Tahiti to Auckland
Wednesday 9th November 2005
Chef plays a blinder
At sea again for a few days. We expect to arrive in New Zealand on the 14th November (Monday). However, before then we pass the international date line and we think we miss either Friday or Saturday. Heaven forbid that we should miss Sunday as this is the day that the chef uses to demonstrate his most extravagant culinary surprises – and I would especially miss the pains au chocolat!
A fairly calm morning. A short foray round the deck, but legs rather tired after yesterday, so the first highlight of the day was lunch. Chef had prepared delicious cabbage salads, followed by chicken cooked beautifully with vegetables and potatoes oven baked and dusted in Parmesan cheese. The fruit today was straight from Tahiti – lychees fresh from the market – delicious. The afternoon saw the sea getting a bit rougher, but it was pleasant out on deck and we sat and read until shortly before dinner. We were also able to sit in the passenger lounge listening to music. The cadet had managed to buy a DVD player and we can now listen to our CDs and watch a film in the evening if we can manage to stay up that late!
Dinner had also been sourced from Tahiti and was stupendous. The main course was Maka – a fish we think was probably swordfish – cooked to perfection with a delicious shallot sauce with lots of garlic. We had the usual cheese, of course. But the meal was rounded off with fresh pineapple, bought in the market in Papeete. It was a far cry from the pineapple you can buy in Tesco in Oxford. The Papeete pineapple was juicy and completely sweet with no harsh edges. I managed to eat two portions, and Kit, who is not a fruit-eater managed half a portion.
Thursday 10th November 2005
Chef plays another blinder
The sea was rather rough this morning, though generally a bow to stern movement rather than port to starboard – this is less effective at tipping you out of bed, but does wake you up quite early!
The morning was spent in the lounge reading, translating the French text of the Equator baptism speech so that the young officer can use it if he has non-French speaking passengers, and for me, doing a big chunk of my tapestry. I need to finish it before Melbourne as the Australian immigration information reminds me that I cannot import woollen thread even if for craft use. It makes no such rule about bringing a completed tapestry into the country.
The food is still being influenced by the visit to Tahiti. Lunch started with fresh tuna ‘cooked’ in lime and lemon juice (but basically still raw – not to my taste) which was a wow with almost all diners Aurel noticed that it wasn’t to my taste, and so it was swiftly cleared away and a simple starter of ham, tomatoes and some macedoine was substituted before anyone else had finished their starter. The main course was quail stuffed with forcemeat on a crouton. Not only that! - we also got a small globe artichoke stuffed with creamy sauce and petits pois, glazed carrots, and duchesse potatoes! The cheese followed ‘comme d’habitude’, and chef had made a selection of delicious fruit tartelettes for dessert. We suspect that he may have been a patissier in a past life. Aurel our steward has even remembered that I don’t eat kiwi fruit, and my portion arrives dressed without it. I think a little lie-down is needed to let all of this settle before going out to read on deck. We are all agreed that the trimmings are not absolutely first class – the plates are a little worthy, but I suppose they break a lot of them. Its plate service, and we don’t have a bevy of flunkies tiddling around us. But – my goodness - we do have absolutely first rate food – 5 star, and wine on the table. Stunning.
By 2pm the sea was very rough – a storm is expected, so I need to put things in the cabin away, and take extra care when putting in my contact lenses not to poke my eye out! However, the sun is out, the temperature is wonderful, there is no humidity so, as long as the deck chairs don’t slide about too much, a sit out on deck to read for a while!
Friday 11th November
Another quiet day at sea. Normal routine. Update the diary in the morning, followed by a little light reading. An aperitif shortly before lunch at 1200. Coffee in the lounge, and either a little snooze in the lounge or settle in a deck chair and watch the ocean. Chef’s really hitting his stride. The quantities are not so enormous, and the presentation is getting better and better. A flying fish flew onto the deck and died before anyone stumbled across it. Interesting to see, and we’re told that they’re very tasty, but clearly only enough for one, so Aurel had it for breakfast.
Saturday 12th November 2005
Amusingly, this doesn’t exist as we passed the international date line overnight. Shades of Phineas Fogg - or is that a character in the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers?
Sunday 13th November 2005.
A few turns round the deck under the containers. The pool is empty as the sea water is too cold. We’re all really pleased that Sunday didn’t disappear as chef puts on a special effort on Sundays. Croissant and Danish pastries for breakfast, lunch is a five courser, starting with prawns and fresh mayonnaise, followed the fish course of turbot with red pepper sauce, followed by beef Wellington, followed by cheese, and pastries and fruit. Stagger upstairs to the lounge again. It’s a good job there are some stairs or our already tightening clothes would not fit at all if there were no exercise. Our newly replaced DVD allows another meeting of the passenger’s film club. Last night we enjoyed Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” but tonight was an inferior gangster movie. Better luck next time, but we are restricted by needing a movie that has either French language and English sub titles or the other way round. All the movies we brought with us are in English with no sub titles at all, so its whatever is in the ship’ library, which is – shall we say – a little male mechanic oriented.
