Which New Zealand ports are musts for booking tours

Hello we are a family of 4 (all over the age of 18) who will be on NCL Jewel from December 23 - 5. Our ports are Dunedin, Picton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga (Rotorua), Auckland and Bay of Islands. We are trying not to break the bank, so we are trying to figure out which locations need tours, and which can be enjoyed without them. Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi,

Having visited all but Picton and Bay of Islands, I thought id provide some info.

Dunedin - You dock at Port Chalmers, which is a drive from Dunedin itself. Depending on the cruise line their will either be a free, or paid bus transfer from the port. You dock in a working port so you have limited ability to just walk around. Booking a tour of Dunedin from onboard generally gets you a bus right next to the ship. Personal tours are a short walk away in the main tourist building, but be aware that some tour operators only leave from downtown Dunedin so keep an eye out for that.

My last visit to Dunedin was with Princess. I took a whole day tour provided by the ship, which included the train in the morning (Taieri Gorge) followed by a bus trip + tour of Lanach castle, then back to the boat just before leaving port. The train picks you up literally on the dock. It was an excellent, full day, albeit expensive.

Be aware as well if you wish to do the train journey, some cruises lines will book out the entire train for their shore excursion, so booking separately can be impossible. So don't try and book the train on the day. Prebook, or book through the boat.

Wellington - Personally, i'd do my own thing in Wellington. You don't dock "in the city" but instead near the stadium, again there are bus transfers. I wouldn't book tours (unless going for something exotic) until the day you get there as Wellington's weather is finicky. Might be beautiful the day before in Napier, but the next day in Wellington its misty rain. There generally isn't anything you need to prebook for Wellington. The cable car is popular, but its not as if it is a once a day activity.

Napier - I wouldn't book anything here unless you see something you like. Free shuttle services into the city, then walk around there. Napier is more about wine and art deco. If not interested in either of these, then your tour options are limited. Walk around town, the beach and visit to the aquarium is what I did.

Tauranga - If you want to visit Rotorua, i'd book a tour. Pre-book that is. Tauranga is a lovely town by itself. The town is a "surf" town. Lots of vacation homes and people whom like to swim/have a good time, so expect that sort of atmosphere. There is a mountain/hill right next to the city (you will sail by it (very closely) as you come into port), so if you don't want to spend any money, you can walk the mountain for nice views. Also, the people of Tauranga love cruise ships. When it comes time to leave, get out onto deck and watch. You will generally find thousands of people on the beach wishing you off. Great experience.

Auckland - You dock right in the city, you can get off the boat and just walk without needing to catch a bus etc. Some people like to take the time in Auckland to visit the Waitamo glow worm caves. Be aware that this is a long drive (3hrs or so, one way) to get there, but the drive is great if you like scenery. The glow worm caves are always popular, almost too popular that the caves become a bit of a squeeze. I'd suggest pre-booking this tour as it often will sell out, and select the "small group" tour if one exists (you get a group of 20~ tops, compared to 50+ on other tours, helps for the squish in the caves).

- Picton. I have not visited Picton on a cruise ship, only when traveling by car. General experience is that the town doesn't have a huge amount to offer directly, it is a small town. You need to rent a car or take a tour to make the most of the area. Maybe someone else can provide some more info here.

Have a good holiday!

Thanks for the helpful tips!

Hi,

 

Having visited all but Picton and Bay of Islands, I thought id provide some info.

 

Dunedin - You dock at Port Chalmers, which is a drive from Dunedin itself. Depending on the cruise line their will either be a free, or paid bus transfer from the port. You dock in a working port so you have limited ability to just walk around. Booking a tour of Dunedin from onboard generally gets you a bus right next to the ship. Personal tours are a short walk away in the main tourist building, but be aware that some tour operators only leave from downtown Dunedin so keep an eye out for that.

