Tag Archives: island

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Noumea, New Caledonia

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 17, 2010 – Sunday – Noumea, Grand Terre, New Caledonia

Welcoming dance troupe on the dock at Noumea
Welcoming dance troupe on the dock at Noumea

We arrive in port on time this morning at 8am and are serenaded by a local dance troupe performing Polynesian dances on the dock. Noumea is a large, and well developed city, however since it is Sunday, most stores are closed. “Casino”, the supermarket across the street from where we are docked is open until noon, which according to my friends who lived in France is “very French”, since Sunday afternoon is reserved for time with family. The prices in the supermarket are as I expected: about three times higher than anywhere else for foreign imported goods, and reasonable prices for local goods and those items imported from France. New Caledonia is a French colony.

I quickly decide during our little excursion to the market this morning that it is too hot to bother with any tours. I return to the ship and have a swim in the Sea View pool. There is lemonade being served poolside, so I soon cool down. I go out on the Promenade deck and sit in a lounge chair in the shade and work on my journal and photos – watching the world go by. There are huge numbers of sailboats moored in the harbour…almost to the point of it being crowded. People in power boats scoot alongside our ship, waving hello before taking off again

A local dance troupe Temonoroa Dance Group put on a terrific show of Polynesian dancing in the show lounge aboard ship this evening. They get some audience participation going, with both the men and women in the audience appearing on stage. The Volendam departs right after the show, once the troupe goes ashore with all their costumes and gear. She creeps out of the harbour dead slow past all the sailboats that are moored for the night.

Please note, the photos below are from two cruises, this one in 2010 aboard the Volendam, and a followup Solar Eclipse cruise in 2012 aboard the Paul Gauguin.

La Grande Terre
La Grande Terre
26 photos
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Ile des Pins, New Caledonia

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 16, 2010 – Saturday – Kotu, Ile des Pins, New Caledonia

We cruise by the southern tip of La Grande Terre, the largest island in New Caledonia this morning on our way to Ile des Pins. Volendam anchors in the bay by the little town of Kotu at noon. The scenery is strikingly beautiful, with the Araucaria pine trees this island is known for visible all around the bay. The water is a beautiful tropical blue colour; the weather is warm without being too hot – there are a few clouds in the otherwise sunny sky. We are at anchor from noon to 8pm this evening, so we have lots of time to go ashore.

My friends and I choose to stay onboard until later in the day when it is cooler and the crowds have dissipated somewhat. It’s nice to just sit up on the Lido deck, have some lunch while sipping on a Beck’s beer, and watch the beautiful scenery all around us. We take a tender ashore around 4pm and explore the two gorgeous white sand beaches that are on Baie de Kuto and Baie de Kanamera. It is an easy five minute walk between the two beaches under the shade of some lovely trees. Kids and tourists play in the water, and people tell me there is some good snorkelling out by the rocks in Baie de Kanamera.

I’m not swimming today, since I did so much swimming and snorkelling yesterday. I just sit in the shade of the trees drinking in the magic of this beautiful island. Its idyllic reputation is well deserved. We wait on the beach at Baie de Kuto to watch the sun set over the Volendam before taking a late tender back to the ship. We set sail on schedule at 8pm, and slowly cruise until our morning arrival in Noumea.

Ile des Pins
Ile des Pins
33 photos
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Port Vila, Vanuatu

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 15, 2010 – Friday – Port Vila, Vanuatu

It is cloudy again today in Vanuatu as we pull into the dock in Port Vila right on time. I take another shore excursion this morning to Paradise Cove, which is only a short distance on a motor sailboat from the main town. The underwater wildlife in this area is nothing short of amazing. I see more varieties of fish, coral, and other creatures in the hour and a half we have to snorkel than all my other snorkelling adventures combined. Too bad my underwater camera is hooped; however I get a copy of someone else’s underwater photos, so at least I have a record of what I saw.

