The Palouse Caboose: Day 12 - Monday

Another great sunny day in New Zealand. The ship anchored in Akaroa Harbor and we took a tender to land. There, we walked around, had breakfast at a great bakery and signed up for the bus to Christchurch.

Now for the write-up I did this morning on board ship:

In my previous essay, I neglected to mention that after dinner, we took in a show in the Vista Theater. It was a song and dance show with a cast of young (20s to early 30s) singers and dancers. All in all they are quite good.

Monday morning we were in Akaroa by 7:00 am. This is a "tender port," which is not a reference to how the people ashore treat their cruise visitors. Rather, there is no wharf. One gets ashore by taking the ship's tender, a small boat that holds perhaps 30 people.

Here was he problem. The day before in Picton, we'd started hearing references to "tickets" for the tender, tickets? It was news to us. It makes sense though. The ship carries 2,000 or so passengers, and you don't want the, all rushing to one side of the ship to take a small boat ashore. We didn't have tickets.

There is an excursion outfit aboard. I filled out a form saying we wanted to go ashore and take a bus to Christchurch, 1.5 hours away. I arose at 6:00 am to find a n envelope in the holder by the door. Inside was a note that said, "You dumb schmuck, the tour is full, you should have thought of this before." Something more like "tour is booked." What to do about getting tickets to go ashore?

I went to what amounts to the front desk. It is staffed for the most part by earnest young ladies who likely attend Hospitality Business Management programs much like my daughter Kelsey did (She started her career on the front desk at the Seattle Sheraton). I inquired about tender tickets. The earliest booking they had was at 10:25. Drat!!!

On the way back to the cabin, I passed by the excursion desk, which was yet to be staffed. There, on the counter, lay three tender tickets. I approached and looked at them. They were for a 7:30 departure!!! I hired back to the cabin, announced we were set but had to hustle. We made the 7:30 tender for the 10 minute trip to the town wharf. So, you see, sometime procrastination pays off.

As it turned out, things worked extremely well. Once ashore there were the usual folks standing around shilling their tours. Swim with the Dolphins, Penguin Viewing Sail, etc. and there it was. Bus transport to Christchurch for NZ$ 40 (as compared to $100 if bought aboard. They get you coming and going if you book through the ship. Then we realized for NZ$ 60 we could have transport and a tour of the Banks Peninsula and Christchurch. That translates into $41.40 in American money. My paternal grandmother is part Scottish and I guess I inherited the thrifty gene.

By this time it was 8:00 am and the bus didn't depart until 10:30, so we had ample time to explore Akaroa.

The chap in the tour booth recommended a bakery in the French end of town. Akaroa was settled both by Brits and French. Although a French sailing captain "discovered" Akaroa initially, by the time he scooted back to France to get permission to claim it for the French, those pesky Brits had arrived and claimed the stunning Bay for the Crown. To add insult to injury, the Frenchman missed getting back before the Brits by 3 days. He probably stopped off in Moorea for water and breadfruit, was beguiled by the topless native women and lingered lingered too long by 3 days. Opportunity lost.

At any rate, the Brits in an exercise of generosity said that if any Frenchmen wanted to live in Akaroa, they could, but had to renounce French citizenship and agree to be subjects of the British Crown. All by way of saying, Akaroa has a decidedly bi-cultural aspect to it. The east end of town is the historic British part, with streets named "Beach Road," "Almers Valley Road," and "Selwyn Avenue." Over on the west end we find Beach Road becomes "Rue Lavaud." Other streets are ""Rue Pompalier" and "Rue Jolie."

All this because a French sailing captain lingered too long among the fair topless ladies of Moorea.

But enough.

We'd been told of a bakery on rue Balguerie, "Sweet As," as a good place to eat. It was. I had a small Quiche Lorraine that cost only NZ$ 5.00 ($3.45 USD) and a cup of strong coffee.

After breakfast it was a stroll along the waterfront through town, to the lighthouse and the Anglican Cemetery beyond. Then it was back to the town center to catch a bus to Christchurch, on which we were entertained by Bruce, a former financial advisor who found driving a tour bus a USCG more satisfying way to enjoy his pre-retirement.

More to follow, but the iPad needs charging.

Sitting in Casa Publica on Regent Street enjoying a beer and a steak wrap. The view from my seat: