Need help: Cruise around NZ, or south pacific islands

Hello

As part of my bucket list, I am contemplating a cruise around NZ.

Then there are possibilities for the S. pacific islands.

Can people help me make up my mind as I am intersted in photography etc. Seems to be a no brainer that NZ would be it.

Here are 2 examples:

NZ:

ITINERARY

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Thu Jan 28 Sydney, Australia 7:00pm

Fri Jan 29 At Sea

Sat Jan 30 At Sea

Sun Jan 31 Milford Sound, New Zealand (Cruising)

Sun Jan 31 Doubtful Sound, New Zealand (Cruising)

Sun Jan 31 Dusky Sound, New Zealand (Cruising)

Mon Feb 1 Dunedin (Port Chalmers), New Zealand 8:00am 6:00pm

Tue Feb 2 At Sea

Wed Feb 3 Picton, New Zealand 8:00am 6:00pm

Thu Feb 4 Wellington, New Zealand 8:00am 6:00pm

Fri Feb 5 Napier, New Zealand 8:00am 1:00pm

Sat Feb 6 Tauranga, New Zealand 7:30am 6:00pm

Sun Feb 7 Auckland, New Zealand 7:00am 6:00pm

Mon Feb 8 Bay of Islands, New Zealand 8:00am 6:00pm

Tue Feb 9 At Sea

Wed Feb 10 At Sea

Thu Feb 11 Sydney, Australia 6:00am

And S. Pacific:

ITINERARY

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sat Dec 5 Sydney, Australia 4:00pm

Sun Dec 6 At Sea

Mon Dec 7 At Sea

Tue Dec 8 Mare, New Caledonia Noon 8:00pm

Wed Dec 9 Lifou, New Caledonia 8:00am 5:00pm

Thu Dec 10 At Sea

Fri Dec 11 Lautoka, Fiji 8:00am 5:00pm

Sat Dec 12 Dravuni Island, Fiji 8:00am 5:00pm

Sun Dec 13 At Sea

Mon Dec 14 Noumea, New Caledonia 8:00am 4:00pm

Tue Dec 15 At Sea

Wed Dec 16 At Sea

Thu Dec 17 Sydney, Australia 7:00am

Suggestions?

Are they the same cruise company?

S.Pacific itineraries vary greatly. NZ seems to the same places.

Also what departure port do you want to leave from, and bare in mind cyclone season may impact the S.Pacific itinerary.

Different cruise companies.

Some more information regarding cruise company / ship would be helpful though January / February is the very middle of our summer & wet season in the tropics often with cyclones to the north of us.

For that reason I would prefer the NZ cruise which is full of wonderful sights at every port of call.

Living here in Australia, most members of Cruise Critic will have been to both places so I'm sure that many more will answer later - it's now 2.40am our time!

Regards - Gae

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Without knowing what ships you are sailing on I would chose the New Zealand one based on your interest in photography.

Sun Jan 31 Milford Sound, New Zealand

Sun Jan 31 Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

Sun Jan 31 Dusky Sound, New Zealand

This area is one of the most beautiful places on earth IMHO. :) (ok full disclosure I'm a kiwi).

Also I was not keen on Lautoka or Noumea so I have seen way better South Pacific itineraries.

From a photographic point of view NZ would be the way to go IMHO.

Milford Sound particularly is absolutely breathtaking so you will be clicking away like mad.:D

There is one thing to bear in mind though. The weather may be quite cool as opposed to the South Pacific itinerary which would be hot. We actually missed Doubtful Sound due to windy weather and this was in January but weather is uncontrollable so nothing we can do about it.

On the other hand we have cruised in the South Pacific in January and February on a number of occasions and never struck more than the odd tropical downpour however cyclones can be a real possibility.

Most South Pacific itineraries are aimed at beach/water based activities although there are certainly some worthwhile sights and tours but based on the itinerary above there wouldn't be the 'wow' factor that NZ has.

If you do decide on the NZ trip remember to bring some warm clothing and some rainwear. Even the first day at sea out of Sydney can be a bit on the cool side once in the open ocean.

The two options you gave are so different and both are enjoyable so I hope whichever you choose, you have a great time. You can always come back and do the other cruise another time :D

New Zealand- Itinerary is good. If you are into photography you will have good opportunity.

For photography NZ wins hands down unless you want underwater photos (snorkelling or diving) in which case the islands will win.:D

When in the Bay of Islands, take the ferry over to Russell. It is an old whaling port and features the oldest licensed pub in NZ.

I have attached two trip stories of New Zealand.

We are always happy to answer any questions.

new zealand-australia 1996.pdf

WONDER DOWN UNDER 2010 nz.pdf

New Zealand for sure

Much more opportunities for photos

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I'm definitely with the South Pacific islands in this one and going against the grain here haha, other than Milford Sound which is incredible I think New Zealand cruises didn't have very good photo ops(in my experience anyway, maybe I missed something), my photos tend to be of towns/cities from my NZ cruise and pretty uninspired to look back on I think.

