Saturday, February 18, 2012

The sun begins to set on Doubtful Sound - and the scenery gets even more dramatic

Once everyone is back on board, we head due west for the opening to the Tasman Sea. The closer we get to the ocean, the bigger and more dramatic both the waves and the scenery becomes. Carol, our onboard nature tour guide, points out the dozens of fur seals lounging on a nearby rock formation. The skipper pulls the ship in tight so we all get great views.















Dinner is served, buffet-style, at about 8:30 pm: New Zealand lamb and roast beef, a variety of steamed and roasted vegetables, wonderfully dense and delicious smoked salmon, and several types of salads. The crew also puts out a full spread of desserts, including pavlova (a favorite of mine that I first discovered when I traveled to Australia in 1996), which is basically a big egg-white meringue served with cream and tropical fruit.

It’s been a long day with lots of sunshine and fresh sea air, so we visit the top deck once more for a few nighttime photos, just as the stars are starting to appear.





We turn in about 10:00pm. I try to read but it’s a farce: my eyelids are too heavy, so I put down my book and I’m asleep within seconds.

5 comments:

  1. FINALLY! a pic of you two together! The other pics look incredible - I'm so glad the trip is going well.

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  2. what an experience, so very lucky, and I feel you know it.

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  3. Thanks for taking the time to update your blog while you're on vacation! I'm really enjoying the opportunity to travel along with you.

    Was the pavlova Peter's birthday cake?

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  4. Thanks, Blobby - i guess it's true that based on photos, it looked as if we were traveling separately! I have a few more photos of us together in upcoming post. Today is a travel day -- driving 4+ hours north to Napier -- so am hoping to catch up on blog updates. I'm a few days behind -- ohhhh, the pressure!

    Joseph: I don't recall if you got to experience an overnight cruise like this one during your trip to New Zealand. It was awesome, and we luckily hit the weather just right. Everything about the Doubtful Sound trip was A+

    Hey Mary Kay -- thanks for following along. Actually, the pavlova was not Peter's favorite - he went for the other choices on the dessert buffet: flourless chocolate tarte, raspberry cheesecake, and fresh fruit. I was the one who went back for "seconds" on the pavlova. It was heavenly!!

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  5. That looks amazing. It must have been an incredible experience

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