Suggested Activities in various ports in Australia and New Zealand

[gdlamberth]

Four of us will be taking two 15 day B2B cruise Sydney.  We are all in the 63-73 range, physically active and really like culture, nature, and historical adventures.  We are looking for suggested activities in the following ports; any suggestions are greatly appreciated:

 

1. Melbourne for an overnight (dock 0800 depart 1700 next day)
2. Dunedin (0900-1900)
3. Christchurch (0800-1800)
4. Picton (0900-1900)
5. Wellington (0700-1700)
6. Gisbourne (1000-1800)
7. Rotorua (Tauranga)(0900-1800)
8. Whangarei (0800-1900)
9. Napier (1000-1800)
10. Bluff (0800-1700)
11. A 2nd Overnight in Melbourne (1000-0400)
12. Geelong (0800-1800) Anchor

If it matters Melbourne and Picton are the only stops on a weekend.Thanks,

Greg

 

 

[yarramar]

My suggestion would be to take a look at What's in Port, https://www.whatsinport.com/New-Zealand.html

Then, if you have any questions, ask on the Trip Advisor New Zealand forums for individual places of interest.

Lastly, Melbourne. similarly ask on Melbourne, Australia forum for ideas. Dates in Melbourne are more important than weekend as there may be a major event which will impact on some things.

What are you doing from Geelong? Have you looked at hiring a car and driving the Great Ocean Road for 2 or 3 nights?

[MMDown Under]

7 hours ago, yarramar said:

My suggestion would be to take a look at What's in Port, https://www.whatsinport.com/New-Zealand.html

Then, if you have any questions, ask on the Trip Advisor New Zealand forums for individual places of interest.

Lastly, Melbourne. similarly ask on Melbourne, Australia forum for ideas. Dates in Melbourne are more important than weekend as there may be a major event which will impact on some things.

What are you doing from Geelong? Have you looked at hiring a car and driving the Great Ocean Road for 2 or 3 nights?

When are the cruises?  Are they outside of school holidays?   Have a look on roll calls for your ship and cruises to see whether some passengers are arranging private tours. 

[gdlamberth]

7 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

When are the cruises?  Are they outside of school holidays?   Have a look on roll calls for your ship and cruises to see whether some passengers are arranging private tours. 

8 February thru 10 March.  There are roll calls for both cruises now; but, are pretty inactive.  I guess its still early days. We do already have Tours by Locals excursions set up in Burnie (since we already have something on, Burnie not on my list of ports).  We are in Christchurch twice and have an excursion up to Arthur's Pass already set up.

Greg

[renebfl]

'Im just starting to plan my future cruise,   What ship are you taking?

[gdlamberth]

40 minutes ago, renebfl said:

'Im just starting to plan my future cruise,   What ship are you taking?

Oceania's Regatta

[yarramar]

Oh, I see that you are only in Geelong for 1 day.

My suggestion there is to hire a car and spend the day exploring the Bellarine Peninsula. There are some nice little seaside towns, lovely wines and wineries plus the historic township of Queenscliff. https://www.visitgeelongbellarine.com.au/

From Queenscliff, if you arrange your time well, you could also take a ferry, by foot (or car) to Sorrento which is also beautiful and historic being the first attempted settlement by the British in 1802. The fort at the end of Pt Nepean was where the first shots were fired by the British Empire in both WWI & WWII. The ferry runs every hour from both Q & S and takes 40 minutes(they run 2 ferries). https://www.searoad.com.au/

https://www.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org/Places-To-See/Towns-Villages/Sorrento

[possum52]

On 5/1/2023 at 5:03 AM, gdlamberth said:

Four of us will be taking two 15 day B2B cruise Sydney.  We are all in the 63-73 range, physically active and really like culture, nature, and historical adventures.  We are looking for suggested activities in the following ports; any suggestions are greatly appreciated:

 

