New Zealand Cruises
New Zealand has become a very popular place to visit on a cruise. With its diverse natural beauty, unique culture and outstanding food, there is something in this amazing destination for everyone. Enjoying a scenic cruise is an ideal way to see most of its 15,000-kilometre coastline.
The South Island has some of the most unbelievable natural landscapes in the world with majestic snow-capped peaks and magnificent fjords merge with rugged coastlines and peaceful rainforests to witness while cruising.
The North Island - or Te-Ika-a-Maui as it's also known, is a popular destination with its stylish cities, spectacular coastlines, and huge mountain ranges.
About the Destination
New Zealand is the world's fifth-largest island nation. It is located approximately 1,600 kilometres south-east of Australia and is part of an archipelago. It is made up of two major islands - the North Island and the South Island - and some smaller islands in the South Pacific.
First settlers on the island were Polynesians around 1300CE. In 1769, James Cook circumnavigated and charted the coasts. This later lead to a wave of European migration. New Zealand became a self-governing region in 1907 and today is an independent nation with a well-educated population of over four million inhabitants.
English is the official language and the currency is the New Zealand dollar.
Main attractions
There’s no shortage of things to see and do in this diverse country. Here are some ideas:
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Spend some time at the mountain-fringed shores of Milford Sound, admire admire magnificent fjords at Picton’s and experience remarkable active volcanoes
- Experience bubbling mud pools, hot water springs and glistening lakes and lush green forests in Rotorua
- Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is spectacular with its cascading waterfalls, granite peaks and ancient rainforests
- Visit a tribal meeting ground - Marae - in places like Auckland, Rotorua or the Canterbury region to observe some local Maori culture up close and if you’re a wine connoisseur stop in at some award-winning wineries in Queenstown and the surrounding Central Otago region to enjoy some wine-tasting.
- If you’re after the adrenalin rush of adventure sports, then there’s a lot on offer ranging from bungy jumping, jet boating and white water rafting.
Cruise lines that sail there
A number of cruise lines provide sailings around New Zealand. Luxury lines such as Crystal Cruises, Oceania, Orion, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Silver Seas, and Hapag-Lloyd; big-ship cruisers include lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, P&O Australia, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line regularly depart in the summer months between October and April from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Cruising during the winter season, from April through to July is also available with some lines.
When to go
Travel to New Zealand at any time of year is possible, as the climate is mild most of the time. It tends to be warmest between December and February and coldest in June, July and August. It is drier in the South than the North during winter.
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