Excursions for Australia & New Zealand

[Teachkids2]

Hi, 

We are stopping at the following ports and are wondering what are the best excursions/places to see & visit. Eden, Burnie, Melbourne, Sydney in Australia

Dunedin, Lyttleton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Aukland. 
We are on NCL but looking at other excursions from other vendors.

Thanks

[OzKiwiJJ]

If a Cradle Mountain excursion is offered from Burnie then I recommend it. The Cradle Mountain National Park is beautiful, plus you'll get to see a fair bit of the Tasmanian countryside as well. It's a long day trip though.

[RosieCanberra]

Circular Quay, Sydney is where the ferries leave from, and where the ship docks. There is a train station there as well. Also buses, taxis, tourist and souvenir shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants, McDonalds, Starbucks.

Blue Mountains (2 hours from Sydney) - catch a train from Sydney to Katoomba station. There is a hop on hop off bus. You can also pick up a coach tour from Sydney.

Kiama (2 hours south from Sydney) - catch a train from Sydney to Kiama station. Beaches, blowhole, lovely coast. Nice day trip.

Sydney Harbour - catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. Great views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. On arrival at Manly follow the crowds down the Corso to the beach. Heaps of restaurants, cafes, pubs. Another nice ferry ride back to Circular Quay. You can also catch a ferry to Taronga Zoo, has to be the best view of any Zoo in the world. Buy your Zoo and ferry tickets at Wharf 4, Circular Quay.

Sydney - The Rocks - historic area, lots of old buildings, nice old pubs, lots of opportunities for Bridge photos, restaurants and shopping. This area is next to where the ship docks.

Sydney Opera House and Botanic Gardens - get off train at Circular Quay and walk towards and around opera house, the gardens on the other side are the start of the Botanic Gardens. Food and drinks are available everywhere.
Other places of interest in this area - NSW Art Gallery, Museum, St Mary's Cathedral. All are located just after the Botanic gardens and are easily walkable.

Darling Harbour and Chinatown - located a short walk from Town Hall Station. Restaurants, bars, shopping, markets, aquarium, cruises. Lots to see and do.

Bondi Beach - bus 333 leaves from Museum Station, Sydney. Can also catch train from Martin Place to Bondi Junction, bus leaves from station to beach.



 

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, Teachkids2 said:

Hi, 

We are stopping at the following ports and are wondering what are the best excursions/places to see & visit. Eden, Burnie, Melbourne, Sydney in Australia

Dunedin, Lyttleton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Aukland. 
We are on NCL but looking at other excursions from other vendors.

Thanks

Eden and Burnie have free shuttles into town, and Melbourne has an inexpensive tram system, including one that runs from the port to the city. There is also a free city circle tram to hop between attractions. If you are docking at OPT (Circular Quay) in Sydney, you are adjacent to one of the main public transport hubs and you can travel in all directions via bus, train, light rail & ferries. A day on the ferries is great value between Darling Harbour, Manly, Taronga Zoo and more. If you are docked at White Bay, you will need a cab/uber to get you from the wharf to the city.

 

For Burnie, their Hellyers Road Whiskey has a decent distillery tour you can access by a public bus from the shopping centre. Quite a decent drop if you are in to that kind of thing.

 

Eden - we just like to walk and look around to burn-off breakfast. There are markets at the pier, a decent Whale museum, and great coffee. Depending on the time of year, it is a good spot for whale watching tours.

[Belmont Babe]

If there are just two of you, I highly recommend Great Southern Trike Tours in Eden. We had an absolutely fabulous half-hour tour on the trike around the town, and out into the countryside. Book online, pay cash on the day. Pick up and return to the pier. Shane and Mandy really looked after us. https://greatsoutherntriketours.com.au/    or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063534278596

[aussielozzie18]

Bus 333 that goes to Bondi Beach starts its journey at Circular Quay.  

[possum52]

2 hours ago, arxcards said:

Eden and Burnie have free shuttles into town, and Melbourne has an inexpensive tram system, including one that runs from the port to the city. There is also a free city circle tram to hop between attractions. If you are docking at OPT (Circular Quay) in Sydney, you are adjacent to one of the main public transport hubs and you can travel in all directions via bus, train, light rail & ferries. A day on the ferries is great value between Darling Harbour, Manly, Taronga Zoo and more. If you are docked at White Bay, you will need a cab/uber to get you from the wharf to the city.

 

For Burnie, their Hellyers Road Whiskey has a decent distillery tour you can access by a public bus from the shopping centre. Quite a decent drop if you are in to that kind of thing.

 

Eden - we just like to walk and look around to burn-off breakfast. There are markets at the pier, a decent Whale museum, and great coffee. Depending on the time of year, it is a good spot for whale watching tours.

