Escaping to the South Pacific on the Emerald Princess (Part 3: New Caledonia and Vanuatu)

Part 1: Australia
Part 2: New Zealand
Part 3: New Caledonia and Vanuatu


Noumea, New Caledonia
I had to work port day supervision in the afternoon so I booked a tour: Noumea Scenic Drive & Aquarium for the morning.
The bus took us to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the Ouen Toro Lookout and also the Aquarium de Lagons.
My favourite part of the whole tour was the aquarium because it was the closest I have ever been to a shark.

The tank at the Aquarium that contained giant fishes and reef sharks

The aquarium also had an outdoor sea turtle pond and a black-light exhibit room with illuminated jellyfish.

The jellyfishes illuminated in the black-light room

Lifou, New Caledonia
This was a tendered port which "docks" right at the beach. It was a nice day for spending some time in the ocean and on the sand.
Note: There are lots of sea coral so water shoes would make walking around less painful.

A photo from the tender to Lifou

Mystery Island, Vanuatu
The ship was unable to drop the anchor at this tendered port because of the wind conditions and sea swells.   


Port Vila, Vanuatu
Having been to this port last year my impression was that unless you book an excursion or want to spend a lot of money there's not much to do here. However, a friend of mine shared her secret beach location with us and it was inexpensive as well. We took the water taxi to Coco beach ($5 AUD one way, 15 minutes).

View from the water taxi

The best part of Coco beach was its seclusion. There was no one on this beach besides the four friends I went with and the locals who were working at the resort/bar near the beach.
Last year I named Luecila beach in Lifou, New Caledonia as the most deserted beach I have ever been to but Coco beach has now taken those honours.

View of Coco beach from the water taxi

View from the dock of Coco beach

I split my time at Coco beach between swimming in the ocean (being careful not to hurt myself on the coral/rocks on the ocean floor), exploring the beach, and lounging on the beach chairs. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Port Vila even if I didn't go on a shore excursion!


Champagne Bay, Vanuatu
This is my favourite beach port with its perfect combination of (mostly) coral-free white sand beaches and clear turquoise waters. I enjoyed my day alternating between soaking up the sun on the beach and cooling off in the water.

The best beach port in my opinion: Champagne Bay

The heat from the sun was intense so I bought a coconut from a local to stay hydrated. When I was done drinking the last drop from the coconut I went back to the local to get her to cut open the coconut so I could eat the flesh. I also snacked on some of the locally made banana chips and sweet potato chips that were sold at the stalls scattered around the island.
Champagne Bay is always a good time, even more so when the weather is nice. I couldn't have asked for a better port to finish my contract with!


My heart will always have a soft spot for the South Pacific islands and the laid-back and friendly locals who live there. South Pacific, hope to see you again soon!

Escaping to the South Pacific on the Emerald Princess (Part 2: New Zealand)

Part 1: Australia
Part 2: New Zealand
Part 3: New Caledonia and Vanuatu


Tauranga
Cruise 2:
Tauranga is my favourite port in New Zealand and I always have a good time here. Something I have always wanted to do was hike up Mount Maunganui and I finally did it. In the morning I made my way up to the summit of Mount Manganui.

Sheeps at the base of Mount Manuganui

It took me about 40 minutes to reach the summit but the views were amazing the entire way up. Since the trail is around the edge of the mountain every time I looked to my right I would see the ocean below.

View from the summit of Mount Manuganui

Another view from the summit of Mount Maunganui

In the afternoon, after grabbing lunch, I spent the rest of my time in port at Main Beach using the free WiFi and also watching people surfing in the ocean.
Note: Although the WiFi is free there is a limited number of megabytes you can use in one day.


Picton
Cruise 2:
This was my first time in Picton and it's always exciting to visit a city for the first time! The ship docked at a working port so everyone needed to take the complimentary shuttle to get to and from the port and town. Along the 10 minute shuttle ride the driver gave a little talk about this town with about 4000 residents. The shuttle stopped within walking distance of the Picton Shorefront. We checked out the arts and crafts market nearby as well as the shops around town.

Picton Shorefront

Cruise 4:
I started the morning with a tour: Omaka Aviation, Moa Brewery & Chocolates
The bus drove us from Picton to the city of Omaka to explore the Aviation Heritage Museum. We had about 45 minutes to spend inside the Museum before we needed to be back on the bus.

The planes on display outside the Aviation Heritage Museum

Our next stop was Moa Brewery to sample different apple ciders and ales.