1. Melbourne for an overnight (dock 0800 depart 1700 next day)
2. Dunedin (0900-1900)
3. Christchurch (0800-1800)
4. Picton (0900-1900)
5. Wellington (0700-1700)
6. Gisbourne (1000-1800)
7. Rotorua (Tauranga)(0900-1800)
8. Whangarei (0800-1900)
9. Napier (1000-1800)
10. Bluff (0800-1700)
11. A 2nd Overnight in Melbourne (1000-0400)
12. Geelong (0800-1800) Anchor

If it matters Melbourne and Picton are the only stops on a weekend.Thanks,

Greg

 

 

1. For one of your stays in Melbourne, I would suggest a trip to Phillip Island for the renowned Penguin Parade. Phillip Island is around a two hour drive from Station Pier where you will dock. The penguins, many hundreds if not thousands, come out of the sea at sunset (8.30pm in February, 8pm March) and make their way up the beach to their burrows. You could hire a vehicle if one of your party is confident driving on the other side of the road (left hand side) or do a tour. I would suggest you google tours for Phillip Island Penguin Parade for more information. Ballarat, which is a historiacal gold rush city could be of interest and can be reached by train, bus/coach or car. 

 

Melbourne itself has plenty of things to do, see and visit -  if you are interested in sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Melbourne Park, the home of the Australian Tennis Open both have tours. There is the Australian Sports Museum at the MCG which is really interesting. Melbourne is renowned for its coffee and its cafe culture. You will find fabulous little cafes down laneways and hidden away in 19th century arcades and along Southbank. The State Library is also worth a visit, one of my favourite places in the city. It is a beautiful builiding. 

 

Penguin Parade

Victoria Regional Attractions

Visit Ballarat
Visit Melbourne

Melbourne Cricket Ground
Rod Laver Arena Tour

 

2. Dunedin - last time we were in Dunedin, pre-covid, we went on the Taieri Gorge railway which we thoroughly enjoyed. Post covid, the company has changed the trip and it is shorter. This past cruise season, this particular trip was only available on the days cruise ships were in port and had to be booked through the cruise ship. Of course this may or may not change next summer. There are other train journeys you could do as well. The links below may help.

 

Taieri Gorge Shore Excursion

Dunedin Railways

Dunedin Activities

 

 

3. Christchurch - I haven't been to Christchurch but here are a couple of links which may provide some information.

Christchurch Attractions

Christchurch Activities

 

4. Picton  - haven't been there

5. Wellington - the Te Papa Museum - you could spend hours here. 

                        Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary

                        Wellington Botanical Garden and cable car

                        Waterfront

 

Te Papa Museum
Zealandia

Wellington Botanical Garden

Wellington Cable Car

 

6. Gisborne -  We tendered in to the pier and caught the shuttle bus into the town across the river and wandered around. There was a cultural performance by the local Maori community which was really good. 

Gisborne Activities

 

7. Tauranga - we took a private tour to Rotorua which icluded a stop at a kiwi farm. In Rotorua we visited the 

Te Puia for the geothermal and Maori Cultural experiences. We enjoyed our day and would recommend it. 

Te Puia

From Tuaranga you can also visit Hobbiton for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings experience.

Hobbiton

 

I haven't been to Napier, Whangarei or Bluff but Napier is renowned for its art deco architecture after having to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1931. 

 

Geelong - Yarramar has given you some suggestions for Geelong, Geelong has a vibrant waterfront so a walk along there is interesting. There are some great cafes and restaurants and wineries in the area too. 

Geelong

 

Enjoy your cruises and if you have any questions please ask. 

[yarramar]

49 minutes ago, possum52 said:

For one of your stays in Melbourne, I would suggest a trip to Phillip Island for the renowned Penguin Parade. Phillip Island is around a two hour drive from Station Pier where you will dock. The penguins, many hundreds if not thousands, come out of the sea at sunset (8.30pm in February, 8pm March) and make their way up the beach to their burrows. You could hire a vehicle if one of your party is confident driving on the other side of the road (left hand side) or do a tour. I would suggest you google tours for Phillip Island Penguin Parade for more information. Ballarat, which is a historiacal gold rush city could be of interest and can be reached by train, bus/coach or car. 

