OK, I admit it. I hadn't seen this seamail until today. Read it all. Not only did I love all the commentaries, but I found out that not only Ken, but Andi and Doug and great photographers. I had always said that the flight was too long for me to ever go to Aus. and NZ, but after hearing and seeing everything on this thread, I have to put it on my bucket list.
Thanks everyone for a very enlightening look at this wonderful voyage.
Lynn

I'm back home after an uneventful 22 hour trip. Not sure what day or time it is but I'm glad to hear my fellow travelers are still enjoying their time down under.

Post DINGO seamail
We have had nothing but very rough seas since leaving Bay of Islands. Was looking forward to the sea days but am ready to say enough is enough! Any activity that required walking has been canceled for the day and many of the crew are seasick or not feeling their best. Tonight is a formal optional wear night so I am thinking dinner in the room with a movie or 2 sounds perfect. At least they are still running the elevators....so far. I am off to take a stroll through the store and am hoping I avoid falling into an entire display case filled with breakable items. Or maybe I'll just save my adventure for a trip to LV for lunch. DINGOs that are missing the ship, today is one to be glad you are on terra firma.

So sorry to hear about the rough seas, Betty. It was a fairly bumpy flight from Auckland to LA (at one point I was sure I was going to end up wearing my coffee and dessert) so there must be some sort of disturbance in the Pacific. I hope it is smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Betty, no falls allowed on this cruise, you have too far to go! I'd stay away from LV which is on topside, too. I remember one of my first 2 cruise on Navitator being up there FOR LUNCH and feeling like I'd had 3 martinis with the motion of the seas! Lie low!

OH air and ship turbulence make me sooooo nervous but admit rough seas on Regent ships have been almost non existant for us - agree with Olivia... Betty you don't need a "spill" ...

Just take care of you Betty, do only what you are feeling good with. I would be popping pills by now for sure. Hope the seas settle down and it starts being enjoyable again.

Crystal and I are sitting in the Auckland Airport Qantas Lounge with Ngaire and Ken. We ran into them as we were checking in.

I am kind of sad to be leaving but nice to have the holidays to look forward to after I get home. This was a wonderful cruise with great weather, traveling companions, seas (sorry, Betty), scenery and stories. Boy, did we do a lot of laughing.

Will share more tales and photos after we get home, tomorrow for you, but still today for us.

I guess the Queenstown travelers will be the last to return home. Hope all have had safe journeys so far.

To know that Beth and Crystal have left really does make the DINGO experience one of the past. :mecry: But I shall soldier on.....someone has to do it. :) The seas have calmed somewhat and people are actually emerging from their cabins and cruise life continues. For some unknown reason I took a 5 hour nap this afternoon. Never woke once. Have no idea why, but happy that I didn't have dinner plans. Hello Seth, I will need room service again. Tonight is another dinner and a movie. Tomorrow I cruise!!!

We are back home and missing the Navigator. Had an interesting experience with Air New Zealand in Auckland. Went to check in, I knew they only allowed one checked bag, but they charged us $200 for one extra bag! Claimed they charged $75 and American charged $125 for our domestic portion (a so called "transfer fee"). Would not check in our baggage all the way through unless we paid the total $200 and that we would have to work it with American. Got to LAX and American said they didn't know what Air New Zealand was talking about and didn't know of any such charge. Said American doesn't charge an extra fee. It is now in the hands of our credit card company who will work with Air New Zealand. Felt like we were held hostage to get our luggage home. We will see what happens. Betty, I hope you have calm seas and the rest of your trip is "amazing"!

Oh I forgot to add, I am sure all the Dingos won't be surprised that we are off to Atlanta to see the Auburn vs So. Carolina game - Ron just couldn't stay away - surprise, surprise :)

Sitting in the AA lounge in LAX waiting for our final flight home. Bit of a bumpy flight from Auckland to LAX but we did manage to watch two movies, catch about four hours of sleep and the food was good. Beth and Crystal were right in front of us and we were well behaved and did not kick their seats.

