March 7, 2000
Even though the Sky
Princess steamed a paltry 157 nautical miles to Christchurch,
I felt every single wave back and forth throughout the night.
This morning my stomach is still churning and Roger prepares to
leave for breakfast and a tour of the city on his own.
While Roger is packing his cameras and making sure he has all the necessary attachments, I read him the following information from our Princess Cruise materials: "With street names like Worcester and Gloucester and the River Avon flowing past, a visitor to Christchurch might expect to find Big Ben around any corner. Planned as a Church of England settlement, the city's founders intended for the settlement to reflect and improve upon the best features of English society.
They must have succeeded, for Christchurch is known as "the most English city outside of England." Located near the East Coast of the South Island and set facing inland and the snowy Southern Alps, it is, with 300,000 residents, the largest city on the island and New Zealand's third largest.
In 1850, the "First Four Ships" brought a group of English settlers to the port of Lyttleton, and the Canterbury pilgrims made their historic trek over the steep hills to the fertile plains beyond. Older Canterbury families proudly trace their lineage to those ships.
Neat and trim, the city is a grid of organized streets, bounded by wide, tree-lined avenues and broken by open spaces and the meandering River Avon. Its buildings are strikingly elegant and the beautiful Gothic-style Cathedral is the center of life here. The historic trams take visitors and commuters throughout the city and is one of the best ways to get an eye view of Christchurch.
Trolley and Museum
Surrounding the city are the Canterbury Plains, laid out as a patchwork quilt, which have become one of New Zealand's leading agricultural regions, as both the country's primary wheat-growing district as well as the home of the world-famous Canterbury lamb."
Most appropriately, the "Princess Patter" lists New Zealand lamb as one of the entrees in the ship's main dining room for lunch. However, I nix the idea of having breakfast or lunch today. All I can keep down are motion sickness pills and I fall into a deep-drugged sleep the moment Roger kisses me goodbye and locks the cabin door.
By early afternoon, I drift in and out of sleep. By the time I am able to stay awake long enough to click on the TV to The Princess Channel, I am genuinely disgusted with myself for wasting such valuable time watching a continuous rerun of "The Love Boat." Not only does it feel a bit surreal but also I didn't like "The Love Boat" when I watched it 20 years ago much less now. I carefully shower and dress and make my way out of the cabin to head for the deck for some fresh air and the sights and sounds of the real Love Boat.
As I lock the cabin door, screaming alarm bells (inches from my ears, alongside my door) set off instant memories of the soundtrack to the shower scene from Psycho. Before I have the chance to figure out what's happening, crew members bloated by their life vests and carrying metal poles with hooks, are coming at me from each end of the long narrow hallway. I scramble back to the safety of my cabin but continue to be assaulted by the alarm bells and the Captain's announcements to his crew as they are put through their Emergency Duties Exercises for 30 very long minutes. Lesson learned: read every notice in the "Princess Patter," not just what they are serving for lunch.
When Roger arrives this afternoon, loaded down with camera equipment and obviously tired but beaming from an eventful day of touring, I ask him what is the most memorable part of the day for him. He instantly replies, "Coming back to you." Score 100+ points, Roger Levesque.
Our evening meal has an Italian theme and I stare in disbelief and outright envy as Roger and Joe, have extra helpings of pasta along with selections from the other five courses. Feeling guilty for being sick (I have omnipotent guilt and have been known to apologize when it's raining), I announce to Joe, Connie, and Roger that I plan to be wide awake to join them for this evening's entertainment. Trying to really make a come back, I tell everyone that Roger and Joe will be the main attraction at the Karaoke Sing-A-Long and that Connie and I will be their back-up singers. The Sing-A-Long is scheduled at 10:30 p.m. following the comedian in the Show Lounge and I flit around the dining room urging all fourteen members of our group plus a few folks I don't know to join us.
Tony Cawley, billed as "one of the best Irish comedians in the world.." lives up to his billing and has us all in near hysterics. So far, this is the best entertainment I've experienced on the ship. However, since I've made it to so few of the shows, I am perhaps not the best judge of talent aboard the ship.
Sheepishly, I follow Roger back to the cabin after the show, hoping that no one notices that we are not at the Karaoke Sing-A-Long. Even though I slept most of the day, I am ready to fall asleep in an instant. Roger, after all my bravado about the karaoke duet is relieved I've changed my mind and also ready for a good night's sleep.