  • Boarding the Paradise Cove sailboat
    Boarding the Paradise Cove sailboat
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish
    Tropical fish
  • Coral
    Coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Coral
    Coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Captain Nemo type reef fish
    Captain Nemo type reef fish
  • Captain Nemo type reef fish
    Captain Nemo type reef fish
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Tropical fish & coral
    Tropical fish & coral
  • Feeding frenzie
    Feeding frenzie
  • Feeding frenzie
    Feeding frenzie
  • Our two guides
    Our two guides
  • Viewing underwater through windows in the boat's hull
    Viewing underwater through windows in the boat’s hull
  • Clam or sea slug
    Clam or sea slug
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish and coral
    Tropical fish and coral
  • Tropical fish being fed bread
    Tropical fish being fed bread
  • Tropical fish being fed bread
    Tropical fish being fed bread
  • Very colourful sea slug
    Very colourful sea slug
  • Yellow, black & white striped tropical fish
    Yellow, black & white striped tropical fish
  • Yellow, black & white striped tropical fish
    Yellow, black & white striped tropical fish
  • Column of yellow coral
    Column of yellow coral
  • Head of coral
    Head of coral

Port Vila is much more prosperous than Luganville, and is such a pretty location, with the harbour surrounded by a series of small islands. There are lots of upscale resorts and homes built around the harbour, and some very exotic yachts are to be found in this harbour. As with yesterday, it is nice to return to the comforts aboard ship after our shore excursion. Hot showers, good food, air conditioning, clean surroundings, and warm greetings from all the staff make for such a welcoming home-away-from-home.

Port Vila
Port Vila
9 photos
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Suva, Fiji

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 11, 2010 – Monday – Suva, Fiji Islands

I set the alarm this morning in order to see our arrival in Suva. It brought back memories of sailing the SV Sequoia through the same channel in 2004, when I crewed the open ocean segment from New Zealand to Fiji with the Johnstons. This time my mode of transportation is a bit more luxurious!

Our arrival at King’s Wharf is heralded by the Suva Police Band – they march up and down the wharf playing some very catchy tunes. It is overcast today, so it is not as hot as Pago Pago was (our previous port of call in American Samoa). I call my Fijian friends several times this morning, but there is no answer, so I find my onboard friends and we go ashore together.

Downtown Suva & office buildings
Downtown Suva & office buildings

We walk along the waterfront to catch some views of the harbour. It is Independence Day in Fiji, so most shops and offices are closed. We meet several Fijian families who are enjoying the day off. We walk past the derelict Grand Pacific Hotel and take an obligatory photo of the guard dressed in a ceremonial uniform (including a sulu) who is posted at the Governor General’s mansion.

We then wander through Thurston Gardens and see the Fiji Museum. The last time I toured this museum was in 1975. At that time, cannibalism artifacts were prominently displayed, but there wasn’t a sign of them during this visit. When I pay for the admission to the museum for myself and my friends, the guy at the desk notices my “old” bills. I had saved them from my last trip six years ago, so Fiji have obviously updated their currency since then.

Despite the cloudy weather, we still find the walk to be hot and exhausting. We stop in town to poke around the few shops that are open. A friendly Fijian “sweeper” directs us to the shops that sell t-shirts, jewellery, and other tourist stuff. I buy a Fiji Bitter beer t-shirt for FJ$22 (CD$12). We also walk through Prouds, a high end department store. After returning to the comfort of the ship, I head for the Sea View pool to cool off, and then grab some lunch in the Lido.

Fiji 2010 from JoeTourist on Vimeo.

The Suva Police Band is once again serenades us before our 5pm departure. They have an incredible repertoire…not just marching tunes, but also pop and rock and roll! Their performance has to be one of the highlights of this trip. What a change from the last time I saw the band in 1975, when it was a pretty ordinary marching band. I shoot some high definition video to capture some of their wonderful performance. The ship continues to wait in Suva harbour for the arrival of New Zealand customs and immigration officers, who are delayed about two hours. The band played on (as the old saying goes), giving everyone an amazing show – this is no ordinary marching band!

