New Zealand Cruise

First time for everything, right?

I went on my first cruise… to New Zealand.

One thing I said I want to do more of this year was to travel and take more time for myself, and this cruise with my family was the perfect trip to start that off.

This particular trip was incredibly special because my grandma celebrated her 91st birthday, and my parents celebrated 35 years of marriage, so there was a lot to be celebrated. I felt that this experience in New Zealand was just a celebration of life, and realising how fortunate we are to be living in Sydney, and have the opportunity to go on a cruise.

I was able to spend time with my aunts and uncles, and I feel like unless there’s a family gathering, I don’t always get to spend that much time with them, so it was really wholesome. The last couple of years I’ve dealt with a lot of grief and I’m very aware of how fragile life is. I want to live my life and create memories with my loved ones, and it makes me so happy knowing that on this trip I was able to do that. 

I loved so many things about this cruise, but one of things I loved was looking out the window and sitting on my balcony in my room and seeing nothing but the sea. It was so peaceful and serene. It was pure bliss.

We went to Picton, Napier, Christchurch and Wellington. One thing I love about New Zealand is how scenic it is. It’s so beautiful and I was surrounded by so much greenery and it was just incredible to be surrounded by nature. Dunedin and Milford Sounds got canceled due to weather conditions so that was a bit disappointing but it was still an amazing experience.

Even though I didn’t get to explore as much as I wanted to, I had the best time, it just means I’ll have to go back. 

The ship was huge. There was so much to do, performances, competitions, trivia nights, and I was even able to get my steps in by doing multiple laps on level 16. It felt like we were non-stop eating and I was not mad about it. At all. Everything was delicious. 

A lot of the workers/staff on this cruise were Filipino and I found that amazing. It was like I was in Manila and I felt right at home. I also appreciated the fact that all of the staff and workers who were working, were taking time away from their families, and while I know that’s their job and apart of life I couldn’t help but feel so appreciative that while I was enjoying and spending time with my family, everyone who was working on the cruise was taking time away from theirs to make sure that we (everyone on the cruise) was taken care of. 

I also liked the fact that I was able to get a break from my everyday life of going to work and being on the train at 7am, because as much as I love working and having my routine, there was this freedom of getting up when you want to and taking your time. 

This trip was truly a breath of fresh air. There was no stress, I was relaxed, with my family and surrounded by nature. It really didn’t get much better than that. 

I don’t like rushing and on this cruise there was none of that, and I liked it; a lot.