Easy flight down. I like the seat on AA 787 little narrow but comfortable and very easy to adjust to exactly what you like. I got a lot of sleep

Checked into the Hilton and then went walking looking for a little lunch. We saw Mark and Cheron within a few minutes from our hotel and had a lovely lunch and visit. They are staying quite a distance from us and been walking the area. Perfect timing.

Tomorrow spending time with family before boarding the Voyager.

Nice to be back in New Zealand you never lose your roots.

I am glad you had a good flight there and now the fun begins!

Great start to the trip!

Have a great trip. We will be getting on when you get off. Make sure they have an adequate supply of red wine and coke zero for us!

Ngaire, so glad you got there safely. Before I had to cancel, I had reserved a room at the Hilton before the pre-cruise wine tour, to have a look-see of the waterfront area in Auckland. By now I suppose everyone will soon be heading for the ship for the grand start to a nice long cruise! I'm so sad to be missing it.
Everyone please post!

So nice to be back on the Voyager. The upgrade overall is stunning. La verandah and Compass Rose are totally changed and so much better. The new carpet I really like. The cabins look terrific with a new blue color scheme, new granite and headboard they are very attractive. Only problem is they took away the drawers and overhead cabinets so the storage space has deminished significantly. We figured out how to handle our "stuff". It looks like a brand new ship.

Today we were in Tauranga and it is a lovely spot. We just walked into the town and had a yummy morning tea with Ken, Sheila, Jim and Pam.

Our dinner in Compass Rose tonight was so good. This new menu is fantastic.

Tomorrow Napier, also a nice port. So far really nice weather. We heard the weather was not good on the last cruise so I think the weather gods are with us. Hopefully it will continue.

I understand you have Margaret Lynn as CD, but who are Captain and other top officers?

Felice will be replaced by Daniel green during the cruise. Frank Galzy as GM aNd Marcel as F&B. Bruce as cruise consultant.
David as dining room manager and Kathy as head of destinations.

Oh I love Felice! Ngaire, give him my regards. And I bet he is giving special attention because he LOVES Ngaire! Have had dinner once with Daniel, there was something interesting, I think I was feeling very sorry for him way across the table. Strange table, no KLT people at all, of course. Sounds like a great crew!

Lovely weather again today. In Napier. This is a lovely place and also great to just stroll around.

We did a good tour as well we went up to a great view point. Then off to a winery I have visited before. I was hoping we would visit this particular winery as they have sulfite free wine. In the last year I have developed a reaction to wine and I think it is sulfites. So I found a red I liked and bought four bottles. Then off to another winery where a wedding was taking place. We saw the bride coming down the stairs to go outside to the service.

A very nice day and now off to the wonderful Compass Rose menu. Tomorrow Picton.

Ngaire, George Edward is allergic to sulfites and cannot drink hardly any red wine as a result. A shame because he really likes it. Get me the name of that winery. We will hopefully be in Napier next year on the Sydney to Auckland cruise. I say hopefully because on the Silversea Auckland to Melbourne cruise 2 years ago, we missed it because they said the swell was too great. I am hoping we have better luck with regent.

Rachel, are you familiar to a product called SO2GO? It's a liquid you spray into your red wine to remove the sulfites. Funny but it's an Australian product sold in many local US wine shops. It is a hot item in the wine shop I work.

SO2GO

Never heard of it. I have a friend who owns a wine store. I will ask him. Weird he has never mentioned it as he is aware of GE's sulfite allergy.

If your friend can't get it for you, PM me your address and I'll mail you a bottle.

Moana park is the name of the winery in Napier. We had a lovely day in Picton today but the wind really picked up in the afternoon.

Today we did three wineries but they were not as good as the ones in Napier. What I love is the environment that wineries provide with nice buildings, gardens and views. The first one we stood the whole time in the steel tank area. Second was a stunning winery but again we were in the area with all the barrels. When we went upstairs it was so beautiful I wish we had been enjoying that view. The third was okay but still. It as good as the two tin Napier.

Tomorrow we go to see sheep dogs on a farm and the Giants house. My daughter Cindy LOVED the giants house it is very decorative with statues covered with tile.
So I am looking forward to that. I will get ken to post pictures.

