? for those who have cruised Australia/New Zealand in March, or even better, in both February and March.

[mlbcruiser]

Considering an Australia/NZ cruise in either February or March of 2022.  I have read up a little bit on weather conditions but would like to hear actual experiences/comparisons from those who have cruised these regions in both months.  Of course weather and sea conditions are often not “normal” & can’t be known in advance, but it’s sort of helps to know the likelihood of experiencing very many all day rains, extremely rough seas, 

or other conditions making it uncomfortable enough that it affected the enjoyment of your cruise. Or if conditions caused numerous excursions to be canceled. 
Thanks for any input!

 

[getting older slowly]

We have cruise to New Zealand from Melbourne in February and March a few times.

 

Weather can be great , butalso very average.. generally smooth sailing but once 4 -5 m seas and 60-70 knt winds across the deck...  rain not so much.... but you can't tell  out of 6 trips to NZ  we have got into Milford Sound twice... were others have never missed it... it is luck of draw..

 

Have enjoyed every cruise,, but that is us,  and we enjoy the sea days as well

 

Cheers Don

[OzKiwiJJ]

It's the best time of year to visit NZ generally but even then the weather can be variable. We've cruised from NZ in both February and March, plus done several land trips at that time of year. 

 

The worst seas we've had was 6 metres but we slept right though them. We were okn Celebrity Solstice. We've had rainy days, showery days, very warm sunny days, and cool days. Pack a good rain jacket, some warm layers, and a warm hat and gloves for Fiordland as it can be cooler than expected there as the ship is moving though the sounds.

 

If there is any really bad weather expected, like a cyclone wandering down from the South Pacific, the Captain will avoid the worst of it. 

 

I'd definitely recommend February/March as the best time to go to NZ.

[Aus Traveller]

Most cruises to NZ are in summer so February is good. Even so, be prepared for some changeable weather, particularly in the South Island. I prefer January for NZ.

 

For southern Australia, February/March are OK. I do not know if you plan to cruise to the Great Barrier Reef area of North Queensland. If so, go as late as you can. In summer, you can expect it to be hot and humid and, particularly in January and February, it is likely to be wet. If you plan to go north, try to do this part of your trip in March - the later the better.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Aus Traveller

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks very much to all three of you for your replies.  I definitely appreciate them. 
Out of these months, do any of you prefer a particular month? If so, why?

 

 We would hate to miss seeing the fjords. Does that happen quite a lot where we ship is unable to visit them due to weather conditions?  Is any month more prone to that? I think January is probably the best month but it’s unlikely we could go at that time.

 

Not sure yet if we will be going up to the great barrier reef or not. If so we would likely be doing that separately from the cruise. I’m guessing that the weather in that region is something like Florida is in the summer, with lots of humidity and frequent but usually short rains (?) that usually do not last all day. 
 

We were once in some very rough seas once on the way to Rarotonga from French Polynesia.  It was actually pretty fun except it was hard to keep from rolling out of bed!  The ship’s bow periodically was left in the air and came down to smack back onto  the water causing DR tables to leave glassware hanging in the air for a couple of split seconds, cabinet doors swinging, etc. The only reason I’m worried about the roughness is my husband has some mobility impairment and a ship in super rough seas could be problematic. 

[ekka49]

New Zealand always four seasons in one day.

[Aus Traveller]

NZ - February should be OK. As Ekka49 said, "New Zealand always four seasons in one day".

 

Regarding the fiords - We have been on 12 to 15 cruises to NZ (any time from early December to late February), and it was  only on one of these that we could not get into the fiords. It is luck. I have heard of other people who have missed out on two our of two cruises and are hopeful on their third try. With us on board, they were lucky.😁 Winter would be a disaster for the fiords and I don't think cruise lines even have that area on their itinerary. In winter the Southern Ocean is ferocious.

 

Rough seas - it is the luck of the draw. We have never had really rough seas in those 12 to 15 cruises to NZ. The worst seas we had was one July returning to Australia from Vanuatu. As you would know, cruise ship captains alter the planned course of a ship if they can to avoid bad weather. They don't want their ship to be damaged and they want their passengers to have a great time.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Aus Traveller

[Docker123]

Cruised early-mid March from Sydney to the island. 
 

