After quite a busy week we have finally arrived at Friday where we were looking forward to a relaxing and exciting day. As it turned out our day was far better than we could ever imagine as we experienced extremes of weather and we sailed through the glorious Milford sound. We slept in until almost 9pm and were enjoying a light breakfast as we entered Dusky Sound the first of three for the day. It was great to watch the the sheer cliffs and cascading waterfalls glide by as we drank our tea in the cafe. The weather had been overcast all morning and a very cold 9C with a high wind chill effect. We hadn't been on deck because we have a balcony which we love and will never cruise without one again.

Dusky Sound was lovely but everyone was waiting for Milford at around 4pm and as we headed towards Doubtful Sound we put our cold weather gear on and sat on the balcony. It was freezing but worth it and even Kerrie was happy to brave the elements for the breathtaking scenery on offer. Then without any warning the sun just popped out of nowhere and almost instantly it was boiling hot. We were just about down to our underwear in a few seconds as the sun was so intense. Of course our balcony is private (we hope) so it was a very relaxing, pleasant experience to sit out there enjoying the sun and the sights of Doubtful Sound and beyond as we sailed towards Milford Sound.

However, one must eat to fully enjoy fantastic scenery and so as we cruised out to sea once again we found ourselves eating a lunch of salads and various other things that caught our eye. However, today there were no hot chips to be found anywhere so we made some enquiries. It seemed they were available at the Mast Cafe which we had never been to so after our lunch we went there. Well what a treat, not only were there fries by the tonne but huge hamburgers with the LOT and authentic New York hot dogs. So we got some fries and declined an offer of anything else until we had eaten the fries then we shared a hot dog. Lovely, but feeling a little full we went back to the cabin for some reading and blogging as we sailed towards Milford Sound

As we entered the Sound the sun was still shining and there we were with a perfect view from our balcony. It was stunning, we have never cruised so close to snow capped mountains that rise straight up out of the sea. The air was still and apart from a slight hum from the engines it was quiet and so beautiful. We had hoped it would be good but it was just sensational. We took heaps of photos but none of them did justice to what we were experiencing. Then the ship made a turn to port as it followed the direction of the Sound and we lost the sun and inmediately we were freezing. A few minutes later we turned to strarboard and we shed our heavy clothing and were boiling again. This process repeated itself a few more times which added a little humour to our journey through the Sound. Along the way we saw kayakers, pleasure craft, fishing boats all tiny compared to the monster we were sailing in. From time to time small aircraft and helicopters would fly over us and in that valley the noise was almost deafening. We will never forget our time in the Milford Sound and is certainly one of our all time favourite experiences.

Everything after that was an anticlimax, although we had a great dinner - the food at dinner is really excellent even Kerrie says so. Then like homing pigeons we found Rudolpho who got us comfortable chairs for our regular music appreciation evening with our favourite band. This evening the singer came over to say hello and it turns out that she sings like an American but offstage she had a Lancashire accent. So that brought us to the end of another day and where we say goodbye to New Zealand and head north west for two days until we arrive in Sydney on Monday. The ship is starting to move around a bit and it looks like we might be in for a rough night. Well we don't mind but it is making the cabin creak and groan a bit so we'll see how we go

Today we slept in until 9.15am and could afford to because our trip ashore wasn't leaving until midday. The ship had docked earlier and our first glimpse of Port Chalmers revealed a huge area full of neatly chopped logs and when we stepped out onto the balcony we could smell the scent of pine. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and a coolish 16C but the forecast was for sunshine later on. At this stage of our cruise we are both very well and have overcome a sort of tiredness we had for the first few days and are looking forward to a couple of sea days coming up soon.

