Bart Bear's Blog

In early November we did a short cruise to complete our year celebrating Dad's 80th birthday. Mum and I took him on a cruise up the Queensland coast from Brisbane to Cairns. Since we have visited all of the places the ship called at we didn't need to go ashore at all. The ship was "Quantum of the Seas", the largest ship we have sailed on. The usual crew of Scruffy, Milkshake and Blue tagged along. The weather did not do the right thing, it was cloudy, windy and wet the whole cruise. However, I had the big ship to explore and the ocean to scan from the balcony, searching for whales and flying fish. First stop was at Shute Harbour in the Whitsunday Island group. Transport from ship to shore was by the ship's boats and some local fast catamarans. The Whitsundays are mostly uninhabited except for campers but there are a few resort islands. The one in image 6 is Daydream Island. We visited it a few times some decades ago. In the meantime it has been destroyed by a cyclone, rebuilt and is now owned by a Chinese company. On the way back from Cairns we went past Willis Island, the only inhabited island in the Coral Sea. It's a low coral cay with a weather station on it. Plus a gannet colony; gannets followed the ship most of the day. Inside the ship was very like all other Royal Caribbean ships we have been on. One of things that I liked was a restaurant called Wonderland. It had a huge finger pointing to the entrance and a huge chair outside. The food is spectacular; try it if you get the chance. There was another huge chair near the Pub and a huge red bear near the walking/running track. Outside another great restaurant, Jamie's, is a huge crystal artwork. And there are lots of small statues just the right size for a small bear to ride. The shows are spectacular, the image shows a wall of drummers/acrobats. One fun thing is a robot bar - dial in your mix and the robots make your drink. Mum made a good one, Dad made an almost drinkable experiment... The great thing is now that I am over 21, I can legally drink alcohol even on American ships, no need to sneak some of the Oldies' booze. A good cruise, but I have to admit that I prefer the smaller ships.
 

Labels: boats, cruising, Queensland

The highlight of our day at Bora Bora was a visit to Bloody Mary's bar and restaurant (I have finally learned how to spell that). This is built of jungle timber, bamboo and palm thatch to look like the old Polynesian buildings described in so many stories about the South Pacific. In fact, it is named after the character in Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" and the movie "South Pacific" based on the book. The bar was built in 1979 by a guy called Baron George and has become one of the "must visit" places on Bora Bora. It has been visited by lots of international politicians, astronauts, celebrities and bands and they are listed on panels on either side of the entry; they should add my name as well now. Inside it is like something from a movie about the old days in the Pacific. The floor is sand, the seats are cut from logs and windows are just open areas that can be closed by thatch flaps. I found some strange totem poles in the courtyard, you can tell the size by comparing with the small bear (me) at the base of this one. I also found a rather disturbing element. In the picnic area just across the road there are lots of large crab holes. I tried to lure one out by tossing gravel down the hole and I had a big rock to bash it with if it came out, but it didn't so Mum didn't have crab cakes that night. Something new to me is the number of pairs of wheels on the sides of frames in the edge of the lagoon. These are winding wheels for lifts that raise fishing boats clear of the water so that marine bugs and borers can't attach themselves to the hull. There is always something interesting to see on the Pacific islands.

Labels: crabs, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

At the moment a vast area of Australia is burning. So far Canberra has escaped the fires, but we have had really bad smoke in the air for over a month; for the past week we have had the most dangerous air quality in the world. Hard to recall that just a couple of months ago we were on Moorea with air as clear and clean as it ever gets. We spent a day on one of the tours offered by the ship. It circumnavigated the island and stopped at the best scenic places. Here are  3 stops. The first row is at Belvedere Lookout, 900 m up on Mt Tohivea, the tallest of Moorea's peaks (it is 1207 m high). The road up to the lookout is one of the scariest I have ever been on, maybe because I was in a big bus instead of a small car. The road is narrow and has several hairpin bends which I would never have believed the bus could navigate. The view from the top is magnificent, looking out over the forest and the 2 large bays, Oponohu on the left and Cook's on the right. Our ship is that tiny white speck at the right side entrance to Oponohu Bay. There are a series of 6 ruined marae (temples) that the road passes close to. The bus stops at Titiroa marae, about half-way up the road. The remains are a large stone platform surrounded by a path and stone wall. I didn't have time to walk right around it, but was told that there were upright "god stones" at the other end. There are lots of wild chickens roaming the area. Later on the bus stopped at Tiki Village where there is a small model marae; I acted as gate guide while the tour group was there. Another photo stop was at Toatea lookout, above the Sofitel Ora Moorea Beach Resort. You get a good view of the coastline and lagoon from here, as well as the over-water bungalows. Tahiti can be seen on the horizon. A long day, but a good one to remember.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

