Jan 27th – Finding Eden in Auckland

For a big internationalised city, it's curious that Auckland doesn't have a great deal of must-see sights. So, if you've been here a few times (like we have), and you've been to the Sky Tower, the Museum, visited Devonport and the islands, then you're in danger of running out of things to do. So, today we set ourselves a challenge to find something new in Auckland.

We settled on following the Coast to Coast Path, on a walk through the city to Mount Eden, the city's tallest volcanic mound. This long walk took us past so many different aspects of Auckland – modern skyscrapers, grand Victorian buildings, low-rise Edwardian suburbs, wide open parklands, and congested 8-lane highways. It was a lovely walk, but with all the hills that surround the city and the day getting steadily hotter, we were already getting pretty tired by the time we got to the bottom of the imposing Mount Eden.

At 196-metres high, this grassy volcanic cone makes for an incongruous sight in amongst the suburban homes, but from its summit it provides the best views possible across the sprawling city below. From up there, you get a great view down into its mossy crater (which is off-limits, because it's sacred to the Maori), and you get a better sense of how this city is pretty much surrounded by water. This has got to be one of the best urban views in New Zealand.

By now, we were weary and hungry, so we trudged down the Mount to find a cafe in Mount Eden village for lunch. This place seemed to be fairly well off, so we were absolutely spoilt for choice for cafes, bars and restaurants – settling upon a trendy "Artisan Bakery" called Olaf's. This was a place that confirmed that New Zealand does cafe society very well indeed.

We ate too much and the prospect of re-tracing our steps was not an attractive one, so we caught a bus back into the city centre, where we did a bit more exploring and shopping.

Today confirmed that a city like Auckland doesn't need to have lots of must-see sights and museums – its different neighbourhoods, its spectacular natural setting, and its laid-back atmosphere are more than enough to keep us entertained. What a welcome to New Zealand!

Jan 24th – Big Changes and Warm Welcomes in Nuku’alofa

On our journey across from San Francisco, we've seen some very different versions of the Pacific Islands. From the stunning volcanic scenery of the Big Island; to the tourism of Maui; from the Big City feel of Honolulu; to the quiet traditions of Samoa – each island has offered something different.

But, today we were in Tonga – the country that claims to be "The True Pacific". That marketing slogan is quite understandable, because this undeveloped little country can claim to be the only Pacific territory that was never conquered or colonised by another country. In fact, the current King can trace his monarchy back over 1,000 years, and he's clearly still much respected in his Kingdom.

However, just the view of the capital, Nuku'alofa, from the sea, confirmed that this Kingdom is in the middle of some big changes. Up until recently, the biggest building in town was always the royal palace facing the waterfront, resplendent with its red roof and white paintwork. However, the view that greeted us today was his palace dwarfed by a huge new building facing the waterfront – a building whose architecture (with a large red turret) clearly mirrors that of the palace, but one that must be at least three times the size of it.

This monstrous (by Tongan standards at least) new building has been built to house various Government Offices, and its construction is symptomatic of a number of significant changes in the Kingdom:

Firstly, its $11 million (USD) costs have been funded by Chinese money (whether that's a loan, or a strings-attached gift isn't totally clear).

Secondly, the majority of the workers on the project are Chinese, brought in by the Shanghai-based construction company, rather than locals – so, it's debatable what economic benefits it has brought in.

Thirdly, the fact that a government building now overshadows the King's Palace shows that power has shifted from the King (who was an absolute monarch until as recently as 2011), to the democratically elected Parliament

But, in spite of these big changes, our walk around Nuku'alofa confirmed that thankfully some things never change in Tonga – the warmth of its super-friendly people, and the laid-back lifestyles that they enjoy. As we explored the market, we were greeted by so many cheery hellos and "malo o leileis" that it took you aback. The complete lack of hassle and willingness to indulge curious visitors was just wonderful.

At one point, we were taken in hand by a lovely 10-year old boy who wanted to show us the main church and the Royal Tombs – he became our self-appointed tour guide, not because he wanted a tip, but because he was proud of his country, and was curious to know more about us. It was very refreshing.

And, as always in Tonga, at the port we were given a rousing send off by the Police brass band, who played some inspiring (but incongruous) western marches for us, and by a local dance troupe who ignored the roasting temperatures to entertain us with some really graceful and energetic dancing.

Our half day here in Tonga wasn't long enough, but thankfully we will be back next year on the 2018 World Cruise, to receive the warmest of Pacific welcomes once again. I hope that not too much changes for this lovely little country in the coming year.

Jan 22nd – Couldn’t Have Been Happier in Apia!

There's two schools of thought on visiting Samoa on a Sunday:

Either – Everyone is in church, so the shops are shut, the town is deserted, and nothing is going on.

Or – There's no better day to visit this deeply religious country, taking the opportunity to go to church and experience the wonderful singing and warm welcome of the lovely Samoan people.

I went for the latter option, and had a fantastic day. So, in the morning, we went to Mass at the beautiful Catholic Cathedral – the singing and harmonies were amazing (even though the people who also went to the Wesleyan Church thought that their singing was even better). Our time in church gave us a real feeling to the profound sense of community in Samoa, of a people who've resolutely hung onto their Polynesian traditions and their Christian faith.

After Mass, we went over to the "Cultural Village" at the Tourist Information Centre, where the demonstrations of traditional crafts, food, song and dance were excellent. What made it even better was that this was all being put on for free – I can't think of many countries around the world that would put on all this for cruise passengers. Another sign of the pride in their traditions and the warmth of the people.

Just as we were thinking that we should move to Samoa to set up a new life, a walk around the utterly deserted, sun-baked streets of Apia, the sweat pouring off us, did remind us that this was not quite paradise. If it weren't for the people coming out of the many different churches on the waterfront as services ended (most of them dressed in gleaming white, in their Sunday best), it was like someone had stolen the city's population.

Whilst the city's mostly modern architecture hardly made Apia a thing of beauty, the tropical setting, with waves crashing in, made it a pleasant environment; while everyone we passed wished us a cheery "Talofa", or "hello".

After getting back to the ship for a change of clothes (we had sweated through our first outfits), we joined the ship's tour to Robert Louis Stevenson's grand colonial mansion, Vailima, where we were treated to a fabulous performance by a hugely energetic Church choir with a cast of more than 60 singers. The harmonies were wonderful, the dancing exuberant, and the enthusiasm simply infectious – it was impossible not to have a smile on your face as you watched it.

This was one of those days that you didn't want to end – there's so much more to Samoa that we didn't get a chance to see (waterfalls, crater lakes, gorgeous beaches, great snorkelling, and an increasing number of high class resorts); but, what little we did get to sample was just great. What a fantastic little country.