need help deciding on excursions for New Zealand and Australia

[mcozy]

We are booked on Oceania(Nautica) sailing January 22,2009

 

Ports are Tauranga,Napier,Wellington,Christchurch,Dunedin,Hobart,Melbourne and Sydney

 

I want to see the beauty of New Zealand,the habitat,culture etc.

 

I do not know which tours to select.

Has anyone been on this cruise,and could they help me with the selections?

Which Oceania tours are good?

Where is it better to book a private tour?

Is it possible to do some ports on your own with no tour?

Thanks,

I would appreciate any help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[infohound]

In most ports of call it is possible to do a private tour, just google 'SHORE TRIPS followed by the port of call name and you should find a heap of links that can help. Some of the main tour activities get booked up by the ship so yo may need the help of a local tour company to get round this. Sel drive rental cars are a possibility but more stressfull. There are a lot of suggestions on the NZ/AUS postings for various companies in each port so have a look through those for some guidance.

[Rickey 88]

Cozy,

We were on the Nautica last winter - same cruise. Please understand that Oceania's tours are run and operated by local operators. Oceania simply makes the arrangements and handles the bookings. You can usually book your tours on your own by doing a search and contracting the operator direct. However, please be aware of one important thing - should an Oceania tour be late, the ship will wait until they return. If you are on your own and are late, you're out of luck!

 

We were on a Melbourne tour and were over half an hour late getting back, but the captain waited (fuming, I'm sure)....

 

I would suggest one tour that you might book direct, and that is the Tiara Gorge Railway. Oceania charged an excessive fee, whereas you might be able to do it for much less if you contacted them direct at: http://www.taieri.co.nz/

 

Wellington is a great city and the ship docks so you can easily walk into the main part of town.

 

Some of the other ports we did not go, as it was raining, so I can't comment.

 

However, if you do some searching, you would be able to get enough information to answer any of your questions. Asking for personal recommendations from others is a bit dicey.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[kiwijo]

Hiya, You've got a Wellington resident here so I'd definitely encourage you to get off the ship and come and play in NZ's capital city! You can't beat Wellington for NZ's culture - Te Papa is the national museum, one of the new generation museums with lots of interactivity and also a great gift shop! It's right on the waterfront so if it's a nice day, you can make your way easily there. Otherwise, cabs around town don't cost very much - probably no more than $10NZ from port to the museum. There are some great day tours that can also introduce you to NZ's nature and culture - have a look at Flat Earth's Wild Wellington and Treasures of Wellington tours - they're probably sold onboard as well. www.flatearth.co.nz

 

Wellington's tourism website has a page of suggestions for cruise visitors - browse www.wellingtonnz.com

 

And for New Zealand's nature, Karori Sanctuary is a lovely place to spend some time. It's very close to the city and has some very ambitious conservation goals - www.karorisanctuary.org.nz

 

If the weather isn't great, there's still Te Papa, great shopping and take some time, sit in one of the cafes and watch the locals .. we're big on cafe culture here!

 

Have a great time!

[Cush1964]

In most ports of call it is possible to do a private tour, just google 'SHORE TRIPS followed by the port of call name and you should find a heap of links that can help. Some of the main tour activities get booked up by the ship so yo may need the help of a local tour company to get round this. Sel drive rental cars are a possibility but more stressfull. There are a lot of suggestions on the NZ/AUS postings for various companies in each port so have a look through those for some guidance.

 

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Hello Mount Classic Tours, do you think that it is fair that you "disguise" yourself as an "information animal" supposedly providing fellow travellers with unbiased experiences from a fellow traveller when in actual fact YOU ARE THE TOUR OPERATOR.

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