What not to miss in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin?

[milagarcia]

Also, anyone who has been to Dunedin and has done both the Monarch Wildlife Cruise and Natures Wonders, which would you recommend if you could only do one.

 

I would like to do one of those, but I can not pick which would be best.

 

Any recommendations would be great.

 

Thank you.

[Glaciers]

Hi Chilkoot,

 

if you are still checking this board, can you please tell me how you got to the Moeraki Boulders (a tour, private car, etc.).

Your pictures are so amazing they made me want to go there.

Thank you so much.

 

We rented/hired a car through Thrifty. They picked us up at the port and returned us at the end of the day after we were done with the car. We purchased a GPS map for our Garmin that helped although once you get out of town it was pretty easy to navigate the NZ roads.

[Grumpy100]

We did a private tour with Eddie from D-Tours. There was four of us and the guide. It was the best tour we ever had. You can find him on the internet if you are interested. I would post my pictures but I cannot figure out how to do it.:eek::eek:

[NCCruzQueen]

We have 2 days in Auckland post-cruise and are thinking about taking in the Glow Worm Caves. Can anyone make comments about their trip to the caves?

 

Thanks,

Beth

[milagarcia]

Thank you Grumpy 100 and Chilkoot.

 

My husband doesnt think it would be worth going out to the Boulders, I suggested D-Tours, but he thinks we could just hire a taxi and go to the Castle and do a city sights tour and brewery.

 

I think the D-Tours to the Boulders would be better.

 

Grumpy can you tell me more about the tour, the stops, sights, length of time, etc. Hopefully with your info I can talk my husband into it.

 

Thanks again.

[MercedMike]

We absolutely loved Penguin Place http://www.visit-dunedin.co.nz/penguin_place_otago_peninsula.html in Dunedin! Check out our review and pics at http://users.elite.net/thehalls/wildlife2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Grumpy100]

Thank you Grumpy 100 and Chilkoot.

 

My husband doesnt think it would be worth going out to the Boulders, I suggested D-Tours, but he thinks we could just hire a taxi and go to the Castle and do a city sights tour and brewery.

 

I think the D-Tours to the Boulders would be better.

 

Grumpy can you tell me more about the tour, the stops, sights, length of time, etc. Hopefully with your info I can talk my husband into it.

 

Thanks again.

 

We were met by Eddie with D-Tours. He was there waiting for us with a sign as we disembarked. After about 5 minutes waiting for the other couple we started on our tour. We went on a short drive to overlook the harbor and got some great pictures, we had great weather that day with blue skies. The we traveled north along the coast, stopping at various sights along the coast and again got a real feel for the beaches and the northern coast of Dunedin. We got some absolutely beautiful pictures.

I prefer the coastal scenery with the beautiful water as opposed to the city sights. I just feel you can see a big city anytime but not the coast of New Zealand. One city looks like another when you are in the city,

Then we went to the Moeraki Boulders and got about 30 minutes on the beach, which is plenty then we ate at the little cafe that was there. He will tailer the tour to your needs. He even stopped at a ATM machine when we got back to the city for the other couple. He was very accomodating to us. We went to the famous train depot and he explained some things about that structure, we went to Baldwin Street which is supposed to be the steepest street in the world. We went to see the two apostles rock formation on the coast also. He took us to a lighthouse and he looked for some penguins but we could not find any that day. We also saw seals and walruses also. We very much enjoyed the tour. I would just e-mail him to get the time schedule. Hope this helps. If you want any furthur info you can e-mail me at Nancy3740@aol.com.

[Grumpy100]

We did the glow worm caves in Bay of Islands our last port of our cruise. It was ok but once you have seen one cave you have seen l. Only difference is the worms glow in the dark after they turn out all of the lights.

[sissy2000]

Loved your photos, has helped us make some decisions, thanks very much.

Joy

 

Did you rent a car or take a tour in Dunedin? If you rented, did you have any problems driving on the left side?

[Glaciers]

Did you rent a car or take a tour in Dunedin? If you rented, did you have any problems driving on the left side?

 

We watched videos on Youtube on driving on the left. It helped. Just need to stay focused on driving. It's easy to start sight seeing as your driving along. The only tense moments were getting through a couple of roundabouts. We just recently got a few in Alaska and were not used to going through them. Going through on the left was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully there was always a car in front of us that we could follow through it. Actually it wasn't that bad at all. The GPS was helpful while driving in town.

[krigaren1]

We did the glow worm caves in Bay of Islands our last port of our cruise. It was ok but once you have seen one cave you have seen l. Only difference is the worms glow in the dark after they turn out all of the lights.

