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Sydney to Auckland - Shore Excursions Offered by Princess


tealeafdestiny
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Hi Y'all. Just starting to plan our cruise from Syd to Auckland in Feb 2015 (our very first cruise!).

 

I am just looking through the shore excursions offered by Princess Cruises and wanted some insight to see if any of them are AMAZING and worth it. We are cruising on a budget, so we won't be doing paid shore excursions on every port, but I don't want to over look anything that is superb.

 

If anyone has done anything on the below list and has thought it was 10/10 please let me know :)

 

Melbourne:

  • Ballarat Wildlife & Sovereign Hill Goldmine Township
  • Fitzroy Gardens & Yarra River Cruise
  • Historic Melbourne & Old Gaol
  • Puffing Billy & Dandenon Ranges
  • Melbourne by Colonial Tramcar
  • City Drive & Eureka Deck
  • River Cruise, Healesville Sanctuary & Wine Tasting
  • Healesville Sanctuary, Yarra Valley & Wine
  • Kangaroos, Koalas & You Yangs Park

 

Hobart:

  • Richmond, Bonorong & Wine Tasting
  • Port Arthur Historic Site
  • Richmond & Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
  • City Drive & Royal Botanical Garden
  • Port Arthur Historic Site (Wheelchair Confined Passengers)
  • Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Mt. Field Park & Curringa Farm
  • Russell Falls, Meadowbank & Wildlife
  • Richmond and Bonorong
  • Tasman Island Wildlife Cruise
  • Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
  • City Drive, Narryna, Anglesea Barracks & Wine
  • Huon Valley & Tahune Airwalk

 

Fiordland National Park

Scenic cruising? What is this? Does it cruise into Milford Sound? Has anyone done this recently (only posts I can find are from 2010)

 

Dunedin

  • Taieri Gorge by Train & Larnach Castle
  • City Drive, Olveston House & Botanic Gardens
  • City Drive & Larnach Castle
  • Olveston House & Larnach Castle
  • Taieri Gorge by Train
  • Olveston House & City Drive by Classic Car
  • Taieri Gorge by Train (Wheelchair Confined Passengers)
  • Otago Wildlife Cruise
  • Nature's Wonders & Otago Peninsula
  • Speights Brewery & Pub Hop

 

Akaroa

  • Tranz Alpine Train & Arthur's Pass
  • Akaroa, Giants House & Canterbury Farm
  • Banks Peninsula & City Drive
  • Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise
  • Paua Bay Farm
  • Canterbury Station, Mt Sunday & Lord of the Rings Sights
  • Antarctic Centre & Botanic Gardens
  • Wildlife Cruise
  • Akaroa Harbour Swim with Dolphins
  • Canterbury High Country by 4WD
  • Christchurch On Your Own

 

Tauranga

  • Te Puia Thermal Reserve, Maori Arts & Agrodome
  • Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs
  • Waimangu Volcanic Valley & Rainbow Springs
  • Maori Cultural Highlights
  • Tauranga City Drive, Elms Mission Station & Kiwi 360
  • Tamaki Maori Village
  • Hobbiton Movie Set
  • Skyline Skyride & Luge
  • Lake Rotoiti Kayak & Thermal Pool

 

I know that this is a really broad post. I was going to do a post for each Port, but then I thought that most people who have been to one of these ports have been to another one, too...

 

Lastly - if there is something you have personally done that you would do again that is not on the above list (as the above list is just the princess tours) PLEASE let me know! As I mentioned before, our budget is limited and we don't want to be paying for tours "just because". This is our first cruise- so we want to be "wowed"... (hope my expectations aren't too high here!! :p)

 

P.S. don't worry about conflicting interests, ages, etc. Just post your experiences and my family and I will figure out if it fits in with us.

 

Thanks in advance guys :)

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We are cruising on a budget, so we won't be doing paid shore excursions on every port, but I don't want to over look anything that is superb.
In Melbourne and Dunedin, at least, you can easily work out your own sightseeing itinerary and you shouldn't need to spend money on ship's excursions.
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I have not cruised around Australia and NZ, but I used to live in Australia and I have visited all the ports in Australia and NZ that you will visit on this cruise.

 

Because of my interest in Australian history, the one place I would want to go on an excursion would be Port Arthur in Tasmania. (It's too far from Hobart to get there on your own without a rental car.)

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Check out tripadvisor for ideas!

 

I have also got a few good deals with Viator, they have the occasional 10% off tours.