Time flies aboard ship and after we had our usual hearty breakfast and got ourselves organised it was down the gangplank and onto a bus for the short drive into Dunedin. On the drive in we were told that Dunedin was the Gaellic name for Edinburgh and that the streets in Dunedin were named after their equivalent in Edinburgh. Not only that but the early settlers insisted that Dunedin be situated on seven hills just like Edinburgh and one of these has the bubious honour of being the steepest street in the world. The bus stopped nearby and so Kerrie and I had a go at climbing it. It sure is steep, but we did manage to get a third of the way up before we had to go back - a great effort from Kerrie. The street is called Baldwin Street if you want to Google it.

Our next stop was the Botanical Gardens which are huge and the roses were in full bloom. The trip we had our friends with us and we strolled around together chatting waitiung for the sun to come out. So far our impression of Dunedin was that it had the hills of San Fransisco with the look of Wollongong in the 70's, we really felt we had gone back in time. As usual we had an hour of free time so we dropped our friends off at an Internet Cafe so Mike could catch up with his business e-mails. The onboard Internet has just about stopped now and he was desperate to know what was going on at home. We had a walk around and bought a souvenir of New Zealand which had to be small and light as we are close to the limit on our return flight baggage allowance. We met back at the bus with Mike happy about getting back on the Net but a little sad that he could'nt get an All Blacks Rugby jersey in his size so he might get an Aussie one instead. The return bus ride was relaxing and after getting aboard and dropping our stuff off we all got back together for tea, scones and jam.

The sun cane out as we were munching away and it got so hot that they partly closed the blinds in the cafe which made a big difference. After tea we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Thanks Amy and Rachel for your texts and I think that once we get to Sydney on Monday we'll get my phone fixed or replaced and get back to normal as far as texts and e-mails are concerned. Anyway I was enjoying my herb crusted drum fish while Kerrie nibbled away at her beef cheeks when we sailed past the lighthouse on our way out of Port Chalners when we saw hundreds of seals feasting on a huge shoal of fish. We love to see wildlife of any kind and while we've seen a few birds there have been no pods of anything and certainly no whales so far.

After dinner we went back to the Celebrity Lounge with our friends for a chat, a drink and to listen to the ship's rock band who play very good, tight music that we all enjoy. A waiter called Rudolpho has adopted us and looks after us very well and we always enjoy our evenings there. At around 10pm we headed back to our cabun after a another great day on the Celebrity Solstice.

Akaroa is a beautiful spot situated at the end of bay and is the cruise industry's jumping off point for the city of Christchurch. When we woke at 6.30am it was very easy to jump out of bed because the sun was shining and we had anchored. For the first time this cruise we were going ashore by tender which we enjoy. So off we went up to the cafe for a breakfast of fruit and toast with a nice cup of tea. After that we went back to the cabin, packed a bag and got down to the ship where we registered for our shore excursion

They didn't keep us waiting long before our group was called and we eventually got a seat at the front of the tender and had a good view of Akaroa as we sailed into their little quayside. Straight away we noticed the unusual architecture of the buildings and were later told that this little village was a remnant of the French occupation two hundred years ago which somehow kept it's Frenchness. All the street names were in French and even the police station was called the Gendarmerie. I would have loved to post some pictures but my phone stopped working last night and it looks terminal and I was relying on that to take the pictures and edit them. Never mind, I'll sort it in Sydney hopefully. Anyway we got on the bus to drive to Mandaley Station for a look around and a demo of dogs herding sheep and an actual sheep shearing. We received a really warm welcome from Mary the wife of Ross who own the place. First we saw the dogs and one in particular went haring off up a steep hill and just by whistles rounded up a certain number sheep and brought them down. You may have seen this sort of thing on TV but it was fantastic being there. That Ross is a no nonsense tough guy and would look quite at home in the All Black scrum. He then sheared a big sheep in about two minutes without breaking into a sweat. I was exhausted after that but fortunately Mary and her daughter had sausage rolls, home made biscuits, tea and a sunny spot to rest in.....