Skirted the tail end of a cyclone for a couple of days. 8-10m waves one night made it a little bumpy. Slept across the bed, so just rocked to sleep. Fiji had copped a hammering a couple of days before we got there.

 

Feb-Mar, right up and east coast and then beyond. Seemed to be smooth as glass, but who can tell on QM2. Some days when external doors locked because of very strong winds.

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

We've done three cruises and got into the sounds every time, even the one that departed Auckland late March, so reached Fiordland early April.

 

January is peak holiday time in NZ which, naturally according to Murphy's Law, the weather isn't at it's best. I lived in NZ for over 40 years and remember the best weather was always after schools went back.

[SinbadThePorter]

You can treat Australia/NZ as three different climate zones.

 

A. Tropical Australia

B. Temperate Australia

C. New Zealand

 

In February/March it is generally hot and wet in A, hot and dry in B and nice all round in C.

 

As for seas that time of year, all you can really say is that is on average much smoother than winter. Except in A where there is a small risk of cyclonic activity.

 

But with weather, as with life, there are no guarantees.

[Aus Traveller]

15 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

You can treat Australia/NZ as three different climate zones.

 

A. Tropical Australia

B. Temperate Australia

C. New Zealand

 

In February/March it is generally hot and wet in A, hot and dry in B and nice all round in C.

 

As for seas that time of year, all you can really say is that is on average much smoother than winter. Except in A where there is a small risk of cyclonic activity.

 

But with weather, as with life, there are no guarantees.

Your post explains the situation very well.

[lyndarra]

Have done 5 or 6 NZ cruises and missed FL twice. One was due to weather, the other was a medical emergency that required returning to Melbourne. Mostly smooth sailing except once on Sea Princess which got thrown about a bit.

[MicCanberra]

I have found that a light jacket (for wind and rain) is always handy when touring NZ.

[PurpleTraveller]

In regard to missing the Fjordlands it is a matter of luck. I have cruised to New Zealand twice in December and March and missed the Fjords both times. My father-in-law has done four cruises of which one was in January and missed out all four times. My sister-in-law has cruised twice of which one was in January and also missed out both times. All times were due to bad weather. It is now a family joke about who will achieve a cruise into the Fjordlands first! On each cruise the cruisers from overseas were very disappointed to miss the Fjords (as were we) as they had no idea that so many cruises do unfortunately not get to see them. If you do cruise to New Zealand I wish you Good Luck! 😊

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by PurpleTraveller

[mlbcruiser]

36 minutes ago, PurpleTraveller said:

In regard to missing the Fjordlands it is a matter of luck. I have cruised to New Zealand twice in December and March and missed the Fjords both times. My father-in-law has done four cruises of which one was in January and missed out all four times. My sister-in-law has cruised twice of which one was in January and also missed out both times. All times were due to bad weather. It is now a family joke about who will achieve a cruise into the Fjordlands first! On each cruise the cruisers from overseas were very disappointed to miss the Fjords (as were we) as they had no idea that so many cruises do unfortunately not get to see them. If you do cruise to New Zealand I wish you Good Luck! 😊

 

 

[GUT2407]

If you are just going Aus to NZ or the other way I’d be inclined to Start in NZ, when it is a bit warmer, arriving in Aus when it is cooling down.

 

[GUT2407]

Fjordlands, each time I have done it, one or more cruises before or after us missed out, we got in every time.

[mlbcruiser]

Oh my gosh, I had no idea it was that difficult to see the fjords! When we cruise d to Alaska we did a land tour as well which was excellent. I know numerous people who have gone but never got to see the top of Denali. We stayed two nights at Denali National Park and also went into a nearby town, did a river trip etc. Saw the peek at different times of day from the lodge, from the river, even from a bus! Hope that didn’t use up our good luck! Supposedly only about 25% of visitors get to see it. I am definitely one of the ones who will be very, very disappointed if we did not get to go into the fjords! Obviously I certainly won’t be the first to feel that way, though I know we will never get a second chance. Is it mostly fog and or rain that is the weather issue? 
is it also common to miss entering the fjords in February and March?

