DESTINATIONS CRUISE |NEW ZEALAND


SIGHTS IN the SOUNDS


If wind and weather allow, most cruises around South Island aim to include a


few hours of scenic sailing in the sounds (which are actually fiords – spelt with an i in New Zealand – but misnamed by British


explorers of old). Milford is the most spectacular, with soaring peaks and tumbling waterfalls. Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound, named by Captain Cook because he didn’t think he could navigate inside one and first saw the other at dusk, are less dramatic but beautiful nonetheless.


KIWI CRUISING Despite some lines reducing their focus on this region, many still sail to New Zealand between December and March, the southern hemisphere summer. Cruises are typically two weeks long and most depart from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Big-ship options include


Norwegian Cruise Line, which has 11-day sailings between Sydney and Auckland from £1,475 (excluding flights) in February 2027, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival, Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line. Princess Cruises is so buoyed by


the more welcoming environment that it has two ships sailing round-trip from Sydney and Brisbane to New Zealand, or one-way between Sydney and Auckland. Prices start from £1,329 for 14 days departing from Brisbane in February 2027, excluding flights. In the smaller ship arena, Oceania Cruises slips a 17-day voyage from Perth to Auckland (departing January 7, 2027) in among a few sailings between


44 16 APRIL 2026


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Azamara Quest in Christchurch; Waitangi Treaty Grounds;


Majestic Princess in Milford Sound PICTURES: Jenna Taplin-Jenna Lyn Photography; Johnny Hendrikus; M Crawford


Sydney and Auckland. Viking also has various 15-day cruises between Sydney and Auckland. Unusually, expedition line Swan Hellenic skips the Australia leg, instead offering a 13-night New Zealand-only cruise from Dunedin to Auckland departing March 8, 2027. Wait until 2028 and Azamara Cruises does the same, offering 14 and 10-night New Zealand Intensive cruises round-trip from Auckland in January and February 2028, starting from £2,889 and £2,519 respectively, excluding flights. Azamara also sails between Sydney or Melbourne and Auckland. In the all-inclusive luxury sphere,


Silversea has the greatest choice of Australia and New Zealand cruises. Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Crystal have a few sailings, while Seabourn is visiting New Zealand on its 2027 world cruise.


NORTH AND SOUTH Most itineraries tick off Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Lyttelton (the port for Christchurch) and Port Chalmers (for Dunedin),


and include a day of scenic cruising in Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds in the Fiordland. A few visit the beautiful Bay of


Islands, from where passengers can visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, – the first pact between the Māoris and British was signed here in 1840. Silversea adds Gisborne, where Captain Cook first set foot in New Zealand – it has museums and monuments exploring interactions between the Indigenous population and European settlers – and Akaroa (near Christchurch), where wildlife tours go in search of dolphins and white-flippered penguins. Oceania offers art, food and sheep-shearing demos on calls into Timaru, while Azamara goes to Picton for wine, kayaking and mussel-tasting. In action-packed Auckland, daring souls can ascend the Sky Tower for a base-jump-style thrill at 192m, though Princess offers a relaxed alternative with a tour of Waiheke Island and its wineries. In Tauranga, clients can enjoy beach time or a Māori cultural tour that ends with a haka ceremonial


dance. Holland America Line has trips to Rotorua’s Te Puia geothermal park, home to bubbling mud pools and the Pohutu geyser, which sends water shooting 30m into the air. Popular excursions in Napier


are wine tasting, with 60 wineries in the area, and wildlife-spotting, visiting the world’s biggest mainland gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. NCL offers both, plus a tour of Napier’s art deco architecture, built after an earthquake in 1931 – free Hawke’s Bay Museum tells the story. In Christchurch, the Quake


City exhibition recounts the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, but fans of The Hobbit may prefer to visit Middle Earth. Farther south, boat tours from Port Chalmers look for albatross and blue penguins, while the historic Taieri Gorge Train rattles from Dunedin into Central Otago, past forests, over viaducts and through tunnels dug by hand. Princess has excursions featuring the train, sightseeing in Dunedin and visits to neo-Gothic Larnach Castle, which appeals to British visitors due to the region’s Scottish links.


TW travelweekly.co.uk


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