The most picturesque island we visited on the way back from Hawaii is Moorea. The name means Island of Yellow Lizards. I have visited another island with a similar name, Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Moorea is much bigger and higher than the Australian one. Our ship anchored in Opunohu Bay, the closer of the two large bays to the small harbour at Papetoai. The other large bay is named after my hero, Captain James Cook. The most obvious features you see as the ship arrives are the high, jagged mountain peaks. The island is an extinct volcano and these peaks are the eroded remnants of the lava plugs of the original craters. The harbour is tiny and far too small and shallow for a cruise ship, so the ship's tenders run a shuttle service from ship to shore. There were great views of the ship from the beach where local kids were swimming and fishing. We were greeted by a group of local dancers, all of whom were very glad to welcome this small bear to their island. I was invited to join the next dance, but had to decline because there were crab holes in the dance area and I hate those critters.

Labels: Captain Cook, crabs, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

We cruised home from Hawaii on our favourite ship "Radiance of the Seas". The ship stopped at Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Wellington and Picton. The Oldies worked on the cruise. Dad gave talks on astronomy every day at sea and Mum also answered questions from the passengers and was ready to show them the sky at night, but the sky was cloudy most of the time. Their "boss" was the Cruise Program Administrator, Michael. He is the best one they have ever had and he is now one of my Official Uncles; Hi Unka Michael, I hope you are still having fun. We did a working cruise along this route 7 years ago, but most of the passengers (including Mum) got pretty sick and we missed seeing most of the shore stops. This time we saw everything we could. First picture is me saying "A hui hou" (until we meet again) to Honolulu. The next 2 are the ship at Moorea and Bora Bora. And if you ever wonder how the Pacific Ocean got its name, the last picture tells it all. This is how calm the sea was until we got to higher southern latitudes near New Zealand. The Tasman Sea between NZ and Australia was, as usual, the roughest part of the cruise. I watched for whales and other ships all during our 12 days at sea and didn't see any of either. I did see some absolutely beautiful ships in and near the islands we visited. Images of them and the islands coming soon.

Labels: astronomy, cruising, Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti

It is hard to realize that it is nearly 6 months since our Christmas-New year cruise on Radiance of the Seas. Dad is still processing and filing images from it. He had better get on with the job because in 4 months time we will be back onboard her; Dad is the enrichment speaker on the voyage this time. So, what do you do on the days at sea? There is always something to do. Several times the crew put on an event. This one is a parade of flags from all the nations of the crew members, over 20 of them on this cruise. As it was Christmas, the cooks had made lots of gingerbread houses. They survived the hungry eyes and grubby hands of passengers until the due date when all of us had a chance to sample some. As you roam around the ship you find all sorts of interesting stuff. This sculptured panther lounging near the adults' pool was just one of the many artworks around the decks. Of course, there is usually live music playing in one of the public areas. This duo was our favourite and we tried to get to as many of their sessions as we could. Then there's the balcony. It is really worth spending a bit extra to get a balcony cabin. We scored a cabin with a bigger balcony than some and spent much time out there with books, puzzles and music. It helps if you have a Dad who can point out birds, flying fish and imaginary whales (he says he saw them but they had presumably dived before Scruffy, Milkshake and I looked in the direction he was pointing). Ocean weather is always worth looking at as well. The Pacific is usually fairly calm, but you get very pretty ever-changing wave patterns of light and swell, and sunsets are often simply magical.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

Labels: cruising, new Caledonia, South Pacific

An island which is like the romantic idea of south sea islands is Mystery Island. This is a small coral cay just off the coast of the large island of Aneityum in Vanuata. Its official name is Inyeug, which means "tiny island" in the native language. Nobody lives on the island, although you can overnight. There is an airstrip, built by the US military during WW2, serving as the airport for Aneityum which has no flat area big enough for an airstrip. When cruise boats call the local natives arrive and set up markets and guided tours. Cays are islands built by sand and seeds blowing onto reef tops and gradually building up low islands like Mystery. The beaches and the interior here are clean white sand, the water is clear and warm, the fish and coral are great and, provided visitors keep to the safe areas away from the reef channels, it is a good place to visit. Ships have to anchor well offshore in deep water, so you travel to the island in the ship's launches, which can be fun when there is a bit of wave action. I enjoyed my day there, particularly as there were no crabs waiting to nip small bears; the crowds had them hiding in their burrows.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

