New Zealand & Australia Holiday Cruise

Day 1 - Auckland

Arrive: Mon 30 December 2024 / Depart: Mon 30 December 2024 at 17:00

Auckland is one of the few cities in the world to have harbors on two separate bodies of water. The central part of urban Auckland covers a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbor on the Tasman Sea, and the Waitemata Harbor on the Pacific Ocean. In addition, Auckland's diverse geography and warm, humid climate has inspired a lifestyle regularly ranked in the world's top ten. A half hour drive from the city there is an abundance of activities: sailing to a secluded island, trekking through the rainforest, picnicking on a volcano, sampling wines at a vineyard or exploring a black sand beach.

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Wellington

Arrive: Wed 01 January 2025 at 10:00 / Depart: Wed 01 January 2025 at 18:00

Visually stunning, Wellington is nestled between a magnificent harbor and a natural amphitheatre of forest-clad hills. Its compact size, combined with cultural sophistication, makes it New Zealand's most inspiring urban destination. Wellington's cultural crowning jewel is Te Papa, a donation-only museum that celebrates Australasian natural history, science and culture. Exhibits include Maori artifacts, an extensive Pacific Cultures collection and interactive science exhibits. The city's art scene is flourishing, with numerous galleries and craft markets displaying the work of the country's top artists and craftspeople.

Day 4 - Kaikoura

Arrive: Thu 02 January 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Thu 02 January 2025 at 17:00

Backed by a range of the Southern Alps and fronted by a magnificent stretch of sea coast, Kaikoura on the eastern shore of New Zealand’s South Island is a wonderful place in which to contemplate nature. It is famous for whale- and Dolphin-watching, and for the large colony of Southern Fur Seals found nearby. The coastal areas also draw many pelagic seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters close to shore.

Day 5 - Akaroa

Arrive: Fri 03 January 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 03 January 2025 at 17:00

Set on a beautiful, sheltered harbor and nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano, Akaroa is a popular resort village. Located 50 miles southeast of Christchurch, this quaint seaside town is situated on the southern side of the Banks Peninsula and has a distinct French flavor to it. Many street names are of French origin because of its French Whaling and colonial history. One of the first settlements in the Canterbury region of the South New Zealand Island, the town has a rich Maori and British heritage, as well as its French history. Today, the town center is dotted with colonial architecture, and the harbor area is lined with boutiques and cafes.

Day 6 - Timaru

Arrive: Sat 04 January 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 04 January 2025 at 15:00

South of the Canterbury Plain on the South Island, Timaru is built on the rolling volcanic hills surrounding Mt. Horrible. Originally a whaling station, it grew to serve the sheep stations in the surrounding countryside. Visit the South Canterbury Museum, filled with artifacts and information about the history of the region from the Maori arrival to the present day, and the Aigantighe Art Gallery, housed in a homestead dating from 1908.

Day 7 - Oban, Stewart Island, New Zealand

Arrive: Sun 05 January 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 05 January 2025 at 15:00

You might not realize that New Zealand has a third island. It hangs beneath the South Island and is just about the last inhabited place before Antarctica. The island itself is only about four percent inhabited, and that is its attraction. It is an unspoiled piece of primeval New Zealand. Oban is a very small town, about 800 souls. The phonebook is printed on a single sheet of A4 paper!

Day 8 - Cruising Fiordland National Park

Day 8 - Milford Sound, New Zealand

Arrive: Mon 06 January 2025 at 12:00 / Depart: Mon 06 January 2025 at 19:00

Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, off the Tasman Sea. Part of the Fjordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site, it has been judged one of the world's top travel destinations in an international survey. Frequently visited by rain, the mountain peaks rising from the waters of Milford Sound are often softened by mist and an air of almost flawless and overpowering mystic calm. Acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination.

Day 9 - At Sea

Day 10 - At Sea

Day 11 - At Sea

Day 12 - Melbourne

Arrive: Fri 10 January 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 10 January 2025 at 23:59

Located at the mouth of the Yarra River, Melbourne was founded by free settlers in 1835, 47 years after the first European settlement in Australia. Transformed rapidly into a major metropolis by the Victorian gold rush in the 1850s, Melbourne became Australia's largest and most important city, and by 1865 was the second largest city in the British Empire. Today, Melbourne is a major center of commerce, industry and cultural activity, and is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world.

Day 13 - At Sea

Day 14 - Eden, Australia

Arrive: Sun 12 January 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 12 January 2025 at 14:00

This picturesque town near the border of New South Wales and Victoria was the site of a thriving shore-based whaling industry that depended on the cooperation of orcas, which herded baleen whales into Twofold Bay. Learn about it at the small but informative Killer Whale Museum. The Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre concentrates on smaller sea-life. Ben Boyd’s Tower looms over Disaster Bay in the scenic national park named after the eccentric 19th-century magnate. The town’s name is unrelated to the biblical garden. It was named for George Eden, first Earl of Auckland.

Day 15 - Sydney

Arrive: Mon 13 January 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Mon 13 January 2025

Sydney is a cosmopolitan, multicultural city surrounded by golden sand beaches, World Heritage areas, lush national parks and acclaimed wine regions. Sydney owes much of its splendor to its magnificent harbor. Arriving by ship provides an unequaled impression, showing off the city's famous landmarks: the dramatic white sails of the iconic Opera House and the celebrated Harbor Bridge, looming over the skyline.