Oosterdam

We New Zealanders often think of New Zealand as two separate countries, divided by the Bombay Hills which are located just south of Auckland: “North of the Bombays” and “South of the Bombays.” Quite frankly, Auckland is a different place for us who live South of the Bombays — in the “rest” of New Zealand….   read more of “North of the…”

Do you dream in Hobbit? Often when we do the New Zealand cruise (which for us as Kiwis, is a great way to visit friends and family), people would naturally ask where we were from. I would respond, “here!” “Here??” would be my fellow passenger’s inquisitive, disbelieving reply. “Yes, here.” At which point, the passenger…   read more of “A Trip to…”

Why does a New Zealander regularly do the New Zealand cruise? Might sound like the start of a tired old joke, but the reality is that it is the perfect way to visit friends and family along the way, without having to stay with them. Terry and I do this cruise once or twice a…   read more of “Christmas at the…”

Akaroa is a place of enchantment. It is a beautiful settlement tucked away in an almost complete volcanic crater harbour at the end of the Banks Peninsula, about 1-1/2 hours from Christchurch. The settlement’s French heritage is evident as you disembark your tender at the town’s tender wharf — sometimes you will be met by…   read more of “Akaroa, New Zealand…”

At the end of Oosterdam‘s 14-day drydock in Sydney, Australia, a tour was organized for the crew to see underneath the Oosterdam. It’s not everyday where you get to see what it looks like under a ship. The crew took lots of photos and had a great experience.

Eleven crew members participated in the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb during Oosterdam’s dry dock “down under” on December 10. Here’s a photo of the group at the top! Joe Reina is Oosterdam’s human resources manager.

A photo of Oosterdam and the Sydney Opera House taken just before we left Sydney harbor and proceeded to drydock for 14 days. Csaba Desvari is Oosterdam’s culinary operations manager.