Be back later

Thanks for the info, Beth and Ngaire.

Great day in Akaroa yesterday. Fourteen of us were on the same excursion. This is because my daughter Cindy was on the Voyager the trip right before our trip. She told me the GIANTS house was really worth seeing so I passed the word to the others. Most of us changed our excursion.

It started with the sheep farm and dog demonstration. The drive was beautiful through the hills and the farmer was great. He demonstrated young dogs still in the stages of training. The farmhouse was really pretty with a great house and garden. We had a "spot" of tea there as well.

Then off to the Giants house that did not disappoint. In fact it is impossible to describe. The only thing that will do that is the pictures and hopefully Ken can get some up today so you can see what the fuss is all about. Some stayed in town and said the food was really good.

Today we were in Dunedin. We cancelled our tour to see the penguins (which we have seen many times before) as we had a little shopping to do and so we just took the shuttle bus and accomplished all we set out to do. Then a nice lunch on our return and now a few spare minutes. Seems like it has been rushed since we stepped onboard.

So far three trivia sessions, one second and a third with my team and once I played with other clients of mine and we got third. So in the "coupons" each time. I want one of the black Regent tee shirts.

That sounds like the PERFECT excursion!

KIWI Photos:


The Voyager in Auckland.


Tauranga, New Zealand.


Having a coffee in Tauranga.






Allen Scott winery in Picton, New Zealand.


The beautiful wine country in the Marlborough.


A Border Collie sheep dog in Akaroa, New Zealand.


Marino Sheep.


Working the sheep.

We had tea and snacks at the sheep farm.


The view on the way back to Akaroa.

Last night we had our cocktail party and met a lot of nice people I had not met before. Captain Felice drew all the names.

What a day in Milford Sound. Little choppy last night as a front came through but not bad. Then this morning the sun came out and we had an amazing day in Milford Sound. Bright sun, peaks of the mountains visible, waterfalls, helicopters and small planes flying and lots of little tour boats. Just stunning one of the best days in Milford that I have experienced.

Looks like good weather for our Tasman Sea crossing according to passage weather. There is a swell tonight that has the ship rocking a bit tha put us left over from the front but that should die down soon.

Food in Compass Rose continues to be outstanding. Great prime rib tonight.

The Giants House in Akaroa, NZ:

Wow! You must have felt like you had walked right into a fairytale. Fascinating and fun!

Love those mosaics!

At first glance, I thought those were by Niki de Saint Phalle - an artist from France originally, but somehow wound up in San Diego. Her work was clearly inspired by Gaudi, as was maybe the artist for Giants House.

There's an art installation in Escondido (North San Diego County) called Queen Califia's Magical Circle that looks a lot like Park Guell in Barcelona. So if you're ever moseying around So Cal, and you like that sort of thing, you might want to look for her art here.

There's also a Saint Phalle installation in Tuscany - called The Tarot Garden - which I think would be excellent as a cruise tour from Livorno after you've already done Florence and Pisa.

The fifth picture down from the giants house with the white head of a woman was exactly what she looked like. It was her face.

So after a wonderful Tasman Sea crossing we arrived in Sydney with bright sunshine. It ended up clouding up a bit which was great or it would have been very hot. We decided to bail on our harbour cruise and took the shuttle into town. They docked at white harbour which is a little further out. I missed the dock at circular quay. Oh well things always change.

Had a great walk but our route was blocked with a movie crew and some major construction. But we found our destination on pier 8 and enjoyed a great cup of coffee and some yummy pastries.

Hope to get Frank and Wendy on the ship in Cairns. Some great friends on this trip and some really nice people I had not met before. Food on the expanded menu in Compass Rose has been outstanding. Every meal I have had has been excellent.

The staff are wonderful. Captain Felice at the helm, Franck as GM, Marcel as F&B wonderful group. Lots of my favorite waiters and bar staff as well.

Tomorrow a sea day with a special lunch order of rack of lamb with all the classic vegetables. Really looking forward to that.

Now off to trivia where we continue to come in second. Hopefully a win today. There were 400 people at trivia and the observation lounge was totally full so they had to move trivia to the constellation theatre. Popular pastime on this ship.

