afto

We were happy with pre-arranged service provided by QuickShuttle. We could have just taken taxi or Uber, but we arranged with QuickShuttle for a half-hour stop at Mt. Eden to enjoy some city views along the way.

We asked the room steward for a kettle on a recent New Zealand cruise and it was delivered promptly. I found it easier to ask for a specialty tea bag at Cafe al Bacio and brew the tea in the room rather than try to carry a brewed tea from the Cafe.

Yes, I see what you mean. I failed to word my original post clearly. Thanks for setting me straight. Cheers.

Wow. I can't imagine any circumstances where I would reply with "nonsense" to a post made by someone just trying to be helpful by relating their own experience. Yes, you can wave your hand and get help, you are correct. But that doesn't mean that anything in my post was incorrect or nonsense. QR codes exist, robots exist -- not everywhere, of course, but I did not say that this was a universal experience.

We also noticed that many casual restaurants in New Zealand and Australia have menu available via a QR code displayed at the table. Order and pay on your phone and your meal will be delivered to you. And in one place, our meal was delivered by robot as well. Very impersonal and difficult to get any advice or make any changes or requests.

Imho, you could do worse ... gotta love that créme brulée!

Oh no! Best wishes for his rapid recovery.

Thank you so much to both SindbadThePorter and yarramar for all of these really useful information. And even a map! Wow! Adding Stanwell Tops and avocado toast at the Imperial Hotel to our itinerary and we will see how much time we have to range further afield. have googled all the points you both have suggested and the scenery is stunning. So much to see! Wishing I had 2 extra days now! Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my query.

We find ourselves with an unexpected extra day in Sydney and are thinking of renting a car for the day and driving south to the Sea Cliff Bridge and then perhaps stop in Royal National Park. DD likes ocean views and cliffs. Wondering if anyone has suggestions for other stops along this area -- scenic stops, good wildlife viewing areas, cute places for a lunch stop, or anything weird and wonderful in a uniquely Australian way (I remember the giant earthworm museum near Melbourne, for example). Thanks for any and all ideas.

Echoing this sentiment and following along!

Thanks for the additional info, Yarramar. 🙂

Thanks for this information and for the efforts that you make to answer so many questions in this forum. Much appreciated.

This is a ridiculous question, I know, but I am wondering what kind of shop I should visit in Auckland and Brisbane to buy some distilled water for my CPAP machine. I have not travelled with the machine before, and I am staying before and after my cruise for a few days in these cities. I thought perhaps chemist's but when I tried online shopping at chemist's sites, I did not see this product listed. So, not sure what to do and would like to avoid spending hours wandering around looking for this. If it makes a difference, we are staying near Sky Tower in Auckland and near the Parliament Buildings in Brisbane. I am also wondering if anyone has had success asking hotels to obtain this and adding it to one's room charges. Thanks in advance to anyone who can point me in the right direction here.

Thanks very much everyone for all this useful information. Much appreciated.