February 23, 2025

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - Day 1- Don't cry for me!

Casa Rosada, the red palace, known for Eva Peron famous speech farewell from balcony. Guards parading grounds, today Casa Rosada isworking offices of Argentina President, he does not live here. We did a mix of HoHo Bus - Hop on and Hopped off alot.

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Sunday Market in San Telmo area, with all their comic characters. We walked this part of town, had some empanadas and saw some street performances of Tango!

We then headed to the Puerto Madero commercial area alongside the river. The Puente de la Mujer is a rotating footbridge with a cantilever spar cable that is illuminated at nightby showcasing it's asymmetric lines. Architect was Santiago Calatrava. Here we had a dinner reservation set up by Bob Meyer's childhood friend and local resident Mirta ( retired attorney) , who spent the afternoon with us, giving us local insights to the City and People.

Carribean 7 group - left to right Sarah, Scott, Me, Jimbo, Anna, Sheri, Mirta ( Bob's friend - was an exchange student in high school ) & Bob. Enjoying a Argentine Steak Dinner at Villegas. After dinner we went to a neighborhood Carnival band performance in a local park. Five neighborhood groups performed. We caught the tail end of the last 2 groups. A good taste of what is come in Rio.

ROTORUA CITY HIGHLIGHTS - NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua became a bonus city for us. Our Port stay in Tauranga got cut down to one day, due to NZ biosecurity regulations and since we really wanted to do Hobbiton, we decided to get off the ship and stay in hotels and get back on the ship, in a few days. Due to a variety of factors, the Ship ended up doing a quick pick up of us in Tauranga, three days later. The Kiwi's we encountered along the way, who helped with all our last minute details, were amazingly kind, hospitable and generous. Below is our tired, chilly group huddled at the security shed, outside the Port in the wee hours (1:30 am) Monday morning, awaiting our final hurdle of getting back on our Home. Home sweet home! What an adventure!

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua, New Zealand is known for it's geothermal activity ( geysers, mud pools, hot springs) and rich Maori culture . I saw lots of that last time I was here in 2016, so this time I wanted to see their Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest. John and Colleen joined me in exploring. Their redwoods are smaller than the ones in Muir Woods California, but still impressive. Both are planted forest dating back to around 1908.

ALONG THE ROAD - TAURANGA TO ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 2, 2026
Love the unexpected, along the road, sights we get to see and discover. Along the way from Hobbiton to Rotorua we came across these three unique large buildings. I believe the town was Tirau and lots of cars and buses were stopping to observe the buildings, use the public restrooms, (which are housed in one of them) and grab some snacks, gas and / or souvenirs.