Tours in New Zealand

[Fabian52]

We have signed up for several tours through the ship, Sun Princess r/t Australia/New Zealand for Nov. 14th.
Auckland - we signed up for America's cup sailing in the harbor. 2 hrs. where you get to participate if you want. It is expensive. Has anyone done this particular excursion and is it worth the money that they want.
Bay of Islands - Glow Worm Cave and Kauri Forest. This one was not that expensive and I thought maybe we could do another tour when we got back perhaps from the pier like the dolphin cruise or the cruise to the hole in the wall. Anyone out there done either of these excursions.
Wellington - Cable car and Lady Norwood Gardens. Also through the ship and didn't seem that expensive.
Taraunga - Relaxing Rangitaiki River Rafting through the cruise line.
Again expensive but sounds nice and relaxing and could see alot of scenery. Anyone out there done this particular excursion.
Christchurch - thought we would take the shuttle into the city center and do our own thing like the Botanical Gardens, maybe the ride on the boat on the Avon River and maybe catch the scenic cable car ride on the way out (which I know is not close by and we would have to take a bus for that).
Dundein - Don't know what to do there. Looking into a private excursion for that one.
Napier - have no clue on this one. Nothing really interests us in this town so will probably just walk around. Any suggestions for this one.
Anyone out there that has done any of these excursions, please let me know what you think. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

[moyaroo]

Originally Posted by Fabian52

We have signed up for several tours through the ship, Sun Princess r/t Australia/New Zealand for Nov. 14th.
Christchurch - thought we would take the shuttle into the city center and do our own thing like the Botanical Gardens, maybe the ride on the boat on the Avon River and maybe catch the scenic cable car ride on the way out (which I know is not close by and we would have to take a bus for that).
. Any help would be appreciated
. Thanks in advance

The cable car is actually a stop on the city bus line to and from Lyttleton so in effect not out of the way at all. It is just after (or before if going back) the tunnel.

[bobhsv]

Hi,
Also doing heaps of research on most of these ports. Re Christchurch, go onto the lytteltonharbour.co.nz site, where there is lots of info for do it yourself activities. As in you can purchase when there a $15, 24hr bus pass, which allows you to travel to the tram, Intl Antarctic Centre, Willowbank etc. Also buses no 28 and 35 depart every 15 mins from Lyttleton to Christchurch, $2 for a 2hr return ticket, stops at Gondola, so you can get off and back on. Also look at Best Attractions Shuttle Bus, $6pp.
Dunedin has us stumped, but only because there seems so much to see there. Otago explorer seems good, as does First City Double Decker Bus Tour, $20. We think we may just book a tour here through Back to Nature Tours.

Oh, deciding is so hard, and the net is working overtime at our place. Thank goodness we have a few months up our sleeves.

Cheers,
Jen

[rdowney]

In Napier, we took the local walking tour of the Art Deco buildings. We then took a taxi to Mission Estate Winery, where we had lunch on the terrace overlooking the vineyards and ocean. The rich chocolate parcel was huge and wonderful.

[JoyceC]

Originally Posted by Fabian52

We have signed up for several tours through the ship, Sun Princess r/t Australia/New Zealand for Nov. 14th.
Auckland - we signed up for America's cup sailing in the harbor. 2 hrs. where you get to participate if you want. It is expensive. Has anyone done this particular excursion and is it worth the money that they want.
Bay of Islands - Glow Worm Cave and Kauri Forest. This one was not that expensive and I thought maybe we could do another tour when we got back perhaps from the pier like the dolphin cruise or the cruise to the hole in the wall. Anyone out there done either of these excursions.
Wellington - Cable car and Lady Norwood Gardens. Also through the ship and didn't seem that expensive.
Taraunga - Relaxing Rangitaiki River Rafting through the cruise line.
Again expensive but sounds nice and relaxing and could see alot of scenery. Anyone out there done this particular excursion.
Christchurch - thought we would take the shuttle into the city center and do our own thing like the Botanical Gardens, maybe the ride on the boat on the Avon River and maybe catch the scenic cable car ride on the way out (which I know is not close by and we would have to take a bus for that).
Dundein - Don't know what to do there. Looking into a private excursion for that one.
Napier - have no clue on this one. Nothing really interests us in this town so will probably just walk around. Any suggestions for this one.
Anyone out there that has done any of these excursions, please let me know what you think. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

Fabian,
Have you checked Indigenous Trails tours for some of the ports you mention? They may have someone of interest to you.

