January 20, 2025

VALPARAISO, CHILE - Vino del Mar Neighborhood

Day 2 in Valparaiso I spent with Whitney exploring the Vino del Mar Neighborhood. We took the train from the port to this beachside area North of the city center. We walked the streets in this bustling part of town and was warned, by a young lady walking her dog, to keep our alerts up and be mindful of how we hold our phones. The area is known for snatch and grabs. We had gotten the same warning the day before. Luckily, we witnessed none of this.   

Museo de Arqueologia e Historia Francisco Fonck - large Easter Island collection with their own Moai statue out front.

We had lunch at this cute bistro Romeo sin Juliet - owner Romeo, who is camera shy, says his patrons are the Julietas! Lunch was so fresh and yummy, had a great salad with falafel and he had the best music playing - Loved it - total indulgence!

After lunch we walked along the beach front, admired the remains of Wulff Castle ( German built) and finally saw the "cruise ship shaped" building we had heard about the day before and never really saw anything that measured up. Looks like a run down restaurant these days, especially from the back side. Lastly, we saw the famous flower clock and then we got an uber back to Ship.

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.