Agree with the Phillip Island idea. There are many full day or half day tours. As your ship docks overnight it is ideal for this as the penguins come back to their nests at dusk and the tours arrive back in Melbourne late at night. Sunset in Melbourne late February is 8.30pm, late March is 730 pm.

If you don't go with the "hire a car from Geelong" idea, you could do a Mornington Peninsula tour with or without wineries from Melbourne on the other overnight visit.

Private tours found on the internet can be googled for reviews. They will also be a LOT cheaper than doing the ships tours.

Also remember that there is NO tipping in Australia or New Zealand, don't be pressured to do it. If you can't resist pay only a token amount.

[Over from NZ]

Christchurch - I would grab an uber or taxi and go to the botanical gardens. Whilst there, go punting on the Avon and then ride the Tram round the city. Near the gardens (and the tram goes past) is the Arts centre, the art gallery, the Museum. Near where the punting is (and also the tram goes through) is the Riverside Market, city mall, the Cathedral etc. You can get a package discount for the Tram, the Gondola and the Punting on the Avon. You could do the Gondola on your way back to Lyttleton (The port is only about 15 mins from the city). If you do - make sure you do the inside ride at the centre at the top - it's excellent. 

 

Picton - see if you can book the mailboat run. That takes you out to the little bays etc in the sounds delivering mail and supplies. It's a great trip if it fits in with your arrival times. Also, the Edwin Fox at the Port was a surprisingly interesting thing to do (you can go in the old hulk). If you're a fitness person.. hire a bike (or e-bike) and bike the link path that starts in Picton and heads over to some of the bays. There's other boat excursions out to the sounds you can book from Picton (although getting off a ship you may not want to get on a boat haha). 

 

 

[Wookie01]

Thanks for the tips 🙂
Does anybody know if the shuttle (or public transport) between Christchurch and Lyttleton stops at the Gondola please?
If not can anyone advise if taxi/uber is available from the City to the Gondola, and from the Gondola to Lyttleton?

[Over from NZ]

1 hour ago, Wookie01 said:

Thanks for the tips 🙂
Does anybody know if the shuttle (or public transport) between Christchurch and Lyttleton stops at the Gondola please?
If not can anyone advise if taxi/uber is available from the City to the Gondola, and from the Gondola to Lyttleton?

Yes, taxis and ubers easily available at both and it's only a short ride. Or yes, the public bus will go there from either. 

[Wookie01]

4 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

Yes, taxis and ubers easily available at both and it's only a short ride. Or yes, the public bus will go there from either. 

Thanks, I have just been looking up the public bus (#28) and it looks perfect.
Goes from Lyttelton Jetty to Manchester St, just near the tram and return, and both go via the Gondola stop, all for the very affordable $5NZ for a day pass.
Looks like we have our day in Christchurch planned out 🙂

 

[Over from NZ]

21 minutes ago, Wookie01 said:

Thanks, I have just been looking up the public bus (#28) and it looks perfect.
Goes from Lyttelton Jetty to Manchester St, just near the tram and return, and both go via the Gondola stop, all for the very affordable $5NZ for a day pass.
Looks like we have our day in Christchurch planned out 🙂

 

https://www.christchurchattractions.nz/packages/

 

There's the combo packages. The punting might seem a bit naff and expensive (I've hired the cheaper kayaks on the Avon plenty of times), but the wife talked me into it earlier this year and I was pleasantly surprised how we enjoyed it. Good informative guide.. good to see the scenery from the river.. was really nice. 

 

The Christchurch discovery ride at the top of the Gondola was really good too. 

[Wookie01]

Amazing how much the cruise lines mark up excursions 😲
Our December 2023 cruise stops at Dunedin and Celebrity are offering the Taieri Gorge train excursion for a discounted price of $485 AUD, full price is $570AUD.
If you look at the Dunedin Railways website you can do the Taieri Gorge trip (The Inlander) for $60NZ or $54AUD.
Yes the Celebrity trip does include a light lunch and a bit of extra sightseeing, but wow!

