Our last two days

We sailed into Tauranga on the Mount Maunganui side of the harbour on a gray and misty morning.

It was raining quite heavily overnight, and everything was slippery and wet on deck. But once we docked the rain eased.

We went and had a leisurely brunch (as leisurely as possible given a toddler who wouldn't stay still for longer than 1 minute and we had to take turns chasing him), then decided we would enjoy our time on the boat instead of exploring Tauranga - we can drive to Tauranga any day of the week! So we hang around poolside, Jef enjoying beers and me sipping Beverly Hills iced tea.

We had to wait for Kien to decide if indeed he wanted to go swimming.

Loving it!

One of his favourite things right now are showers, so you can imagine the joy he had with sitting in the outdoor shower playing with shampoo that made lots of bubbles, and with the water constantly streaming down and tickling him.

It was getting way too hot in the sun, so we made our way to the covered pool area on the other side of the ship. There we did some acrobatics.

The expressions on his face speaks volumes!

We went back to the room and cleaned ourselves up before heading to the Atrium lounge just in time to watch the beginning of a string quartette performance.

It was bliss while it lasted, as Kien was fascinated by the music and sat still for a little bit. Then he was off again, and once again we took turns chasing him while the other parent had some quite time.

We were up in the Crooners lounge where they specialized in the most delightful array of martinis.

Sour apple martini was delicious, and Kien was treated to ice and strawberries.

That night Jef was good enough to let me have the night out while he stayed in the room watching our boy sleep. I went to the Vista lounge, where the brass band was playing people were ballroom dancing. It was so much fun to watch spritely couples in their golden years twirling to the swing and the cha cha. Everyone was so good, and I wished I was on the cruise for longer so I could take advantage of their dance classes. I must admit, I can do a passable cha cha, and if I had consumed another cocktail I may have been on the dance floor embarrassing myself all by myself.

The following act was a comedian who joked about cruise ships, old folks, marriage and divorce - suitable topics for the evening, I suppose, and even though I found him a little too "middle of the road" he was a hit.

I wandered through the casino, and the most interesting of games being played was electronic Texas Hold 'em. There were at least 10 people sitting around the table with individual screens for betting and the main table where all the bets and cards are (electronically). They tap their screens, look at the table, tap their screens some more, and....all over again. It was strange I tell you, no one said a word. I would have observed this for a good 15 minutes while hundreds of dollars were transferred back and forth across the table electronically, but not a word! I wonder what 007 would have made of this game in Casino Royale?!?

So all good things must come to an end as we sailed into Auckland harbour yesterday morning.

The view from here of The Cloud and Princes Wharf is certainly different.

We said goodbye to the boat as we made one last stop into the Crooners lounge on our way out.