For most Australian’s we consider New Zealand our friendly neighbor and love to have jokes with our Kiwi mates. Although our Trans-Tasman relations are thought of fondly we often overlook NZ as a holiday destination. This is a BIG MISTAKE. New Zealand is natures paradise.
We had often been told how beautiful the land of the long white cloud and when we found ourselves wanting an easy 2 week break New Zealand sounded perfect.
Since this trip, we have now made a promise to ourselves, to visit New Zealand at least once a year, for the rest of our lives. It truly captured our hearts, and we promise it will capture yours too.
This is a region of beautiful beaches, majestic fiords, fine wine, friendly people, culture and wildlife. And with its opposite seasons, it’s the perfect place for those from the Northern Hemisphere to escape winter.
From the soaring green mountains of New Zealand to untouched beaches – this region offers modernity, tradition and the scenically sublime.
We started our trip with a few days in Auckland before boarding the stunning Celebrity Solstice® and taking a spectacular 12 day trip, cruising from Auckland to Sydney, Australia.
Whilst it could be argued that you can’t go wrong with a trip anywhere in New Zealand, we thought we would share our tips and recommendations to help get you started in planning a holiday to this spectacular land.
Auckland
Rated as the third most liveable city in the world, Auckland is worth spending a day or two in.
Stay
We would recommend staying around the Viaduct if wanting to explore the city, or venturing out to Ponsonby. We stayed in a lovely Airbnb but there are many great hotels in the area.
Day 1 – Waiheke Island
Lovingly called Wine Island, this is a must visit when in Auckland.
You can book a 30 minute Ferry from Auckland City, 99 Quay st, with Fullers which will take you on a scenic journey to the island.
We recommend you book a wine tour on your first visit, to make the most of the day, however if you are not much of a wine drinker, you can also hire a car and explore the further reaching ends of the island, or even take a walking tour.
We recommend Waivino Wine Tours, for an informative, fun, delicious and boutique tour.
Grant, our tour guide, is equally passionate about wine and Waiheke Island. Depending on the tour, you will experience three wineries, tasting up to 15 award-winning boutique Waiheke Island wines, local oils and more. The Food pairing with your Peacock Sky Tasting, truly demonstrates how pairing the right wine with your food, can take the meal to a new level.
You will also experience a gourmet lunch at either Peacock Sky or another breathtaking venue depending on the day you visit.
Grant also adds humorous insights into Waiheke and it’s history, taking you to one beautiful spot after another before returning you reluctantly to the ferry back to Auckland.
Day 2 – Ponsonby
Located approx 2km from Auckland’s CBD, Ponsonby is the trendy side of Auckland.
With fashionable boutiques, amazing restaurants and cosy cafes, you could easily loose a day exploring the streets of Ponsonby.
Whilst Waiheke is known for it’s beautiful wine and breathtaking scenery, Ponsonby is famous for being a cultural hub of local designer talent and delicious food.
Head straight for Ponsonsby Central to explore some of the best food and pop up shops Auckland has to offer. Then explore Ponsonby Road, where you will discover amazing fashion and homeware stores.
If you are venturing out for dinner, there are so many options including incredible Italian at Prego or a Fine Dining degustation at SideArt. Check out Urban List for local recommendations.
Day 3- Auckland CBD and Time to Set Sail
If you haven’t had the chance to explore the CBD earlier, the day of your cruise may just be the best time to explore the CBD and Viaduct marina. Located just near the cruise terminal, their are many places to wine and dine, including White and Wongs (best for lunch or a cheeky cocktail) or our personal favourite Amano. If the beautiful set up doesn’t take your breath away, the food will.
The CBD has all the big chain stores and supermarkets, however as you are about to embark on a cruise, you will have everything you need on board and can even see the Sky Tower from the cruise deck.
Whatever you choose to do, we recommend you board early, to ensure you can settle in and enjoy everything your cruise has to offer. More on this later.
Baby Let’s Cruise
Whilst we wouldn’t call ourselves Veteran Cruises, we have learnt to love cruising as a way of seeing a lot in a short amount of time, whilst also enjoying good food, accommodation and at times entertainment. (We will have another post on cruising shortly).
For our 12 day New Zealand Cruise, we chose to go with our favourite cruise line, Celebrity Cruises.
