possum52

We used Viator in New Zealand for a cruise at the end of 2018 with great success and not one problem. The ports we used them for were Dunedin, Tauranga and Auckland. The local companies that Viator used were excellent and the guides were wonderful. I would look for excursions through local companies as well just to compare.

As Julie said in her post, the Taieri Gorge train trip is a great way to see a little of inland NZ with beautiful scenery. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, there is food and drinks available to purchase onboard and if you do a ship's excursion, lunch is usually included and you board the train from the dock beside the ship. We chose to do a private excursion which meant a coach from the dock to the train station to board the train. It was much cheaper than the ship's excursion and also meant we had time to look at the amazing station.

Happy Mother's Day to you too Marion and all the other mothers on CC.

Happy Birthday for yesterday Mic. Hope you had a great day.

Agree with first part but I can't for your last sentence. Go Bombers! Although I fully expect a Swan's win.

I prefer rosemary with lamb not beef. A little bit of garlic, salt and black pepper with steak is all I need.

GC win by 14 points 10-15-75 Swans 8.13.61

Other than what others have said, a relative has just returned to the UK after a cruise to Amsterdam on P&O Ventura. She said that they sailed at half the capacity with around 1500 passengers.

Do you want to cruise from Australia or from a NZ port? Most mainstream cruise lines do a round trip from Australia to NZ and back - sailing from Sydney, Melbourne or possibly Brisbane. There may be a small number of one way cruises from Australia or NZ (Auckland). My favourite destination is Fiordland for NZ, then Dunedin, Tauranga and Auckland. From Tauranga, you can visit the Hobbit movie set and film locations or visit Rotorua for the hot springs and Maori culture. Fiordland - the ship usually sails into the sounds for the passengers to have a good view of the scenery. Depending on the cruise line, you may visit 4- 5 sounds including Milford Sound which is the best (I think). In Milford, the ship will sail up the sound almost to the end where the village is situated and turn around to sail out. If there is an overnight excursion from the ship, depending if the ship is sailing from or to NZ, the ship will stop while turning for the excursion passengers to either disembark or embark. A point to remember is that depending on the weather conditions, ships may not always make it into the sounds. I would suggest you do some research on the NZ ports and what their attractions are. That way you will find which ports will suit you most and you can choose your cruise accordingly.

I am prone to motion sickness so used Avomine for cruising and flying. When Avomine became unavailable I bought Phenergan and have used it since - for me it works very well. I tend to take it at night on cruises though because it can make me drowsy.

Firstly, February will be one of the hottest months to go to the Red Centre and the GBR where it will also have extremely high humidity. There is also the threat of cyclones. On the other hand February is usually a great time to cruise to NZ. The current Covid protocols for international travellers arriving in Australia are - this link will help but of course things may change before your travel date - Covid Protocols for Travellers Coming to Australia At this time, travellers from overseas are not required to have a Covid test before departure for Australia but you need to follow your airline protocols and those of any country you transit through. On the link I have provided above are links for protocols for the states and territories. Mask wearing - you must wear a mask for the duration of your flight, while disembarking your aircraft, in the airport and where you can't social distance - both for international and domestic flights. As crusing hasn't yet commenced here yet (end of May into June are the first cruises), there is still information coming about testing and mask wearing. You would be best to keep abreast of what is required for the cruise line you intend to use. How much time are you thinking of spending in Australia and your cruise?