New Zealand missed ports?

[cbowls30]

Hi

We are researching a cruise to NZ in February, primarily to do the sounds, I've read quite a few posts saying that it's really common for ports to be cancelled on NZ cruises...can anyone share their experience of the weather in February in NZ? Did you have many port cancellations? Thanks 

[dreamin'ofthesea]

It does seem to be common for ships to miss the sounds. We travelled to NZ from Australia January 2020 and missed due to weather

[MicCanberra]

We have been lucky and have never missed them, however it does seem to happen often. Big seas or winds may delay arrival or restrict access or cause an earlier departure. Then there is always the possibility of the hull requiring cleaning or a medical  emergency.

If the sounds are a must see or must do, visit on a land holiday separately or pre or post cruise.

[Muffinz]

Unfortunately you can't predict the weather in advance and there's no way the ship captain will know if they are going to miss a port or not until the morning of that port stop - and this does not just apply to NZ either

 

We had some friends who did a NZ cruise from Sydney and they missed 2 port stops (Auckland / Christchurch?) due to bad weather

 

We did the Great Barrier Reef cruise in 2018 and were supposed to stop in Airlie beach, but the captain came on the PA and said the harbour master in Airlie beach has advised the weather was too rough and we wouldn't be tendering in to Airlie beach.

[arxcards]

We haven't missed a NZ port, but we have been lucky with not having to cruise around a weather event. Missing the fiords seems to be the only hit/miss part of the itinerary excepting for extreme weather conditions.

 

Some ships missed ports last season due to failing the bio-security inspection on their hulls. Most of the cruise lines should have learned from their ignorance of these bio requirements, and I would hope they now have it all sorted.

 

PS: We did miss one port, with Christchurch substituted with Wellington. They had a major earthquake just a few days prior. Things seem much more settled now.

Edited 12 hours ago by arxcards
PS

[cbowls30]

Thanks for the replies, we're coming from the UK so it's a big, and expensive risk! 

[arxcards]

9 minutes ago, cbowls30 said:

Thanks for the replies, we're coming from the UK so it's a big, and expensive risk! 

I get that.

We are bound for the UK next June and face the same risks. Some things we just can't control, but they mostly end up OK on the day.

[Chiliburn]

21 minutes ago, cbowls30 said:

Thanks for the replies, we're coming from the UK so it's a big, and expensive risk! 

Some of the carnival group ship got turned away because of dirty hulls but the weather is pretty unpredictable. One time we got snow in the sounds at the height of summer ,nothing is certain.

If you really want to see Milford sound you might consider flying to Queenstown and go from there. Hire a car or a tour,it’s pretty spectacular.

[Ozwoody]

I don't know that the Sounds are "the" must see, on a cruise to NZ, there are many other must see's there.

We have done four cruises to NZ which included the Sounds, and were lucky and got in on all of them, they are spectacular and a great part of a NZ cruise, however I would not rate them better than many other cruise stops, NZ pretty well is a exploration delight.

February is not a bad time to cruise NZ.

My advise is go and enjoy your trip, every cruise runs a risk of missing a port.

 

[ceeceeDee]

53 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

I don't know that the Sounds are "the" must see, on a cruise to NZ, there are many other must see's there.

We have done four cruises to NZ which included the Sounds, and were lucky and got in on all of them, they are spectacular and a great part of a NZ cruise, however I would not rate them better than many other cruise stops, NZ pretty well is a exploration delight.

February is not a bad time to cruise NZ.

My advise is go and enjoy your trip, every cruise runs a risk of missing a port.

 

We're cruising NZ in February 2026. Really looking forward to it. Thus far the only part of NZ I have seen is the inside of Auckland airport going to and from America. We're fully aware we may not get to the Sound, but as you say John, NZ has some pretty amazing locations.

[fairywren]

This is just my opinion and in no way mean any disrespect, but if the Sounds are the primary reason for travelling all the way from UK to NZ, then I would save my money and do a Norwegian cruise instead.

[SinbadThePorter]

I've been on half a dozen NZ cruises and never missed a port. In the South Pacific islands I've missed not just ports, but entire itineraries. It's all a matter of odds.

 

February in Milford can be anything between miserably cold and wet to sunny and cool.

 

You just take the rough with the smooth. 😀

Edited 7 hours ago by SinbadThePorter

[cruiser3775]

I've only been on one NZ cruise, and we were lucky to get into the fjordland sounds. Milford was in heavy rain, but that only made it more awe inspiring. The weather cleared when we went through Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. Some of the most spectacular cruising I have been on.   So I can understand why it would be such a disappointment if you missed out on that one day of your NZ cruise.  However, if you are coming that far, and your prime aim is to see the sounds, maybe you should pick a cruise that ends in Auckland, and then fly down to Queenstown, and visit the fjordland area from the land side. You can then do some local cruises in smaller ships which will be even more spectacular from a lower viewpoint. Here's a link:

https://www.milford-sound.co.nz/milford-sound-cruises/

 

https://www.fiordland.org.nz/things-to-do/activities/boat-cruises/show/doubtful-sound-overnight-cruises/

Edited 7 hours ago by cruiser3775

[OzKiwiJJ]

We've done four Auckland to Sydney cruises during the peak season and never missed a port. We've also had two NZ port stops each on two longer cruises during early spring and did miss the Bay of Islands on one of those due to strong winds making tendering not viable.

 

Usually the weather in NZ is most settled in February and March, pre-Christmas tends to have more unsettled conditions 

[Relaxing Robbies]

We have done 4 New Zealand cruises. We missed Tauranga once due to bad seas in February, and Napier twice in November/December.

We love cruising through the sounds enjoying the beautiful scenery, and have been fortunate not to miss them.

[Tranquility Base]

11 hours ago, arxcards said:

Some ships missed ports last season due to failing the bio-security inspection on their hulls. 

 

11 hours ago, arxcards said:

 Missing the fiords seems to be the only hit/miss part of the itinerary......

We had both in Dec '22.

Floated offshore Tauranga for 24 hours whilst the divers were down.

 

This caused a missed Dunedin port and Fiordland cruising.

[phoenixx]

11 hours ago, cbowls30 said:

Thanks for the replies, we're coming from the UK so it's a big, and expensive risk! 

February is the most settled month weather wise here in NZ but like all itineraries there are no guarantees.