What would you do again if you had a chance in Aus/NZ?

[scubacruiserx2]

We are going "Down Under" in December.

What tours would you repeat and what tour would you do that you missed?

[SheilaNC]

I'd definitely do a tour to Rotorua in NZ with visits to the geothermal village AND an interesting Maori Hangi (meal and show). You might want to join the Roll Call for your specific cruise to see if there are any groups forming to do shore excursions. Another one that we enjoyed was the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley Wineries tours out of Sydney, but if this is your first time there, there is much to do in Sydney proper that is wonderful (Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Museums, Rocks area (shops and restaurants and market on Sunday). Melbourne has a Free Greeters service out of its Visitors Center - loved having our own tour guide. I could go on and on, this is just a start. I'm sure that others will add their favorites.

[cloakndagger]

Would definately do the glow worm caves in Waitomo NZ.

 

There are some caves that you can abseil into, raft through, and tube through.

Brilliant!!

[cloakndagger]

photos of the glow worm cave.

[LimoBoy]

We are going "Down Under" in December.

What tours would you repeat and what tour would you do that you missed?

If you search the Aussie Boards for the report by Mike Priesmen then i think you will find a whole lot of info on things to do, his report is just great. I will try and find a link to it for you.

[LimoBoy]

Heres the link to their web site with the NZ and Aussie cruise review. http://www.thepreismans.com/

[scubacruiserx2]

Thank you for all your firsthand insite, recommendations and pictures.

I am soooo excited about this trip!:)

[tomtal]

Australia is absolutely wonderful! If we had the chance to go again - probably not because of the distance from London - would definitely return to the GBR. We were there early December and the weather was wonderful and the Great Barrier Reef was one of the highlights of our trip, together with Sydney - so much to see. A definite miss, without the slightest doubt, would be the Sounds of Silence dinner at Ayres Rock, although would very much like to have spent longer at the Rock itself. Have a great trip.

[agabbymama]

I've been to Australia twice. In '90 we did 3 weeks (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Alice Springs, & Cairns), liked it so well we went back in '95 for 4 weeks (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide, Perth & Darwin). We had a standing joke that we had more flight time than the Australian Air Force as some of the flights were not direct. I thought we could fly from Alice Springs direct to Cairns, but ended up having to fly back to Sydney, then on to Cairns. Then we had to fly from Darwin back to Sydney for our flight home. We crisscrossed Australia so many times, it wasn't funny.

 

If I could go again, I'd like to add New Zealand. We concentrated only on Australia the first two times and I'm sorry we didn't include New Zealand

at that time, as now my husband says he's done traveling outside the U.S.

 

It's such a long costly flight, really should make the most of the time downunder to see it all.

[jagoffee]

I would spend more time in Sydney, 3 days was not near enough. I would visit Mt. Cook in N.Z again and spend time in Queentown if I could.

[mochuck]

Last time we were in NZ we went to Mt Cook and did a fabulous Tasman Glacier tour. I can't remember which company we did it with but I googled it and found this which sounds pretty much like what we did

 

Tasman Glacier Tour

 

I don't remember it being that expensive but it was 5 years ago.

 

Actually THIS is the one we did. it was great. We all got sunburnt from the lake's reflection, so make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen. Its an amazing experience. My daughter and my niece (they were 19) got to climb on to a piece of glacier that had sheared off and was floating in the water. We have some fantastic photos. I'll have to see if I can finds them

[JLC@SD]

We stayed a few days in Sydney precruise.........and then flew to Queenstown NZ post cruise. I would try to stay a few days pre and post cruise.......there is plenty to see and do.

[jane02]

Without a doubt - the best place in Australia to visit is the Kimberley region. There is absolutely nothing like it. We have travelled from Darwin to Broome on a cruise and the scenery and history was amazing. I would highly recommend it if you have the time.

The best time to go is in May/June - just after the wet season and all of the waterfalls are full - its magic.;)

[nansi]

We are going "Down Under" in December.

What tours would you repeat and what tour would you do that you missed?

