Hi Everyone,
Back home and legal for another 6 months!!!! Still, it was a good excuse for another holiday. That is my story and I am sticking to it. I hope that you are all enjoying the warmer weather now - or is the cry of 'drought' sprinkling the headlines?
We are looking forward to winter (NOT) but recently the days have started out really cold but when the sun comes out ......... Bliss. Good news on my return. I CAN FLUSH!!!!! Hooray, hooray, hooray. Think you can just imagine how pleased that makes me. The chemical loo is cleaned and put away, hopefully never to be used again.
I had a lovely trip. We did not make to to Norfolk Island as the swell was about 4 foot and disembarking by tender was considered too dangerous. The Captain had not made it the previous seven attempts so we were not alone in missing out. However, did make it onto Noumea and Lifou in New Caledonia and to Vanuatu and Mystery Island so had our share of Pacific Islands.
The first Island was Noumea where French is spoken. Beautiful. I wandered around the town, visited the market and had a trip in the "Yellow Tchou Tchou Train". As the ship only stayed a few hours it was but a fleeting visit.
This is Lifou, also in the New Caledonia group. A trip away from the landing quay - a trip by tender from the ship - and it was a different world. The churches were familiar but the photo above shows the two styles of building still prevalent. The thatched building was a meeting house. The chief and his family used the left-hand door and the people the other. There was rush matting on the floor. While there we enjoyed some food cooked in the traditional way - wrapped in leaves and covered with heated stones, sacking and a layer of earth. It was rather like the 'hangi' - the Maori way of cooking. We had chicken and veg and it took about one hour - delicious.
Vanuatu was the next stop and this time we disembarked on the quayside from the ship. I had booked a trip on a glass-bottomed boat that took us part of the reef so that we could snorkel and see all the fish. The sun was hot and the water was lovely. Getting the flippers off and getting back onto the boat was a challenge though. Not easy walking in them either!
The last stop was at Mystery Island. It is just a dot on the map and part of the Vanuatu group. No one lives there as it is thought to be haunted. Again it was a trip in by tender as the reef that surrounds the island means the water is very shallow. The people from the neighbouring island come over to hold a market and to entertain the visitors and the grass landing strip is for the planes to land on . Those passengers then travel to the next island. Apart from that there is nothing except absolute beauty. I took some exercise and walked the circumference. It took ..........25 minutes! Then I had a swim. Again the water was lovely. Just marvel at the colour.
I enjoyed visiting all the islands and the people were very friendly. They all waved, especially the children, as we went past. It must have been very disappointing for the Norfolk Islanders when we could not land (and spend some money).
We were very lucky with the weather. The two days sailing home were rather 'lumpy' and uncomfortable but I survived. Here in Christchurch the aftershocks continue unabated. It seems as though about 900 buildings in the CBD will have to be demolished and more in the suburbs. I have seen some more photos and it is very upsetting not to recognise where you are in relation to the destruction.
However, we are all well. Annie's bump is growing beautifully and there are only a few weeks left to wait. Ash is looking at High Schools for next year. Ben has had his birthday and is at school full-time. He looks so grown up. Both he and Joe excel at their rugby and have done very well in the cross country at school. India's maths is improving greatly and Olive is learning her letters and writing. She loves to draw and has a very vivid imagination.
That's it for now folks; until the next time. All my love
Carol xxx
