25th February 2019 The Columbus took on her pilot outside Sydney Harbour at 5:30 am. Many passengers gathered on deck in the darkness, eager to watch the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge pass by as we made our way to a berth in White Harbour. However, to their disappointment, the Opera House remained unlit,… Continue Reading

25th February 2019 A considerable number of passengers disembarked in Auckland, their places taken by new faces, not Kiwis, as one might expect, but Australians making use of a relatively short cruise home. We have been informed that a further 200 will disembark in Sydney, ourselves among them. On the 22nd, we met a couple… Continue Reading

20th February 2019 Our departure from Akaroa was severely delayed due to the late return of the tour buses from Christchurch. Heavy traffic, along with one or two other complications, meant that Columbus did not set sail until much later in the evening, putting our scheduled arrival time in Picton at risk. Though we could… Continue Reading

19th February 2019 Akaroa is a picturesque seaside settlement southwest of Christchurch, situated on a stunning peninsula formed from two extinct volcanoes whose craters were gradually flooded by the sea. The small town retains a distinct French influence, having been originally settled by French whalers around the time of the Treaty of Waitangi, though, wisely,… Continue Reading

18th February 2019 Steaming south overnight brought us to Tauranga, the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region. We docked as usual at breakfast time in the tourist suburb of Mount Maunganui. It was another cloudless day, with a gentle, refreshing breeze to keep us cool, at least at first! I had visited… Continue Reading

16th February 2019 Overnight, Columbus made her way down the coast of New Zealand, picking up her pilot at 7:30 am before docking at Berth 7 on Queen’s Wharf, Auckland, by 9:00 am. By now, all the passengers were well-versed in the disembarkation routine, and before long, Columbus was once again spilling her human cargo… Continue Reading

15th February 2019 We were out on deck by 6:45 am to witness our entry into the Bay of Islands and were fortunate to have timed our emergence from the depths of the Columbus perfectly, just in time to catch a breathtaking sunrise over the islands. It promised to be a glorious day, and that’s… Continue Reading

14th February 2019 On 11th February, we crossed the International Date Line, and in a flash, the 12th disappeared, instantly replaced by the 13th. Tough luck for anyone with a birthday or special occasion that day, I thought. However, we did celebrate Valentine’s Day as recompense the following day. All activities and meals had some… Continue Reading

11th February 2019 On our second sea day, we had crossed yet another time zone, granting us an extra hour in bed, our eleventh change so far. From the comfort of our cabin, we could see on the bow camera that water was streaming across the lens, a sure sign of heavy rain. Up until… Continue Reading

10th February 2019 Over the years, I have heard wonderful things about this island from fellow travellers, and it has long been on my sceptic’s checklist to see whether any of the superlatives used truly apply. We arrived just before breakfast, but there was no chance of sleeping through our approach. Though the ship silently… Continue Reading