Today was our final port of call before beginning the journey back to Sydney. We arrived at the Bay of Islands, right at the northern end of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s a beautiful part of the country, known for its sheltered bays, clear water and dramatic coastline.
We had booked a short excursion to the Hole in the Rock, a naturally eroded rock formation at the eastern end of Motukōkako Island near Cape Brett. Over thousands of years, wind and waves have carved a perfectly formed hole straight through the island, and in calm conditions boats can pass directly through it. It’s one of the Bay of Islands’ most recognisable landmarks and usually a highlight for visitors.
Unfortunately, the trip was cancelled due to forecast poor weather. High winds and showers were expected, and that stretch of water can become rough and unpleasant very quickly. We were offered an alternative experience, but the timings didn’t line up with ship time. One option departed before we arrived and another returned too late. In the end, we decided to stay onboard.
Given how busy the previous few days in Tauranga and Auckland had been, that decision suited us just fine.
We had a very quiet morning, catching up on reading, blogging and news from home. It’s strange being away when major events unfold back in Australia. Over the past few days, coverage of the Bondi tragedy, where 16 people lost their lives, has been constant across screens, feeds and newspapers. This isn’t the place for political debate, but it feels important to acknowledge moments like this. Events of that scale mark a deeply sad moment in our country’s history, and the sense of grief is something I’m sure many Australians are feeling.
As Maddy showered and got ready for the day I wandered the ship. I took some photos. It never ceases to amaze me how these floating hotels are entertainment centres. Stay upright and afloat. The open spaces on deck 17, 18 and 19 are amazing.
By late morning we ventured out and headed up to the Salty Dog Café around 11.30. I had a hamburger and Mardi went for a hotdog. Despite the forecast, the weather was surprisingly good. The pool deck, where Salty Dog is located, is very well protected from the wind. It was warm and humid, around 23 degrees with high humidity, and while clouds were building, it felt like a good opportunity for a swim.
I went for a few laps in the pool. My swimming style these days is best described as creative. After breaking my right shoulder and having surgery last year, I can’t roll into a normal freestyle stroke. My left arm does the traditional work while my right arm does something resembling a crab crawl. It’s not elegant, but it gets the job done.
After the swim, we settled back into reading and relaxing. This is what cruising does best. Time slows down. There’s no rush, no agenda, no clock to beat, apart from trivia of course. I’ve been really enjoying getting back into reading since Mardi gave me an Amazon Kindle for my 60th birthday. I’ve already finished one book and I’m halfway through another, switching between cricket biographies, including Glenn Maxwell, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, and crime thrillers. At the moment, I’m deep into the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.
As the humidity started to build, we headed downstairs to cool off, changed, and made our way to the Piazza for an iced coffee and an iced chocolate. From there we wandered into Princess Live, where a Celebrity Head Trivia Challenge was about to start. The challenge involved identifying celebrities from blurred or partially obscured images. Some were easy, like George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence and Jim Carrey. Others were much harder. We did reasonably well, scoring 15 out of 20.
That was followed closely by the daily Let’s Quiz Again challenge. We were on good form and finished in the top three with a score of 17 out of 20.
We then headed back to our room for a short rest and to change before the evening’s activities, starting with a Friends trivia challenge. It was probably the first quiz where we genuinely thought we might win. Both Mardi and I have watched the series a couple of times, and Andy and Jodie’s daughter, Sian, is also a big fan. Unfortunately, the questions were incredibly specific, often tied to a single moment in a single episode. We scored 12 out of 20, which was disappointing but still good fun.
Dinner was at Crown Grill. The food across the cruise has been good overall, particularly in the specialty restaurants. Crown Grill, Sabatini’s and The Catch by Rudi have all delivered consistently, although the menus don’t change, so on a 14-day cruise you do start to cycle through the same options. That said, we’ve certainly got value from the Princess Premier package. By contrast, the main dining room hasn’t really impressed us, and the buffet can feel a bit overwhelming. Gigi’s Pizzeria has probably been our most reliable casual option, along with burgers and hotdogs from Salty Dog.
After dinner we returned to Princess Live for a game show called Liars. There are no prizes, just audience participation and a lot of comedy. Three crew members each tell a story linked to a mystery word, and the audience has to decide which definition is correct.
The first word was Pistonia. Donovan, who also hosts progressive trivia, told a hilarious story about camping with his brother and bursting balloons using a branch from a Pistonia tree. Armando followed with an even more outrageous tale about working as a lifeguard on the Gold Coast and treating a bluebottle sting by “pistonia”, which he helpfully pronounced as “pissed on ya”. Each of his stories began with his father telling him how ugly he was. One involved a cot with tinted glass, another a teddy bear sleeping in a different room, and another being taken to work because no one wanted to kiss him goodbye. The room was in stitches. Kez rounded things out by claiming Pistonia was an ancient South American dance, which she enthusiastically performed on stage.
All three stories were convincing, but the audience voted for Donovan, which turned out to be correct. The game continued with more words and more ridiculous stories, and we laughed our way through the entire show.
We finished the night with a TV Theme Song Challenge. The presenter played theme songs backwards, sped up or slowed down, which made it far harder than expected. Even so, we finished in the top three or four teams again.
We called it a night knowing the next three days would be sea days, one of our favourite parts of cruising. Balcony doors open, the gentle sound of the ocean, and nothing on the agenda but rest and relaxation as we make our way back from New Zealand to Sydney. We’re due to arrive at 6.00am on Saturday, so Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be all about slowing down.
