2014 - Adventures Down Under..... This eclipsed all other activities of the year: a thirty nine day cruise from Vancouver, BC to Auckland, NZ followed by a ten day stay with our cousins in Orewa, just north of Auckland. Wonderful ports of call, (see map) and lots of new friends and relations encountered on the way. The weather was kind to us all the time except for rough conditions in the Tasman Sea which meant we had to miss Hobart and sadly Milford Sound and the beautiful fiords of the South Island.

 
 
 

From Formal to Informal We were able to secure a Neptune Suite again - so comfortable on a long cruise. The social life, food and service were all great. On the left, the first formal evening after we left Honolulu where our good friends, Donna and Glenn presented us with these lovely Leis. On the right is some hot babe I saw on the beach at Ils des Pins - she may look familiar to you! Also, it was by far, the best island for snorkeling. Several of the islands required taking a tender from ship to shore. All photos of this trip can be seen here

  
 
 
 

Time in the Auckland area... my dear cousin Joan and her husband Richard were wonderful hosts to us during our ten day stay, (on the right is a view from their home in Orewa). We went to many places of interest including some great wineries and on the left our favorite village, Puhoi. We also met countless cousins - what great reunions!

  
 

 

Summertime in Sudden Valley
We had a hot and sunny summer this year. This photo was taken on the lower south deck at Barnview and I called this interesting phenomenon 'Slices of Sunlight'. As usual, Patricia played lots of golf with the ladies and I got in a few games myself. In particular, Andrew invited me to go up with him and play the Whistler Golf Course. The course, (Arnold Palmer design) is challenging and the weather was great. We also had some good meals and fun time together during our two day stay
Patricia and I also took some nice car excursions with our informal car group including a day trip to Camano Island where one of the group has a beautiful waterfront home. The Jag XK8 convertible continues to perform flawlessly and is very comfortable for long trips.
Our apple orchard produced another bumper crop of apples this year, still being picked and stored by our friends even while we were away on the cruise. Looks like we'll be giving away apples to friends right through the Holiday Season!

Looking forward to 2015 We have enjoyed our experiences this year and now look forward to the New Year. Once again we reach out to our many relatives and friends in all corners of the world to wish you season's greetings and a wonderful 2015. So long as we have good health and fun in our lives, who could ask for more? We leave you this time with a photo of us on Halloween night on board ms Oosterdam docked at Dunedin, NZ - this was definitely fun!

Love and Best Wishes,

Patricia and Bruce

 
 

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