Tuesday 7th Dec
After posting yesterdays blog, with the wrong month on it, we went off to dinner and then a show. Today we arrived at the southern end of NZ and headed into Dusky sound and out of Thompson Sound. As you would expect it’s quite spectacular. We then moved in a northerly direction through Acheron Passage and exited via Breaksea Sound, equally spectacular.
It is bitterly cold out at sea in this part of the cruise unless you can get out of the breeze. After lunch and a nap we found we were entering Milford Sound where the ship must use a pilot because it is narrower than the other sounds we have been in today.
There is snow on the peaks along with the remains of an ancient glacier, so we have been informed.
Tonight we will be going to a late show in which our table waiter will be singing along with other members of the crew. He’s looked after us well each evening for dinner so even though the show doesn’t start till 10.00 pm we can’t miss it even though it’s after our bed time!!!! The weather has been exceptionally kind to us today. It was feared that we may not have been able to do the fiords if the weather had stayed like yesterday. We are now setting a course for home and have been told it could be a bumpy night with a low forming just ahead of us between two highs. It won’t worry these two mariners though.
Cheers till we report again,
The Great Dane and Gemini.

Thursday 2nd to Sat 4th

Tauranga – a pretty little place. We didn’t take a tour but did some laundry instead before going ashore and having a very nice seafood lunch at a seaside (ocean beach) café and walking back to the ship along the inside beach.
Napier – we went on another wine and cheese tour in the morning and tasted some very nice wines. The first winery was in a monks old missionary. It’s still owned by them but run by a management group. Their label is “Mission Wines”. I particularly liked a lightly sweetened late harvest wine. I hope we can find it in Australia when we get back home.
The second winery was “Sileni” where they also served cheese with the tasting and also had a tasting of a salsa promoting some of their other products for sale. We bought some of their nice cheeses for our sundowners back on board.
The third winery was one I can’t pronounce so I won’t try to spell it. They also had a great cheese, fruit and cracker selection plus a local NZ Ice cream.
We then returned to the ship and refreshed and headed back into town for some lunch and a look around in the mall.
Wellington – Since we have been here for a few days before, we just took the shuttle bus into the city and did a little shopping for essentials and then had a nice lunch at a German pub. Back to the ship for a nap then an afternoon coffee up on the top deck.

There is a bout of NORA VIRUS (a very aggressive form of gastric and vomiting wog) going around the ship for the past couple of days so it’s been necessary to be particularly careful about what you touch and lots of hand washing the code is RED ALLERT.
Apart from that and our air conditioning not working last night it’s been a very pleasant but uneventful cruise. The weather has also been very kind with cold mornings and nice sunny days.


Sunday, 5 December 2010
Arrived at Lyttelton this morning at 8am. This is the port for Christchurch. After a leisurely breakfast we caught the shuttle into Christchurch. It’s a busy weekend as they have a cycle race on around the city this morning as well as a Christmas parade this afternoon. We spent a couple of hours walking around one of the most beautiful parks/gardens I have ever been in – the roses were spectacular.
We then walked into the main part of the city still showing signs of the earth quake a couple of months ago.
We took a punt barge, like a gondola, along the Avon River through overhanging trees and under about 5 bridges. It’s really a lovely quaint city.
We then had lunch at the Art Centre before catching the shuttle bus back to the ship.




Monday 6th Nov

Cruise Log.

It’s 4.30 pm Tasman Sea Time Tuesday 30th Nov. Thanks D for driving us to the ship. After finding where we had to embark it took about 1 and ¼ hours to go through customs, board and find our cabin. It’s nicer than the one we spent 3 months in last year. Apart from sleeping and eating, we have been to a couple of trivia sessions and two excellent evening shows. We are dining with two other couples about as young as we are. One couple are actually from Cleveland and go to the Centre where I play cards on Thursday, except they play indoor bowls there. The other couple are from Port Macquarie. At breakfast and at lunch we have also struck a lot of nice happy people. The food is good and too tempting, which means we’ll have to starve ourselves the week we spend at home before the next cruise. The seas have been calm to moderate but it’s pretty windy out on deck. We know we are going south as the temperature is heading the same way. It’s another day at sea today and the tomorrow we arrive in Auckland where we have booked a wine tour.
Will keep you posted as December rolls up, Cheers J & M



Wednesday 1 December 2010
Woke up this morning - already docked in Auckland. Had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room before getting ready to go ashore for our Wine Tasting tour of the Auckland area. We visited Soljans winery and gave a big tick to “Kumeu Pino Gris”. We then moved on to Nebilo Winery and enjoyed “The peoples Chardonnay” as well as “Selaks – The Favourite Merlot”. The next winery we visited was Matua Valley. There were about 4 of their wines which we thought worth looking for in Australia when we get back home. The vineyards here are relatively small. When we got back to the ship, we chose to have lunch in town, which is right at the port. After a bit of shopping for a couple of essentials we spent the afternoon sleeping off the morning’s wine tasting. At the moment – 5.30 pm, we are preparing to sail away. Tomorrow we expect to wake up in Tauranga. We haven’t booked any tours there. Will keep you posted, Cheers the Great Dane and Gemini.

