What are the best ports or scenic cruising on New Zealand cruise?

[wlbox]

What are the best ports and scenic cruising  locations for a New Zealand cruise?  Definitely need help choosing a good cruise on Celebrity, HAL or Princess. We’re from US and it’s a long way so want good itinerary. Even considering returning back via ship. Thank you I’m not knowledgeable about these ports. 

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, wlbox said:

What are the best ports and scenic cruising  locations for a New Zealand cruise?  Definitely need help choosing a good cruise on Celebrity, HAL or Princess. We’re from US and it’s a long way so want good itinerary. Even considering returning back via ship. Thank you I’m not knowledgeable about these ports. 

What are your interests?  What do you like to do in port, independent or ship excursions?

I would choose a cruise which includes the Bay of Islands and Fiorldand (Milford Sound).

I would stay a few days in port prior to embarkation on our cruise or after.  New Zealand is a beautiful county to cruise because it is a scenic small country.

[wlbox]

We’re active and love scenery, nature and walking exploring new places. Don’t spend much time inside museums. We enjoy independent and not ship tours if possible. 

[SinbadThePorter]

You definitely want to take in the South Island. Most cruises will take you through the fiords there, and then the first stop at Port Chalmers. Port Chalmers is surrounded by what you seem interested in, but I would suggest a visit to the Albatross Sanctuary.

 

Next stop is usually Lyttleton. Nearby Akaroa is worth a visit, but a bit of a drive. The cable car lookout above Lyttleton is very scenic on a sunny day. There is also a walking track up through there called the Bridle Path.

 

Next is often a choice between Wellington, Napier or Picton. Wellington being the capital is very urbanised, but Zealandia Wildlife Park is worth a look. Picton has a nice steam train, but the charm of Napier escapes me.

 

Next is Tauranga, a nice hike up nearby Mount Manganui. Most tourists head to Rotorua or Hobbiton for the day. It sounds like Rotorua might be more your thing. Tours can be booked just as you walk off the dock.

 

Then Auckland. This is a major city, but the islands offshore can be reached by public ferry. Waiheke Island is probably the best for exploring.

 

Sometimes your cruise may also visit Bay of Islands before heading back to Australia . None of mine ever have so I have no suggestions.

 

Most cruises will go around NZ anti-clockwise. A few go clockwise. Some will only do the North Island, but most do both.

Edited June 11, 2023 by SinbadThePorter

[OzKiwiJJ]

Napier is a famous Art Deco city as the town was mostly destroyed in an earthquake in 1932 and was rebuilt in the prevailing Art Deco style. You can pick up a self-guided walking tour map at the Information Centre where the shuttle buses stop. On cruise ship days you'll often see vintage cars around the town and locals dressed in 1930's outfits. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

If the timing is right in Auckland you might be able to fit in a trip to Tiritiri Matangi, an island wildlife sanctuary with some lovely walking trails. You'd have to book this in advance,  through Fullers ferries I think. I went there many, many years ago. There are some very rare NZ birds there.

[cruiser3775]

I would pick a one way cruise, ie. From Australia to NZ, or vice versa.  That gives you the opportunity to add in a land tour in NZ either before or after the cruise.  If it is a round trip, you get a few sea days more, but there's no advantage in going back to where you started, just do a reasonably quick flight.

From Auckland where most cruises start or end, you can do a one way land trip south in NZ, then fly back to Australia from Wellington or Christchurch or Queenstown. To fly on to the US, you would have to go back to Auckland.

Fjordlands is my top pick. make sure the ship goes into Milford Sound and also goes through Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound.  This takes a whole day, from early morning onwards.

Sinbad's rundown in post #4 covers the essentials.  I did enjoy Napier, for both the architecture and the small city vibe and also Timaru, which not many cruise ships visit. If you are a wine lover, do a Marlborough wine tour out of Picton. 

Tauranga is good for a shore excursion visiting Maori cultural sights. I recommend a Te Puia visit. It costs more than some of the others, because the entrance fee is steep, but it has things you won't see elsewhere, like the traditional carving school and the chance to see a real live Kiwi.

