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I still can’t believe I’m home!  Mom and I had such a blast on our first cruise, traveling to Australia and New Zealand.  Although we were away for about 3 weeks, it was such a whirlwind- and honestly not nearly enough time.  Our first stop was Sydney, Australia, where we met up with our good friends Joc and Rolo.  They took us under their wing and showed us around for the brief time we were there.

Our cruise ship was enormous!

We left the port at Sydney and headed to Hobart.

In Hobart, we stopped by ‘The Quilted Crow’, a quaint little quilt shop inside of an old church.

Next stop was Melbourne, where we swung by ‘Amitie Textiles’.  Jen Kingwell, the owner and our dear friend was away, but we were able to at least catch up with her daughter Lucy.  (Stay tuned- we have more exciting news to announce about Jen later in the month!)

One of my favorite parts of the trip was our visit to Fiordland National Park.  We spent the day cruising through the absolutely magnificent natural landscape.

We docked in Port Chalmers, New Zealand.  It was here we boarded an 8-wheel-drive Argo which took us to Penguin Beach.  From a distance we saw the rarest penguin- the Yellow-eyed Penguin.  We were then greeted by a whole slew of fur seals and pups.

We were then off to Akaroa.  We spent the day driving- making a stop at a farmhouse renowned for fine Merino sheep and champion sheepdogs.

Our next stop was Picton.  We spent a wonderful day on  Pelorous Sound, visiting a green mussel farm.

It was here we learnt how to differentiate male vs. female mussels- the lady wears the lipstick.

House in the hills anyone?

Next stop- Wellington.  Mom and I visited Te Papa Museum which was over 3 football fields in length.  There was a wonderful collection of Maori artifacts, including a meetinghouse and ornate carvings.  It is also home to the only complete specimen of a colossal squid.  We were surprised to find a breathtaking natural landscape just outside the cafe.

Next, we docked in Tauranga.  We spent the day with a Maori guide who shared the local legends of their homeland and took us to Te Puia Thermal Reserve, home of the spouting Pohutu geyser, silica terraces, pools of boiling mud and steam vents.

Of course it was not all fun and games… we had to get some work done too!  Mom taught on the ship the days we were at sea.  I took her classes where I worked non-stop on Earth n Twig, 2012′s Block of the Month.  I had big goals set, thinking I would have plenty of time to finish while I was cruising.  I am sad to report that there was too much fun to be had to stitch…

Mom’s classes were held in the Skywalkers lounge.  Every time I got off the elevator I laughed to myself- it was like entering the ‘Roxbury’.

We were at the top of the ship with an amazing panoramic view.

And of course it couldn’t be a vacation without eating every 23 minutes!  Mom, Sue, Terry and I frequented ‘The Savoy’- where we ate and drank way to much- way to often.  Lots and lots of laughs!

We finished up in Auckland, New Zealand, where we spent a few days with Jan Chamberlin and her family before we flew home.  I had so much fun here, but it was just way to quick.  Jan took us to the beach, gardens, shopping and the Auckland Museum.

Last stop- home.  We were welcomed home with a missing bag, frigid temperatures and snow.  I was pretty much exhausted but oh so happy to see my babies Marley and Zoe.

XOX Kelly

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 10th, 2013 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.