gradually surface allowing the other vessels to settle into cradles, The crew then began the task  of anchoring the vessels to the deck of Yacht Express. We have been trying to decide whether the Yacht Express was a boat-boat or a ferry-ferry. (sorry, I tried not to say that)

Having lost Tuesday, the weather moderated and Wednesday, what would have been Tuesday, became a nice summer day with quiet seas. There are many sun worshipers out on deck loungers when the weather is fine. The deck activities on the Queen Elizabeth include some games but the silly pool games are notably absent. The sea days to Auckland passed uneventfully. We had three Kiwis on as headline entertainers. The comedian could be funny at times, the operatic tenor was a pleasure to listen to and the third fellow one would have to call unique, whether you liked his work or not. He had a camera above a tray of sand in order to project for us the images he created in the sand. Upon arriving in Auckland these three plus the daily speakers are being replaced. We shall find out who they are in due course.

We arrived in Auckland Friday, February 23, 2018 and were on the berth by 7:30 AM and there was free WiFi although not the most reliable. We left the ship before 9 AM to pick up a few things and encountered a couple of light showers while downtown. A few buildings we remembered from our last visit are simply gone, erased to make way for subway construction. The harbour is essentially the same except for some minor rearrangements. We returned to the ship to deposit purchases then back ashore.

The showers had given way to a bright sunny day. The temperature rose to 22°C officially but it felt warmer in the direct sun. We took a 15 minute ferry ride to the small community of Devonport on the north side of the harbour. It is a much quieter setting than downtown Auckland. We had lunch, found another free WiFi location to send a couple of emails then walked along the beach before returning to the Queen Elizabeth. By the time we returned new passengers were boarding to replace those who ended their voyage at Auckland. 

Here are a couple of photos of Devonport.

And a couple of Auckland from Devonport.

 Tomorrow, Bay of Islands.

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