One of the other highlights for me was sailing around White Island in the Bay of Plenty, a very active volcano.

[wlbox]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It’s definitely natural scenery we enjoy the most. Wondering if one cruise line tends to offer better sailings to South Island. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Most of the mainstream lines pretty much follow the same South Island itineraries during the peak season, with minor variations. Look at the itineraries, see what appeals to you and come back here if you need more advice or details.

 

As others have said - the ideal is if you can do a one way cruise and spend some time doing some land travel in NZ, especially in the South Island travelling down through the middle of the island and back up the West Coast, then you'll see the parts that cruising won't cover.

[SinbadThePorter]

26 minutes ago, wlbox said:

Wondering if one cruise line tends to offer better sailings to South Island. 

 

Not really, for me it would depend on the ship. For instance, I would prefer to go on Coral Princess or Brilliance of the Seas over Majestic Princess or Ovation of the Seas. But that's just me.

 

As for land travel in NZ, yes it is better in many ways than cruising, but it is also more hassle, more expense and more time consuming. If it was me I would do one or the other, not both at once. But I'm not coming from the other side of the world.

 

The idea of flying into Auckland catching a cruise to Sydney and getting on a TransPacific cruise to go back home sounds appealing.

[wlbox]

Our dream to rent camper van. What months do you suggest for cruise and land travel? Descent weather and less people. 

[wlbox]

My husband’s dream is not to drive in busy regions as he’s getting older. So he’s more likely to want ship travel. We’re in early stages so I have time to convince him😉

[SinbadThePorter]

18 minutes ago, wlbox said:

What months do you suggest for cruise and land travel? Descent weather and less people.

 

For NZ the best months are Dec-Mar.

 

Dec and Jan are school holidays in Oz and NZ.

 

For cruising I recommend Feb and Mar. But if you want to connect to a TransPacific cruise they generally depart in Apr.

 

I don't drive in right side driving countries anymore. I've tried it and it just wears me out mentally. Everything feels wrong and my driving instincts are turned around. I can imagine the same happening to people coming to left side driving countries like Oz and NZ.

Edited June 11, 2023 by SinbadThePorter

[capriccio]

In April we were on a fantastic 28 day Round Australia cruise.  We originally considered adding a round trip New Zealand cruise since we realized we might never get back to that part of the world.  Instead we decided to add a land tour of New Zealand.  This is just a long winded intro in support of the recommendation to do a one way cruise and tack on a land tour of New Zealand!

 

Fly into Sydney.  It is a wonderful, interesting city with plenty of things to see and do.  Spend a few days and get over your jet lag (it was horrible for all 6 of us - wide awake at 3 am and back in bed by 7 pm for 4 days!).  Then cruise out of Sydney.  After the cruise we can highly recommend New Zealand Guided Tours (www.newzealandguidedtours.com).  They will make all the arrangements for you (hotels and guides, etc.).  We spent 7 days on the South Island.  We hiked and e-biked; took a small plane flight, a lake cruise, a helicopter flight that landed on a glacier, and a scenic train.  They will tailor your trip to your interests and the amount of time you have to spend in NZ.  Then fly back to the States from Auckland.  It was incredible and I can't recommend the experience and the company enough.

[JJK2008]

20 hours ago, wlbox said:

What are the best ports and scenic cruising  locations for a New Zealand cruise?  Definitely need help choosing a good cruise on Celebrity, HAL or Princess. We’re from US and it’s a long way so want good itinerary. Even considering returning back via ship. Thank you I’m not knowledgeable about these ports. 

Princess Cruise Lines seems to be the leader in offering the most options for cruising New Zealand. We have a cruise booked for November this year that covers a number of ports for both the north and south islands. It's not ideal but should give us a bit of a taste for New Zealand. Plenty of threads on here with cruises visiting New Zealand that give lots of good info and suggestions. Best of luck.

