Australia - Voyager of the Seas

Tuesday – 21 Feb -  was a sad day to say goodbye to the kids for who knows how long.

Voyager of the Sea

Ryan and Hugh took us to Adelaide airport for our two-hour flight to Sydney.

Sydney Opera House

A twenty-minute train ride took us right to Circular Quay where this huge “Voyager of the Seas” was docked. Gigantic ship and awesome to see.

We went through customs – no problem. We checked in – no problem. Then through security – oh-oh problem. The official kept on scanning the kitbag – again and again. Eventually we were told to stand one side and then the drama began. To cut a long two-hour story short. I had not unpacked the kitbag, which is actually my shooting kitbag, properly and the was a live round in one of the pockets. Funny thing is that we had been scanned by so many authorities at the different airports and not one had found it. All ended well though and we set sail.

Sydney Bridge

Fine Dining

We have the next three days at sea. We eat and read our books - go to the live shows - eat – eat – and then also we sleep late.

Food is fabulous – Breakfast will be Eggs Benedict – Lunch is either Salmon or pastas the most delectable Sauces – Dinner is a 3 Course fine dining affair each night. Guess what we will be doing when we get back.

Saturday – 25 Feb – we docked in Lautoka, Fiji. Lautoka is the sugar hub of Fiji. On the western side of the island is a sugar mill that has been in use since 1903 and is one of the largest mills in the southern hemisphere. Sugar is the main export

A Busy Voyager of The Sea

here.

We needed a walk so saved our $8 each for a shuttle and took in the local town.

Port of Lautoko

The veggie market was packed with locals and the streets are just a hive of activity.

It was hot, sticky and busy and felt like one of our Natal coastal towns – but we were going to have a beer or two so we searched until we found the “3Hungry Bears” Here they call them wine and dines and not a restaurant.

Setting Sail from Lautoko

It was down a little street, had air con and the local Fiji Gold Beer. The owner even let us connect to his Wi-Fi so that we could check our emails.

Sunday – 26^th Feb – arrived in Suva the Capital of Fiji early this morning. Suva is on the island of Viti Levu.

Fire Walkers in Suva

We are booked on an excursion and on the dock boarded one of the local buses. We sometimes thought the bus was going to stop on us but this is the way the locals do it. We followed the highway (Tar road) along the west coast and an hour trip brought us to Pacific Harbour. At the Cultural Village, we were entertained by the fire walkers and the tribal dancers.

Fire Walkers In Suva

It was a good trip and really different.

Mystery Island - Vanuatu

Monday – 27^th Feb – Today we are at sea again. This is really a resting and relaxing time. The food is still fabulous and we are eating way too much and each night we have a live show.

Shows so far were:

The Fab Four singing Beatles music – terrible we left half way through. Adam Mada –  Magician – Stayed but will not go back. Danny McMaster – the Impressionist – Good. Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme – Okay, just so load you couldn’t enjoy the music. Caitlynn Carr singing Celtic – Good.

Isle Of Pines - New Caledonia

Mystery Island - Vanuatu

Tuesday – 28 Feb – Vanuatu awaits us today. We anchored just off Mystery Island and were shuttled to shore. It is the southern most point of the Vanuatu archipelago and completely uninhabited.

We lay on the white sands of the beach and swam in the Pacific. Beautiful.

After a beautiful meal our live show was Comedian Ricki Jay – Very good.

Wednesday – 1 March – We anchored at 0800 again today and this is the Isle of Pines and we are now at the French Islands that fall under New Caledonia.

Isle of Pines - New Caledonia

Bistro Impala - Noumea

We have to be shuttled out to the island again today but this is far bigger than Mystery Island. It has shops and restaurants and even a

hotel. We swam in a bay among schools of fish and strolled through the island.

There is a major difference here in comparison to the previous islands and you can feel the French influence.

Thursday – 2 March – Our last island to visit on this trip is Noumea, Capital of New Caladedonia.

The Marina in Noumea

We docked on the industrial side of the harbor and were amazed at the number of containers that were stored in the port. We cannot believe that this small island has such a thriving economy.

Sydney Harbour Last Morning

On shore, we made our way to the Marina of course but here the boats are mainly catamans and nothing like we are looking for.

It was extreeeemly hot and just to get a Wi-Fi connection we paid $11 for a beer at a quay side restaurant – Bistro Impala. They will only speak French to you and communication is a hit or miss.

We didn’t spend much time on the island and rather boarded the ship again to get some lunch.

Our show tonight was Hypnotist Anthony Laffan – Okay.