Sea Princess cruise January 2012

Wednesday afternoon 11 January 2012 Mary and I boarded the Sea Princess in Sydney and set sail for New Zealand.

Leaving the wharf

Waving to Harbour Bridge walkers

Out through the Heads

As first time cruisers we were surprised how quickly we adapted to ship board life - the eating competition (meals), the entertainment, the hot spa and pool, the activities. We quickly decided two meals per day was enough (formal breakfast, formal dinner and fruit, small snack or nothing for lunch). We spurned the lifts, slogged up and down the stairs (floors 5 to 14!), walked the decks.
After two rough days on the Tasman Sea our first port of call was Bay of Islands, in perfect weather, followed by Auckland, Tauranga (Bay of Plenty), Napier, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin, then a full day cruising the fiordland.
Some photo highlights follow.

In Bay of Islands we visited three lovely gardens

(can you sense we like gardens?)

At anchor Bay of Islands

Berthed in Auckland

ahhh - that's nice - on the waterfront Auckland

Tauranga - Bay of Plenty

Oil spill clean up crew at work

A little way up Mount Maunganui

Further up

From the top of Mount Maunganui

Sea Princess berthed centre frame

Sail away Tauranga - beach lined with well wishers

An Aussie shouts from the ship 'we love you Kiwi's!'

Sunset at sea

Napier's Bell Chimes

Art Deco - Napier - I seem to fit in!

  Mary loved this

Wellington

Wellington

Rose garden, Wellington

Mary chats to volunteer guide, Shrine to Hiroshima, Wellington

Akaroa

Sea Princess at anchor, Akaroa

'You are here' half way up the hill. I turned back at this point

Standard fuchsia, Dunedin

Royal Albatross Centre, Dunedin

Milford Sound

Our cabin

Our dinner friends

Final night - Bombe Alaska!

We sail back into Sydney

Great Ocean Road

Mary and I few flew to Melbourne on Easter Saturday 7 April 2012. Arriving about 2pm we collected a hire car which we were to return to Adelaide airport 8 days later.

Saturday evening we met Mary's brother John and his family at the MCG and watched Collingwood defeat Richmond. 

Sunday was brunch at St Kilda, a walk in the parks and gardens and dinner at John's.

On Monday we headed south down Mornington Peninsular. The weather was cold, wet and windy but we eventually reached  Sorrento where we boarded the car ferry which took us across a stormy Port Phillip Bay to Queenscliff.

On the car ferry

 
From Queenscliff we drove west through Torquay and Anglesea and on to the Great Ocean Road stopping at lovely Lorne for the night.

Lorne beach and view from our hotel room



Next morning before leaving Lorne we visited Erskine Falls, the first of many water falls we were to see in the region.

Erskine Falls behind Lorne

Then a short but spectacular drive from Lorne to Apollo Bay.

Our accommodation in Apollo Bay for two nights was 'The Beach Bungalow'. After moving in on Tuesday afternoon we had time for some exploring - first to Maits Rest for a rain forest walk, then to Marriners Lookout, a steep climb for a lovely view of Apollo Bay region.

 Rain forest walk, Maits Rest

Apollo Bay viewed from Marriners Lookout

On Wednesday we completed a day long circular drive through Otway National Park, firstly driving inland from Skenes Creek, then west along Turtons Road to Beech Forest and Otway Fly. Turtons Road is an amazing 35km long sealed road through thick rain forest which has invaded the road in parts reducing it to one lane.
Just down from the famous Otway Fly we visited Triplet Falls, another beautiful forest walk and waterfall.
We rejoined the GOR at Lavers Hill and returned to Apollo Bay via Cape Otway lighthouse.

Forest walk at Triplet Falls

Koala Bears, Cape Otway

Leaving Apollo Bay Thursday morning we drove west along the GOR making the obligatory stop at Twelve Apostles.

Twelve Apostles

Continuing west we stopped briefly at Port Campbell and arrived in Portland mid afternoon.

Arch

Our VW Golf hire car at Port Campbell

Friday was an all day drive from Portland to Adelaide via Mount Gambier, Millicent, Robe, The Coorong and Meningie on Lake Albert.

As we had a free day in Adelaide on Saturday we bought tickets to the Port Adelaide vers Sydney Swans AFL game and bussed out to AAMI Stadium to see the Bloods win comfortably.

On Sunday 15 April we flew back to Perth.