PORT CHALMERS AND STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND – FEBRUARY 15TH AND 16TH

Port Chalmers is located in the southeast area of the South Island on the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand.  It is located approximately 7 ½ miles from Dunedin, the actual destination most people visited in this area.  We had taken an excursion last time we were here and really didn’t want to do another so we took a nice walk around Port Chalmers, which, at first glance, is quite a tiny place.  When I started thinking, “What am I going to write about?” I didn’t think I had much to say but after sorting through our photos, they brought back some interesting memories. 

Upon arrival, we were having breakfast in the Panorama Buffet overlooking the dock which had hundreds of cargo containers waiting for who knows what.  Well, at first, you might say, “So, what’s the big deal about that?”  We actually sat and watched men get into these huge vehicles that lifted the containers up and move them around the storage area.  When I get home, I’m going to ask our friend Dave what the purpose is of moving the containers from one area to the other area for no apparent reason.  He’s in the shipping business and I’m sure he can enlighten us because neither Michael nor I could figure this out.  What was amazing is that the men were sitting sideways in these vehicles and  driving them between aisles of containers within striped lines on the ground so precisely without touching the containers that are along side. 

Imagine this:  Take the passenger seat out of your car.  Now sit sideways facing the passenger window.  You’ve got a steering wheel in front of you.  Turn your head to the left and you’re on the road.  You’re steering your vehicle to go straight on the road but you’re sitting facing and looking out the passenger window.  I have no idea how they do it;   to me, it seems far more complicated than eye/hand coordination because you’re not even looking where you’re going.  And they’re doing this in vehicles that can do enormous damage to the cargo containers if they’re not lifted perfectly and correctly.  The whole thing reminded me of my grand-nephew’s love of LEGOs and the movement of all the vehicles and machinery, moving something from one place to the other.  

When we entered the port building, we were met by a security person, Leonard, who was pleasant and welcoming.  When he saw Michael’s Princess Cruises visor, he remarked why it exposed his head rather than having a full cap.  When Michael explained he preferred visors to baseball type caps, Leonard told us he had a collection of over 300 caps, many of which are not displayed for lack of space at his home.  He was curious where we lived, what we did for a living, and about our travels.  These are the types of interactions that make traveling so much fun.  

The little town was indeed tiny and contained a library, museum, a couple of hotels, a car painting garage, “stables,” and a Presbyterian Church which wasn’t opened until 1:30 for cruise passengers.  There was a souvenir shop and a couple of secondhand stores selling magnets, clothing, jewelry, etc., a book store (you seldom see anymore), a coffee shop and a supermarket.   I was so impressed by the displayed necklaces made out of zippers in front of one of the secondhand stores, that I took a few photos hoping my friend Annabella will help me design something like this when we get home.  

I love supermarkets in foreign countries because I love to see the different products and what is and what isn’t available.  I particularly loved the humongous refrigerated roll (similar to Jimmy Dean’s sausage in the states) of dog food.   

We also enjoyed reading the covers of the check-out line magazines so much that we bought one and I look forward to reading the stories that go alone with the following headlines:  “My wife had me shot in the face…but I STILL love her – she also blew me up and slept with my best friend!”  “Worst first date ever!  I fell off a cliff…he threw me his sock and did a runner.”  “I dressed up as his mistress to trap him!” 

We even crossed paths with, who had to be, the town character.  He approached a bus stop as we made our way down the street and Michael very discretely snapped a photo of him.  He wore a cape of some sort, and a helmet made of shiny metal trinkets and wore a necklace that Michael said looked like some sort of portal.  I’m sure there’s a great story behind this person but I’m always cautious who to approach under these circumstances.  Best to leave some people alone.  

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:  The first thing of note was the town offered free wi-fi; always a welcomed option for our hard-working crew members.  The other thing I noticed is that this is a working seaport and there is a number of railroad tracks, criss crossing the town.  As we approached the Presbyterian Church, we heard the roar of diesel engines that were so loud and thunderous that I could feel the ground shake.  At another point on our walk, we heard the all too familiar sound of WWII air raid sirens which we could not figure out the significance of.  When we did our tour of the local supermarket, Foursquare, I was really surprised to see at least six different types of tortillas and in the pre-packaged area, there were a lot of Old El Paso brand Mexican taco kits.  Funny to see that type of food in a country so far away from my hometown of East Los Angeles.  I guess everyone loves Mexican food.  In all, I have to say that the town reminded me of that PBS series, Doc Martin.  The town had a picturesque harbor, hills, greenery and a very quaint feeling.  A very enjoyable place to visit.  On our way back to the ship, we ran into Leonard again who let us know that the cruise ship which was docked next to ours, an Azamara ship, was actually a sister ship of ours, both previously owned by Renaissance and sold to Princess and Azamara, respectively, in bankruptcy.  

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There’s not too much we can say about Stewart Island because it was a tender port and we chose to stay onboard.  The original Maori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Maui, positions Stewart Island firmly in the heart of Maori mythology.  Translated as the Anchor Stone of Maui’s Canoe, it refers to the part played by the island in the legend of Maui and his crew, who from their canoe, the South Island, caught and raised the great fish, the North Island.  Rakiura is the more commonly known and used Maori name.  It is usually translated as Glowing Skies, possibly a reference to the sunsets for which it is famous or for the aurora australis, the southern lights that are a phenomenon of southern latitudes. 

Our destination lecturer said there are less than 500 people who live on the island and that it is primarily a wonderful hiking destination.  Nearby Ulva Island is home to kiwis that can actually be seen during the day (these little ones are not nocturnal).    A fellow passenger came back shivering and told us that it was so cold that the other passengers all looked like “Smurfs” -- blue.  (As an aside, I run hot.  I’m always stunned when I see people with long sleeved shirts or, God help me, jackets or sweaters.) 

After anchoring near Stewart Island, the “all aboard” call was for 3:45 p.m. and we set sail for Sydney, Australia, expecting to arrive there on February 19^th. 

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:   I thought about getting off and visiting but when the rain started pouring down, I decided to stay on the ship and enjoy a nice coffee.