Last night the Captain said the seas were projected to be rough and they may have to change how they approach Gisborne. This morning he announced that we would be going ashore in the tenders, which are small boats, I think also used as life boats.
A pretty smooth ride this morning to shore. The tenders hold 100 people normally and 150 in emergencies (life raft). This is the first time we have used the tenders and it was a 10-15 minute ride to the dock.
These shore excursions are handled very efficiently and simply. I haven’t heard of anyone getting left on shore, but it happens. The Captain says we will be leaving at 2 pm today and if you’re not on the last tender, you rent a car and drive to the next port (or fly).
Deb signed us up for a ship’s excursion to a sheep farm about 20 minutes from the dock.
Deb here. This turned out to be a fantastic excursion. We went to Waihea Station, a fourth generation farm about 15 minutes outside of Gisborne. We were met by Matthew and Caroline, brother and sister, for a thorough overview of farming and their roles. Also there were a variety of their kids, who were quick to help with the demonstrations. First up was a discussion about their farm (1,500 sheep and 180 beef cattle), followed by a sheep shearing demo. We then hopped back on the small buses and went to the beautiful farmhouse, built in 1908 by their grandfather. They’d presented a nice spread with Anzac cookies, shortbread, mini quiches, coffee and tea and we had a nice relaxed chat with all of them. Very genuine and authentic.
Then it was back to the farm for a sheep dog calling demo. Much of the farm is hilly, and Matthew drives the sheep on horseback with dogs. Very impressive, with lots of whistles and dog action.
The captain had announced an earlier departure time of 2 pm due to weather, so the last tender was scheduled for 1:30 pm. Our sheep farm tour caught the tender and it was a really exciting ride back to the ship. Big swells, water coming into the boat and kind of like a roller coaster ride. The tender captain was laughing so we knew we weren’t going down!
Back on the ship for a meeting with Cedric about signing up for another cruise. We decided on a spring cruise in 2028 to Japan, so we finalized that. At 5:15 we went to a social hour for folks who’d cruised with Azamara more than once, along with entertainment. Dinner at Discoveries, and a fantastic show at 9 by Eric DeGray, the cruise director. All good!
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