The chairman of the Senior Citizens Committee, Parbhubhai Nathoo, can feel proud of another achievement – the first sea cruise for its members aboard a P&O cruise ship the Pacific Pearl. The ten day adventure, a discovery of Vanuatu and New Caledonia, included a visit to five islands.

We left Princess wharf in Auckland on a cold, dismal June afternoon and enjoyed the first two days acquaintancing ourselves with all the ship had to offer. With duty free shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, entertainment by the ships professional entertainers, gym, spas, outdoor pools, big screen movies, art gallery and auctions, casino, music and live band, there was no time for boredom.

The early birds would take morning walks on the top deck. The health conscious would be in the dome at 7am doing stretches and abdominal workouts under the watchful eyes of qualified trainers. The late nighters could sleep in. Planning for the day was easy as a daily newsletter delivered to each cabin tabled the many activities and advertised shopping specials amongst other news.

Time on the boat passed quickly – often we could not go to all the activities on offer as times clashed e.g. trivia, charades, table tennis, golf putting, scrabble, dance classes, yoga, disco and more. The evenings were fun-filled, with shows by professional entertainers, musicals, acrobatics, magic shows, movies and live music to dance the night away.

As the ship headed north, the skies became clearer, the temperature warmer. One could choose to take up the activities or just relax andread a book, lying on a deck chair under the blue skies.

For five consecutive days, the ship berthed at 7am at a particular island. Disembarkation was a simple “walk off the boat” or via a “tender” (life boat) when there was no port facility available.

The boat would anchor at sea and we were transported to the shore. Mystery Island was our first port of call – a postcard picture perfect island with blue cloudless skies, clear blue water, white sands, bunches of coconuts hanging under the fronds of the palms, tropical greenery and flowers. The island is so small that it takes only a few minutes to traverse it and 40 minutes to encircle it at a steady pace. On the sheltered side there was a natural lagoon which made swimming and snorkeling very safe and inviting.

The following morning, we disembarked at Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. Next was Lifou, then the Isle of Pines and lastly, Noumea, capital of New Caledonia. Each island was different with its own identity and history. We toured each one by foot, taxi or bus, seeing its people, the countryside, historical places, churches, markets, beaches and of course, duty free shops.The warm weather called for ice creams, cooling coconut water and tropical fruits.

We missed the Radha Krishna Mandir’s twelvth Patotsav. To compensate, a beautiful pooja, prayers and aarti followed by prasad wasarranged in one of the cabins to coincide with the ceremony on land. As this ceremony came to a close our cabin was momentarily lit up by rays of the setting sun streaming through the porthole.

The crew on board have to be commended for their excellent service. This was a most memorable experience and many are looking forward to their next cruise.