 

We went last Nov-Dec and our weather was great in every port. Also lots of babies are being born this time of year...penguins, birds, sea lions etc.

 

Here's what we did where:

 

Auckland: had dinner in the Sky Tower. Romantic, fantastic and worth it.

 

Tauranga: rented a minivan with another couple, drove to the Glow Worm Caves in Waitomo, then crossed back through the center of the countryside over to Rotorua to see the geothermal area. A lot mileage to do in one day, but the scenery through the country was amazing, as were the friendly New Zealander's we met (the first when we knocked on a farmhouse door to get directions, we were so lost!!....and the second, a very nice man who stopped when we got a flat tire and couldn't locate the jack anywhere. He not only lent us his jack, he changed the tire for us, refusing any kind of monetary compensation we offered). A great adventure and lots of laughs!

 

Napier: In the morning we rented 2 motorbikes from Bikes d'Vine and with our little maps, drove to the wineries. Lots of fun. Had a quick bite in town, then met our van to tour the Gannett Colony in the afternoon. Gannett Safari Co. drove us right back to the ship by 5pm. We booked them privately (I believe they took the HAL people out in the morning). GREAT EXPERIENCE standing right next to hundreds of these birds sitting on their nests on a bluff high above the turquoise sea below. Some chicks born already, lots of activity going on...we could have stayed and watched for hours had we the time.

 

Wellington: Our rental car failed to show up, so we opted to walk the city and tour the Te Papa Museum which was very interesting. Also took the cable car to the top of the city for some great views.

 

Picton: We couldn't find anything interesting to do in Picton (during our pre-cruise researching)...so decided to rent a car and drive 2 hours down the spectacular coastline to Kaikoura where we took a helicopter ride over a humongous sperm whale and over hundreds of dolphins all jumping out of the water (with people snorkeling with them off a boat...wish we had the time for that!!). Great experience and definitely worth the drive!

 

Christchurch: Rented a car and drove up into the Alps ...awesome scenery. Took pretty much the same route as the Trans apline train (which we had wanted to do but it was totally overpriced). On our way back down we stopped and did a Jet Boat ride on a turquoise colored glacial river...2 hours of excitement and gorgeous scenery.

 

Dundedin: Booked a tour with Elm Wildlife Tours. and I have to say it was the highlight of our entire cruise. An incredible day with Brian on private property where we saw the first sealion pups of the season being born and taking their first steps; walked on a beach with 1000 lb hooker sealions and watched yellow-eyed penguins come out of the sea and climb up a steep hill to their nests. It was like a day on the Discovery Channel in real life. Or National Geographic. Worth every penny and then some!

 

Tasmania: Rented a car, drove to The Nut. Not that exciting, but interesting to see the countryside.

 

Melbourne: Took the ship tour of Koalas and Kangaroos. 3 busloads of people, bus wouldn't stop when we saw animals in the kangaroo park...koalas were at the tops of the tree, hard to really see without binoculars. Very disappointed with entire thing and it was expensive to boot. We never learn to stay away from ship tours!!!

 

Sydney: Met friends and walked everywhere. GREAT city, lots to see, very easy to get around. If you can, go see the Queen Victoria Mall...it's like nothing else you have ever seen anywhere! Also check out the Strand, Darling Harbor, the Rocks, and the Opera house.

 

Brisbane: disembarked here. But we did drive about an hour north to see the Steve Irwin Australia Zoo. Reminded us of Busch Gardens in Tampa, but with much cooler animals and we were so close to the Koala's we could almost touch them! Great outing for a day. Sad reminders of Steve everywhere though.

 

That's all folks!

Nancy

 

PS...Hi tomtal!!:)

[konatyme]

Nancy,

Did you book the Elm Wildlife Tour on your own? (via the Internet?) And did they pick you up near where the ship docks, or did you have to get into Dunedin on your own? How long was the tour? Did you do anything else there, if the tour didn't last all day? We're trying to decide what to do when we're there in Oct. & would appreciate any help. We know that we want to do something on the Otago Peninsula & see some wildlife, but there are so many choices & we'd like to be sure we pick something good.

Thanks for your help!

