Marlyse has come and gone; from Auckland to Sydney

Unfortunately, the days have so many activities that there is little time to spend on the computer, and that means the blog is neglected. I have been busy taking pictures at all the land visits, so eventually those who are interested will be able to see them. However, too much time has elapsed for me to remember everything we saw and did. riefly, Marlyse arrived in Auckland, and we spent a really nice day with Trudy in Christchurch. This was followed by a visit to the Te Papa museum in Wellington, which was fascinating; really a MUST SEE for anyone who goes to Wellington. The weather was rather cool in New Zealand, adn is beginning to wrm up ow that we have passed through the Barrier Reef on our way to Cairns, Australia. The passages in Dusky and Doubtful Sound, as well as the National Park and Milford Sound were spectacular not only for the Fjiords, but for the high seas and rocking boat. We had to forego the landing before that, in Dunedin due to rough seas. Melbourne was all we hope it would be, Arlene came on board in the morning, and then showed us all around the center of town. That night, we were invited by the Coghlins for a wonderful dinner, although it turned out that John was in the hospital. Nwevertheless, it was a lovely evening with Marelyn, Daniel, and his wife. The next stop was Sydney, and that turned out to be a very stressful time before we arrived, due to a slip up in communication. Finally, everything turn out quite O.K., although not at all as we had anticipated. Thanks to Lynda Gaskell, we were able to transfer Marlyse's luggage to Lynda's car, and then the three of us took the Ferry to Manly. It was a beautiful day, and we did some shopping and had lunch at the water front, after watching some of the surfers, etc. Lynda was able to visit our ship on the way back, and Marlyse went home with her to wait for the limousine that took her to the airport. From Sydney, we went to Brisbane, where I went to the Crocodile Zoo, and I managed to get a picture of a kangaroo and a few other animals. Tomorrow we will be in Cairns, but I am seriously considering remaining on the boat in order to catch up with ironing, reading, emails, and now the latest, is that I am taking a course on writing Memoirs, and there is "homework" that needs doing. Today for the first time, I managed to walk the 498 meters around the deck. If I still remember how, I will attempt to attach some pictures. In the meantime, I shall be happy to receive your emails any time. Hasta luego! Vaya con Dios.