Hi Ngaire: I've been following your cruise and am so glad you weren't here on Tuesday (please don't tell me you were)! It was boiling!

It is such a shame that the Overseas Terminal is reserved for those Monster of the Seas which can't fit under the Harbour Bridge. We really will have to do something soon - it's getting beyond a joke! When Beth and Crystal were here (on Crystal), they were moored in the harbour - the view was priceless and well worth the ferry ride to shore.

Keep on winning Trivia!

KLT Cocktail Party:


Trudy & Joe.


Debra & Paul.


Cheron, Katja, Paul, & Maddy.


Bill, Linda, Don, Captain Felice, Bill, Joann, & Ken.


Mark, Julie, & Marvin.


Ngaire and Captain Felice.


Bob & Letitia.

I Love Sydney !!! Great seeing all the happy smiling faces....many we've never met before, and others we've had the pleasure to make great memories with.

It all sounds like a perfect cruise!!

Milford Sound, New Zealand:


Entering the sound.


Sterling Falls.


Up close and personal.


Bowen Falls.








Mitre Peak on our way out of Milford Sound.

Hope you have a good cruise up the East Coast.
Weather here in Cairns is typical for this time of year. Warm and Wet!
We only had 3inches of rain last night.
Look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
We really liked the refurbished Navigator so to see the "new" Voyager will be great.

Enjoyed the Milford sound pics. When we were there, it was overcast and breezy. Plus we kept getting dive bombed by birds. There were some casualties on the top deck.

Just arrived in Brisbane. The Super Bowl will be shown live in the theatre. After the game is over we are walking into the area around the pier and are ordering Morton Bay Bugs ( like a lobster ). They are yummy. Sounds like a perfect day to me. Sun is shining and still really calm seas.

We are halfway through the cruise now so these are some of the highlights

Seeing so many familiar faces in the senior staff, Captain Felice, Franck Galzy, and Marcel F&B, Katja, head of destinations. New head of reception, Mary who has been fantastic from the start.

Then the crew so many of our favorite waiters and bartenders. We bought about 100 extra pins and almost out. Like coming home.

Wonderful traveling companions we know so well and a wonderful group of new people we have enjoyed meeting.

Much improved food and Compass Rose is really good now with the expanded menu

Milford Sound where Captain Felice did a complete 360 twice in two different areas in the fjord. That was so great so people on their balconies could see both sides. Sunny day, flights overhead, waterfalls great from prior rain. Captain Felice maneuvered the ship close to one of the waterfalls - spectacular.

Overall great weather and a good Tasman Crossing.

Akaroa we loved the sheepdogs and farmer at the farm and the GIANTS house was amazing.

The refurbishment of the ship is really stunning. I love Compass Rose in fact like it more than the Explorer dining room. The colors and upgrades to the furniture, flooring and drapes are very good.

Negatives of the cruise

We are halfway through already

The cabins look great but they took away a lot of storage space and drawers.

Trivia has become so big we had over 400 people playing so we had to move to the theatre to accommodate every one. It is working better than I expected as there is more room and the swivel chairs make it easy to get six people together. Not combined with afternoon tea now but they do have self service tea and coffee and a few snacks so that helps. Plus you can go to tea get your pastries and be back in plenty of time for trivia to start.

So it is time for the Super Bowl I wish I was saying " how about those Cowboys"
But there is always next year!

What a nice report Ngaire, so happy to hear about the improved dining. I envy you the crew you have!

It escapes me why those storage area were taken away in the cabins. Seems like no one did a survey of the long time cruisers. Might look a little uncluttered/sleek when they are unoccupied, but we all come with our "stuff" that needs to be taken out of sight. Way too bad!

Frank and Wendy, have a great time onboard! I do remember a day not too many cruises ago when you boarded, and we will had a great time up on the pool deck!

I think they will fix the storage eventually. Hopefully build a corner cabinet on the wall for the bar and give us our drawers back. The long granite desk is very nice and with the TV on the wall there is a lot of space to put things. . I hear they have had a lot of complaints about the lack of drawers. Hopefully this is corrected when they refurbish the Mariner.


