Which of these two Australian/NZ Cruises would you prefer??

[drron29]

For those into Expedition cruising there is one really different in Southern Tasmania but it is expensive. The latest ship was only launched last year. It also has a package with a 3 day cruise and then 3 days at Saffire a luxury lodge at Freycinet. Saffire really is luxury and we have stayed there 3 times and loved it.

https://onboardexpeditions.com.au/expeditions-cruises/coast-to-coast-luxury/

 

Sorry to have gone off topic.

[Tom F]

8 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Caveat,  this trip dates pre Covid, things may have changed.

 

Dunedin

Started here, lots of places to say, charming town. Easy flight from Aukland, picked up car. 

 

Curio Bay

Drove through a hellacious storm so can't comment much on the drive. Got a place on the ocean to chill and explore for a few days, wild and remote. Loved it. Gave us a feel for the real people in the country. So warm and welcoming. 

https://www.bookabach.co.nz/

 

Te Anau

You might begin your trip here if there are time constraints.

Great lodge and place to explore from.

https://www.fiordlandlodge.co.nz/

They arranged for a private heli tour (must do). Picked us up from the lawn. We did the short version and wished we had done the long.

We did a  Dusky tour on our own, take the early boat, less crowded with tour busses. Dusky is much bigger than Milford.  There is a small boat ride and then a bus to get to Dusky, all crazy scenic and part of the experience.

Left our luggage and car at lodge and did an overnight on Milford.

https://www.fiordlanddiscovery.co.nz/

These folks were fantastic.  We arranged a pick up at the lodge. They gave us a mini tour on the way to the boat with a few stops and very short hikes. Overnight on Milford was as perfect as it gets.  The fiord is actually quite small. To spend the evening and morning without crowds of tourists, the light, the silence, oh ya. Food and wine excellent.

 

Queenstown/Wanaka

Another stunning scenic drive. We had 3 nights booked but only spent one.  Things may have changed post Covid, but at the risk of offending some, we didn't want to stay in a town that catered 95% to Chinese tourists.  We hightailed it to Wanaka. Just charming.  As a side note, our friends who went to Mt. Cook felt the same as we did about Queenstown.  Perhaps others can chime in to what it's like post Covid.

 

Franz Joseph Glacier

Another gobsmacking scenic drive. Again lots of places to stop with mini hikes/walks. Perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 mile walks to see more amazing things. Longer ones if you like.

 

https://rainforest.nz/

Stayed in a Deluxe TreeLodge. We loved this place. Simple and charming. Every morning they bring a delightful breakfast tray to your door. Did a glacier hike and had some great food at King Tiger. All very memorable.

 

Hokitka

One nighter.  A charming beach town known for its jade. I like jade.😃  You will find the usual tourist stuff, but also some excellent carvers.  FYI, a lot of the jade sold in NZ is from Alaska or Canada which isn't necessarily bad. Find some locals if you want NZ jade.  Plenty of little hotels on the beach with balconies to sip wine and watch the waves roll in.

 

Greymouth to Christchurch

Drove in morning to Greymouth to catch the train to Christchurch. Easy drive and you drop your car off next to train station.  Check in, drop your luggage and have a walk around and a pint.

 

Here things become a bit fuzzy for me, picked up a nasty bug. Between the weather and sleeping, didnt see much on the train and nothing of Christchurch. Folks do like the train and Christchurch, but I remember very little. Perhaps others can chime in.  

 

Christchurch to Aukland. Easy flight. You do need to transfer from domestic to international terminal which is a short walk, unless things have changed.   Air New Zealand had some great fares in biz. 

 

I hope this helps. Reach out if you have any more questions. 

 

 

 

This is a strong itinerary with lots of great suggestions. I'll toss in a few more!

 

Queenstown, in my view, is a fabulous base for exploring portions of the South Island. It has a bit of an Aspen CO vibe (and is actually a sister city) and has heaps of tourism for good reason, with a tremendous range of adventure activities and day-trips organised through established tour providers. Take a day trip to Glenorchy for stunning scenery (used in various movies), toward Cromwell to the east for Otago wineries with some of the best Pinots (Gibbston Valley, Mt Difficulty, others have cellar doors and restaurants), before heading to lovely Wanaka and up the west coast toward the glaciers. And maybe reserve a day or two in QTN with no plans because you'll probably find something of interest to do on the spur of the moment (preorder your Fergburger online to avoid the line though, haha).