All trams in Melbourne CBD are free, just cost once outside the green zone on the map below.

[OzKiwiJJ]

For Dunedin I suggest a tour that goes to the Albatross Sanctuary, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle, the Dunedin Railway Station and Baldwin St (steepest street in the world). The other option is to do the Taieri Gorge train trip. 

 

Lyttelton - Christchurch and visit the Antarctic Centre.

 

Napier is famous for its Art Deco architecture throughout the town. You can pick up a self-tour map at the Information Centre where the shuttle buses stop.

 

There are two major attractions from Tauranga. One is Rotorua for Maori culture and geothermal sights. The other is Hobbiton but it seems to be hard to find excursions there at the moment.

[MMDown Under]

11 minutes ago, possum52 said:

All trams in Melbourne CBD are free, just cost once outside the green zone on the map below.

That is a handy map for visitors to have, Leigh.  

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

For Dunedin I suggest a tour that goes to the Albatross Sanctuary, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle, the Dunedin Railway Station and Baldwin St (steepest street in the world). The other option is to do the Taieri Gorge train trip. 

 

Lyttelton - Christchurch and visit the Antarctic Centre.

 

Napier is famous for its Art Deco architecture throughout the town. You can pick up a self-tour map at the Information Centre where the shuttle buses stop.

 

There are two major attractions from Tauranga. One is Rotorua for Maori culture and geothermal sights. The other is Hobbiton but it seems to be hard to find excursions there at the moment.

I caught the local bus to Tauranga, where I had my best shopping in NZ.  We also walked around Mount Maunganui township, which has a beautiful main beach.  Great place to relax at one of the beachside cafes.  We had stayed at Rotorua previously, which is unique and well worth a visit.  

[yarramar]

8 hours ago, Teachkids2 said:

Hi, 

We are stopping at the following ports and are wondering what are the best excursions/places to see & visit. Eden, Burnie, Melbourne, Sydney in Australia

Dunedin, Lyttleton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Aukland. 
We are on NCL but looking at other excursions from other vendors.

Thanks

If you want more specific advice, tell us your interests, number in party, ages etc.

I would suggest that you could always do better to do anything other than take the excursions offered by NCL and sitting on a bus with 5o other people, however, Eden is a difficult one as it is only on the list because it has facilities to take a large ship. Eden itself is (IMO) a horrible place to be avoided if possible. The surrounds, though, are beautiful so taking a shuttle into town would not be my idea of a good use of valuable sightseeing.

A day trip to Cradle Mountain from Burnie is worthwhile if you love nature and views.

Melbourne & Sydney both have a huge variety of things to do depending upon your interests

[OzKiwiJJ]

15 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I caught the local bus to Tauranga, where I had my best shopping in NZ.  We also walked around Mount Maunganui township, which has a beautiful main beach.  Great place to relax at one of the beachside cafes.  We had stayed at Rotorua previously, which is unique and well worth a visit.  

Last season they started a new ferry service across to Tauranga. It leaves from a wharf right next to the cruise dock.

[MMDown Under]

4 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Last season they started a new ferry service across to Tauranga. It leaves from a wharf right next to the cruise dock.

That would be a handy ferry service.  

[queenslander]

I am taking a ship tour to Merimbula where I can walk around on my own.  I think it’s much nicer than Eden! 
As I have two port days in Melbourne I have booked a trip along the Great Ocean Rd - which is very scenic! 
In Adelaide the Barossa Valley and Hahndorf are great places to visit. On my next cruise I have booked a full day trip including Hahndorf , Victor Harbour and Mc Laren Vale wineries. 

[cruiselvr04]

17 hours ago, queenslander said:
In Adelaide the Barossa Valley and Hahndorf are great places to visit. On my next cruise I have booked a full day trip including Hahndorf , Victor Harbour and Mc Laren Vale wineries. 

Can you tell me where you found this tour?  I’m having a hard time finding anything from Adelaide, even through the cruiseline.  

[queenslander]

28 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Can you tell me where you found this tour?  I’m having a hard time finding anything from Adelaide, even through the cruiseline.  

BOS tours Adelaide

[shireboi]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:17 AM, OzKiwiJJ said:

Last season they started a new ferry service across to Tauranga. It leaves from a wharf right next to the cruise dock.

 

it's not cheap  $N15 return.  

https://taurangaharbourferry.rezdy.com/

 

We'll be getting the day bus pass for $N7.80 and taking a few trips around the areas

https://faqs.baybus.co.nz/hc/en-nz/articles/7305813525135-Tauranga-Urban-and-School-Bus-Fares

 

MAKE SURE you have $NZ cash if you want to do this !!

 

maps 

https://www.baybus.co.nz/tauranga-western-bay/tauranga-and-western-bay/

Edited October 26, 2023 by shireboi

[yarramar]

5 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Can you tell me where you found this tour?  I’m having a hard time finding anything from Adelaide, even through the cruiseline.  