Suva
Suva
31 photos
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Cruising from American Samoa to Fiji

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2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 10, 2010 – Sunday – At sea, enroute American Samoa to Fiji

We lost Saturday, Oct 9th last night as we crossed the International Date Line.

This morning we pass by Niuafo’ou, an island in Tonga. It is a volcanic island which most recently in 1946 forced evacuation of its inhabitants. We sail quite close to the shore – perhaps within five miles. I take some pretty good photos, thanks to image-stabilized telephoto lenses! (see banner image above)

JoeTourist: Activities & Services &emdash; Lunch with The Star Lady & friends

My friends and I have lunch with Donna and Dan in the Rotterdam Dining Room. She passes out “star” glasses, which we all don and then ask the waiter take our photo (much to his chagrin). We think it is funny!

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American Samoa

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 8, 2010 – Friday – Pago Pago, American Samoa

I set my alarm this morning, so I can see and photograph our arrival in Pago Pago. The island of Tutuila is strikingly beautiful, with tall craggy mountains covered in vegetation. The channel into Pago Pago harbour is narrow, and the harbour itself is quite small, however there was a cruise ship docked ahead of us – the Sapphire Princess. She is huge compared with Volendam. Needless to say, it is pure bedlam in the little town with two cruise ships in port at once.

Looking at the Sapphire Princess from Volendam's Sport Deck in American Samoa
Looking at the Sapphire Princess from Volendam’s Sport Deck in American Samoa

I go ashore for an hour in the morning. Once I find the post office and mail some postcards, I wander up to the Governor’s Mansion. The guards chase me out of there, so I return to the ship, since it is so hot and humid. I immediately go for a swim in the pool. There are some tropical downpours while I am swimming.

There are some Samoan visitors to the ship today. They all have cameras and are taking photos of themselves, so I take their photos so everyone can get into the shots. As we depart the very pretty harbour of Pago Pago, I take sequential photos in order to build a time lapse video of our departure.

Volendam Departs Pago Pago 2010 – time lapse from JoeTourist on Vimeo.

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Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawai’i

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 2, 2010 – Saturday – Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawai’i

Sea View Pool
Sea View Pool

We were scheduled to go ashore today, and had planned to drive a rental car down to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau – Place of Refuge. Unfortunately the tendering process takes far too long this morning because of choppy seas, so we cancel our plans and stay on board the ship. I go for a swim in the Sea View Pool in the stern, which is very nice – a salt water pool with very few people around.

We have lunch in the Lido, which is the only restaurant open when the ship is in port. I have Indonesian chicken on rice, which was spiced just right. I listen to an e-book while reclining on the Promenade Deck, and take a few photos of the tenders and the Kailua-Kona shoreline. We depart on time and sail around the Big Island to see the volcanic flow off the coast by Kilauea, however no lava was visible this evening. I’m so glad I had such good success seeing the lava flow last October when I visited the Big Island and the Kilauea Volcano.

Linguini Fruitti di Mare (seafood linguini) in Canaletto aboard Volendam
Linguini Fruitti di Mare (seafood linguini) in Canaletto aboard Volendam

We dine at the Canaletto Italian restaurant again this evening. The pasta is simply superb. I have the Linguini Fruitti di Mare (seafood linguini) which was mostly seafood and excellent.

For dessert, I have my favourite: Three flavour Tiramisu (espresso, lemon & Amaretto). We all agree we are going to be so shocked when we return home – when we have to prepare our own meals and clean up after ourselves!

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Oahu, Hawai’i

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Oct 1, 2010 – Friday – Oahu, Hawai’i

Koko Head shoreline, Oahu, Hawaii
Koko Head shoreline, Oahu, Hawaii

I wake up early, and Volendam is already docked in Honolulu harbour at Pier 11, right beside the Aloha Tower. My friends and I thought we could catch a free shuttle to Waikiki, but instead have to take a taxi to pick up our rental car for the day. This is a hassle and delays us a bit, but eventually we are off on our self-guided tour around Oahu.