[nansi]

Nancy,

Did you book the Elm Wildlife Tour on your own? (via the Internet?) And did they pick you up near where the ship docks, or did you have to get into Dunedin on your own? How long was the tour? Did you do anything else there, if the tour didn't last all day? We're trying to decide what to do when we're there in Oct. & would appreciate any help. We know that we want to do something on the Otago Peninsula & see some wildlife, but there are so many choices & we'd like to be sure we pick something good.

Thanks for your help!

 

Hi kona...here is a report of that excursion. We booked it on their website and corresponded via email before we left for our journey. The following should answer most of your questions; I had posted this on Trip Advisor, so I'm just copying and pasting here:

 

Brian picked us up right at the pier when we docked in the morning, driving a brand new Kia SUV. By the way, we were 2 couples on this tour. Did a little tour around the town of Dunedin and then the surrounding areas on our way to the Albatross Colony. Saw a few Alb's sitting on nests, none flying, and the place felt very touristy compared to where we would go later. Had lunch in their cafeteria, and used their facilities before we headed out (I read a post where someone decided not to take Elm because they were afraid there were no facilities...so I'll mention where we "went" in this report to alleviate future worries).

 

Next we drove to a different part of the peninsula through a private golf course ($400 for a round of golf w/o a cart!!!) and then through some spectacular rolling hills on a dirt road, sheep grazing everywhere, until we arrived at the coast. (Just before we got to the coast, we passed a modern farm building with modern "facilities" and were asked if we needed to go...no one did so we drove on).

 

We parked on the top of a bluff, and got out and walked down a path to the bottom, where a colony of seals were laying around on the rocks...and we were lucky enough to witness the first 2 pups of the season being born and taking their first steps. I want to add here that this is on private property, and Brian is the conservationist who is keeping tabs on what animals are doing what, at any given time. We were literally the only humans in this place, making it all the more special. Brian knows everything there is to know about the wildlife on this peninsula.

 

After this we got in the SUV again and drove over more bluffs until we came to a beautiful beach below. Completely void of humans of course, since it's again, private property. We got out and walked down a path to the beach, where we walked within a few feet of a 1000 lb. male Hooker Sea Lion who was just laying in the sand resting. He was HUGE, but barely lifted his head up as we walked by (I have a great photo of him with one eye open looking at us). A little further down the beach we came upon a female, who was half the size of the male, but still pretty darn big. She hobbled over to Brian, who stayed cool, and just held out his binoculars for her to sniff, telling us not to worry, "She's just curious." HA! The four of us walked a little faster down the beach as Brian held her off and then joined us. Pretty exciting stuff!

 

We walked further down the beach until Brian said "stop right here" and pointed to a figure coming out of the sea ahead of us. It was a yellow-eyed penguin, returning from catching a bunch of fish and just about to climb up the steep hill before us to get to his nest, where his "wife" was with the newborn chicks, waiting for him. Brian quickly guided us up a path up the hill, which brought us to a little shack (what you might call a "hide" or a "blind" perhaps). We went in, and Brian opened up all the sides so we could look out and watch this 4 ft. fellow hop from rock to rock up the hill until he was as high as we were...to arrive at his nest just next to this shack we were in. To make it even better (as if this wasn't already enough), Brian had a webcam set up IN the nest, which he turned on, just as the male arrived. We could see the female greeting him...they were like long lost lovers...stroking each other and making love noises. And then we could see the 2 chicks and they were really hungry because the female had given them everything she had, and she was nearly done in with no food or water for the past few hours. As the male settled in to feed the chicks (as we watched on the closed circuit TV), the female then began her long treck back down the mountain to the sea. You could tell she was very weak, and as she neared the bottom, another penguin was just heading up with a full load of fish in his belly, going to another nest up the hill. They passed one another on the path, but both intent on their own missions, ignored one another.

 

Normally you would only be able to observe penguins at dawn or dusk when they arrive from or go to the sea. This can be difficult to achieve when your cruise ship is in port from 8am and leaves by 6pm. The fact that we were able to see these beautiful little animals at all was pretty amazing. However, I don't know if it would be possible if they weren't nesting at the time. If we hadn't done this tour with Brian, I doubt we would have been able to see any penguins at all because of the ship's schedule. And to see them here in their natural surroundings, where very few humans have access, was incredible.