[possum52]

9 hours ago, Wookie01 said:

Amazing how much the cruise lines mark up excursions 😲
Our December 2023 cruise stops at Dunedin and Celebrity are offering the Taieri Gorge train excursion for a discounted price of $485 AUD, full price is $570AUD.
If you look at the Dunedin Railways website you can do the Taieri Gorge trip (The Inlander) for $60NZ or $54AUD.
Yes the Celebrity trip does include a light lunch and a bit of extra sightseeing, but wow!

The main difference to the Inlander I think is that for the ship excursion, you start the train trip dockside at Port Chalmers. I looked up Princess and they charge $299.95AU which is a rip off anyway but way cheaper than Celebrity. We did the train trip pre covid and booked privately. We were picked up by coach at the cruise terminal and taken into Dunedin railway station to catch our train which was a separate one to the ship's excursion. They were about 30-40 mins ahead of us.

[Over from NZ]

12 hours ago, Wookie01 said:

Amazing how much the cruise lines mark up excursions 😲
Our December 2023 cruise stops at Dunedin and Celebrity are offering the Taieri Gorge train excursion for a discounted price of $485 AUD, full price is $570AUD.
If you look at the Dunedin Railways website you can do the Taieri Gorge trip (The Inlander) for $60NZ or $54AUD.
Yes the Celebrity trip does include a light lunch and a bit of extra sightseeing, but wow!

Yep! They absolutely stiff you these cruise-lines! 🤣

[sonoma03]

On 5/4/2023 at 4:06 PM, possum52 said:

The main difference to the Inlander I think is that for the ship excursion, you start the train trip dockside at Port Chalmers. I looked up Princess and they charge $299.95AU which is a rip off anyway but way cheaper than Celebrity. We did the train trip pre covid and booked privately. We were picked up by coach at the cruise terminal and taken into Dunedin railway station to catch our train which was a separate one to the ship's excursion. They were about 30-40 mins ahead of us.

You said you booked privately.  Did you book directly with Dunedin Railways or with a tour company that provided the transportation to the rail station?

[possum52]

7 hours ago, sonoma03 said:

You said you booked privately.  Did you book directly with Dunedin Railways or with a tour company that provided the transportation to the rail station?

We booked through a tour company, which you can't do now for Taieri Gorge excursion. It can only be booked through your ship (if they have it as an excursion). 

[OCMD Girl]

On 5/1/2023 at 10:35 PM, possum52 said:

1. For one of your stays in Melbourne, I would suggest a trip to Phillip Island for the renowned Penguin Parade. Phillip Island is around a two hour drive from Station Pier where you will dock. The penguins, many hundreds if not thousands, come out of the sea at sunset (8.30pm in February, 8pm March) and make their way up the beach to their burrows. You could hire a vehicle if one of your party is confident driving on the other side of the road (left hand side) or do a tour. I would suggest you google tours for Phillip Island Penguin Parade for more information. Ballarat, which is a historiacal gold rush city could be of interest and can be reached by train, bus/coach or car. 

 

Melbourne itself has plenty of things to do, see and visit -  if you are interested in sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Melbourne Park, the home of the Australian Tennis Open both have tours. There is the Australian Sports Museum at the MCG which is really interesting. Melbourne is renowned for its coffee and its cafe culture. You will find fabulous little cafes down laneways and hidden away in 19th century arcades and along Southbank. The State Library is also worth a visit, one of my favourite places in the city. It is a beautiful builiding. 

 

Penguin Parade

Victoria Regional Attractions

Visit Ballarat
Visit Melbourne

Melbourne Cricket Ground
Rod Laver Arena Tour

 

2. Dunedin - last time we were in Dunedin, pre-covid, we went on the Taieri Gorge railway which we thoroughly enjoyed. Post covid, the company has changed the trip and it is shorter. This past cruise season, this particular trip was only available on the days cruise ships were in port and had to be booked through the cruise ship. Of course this may or may not change next summer. There are other train journeys you could do as well. The links below may help.