My last visit to Dunedin was with Princess. I took a whole day tour provided by the ship, which included the train in the morning (Taieri Gorge) followed by a bus trip + tour of Lanach castle, then back to the boat just before leaving port. The train picks you up literally on the dock. It was an excellent, full day, albeit expensive.

Be aware as well if you wish to do the train journey, some cruises lines will book out the entire train for their shore excursion, so booking separately can be impossible. So don't try and book the train on the day. Prebook, or book through the boat.

 

Wellington - Personally, i'd do my own thing in Wellington. You don't dock "in the city" but instead near the stadium, again there are bus transfers. I wouldn't book tours (unless going for something exotic) until the day you get there as Wellington's weather is finicky. Might be beautiful the day before in Napier, but the next day in Wellington its misty rain. There generally isn't anything you need to prebook for Wellington. The cable car is popular, but its not as if it is a once a day activity.

 

Napier - I wouldn't book anything here unless you see something you like. Free shuttle services into the city, then walk around there. Napier is more about wine and art deco. If not interested in either of these, then your tour options are limited. Walk around town, the beach and visit to the aquarium is what I did.

 

Tauranga - If you want to visit Rotorua, i'd book a tour. Pre-book that is. Tauranga is a lovely town by itself. The town is a "surf" town. Lots of vacation homes and people whom like to swim/have a good time, so expect that sort of atmosphere. There is a mountain/hill right next to the city (you will sail by it (very closely) as you come into port), so if you don't want to spend any money, you can walk the mountain for nice views. Also, the people of Tauranga love cruise ships. When it comes time to leave, get out onto deck and watch. You will generally find thousands of people on the beach wishing you off. Great experience.

 

Auckland - You dock right in the city, you can get off the boat and just walk without needing to catch a bus etc. Some people like to take the time in Auckland to visit the Waitamo glow worm caves. Be aware that this is a long drive (3hrs or so, one way) to get there, but the drive is great if you like scenery. The glow worm caves are always popular, almost too popular that the caves become a bit of a squeeze. I'd suggest pre-booking this tour as it often will sell out, and select the "small group" tour if one exists (you get a group of 20~ tops, compared to 50+ on other tours, helps for the squish in the caves).

 

- Picton. I have not visited Picton on a cruise ship, only when traveling by car. General experience is that the town doesn't have a huge amount to offer directly, it is a small town. You need to rent a car or take a tour to make the most of the area. Maybe someone else can provide some more info here.

 

Have a good holiday!

Thanks for the helpful tips!

Thank u so much that was super helpful

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My suggestion would be - if there's something you really want to do in any of the ports, book it. You'll be travelling in NZ's peak period and when a lot of Kiwis and other international visitors are on their holidays too. If you're happy to make it up as you go and have no 'must see' things, then you'll be alright. It's worth noting though that you often can't buy tours or pick up rental cars at port in New Zealand - certainly the case in Wellington.

I reckon a Canadian family in Wellington might really enjoy Zealandia, a nature area and conservation project just 10 minutes cab ride from downtown Wellington - a great place to visit if you want to understand why New Zealand's environment is so different to the rest of the world. If visiting Weta Studios for a film tour is something that appeals, you should definitely book that in advance.

we're on the same cruise and have booked most of our shore tours with Viator. They're a reselling website and reputable. The tours are a bit cheaper than the ship as well, or offer different options.

We're booked on

Full-Day Shore Excursion: Hobbiton and Te Puia Combo

Shore Excursion Half-Day Hawkes Bay and Napier Tour

Dunedin Shore Excursion: Small-Group Tour of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula

I've not been by cruise ship to New Zealand but have visited it by bus and will be in Auckland next month for another three days; about your ports:

Dunedin - is probably the most "english" town in New Zealand and has some nice buildings in the city, so just wander around and explore

Picton, is in my eyes only the ferry port for the ferry coming from Wellington, so if there is a tour available to the Abel Tasman Nationalpark, that's one of the places to book a tour for sure

