Well, except for trying to figure out where the Pegasus car hire (American: rental car) office was in Port Chalmers. We had looked for this the last time we were here, and never did find it. However, when I called the office from a busy street corner in front of a closed Apple Store in Sydney, they told me it didn’t matter: they’d bring the car right to the cruise terminal in Port Chalmers. Well, thank you very much!
We grabbed breakfast in the International Cafe for the first time this season. It’s never the healthiest option- G had an egg McMuffin and I had an almond croissant- but it is the fastest. I love that the Majestic Princess has ample seating in the Piazza. Love it. That became a real issue on the Ruby Princess (and, too bad for them, they offered WiFi fast enough for me to share that issue publicly). While we sat there, we took our phones off Airplane Mode and I was able to upload a couple of blog posts. Each one took about 15 minutes and 12% of my battery life, but it worked.
Sniffing out the food
Such a cutie
We met the Pegasus rep in the parking lot just outside the terminal and were introduced to our small Toyota. G had wanted a car with clearance, but I (the driver) wanted a small car, preferably one that was very, very VERY narrow. I’ve driven on the left before, 20 years ago on a scooter in Bermuda and nobody got hurt, so I was optimistic I’d have a similar experience today. We had already scoped out the road we wanted to drive down, and knew that while traffic was not going to be an issue, the width of the curvy road might be.
While we have been driven down the length of the Otago Peninsula a few times in the past two years, the other (north) side of the Otago Harbour is the one we’ve only traveled on the Seasider Train from Dunedin. We could see endless white sand beaches, one after another, but only from above, where the train track is located. Today we wanted to drive the coastal road to Ara Moana Beach, and even further, if we could. This wasn’t a far distance, less than 15km or so, but it is an area few cruise ship passengers ever see, because it’s difficult to get there except by taxi or rental car. So, there we were.
It was quite a ride. This road was really narrow, with a rocky hillside on one side of the road and a six to ten foot dropoff to the water or a beach on the other. In many places, it narrowed to a single lane as it curved around a hill, but a mirror was helpfully provided so we could see oncoming traffic (that, frankly, was terrifying for both of us). There was no shoulder, and, just to increase the degree of difficulty points, there were several Sunday cyclists taking in the scenery too. Of course, the hardest part (after getting in on the correct side of the car) is getting a sense of where the car is in the lane. Luckily, it was an automatic, so I didn’t have to shift with my left hand (that might have blown my mind), the speed was never above 60kph and traffic was very light.
And the scenery was breathtaking. This area on the South Island of New Zealand is my idea of heaven. Steep green hillsides dotted with sheep, miles of sandy beaches and coastal mud flats when the tide is out, and a laid back life style. I can see why so many Kiwis retire to this area, although, as we’ve been told in the past, no one is here for the weather. Though today was a perfect, sunny summer day, it was only around 70F. There are a lot of grey, cold, humid days here, winter and summer.
We explored these beaches from right to left
Otago Harbour heads with the lighthouse and Royal Albatross Center on the right
It was especially fun to see so many locals out enjoying the beaches, proving to us that this one of the best areas close to Dunedin to spend a pretty day. When the road kind of ended at the north head of the Otago Harbour, we backtracked a little away from the coast. This area is so remote that there are just gravel spur roads down to the beaches that continue north along the ocean coast. We wanted to get away from crowds today. We sure did.
This guy was collecting paua shell (abalone)
Black paua shell
The usual paua shell color
Sheep, everywhere
Boats on mud flats at low tide
The hillsides are green and gorgeous
A scenic anchorage
The South Island of New Zealand in a nutshell
We brought the car back to the terminal parking lot after about three hours, and called the office to tell them it was there. Then, although it was Sunday and the the library across the street was closed, their WiFi was still on; the 50 or so crew members stacked up out on the sidewalk in front of the building were a dead giveaway. I had brought G’s iPad off the ship, and was able to download a few more Netflix videos for him to watch. That’s been a little challenging. So much of the Netflix content is not available to us down here, and, of what is available, only a small percentage is downloadable. He’s been happy watching every season of The Big Bang Theory, but once he’s exhausted those, I’m not sure what we’ll do.
After we finished using WiFi (and I uploaded another couple of blog posts), we set out to achieve another ‘it’s now or never’ goal, to climb to a lookout just above the port. This involves walking up three very steep streets for 15 minutes or so, but that we both did it with no issue is proof we are feeling better. That I walked down with no foot pain (none) means that the 48 days spent on my back with my foot elevated above my heart were worthwhile.
The Majestic Princess from the lookout
Look how narrow the channel is that the ship has to navigate. This is why Port Chalmers is sometimes missed on windy days.
Back on the ship, it was nice enough to eat outside by the Fountain Pool. G had a burger and I had a veggie noodle bowl that didn’t leave us too full for dinner just two hours later. A dark cloud moved in and dropped a quick shower on us, and that was our cue to return to the cabin for the first time in hours.
Captain Dino told us, in his ‘Welcome back on board’ announcement, that we did not imagine that wicked weather we had yesterday after we left Milford Sound. They recorded a 70 knot wind gust on the bridge (just over 80mph) and the swells were reaching 20 feet. I think skipping scenic cruising of the other scheduled fiords and making a run for the calm side of the South Island was a very wise choice.
Day 5 dinner menu, page 1
Day 5 dinner menu, page 2
Day 5 dessert menu
The Princess Theater entertainment tonight was comedian Ivor Richards (just...no), so we chose to go to the Vista-less Lounge at 8pm to listen to Crooners piano bar entertainer Alissa Musto backed by a few musicians from the Majestic Princess orchestra. She is so good, and has a huge following in Crooners. It was nice to hear her story: raised in a family of professional musicians in Boston, she was paying for a pre-law degree by playing piano bar on the weekends when she decided an entertainment career would be more fun than being an attorney. I agree. Her show was fantastic.
We swung by the World Fresh Marketplace on the way back to our cabin. I don’t think I’ve mentioned Watermelongate, have I? We ran out of watermelon on our last Ruby Princess cruise, got on the Majestic Princess and didn’t have watermelon on that first cruise either. I may bear part of the blame for the Ruby Princess shortage, but I can’t be blamed for what we encountered on the Majestic. The watermelon has been missed. A lot. I had almost given up hope that we’d see it again this season...but it’s back!! And it’s a much better late night snack than lemon cookies. Thank goodness. The waist snap on my shorts felt snug this afternoon. Lemon cookies are a thing of the past.
We are back in the cabin catching the last few minutes of the Vikings- 49ers game. Ahhh... football. We don’t even care who’s playing at this point. Any game is a little piece of home almost halfway around the world.
Day 5 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 5 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 5 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 5 Princess Patter, page 4