Well time to feed the blog again.
I have finished dressing the garden with lucerne mulch.
I chose Lucerne this year mainly because of 3 new veggie beds, the new soil I used has great moister holding capacity and drains well, I added the usual starter nutrients such as Blood and bone, Dolomite, dynamic lifters, Sulphate of Potash for healthier and stronger plants, as well as sweeter fruit, Garnet dust also known as rock dust for all the ancient rock minerals, as well as trace elements and a good dressing of Sea-Mung.

Lucerne mulch is well known for its higher Nitrogen content, as well as trace elements from its very deep root system.

I found that the Lucerne mulch covered a lot more per bale than cane mulch, and in the long run it works out a fair bit cheaper due to the greater coverages, it is a lot finer than Cane mulch and I thing a greater moister protection and cooling for the soil,it will be interesting to see if it last as long as cane mulch.

However the garden is ready for our very hot summer and ready for planting the summer crop such as cantaloupes (I grow the moister one the size of a cricket ball and very sweet) my Pumpkin is up as well as the water melon. and so is the Mango Melon (seeds from GB on the farm)

To days harvest.
It is a luxury to just go into the Veggie garden and pick the days produce for our meals.
We hardly ever visit the Green grocer any more we are self sufficient as far as vegetables is concerned.

Two more Cheeses new variety, I have recently had the coultuer for Danbo and other Danish cheeses brought in by GREEN LIVING AUSTRALIA,it took close to 3 months to get them here due to the Northern hemisphere country's all go on holiday over the northern summer and most factories and businesses close down for that period.
I am very happy with the the outcome first time using the coulture making DANBO cheese and KING CHR.X cheese with caraway seeds using Jersey milk which is the best for cheese making.
This style style of cheese will mature in just 2 months delivering a mild flavoursome cheese, they can be matured up to 8 months with a constant increase of taste to very tasty.
The Chr.X cheese I added some Lipase enzyme to make a traditional stronger cheese.
A number of my hard cheeses has started to show some signs of early maturity and we have been eating some of the first Cheddar, very exciting!!.

A nice harvest of red cabbage, the seedlings was planted at the end of July,3month from seedling to maturity is very good for a new garden bed.




6 jars good size of pickled sweet and sour red cabbage Danish style, that will keep us going till next season, I am also making 1 jar of Red cabbage sour kraut.

Air drying 2 cheeses that I made late last last week
SWISS Cheese and a EDAM.

I have come across a dependable supply of Jersey milk, the Jersey is some of the best milk for cheese making, the result after only pressing and the salt brine bath looks stunning, I am confident of an excellent result the colour looks so creamy and rich.

Monday:
In amongst the heavy rain I have harvested quiet a crop of Curly Kahel that I will process this evening.

I will simply tare the curly leafs of the ribs, lightly chop them after they have been washed, place them in a large sup kettle with a couple of inches of water and steam them about 10 minutes till they wilt, remove from the pot onto a drainer board let cool a little, then by hand squice the excess water off before chopping the Kahle a lot finer after which i form them to tennis size balls for freezing for later use, the kahle don't like our very hot summers.

I was kindly asked over for Sunday Lunch at Patrick & Merilyn on Sunday.

P & M started growing vegetable for the first time ever, earlier this year,
Pat build a table height bed and a lover bed early Autumn, it didn't take them long to get the soil and plants in after the beds was build.

Gemini and I have made a couple of visits to experience the progress, the garden beds has been a great success and regular harvest has taken place with much pleasure for both P & M. also Merilyn has branched out to some smaller pots as well.

Merilyn has been growing Orchids for many years with a results that would make many a hobbyists growers envious.

As well Pat & Merilyn have a quiet a collection of Bonsais that they attend to on a regularly basis.

As one would presume, the growing of veggies would not have been all that difficult to get started.

My first Asparagus is up only 6 days after planting, it may not look much, but I am impressed

The first dig of new kafler potatoes, the potatos was planted on the 16 July,I am extremely pleased with such a result in succh a short time

It has been a busy week with one thing and an other, the 11 days of planting in the veggie garden finished last Monday, just in time to plant the Asparagus crowns that GB. On the farm gave us after a lovely weekend visiting at the farm, in addition I found a small potted crown at Bunning’s but that will take a couple of years before to starts producing.
The Savoy cabbages did well in the garden , these afternoon I put down some for sour kraut in the stone ware pot, it will take 3-5 days to ferment before I press it into jars and to keep in the fridge.

I mix a sliced apple and a little finely sliced carrot with the cabbage, personal choice!!!
on the 3rd day I will mix in a little caraway seed as well.
Tha sour kraut will have sufficient flavour after 10 – 14 days, but will improve over time to reach maximum flavour at 4 month, that is if there is any left.
I have a big crop of Red cabbage coming on in the next 4 – 6 weeks, some I will make into Sour Kraut and the rest I will Pickle the traditional Danish way.
To morrow I will make a “Traditional English style Vintage cheddar” that will sit in the Cheese cave for at least 10 months to mature.