I guess a better question would be what form of photography do you like? More natural environments or human built environments.

Dravuni Island is one of the most picturesque and scenic islands I have ever travelled to, it also has large elevation in the centre of the island with a lookout point well worth the struggle up the hill as you can see forever from the top and an awesome photo op.

Lautoka and Noumean themselves are unattractive but if you know where to go they have very stunning places as well.

Noumea- Try Duck Island ( best snorkelling in South Pacific) or Master Island.

Lautoka- I would say it is essential to do the beachcomber island tour from the locals, that island is absolute paradise!

New Zealand is beautiful I just felt that the cruises dropped you off in places that weren't all that interesting to look at and I almost felt like I was back home in Australia without the nice weather :p . Have to say the sounds and Bay of Islands were something though.

NZ for sure if photography is your thing. Do make sure you get to Rotorua though, it is very spectacular. We cruised NZ 3 years ago, but have also done 4 or 5 driving trips and a coach tour. We are also watching the prices to go and cruise NZ again in Feb with friends who haven't been there. We will hire a car in Tauranga and drive down to Rotorua an easy hour and a bit drive. Also if new to NZ its essential you book one that goes to bay of islands which I see is the one you are considering. Unfortunately when we were there in December we only had one perfect day, but the bonus was it happened to be the day we did the sounds. Akaroa and Paihia were totally a wash out, we did get off the ship but shouldn't have bothered.

The south pacific islands, been to them maybe 5 or 6 times and going again in December but we do those cruises as its always easy to find one at a good price. our sth pacific cruises are total R & R times. islands are lovely but not a lot to do other than beach/water related activites . if you check out the shore excursions if will give you an idea of whats there, even if you decide to do a private tour. Whichever you choose I am sure you will enjoy and get some lovely pics but NZ definitely gets my vote. Also make sure you get onto the roll call for the cruise you choose. Great friendships can be made and you can get together with others to do shore trips. I notice you are from Canada, so wouldn't recommend hiring a car but you might find someone on your roll call who is a drive on the left of the road person and happy to share a hire car and do the driving. We did this in Santorini, a lovely lady from USA offered to do the driving. 4 couples - 3 aussies and this USA couple we had a great day.

Please let us know which you choose.

What does the "etc" relate to?

Lots of nice photography both places, depends what you're looking for.

Even though I favour the NZ option, generally, you haven't given much in preferences except photography, which you then say makes NZ a "no brainer." So not sure what you're looking for.

We could not decide if NZ cruise would cover enough as well so decided to do a combination trip flying in to NZ for 8 days before our cruise departs from Auckland for a 12 nights on Celebrity Solstice. First cruise so very excited and get to cross 2 things off bucket list!

We could not decide if NZ cruise would cover enough as well so decided to do a combination trip flying in to NZ for 8 days before our cruise departs from Auckland for a 12 nights on Celebrity Solstice. First cruise so very excited and get to cross 2 things off bucket list!

Great plan, NZ has so much to offer and not all of it is accessible easily (while allowing time) from a cruise.:D

As part of my bucket list, I am contemplating a cruise around NZ. Then there are possibilities for the S. pacific islands. Can people help me make up my mind as I am intersted in photography etc. Seems to be a no brainer that NZ would be it. Suggestions?

While we have not, yet, done any of those South Pacific stops, I can offer strong, loud testimony and proof for your leaning to do the New Zealand cruise. As noted in the live/blog below, we did most of these areas in January and February. Overall things worked fine for us and the six other couples in our travel group from Central Ohio. Check out these postings connected below for more info/background on these various ports. Below are six items of "evidence" on just a little of what we super liked and did.

Happy to answer any added questions from you. Just post here or at the live/blog. You might consider a Queenstown overnight excursion, if offered by your ship, to see and explore more with the middle of the scenic NZ South Island.

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 76,604 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!!:

Here is one of the famed gannets from Cape Kidnappers near Napier along the eastern NZ coast. This is just one small sampling of many large groups of these super cute birds that we saw here as they were nesting.:

From our group's Bay of Islands water fun, 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. Here you can see Captain Murray guiding the ship from this great vantage point on the back of the Zindabar. Was this exciting and scenic for our group?:

This is Old St. Paul's church in Wellington. It is the former cathedral in the Diocese of Wellington for the Anglican Church. As an example of 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture, they adapted to colonial conditions and materials. It is at 34 Mulgrave Street, close to the New Zealand Parliament. Its construction was completed in June 1866. After a significant battle to prevent its demolition, Old St. Paul's was purchased by the New Zealand Government in 1967 and restored. Although not a parish church, it remains consecrated and is a popular for weddings, funerals and other services. It is constructed from native NZ timbers. The interior has been likened to the upturned hull of an Elizabethan galleon with its exposed curving trusses and roof sacking. The flags displayed in the nave include the Royal Navy, NZ Merchant Navy and US Marine Corps. Many of our Marines were stationed in Wellington during World War II. My wife is in yellow walking down the center aisle as she absorb the building details. This was a very important and "moving" site to experience. :