We are doing the hobbiton/geysers/maori village through viator (it's expensive, but only 11 on the bus & it does all 3 things that we want to see in Tauranga area).

 

We are doing a Tour With Bex in Dundedin :)

http://www.bookatour.co.nz/

Edited by swirlidz
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We did the kayak and hot springs in Tauranga with princess. This tour was small (about 1 2 of us plus guide). They provided all equipment. We really enjoyed it and would recommend if you like outdoor activities. It also included a short visit to a cave to see glow worms.

 

We also used Princess for the Tranz Alpine train. It is well worth the money as you go into the interior and see the "Alps". Nice bus and train ride. Tea at a beautiful farm and good lunch on the train

At all NZ ports there were local tour companies set up right as you got off the ship. Other than the kayaking and Tranz Alpine train booked through princess, we waited until each port and booked with the locals. It worked out very well and at a considerable savings

 

 

 

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Thanks for all the tips so far guys :)

 

 

Other than the kayaking and Tranz Alpine train booked through princess, we waited until each port and booked with the locals. It worked out very well and at a considerable savings

 

Did you look in advance at what you wanted to do, or did you just go with the flow?

 

Thanks!

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I did a bit of research and also looked at what princess offered as tours. Everyone was very friendly and all private tour operators were well aware of the importance of timely return to port. Most of the private tours we took were 1/2 days so we had time to explore the cities on our own.

 

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Have you joined your roll call. We are on the Feb 15 cruise and are using several tours that are being organized by roll call members. We are also using Elm Wildlife in Dunedin. The only place we are using a Princess tour is in Melbourne as we want to get beyond the city and visit a wildlife sanctuary and winery.

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In melborne please do the one that iincludes the yarra valley, animls and wine.. river crusie was nice but if not a good day it is cold. but as you well know your country is know for wine and zoos. .i hve only flown there but looking for ideas my my Azaamra cruise

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Hi Y'all. Just starting to plan our cruise from Syd to Auckland in Feb 2015 (our very first cruise!).

 

I am just looking through the shore excursions offered by Princess Cruises and wanted some insight to see if any of them are AMAZING and worth it. We are cruising on a budget, so we won't be doing paid shore excursions on every port, but I don't want to over look anything that is superb.

 

If anyone has done anything on the below list and has thought it was 10/10 please let me know :)

 

Melbourne:

  • Ballarat Wildlife & Sovereign Hill Goldmine Township
  • Fitzroy Gardens & Yarra River Cruise
  • Historic Melbourne & Old Gaol
  • Puffing Billy & Dandenon Ranges
  • Melbourne by Colonial Tramcar
  • City Drive & Eureka Deck
  • River Cruise, Healesville Sanctuary & Wine Tasting
  • Healesville Sanctuary, Yarra Valley & Wine
  • Kangaroos, Koalas & You Yangs Park

 

Hobart:

  • Richmond, Bonorong & Wine Tasting
  • Port Arthur Historic Site
  • Richmond & Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
  • City Drive & Royal Botanical Garden
  • Port Arthur Historic Site (Wheelchair Confined Passengers)
  • Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Mt. Field Park & Curringa Farm
  • Russell Falls, Meadowbank & Wildlife
  • Richmond and Bonorong
  • Tasman Island Wildlife Cruise
  • Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
  • City Drive, Narryna, Anglesea Barracks & Wine
  • Huon Valley & Tahune Airwalk

 

Fiordland National Park

Scenic cruising? What is this? Does it cruise into Milford Sound? Has anyone done this recently (only posts I can find are from 2010)

 

Dunedin

  • Taieri Gorge by Train & Larnach Castle
  • City Drive, Olveston House & Botanic Gardens
  • City Drive & Larnach Castle
  • Olveston House & Larnach Castle
  • Taieri Gorge by Train
  • Olveston House & City Drive by Classic Car
  • Taieri Gorge by Train (Wheelchair Confined Passengers)
  • Otago Wildlife Cruise
  • Nature's Wonders & Otago Peninsula
  • Speights Brewery & Pub Hop

 

Akaroa

  • Tranz Alpine Train & Arthur's Pass
  • Akaroa, Giants House & Canterbury Farm
  • Banks Peninsula & City Drive
  • Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise
  • Paua Bay Farm
  • Canterbury Station, Mt Sunday & Lord of the Rings Sights
  • Antarctic Centre & Botanic Gardens
  • Wildlife Cruise
  • Akaroa Harbour Swim with Dolphins
  • Canterbury High Country by 4WD
  • Christchurch On Your Own