 

The glow worm caves in the Bay of Islands are pitiful compared to those at Waitomo Caves - you can't really say that they are on the same level surely?

[krigaren1]

Also, anyone who has been to Dunedin and has done both the Monarch Wildlife Cruise and Natures Wonders, which would you recommend if you could only do one.

 

I would like to do one of those, but I can not pick which would be best.

 

Any recommendations would be great.

 

Thank you.

 

We did a cruise to NZ the last 2 seasons and each time in Dunedin we tried both of these. I would prefer Monarch Wildlife cruisers over Natures Wonders. You get more for your dollar and besides at Natures Wonders you are loking at wild-life species from a long distance which you can't really see properly. They also have small 'buggy' type vehicles which on a rainy day you get covered in mud both on and after you've gotten off.

[NCCruzQueen]

Thanks Grumpy and krigaren,

 

The glow worm caves in the Bay of Islands are pitiful compared to those at Waitomo Caves - you can't really say that they are on the same level surely?

 

We are planning on visiting the Waitomo Caves.

[cruzqueen]

Thanks Grumpy and krigaren,

 

 

 

We are planning on visiting the Waitomo Caves.

 

I want to go to, but didn't think it was doable with the time on our cruise. Can you tell me who you might be using, or are you driving yoruself? Which port will you be going from?

[Grumpy100]

Thanks Grumpy and krigaren,

 

 

 

We are planning on visiting the Waitomo Caves.

You are probably correct about the Waitomo Caves being better for the glow worms. I would just hate to miss the other "better" things that are available in Taraunga and Auckland just to see the worms when you can see them also in Bay of Islands. There is not to much else to see in Bay of Islands and there is a ton of other things to do and see in Taraunga and Auckland. I would hold out for the Bay of Islands and not waste your time missing the other "better" things to do and see in Taraunga and Auckland. :eek::eek:

[cruzqueen]

You are probably correct about the Waitomo Caves being better for the glow worms. I would just hate to miss the other "better" things that are available in Taraunga and Auckland just to see the worms when you can see them also in Bay of Islands. There is not to much else to see in Bay of Islands and there is a ton of other things to do and see in Taraunga and Auckland. I would hold out for the Bay of Islands and not waste your time missing the other "better" things to do and see in Taraunga and Auckland. :eek::eek:

 

Where is the Bay of Islands? It's not on our particular itinerary, so I'm just wondering if it is nearby a port. If not the worms, what else is not to miss in Taraunga? We're still tryig to figure out our time in each port.

[Aquarians]

Where is the Bay of Islands? It's not on our particular itinerary, so I'm just wondering if it is nearby a port. If not the worms, what else is not to miss in Taraunga? We're still tryig to figure out our time in each port.

Kia ora,

The Bay of Islands is another cruise ship port some distance north of Auckland. It is picturesque historical area in sub-tropical Northland ( I had banana palms growing in the garden when I lived there) and is no-where near the Waitomo caves. As has been pointed out (see other postings here and under Waitomo) glow worm caves in Northland should not be confused or compared with the Waitomo caves which are extensive, world renowned and in geologically distinct and separate areas. Waitomo is far more than a cave with a few glowworms (see www.waitomo.com). In addition, Waitomo is some distance from Tauranga and could perhaps be best visited from Auckland.

Rotorua (www.rotorua.com) is the north island's 'must see' and is visited by cruise ship passengers docking at Tauranga.

Aquarians

[Glaciers]

Where is the Bay of Islands? It's not on our particular itinerary, so I'm just wondering if it is nearby a port. If not the worms, what else is not to miss in Taraunga? We're still tryig to figure out our time in each port.

 

The Bay of Islands was a stop of ours in November. I believe the actual port is in Paihia.

[Grumpy100]

Bay of Islands was our last stop on our cruise in November. If the glow worms are high on tour list then by all means see the best ones At waitomo. I did not realize they were that that different. In Auckland the black beaches were awesome. We did a private tour and were very pleased. In Tauranga we stayed in town and hiked the mountain in the harbor. Because ou cruise was very port intensive we did not want to ho far that day. Happy sailing.

[NCCruzQueen]

I want to go to, but didn't think it was doable with the time on our cruise. Can you tell me who you might be using, or are you driving yoruself? Which port will you be going from?

 

From one cruzqueen to another!! We disembark in Auckland and have 2.5 days there. Our plans aren't set yet. On day 2, we are planning to take a tour of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves from a tour booked through our hotel or one we book via email on the ship.