Our cruise Itinerary took us to:
- Bay Of Islands
- Tauranga
- Wellington
- Akaroa
- Dunedin
- Dusky Sounds
- Doubtful Sounds
- Milford Sounds
- Melbourne, Australia
- Sydney, Australia
Each of these destinations are vastly different, with so much to see and do. We thought we would capture our highlights, to hopefully make the decision process easier.
Bay Of Islands
Our first stop was at the Bay Of Islands. We were uncertain what to do at this port, so instead took the risk and booked a tour through one of the local operators that you will find outside the port gates.
We visited Kawiti Glow Worm caves and famous Hundertwassar Toilets for less then $30 AUD each.
Whilst the Hunertwassar Toilets are an interesting piece of art, the last of Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s, I wouldn’t plan a trip around it. As this was part of our tour, we enjoyed checking out some of the most interesting public bathrooms we will ever experience.
We were then off to the Glow Worms, enjoying the scenic drive on the way.
Arriving at the Caves, we were greeted by our friendly guides.
We quickly learned that the caves are owned and operated by the Kawiti Family, who have owned and operated the caves for over 50 years.
This adds to your tour, through appreciating the labor of love this family has given the caves over the years, to ensure they are preserved.
This cave system attracts many visitors with its bizarre karst features, stalactite formations and spectacular glow worm displays.
Your 30 minute guided tour will follow a wooden boardwalk through a 200 metre limestone cave system. The walk at times can be narrow and slippery, so please take caution.
Photos are not allowed once inside the cave so you will have to take our word for how spectacular the sight is once your eyes adjust to the darkness. It is like a whole other galaxy.
After returning to the port, we still had time to explore the local town, and enjoy some young local Maori dances who put on a show for visitors.
Tauranga
Tauranga is a harbour side city in the Bay of Plenty region on New Zealand’s North Island.
This is the kind of town you could envision moving to, and being part of the tight knit community instantly.
Whilst the town itself is worth exploring, with plenty of boutique stores, and amazing cafes and restaurants (Fish Face is a family favorite), the port is also close to Rotorua and everything it has to offer.
We indulged by taking a tour to Hell’s Gate Geothermal park and Mud Spa.
This is the only place in New Zealand you can enjoy an outdoor mud spa, and we highly recommend it.
The trip to the spa, offered lots of incredible views, including lots of Kiwi Fruit Farms. Very Iconic.
Upon arrival, it took some adjusting to the sulphar smell from the hot water lakes, however the smell was soon forgotten once we were taken on a tour of the 50 acres of erupting waters, coloured pools, hot water lakes, bubbling mud, steaming cliffs, sulphur crystals and land coral. You can also enjoy a Native Bush Walk around the thermal parks.
After enjoying the tour, we were off to relax in the Mud Spa and Sulphar Spa.
You will be provided with swimwear (which will ensure your own do not smell forever after) before being taken to the Mud Spa.
This was our first experience of a Mud Spa and we loved it. The warm water and Mud instantly relaxed our muscles, and being covered from head to toe in mud, meant our skin had never felt better.
We were able to shower before heading into the Sulphar Spa, which helped ease any aches and pains, however again the smell from the Sulphar, meant we couldn’t stay all day. Otherwise this place was perfection.
Quick Tip ensure you shower well after the Sulphar Spa and don’t wear any sun cream or lotion to minimise any skin reactions and smells.
Wellington
Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. A relatively compact city, it has a lot to offer.
We opted to take our own walking tour of Wellington, taking the free bus from the port to the CBD.
There is a lot to see within the CBD including the iconic Red Cable Car, which takes you up to the Botanic Gardens and has magnificent views of the city.
You can also check out the Beehive, the executive wing of New Zealands Parliment Building, located at the corner of Molesworth Street and Lambton Quay.
We also took a walk along Oriental Bay and couldn’t resist taking photos of the cute boat sheds that line the bay.
We recommend taking at least an hour to check out the The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. It is New Zealand’s national museum, known as Te Papa, or “Our Place”. With a combination of the latest technology and classic story-telling, Te Papa educates, entertains, and inspires.
There are quite a few diverse areas of Wellington, and there is bound to be something to please everyone. Take the time to walk around and experience everything Wellington has to offer.