These are the tours @queenslander was mentioning.https://www.bumsonseats.com.au/adelaide-cruise-ship-tours/

[queenslander]

34 minutes ago, yarramar said:

These are the tours @queenslander was mentioning.https://www.bumsonseats.com.au/adelaide-cruise-ship-tours/

I’m on the Adelaide Highlights tour which is a whole day tour. 

[sleepingcat]

15 hours ago, yarramar said:

Can you tell me where you found this tour?  I’m having a hard time finding anything from Adelaide, even through the cruiseline.

our day in Adelaide was ship shuttle to middle of the city then a bus to the zoo where we spent a lot of the day including our lunch and meeting all the Australian wildlife ( I couldn't let my husband visit oz without seeing kangaroos and wallabies), bus back to the shopping district where I bought a fab handbag and back to the ship on shuttle. a low cost day out with everything we wanted. would love to explore Adelaide again, perhaps on another RWC, its a lovely place.

[Teachkids2]

On 10/24/2023 at 1:12 AM, possum52 said:

All trams in Melbourne CBD are free, just cost once outside the green zone on the map below.

Thanks for the information

 

[Teachkids2]

Thank you for the map and information.

[Teachkids2]

On 10/24/2023 at 5:06 AM, yarramar said:

If you want more specific advice, tell us your interests, number in party, ages etc.

I would suggest that you could always do better to do anything other than take the excursions offered by NCL and sitting on a bus with 5o other people, however, Eden is a difficult one as it is only on the list because it has facilities to take a large ship. Eden itself is (IMO) a horrible place to be avoided if possible. The surrounds, though, are beautiful so taking a shuttle into town would not be my idea of a good use of valuable sightseeing.

A day trip to Cradle Mountain from Burnie is worthwhile if you love nature and views.

Melbourne & Sydney both have a huge variety of things to do depending upon your interests

There are 8 adults in our party ranging in ages from 54-78.  We don't mind doing separate excursions. We are looking for recommendations on seeing wildlife.  In Sydney do you recommend the Taronga Zoo, Wildlife Sydney Zoo, or Sea Life Aquarium? 

 

On NCL we have booked the following excursions.  Not sure if we will take them all.  Please let me know if you have been on any of these and if so please provide feedback.

Eden ~ Cruise to Twofold Bay

Burnie ~ Devils & Roos (Wings Park Farm)

Melbourne ~ Healsville Sanctuary (we have decided only to do one of these either this one or Burnie or if we should just do the one in Sydney and scrap both of these)

Lyttleton Discovery Cruise

[possum52]

1 hour ago, Teachkids2 said:

There are 8 adults in our party ranging in ages from 54-78.  We don't mind doing separate excursions. We are looking for recommendations on seeing wildlife.  In Sydney do you recommend the Taronga Zoo, Wildlife Sydney Zoo, or Sea Life Aquarium? 

 

On NCL we have booked the following excursions.  Not sure if we will take them all.  Please let me know if you have been on any of these and if so please provide feedback.

Eden ~ Cruise to Twofold Bay

Burnie ~ Devils & Roos (Wings Park Farm)

Melbourne ~ Healsville Sanctuary (we have decided only to do one of these either this one or Burnie or if we should just do the one in Sydney and scrap both of these)

Lyttleton Discovery Cruise

For Australian wildlife, out of Burnie and Melbourne, I would prefer Healesville Sanctuary which only has Australian wildlife whereas Devils and Roos by their website has other wildlife from around the world. I wouldn't think that if you are looking for Australian wildlife, a meerkat or ostrich is what you are looking for. If you don't have any other excursions in Melbourne, do Healesville and then you have a whole day in Sydney to explore.

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, Teachkids2 said:

There are 8 adults in our party ranging in ages from 54-78.  We don't mind doing separate excursions. We are looking for recommendations on seeing wildlife.  In Sydney do you recommend the Taronga Zoo, Wildlife Sydney Zoo, or Sea Life Aquarium? 

 

On NCL we have booked the following excursions.  Not sure if we will take them all.  Please let me know if you have been on any of these and if so please provide feedback.

Eden ~ Cruise to Twofold Bay

Burnie ~ Devils & Roos (Wings Park Farm)

Melbourne ~ Healsville Sanctuary (we have decided only to do one of these either this one or Burnie or if we should just do the one in Sydney and scrap both of these)

Lyttleton Discovery Cruise

Taronga Zoo definitely,  Apart from the animals and birds, it has a spectacular view over the Harbour to the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  You can catch the Taronga Zoo ferry there from Circular Quay, then the local bus to the top entrance.  It is easier to walk down at the zoo.