[Fabian52]

I have checked with Indiginous Trails and am looking into booking them for Dunedin. However my problem is if you only book with two people (DH and myself) than it is more expensive. Our roll call on CC only has two people that have responded to it and I put it out there is April. So... that is why we are booking with the ship's tours.
I would like to do the one in Dunedin that goes all day so we will see on that one.
I also put out an e-mail on Mount Classic to see if anyone was interested in sharing a tour and still no response.
Maybe we will see if we can book a tour in Dunedin from the port like one other poster said. Thanks.

[aussiedisneyfan]

Another company for Dunedin is back to nature tours. We used them a couple of years aga and were very happy with them. Plan on booking with them again this time.

[BrusselsGirl07]

Have a look at the 21 December 2009 Raphosdy of the Seas roll call. There are heaps of port suggestions for these ports - myself and some others have posted lots of links for tour companies. Also have a look at the P&O Australia Board - it covers all of the ships that sail around Australia and New Zealand, not just P&O. It has become a mine of information for all cruise lines and ports in the area. I have only just discovered it and it has helped me a lot so far.

[Fabian52]

If we were to do our own thing in Dunedin is there a shuttle that goes from the port into town where we can maybe catch a harbor cruise from there. The ship wants like $100 per person for a 2 hr. tour and I saw on-line where you can get the same thing for like $40.00 per person.
Is there either a shuttle or bus into town that you can do your own thing instead of booking either a private tour or the ship's excursion

[aussiedisneyfan]

There is a public bus into Dunedin centre that leaves just up from the wharf. Easy walk, or there maybe a "security" shuttle to outside the wharf. The buses don't start running until later on a Saturday as we discovered when we had booked a 9am Cadbury tour and were stranded.

From memory taxis were about $40 into town. The ships usually provide shuttles too and depending on the cruiseline as to whether they charge. Celebrity did ($8-10pp) but Holland America didn't.

Here is the link to Citibus, the public transport. You would be going from Port Chalmers to Dunedin. It seems to also have tours as well, although I haven't looked at them.

http://transportplace.co.nz/

[bobhsv]

As I said earlier I have been doing a lot of research on the net re tours. After many hours I picked out a couple and emailed the companies, only to receive emails back from both companies (different ports and different company), and the prices have gone up. One was/is advertised at NZ$90 in Tauranga...now NZ$150, the other advertised as NZ$120 Dunedin...now NZ$180. Both are advertised for cruise ships. WOW! So maybe the ships tours arent so high after all.
So, I am back to square one.

Jen

[MLAW]

One idea for Napier, is Marineland, if it is still open. It is a very old marine park that is hanging on by a thread. The reason to go, however, is the private penguin tour. Marineland does penguin rescue. For $14 NZ each, we received a private tour of their penguin habitates, learned how they nurse and feed them, were able to hand feed penguins in one of the enclosures, and then (the highlight), we each got to hold a blue penguin. It really was one of the highlights of our cruise. We arranged the tour ahead of time but did not have to pay until we arrived. The town of Napier is also very cute. It had some of the best prices for souvenirs. Also, don't miss Opposum World! It is half museum and half shop but very funny. Hope this helps with your planning.

[Chilkoot]

Originally Posted by bobhsv

As I said earlier I have been doing a lot of research on the net re tours. After many hours I picked out a couple and emailed the companies, only to receive emails back from both companies (different ports and different company), and the prices have gone up. One was/is advertised at NZ$90 in Tauranga...now NZ$150, the other advertised as NZ$120 Dunedin...now NZ$180. Both are advertised for cruise ships. WOW! So maybe the ships tours arent so high after all.
So, I am back to square one.

Jen

Thanks Jen. We hadn't considered that there were so many operators with different prices over what was being posted on their web sites. We're planning and budgeting now and this will help.

[Fabian52]

Has anyone done the America's Cup Sailing in Auckland. We have signed up for this excursion through Princess cruise line. Is it worth the money that they are asking or could we just book it from the port when we get there.

[Chilkoot]

Originally Posted by Fabian52

Has anyone done the America's Cup Sailing in Auckland. We have signed up for this excursion through Princess cruise line. Is it worth the money that they are asking or could we just book it from the port when we get there.