 

Taieri Gorge Shore Excursion

Dunedin Railways

Dunedin Activities

 

 

3. Christchurch - I haven't been to Christchurch but here are a couple of links which may provide some information.

Christchurch Attractions

Christchurch Activities

 

4. Picton  - haven't been there

5. Wellington - the Te Papa Museum - you could spend hours here. 

                        Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary

                        Wellington Botanical Garden and cable car

                        Waterfront

 

Te Papa Museum
Zealandia

Wellington Botanical Garden

Wellington Cable Car

 

6. Gisborne -  We tendered in to the pier and caught the shuttle bus into the town across the river and wandered around. There was a cultural performance by the local Maori community which was really good. 

Gisborne Activities

 

7. Tauranga - we took a private tour to Rotorua which icluded a stop at a kiwi farm. In Rotorua we visited the 

Te Puia for the geothermal and Maori Cultural experiences. We enjoyed our day and would recommend it. 

Te Puia

From Tuaranga you can also visit Hobbiton for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings experience.

Hobbiton

 

I haven't been to Napier, Whangarei or Bluff but Napier is renowned for its art deco architecture after having to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1931. 

 

Geelong - Yarramar has given you some suggestions for Geelong, Geelong has a vibrant waterfront so a walk along there is interesting. There are some great cafes and restaurants and wineries in the area too. 

Geelong

 

Enjoy your cruises and if you have any questions please ask.

Which tour group did you use in Tauranga.  thoughts on the best way to combine Rotorua tours with Hobbiton

[possum52]

10 hours ago, OCMD Girl said:

Which tour group did you use in Tauranga.  thoughts on the best way to combine Rotorua tours with Hobbiton

We booked our tour through Viator and the tour operator was Zealandier. I think it would be difficult to combine both a Hobbiton and Rotorua visit because of co-ordinating your experiences in both places. A round trip from and returning to Tauranga (Mt Maunganui is where your ship will dock) is over three hours. We spent more than four hours at Rotorua then there was two hours travelling time plus the two stops we had, around seven hours all up. This is similar to the tour we did - Rotorua

[dreams_of_travel]

On 5/29/2023 at 3:17 AM, possum52 said:

We booked our tour through Viator and the tour operator was Zealandier. I think it would be difficult to combine both a Hobbiton and Rotorua visit because of co-ordinating your experiences in both places. A round trip from and returning to Tauranga (Mt Maunganui is where your ship will dock) is over three hours. We spent more than four hours at Rotorua then there was two hours travelling time plus the two stops we had, around seven hours all up. This is similar to the tour we did - Rotorua

I was going to comment about the logistics, too. You are correct, you really can't do both in one day. 

[Rainbow3fe]

On 4/30/2023 at 5:49 PM, yarramar said:

My suggestion would be to take a look at What's in Port, https://www.whatsinport.com/New-Zealand.html

Then, if you have any questions, ask on the Trip Advisor New Zealand forums for individual places of interest.

Lastly, Melbourne. similarly ask on Melbourne, Australia forum for ideas. Dates in Melbourne are more important than weekend as there may be a major event which will impact on some things.

What are you doing from Geelong? Have you looked at hiring a car and driving the Great Ocean Road for 2 or 3 nights?

Thanks for the What's in Port link. We loved everything we saw on our Great Ocean Road trip. It's definitely worthwhile. 

[alwalaska]

On 5/29/2023 at 3:17 AM, possum52 said:

We booked our tour through Viator and the tour operator was Zealandier. I think it would be difficult to combine both a Hobbiton and Rotorua visit because of co-ordinating your experiences in both places. A round trip from and returning to Tauranga (Mt Maunganui is where your ship will dock) is over three hours. We spent more than four hours at Rotorua then there was two hours travelling time plus the two stops we had, around seven hours all up. This is similar to the tour we did - Rotorua

Thank you again for sharing your info.  I'm looking at Zealandier and they say the tour is a small group tour.  What size was the vehicle you were in?  

[possum52]

9 hours ago, alwalaska said:

Thank you again for sharing your info.  I'm looking at Zealandier and they say the tour is a small group tour.  What size was the vehicle you were in?  

Our van was a Mercedes-Benz and either a ten or twelve seater.