DUNEDIN

Dunedin was such a special little town. We got off the ship and went to the 'iSite' to figure out what to do. We signed up for a tour, and it turned out perfectly as we were the only people signed up for that time (me, mom and TK). The pictures explain many of the things we saw, but I will tell you a little about Dunedin. It is actually a little college town- and any of you who are thankful for healthy teeth can thank this little place since it's the birthplace of modern dentistry education. I think that is one neat piece of trivia! Enjoy the photos and explanations...

This is the steepest street in the world. Look it up. It's true. It's called Baldwin Street and here are some fun facts:
Since 2002, a further charity event has been held annually in July, which involves the rolling of over 30,000 Jaffas (spherical candy-coated chocolate sweets). Each jaffa is sponsored by one person, with prizes to the winner and funds raised going to charity. ( I didn't buy a jaffa, but wanted to).
They also have a footrace to to top and back down again, every summer, called the 'Gutbuster'!
A cottage built in the 1800's by a stone mason with 'scrap' stones he saved over many years of working in the quarries. He put odd stones aside to one day build his retirement cottage. If you look closely you can see the aren't uniform in size.
One of the many cool buildings in the 'Octagon', which is basically the town square.
The lighthouse as we head out of the harbor. Albatross were flying everywhere and I was SOOOOO cold out on the deck!
Cruising out of the harbor. It was actually pretty long and narrow, with the town situated at the end.
The new rugby stadium being built. I saw the other stadium that they are playing in, very cool but no chance to get a photo. As you know, rugby is the national sport of NZ. They are know as the 'All Blacks'. In contrast, the soccer league is known as the 'All Whites'.
Up on that hill again, looking out towards the hills. It's too bad you can't see the sheep that were scattered here and there.
This monument was at the top of that same hill. It was the only actual stop we made on the bus tour we took.

I know it says I'm in Dunedin, New Zealand, but I really and truly think I have been transported to SCOTLAND!

TINY KONA'S TRUISM of the Day...If it's not Scottish, it's CRAP!

New Zealand

Also known as 'KIWI land', I have a whole week of posts I need to get organized - serious stuff, my friends! I am doing my best (and just look at what I am working with-namely my whacky self) and will hopefully spit one or two posts out each day.
Anyway, here is a point of trivia about New Zealand, that may give you a chuckle...
There are about 4 million people living in these islands... and about 400 million sheep!
Here's my tribute to the sheep... Awww, so soft and cuddly and cute..

Makes ya just wanna put that nice wool sweater on...

TINY KONA'S TRUSIM of the Day...400 M sheep? That's a lotta lambchops...

cruising the fjords

Coming out of one of the fjords. This should have been the LAST picture. Oh well...
There are SEALS on those rocks. I think one of them mooned TK...
cold and pristine flowing waterfalls in Milford Sound
One of the beautiful waterfalls, with smaller sightseeing boats that got to get close up and personal!
twice is good
twice is good
Some of the small islands we cruised by. I'm sure you can tell how cold and windy it was...
TK relaxing on one of the heated ceramic chaise lounges in the 'Thermal Suite'. There are floor to ceiling windows that you can look out while lounging on the ever-so-comfy chaises.
The toasty steaming warm hot top where I spent a lot of my time watching the beautiful views as we cruised by the fjords. It's pretty much a panoramic view at the front of the ship, on the eighth floor. Much of the time I was in there by myself - my own little warm and tranquil secret!

Heading into one of the fjords (I think this one was Dusky Fjord).



One of the treats of the entire cruise was getting to spend a WHOLE day crusing some of the scenic New Zealand fjords of their south island. The bad news (for me anyway) was the weather. Although it was quite sunny, it was still very cold and windy.

The ship has a spa in it, of course, and one of the exclusive areas is called the 'Thermal Suite'. You have to pay extra to use it, and I got a package that allows me to use it for fourteen of the days I'm on the ship. I have had a few times where I got to enjoy the warmth and serenity of this suite and it gave me the idea of using one of my day passes when we were going through the fjiords.

And let me tell you, it was a BRILLIANT idea! I spent much of the day in solitude (as you know TK isn't what you would call a chatterbox), and I was toasty warm the whole time.

The views were just spectacular, waterfalls crashing into the water, snow on some of the mountain peaks and trees, trees and more trees. They looked like so many bunches of broccoli covering every square inch of land. Actually, the mountains are made up of mostly granite, or granite-like rock - no dirt! So the roots of all the trees are all intertwined with each other as they grow.

The area is, of course, not inhabited. Nobody around. Just so natural and beautiful and serene.

We actually said through four different areas during the course of the day and I apologise I don't have too many pictures, but trust me on the beauty! Oh, and I even saw some dolphins hopping in and out of the water on our way out of one of the sounds!

Now just trying to gear up for our next seven days - where we are in a different port each and every day! Still working on some of the picture issues. Things we probably be a bit out of order for then next week or so, but I am going to try my best to keep things as current as I can!



TINY KONA'S TRUISM of the DAY... If this is just the beginning of the beauty of New Zealand, we may just have to turn KIWI.