February 14, 2019

Last night we had another terrific fish dinner that was grilled on the outside deck at the Terrace Café.  Mario was out getting fresh tuna (which he said you can tell it is good quality by checking the eyes of the fish).  The displays of the carved vegetables are also beautiful.  And the fruit that was brought on board was a delicious ending to the meal.

Here are my dealer and manager friends in the casino. Sometimes it is a good night at blackjack but it is always fun!  Thanks casino team.

First picture is Walter, Shanvia and manager Jennifer.  Second picture includes Dushan.

The show last night was Gabe Abelson.  He does stand up comedy but also mindreading.  He did the comedy show a few days ago and this was the mindreading show.  We have also met him around the ship and he astounded us with his abilities.  We are still shaking our heads about the things he did – trying to figure it out. He is a former writer for David Letterman and a 5 time Emmy winner.  This afternoon he will do a talk about working with Hollywood Legends – the inside confidential scoop.  If I really learn any scoops, I will be sure to share them!

Today we arrived in Rangiora about 8.  The weather is beautiful and the color of the water just astounding.  Here are some shots of our approach.

You can see that we have to come into the bay through the narrow passage – easy to miss this port if the weather is bad.

This is a coral island and known as one of the world’s great dive destinations. 

We went into the port via tender again, these islands don’t have docks to accommodate cruise ships, even smallish ones like ours.  Musicians and dancers greeted us.

We didn’t have a tour booked but intended to pick up a snorkeling trip and we got one right away.  There is a snorkel site called Motu Nui Nui which is accessible by boat.  It is known as a natural aquarium and was classified by Captain Cousteau as one of the most beautiful in the world.  Just the two of us, the boat captain and his dog were taken to another boat in the snorkel area. 

We had a wonderful time.  Norm got a new underwater camera (thanks, Doc, for the recommendation!) So I didn’t even bring my Go Pro this time.  Our guide fed the fish and they were everywhere around us.  I counted at least 15 different species.  Unfortunately the two crew didn’t speak English so we didn’t get the names of all of them.  But we know angelfish, clown fish, surgeon fish and needlefish for sure.  The coral is in good shape – not as colorful as others we have seen but still beautiful.

After our snorkel adventure, we walked to the Pacific side of the island where the current and waves are pretty dangerous for snorkeling.  It is beautiful and relaxing here for sure.

Last time we were here we went to the pearl farm and bought a beautiful necklace.  The pearls here are the only cultured pearls in the world with so many natural colors.  I think of our time here every time I wear it, and I will wear it for our Valentine’s Day dinner this evening in Toscana with Marilyn and Charlie.

This time we enjoyed the natural beauty of this island.