 

Tauranga

  • Te Puia Thermal Reserve, Maori Arts & Agrodome
  • Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs
  • Waimangu Volcanic Valley & Rainbow Springs
  • Maori Cultural Highlights
  • Tauranga City Drive, Elms Mission Station & Kiwi 360
  • Tamaki Maori Village
  • Hobbiton Movie Set
  • Skyline Skyride & Luge
  • Lake Rotoiti Kayak & Thermal Pool

 

I know that this is a really broad post. I was going to do a post for each Port, but then I thought that most people who have been to one of these ports have been to another one, too...

 

Lastly - if there is something you have personally done that you would do again that is not on the above list (as the above list is just the princess tours) PLEASE let me know! As I mentioned before, our budget is limited and we don't want to be paying for tours "just because". This is our first cruise- so we want to be "wowed"... (hope my expectations aren't too high here!! :p)

 

P.S. don't worry about conflicting interests, ages, etc. Just post your experiences and my family and I will figure out if it fits in with us.

 

Thanks in advance guys :)[/QU

Edited by jan15
wrong post
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We are on the Feb 3rd cruise and are doing private tours as they tend to be a lot less expensive than the ship excursions. If you are on the same sailing we have put together some private tours that you might be interested in. Please check out our roll call.

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I am just looking through the shore excursions offered by Princess Cruises and wanted some insight to see if any of them are AMAZING and worth it. We are cruising on a budget, so we won't be doing paid shore excursions on every port, but I don't want to over look anything that is superb. If anyone has done anything on the below list and has thought it was 10/10 please let me know

Hobart:

[*]Port Arthur Historic Site

[*]Richmond & Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Akaroa

[*]Tranz Alpine Train & Arthur's Pass

Tauranga

[*]Te Puia Thermal Reserve, Maori Arts

[*]Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs

[*]Maori Cultural Highlights

Lastly - if there is something you have personally done that you would do again that is not on the above list (as the above list is just the princess tours) PLEASE let me know! As I mentioned before, our budget is limited and we don't want to be paying for tours "just because". This is our first cruise- so we want to be "wowed"... (hope my expectations aren't too high here!! P.S. don't worry about conflicting interests, ages, etc. Just post your experiences and my family and I will figure out if it fits in with us.

 

From our Sydney to Auckland sailing earlier this year, there are many choices. Yes, budget can be a challenge, BUT, it is hard to have certain "AMAZING" excitement without spending some money. Trade-offs, tough choices and challenges? Don't pinch pennies too much that you miss some amazing sights and fun experiences.

 

We did not visit Melbourne, but we did visit and do great options for Hobart, etc. Look through my live/blog, linked below, for lots of pictures and details.

 

Much depends on what you seek and like, personally. How much for history, culture, food/wine, shopping, city versus country highlights, nature/wildlife, etc.??? Tell us more. As an example, we did Port Arthur Historic Site, Richmond and Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary during our day in Hobart. BUT, if history is not that important to you, then Port Arthur might not be that high of a priority for your interests.

 

Will Princess offer an overnight excursion to visit Queenstown and the interior part of the amazing NZ South Island? We did that with Celebrity. It is not cheap, but it was really spectacular to see and sample that part of New Zealand. Ship and port visits in this part of NZ are good, but in many cases you need to take the time and spend the money to better experience certain key areas at a little distance from the docking location.

 

Below are just a few of my photo samples for what did at or near some of these ports.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and 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 much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 79,843 views for this fun posting.

 

 

Here is a picture from our New Zealand South Island JetBoat ride that my wife loved so much. Me, too!! 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. I showed my wife this picture (and several others like this but 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've had lots of great moments on this trip, but one was a unique and special ride in a location that is spectacularly world-class near the NZ Southern Alps. And, perfect weather with good friends adds to the great joy!!:

 

JetBoatOne1_zpscafe58a3.jpg

 

 

At Te Puia near Rotorua in northern New Zealand, this Maori performance starts its ceremonies outside and then we entered the Wahiao Meeting House. Fortunately (with some skill), I was in a prime front row seat to be able to get great pictures, video, etc. Plus, experience the quality for how these members share these cultural traditions.:

 

RotMaoriOneA2_zps3517f252.jpg

 

 

