Cruise to New Zealand

New Zealand is an island nation, as is neighbouring Australia. So there is no better way to appreciate the lengthy coastlines of these beautiful places than from the deck of a cruise ship.

It’s an idea well worth exploring as there are many options to choose from. If you’ve booked, or are thinking of booking, a holiday in the South Pacific you can choose to join a cruise ship in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in Australia or from Auckland in New Zealand, and take it from there. Mainstream cruise lines such as Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess and P&O all cruise to and around the South Pacific, as do more luxurious options like Seabourn, Compagnie du Ponant and Silversea.

So here’s how you might like to work a cruise in to a trip to New Zealand, or Australia. Fly to Auckland or Christchurch and take some time to explore the country following your favourite interests – be it fly fishing, golf, art and crafts, adventure or pure sightseeing. Plan to end your trip at Auckland, which is also New Zealand’s largest city and main port. Here you can join a cruise ship bound for Australia, or further afield. Some ships head straight to Australia from Auckland, but others will travel via the coastline of New Zealand, stopping at ports like Tauranga (which gives access to Rotorua), Wellington, Nelson, Picton and Christchurch (Akaroa) before cruising through the stunning waterways of Fiordland (there’s no port there). From there you’ll head across the Tasman Sea (it only takes a couple of days) before reaching Tasmania and southern Australia. Once there you can leave the ship to explore Australia or join another to cruise on up into the Pacific Ocean.

Or you may want to run the whole trip in reverse.

Onshore excursions at New Zealand ports give access to a wide variety of places and experiences. Stop at Tauranga to visit the rich cultural area around Rotorua, enjoy a visit to a Maori village or marae at Napier, check out New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington or explore the national parks around the Nelson area. While cruising the coast you’ll see the beautiful islands of the Hauraki Gulf and Coromandel, circle White Island in the Bay of Plenty, which is an active (and sometimes very active) volcano, and follow the beautiful Marlborough Sounds in to Picton. There is so much to see.

To make life easy we can coordinate all these bookings for you, or add in parts to your existing itinerary, and we will help you choose the most appropriate cruise for your interests and budget.  We are New Zealand experts, specialising in luxury travel and cruises throughout New Zealand.

For more info contact sue@nztravelbrokers.co.nz

(C)  by Sue Farley