 

And just for the record, on our drive back out, we did stop at the barn and used the very clean, modern toilet facilities. Then back along the coastal road around the Otago peninsula to Dunedin, where Brian offered to take us anywhere we wished. It was getting late, so we declined the generous offer, and he drove us back to the ship at 5pm just before the plank went up. All in all a fantastic day! I would recommend this tour for anyone!

 

Nancy

[konatyme]

Thanks for the great report!:)

[scubacruiserx2]

We went last Nov-Dec and our weather was great in every port. Also lots of babies are being born this time of year...penguins, birds, sea lions etc.

 

Here's what we did where:

 

Auckland: had dinner in the Sky Tower. Romantic, fantastic and worth it.

 

Tauranga: rented a minivan with another couple, drove to the Glow Worm Caves in Waitomo, then crossed back through the center of the countryside over to Rotorua to see the geothermal area. A lot mileage to do in one day, but the scenery through the country was amazing, as were the friendly New Zealander's we met (the first when we knocked on a farmhouse door to get directions, we were so lost!!....and the second, a very nice man who stopped when we got a flat tire and couldn't locate the jack anywhere. He not only lent us his jack, he changed the tire for us, refusing any kind of monetary compensation we offered). A great adventure and lots of laughs!

 

Napier: In the morning we rented 2 motorbikes from Bikes d'Vine and with our little maps, drove to the wineries. Lots of fun. Had a quick bite in town, then met our van to tour the Gannett Colony in the afternoon. Gannett Safari Co. drove us right back to the ship by 5pm. We booked them privately (I believe they took the HAL people out in the morning). GREAT EXPERIENCE standing right next to hundreds of these birds sitting on their nests on a bluff high above the turquoise sea below. Some chicks born already, lots of activity going on...we could have stayed and watched for hours had we the time.

 

Wellington: Our rental car failed to show up, so we opted to walk the city and tour the Te Papa Museum which was very interesting. Also took the cable car to the top of the city for some great views.

 

Picton: We couldn't find anything interesting to do in Picton (during our pre-cruise researching)...so decided to rent a car and drive 2 hours down the spectacular coastline to Kaikoura where we took a helicopter ride over a humongous sperm whale and over hundreds of dolphins all jumping out of the water (with people snorkeling with them off a boat...wish we had the time for that!!). Great experience and definitely worth the drive!

 

Christchurch: Rented a car and drove up into the Alps ...awesome scenery. Took pretty much the same route as the Trans apline train (which we had wanted to do but it was totally overpriced). On our way back down we stopped and did a Jet Boat ride on a turquoise colored glacial river...2 hours of excitement and gorgeous scenery.

 

Dundedin: Booked a tour with Elm Wildlife Tours. and I have to say it was the highlight of our entire cruise. An incredible day with Brian on private property where we saw the first sealion pups of the season being born and taking their first steps; walked on a beach with 1000 lb hooker sealions and watched yellow-eyed penguins come out of the sea and climb up a steep hill to their nests. It was like a day on the Discovery Channel in real life. Or National Geographic. Worth every penny and then some!

 

Tasmania: Rented a car, drove to The Nut. Not that exciting, but interesting to see the countryside.

 

Melbourne: Took the ship tour of Koalas and Kangaroos. 3 busloads of people, bus wouldn't stop when we saw animals in the kangaroo park...koalas were at the tops of the tree, hard to really see without binoculars. Very disappointed with entire thing and it was expensive to boot. We never learn to stay away from ship tours!!!

 

Sydney: Met friends and walked everywhere. GREAT city, lots to see, very easy to get around. If you can, go see the Queen Victoria Mall...it's like nothing else you have ever seen anywhere! Also check out the Strand, Darling Harbor, the Rocks, and the Opera house.