Going into Milford Sound on the Solstice, there were great view from our balcony on the tenth floor. We did not like the overcast skies and rain, but it added to the “drama” with the huge number of waterfalls in this area. In this picture, my wife is checking out these great sights from our balcony early this morning. It was a rocky crossing of the Tasman Sea.:

 

QueentownExcur1stA14_zpsd236d1b9.jpg

 

 

Among the highlights in Dunedin was their rail station with its many special design touches. As our guide, John, explained, Dunedin was very rich at the time from its gold and other resources. Why did they make it so fancy? Because they could!! You can see some of the fancy tile work, a stained-glass window, etc., there. They do not build things like this these days. In this below picture, you can see our skilled guide John with some of the folks from our Central Ohio travel group outside in front of this landmark building.:

 

QueentownExcurA3_zpsd99d641b.jpg

 

 

From Port Arthur, the historic Tasmanian penal colony seen during our stop in Hobart, here is just one of the many views for some of the sights there. This gives an overview for a portion of this prison site. This location was nearby to the water area as the prisoners would arrive from England for this “visit”. It took six to nine months to make the journey from England to this distant part of the world.:

 

TasWildlifeCtr19_zps66bff896.jpg

 

 

Here is Karen from our Central Ohio group finding a cute Kangaroo for feeding at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary with its location nearby to Hobart. And, surprise!!, this mother has an even more lovable baby in the pouch. This is getting really up close and personal.:

 

TasWildlifeCtr13_zps18702109.jpg

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We are on the same itinerary for Jan 10th. This is our fourth bucket list trip and our first "down under". I cannot comment on these places since we have not been there, however, we do a lot of research on what can be done on our own to save money in each port. As previous posters have said, it all comes down to your personal interest. We like to always see something you can't see elsewhere and as we are from Chicago, our first choice is the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Hobart. We are not much into history and chose to only do the Sanctuary as it was slightly cheaper than the combo tour and leaves us time to explore the local culture of Hobart which is always our favorite thing to do in any port. Get a drink and/or snack and walk among the locals. BTW being so far from home, we always take the ship's tours rather than private. We also like the structure of the ship's tours, as sometimes on a small private tour sometimes you get talked into something that you wouldn't have signed on for, or miss something you wanted to do.

 

We also signed on for the Akaroa Harbor Cruise (little dolphins!) and the

Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs trip is our splurge. For the scenery and the culture. We chose to skip the Trans-Alpine train because of the cost and the length. I'm sure the scenery is beautiful, but we looked at the You-tube video and it seemed like it would get a little boring for our taste. Once we did the White Pass railroad tour in Alaska, and it was gorgeous, but then we had to turn the train around and do the same in reverse. It was a little too long, especially for the kids.

 

As I said we won't be there until January, but I can post here when we get back, if you'd like. Regardless, you will enjoy cruising, it's addictive!!!

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  • 2 months later...

I live in Melbourne and did a coach tour of NZ, so have been to all those places, though I haven't done every tour listed.

 

Can give a quick summary of some.

 

Tauranga-Rotorua.

 

My advice would be do an excursion that will show you some of the mudpools and geysers as these are not everyday things in most other places.

 

* Te Puia & agrodome. We did these. The agrodome is just a show about sheep. But it did have a very amusing host, which made the excursion worthwhile.

Te Puia was really good. I think if you are going to NZ it is a must to see some of the area around Rotorua. This is one of the parks where you see that geo thermal activity. We really enjoyed our walk around and also the cultural displays.

 

* We are heading back to NZ early next year and will be visiting the Waiotapu valley & Rainbow Springs this time around. I think it also gets to showcase some of the thermal activity of the region.

 

* My son stayed at Hobbiton as his girlfriend is a real fan of the movie and the tour was a highlight for her and interesting for him too. They loved the scenery there. A sister in law who went on this tour though wasn't all that keen, said there was a lot of steep walking. For myself, I would love to see it but if it came down to a choice between seeing thermal areas or Hobbiton, I would choose the thermal areas.

-----------------------------

Akaroa/Christchurch

 

Christchurch was the most beautiful place when we went (a couple of weeks before the last big quake) but I don't know that it is back to what it once was. My son was in Akaroa a year ago and says it is a beautiful town though not big. Easy to walk around. Scenery from out of town, from the hilltops is worth seeing though.

 

When we were in the region we went on the Tranz Alpine train from Arthur's Pass. It was really good and I am glad I have done it, but I didn't find the scenery any more spectacular than a lot I had already seen from the coach (we did 20 days of touring).