 

NZ has a number of "great walks" and likely the most famous is the Milford Track through Fiordland. There are a limited number of spots, so reservations are essential when the booking window opens. We've done the glamping version (departs from QTN or Te Anau) and very, very highly recommend it: https://www.ultimatehikes.co.nz/multi-day-guided-walks/milford-track (it ends with a lovely boat ride from the aptly-named Sandfly Point to the Mitre Peak lodge with stunning views of the sound). 

 

There are helicopter tours from the Fox/Franz glacier area to the top, possibly with an opportunity to go into a wee ice tunnel, if that's of interest. We enjoyed this and learning about the glaciers and visiting the top was interesting, but the stunning scenery from the air was the highlight, tbh.

 

Hokitika is part of the "west coast wilderness" bike trail from Greymouth to Ross, if cycling is of interest: https://www.westcoastwildernesstrail.co.nz - we're not avid cyclists, but we've rented e-bikes in Hokitika for an out-and-back towards Lake Kaniere, which takes you through some fairy-tale like forest scenery for a fantastic day trip.

 

We live in Christchurch, so some suggestions there: it's a lovely mid-size city and great place to live, but not a lot of wow factor for tourism. Take a day to walk through Hagley Park and the botanical gardens, do punting or rent kayaks on the tranquil Avon River, walk over to Riverside Market for lunch and up past the historical cathedral (under repair from the quakes) to New Regent St to view some of the city vibe. Hop on/off Christchurch Trams are beautiful and convenient, and you can even have a dinner on a tram at night and see the city that way. Sumner beach / Taylor's Mistake hike for a taste of beach life here. Highly recommend a day or two to the beautiful Banks Peninsula with hiking, kayaking, or a short harbour cruise out of french-influenced Akaroa to see the world's smallest/cutest dolphins in their natural habitat. Maybe a stay at Otahuna Lodge (Relais & Chateaux) between Akaroa and ChCh to recover from all your activities. 😃

 

We love living in NZ, but a drawback is that's it's quite remote, obviously. But I guess that's all the more reason to encourage others to combine a land portion of their NZ trip with a cruise, since getting here is a long flight for most. I don't think you'll regret taking extra time in NZ. Back to your original question: you can't go wrong with #1 or #2, but if doing the south island land trip, then #2 itinerary would certainly edge out #1 for my tastes (unless you want to also do a land trip in the north island as well, haha). Hope this helps!

 

 

 

[Aussieflyer]

9 hours ago, drron29 said:

For those into Expedition cruising there is one really different in Southern Tasmania but it is expensive. The latest ship was only launched last year. It also has a package with a 3 day cruise and then 3 days at Saffire a luxury lodge at Freycinet. Saffire really is luxury and we have stayed there 3 times and loved it.

https://onboardexpeditions.com.au/expeditions-cruises/coast-to-coast-luxury/

 

Sorry to have gone off topic.

Saffire Lodge is lovely - three (or even two) nights is fine there.

 

Re the itineraries - the Bay of Islands (North Island) is lovely if the weather is good and the hole in the rock excursion is great. Napier is a lovely art deco town (Napier 'express' is great), Wellington is good. 

The South Island is perhaps more picturesque. We were on Muse in December and it was cold but we did get into Milford Sound (when we were on her in 2019 it was too rough and we missed it). 

If aiming for Tasmania - Hobart is quite nice but I've been to Burnie on cruise ships twice now and that is plenty! You really need a shore ex there as the town is very small).

 

[Techno123]

@gnome12 We went to Norway last July - the scenery was spectacular ❤️

[Techno123]

@Tom F our friends' daughter and her new husband have just bought a house in Christchurch. They are keen hikers so we are hoping they will show us the sights when we stop off there 😁

[RetiredandTravel]

Room choice question.  Is there any advantage to either side of the ship for cruising Milford/Doubtful Sounds?  Or in general for a Sydney> Auckland trip?

 

Tons of great information.  Thanks.

[Woodrowst]

8 hours ago, Aussieflyer said:

The South Island is more picturesque.

With the understanding that my three week tour did not go everywhere, I would agree that the South Island is more picturesque and I would spend most of my time there.  From my experience, the major reason I would go to the North Island is to visit Rotorua.  The Māori culture is more prevalent on the North island and Rotorua gives you a chance to have an immersive experience with this fascinating indigenous people.  Rotorua also has huge bubbling mud pits to see (and smell ☺️).  I would say Rotorua was a highlight of our NZ trip but I would also say that about every other place we visited.  What an incredible country.