We had a wonderful two nights in Queenstown, again picture post card perfect weather. Fred, Pat, my sister and brother joined us on our river trip on the old 1912 EARNSLAW steam ship with a lunch visit to the Walter Peak Sheep Station on Lake Wakitipu. I have done this so many times and it is very touristy but I always enjoy it. The "sheep and dog show" was the best I have ever seen with the farmer having an incredibly dry sense of humor that really had us laughing.

Mark, Cheron, Bud and Sherrie were going on the same trip the next night after Ken and I left and they will have a dinner instead of a lunch. I think dinner is better but it was sold out on the night that we could go so we had not option but to take a lunch visit. I am sure they had a great time too.

We did all the things you are supposed to do, watched the bungy jumping, walked the park, went up the gondola. This area of New Zealand is a little slice of heaven. It was nice spending extra time with the six "Dingbats" and also seeing my family.

Well time to board, it was a great trip thanks to everyone onboard for making it special.

I never can believe when these trips are over time seems to fly - thanks for all the great seamail and pixs!!

Well, Crystal and I are back in DC, yes, exhausted to say the least. We have noticed some odd things here in DC.... the taxi driver drives in the left hand side seat. We were just getting used to driving (riding) on the left hand side of the road. Plus it sure was dark at 5:30pm. For some odd reason, we needed heat in the house tonight. Also, snow flurries are in the forecast for the next three days. Gone are our 70-80* temps. It is good to be home again and begin research on our next trip!!

Well Beth, if we had known, you and Crystal could have taken advantage of the Ridolphi B&B over in VA, which is not very far from Dulles, assuming that is where you flew in to. Next time let us know - we love company and always have lots of wine in the fridge.

I bet the Ridolphi B&B is 6 star - good hosts!!!! :app: :app:

We had a great forest walk on our second day in the Bay of Islands. Our guide was great, but we couldn't find any animals or even many bugs during our walk (one owl). Learned all about their trees and plants and the stars were great. The next day, after hugging our B&B hosts goodbye, we went to the Treaty house where the Maori and British signed their pact which united the country. Then, we headed off to Auckland for a dinner with friends in the Viaduct area. The Langham is very lovely, but like the Hyatt, it is away from downtown. There is a shuttle and it is necessary to use it to get to the CBD. The Hilton is a better location for most things in Auckland and for getting to the ship is embarking, as it is right next door.

Today, we seemed to go through three different seasons. It felt like rain and a fall day this am, but gradually become a hot summer day with blue skies by 5pm. We took the ho ho bus which was just okay. While Sydney is very compact and everything in close proximity, Auckland is quite spread out. We walked around the city, went to the Antarctic Center today and then went to the Sky Tower and watched the bungy jumpers. I still have to repack. Ugh.

We thought New Zealand was a great place to visit. The people are wonderful. It has been nice to get out of the cruise bubble and become more a part of the NZ world, without 65+ of our cruising buddies.

As far as the NZ part of our cruise went, we really liked the ports, but we felt we could have given Wellington a miss. To sum up each port:

1-South Island (Dunedin, Christchurch)

Dunedin: Scottish seaside town quite like Scotland itself. Highlights were albatross, yellow eyed penguins and fur seals. However, taking the tours, you could not do both the albatross and the penguins/fur seals even though they were next door to one another. So, if I were doing this again, I would opt to do this on my own.

Christchurch: This was a great stop and we probably could have used a couple of days here. We went out to the country, into the mountains, and it was a long bus ride, but pleasant day. Those who stayed in town and/or went to the Antarctic center really had a nice time.
2-North Island (Wellington, Napier, Rotarua)

Wellington: You don't need to take a tour. You could really do this port on your own. There is a nice botanical garden and a walking tour from the top of the cable car at 10:30. You might want to get a taxi out to a beach.

Napier: Had a good half day tour to see the gannet colony. The city itself was just okay. Lots of Art Deco covered in modern signage. The beach was quite nice and in the CBD, so you could do that.

Rotorua: We took the Thermal Wonderland tour, which had 8 busloads of people. Agh. There was a decent lunch. We understand that the same tour that had a charge was the way to go. We also understand that the tour with the jet boat was excellent. There is a lot to see and do in Rotorua, so it might have been better to have done this on our own and to have avoided the busloads of folks.