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.:

Here is one of my visuals in connection with this steamship sailing leading to the dinner at the sheep station at the other end of this scenic lake near Queenstown during the two-day Solstice excursion. You will see lots of scenic mountains and areas during this sailing that is a key part of this evening fun. And, there was food!!:

More fantastic photos Terry, thanks for posting.:D

I tend to agree with most for NZ although it depends on weather for Milford Sound - we got the perfect day in early December but the two days each side the ships couldn't get in to it.

Windy Wellington has a great Botanical Gardens you can stroll down and take some great photos. The roses are magnificent if at right time of year and type of photo you interested.

Nourmea isn't much photographically but amazing place to watch people. Mystery Island is magic in the South Pacific and locals are friendly. Isle of Pines and Lifou are also good. If you get the chance for Pentacost Island - the orginal bungy jumping by the locals on their festival day is also something not to miss.

I would have both on the bucket list as they both have some great things about them. I have done both and still prepared to go back and do again.

Suggest you try to do one followed by the other if time permits you to do both whilst out here.;)

We are booked for a cruise later next year that does both the South Pacific and NZ. Might just be the type of thing that would solve your dilemma. :)

We are booked for a cruise later next year that does both the South Pacific and NZ. Might just be the type of thing that would solve your dilemma. :)

I was thinking of that too goody. There is an itinerary that does NZ then up to Sth Pac Ises. Might be worth a look if you are lying all this way! :)

I love your photos, TLCOhio! I've been to Queenstown and South Island, but never been to the North Island of New Zealand.. that's definitely one on my list!

Michelle :)

I was thinking of that too goody. There is an itinerary that does NZ then up to Sth Pac Ises. Might be worth a look if you are lying all this way! :)

LOL, It would still be worth looking at, even if they are telling the truth on the way here.:p

I love your photos, TLCOhio! I've been to Queenstown and South Island, but never been to the North Island of New Zealand.. that's definitely one on my list! Michelle

Appreciate your excellent "taste and judgement" with those kind comments on my pictures. Sounds like you're a smart person, right? YES, lots to see, love and do on the North Island of NZ. Below are a few more examples, ideas for these areas. Many more details on the full live/blog.

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 76,864 views for this fun posting.

We started out our day in Wellington by hooking up with an excellent cab driver for a mini-tour and introduction to this city. This included first going up to Mount Victoria for a great overview of the city and seeing many sights around town. Here is an overview for this city from this great location on a wonderful weather day. We could also the residential structures that climb up the hills all around this great, scenic harbor. And, we had a view of the Wellington airport where the top movie/computer operations for Peter Jackson and James Cameron are working their magic for future film releases. Wellington is now the center for this type of film production in the world. There was also a closer view of the Te Papa museum shown below from this vantage point.:

At Bay of Islands during our private sailing adventure, we went ashore and walked past this scenic cove with a mother and daughter enjoying this great setting. Then, we had to climb up the Motuarohia Trail to the TOP!! How tall was this challenge? Officially, it is 450 meters or 1476 feet. BUT, by the time we got back on the boat, with bragging skills learned in Australia, that "mountain" we conquered had grown greatly up to 2414' in height. Inflation? Sure! Just makes the stories better to those who stayed on the sailing craft. And the views from up, UP there? See this one example below to prove our great achievement.:

In Rotorua in the late 1800's they planted a massive grove of redwood trees from California as a test site. These trees (and the pines from Monterey) grow at a rate about three times faster than in their native areas. Karen from our Central Ohio group is shown here enjoying these redwoods and giving some sense for their size and height after only about a hundred years of growth. These redwood grew well, but the quality of the wood was not as successful as they got from the pines. Log production of these pines is now one of NZ's most successful crops in their fertile soils helped by this volcanic enrichment.:

From having our final breakfast on the back of the Solstice at the Oceanview Cafe, here is the view of Auckland's historic Ferry Building, plus some other key downtown buildings. This docking area is super handy for having quick and easy access to the city. But, this port area can be very, very congested, especially with lots of luggage after such a long, 14-day cruise.:

At the Man O' War Winery on Waiheke Island near Auckland, their main building was overlooking the beach as a part of its scenic location. This picture shows friends Ed and Karen from Central Ohio enjoying a tasting plate with a variety of good food items, plus, of course, their wine that is produced on this scenic island. Great way to do a "lunch break" and soak up the style, character and beauty for this artsy island. Their website: http://www.manowarvineyards.co.nz.:

More fantastic shots, love the last shot with the wine and cheese. (Cat that got the cream, type grin):D