Frank and Wendy are approved to come onboard so that will be fun

So I did a dumb thing. I wanted my Morton Bay bug tails. It was half time and Atlanta was ahead and dominating. So I decided to leave the game and go for the food. When I got back I heard the score. DARN IT. ThAt must have been exciting. Fortunately the game is being replayed by Regent so I will be able to see it but not the same when you know rather score.

The food they did for the Super Bowl was great. Ken took pictures and tha will tell the story.

One of the reasons the storage area around the desk changed is that there is a false wall where the larger TV is mounted (magnets won't stick to it) and all the wiring is hidden behind it.

Sydney, Australia:












Leaving Sydney.

Brisbane, Australia - Photos compliments of Mitch.


A hungry Crocodile.


Bert with a Koala.




Cassowary.

Chartreuse. Not my favorite on the Explorer but the menu appears to be similar but different. During the course of the meal in Chartreuse I did my duty to try many items on the menu. I tried the following

Artichoke soup
Fish soup
Lobster in scallop purée
Dover sole
Rack of lamb
Scallops

Everything was REALLY good.

The lobster was one of my favorites. I asked the waiter to bring me a spoon so I could get every morsel of the sauce.

The Dover sole was thicker and superior to the serving in Compass Rose ( and Compass Rose is good)

Scallops were huge and the rack of lamb was perfectly cooked and tender.

Outstanding restaurant.

Another calm day at sea today. We came in third at trivia. With so many playing we are happy with any placing. Tomorrow another sea day. Then Cairns where it is expected we will have rain. We are staying onboard and hosting Frank and Wendy.

Happy to hear the reports on chartreuse. I liked it a lot on explorer, but George didn't love it. I think I ordered better. At any rate, we are there first night out of Singapore

Lovely to see a Frank,Wendy and also Alun and Wendy. We had a very nice visit

Today we were in Cooktown. I looked out and thought we would not be tendering but I was wrong. It was a bit rocky going in but everyone was happy to get ashore.

We went on a tour and ithe highlight was a really "fair dinkum" pub where they had a coin operated phone and a notice "please remember to check and see if you have mail before leaving" . Many types of beer and really good looking pizzas that locals were eating. While we there it started raining really hard but stopped by the train me we got back on the bus. There was a field with cows and a camel. Not sure I have ever seen those two animals n a field before.

Coming back it was rough but we have experienced worse before. The guests cheered the tender driver on arrival at the ship.

So Ngaire - I saw Moreton Bay Mud Bug Risotto on the menu tonight in Compass Rose - just checking to be sure you got some!!

Too tempted by other things but had a taste of it and it was good. As always never enough bugs tails.

Super Bowl on the Voyager:

Our tour in Cooktown, Australia:


Black Mountain.


Lions Den Pub.








The sign is made with beer bottle tops.

Cheron, Captain Felice, & Pam.


Susan, Captain Felice, & Sheila.

Great photos Ken. I'm so happy to see our friends looking fabulous and having such a good time !! Love your itinerary too.

A nice day at sea yesterday. Pretty good seas just a little movement. Enjoyed the Miso sea bass last night I really like that dish. Blew trivia yesterday but added up our joint coupons we had 87. Pretty good - all from trivia.

Last night was Liars Club and we stayed up to join in the fun. It was one of the best ever. All four did a fantastic job. Franck, the GM.Terry Bishop (a fantastic lecturer that also sings and is a comedian - outstanding best ever - his moto "adventure before dimenia". Nicola, the social hostess. Margaret the cruise director. Really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we lose Captain Felice, sad to see him go he is such a super person. Daniel Green is coming onboard and he is very good too. Still a great cruise and the marine forecast shows good seas up to the 17th. A blessed cruise.

Agree with Ngaire's "blessed cruise" description! We have heard from crew and from passengers who were on the previous segment to ours about how rough their crossing was over the Tasman sea -they reported lot's of damage and 2 windows were actually blow out by waves in the Compass Rose!! Our Tasman Sea crossing was very smooth.

Happy to report the food has been outstanding in our opinion - the best we have experienced on our last 4 or 5 cruises on the Voyager! Looking forward to a few more weeks on board.