Tours: These were well handled and as good as any big bus tours could be managed. Fellow cruisers were considerate and very nice. However, 65 people needing a bathroom break does eat up time. Honestly, this is the first time we have taken just about every tour offered by Regent. Usually we go on our own 50% of the time -- at least. I wish we had done that this time.

Navigator: The ship looks wonderful. It was run exceptionally well. The food, service and entertainment was excellent. I see no degradation in quality.

For those doing the Feb 2011 version of this cruise....you are doing it in the right direction as you will gain (not lose) 2 hours. Additionally, I think the Mariner is a great ship and there are more places to go on sea days.

Pre-cruise: I recommend going to the Bay of Islands. Since it is the heart of the summer, you may want to be in Pahaia, near the beach and summer sports. We never got to Queenstown, so can't comment. We loved 88 Lodge in Kerikeri and the Langham, but you might want to be at the Hilton next to the ship.

Final thoughts of New Zealand...kiwifruit, loads of rose gardens, green fields, sheep, sheep, sheep, cows, hokey pokey ice cream (It is a flavor not a company....vanilla with honey balls...yum), honey, kauri trees, seals, birds (the kiwi bird which we only saw in a zoo), beaches, cleanliness of the cities, gorgeous gardens, the lack of dangerous animals and the nicest people in the world.

As American as Australia was, NZ is decidedly more British. When we think of Australia, we will always think koala, kangaroos, wallabys, parrots, cockatoos, beaches with shark nets, and the high cost of everything due to the improvement of the Australian dollar to our own.

Doug and I look forward to returning to this part of the world but will do it as a driving trip. We plan to take in Queenstown this time, do some more extreme sports, spend more time in Christchurch, Hobart and Melborne. We will be sorry for the trip to end tomorrow.

Thanks so much, JoAnn. That sure would have been nice compared to our hour+ drive into downtown DC last night. We are taking a leisure day relaxing, checking up on life back on the east coast and my brother just called to let me know that The Heels are playing. Yeah for college basketball even if UNC is in another building year!

Sitting in LAX terminal. Arrive home tonight. Back to reality tomorrow.

Thanks Joanna, we try.

Maybe next time Beth.

I am so bummed your trip is over. Such a good group

Betty,Jean, and Bill hope you meet lots of fun people and the seas calm down. We arrived home last night around 8:30PM to 5" of fresh snow. Mark is currently snowblowing our driveway. We had a wonderful cruise full of fun new friends,excellent ports,food and wine. Queenstown was amazing and I would highly,recommend it. We enjoyed meeting Ngaire's sister and brother. Thanks so much to Ken and Ngaire for a wonderful cruise/land experience.

We have just arrived in the capital city of Fiji. Suva. Were once again greeted by the local police band and are now being serenaded by the police band singers. Everyone is wearing the exact same uniforms as yesterday's group. I wonder if they flew over to this island to greet us once again. I swear the drum major is the same person as yesterday. :) They have both been good. I am waiting for the "bank" to open. The ship will not exchange Fiji money but they allow the local bankers to come on board to do this for us twice a day. Right now the singers are "trying" a version of "Sweet Caroline". It's not Neil Diamond, but this is Fiji...so who cares. There are some really fun people of this segment and I bet Jean will know every single person by 1st name before this cruise ends. She is so funny and all adore her. Cheron, Bill mentioned last night at dinner about cancellations at O'Hare, so we are happy to hear you made it home. Snow seems like a another planet to us right now. Heat, humidity and then more of the same. But it's Fiji! We will do our best to enjoy for the rest of you. :app:
Will try to add a photo later today.

Hey Betty, Glad to hear that there are some fun folks on this segment. Have a good time with them.

We had snow in Wilson yesterday and when I arrived home today, some is still on the ground and roof tops. Not Cheron & Mark's 5 inches, but snow in Wilson this early in Dec. is quite odd.

Jean, Bill and Betty, i know you'll have a great time until the 10th. Thinking of those of you who stayed on to enjoy the rest of the trip. Was with a whole lot of other Navigator folks on the Qantas plan home. We took over business class. All flights ran perfectly...got in early with all our bags my bag first off!!!!

Back to reality....doing a wash. Doug and I spent an hour trying to find my car keys. I couldn't remember where I put them 3 weeks ago. How many of you get vacation Alzheimer's? Miss you all.