 

This time around, I have read about a private tour company that has a cabin on the wharf and you can book half day tours for $40pp, where you are driven around Akaroa, into the mountains, to the cheese factory etc so may do that.

 

But if you have not seen much of NZ or the scenery, then the train may be for you. It's costly but you'll get to see a lot in a smallish time frame.

 

*Dunedin

 

We went to Lanarch castle. The drive up there is steep and windy, thank goodness we had a competent bus driver.

It isn't really a castle as such, just a grand old home with an interesting history.

 

The railways station in town is an interesting building too, if you get a chance to go look.

 

* Melbourne.

Some of the things are a fair way out of town. I live near the Dandenong ranges & Puffing Billy. Kids would like it. There are no windows in some of the coaches, just horizontal bars and kids tend to sit there with their feet dangling out. The Dandenong ranges are beautiful-lots of ferns etc and I guess you would get a long drive out through the suburbs.

 

River Cruise, Healesville Sanctuary & Wine Tasting

The tour that includes the sanctuary and wine tasting and river cruise might be better though. I am assuming the river cruise is down the Yarra and you would get to see some of Melbourne city itself. The river cruises from here are right in the heart of town. That would be great as there are some lovely parts. Then you no doubt get onto the bus to the Yarra ranges. The sanctuary is good, especially if you fancy seeing Australian animals as that is all they have there, it is not like a zoo with a bit of everything. Don't miss the birds of prey exhibition which is on about 12.30pm, from memory. The birds swoop right over you and it is really interesting hearing about them.

 

If you are doing the river cruise, plus the sanctuary plus wine tasting though, you won't have more than a couple of hours there, so choose your animals. The paths follow an almost circular track, with sideshoots, so mark the ones you most want to see.

 

Healesville is in the middle of the wine growing area so the winery you go to will be near there. Not sure which it will be. I've been to the Domaine Chandon a few times and that has spectacular views, if it is there. You can even wander out and pick a few grapes if they are in season. (not sure you are meant to, mind you).

 

yes, I think if I were in Melb and wanted to see animals and some of the countryside as well as the city, that is the tour I would choose.

 

*I have been to Sovereign Hill a few times. It is okay but it is not a real town, it is more along the lines of an amusement park without the rides. It showcases some of the gold rush history. It is good but probably would not be my first choice, not if you are only in Melb for a day.

Edited by sherri3802
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  • 1 month later...

Just returned from Aus/NZ on the Diamond Princess. For what it's worth these are the tours we took:

 

In Hobart we did the ships tour of Bonorong. I was not impressed with the tour guide, she was little more than a glorified babysitter that made sure we got to the park. We pulled up and she didn't say anything, so I asked her, "Are we on our own?" and she said yes we will meet back here at a certain time. I guess we were supposed to know that. I was hoping for more commentary on Tasmania or something on the bus, but she just blathered on about stupid stuff. It was raining quite alot that day and Bonorong was basically a mosh pit. But it was worth it to feed the kangaroos and get your picture taken with a koala. It was a nice park and it was quite far from the port, so basically the ship tour is transportation.

 

In Akaroa we had booked the Akaroa Harbor nature tour with the ship. The same tour is available online for about half price, especially when you throw in the positive conversion rate, but there was no availability. About a week before we were leaving my husband checked again and it was available, so we cancelled the ship tour and booked online. The boat leaves right from the pier where the tender drops you off, so no problem. We were on a boat with "Captain Hector" a Cairn Terrier who runs around the boat with a life jacket and barks when he sees the endangered dolphins. It is the best! Tour was terrific, we also saw fur seal colony, salmon farm, stunning scenery. Very nice.

 

In Tauranga we took the ship tour Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs. It was a very nice day. The thermal springs are a must-do, IMHO, just terrific. Don't be intimidated by the times marked on the walking path. You have plenty of time to see all the paths, if you are able to do stairs and such. Rainbow Springs was ok, highlight was being able to see the kiwi, since they are nocturnal. We had a nice guide that took us through several exhibits. Lunch on the lake was very nice. Comfortable boat, good selection of tasty food and drinks all included and a terrific Maori show. Performers took pictures with anybody interested at the end.

 

We did the other ports on our own, let me know if you have other questions.

Enjoy your trip!