One of the things that I like about cruising is that you never know what your fresh towels are going to look like when you go back to the cabin (oops... they are called staterooms now) after dinner. The cabin crew are all experts at towel origami. Every ship we have been on has delivered an amazing assortment of towel critters. Here's a few of the ones from our Christmas cruise. The first is a duck, quite pretty looking. Second is a pig. He kept hugging Milky, so I had to dismantle him as soon as the photo was taken. The elephant was fun, he was big and sturdy enough for us to take turns riding (us small critters that is, not the Oldies). Number four was a bit scary. It was a sort of dinosaur and we had just finished watching "Jurassic World: Lost Kingdom" so even a friendly dino was a bit worrying. The crew gave lessons in the art, and I managed to push through the crowd to get this photo of Josh (dance instructor, quiz master, general all-round fun guy) in the process of making a ballerina from 3 hand towels. Last photo is a penguin, alligator, frog and goldfish at the end of the demonstration. I have tried to fold handtowels into something but I can only produce messes.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

What do small bears do during days at sea? We explore the ship. The Oldies' favourite place on "Radiance of the Seas" is the Schooner Bar. It has big windows, comfortable seats, there is often good live music playing, and the cocktails are the best on the ship (or so they Oldies say). The most interesting thing I found there was a huge Earth globe. Naturally, Milky and I had to try and climb it. It was tough work getting around the overhang, but the brass straps were thick enough to get a grip on. We were sitting up there singing "I'm sitting on top of the World" in our best Al Jolson voices when the barman, Linus, discovered us. He thought were great climbers, cute, and in tune as well. That didn't stop him from taking us down and delivering us back to the Oldies. We had to spend the rest of the time, until the Oldies finished their drinks, watching out the window for flying fish and whales.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

Most of the South Pacific cruises out of Australia include a stop at Noumea, capital of New Caledonia. Some people rave about this "France in the Pacific", but this small bear has been there 3 times now and won't bother getting off the ship next time. New Caledonia is the source of around 25% of the world's nickel and Noumea is its main port. There are all sorts of industrial plants visible as you sail in, and the ship is normally docked in the industrial port. That means you need a shuttle bus into town. Search "Noumea" on the blog and you will find photos of the city from my previous visits in 2014 and 2015. There is always a tugboat ready to help the ship to dock safely. Mostly, they are not needed as modern cruise ships are extremely maneuverable and can dock themselves, but the tugs are there if something goes wrong. There are dozens of barges and tugs moored around the harbour. One of the beaches on the outskirts of the port is a graveyard for old craft, mostly barges, tugs and small coastal trading vessels. The industrial harbour area looks dirty and messy, in fact Noumea outside the tourist areas looks dirty and messy. Around the city, particularly in the tourist areas, parks and markets, there are many colourful trees and shrubs to provide contrast. 

Labels: cruising, new Caledonia, Noumea

What a Christmas - New Year break I have had. The Oldies took Scruffy, Milkshake and I on a cruise to the islands. The ship was my favourite, Radiance of the Seas. We left Sydney 3 days before Christmas and returned the day after New Year, so it was a party trip. The ship had a Christmas tree of course, but what it had extra was hundreds of balloons decorating the Centrum and public areas. Stars, Santas and snowmen for Christmas and for New Year they had PINK KOALAS and champagne bottles. If you click the photo you can see lots of balloons on the stair and balcony railings. At the end of the parties artificial snow (shaped confetti) and white balloons rained down from the roof. I really liked the idea of the Oldies having to see pink koalas in the bars, it is a great change from pink elephants in my opinion. We visited 6 islands, some of them new to us, and I will put up images later (when Dad gets everything uploaded and sorted). Of course Scruff, Milky and I celebrated appropriately and we wish all my readers all the best for 2019, and following years as well.

Labels: boats, cruising, South Pacific

Since the Oldies are not taking me traveling anywhere new for a few months, I will catch up on some past travel photos. Here is a different sort of place that I visited during our day on Ile des Pins during our New Caledonia cruise in 2015. It is a cave, or, more accurately, a grotto where a native queen called Hortense hid for several months during a tribal war in 1855. There is a track from the carpark  down through jungle to the grotto. A small stream runs through the grotto and the floor is muddy and slippery. I was glad that Dad was carrying me, because Mum would have had harsh words to say if I had come back with muddy fur. Deep into the cave you can find the flat rock where Queen Hortense slept. I found a smaller rock shelf higher off the floor where small bears could sleep if they ever needed to. It is not much of a cave as caves go, but worth a visit because of its history. Most tours of the Ile des Pins include a stop here.

Labels: cruising, new Caledonia, South Pacific

No matter where we travel and how much fun the trip has been it is always good to be back in Australia. The prettiest homecoming is sailing into Sydney harbour at the end of a cruise. The ships usually enter the Heads just before Sunrise and the view is one of the few things that will get the Oldies out of bed early. The first things that you see are the blinking lighthouses at Hornby and Macquarie (search earlier posts for photos of them). The first photo is South Head and if you look carefully you can see the light from Hornby. Near the city the first ferries are starting out past the Opera House. The ship passes Fort Dennison just as its small lighthouse turns off. Smaller ships like Sun Princess pass under the Harbour Bridge to White Island Terminal, and by the time disembarkation begins the Sun is risen. A great way to return to Aus.

