MMDown Under

thank you the bays metro station roselle station will be handy. when my daughter lived at drummoyne we used to do what they called the bay run. we also used to walk in to the city via the waterfront past the cruise terminal.

Thank you. That is good to know 11/10 is last date in Sydney in October.

When will you be there? We have hired cars overnight in Adelaide and found it is easier to find a park in the street overnight on the weekend.

Bon Voyage! How exciting to be on the same ship. Where are you cruising? My friends are currently flying to Europe, so I'm in the travel mode, checking flights, meals etc. on Scoot.

So true! Kiwis come to the Gold Coast for the hot weather. We were surprised how hot and dry NZ was when we visited the South Island twice in November. Locals said it was a drought! Whilst North Island was lush and green how I imagined NZ, which is why I prefer it contrary to everyone else.

Me too inside. Outside in fresh air masks aren't necessary. I only wore a mask inside at the Royal Adelaide Show recently, but not in the fresh air. I will still wear masks on public transport to protect myself. It is not so much covid, but long covid which scares me. I have lost trust in the Governments sharing up to date accurate information with members of the public. My daughter works from home and in a city office. Workmates are still catching Covid.

Thanks. Just being lazy wondering when she will be in Sydney next.

What dates is the ship to be in Sydney in the next five weeks? Is it remaining in Aust.?

I love Auckland and have visited lots of times en route to the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tahiti and the USA. we used to be Air NZ FFS. Just do your research. We stay at Parnell with its beautiful rose garden, nice shopping centre and its spectacular view of the Harbour where you can watch your ship come in. It is walking distance of Auckland War Memorial Museum, well worth going to Auckland for in its own right. Then you can do day trips on the ferry so 3 nights would be good stopover. When we didn't know Auckland well, we stayed at a basic motel in a poor town close to the airport on a stopover. We wondered what we'd done when we walked to a local shopping centre! However we met the nicest people we ever met in NZ and got the best shopping bargains. That set up for all my future travels overseas to not judge a book by its cover.

When you go on a cruise ask fellow passengers for their personal TA recommendations. I actually met a fellow passenger when we were both getting foreign currency for same cruise. Take every opportunity as word of mouth is best recommendation.

Any more ports of call or Sydney next?

Yes, I think North Island is really beautiful. If you Google www.newzealand.com it explains why Coromandel is one of NZ most popular destinations. If you visit Hot Water Beach in Coromandels make sure you put on sun protection. We all got sunburnt there in November because we spent too much time on the beach having fun making dams for the cold sea water to mix with the hot water which comes from underground. You can take a day trip from Bay of Islands to Cape Reinga at the very top of NZ. Waiheke Island can be reached by ferry from Auckland. A beautiful island perfect for spending a couple of days to recover after the long flight to NZ.

I'm glad you enjoyed your day on KI and were able to meet fellow cruise critic members. Now you have your NZ cruise to look forward to.

End of November is a good time to cruise NZ. I have done it myself. I have also spent time in Coramandel and the Bay of Islands in the North Island. Why are you concerned about the weather? I would spend time prior to the cruise in the North Island, rather than fly to Queenstown for 3 days prior to the cruise.

Lovely photos. Seas look smooth. When we were there, the local tourist shop close to wharf sold KI products if you didn't get a chance to tour all the places across the island in person.

Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, being exposed Pacific oceanfront, are not suitable for ports. Brisbane people regularly drive to the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, so think that is a feasible option from Brisbane port for cruise ship passengers.

Yum! Did chips have mayonnaise on them?

It depends. I have had the room number put on my luggage on the wharf.

I don't like this new custom of giving credits in lieu of refunds when ships can't get into port. You should be entitled to a refund.

Agreed. It would have to be a long port visit departing at night.

I think they need to start thinking outside the box. A given should be to cruise to ports in season. Why not have busses meet the ship to take passengers to the attractions - from Brisbane included longer tours could go to the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, or Stradbroke Island etc. There are many ports overseas which have long bus trips to the attractions, such as Bangkok, Hanoi, etc.

I would check the check in deadline for your flight from Papeete, Tahiti, with your airline. I suspect This would confirm that you would need to book the next flight two days later. I think two extra days in Tahiti at the end of your cruise would be a perfect end. if you didn't want to stay in Papeete, you could stay in Moorea.

Who plans timing of cruises in Australia? Someone local or someone in Head Office overseas? Getting dressed for an afternoon matinee at the theatre in my first sleeveless dress of the season in 28c temperatures! Gold Coast is packed with visitors enjoying the hot weather. Thinking of the people freezing down south on cruises. I was born in Brisbane and September was always a week's beach holidays!

That is excellent news.

Great photos. Passengers can walk along the waterfront to the Esplanade, past the swimming lagoon, past Muddys Playground, on paths or parklands. When the tide is out, it is wonderful to see all the birdlife on the mudflats. Families of curlews live in the car parks nearby. There is a great waterfront cafe near Muddy's Playground where lots of locals have breakfast or a coffee.