One of many New Zealand vineyards

We finished the tour with a quick stop at Makana Confections (a boutique chocolate factory) where we were able to sample some chocolates and watch them make the confections they sell.
At the end of the tour I rode the bus back to the pier to meet up with a friend. We took the complimentary shuttle into town and walked the Waikawa trail and Scout trail to get to Habour View. The view of the harbour and the surrounding tree covered hills/islands was amazing! I could have stared at the view for hours marveling at how blessed I am to be able to experience such beauty.

My photo just doesn't do Harbour View justice!

 

Wellington
Cruise 2:
After the damage caused by the earthquake in November 2016, no pedestrian traffic was allowed in and out of the port. Instead, complimentary shuttles took passengers (and crew) to/from the port to the shopping district (about a 15 minute ride).
It was an extremely windy and cold day so our walk along the waterfront to Oriental Bay was not as pleasant as the last time I was here. Not complaining, just saying.

Cruise 4:
We walked around the downtown shopping area where the shuttle dropped us off and explored many parts of Wellington by foot that we have never been to before. To finish off the afternoon we bought some sushi (I'm always craving sushi when I work on the ship). Usually I buy sushi by the roll but several sushi places in Wellington (including this one) sold them by the piece.


Akaroa
Cruise 2: 
This is a tendered port and it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to get to the Main Wharf. 

Akaroa as seen from the tender

Having been to Akaroa a few times before we decided to do something different on this day. We had seen the lighthouse while we were in the tender and wanted to take a closer look at it. On our walk towards the lighthouse we saw a sign for the Garden of Tane. Intrigued but not entirely sure what it was we followed the trail into a forest and arrived at a lookout point over the bay.

View of Akaroa from the lookout point

Satisfied with our off-the-path adventure we continued on our way to the lighthouse. With some time to spare before we needed to be back on the ship we walked along Beach Road and checked out a few of the shops.


Port Chalmers
Cruise 2:
We took a shuttle ($15 roundtrip for 2 people) into Dunedin. The 20 minute bus ride dropped us off at the Octagon. From there we made the 5 minute walk to Cadbury World. After picking out 8 bars of chocolate from the Cadbury store we went to the supermarket (Countdown) across the street to look for New Zealand treats to buy for people back home.
When I was in Dunedin two years ago I remember marveling at how beautiful the architecture of the Railway Station was. This year I decided to take a look inside the Railway Station and found out it is was not as architecturally amazing as the outside but still interesting nonetheless. 
We walked along George street which had many interesting shops and Asian restaurants (I was craving Asian food at the time). Along George street is the Wall Street Mall which we took a quick walk through. When we were tired of walking we took the crew shuttle back to the ship then used the free WiFi in the cruise terminal.

Cruise 4:
Once again I took the shuttle into Dunedin to buy chocolates at Cadbury World. This time I was buying for a coworker who was doing port day supervision and didn't have time to go into Dunedin. After my little shopping task I walked around town to explore the different malls.


The ports in New Zealand have a little bit of everything from beaches to the big city life to the small towns to the amazing scenery. I truly believe it has something for everyone!

Escaping to the South Pacific on the Emerald Princess (Part 1: Australia)

My most recent contract aboard the Emerald Princess allowed me to sail to Australia, New Zealand and some of the South Pacific islands for the third Christmas/New Year's in a row. The 1st and 3rd cruise on this contract went to Tasmania, the 2nd and 4th cruise went to New Zealand and the 5th cruise went to New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

I have separated my experience into three parts: 
Part 1: Australia
Part 2: New Zealand
Part 3: New Caledonia and Vanuatu

Collage of pictures I took of the Sydney Opera House

Melbourne
Cruise 1:
I walked along the beach on Beach Street then turned onto Bay Street (known as the shopping street within walking distance of the port). When I needed a break from walking I went inside the local library to sit down and browse through some books.

Cruise 3 (Day 1):
It was so nice to have an overnight stay in Melbourne. This was one of my favourite days from this contract because (a) I was able to go to a part of Melbourne I have never been to before, (b) spend it with some good friends and (c) have nice weather.
We bought a myki card ($6 for the non-refundable card and $6 for loading a 1-day pass onto the card) at the convenience store across the street from the tram. We then caught tram 109 into Melbourne City Centre. 
Note: The myki card can be used on the tram, bus or train.
After getting off the tram, we went to a 7-11 to buy a (lychee/coke flavoured) slurpee to drink while we walked around the city. I was very impressed with Melbourne's Chinatown; there were a lot of Chinese and Japanese restaurants to choose from as well as cold drink places (e.g. Gong Cha, Chatime).
We found our way to Flinders street to see the iconic Flinders Street Station (pictured on most Melbourne souvenirs) and walked around Federation Square for a bit before catching the tram back to the cruise terminal.

