Day 37 - This title was originally supposed to read, AKAROA / CHRISTCHURCH. However, we got a special announcement from our captain last night saying the Port Chalmers authorities were not allowing us to exit due to fog at the mouth of the harbour. So, we stayed the night with a scheduled departure of twelve noon today.
We liked Dunedin enough to head back the twenty or so minutes which it takes to get into town. Holland America Line picked up the shuttle costs today. (Oh, and we got a complimentary glass of champaign at tonight's entertainment.)
We walked in another direction when getting downtown and discovered a lot of shops we'd not have otherwise seen. I liked how a modern shopping complex was created by linking together historic 1930's shops. We even, unlike our nature, decided to buy a souvenir. We had $10 in Australian cash and the shop we were in took foreign bills. We got a small replica of a kiwi bird for the curiosity cabinet at home. We also got back a New Zealand one-dollar coin sporting a kiwi.
Even in the afternoon only half of the trip out to the sea was clear. We made it safely through the fog although the channel did appear a bit tricky. Speaking of which, today is Halloween and of course, the North Americans on board wanted to acknowledge it. The staff created jack-o-lanterns and passengers judged them to come up with a winner. Other staff, especially those in the casino, got dressed up a little. Silly, but why not?
Tomorrow, we and all of the MS Noordam should return to our normal itinerary. Tonight, however, it is Halloween aboard the ship.