Wellington; if you go to the Nationalpark in Picton, you can stay in Wellington and see the city and one of my all-time-favourite museums, the National Museum of "Te Papa", there is also a nice board walk along the shore and the no.1 Tourist thing to do is going up the hill by an old (swiss made) cog wheel train, Wellington has also a nice shopping street, so that's really a place where you should stay in town

Napier - has nice "Art-Deco"-Buildings, don't know about tours

Tauranga (Rotorua), - definitly a tour to Rotorua and "Wai-O-Tapu" (Thermic Park) and if available maybe together with the "Skyline Luge" (it's a Gondola to a hill with a great view over the Region and a Luge Ride)

Auckland - again either you go "outside" and if you like Lord of the Rings go and see the tour Teegie has booked or just stay in Auckland, climb the Skytower and if you're up to jump from it, another "adrenaline" would be the Harbor Bridge climb...

Bay of Islands - another place where I would recommend a tour going to Cape Reigna, visiting as well "Ninety Mile Beach" (which is not really ninety miles long) and doing some sand boarding in the Dunes and don't forget to taste

some Icecream called "HockeyPockey"

and don't forget to taste

some Icecream called "HockeyPockey"

Hokey Pokey actually, it has small chunks of toffee in it. It's an NZ speciality.

Dunedin - book the Taieri Gorge scenic train trip if you can, or book a tour to the albatross sanctuary and Penguin Place, both of which are at the far end of Otago Peninsula so you get to see some beautiful scenery along the way. Even better if teh tour stops at Larnach's Castle. BTW Dunedinites would be shocked to hear their lovely Scottish city described as "English". :eek: ;)

Picton - see if you can do a boat trip around the Queen Charlotte Sound, or if you are into wine then a winery tour.

Wellington is a do-it-yourself port. Zealandia, Te Papa museum, the cable car and botanical gardens, and the waterfront area are all interesting places to visit. Wellington has some great cafes and restaurants too.

Napier, as others have mentioned, is famous for it's art deco architecture. The shuttle buses drop off at the iSite information centre. Napier usually offers walking tours when ships are in port, or you can just wander around by yourself. Napier is also the gateway to another of NZ major wine regions.

Tauranga. There are several options here: a tour to Rotorua for Maori culture and geothermal attractions; a tour to Hobbiton if you're a LOTR fan (it's fantastic), or just wandering around Mt Maunganui (which is where the ship actually docks, the town of Tauranga is across the harbour). Mt Maunganui has a beautiful surf beach, a sheltered harbour beach, and a hot water swimming pool complex tucked under the Mount. You can climb the Mount if you feel energetic. If you're there on a Sunday and are a miniature railway fan, Tauranga has an amazing ride-on miniature railway complex at Memorial Park. You'd probably need to take a taxi there. It only operates on Sundays, I think.

Auckland - you will be docked right in the heart of the city so can easily access the HoHo buses or take a ferry across to Devonport. MOTAT, the Museum of Transport and Technology at Western Springs, is interesting and the zoo is close to that.

Bay of Islands. A tour out to the Hole in the Rock is one option, and you will have a good chance of seeing dolphins. Otherwise have a look around Paihia where the shuttle buses drop off then catch the ferry across to Russell, a small town of great historical interest and which has NZ's oldest pub (with great food). Another option would be a tour to the Kawhiti glow worm caves.

There are Hop on Hop off buses In Auckland, Dunedin & Wellington (A google search will find them easy enough), these will allow you to explore these fantastic cities without breaking the bank.

I

Hokey Pokey actually, it has small chunks of toffee in it. It's an NZ speciality.

Hokey Pokey ice cream is not what it used to be...the chunks are getting smaller and smaller...:mad:

Hokey Pokey ice cream is not what it used to be...the chunks are getting smaller and smaller...:mad:

It may depend on the brand. I had a nice one at Hobbiton a couple of years ago. Not sure what brand it was though.