We head out to Diamond Head, but after paying to get inside the crater, find out it is an hour and a half hike to the top and return. We don’t have time for this, so we don’t stay long. We drive a bit further to see Hanauma Bay – a very pretty coastal location where there is lots of coral growing. It is very popular for swimming and snorkelling and costs $14.50 to go down to the shore and use the beach, but only $1 to park and look around. We do the latter and then move on to Koko Heads – another spectacular sight – a blowhole and beautiful shoreline along the south coast of Oahu.

Yellow Hibiscus in Crouching Lion's garden
Yellow Hibiscus in Crouching Lion’s garden

As we head north to the eastern shore of Oahu, it starts to rain. The vegetation is more tropical of course…the south shore is like a desert in comparison. The coastline around the Kaneohe area is very pretty, and the mountains are deeply grooved similar to the Napali Coast on Kauai. I guess the same processes are at work since they are both north-facing coasts – wind and water erosion. We have lunch at the Crouching Lion Bar & Grill in Kaaawa (now closed), and then head back to Waikiki to return the rental car and get back to the ship.

Volendam departs Honolulu at about 11pm, bound for Kailua-Kona and the Big Island of Hawai’i on a slow overnight cruise. We have another lovely dinner in the Rotterdam Dining Room this evening.

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Kaua’i, Hawai’i

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Port of call on a 2010 South Pacific Cruise from Vancouver to Auckland aboard the Volendam

Sep 29, 2010 – Wednesday – Volendam arrives in Kaua’i

I get up around 8:30am and go for breakfast in the Lido. I have an omelette made to order, and have my breakfast on the outside deck; the first al fresco dining for me on this trip, since it is now 24°C in the morning.

Rotterdam moored in Nawiliwili Harbour
Rotterdam moored in Nawiliwili Harbour

We dock in Nawiliwili this afternoon at 5:20pm, and we don’t leave port until tomorrow afternoon. The Rotterdam is also docked in the harbour as we arrive. She departs about an hour later – a lovely sight. As our gangway is put in place, complete with red carpet, a rain shower starts up – “welcome to Kauai”. We all stay aboard the ship this evening.

Lance Ringnald doing an acrobatic performance using hanging silks
Lance Ringnald doing an acrobatic performance using hanging silks

As we dine in the Canaletto, an Italian menu restaurant on the Lido Deck, we are a couple of tables away from the Captain. Afterward, we go to the Frans Hals Lounge, where Lance Ringnald is doing an acrobatic performance. He is a past Olympic gymnast winner for the USA and is now 40 years old, but is still in great shape and puts on a very entertaining show. He uses hanging silks like Cirque de Soleil does, along with some jokes and banter to the audience (he is wearing a microphone). I shoot some video, since he says he has no problem with flash photos or video. Normally neither are allowed during performances in the show lounge.

Sep 30, 2010 – Thursday – Kaua’i

Joe & Wendy wandering a beach
Joe & Wendy wandering a beach

I set my alarm last night to get up at 7:30am, since I want to beat the crowds disembarking today. I am out of my cabin and up to the Lido for breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. My friends and I then catch the Hertz shuttle to the airport, where I have reserved a very nice Nissan Altima. We decide to drive up the eastern and northern coasts of Kauai to a bit past the Hanalei Valley. We stop to see the Kilauea Lighthouse and for a swim near Anini Beach, and we are back into town to return our rental car by 3PM. We are back onboard the ship by 3:30pm…well ahead of the 4:30pm “All Aboard” deadline.

My friends and I have visited Kaua’i before, so this visit brings back good memories for all of us – it was a most enjoyable day!

The Grand Nawiliwili Sail Away party is hosted by Holland America as Volendam sailed out of Nawiliwili Harbour. In order to compensate for the missed stop in Maui there are free drinks and snacks, so I have a couple of gin and tonics. The headlands of Kauai are beautiful as we sail away while the sun sets. I sure didn’t need any wine with dinner when we dined later at the Italian restaurant Canaletto.

North Coast of Kaua'i
North Coast of Kaua'i
34 photos