Flinders Street Station

In the evening, after finishing work for the night, we took tram 109 back to the City Centre to experience Melbourne after dark.

Flinders Street Station at night

Cruise 3 (Day 2):
I started the morning with a tour: City Drive and Eureka Deck
The bus drove us around Albert Park Lake where the Grand Prix is held when it is in Melbourne. At our first stop everyone got off the bus and went up to the Eureka Skydeck on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower. The Skydeck is "The Southern Hemisphere's Highest Viewing Platform." I was able to see 360 degree views of Melbourne through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

You can see the ship from the Eureka Skydeck

The tour then made a stop at Fitzroy Gardens where we were able to go inside Cook's Cottage (also known as the house captain James Cook's parents use to lived in when they were in England). The last stop on the tour was at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Shrine of Remembrance

The tour finished in the afternoon and I was able to spend a few hours at the beach before all the crew had to be back on the ship.


Hobart
Cruise 1:
I picked up a map provided at the cruise terminal and discovered the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens had free admission and was within walking distance (about a 45 minute walk). To get to the gardens, I walked on the sidewalk along the Tasman Highway to get onto the Soldier's Memorial Oval.
Fun fact: There is a tree planted for every Tasmanian soldier who fought in World War 1 on the Soldier's Memorial Oval trail

The gorgeous scenery along the Soldier's Memorial Oval

Following the signs I soon reached the entrance to the gardens. I was pleased to discover that the gardens were spacious, well-maintained and had benches throughout for people to sit and enjoy the view.
Tip: There is unlimited free WiFi in the cruise terminal.

Cruise 3:
We walked to Elizabeth Mall and went inside the Cat & Fiddle Arcade to look for Australian-made souvenirs to bring home. We also went to do some typical crew member shopping (for snacks) at Woolworths inside Wellington Centre. Before heading back to the ship for work we treated ourselves to a delicious green milk tea from Tea Tea after successfully surviving a busy Christmas and New Year's cruise aboard the Emerald Princess.


Port Arthur 
Cruise 3:
Upon stepping foot in Port Arthur I immediately noticed the newly restored Penitentiary (it was under renovations when I was here two years ago). Along with some friends, I hiked up a short trail to the Scorpion Rock Lookout.

Panaroma of the view from the Scorpion Rock Lookout

We checked out what used to be the Church and the Government Cottage when prisoners were still living here. Finally, we made our way through the nicely maintained Government Gardens to catch the 15 minute tender ride back to the ship.


Sydney
Two years ago when the Sun Princess was docked in Sydney I had to take a shuttle from the White Bay cruise terminal to Darling Harbour and then walk in the direction of Sydney Cove to find the Sydney Opera House. This time around our turnaround port was docked right beside the Sydney Opera House.

The Emerald Princess docked in Sydney

Cruise 2:
We walked towards the direction of the Harbour Bridge, did a loop around the neighbourhood and then made our way back to the Opera House. We went inside the Opera House but didn't do a full tour (tickets cost $37). We also checked out the Museum Of Contemporary Arts (free admission for some parts of the museum) located across from where the ship was docked.

Cruise 3:
We decided to do our own walking tour from the ship to the Royal Botanic Gardens. I was thoroughly impressed by the very beautiful landscapes, ponds and benches located in the Gardens.

Cruise 4:
We walked along George street because we had heard there were a lot of malls/shopping arcades with plenty of options for food inside the food courts.
This was also the only time this contract we watched sail away from the crew deck. It was a gorgeous day fitting for the picturesque sail away from Sydney.

Watching the Emerald Princess sail pass the Harbour Bridge from the crew deck

Cruise 5:
Our last day to explore Sydney was turnaround day before cruise 5. We walked towards Darling Harbour and Chinatown. We discovered Regent Place which had a variety of Asian (Japanese, Thai, Malaysian) restaurants set up in a street food style. There was also a Daiso on the 9th floor where we picked up fun knick-knacks. Walking a bit further we ventured inside Skyview Plaza and bought a cold lychee green tea from Sharetea (perfect for a hot day!). When we finally got to Chinatown we were happy to see many restaurants and cold drink places to pick from. We took a look inside Paddy's Markets which had many stalls selling cheap clothing, souvenirs, snacks and even fresh fruits.


It's been two years since I've been to these ports in Australia and it was definitely nice to be back exploring new places that I didn't get a chance to see last time.