We hit the road again and within half an hour we entered the practically ruined city of Christchurch. Everywhere was evidence of the recent earthquakes with partly demolished buildings, scaffolding everywhere and steel buttresses holding cracked and damaged buildings up. We drove around for a while then stopped at the Botanical Gardens where we got off ands as we had an hour of free time we went looking for something to eat. One hour soon passes so we ducked into the first place we came to, a tapas restaurant. How lucky we were as we had the best lunch, it was brilliant with really tasty coffee, definitely the highlight of the day. Then after a quick stroll through the gardens we got back on the bus for the hour and a half drive back to the ship. Kerrie has an eye for detail and pointed out that all the curtains and blinds in the houses we went past had their curtains and blinds pulled right back so we could check out the furnishing. This is also common in England, maybe it lets the sun in or stops the curtains fading in the sunshine.

It's always good to see the ship waiting for us when we get back and after getting aboard we went up to meet Mike and Christine for afternoon tea. They had just got back from their excursion which was a ride around Akaroa in a double decker bus. They enjoyed it but it was a rough ride in a vintage London bus, nothing like the one's operating over there today. It was smart casual dress for dinner and after an entertaining tea involving honey scones, doughnuts, various types of cake and often hilarious conversations with our friends we went back to our cabin. After dinner we went to listen to a jazz quartet with a very smooth singer and a great piano player and of course had a drink or two. Around 10pm we made it back home and were soon asleep.

Today is a sea day so as we don't stop anywhere it's an opportunity to do a few things with plenty of time to do them. Overnight a strong wind came up and the ship started to roll a little in the heavy swell and it got worse as we got up at 8.30am and went up to breakfast. The weather was cool, 16C with a strong southerly so we didn't go on deck, we must be getting a bit past it as we would have braved the elements on other cruises we've been on. The restaurant was pretty crowded but we got a table straight away and with a look of pure delight Kerrie ran off to see what she could find.

After breakfast we strolled around the shops then went to food tasting put on by the three exclusive restaurants on board. We managed to get a few free samples which convinced us to book two evenings later in the cruise for our chance to enjoy really fine dining. Luckily it was time for lunch so up we went to the Sea View Cafe for a plateful of salad for me a bit of everything for Kerrie. She trying a few new things everyday and so has enjoyed everything except the waffles, doughnuts, various cakes and the like. You may not believe this but no sooner had we finished lunch than we were off to a wine tasting afternoon. We had a great time mixing it with all the wine buffs and sometimes we smiled at what we overheard but mostly didn't understand what they were talking about. They all went mad for this particular French wine but we didn't like it all so I suppose we're not really wine experts after all.

Feeling very warm inside and extremely relaxed we only just got afternoon tea with our friends on time. Just cups of tea and scones, definitely no more wine, great conversation with Mike telling us stories of his many adventures overseas over the years. As tonight was our first formal evening we parted company a little earlier so Kerrie could begin the long and difficult task of getting ready. I just did some blogging while Kerrie was preparing herself. One complaint I and everyone on board has is the poor Internet on board. Many prepaid for Internet time and we haven't met anyone yet who has actually got anywhere. I've spent a lot of time trying this and that but got nowhere. This of course affects the blog and our emails so we have to do everything on mobile data when we can get a strong ebough phone signal. Never mind, I was ready to go with five minutes to spare and unbelievably so was Kerrie so off we went to dinner as happy as Larry.

Our Dinner was great with excellent food and a wine we'd liked fromn the wine tasting. Mike and Chrstine were in fine form as usual and a fantastic time was had by all. We finished thge night in the Celebrity Loung listening to live music from the ship's rock band who did a fantastic version of Hotel California. However, cruising can be very tiring so at around 9.30pm we headed off and once in bed we fell straight to sleep.

We woke at 7am after a good nights sleep as the ship was approaching Tauranga Harbour. Outside the weather was overcast, no wind, humid and 21C so after showering etc. we went up to deck 14 for breakfast at around 9am. We had fruit, Eggs Benedict and waffles with English Breakfast tea - a great way to start the day. With all the fuss getting on board yesterday we didn't have time to book an excursion so we decided to spend the morning getting to know our way around and then walk into town after lunch.