Chef plays a blinder
At sea again for a few days. We expect to arrive in New Zealand on the 14th November (Monday). However, before then we pass the international date line and we think we miss either Friday or Saturday. Heaven forbid that we should miss Sunday as this is the day that the chef uses to demonstrate his most extravagant culinary surprises – and I would especially miss the pains au chocolat!
A fairly calm morning. A short foray round the deck, but legs rather tired after yesterday, so the first highlight of the day was lunch. Chef had prepared delicious cabbage salads, followed by chicken cooked beautifully with vegetables and potatoes oven baked and dusted in Parmesan cheese. The fruit today was straight from Tahiti – lychees fresh from the market – delicious. The afternoon saw the sea getting a bit rougher, but it was pleasant out on deck and we sat and read until shortly before dinner. We were also able to sit in the passenger lounge listening to music. The cadet had managed to buy a DVD player and we can now listen to our CDs and watch a film in the evening if we can manage to stay up that late!
Dinner had also been sourced from Tahiti and was stupendous. The main course was Maka – a fish we think was probably swordfish – cooked to perfection with a delicious shallot sauce with lots of garlic. We had the usual cheese, of course. But the meal was rounded off with fresh pineapple, bought in the market in Papeete. It was a far cry from the pineapple you can buy in Tesco in Oxford. The Papeete pineapple was juicy and completely sweet with no harsh edges. I managed to eat two portions, and Kit, who is not a fruit-eater managed half a portion.
Thursday 10th November 2005
Chef plays another blinder
The sea was rather rough this morning, though generally a bow to stern movement rather than port to starboard – this is less effective at tipping you out of bed, but does wake you up quite early!
The morning was spent in the lounge reading, translating the French text of the Equator baptism speech so that the young officer can use it if he has non-French speaking passengers, and for me, doing a big chunk of my tapestry. I need to finish it before Melbourne as the Australian immigration information reminds me that I cannot import woollen thread even if for craft use. It makes no such rule about bringing a completed tapestry into the country.
The food is still being influenced by the visit to Tahiti. Lunch started with fresh tuna ‘cooked’ in lime and lemon juice (but basically still raw – not to my taste) which was a wow with almost all diners Aurel noticed that it wasn’t to my taste, and so it was swiftly cleared away and a simple starter of ham, tomatoes and some macedoine was substituted before anyone else had finished their starter. The main course was quail stuffed with forcemeat on a crouton. Not only that! - we also got a small globe artichoke stuffed with creamy sauce and petits pois, glazed carrots, and duchesse potatoes! The cheese followed ‘comme d’habitude’, and chef had made a selection of delicious fruit tartelettes for dessert. We suspect that he may have been a patissier in a past life. Aurel our steward has even remembered that I don’t eat kiwi fruit, and my portion arrives dressed without it. I think a little lie-down is needed to let all of this settle before going out to read on deck. We are all agreed that the trimmings are not absolutely first class – the plates are a little worthy, but I suppose they break a lot of them. Its plate service, and we don’t have a bevy of flunkies tiddling around us. But – my goodness - we do have absolutely first rate food – 5 star, and wine on the table. Stunning.
By 2pm the sea was very rough – a storm is expected, so I need to put things in the cabin away, and take extra care when putting in my contact lenses not to poke my eye out! However, the sun is out, the temperature is wonderful, there is no humidity so, as long as the deck chairs don’t slide about too much, a sit out on deck to read for a while!
Friday 11th November
Another quiet day at sea. Normal routine. Update the diary in the morning, followed by a little light reading. An aperitif shortly before lunch at 1200. Coffee in the lounge, and either a little snooze in the lounge or settle in a deck chair and watch the ocean. Chef’s really hitting his stride. The quantities are not so enormous, and the presentation is getting better and better. A flying fish flew onto the deck and died before anyone stumbled across it. Interesting to see, and we’re told that they’re very tasty, but clearly only enough for one, so Aurel had it for breakfast.
Saturday 12th November 2005
Amusingly, this doesn’t exist as we passed the international date line overnight. Shades of Phineas Fogg - or is that a character in the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers?
Sunday 13th November 2005.
A few turns round the deck under the containers. The pool is empty as the sea water is too cold. We’re all really pleased that Sunday didn’t disappear as chef puts on a special effort on Sundays. Croissant and Danish pastries for breakfast, lunch is a five courser, starting with prawns and fresh mayonnaise, followed the fish course of turbot with red pepper sauce, followed by beef Wellington, followed by cheese, and pastries and fruit. Stagger upstairs to the lounge again. It’s a good job there are some stairs or our already tightening clothes would not fit at all if there were no exercise. Our newly replaced DVD allows another meeting of the passenger’s film club. Last night we enjoyed Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” but tonight was an inferior gangster movie. Better luck next time, but we are restricted by needing a movie that has either French language and English sub titles or the other way round. All the movies we brought with us are in English with no sub titles at all, so its whatever is in the ship’ library, which is – shall we say – a little male mechanic oriented.
posted by Liz and Kit at 6:05 PM
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