PS:  As an older person, I appreciated that NZ has free public bathrooms everywhere.  There is never a problem finding one. They are well maintained, and some even sing to you!

Edited February 16 by Woodrowst

[taxatty]

We've done two NZ South Island land tour itineraries:

 

West Coast trip--Queenstown (flight from Auckland) for day trips to Milford Sound (by small plane, rained out twice), Arrowtown and wineries, bus pickup for overnight cruise at Doubtful Sound (much quieter and far less crowded than Milford, wonderful), then (by rental car) Wanaka, Franz Joseph, Hokitika, and via Arthur's Pass, Christchurch.

 

East Coast trip--Queenstown (flight from Auckland), rental car to Te Anau (a great base for nearby hikes and Milford Sound, where as a guided day trip we did the Nature Cruise and hiked up and back the last few flat miles of the famous Milford Track--very glad we didn't drive ourselves to Milford on that crazy road), then Kaka Point (for the scenic Catlins area), Dunedin, Mt. Cook Village, and Christchurch.

 

We also did several North Island stops on each trip.

 

Even with about a month total in NZ, we've only seen about half of it.

 

If you can handle driving on the left side on what are mostly very good roads (although the one way bridges are a bit scary), I agree that you'll see far more on a land trip than a cruise with shore excursions. As a small example, one thing you can't do on the latter that was great--the evening dinner feast at the Hobbiton on the North Island. 

 

 

[AusMum]

I'm Australian and I much prefer the South Island, but I love Melbourne more than I love Sydney 🙂 we self drove both islands, so can't comment on an ocean voyage.  We have done several sailings to other destinations in the South Pacific, with varying degrees of weather.

[southerngoose]

I'm taking a cruise that will go to Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.   Is there a "need" to go on land and see something there?   I ask because the cruise line offers an extremely overpriced excursion that takes you off the ship to go to Fiordland.   The fact that they offer it, doesn't mean it's good.   I'm trying to work with my travel agent to determine if I need to stay in New Zealand after the cruise or if I can see what I need while on the cruise and go home.   I'm not looking to burn money.   At the same time, I want to avoid coming home thinking "2 more days and I could have 'finished' New Zealand and now I have to go back".     It seems that if you go from land, you just get back on a ship.   So I'm not sure whether there's something so special there that I couldn't see from the ship.

[RetiredandTravel]

1 hour ago, AusMum said:

I'm Australian and I much prefer the South Island, but I love Melbourne more than I love Sydney 🙂 we self drove both islands, so can't comment on an ocean voyage.  We have done several sailings to other destinations in the South Pacific, with varying degrees of weather.

 

Thanks.  We ended with a SS cruise (SYD>AKL) that focuses most on the South Island which also cruises the sounds.

 

We are spending 3 days in Melbourne & 3 days in Sydney before the cruise.  Our (US) first trip to Australia/NZ, we are very excited.  

 

[Port Power]

On 2/17/2024 at 1:03 AM, RetiredandTravel said:

Room choice question.  Is there any advantage to either side of the ship for cruising Milford/Doubtful Sounds?  Or in general for a Sydney> Auckland trip?

 

Tons of great information.  Thanks.

 

5 hours ago, southerngoose said:

I'm taking a cruise that will go to Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.   Is there a "need" to go on land and see something there?   I ask because the cruise line offers an extremely overpriced excursion that takes you off the ship to go to Fiordland.   The fact that they offer it, doesn't mean it's good.   I'm trying to work with my travel agent to determine if I need to stay in New Zealand after the cruise or if I can see what I need while on the cruise and go home.   I'm not looking to burn money.   At the same time, I want to avoid coming home thinking "2 more days and I could have 'finished' New Zealand and now I have to go back".     It seems that if you go from land, you just get back on a ship.   So I'm not sure whether there's something so special there that I couldn't see from the ship.

Milford Sound is a round trip, so both sides will be seen.  Otherwise, I tend to choose the side of the ship that faces land throughout most of the itinerary.

 

Doubtful Sound is just gorgeous!  I think the scenery is better than Milford Sound.