[sleepingcat]

NZ has lots of wonderful scenery and opportunities for walking, we loved it.  And much of it is not really on the coast so a land tour is good.  We had a month in NZ and then boarded a ship to return to the UK.  We had a camper van for the South Island ( 3 weeks) and a car for the north island (1 week to get us to Auckland for the ship). We never booked ahead for anything (even the sea crossing south to north is easy if you dont have a vehicle), so we made up our own itinerary as we went along, and got good advice from locals and other travellers. 

 

Re driving in NZ, I dont think any of us from Europe or the busy parts of the US could really imagine just how wonderfully quiet, laid back and friendly the south island is, some routes you will hardly see another vehicle.  We flew direct in to Christchurch and hired from there (the camper was prebooked ). 

 

We visited from late January to late February, this meant the NZ school holidays had just finished, so it was quieter, but the weather was still warm and good for  walking but not too hot. for us this fitted in well with UK cruise ship schedules for our return cruise. Good luck and have a wonderful time. 

 

have a look at posts on Australia/NZ ports, there is lots of good advice there, though I couldn't find my own posts to signpost, sorry!

[wlbox]

What company did you use to rent campervan?  Was it difficult to find places for the night? Do you have to stay in campgrounds or are you allowed to boondock?  We’re campers and prefer getting away from everyone and experiencing nature. 

[bazzaw]

Most of the most scenic places in NZ ( western side of South island ) are not really accessable to ship passengers (no ports) and the eastern side is somewhat "bland" in comparison. NZ is an amazing place to visit but a land tour is better than trying to see it by ship. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

12 hours ago, wlbox said:

Our dream to rent camper van. What months do you suggest for cruise and land travel? Descent weather and less people. 

February and March for NZ, both land travel and cruising. The weather tends to be more settled then and school holidays are over. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

5 hours ago, wlbox said:

What company did you use to rent campervan?  Was it difficult to find places for the night? Do you have to stay in campgrounds or are you allowed to boondock?  We’re campers and prefer getting away from everyone and experiencing nature. 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "boondock" but looking at the context I'm guessing it it what's called Freedom Camping here. It is permitted in many places in NZ as long as your campervan is fully self-contained however you should do some research as to where it is permitted.

[capriccio]

44 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

February and March for NZ, both land travel and cruising. The weather tends to be more settled then and school holidays are over. 

The weather was lovely the last week in March this year on the South Island.

[cruiser3775]

If your husband is not confident about driving on the "wrong side" of the road, then I would not recommend a campervan in the South island. The roads are mostly two lane only and very winding in many places. Campervans are big vehicles and not easy to drive. You would be better hiring a standard car and staying in accommodation.There's a company called Top Ten that offers basic cabins in their holiday parks, that might suit you.

I would let someone else do the driving. You can find small group tours in a mini bus, or you could do a tour by train. https://www.greatjourneysnz.com/tours-and-trains/

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

If your husband is not confident about driving on the "wrong side" of the road, then I would not recommend a campervan in the South island. The roads are mostly two lane only and very winding in many places. Campervans are big vehicles and not easy to drive. You would be better hiring a standard car and staying in accommodation.There's a company called Top Ten that offers basic cabins in their holiday parks, that might suit you.

I would let someone else do the driving. You can find small group tours in a mini bus, or you could do a tour by train. https://www.greatjourneysnz.com/tours-and-trains/

You can hire small campervans but most don’t have toilets. Some do so ask. You can’t camp in some private places if you are not self contained. My younger daughter is currently driving around Australia in a campervan.  She can camp in inexpensive RV Parks with toilets.

Once a week they camp in Caravan Parks with full facilities. NZ similiar.

 

 

[wlbox]

Exactly what we’re wanting. Our camper at home is small and we get along fine. Wonder what company to rent from 

[MMDown Under]

9 hours ago, wlbox said:

Exactly what we’re wanting. Our camper at home is small and we get along fine. Wonder what company to rent from 

There is a large selection of camper van rentals in NZ.  Whilst I haven't rented one, names which come to mind are Jucy, Britz and Wilderness.  You can peruse their websites to get an idea of what is available.  Then ask for opinions on the one you like.  NZ is perfect for camper van rental because of narrow roads and short distances.  

 

9 hours ago, wlbox said:

 

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