Akaroa & Bay of Islands ship excursions

We are arriving in Akaroa and the Bay of Islands in December on the Solstice. Since these are tender ports we are considering booking ship excursions and using some of our OBC or doing the D.I.Y. option. Does anyone have any ship excursion suggestions or otherwise?

In Akaroa we are considering the Journey into Middle Earth but from research it seems that most of this tour is spent on a bus. Anyone have experience on this tour? I have read about the TranzAlpine Express and this is offered as a ship excursion but I am wondering if 9 hours on a train gets to be a bit much.

In the Bay of Islands there is a cycling tour offered on our summary of tours. Is tour on heavily traveled roads or is it more out in open areas or trails. Anyone experience the Glow worm caves and Kauri Forest excursion?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

You might be better off posting this on the Celebrity board.... apologies if you have already....

I made the mistake once of wanting to use OBC for a tour..... when I boarded the tour was already sold out with a long waitlist..... this was a tour not offered independently elsewhere.... lesson learnt.....

Linda

I have read about the TranzAlpine Express and this is offered as a ship excursion but I am wondering if 9 hours on a train gets to be a bit much. In the Bay of Islands there is a cycling tour offered on our summary of tours. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Have some suggestions and reactions. For the TranzAlpine Express, we did this trip last year and this ship excursion is not just nine hours on a train. There will be maybe about two hours on the train. About half across a flat plain areas and then the rest in the more dramatic mountain areas with lots of interesting scenery. Then, you take a bus back from the Arthur's Pass National Park. Our concluding part included lunch and then doing an exciting JetBoat "adventure" through the narrow canyons of this region. The other option offered on the Celebrity Solstice was visiting a sheep ranch before returning to the port/ship area.

Arthur's Pass National Park was established in 1929, the first national park in the South Island and the third in New Zealand. Arthur's Pass village and its mountain crossing point are at a height of 3,018 feet above sea level. The eastern side we saw is mostly drier and consists of beech forest and wide riverbeds. The western side contains dense rainforest. Much of this geography was formed by ancient glacial action, forming flat bottomed U-shaped valleys. In the middle is a high range, consisting of large snow covered peaks and scree slopes, as per Wikipedia.

Below are a few items of "photo evidence" as to the fun and excitement that we enjoyed, especially with the Jet Boat. Yes, it is a long day with lots of riding. But the sights and experiences were spectacular.

Below are two examples from the sailing trip we set-up and did at Bay of Island. Wonderful and beautiful area in this beautiful region of NZ.

So much depends on your personal interests, desires for varied activities and budget flexibility. Reactions and added questions? Need more info?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 115,652 views for this posting.

With the NZ JetBoat, we loved the THRILLS doing these fast, roaring shots up and down this narrow and scenic section of this river. I was fortunately seated right behind our excellent driver, Greg Peacock. I didn't get very wet, but those on the right side got more of the "showers". No extra charge. But, nobody got too wet. It was all part of the fun. At a couple points during our about 25-minute trip on the river, Greg stopped at a scenic location in this river/gorge to give us more background on these boats, experiences in doing this work since 1998 for him, etc. These Hamilton Jet Boats were developed around 1960, including work done at this site to perfect the design and test the models/designs. Notice the great background/dramatic areas that we were "sailing" up and down?:

Here is a picture that my wife loved. Notice her hands and those of others in our row super tightly gripping the safety bar? That says so much about the speed and thrills while roaring up and down this amazing stretch of scenic river near Christchurch. I showed my wife this picture (and several others like this one of her where the wind was blowing her hair in the opposite direction). She liked this picture so much, that she said to put this one in her obituary (not that this need is upcoming anytime soon). It showed her having fun and she said this ride was the most fun of the whole cruise/trip. We had lots of great moments on this trip, but one was a unique and special ride in a location that is spectacularly world-class. And, perfect weather with good friends added to the great joy!!:

First is one of my visuals that gives a little sampling for the spectacular Waimakariri River gorge seen from the Tranz Alpine Rail trip. Great "drama" in this aspect of the trip, especially with the blue waters that we would later travel "up-close-and-personal" via a JetBoat trip.:

This second picture gives an idea for the view from the outdoor viewing platform near the front of this train. It had a covered roof but open sides to create an ideal location to take photos from the train. No photo glare from trying to shoot through a window. I spent most the time through the mountains in this location.:

From our group's Bay of Islands water fun in New Zealand, we got to do real sailing, including going out into the nearby Pacific Ocean! See the proof and success below. It was both a perfect weather day and such fun sampling this great region of northern NZ. One of the options for those in our Central Ohio group on this custom, private sailing was to help to do as much (or as little as desired) in helping make this sail experience happen. In the first picture, Captain Murray is guiding the ship from this great vantage point on the back of the Zindabar. Second is a view from a small island where we landed and climb to the top of key vantage point. Was this exciting and scenic?:

We are arriving in Akaroa and the Bay of Islands in December on the Solstice. Since these are tender ports we are considering booking ship excursions and using some of our OBC or doing the D.I.Y. option. Does anyone have any ship excursion suggestions or otherwise?

 

In Akaroa we are considering the Journey into Middle Earth but from research it seems that most of this tour is spent on a bus. Anyone have experience on this tour? I have read about the TranzAlpine Express and this is offered as a ship excursion but I am wondering if 9 hours on a train gets to be a bit much.

 

In the Bay of Islands there is a cycling tour offered on our summary of tours. Is tour on heavily traveled roads or is it more out in open areas or trails. Anyone experience the Glow worm caves and Kauri Forest excursion?

 

Any suggestions are appreciated!

We live in the area,

Glow worm caves are great as is the Kauri Forrest would recommend these highly.

You could always book online a tour on the Mac Attack in Paihia, buses will take you from Waitangi where tenders dock to Paihia, 5 minute drive. Mac Attack out to hole in the rock is amazing, really enjoyed the trip, will see wildlife, seals possibly dolphins. Trip is about 2 hours, Paihia is pleasant to walk around the restaurant Alongside on the wharf out into ocean is an amazing place to relax for a drink and lunch

Enjoy BOI