OHHH the lost keys been there done that - slip them into small pocket of jacket or purse - find them 3 weeks later???? WAYYYY later :mecry: :mecry:

Being on my own, this is a point of almost paranoia with me, coming home and not finding keys. Have a wonderful SIL next door, and everytime I have keys made, take a set to her. She knows just where she puts keys. Problem solved, for ME.

I was bad today and bought black pearl earrings and a pendant. Obviously spent too much but always kicked myself I didn't buy when in Tahiti. But I have my VAT money back. Whoopee. Every bit helps. And the Fiji economy thanked me.
Tomorrow we have our 2nd Monday and will back on schedule with the US. Sea day. I might try for a chair at the pool, in the shade. And talk about culture shock. someone was telling me today where the COSTCO is in Hilo. I don't want to think about the COSTCOs of the world. Not yet...but Xmas shopping is finished. Now to get it to the rightful recipient. Next stop is Samoa. Do you think they sell boxes and wrapping paper there?
They have starting playing outside my balcony for sail away. The Fiji version of Blue Suede Shoes. Sure beats their version of "Sweet Caroline" this morning. Now they are singing "Silver Bells" Not bad. Is it really Xmas? I left a few days after Halloween.
Excited to follow Diane and Marcia on their penguin trip. This one, with 2 weeks to go before it is over, has probably come to close to an interesting seamail end. But I will report in if I am mistaken. Happy everyone made it home.

report! I love hearing from you

Farewell to Fiji

Fiji Police Band's Musical Send Off.


Pulling away from pier as Band Waves Goodbye.


Officers watch


Farewell Fiji. You are one beautiful country.

Betty,
Glad you were able to get some black pearls. Sounds like you have been having quite the entertainment!!! We have snow on the ground and I can't believe it is Christmas soon. Enjoy our new friends and all of the warm ports. Miss you and the Navigator lifestyle. Did the new captain ever arrive?

Always wonderful to read your reports , Betty! Good for you getting the black pearls! We skied Vail yesterday. Going to Beaver Creek for the third day today. We're in for several inches of fresh powder today!!!

Today we are in Samoa. Looks really nice from the ship. The lecture given yesterday about the island was interesting, but life here is not what I expected at all. Different from the US. Off to see the Robt Louis Stevenson house and then to town for a hunt for Xmas wrapping paper. Hopefully it will be in every store. If not, then everyone will be getting gifts in a plain brown box - no bow, just an UPS label. :) Cheron, the new Capt arrived only 1 day late. I have sailed with him before. He does not get out and socialize like Capt MacNeil does and the noon announcements are brief. But all other officers are very visible and friendly as before. It is a nice group....just different, with most of the passengers being new. Still having a wonderful time, but it is not with same without the DINGOs. Kim, I know you and Alice are enjoying Vail. I have my Vail cap with me and look at the webcam every day. What a difference in scenery. But so much beauty in both places. We have 4 or 5 sea days ahead of us before Oahu. I need to find a new activity to learn. Maybe ballroom dancing? :)

Hey Betty, Be glad where you are. It's been a cold 28* in Wilson today. Tomorrow's high is 32..... brrrrrr. Not the best welcome home present. Tell us how RLS's house is. I know you took lots of pix. Good luck on that wrapping paper hunt!! Ballroom dancing???? Maybe bridge!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/blacksheep/

How did we miss out on this while in New Zealand? I laughed so hard when a friend showed it to me today.

We may even get flurries here tonight. Stay warm Betty!

Passages says we will probably lose all communications - phone, TV and internet for the next several days. If you don't heard from me, you will know why. Weather here was miserable since rain was thrown into the tropical mix, but these are the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Wrapping paper hunt....now there is a story but it is time for trivia. Hope they are wrong about the communications. Now, let me think. The capital of Samoa is Apia. Of yes, right off my balcony. Should get that one right at trivia or some crossword puzzle today.

BOO HOO will miss your posts Betty

Loving your seamail, Betty! Thanks! Will wait patiently to hear from you soon....

Is that a new pic Betty? You look beautiful.

We will miss hearing from you Betty!