We were looking into doing this in Maui this spring and received some consistent feedback that it was a very good excursion. Ended up not doing it and it may be comparing apples to oranges but it seems a bit expensive in Auckland. It was only $45 US in Maui, less than half what it is in Auckland.

[ConnMom]

Here are some of the things we did in the ports you mention. There is so much to see that we had to make choices that eliminated other good sights and activities, but we were very happy with what we did. I wish we could go back...
In Auckland, we mostly walked and took buses throughout the city. We visited a great museum (don't remember the name) and took a ferry ride to a nearby town. We have taken an America's Cup excursion in Mexico on a Princess cruise. It was a lot of fun, if not amazing, and I agree that it was a bit expensive without being outrageous. I imagine you would have interesting views of the city from the boat.
We had a wonderful day in Bay of Islands, visiting Waitangi Treaty Grounds and then taking a boat tour though the Hole in the Rock as part of a daylong bus tour from Auckland. I'd highly recommend both of these activities.
In Tauranga, we spent the day with Carlton Tours, on a van with two other couples, visiting numerus sites in Rotorua as well as others in the Tauranga area. Rotorua is very interesting and gave us some understanding of Maori culture and the geography of New Zealand. I am very glad that we did not miss this and would recommend Carlton Tours.
We found that Napier, Wellington, and Christchurch were very easy to navigate on our own. In Napier we took the local Art Deco tour, and in Wellington visited the Te Papa as well as the Cable Car (ride up and walk down though the Botanic Gardens, ending near the Parliament Buildings.)
It is very easy to get around Christchurch on foot or using local transportation to the cable car, which had wonderful views. Punting on the River Avon is also easy to find and arrange on your own - lots of fun.
Dunedin was our favorite day. Awesome Tours picked us up at the ship and packed the day with a variety of activities - brief city tour, time to walk around downtown, tour of a castle (name???) and a tour of Nature's Wonders on ATV's, providing incredible views and tons of seals, some penguins, etc. I would give Awesome Tours my highest recommendation.
By the way, both Carlton Tours and Awesome Tours will reserve just the number of seats you need, so you don't have to fill the van yourself. These are not really inexpensive tours, but I thought they offered better value than most ship tours we have taken on other cruises.
I hope you have a great trip.

[Ontario Cruiser]

Hi ConnMom
We are part of the group that was cancelled on the Millie March 15h. I read a lot of your posts on the Millie rollcall so now we are on the Volendam Dec 6th and are doing the Carlton & Awesome Tours which we had originally booked and had to cancel (no charge) We had such a wonderful group on our rollcall it was very sad not to be sailing with them.
I agree with you that both these tours come highly recommended.
Ontario Cruiser

[Fabian52]

I contacted Mark from Awesome Tours and he cannot accommodate us in Dunedin as he is going cruise ships tours already. He forwarded our e-mail to another person in the area "Coast-Line" Tours to view the Moeraki Boulders that includes lunch leaving at 11:00 and returning at 3:00 to the ship. Has anyone used "Coast-Line Tours" and is the drive to the north to view the Moeraki Boulders worth seeing. This is the only place that we don't know what to do so any advise would be appreciated.
We have already done penguins, seals, etc. in South America last year so I am more interested in seeing the beautiful coast. Thanks in advance.

[Chilkoot]

[quote=Fabian52;21043447] Has anyone used "Coast-Line Tours" and is the drive to the north to view the Moeraki Boulders worth seeing. This is the only place that we don't know what to do so any advise would be appreciated.
QUOTE]

We've rented a car in Dunedin although can cancel if needed. We would like to drive to the Moeraki Boulders and would like to know if they are worth it as well. Also, is driving from Dunedin to the boulders a problem since we will be driving on the left side of the road for someone not used to it?

Does Princess provide transporation from the port into Dunedin?

[Fabian52]

Princess does not offer a transport to the city from the port to Dunedin.
I understand that it is about 30- 45 minutes. There is a public bus or there is taxi. Taxi is about $40 each way (NZ dollars). From a previous post I found out that Princess does not offer a transport.
Will the company that you rent the car from take it to the port for you. I have hear of them doing this. We would rent a car but don't want to take the chance of getting into an accident since we are from Fla. and don't know how to drive on the wrong side of the street. I think we are going to do the tour with Coastal-Tours. It is $105 NZ and includes lunch. So it is about $70 US. The boulders are supposed to be pretty cool. We have already done the penguins, etc. so want to see the coast.