It's a very big ship but Kerrie had her ship map and we soon got to work out where most places were, particularly the shops and eateries. The library is quite large but the majority of books were not in English unfortunately. No problem we'd buy a book in Tauranga later and by this time it was time for lunch so we went back to the excellent buffet on Deck 14. Sure enough the food was excellent with everything you could imagine and we tucked in heartily. This ship has by far the widest selectuon of food of all the other cruise ships we've been on and it would take a separate blog to describe it all. The weather had become sunny and warm with the cloud clearing so we packed a bag and set off into town about 2kms away.

Occasionally, while walking in foreign countries, Kerrie will suddenly feel like eating a particular type of food. As we walked out of the wharf area on our way to Tauranga she needed to eat some fish. Luckily, we found a little kiosk selling fish and chips on the waterfront so she ordered a piece of battered fish. While we were waiting a minibus from the Dept of Correctional Services pulled up and eight young guys got out and put on a show of acrobatic diving into the bay while their minder, a big bloke, constantly yelled at them for one reason or another. That didn't put us off our fish, which was great but we were getting a bit full so we continued our walk at a brisk pace to try and lose some of those extra calories.

Tauranga turned out to be a pretty little place which reminded me of Huskisson but much larger. We found a bookshop and I got a book which cost $37 , the cost of living is very high in NZ and this an indicatuon of that. Out of nowhere a sudden downpour made us rush to a cafe where we enjoyed excellent coffee while we waited for the rain to stop. The sun came back out and we strolled back towards the harbour catching a glimpse of the ship towering above the houses. We got back Ok and dropped our stuff off and went off to meet our friends for a chat and a few drinks.

We arrived at our meeting point just in time and as usual we got a warm welcome and were soon laughing, telling stories and bragging about our kids and grandkids. Mike and I drink Guinness while Christine has a soft drink and Kerrie a cocktail or glass of white wine. It's all good clean fun but we are drinking far more this trip than we have in the past. I think Mike should take the credit for that. Anyway, we were having such a good time that we hadn't realised that it was almost time for dinner so we all had to rush off and get ready for that. Last night Kerrie had arranged for a permanent table for four so we could eat with our friends each night. Celebrity Cruises had put couples at tables in a random fashion and we were seated miles away from Mike and Christine but that was sorted tonight as we got a table with a great view of the ocean in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Needless to say, gather us together, apply really great food add a couple of bottles of wine and a successful evening is assured.

We didn't want it to end there so went on to bar where a great live band was playing classic hits of the seventies. We eventually got back to our cabin (only just) and went straight to sleep. I don't know how long we can keep this up as the pace is so hectic but very enjoyable at the same time. Cruising isn't for everyone but we absolutely love it

We slept in this morning and didn't get up until 9.30am local time. The weather was overcast, no wind and a balmy 18C and stayed that way most ofthe day which was good for us as it turned out. Breakfast was out of the question as we ate enough food last night to keep us going for a week. I was feeling a little seedy and Kerrie was still tired so we got ourselves ready and checked out at 11am.

Today was all about dropping our bags off at the wharf then looking around Auckland without straying too far from the ship as we do have a tendency to lose our way ocassionaly. After a great coffee in the hotel lobby we got a cab to Prince's Wharf where our ship was berthed. We have seen a few cruise ships before but I was genuinely shocked at the size of the Solstice, it's huge. So we dropped our bags off and went exploring the quayside and the shopping area not far away. Those of you who have read our other blogs will no doubt remember that it's Kerrie's custom to paddle in every sea in the world and so she found some steps and was about to take off her shoes when the wash from a ferry caught her. So for ten munutes or so she was squelching a little as we continued our adventure.