Labels: boats, cruising, Sydney

Labels: cruising, lighthouse, Tasmania

"Sun Princess" stopped overnight in Hobart. We had spent time in Hobart during our February road trip and did most of the touristy things then, so we just took it easy. We went across to the Hotel Grand Chancellor for a "Hi, we're back" cocktail. The manager recognized us and let us go up to the top floor to take photos (nothing better then the ones from Feb). Of course, we had fish'n'chips at Mures; every visitor to Hobart has to do that. I can't decide if the f'n'c at Mures are better than the ones you get on the wharf at Auckland, maybe I need another trip to NZ to help me decide. We left Hobart late afternoon. The tug was a huge one that was normally based at Port Headland in WA. You can see the way it was pulling (tugging) the ship's stern away from the wharf. The Pilot boat is in the background waiting to escort us down the Derwent estuary. I think that the passage into and out of Hobart is one of the prettiest parts of the cruise, and it has lighthouses (check the image of Iron Pot from our previous trip, and wait for the next post)....

Labels: cruising, Tasmania

First port of call on our Tasmania cruise was Burnie, on the Bass Strait coast. Burnie was founded in1827 and by 2011 it was the fourth largest city in Tassie. It once was the site of Australia's largest paper mill and also several smaller industries including a paint pigment factory. Pollution of the city and the harbour became a huge problem and most of the manufacturing industries have closed. Today, forestry and farming are the major industries and the port is the largest cargo port in Tasmania. One of the chief exports is wood chip, and there was a large pile right next to where the Sun Princess docked. I watched the conveyors dumping chip into a pile and a bulldozer spreading it out to make room for more. The Oldies hired a car and we zoomed off to Bev's Cross Craft, the largest and best craft shop that I have ever seen (photos in posts from Feb), and then on to Anvers Chocolate Factory for lunch. There was another "target" for us in Burnie, the Round Hill lighthouse. We failed to find it in February, and only caught a quick glimpse as we drove past it this time. Fortunately, lighthouses have to be visible from the sea and we managed to get a look at it in the distance as we left port. It is a tiny one built in 1923, never manned, and automated in 1980.

Labels: boats, cruising, lighthouse, Tasmania

Since the last post, I have been on a short cruise to some ports in Tasmania.  Our ship this time was "Sun Princess". The Oldies wanted to check out Princess Cruises and compare it with the other cruise lines we have travelled on. The ports of call were Burnie, Port Arthur and Hobart. We drove to all of these during our Tassie road trip earlier this year (check the posts from February) but it is always interesting and exciting to come into the same place by sea. Instead of leaving from the International Cruise Terminal at Circular Quay, this time we left from the new White Bay cruise terminal. This is on the western side of the Harbour Bridge, so the larger ships can't use it. We didn't have much clearance between the top of our funnels and the underside of the bridge on our way out. Before going under the bridge we passed the new developments at Barangaroo. This used to be a run-down area of old wharves and sheds, but is now parkland, walkways and high-rise apartment blocks. Like most cruises, this one had interesting things happening right from the start.

Labels: boats, cruising, Tasmania

During our stay in Perth we took a cruise up the Swan River to Sandalford winery. Our boat was Captain Cook Cruises' "River Lady". Like nearly all the vessels that go upriver from Perth, she is built low to fit under some of the bridges. In fact, at a really high tide there is one bridge that she has to wait at for the river level to drop. The weather on the day of our cruise was terrible - heavy rain and gusty strong winds. The map tells the story, Perth is right under the densest part. The weather system stayed pretty much the same all day. Anyhow, I had fun. The captain was a lady named Catherine. I called her Cap'n Cat and she let he help drive. I worked the throttles while we were clearing the dock, and did a lot of the steering when we were on our way upriver. How does a small bear steer when the wheel is so big that I can't reach all the handles? I just jump on the appropriate handle of the wheel until the boat is aimed in the right direction. As this was a winery cruise, we had wine tasting on the way. I managed to get a small taste of Mum's samples; 4 whites and 4 reds. I think whites are much nicer, but reckon that the ones from Marlborough in New Zealand are the best. Mind you, we tasted some really good wines later during our road trip in the Margaret River region south of Perth. We met some wonderful cheeses as well. One was so good that the Oldies bought a Kilogram back with them; it didn't last long. If you have a free day in Perth, this winery cruise is well worth doing, regardless of the weather.

Labels: boats, cruising, Perth, Western Australia