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  • 5 months later...
Just returned from Aus/NZ on the Diamond Princess. For what it's worth these are the tours we took:

 

In Hobart we did the ships tour of Bonorong. I was not impressed with the tour guide, she was little more than a glorified babysitter that made sure we got to the park. We pulled up and she didn't say anything, so I asked her, "Are we on our own?" and she said yes we will meet back here at a certain time. I guess we were supposed to know that. I was hoping for more commentary on Tasmania or something on the bus, but she just blathered on about stupid stuff. It was raining quite alot that day and Bonorong was basically a mosh pit. But it was worth it to feed the kangaroos and get your picture taken with a koala. It was a nice park and it was quite far from the port, so basically the ship tour is transportation.

 

In Akaroa we had booked the Akaroa Harbor nature tour with the ship. The same tour is available online for about half price, especially when you throw in the positive conversion rate, but there was no availability. About a week before we were leaving my husband checked again and it was available, so we cancelled the ship tour and booked online. The boat leaves right from the pier where the tender drops you off, so no problem. We were on a boat with "Captain Hector" a Cairn Terrier who runs around the boat with a life jacket and barks when he sees the endangered dolphins. It is the best! Tour was terrific, we also saw fur seal colony, salmon farm, stunning scenery. Very nice.

 

In Tauranga we took the ship tour Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs. It was a very nice day. The thermal springs are a must-do, IMHO, just terrific. Don't be intimidated by the times marked on the walking path. You have plenty of time to see all the paths, if you are able to do stairs and such. Rainbow Springs was ok, highlight was being able to see the kiwi, since they are nocturnal. We had a nice guide that took us through several exhibits. Lunch on the lake was very nice. Comfortable boat, good selection of tasty food and drinks all included and a terrific Maori show. Performers took pictures with anybody interested at the end.

 

We did the other ports on our own, let me know if you have other questions.

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

I know this is an old thread, but I am hoping pppatpc or some others might jump in and share experiences of the ports they did on their own. I would be open to booking one more "must do" excursion - otherwise we're on our own.

 

Here are the ports that we will be traveling to:

 

Dunedin

Akaroa (Dolphin Cruise and Swim booked)

Wellington

Napier

Tauranga

Auckland

Bay Of Islands

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  • 4 weeks later...
I know this is an old thread, but I am hoping pppatpc or some others might jump in and share experiences of the ports they did on their own. I would be open to booking one more "must do" excursion - otherwise we're on our own.

 

Here are the ports that we will be traveling to:

 

Dunedin

Akaroa (Dolphin Cruise and Swim booked)

Wellington

Napier

Tauranga

Auckland

Bay Of Islands

 

 

In Dunedin we are catching public bus from Port Chalmers where ship docks into city, walk to Speights Brewery for a tour then walk to Cadbury factory for another tour then bus back to Port Chalmers. You will need to book both tours online and public bus timetable is available on line. This makes for a cheap fay out. The locals will be helpful in pointing out the way to both Cadbury and Speights.

 

Bay of Islands you could book online Mac Attack tour to hole in the rock, will see wildlife seals maybe dolphins etc an great trip to do. You can then walk around Paihia and maybe a drink or snack at Alongside the restaurant on the wharf out into the ocean at the waterfront on Paihia, we love going there.

 

 

Tauranga, you can walk around and up Mt Manganui the ship docks there, go for a swim at the beach, browse the shops. Day trip to Rotorua and thermal areas is good but depends on your budget.

 

Wellington can walk into city or use bus provided by cruise line, take a trip on cable car, wander botanical gardens, walk the waterfront to Te Papa the museum (free admission)

 

Hope this helps.

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In Dunedin we are catching public bus from Port Chalmers where ship docks into city, walk to Speights Brewery for a tour then walk to Cadbury factory for another tour then bus back to Port Chalmers. You will need to book both tours online and public bus timetable is available on line. This makes for a cheap fay out. The locals will be helpful in pointing out the way to both Cadbury and Speights.

 

Bay of Islands you could book online Mac Attack tour to hole in the rock, will see wildlife seals maybe dolphins etc an great trip to do. You can then walk around Paihia and maybe a drink or snack at Alongside the restaurant on the wharf out into the ocean at the waterfront on Paihia, we love going there.

 

 

Tauranga, you can walk around and up Mt Manganui the ship docks there, go for a swim at the beach, browse the shops. Day trip to Rotorua and thermal areas is good but depends on your budget.

 

Wellington can walk into city or use bus provided by cruise line, take a trip on cable car, wander botanical gardens, walk the waterfront to Te Papa the museum (free admission)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the generous share!

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