 

I sort of remember reading a post maybe two years or so ago where someone mentioned that their ***** changed course and went around New Zealand from the other direction because had they stayed on the same planned course, there would have been no chance they could have seen the fjords due to weather. I wonder how often that happens? Due to port times and so on I would not think that is a common occurrence.

 

Thanks again for all of this helpful information & for taking the time to post your replies.

[GUT2407]

1 minute ago, mlbcruiser said:

Oh my gosh, I had no idea it was that difficult to see the fjords! When we cruise d to Alaska we did a land tour as well which was excellent. I know numerous people who have gone but never got to see the top of Denali. We stayed two nights at Denali National Park and also went into a nearby town, did a river trip etc. Saw the peek at different times of day from the lodge, from the river, even from a bus! Hope that didn’t use up our good luck! Supposedly only about 25% of visitors get to see it. I am definitely one of the ones who will be very, very disappointed if we did not get to go into the fjords! Obviously I certainly won’t be the first to feel that way, though I know we will never get a second chance. Is it mostly fog and or rain that is the weather issue? 
is it also common to miss entering the fjords in February and March?

 

I sort of remember reading a post maybe two years or so ago where someone mentioned that their ***** changed course and went around New Zealand from the other direction because had they stayed on the same planned course, there would have been no chance they could have seen the fjords due to weather. I wonder how often that happens? Due to port times and so on I would not think that is a common occurrence.

 

Thanks again for all of this helpful information & for taking the time to post your replies.

I don’t know that it is that difficult, just that it can be the luck of the draw, and one day it can be great, the next day have to be missed. I recall a friend saying that they had a lovely day there, but the ship after them, by only a matter of hours missed out.

 

Having said that we have never gotten to Akaroa, been right in the harbour and the Captain decided it was too risky, a great sail in and out, and one day we will get there.

[mlbcruiser]

With regard to our direction, not sure yet if we are doing a round trip from Sydney or a one-way trip. Pros and cons to each.

I’m sure it does make sense due to the temperature to start out from New Zealand, though.

[mlbcruiser]

What is the issue getting into Akaroa? More weather or see conditions or both?

I wonder if the size of the ship has anything to do with it because of stability, or the navigation is difficult due to rocks or depth, or if some lines tend to cancel more frequently than others? I guess it’s just like flying and it’s up to the captain.

[mlbcruiser]

Seeing Dinali is kind of the same because it can change not only day to day, but hour to hour & minute to minute.

[Aus Traveller]

The issue that causes ships to miss getting into the fiords is rough seas. This is probably the reason no cruise lines have the fiords on their itinerary except during the summer months. The entrance to Milford Sound is very narrow and winding - Captain Cook missed seeing it when he explored the NZ coast in 1769.

 

My guess on the odds of getting into the fiords is three out of four in your favour. 'Purple Traveller' mentioned many family cruises where they missed it, but we have had 12 to 15 cruises to NZ and only missed it once. On that occasion we had a bonus - a close 'drive-by' of Lord Howe Island. Fantastic but unusual.

[mr walker]

Cruising is sometimes definitely luck of the draw when it comes to getting into ports. For the NZ fiords, we are 2 for 2, but have heard of many who missed it.

I have heard of people saying Mystery Island is a mystery to them after several cruises there, as it was missed due to conditions.

Reports of missing Akaroa are common, and we were lucky to get into Dunedin in Jan one time due to fog, which delayed our arrival by many hours.

We missed both ports in Fiji on one cruise in Mar (cyclone), and have also missed Isle of Pines in Oct.

 

You need to take the good with the bad, although how bad is it to be on a cruiseship, all the more so at this time.

[lyndarra]

38 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

Seeing Dinali is kind of the same because it can change not only day to day, but hour to hour & minute to minute.

I guess my luck was in when I saw Denali in 2015. First from the Anchorage/Denali train and again the next day on the Tundra bus tour. However, every night for a week was cloudy so we missed the northern lights. Win some, lose some.