August 9, 2025

Our first Port in Japan! 

Japan is compromised of 4 main islands, from North to South - Hokkaido, Honshu,Shikoku & Kyushu. We are in Japan for 30+ days and have port stops in all four islands. Today, we started in Hakodate which is on the southern tip of the first island. Below are the first views I had from my balcony coming into the Port. It was rainy most of the day, but we were still able to walk around the town.

The fish markets were right across from the Port - Crabs in all sizes - some huge! Same with the Melons! Vending machines are also everywhere. Fellow resident Laura shared her love for the 7-11 tuna sandwich that uses seaweed in lieu of bread !

We got caught in a down pour while strolling the fish market - so went back to the ship for a change of clothes, before heading out again to go further into town. This time we decided to test out our skills using the public transportation and downloaded a Suica transit card. We followed the crowd and figured out the system. We went a handful of stops on the trolley to the star shaped fort. There we ran into a bunch of other residents.

Group of ship residents at Fort - Ozzie Rina out front - L to R Me, Enoch, Anna ( pianist), Bosco, Paul, Claude & David.

 After the Fort we took the tram again and headed back past the port, to the restored red brick warehouses along the waterfront, which is now a lively restaurant, bar and shopping area. We then walked back to ship in time to cast off.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 4, 2026
We had a beautiful sunny day to explore Wellington ! Was a very nice change from the stormy, big swells weather we have had the last two days! Wellington is the Capital city of New Zealand and the CBD is nice and big with lots of shops and museums. We didn't make it to the LOTR studios due to the time crunch but we took the cable car up to the top, for a scenic overlook of the port and then leisurley walk down through the Botantical Gardens, parks and historical cemetary.

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.