 

The land trip entails transferring to a boat at the land end of Milford Sound and doing the same round trip on the local small vessel.  You don’t see anything better or different just being in another boat. Then the land tour including overnight accommodation usually at Queenstown, then drive to the port where you reboard the Silversea ship. (Or in reverse.) I’ve been on cruises where passengers did this overland excursion, and all loved it.  However, it was not thought good value, and they did miss out on Dunedin.

 

I have cruised across the Tasman Sea numerous times, both north and south ends. So times as smooth as a millpond, sometimes 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I had considered the land tour from Milford Sound through Queenstown to Dunedin when we were considering this cruise on Celebrity.  But I'm aware that if the weather is bad the cruise ship sometimes can't make it all the way into Milford Sound.  If you are heading toward Dunedin, I guess you miss the excursion.  But if you are coming from Dunedin (i.e. the ship is heading to Australia), then what?  You swim?

 

We ended up doing a pre-cruise DIY from Auckland to Queenstown for 2 nights, with a private tour to Paradise, and then we stopped off for a few hours at the Christchurch Airport to visit the International Antarctic Centre (which was not a possible excursion from our cruise stop at Akaroa).  We enjoyed this land portion a lot, and without it we would have felt "with 2 more days we could have 'finished' New Zealand."

 

[I will have the review and blog of this trip, including the DIY parts in Auckland, Queenstown and Sydney, posted very soon – watch my signature for a link.]

[DavyWavey70]

7 hours ago, southerngoose said:

I'm taking a cruise that will go to Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.   Is there a "need" to go on land and see something there?   I ask because the cruise line offers an extremely overpriced excursion that takes you off the ship to go to Fiordland.   The fact that they offer it, doesn't mean it's good.   I'm trying to work with my travel agent to determine if I need to stay in New Zealand after the cruise or if I can see what I need while on the cruise and go home.   I'm not looking to burn money.   At the same time, I want to avoid coming home thinking "2 more days and I could have 'finished' New Zealand and now I have to go back".     It seems that if you go from land, you just get back on a ship.   So I'm not sure whether there's something so special there that I couldn't see from the ship.

I Can’t speak of the experience on SS but I was recently on this cruise with the line HostJB speaks of. The sounds were all incredibly beautiful. There was a similar overpriced mid cruise land trip offered on X and the people that went on it that I spoke to didn’t seem to have experienced any more than we had. We struck gold with the weather that day. I Was totally in awe of the beauty of the place. It was an incredible experience but I’m not sure I’d have got any more of it from doing the land trip. Maybe a few days tour post cruise might offer you a little more if that’s a possibility?
 Here is my little video of my day there. 

 

 

[southerngoose]

@DavyWavey70   Thanks...maybe I'm not missing out by just enjoying it from the ship.   It looks beautiful.   

[Host Jazzbeau]

It's not about seeing more of Milford Sound – it's the overland journey up to Queenstown and the mountainous area there.  Instead of a sea day and a day exploring Dunedin/Otago.

[Port Power]

My apologies that my post suddenly stopped short.  For some unknown reason, my iPad froze and the keyboard would not come up for me to use.

[RetiredandTravel]

15 hours ago, Port Power said:

 

Milford Sound is a round trip, so both sides will be seen.  Otherwise, I tend to choose the side of the ship that faces land throughout most of the itinerary.

 

Doubtful Sound is just gorgeous!  I think the scenery is better than Milford Sound.

 

The land trip entails transferring to a boat at the land end of Milford Sound and doing the same round trip on the local small vessel.  You don’t see anything better or different just being in another boat. Then the land tour including overnight accommodation usually at Queenstown, then drive to the port where you reboard the Silversea ship. (Or in reverse.) I’ve been on cruises where passengers did this overland excursion, and all loved it.  However, it was not thought good value, and they did miss out on Dunedin.

 

I have cruised across the Tasman Sea numerous times, both north and south ends. So times as smooth as a millpond, sometimes 

 

Thanks. Looks beautiful.

 

In the end we didn't really have a choice on the room. We ended with a veranda suite on the starboard side of 7.  Interestingly, there are quite a few more veranda suites on the starboard side of the Nova on floors 6,7,8,9.  The port side has multiple "technical areas" that take a lot of space.  I'm guessing they have something to do with power but thats a pure guess.  The cruise was also in high demand.

 

 

Edited March 15 by RetiredandTravel

[calliopecruiser]

The first - Sydney to Auckland.  More sea days, and I haven't seen the southern island.  The second cruise has more time in Hobart, which I would like, but also overnights in Napier, which holds no interest for me.