Cindy, are you on the Singapore to Hong Kong portion? George and I board in Singapore.

We so enjoyed seeing the lovely pictures of our favourite Captain and our lovely lady friends with him. Wish we could have been there to share in the fun !!

This continues to be a "blessed cruise".

Darwin is VERY HOT and humid but we arrived to an overcast sky.

We did a tour to a wildlife park. It rained when we were on the bus - stopped when we got off. Rain stayed away during our 3 hour visit other than a very little spitting. Then once we got in the bus the rain started again. The day was perfect, not too hot, the rain forest looked beautiful with the leaves all glistening from the rain. A nice park have seen better but the native flora of the rain forest made it have a very natural feeling.

Sea day tomorrow (seas still look good) then Komodo Island.

Yes Rachel - we are on board until Hong Kong. Safe travels!

Did the Komodo dragons swallow all the KIWIs? We are missing the seamail!

Sorry Marc. Ken is working on pictures right now. I did not go ashore had some work I needed to get done and when everyone is off the ship the internet is lightning.

Seas still really calm but the highlight today was trivia. Jim and Pam stayed onboard as well and joined us for trivia. There were just four teams for trivia in the whole constellation theatre. Quite a difference from the 400 on a normal day.
Nicola was running it and she did a great job getting the "crowd" roaring. One of the most fun trivias ever. We did win as well beating all three teams.

Terry Bishop has been the primary lecturer onboard. Also a singer and comedian everything he does is to a packed crowd. He is with us until Singapore when he joins the Navigator. What a great talent he has made the cruise very special. .

Darwin, Australia - Territory Wildlife Park:


Large Clam Shells in front of the aquarium.




Barramundi


Mark, Susan, Sheila, Ngaire, Cheron & Crocodile.




Ken taking photos of the bats.




Rain Forest.


Dingos.


Wallabys

Next 2 Photos Compliments of Mitch:


Jumping Crocodile.


Brown Kite.

Komodo Island, Indonesia:






Our guides.


Custard Apple.

We decided to be lazy and stayed on the ship in Bali. We have been here several times before and the tours were long so we opted for a private ship for the day. Most enjoyed their tours and the weather was good. Not as hot as expected. I understand the number of motor bikes has increased significantly.

Still having calm seas and enjoyed a terrific seafood buffet today with lobster and lots of shellfish. Absolutely yummy.

Last day of trivia tomorrow it has been a lot of fun. Hard with so many competitors but we did pretty well.

Sorry to see the trip end it has been a great cruise. After debarking in Singapore we are going to china for the Harbin Ice Festival. Really excited about that. Then a few nights in Shanghai for shopping then home to,prepare for Frolic.

On our way to Singapore & Trivia:




117 Tokens in Trivia with 400 people playing.

Post cruise trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia was terrific. I think we were the only Keene people on the three day excursion. Borei Angkor Hotel was outstanding; large room, caring staff and a pool-side dinner and show for the 120 Regent guests. Guides in Cambodia were excellent. Blown away by the scale of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

Highlight of our short time in Singapore was the Botanic Garden (birds and orchids!). Regent Hotel in Singapore...an old Embassy Suite? Our bathroom on the Voyager was larger than the hotel bathroom! To end on a high note, the staff was gracious and the breakfast sumptuous.


Port of Singapore.


Artisans picture is a workshop in Siem Reap that teaches Cambodians and produces beautiful wood and stone carvings and other terrific art products. HIGHLY recommended for a visit; in the heart of Siem Reap. We are not big souvenir buyers but we could not pass up their products.


Spring roll picture was a woman making them for our poolside dinner/show at the Morei hotel in Siem Reap. Outstanding!

I'm glad to hear that, Paul and Maddy; I was planning to do that post cruise trip until I had to cancel because of medical reasons. Sounds like it was a great trip all the way around! Thanks to all for the input along the way, and by all means get us some pictures!

Great shots Maddy thanks for posting

Great pictures...so happy you went !

Great pictures! I love the Singapore botanic gardens... one of my favorite places on earth!


Ken I must have missed your earlier pictures...the one of the turtle above and below the water is phenominal!