We were feeling good as we wandered around the waterfront, it's similar to Darling Harbour but not quite as beautiful. Kerrie needed to get a few things we'd forgotten so we found a supermarket and got that done. Then it was time for a light lunch and a cup of tea which was very enjoyable. However, we weren't scheduled to board the ship until 3.30pm and we had finished everything by 2pm so we found a quiet spot overlooking the quayside with a view of the ship and I did some blogging while Kerrie read her book - very relaxing.

As it turned out, we really needed that little rest to prepare us for what was to come as we turned up to board the ship. Nothing went right. To cut a longt story short my passport wouldn't register on their computer no matter what the staff did, Kerrie was Ok. Finally (and unbelievably) someone noticed that our room number hadn't been entered and then everything worked fine. We were close to not being allowed on board so we were a bit edgy but we only had to go through security and we were home. What could go wrong? Well they found a knife in Kerrie's handbag! It was a small Swiss Army Knife she has mainly for the corkscrew tool that had eluded the airport checks but not an American ship. The security people were quite good about it but firm and very certain that Kerrie was not taking the knife aboard. So they took it off her and obviously believed her story about not being a murderer and after we had apologised and promised never to do it again they let us get on the ship...Thank God

We had only just got to our cabin when they announced a lifeboat and safety drill was to be held in 15minutes so we had no time to do anything before we found ourselves gathered at our muster point along with 3000 other passengers. It was hot and crowded and the air was full of American accents complaining about this and that. We managed to get behind a lady in a wheelchair and pretended to be with her. The crowd gave the wheelchair lady a wide berth and so we were not too oppressed but I have to say P and O do it far better.All that took half an hour but I suppose it might be worth it if we hit an iceberg or something. Happily, it was all plain sailing after that with a drink at a bar with our friends Mike and Christine who were great company and then into dinner.

This was more like it, great food and impeccable service in a gogeous dining room. We chatted with our fellow diners and I particularly enjoyed talking to a French Canadian Jean who was a very interesting person and extremely easy to get along with considering his French connection. I'll talk more of the food another time but Kerrie was intrigued to find her pork chop with sweet potato was smothered in marshmellow, try it you'll love it. After dinner we thought about looking around the ship but decided to go to our room and watch the ship sail out of Auckland Harbour from our balcony. It was a lovely evening so we sat there for an hour or so until iy got dark then collapsed into the elephant sized bed.

Rachel and Leah arrived at our place at 5.45am and we were nearly ready and after Kerrie put the finishing touches to her makeup off we went to the airport. The traffic was light and we arrived in plenty of time to discover our flight was delayed for one hour.

No worries, we weren't in a hurry so we checked in, got rid of our bags and queued to go through security. I got through Ok but Kerrie was taken aside and checked for explosives. Happily she was cleared which was a relief to me as I had to sit next to her on the plane. We had a great breakfast of Eggs Benedict and good coffee and did a bit of wandering around before taking the ten minute walk to our boarding gate.

The flight turned out to be quite enjoyable apart from a few screaming babies and we just sat back aand watched movies until we landed in Auckland at 3pm. Passport control here is very slick and fully automated so we were out of the airport and into our shuttle in very quickly and were at our hotel by 4.30pm. We got a free tour of Auckland as we dropped our fellow passengers off at various places and even saw people bunjee jumping right in the middle of town.

Our hotel room was large and very comfortable and Kerrie was thrilled to find an iron and lightweight ironing board as my shirt had got creased in the suitcase. Anyway, we got ready to go to dinner with our friends Mike and Christine at their hotel which was quite close to ours. We had a quick drink in the bar and decided to walk over as it was such a pleasant evening. We lost our way a little but got to meet up with our friends and after a chat we went in to dinner.

We all had a sensational time with great conversation, very expensive wines but best of all was the fantastic food. There were seven kitchens each cooking different types of food and you just helped yourself or the y'd get it for you. We've never seen anything like it but we loved the concept. The hotel is called The Langham and there may be more info available on their website if you are interested. We left the restaurant and our friends at midnight and caught a cab back to our hotel. It was an unforgetable night and we are looking forward to many more while we cruise around NZ and Australia