January 4, 2026 Sydney
Noordam arrived in Sydney this morning. It is turn around day for the ship which was ending the Tasmania and southeastern Australia cruise and beginning the Australia and South Pacific Islands cruise. There are 144 passengers staying onboard for this cruise too. Some of the new passengers will be just beginning a 42 day cruise, at Auckland they will be continuing along the southern New Zealand coasts and Milford Sound ,then returning to Sydney. After a morning stroll through the Royal Botanical Gardens with Janine and Mae, we said goodbye at the ferry wharf, then walked over to the Rocks Market which takes over at least three streets on Sundays and Saturdays. We found a Gelato kiosk, near Argyle Street and Playfair Street, with good gelato before returning to the ship. The temperature was 28°C, mostly sunny skies and a light breeze. We used our “in transit” card to pass the checkin line. We were back on the ship by 12:30 p.m. havin...