April 3. As often happens on the Tasman Sea, we awoke to 50 kph winds and a 2m swell. The Captain informed us that we had altered course to avoid 120 kph winds and the accompanying big seas that we would have encountered had we sailed direct from the southern foot of New Zealand to Sydney. It meant that we headed north-west for most of the day.

By early afternoon it was calmer so much more enjoyable for those who suffer from motion sickness. Captain’s Club cocktails, followed by dinner and a show in the theatre were a good way to finish the day.

April 4. Three metre seas this morning, still not as bad as it often is on the Tasman Sea. We didn’t see much sun during the morning and the wind was quite strong so we spent a lazy morning, mainly inside. Then, quite suddenly, the wind and waves dropped and the sun came out from behind the clouds, so we could enjoy lunch outside in fresh air before packing our bags for tomorrow’s disembarkation. By now Jo had developed a cold and was not feeling very sociable so we had a quiet dinner, then went to the musical in the theatre for our last night on board.

April 5. By the time we awoke in Sydney the ship was already moored and passengers were making their way into the terminal. Already 100 mm of rain had fallen, with more rain and strong winds forecast. Our disembarkation time was not until 8.30 am so we had time for breakfast before the very easy, well organised arrival process and a cab to the airport. We flew out just before lunch, just before a severe storm hit Sydney. Later, after arriving home, we heard that flights from Sydney had been cancelled so we were lucky.

We enjoyed our cruise and our first visit to New Zealand, but we were pleased to get home.

We hope everyone keeps safe and well.

Well, the overnight tour option wasn’t the best option after all, because it would have meant missing the chance to wake up entering Dusky Sound in calm seas and bright sunshine. Last time Celebrity Edge was here the visits into the 3 Sounds were cancelled or cut short because of foul weather but today was perfect.

New Zealand has 12 Sounds and we are to visit 3, although in Dusky and Doubtful Sounds we exited back to the ocean via different arms so it’s like seeing 5 Sounds. Today they are particularly attractive because of the weather. Hundreds of metres deep and surrounded by steep cliffs, the Sounds are very beautiful. We spent a couple of hours in each narrow Sound and cruised slowly northward only 1-2 km from the spectacular rugged shore, in over 1 km deep water.

Mid-afternoon we arrived at Milford Sound, the best known of all the Sounds. There is a small township at the inland end of the Sound which is accessible by road so we saw a few small tourist launches and fishing vessels. Apart from the main road and a few walking tracks it is still mainly untouched by humans and is very spectacular.

It was a great day, not surprisingly a highlight of the cruise.