 

Brisbane: disembarked here. But we did drive about an hour north to see the Steve Irwin Australia Zoo. Reminded us of Busch Gardens in Tampa, but with much cooler animals and we were so close to the Koala's we could almost touch them! Great outing for a day. Sad reminders of Steve everywhere though.

 

That's all folks!

Nancy

 

PS...Hi tomtal!!:)

Wow Nancy,

Thanks for taking the time to share some great information.

I guess I am going to have to take my vitamins( or Red Bull) to get to all the great stuff.

Thank you.

Pat

[Bucky3]

Just beginning to research this part of the world! Thanks so much for the great information here.

[bne54]

Hello Nancy,

I am going to NZ and Aussie HAL Sept 2008. The trips you did in Tauranga and Napier were they organized before you got to port. And did you need a motor bike license for the bikes. That sounds like a lot of fun. Any addresses, names of companies etc you have would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks Jennifer

gypsyjennifer@hotmail.com

[nansi]

Hi Jen, sorry I didn't see your post until today....but here is the info.

 

We made all our arrangements via the internet before we left for the trip, including all the car rentals. We used Pegasus when we needed a car, due to the fact that they would pick you up at the pier and drive you back to the ship when returning the vehicle, as well as the fact that they were cheap. The one drawback is that their vehicles are not new, so I'd suggest checking the (bald) tires before you take the car. We got a flat on our way from the Waitomo caves to Rotorua and they had the nerve to charge us for a new tire to replace the flat! When you do a Google search, put in "Pegasus+Picton" for example, so you find the one for the city you need it for. I believe they are all franchises with different owners.

 

We didn't make any reservations for the caves or for Rotorua... we just went.

 

The scooters were from Bike d'Vine, run by a couple of sisters, who picked us up in town (for a little extra) and drove us back when we were finished. I would suggest reserving with them, as they only have 2 scooters! Their main business is bicycles. (Scooters are brand new). Due to the time element, we wanted to get around quickly, since we wanted to see the Gannett's in the afternoon, so scooters were the way to go. No special license needed, they are similar to the scooters you'd drive in Bermuda. Very easy to operate...but again, be aware that you drive on the left. However, mostly country roads here.

 

http://www.bikedevine.com (email: info@bikedevine.com)

http://www.gannetsafaris.com (email: gannetsafaris@xtra.co.nz)

 

To put it in perspective, the Waitomo Caves tour costs $199 pp if you go through HAL. And Cape Kidnappers Safari (gannets) cost $121 pp. The Wineries coast $95 pp with their bus tour.

 

Hope this helps.

[liketotravel]

When you said you "just went" to the Waitomo Caves - how did you get there - by rental Car? How far were they from the port - and did you feel like you had enough time? thanks for your help

[nansi]

We rented a car from Pegasus in Tauranga and drove to Waitomo caves. What I meant by "we just went to" the caves....I meant we didn't make any reservations for the cave tours ahead of time. We just drove there ourselves. If you just do the caves as your excursion for the day you have more than enough time. We did the caves and then drove across back to Rotorua in the same day. It's a lot to do both in one day, so you'll have lots of time if you only do the caves. If I remember, it was about a 90 minute ride to the caves...but we tried a "short cut" and got totally lost in the countryside for another hour. We finally stopped at a farmhouse and knocked on the door for directions. That's one nice thing....all the people are so friendly and helpful wherever you go.

 

Another suggestion: Go to Google maps before you leave home and print out a map and the turn by turn directions from the port to the caves and back. It'll be much better than any map that the car rental companies give you; and don't take any short cuts ;)

[TENNCruisers]

We were in Australia in 2007. We will be there in Nov of this year and we will plan on doing the Harbour Bridge Climb in Sydney. We didn't do it the first time and we were sorry that we didn't do it. Everyone on our cruise that went on it really enjoyed it.

[BeBes Girl]

We were in Australia in 2007. We will be there in Nov of this year and we will plan on doing the Harbour Bridge Climb in Sydney. We didn't do it the first time and we were sorry that we didn't do it. Everyone on our cruise that went on it really enjoyed it.

 

Will this be difficult for someone with a slight knee problem?

 

Janice