Akaroa
Docking just outside Akaroa, we caught the tender boats to shore, which allowed us to take in the mesmerizing scenery of Akaroa. This is a true picture book town. Where the green rolling hills meet the tranquil blue water and quaint stores and cafes line the street. You can just imagine a long running TV soap taking place here, filled with lovable community members.
We decided to explore more of the coastline with a heart pumping ride on a jet boat which we booked on shore with Akaroa Jet Adventures. Now this is one experience we will never forget.
Our driver Brett took us on a high speed ride around Akaroa Harbour. With 600 horsepower and Twin v8 engine, this boat flies. The trip wasn’t just an adrenaline fueled ride though, it was so much more.
Brett ensured the trip was balanced with stops in beautiful coves and offered local insights into the history of the French-British settled area. We were even lucky enough to have seals swim right up to the boat and play.
This harbour after all is a marine reserve, home to Hector Dolphins, Fur Seals, White Flippered Penguins and on occasion whales.
For those after a quieter pace, there is a lot more on offer at Akaroa. From strolls around the pretty town, to a walk through Hinewai Reserve or exploring the harbour via kayak.
No matter what you choose to do, we are certain you will love Akaroa.
Dunedin
When imagining New Zealand, Dunedin is what I envision.
Described as the Edingburgh of New Zealand, this beautiful region is surrounded by dramatic hills and at the foot of a long, picturesque harbour.
The city itself is very Victorian and Edwardian and you could easily loose a day wandering around and enjoying the cafes, shops and bars.
What we really recommend you do in this port though is head up to Otago Peninsula . The drive itself is breathtaking, with views of rugged hills and untouched beaches.
What really makes this place special is the wildlife.
Yes, you will see lots of famous New Zealand Sheep, but it is the Royal Albatross, yellow eye penguin, little penguin, New Zealand fur seal, sea lions and whales that really got our hearts melting.
We took a tour with Nature’s Wonders, and can honestly say this is one of the best tours we have ever done.
Natures Wonders is located right on the forefront of the Otago headland, and is a self-funded conservation effort to ensure that this land is preserved for future generations to enjoy, by protecting the penguins, fur seals and other wildlife. From the moment you arrive, you will quickly appreciate how important this conservation effort is.
Our first stop is the ‘Maori’s Footprint’ location, where you can take in 360 degree panoramic views of what can only be described as natures paradise. At 189 metres above the sea, this place is spectacular.
We then head on to a hide for a very close encounter with a breeding colony of New Zealand fur seals and their pups basking on the rocks and swimming in natural pools right in front of us. The hide ensures close uninterrupted views, whilst protecting the seals. We were left mesmerised and could have stayed for hours watching the seals bask in the sun and play.
We then headed to a purpose built hide on Penguin Beach to view little blue penguins in their nests and spotted the rare and shy yellow eyed penguin in their nest and on the beach.
Penguin Beach has been reserved for the exclusive use of the wildlife, with no footprints touching the breathtaking coast in over 20 years. It is truly spectacular and a place we will never forget.
We cannot recommend this tour enough and can’t wait to return to this special place in the world.
Fiordland National Park
Cruising through New Zealands Fiordlands is something everyone should do at least once.
Our last day in New Zealand was spent cruising through Dusky Sounds, Doubtful Sounds and Milford Sounds.
‘A cherished corner of the world where mountains and valleys compete with each other for room, where scale is almost beyond comprehension, rainfall is measured in metres and scenery encompasses the broadest width of emotions’.
This is how the author of the book “Mountains of Water – The Story of Fiordland National Park” described this stunning National Park and we completely agree
Established in 1952, Fiordland National Park is now over 1.2 million hectares in size, and encompasses mountain, lake, fiord and rainforest environments.
Cruising through this landscape leaves us enchanted. Everywhere you turn, you are left spellbound and feel privileged to be amongst such natural beauty.
We spent the day on board, and recommend booking a balcony on this cruise, purely to take in these spectacular views.
We chose to dine at Tuscan Grill for a special lunch on this day, as the restaurant offers uninterrupted views and ensures you don’t miss a minute of the breathtaking scenery.
The scale of the ice capped mountains against the lake and waterfalls rushing down, is something you need to experience to believe.
It was the perfect ending to a trip to a beautiful country.
The Style Scout Twins 