See Aotearoa from a new perspective on a cruise. Photo / Tourism NZ
Sailing through Fiordland’s mist-draped peaks and sunlit waters offers Kiwis the chance to see Aotearoa just like an awestruck first-time visitor, writes Nicola Lamb
It’s dark, just gone 6.30am, and the lamps on deck nine are the main nearby source of light in the gloom. From the viewing area at Westerdam’s aft, the sea is a deep blue moving mass below, with a thick, impenetrable, dark haze above and around.
Getting closer are the lights and a wave wash train of a small pilot boat ready to guide the Holland America Line cruise ship into Milford Sound. It’s a thrilling moment, knowing I’m about to see it for my first time and from the water, rather than from ground level.
The ship will be gliding past Milford’s mysteriously other-worldly landscape giving passengers time to drink it all in, from close range.
Seeing Fiordland and other New Zealand places with foreign visitors on a tourist itinerary creates an interesting distance in perspective. It isn’t like visiting another part of Aotearoa from Auckland as a Kiwi with your local focus. Here and during Westerdam’s later stops, you see the country through a fresh, outsider’s lens.
Not that visibility is great on this February morning. As light seeps in from somewhere, the gloom becomes grey and smudges of land like gigantic, beached whales loom ahead. Slowly the outlines become a bit clearer, but they’re clothed in mist with some drizzle thrown in. The ‘land of the long white cloud’, indeed.
The clear lines of the ship’s brown and white railings are a sharp contrast with the hulking curves to the side and passengers come out after breakfast to stare around. We are now close enough to see the dense green bush just above the rock toes at the water’s edge.
Silver streaks of waterfalls stream down creases in the mountainsides. We see stunning, moody shapes draped in mist, which slip past the tips of peaks leaving them seemingly suspended in air. Towards the end of the Milford sail-through, we see much more detail of the sheer drops around us.
Gradually the skies clear and brighten. The landscapes between the sounds conjure their own majestic magic. The sun, at times, turns the bush to plush green velvet and by early afternoon, Doubtful Sound is serenely bathing in sunshine, its features reflecting in the smooth water as the ship paces quietly through it.
This day is the scenic and inspirational high point of the 14-day Australia and New Zealand cruise which departed from Sydney, docked at Melbourne and Hobart, crossed the Ditch, passed below the South Island, and trekked to Auckland.
Its itinerary is both a break from the daily grind and the dreary weariness that can colour views about home, at a time when a lot of Kiwis are under financial pressure and see greener pastures over the Tasman.
This voyage, at least temporarily, recharges the positive battery terminal.
During the stops in Port Chalmers for Dunedin, Lyttleton for Christchurch, Picton in Marlborough, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, and arriving at Auckland, it’s easy to see the New Zealand that overseas visitors find special. There’s a vibrancy and variety to the landscapes. The smaller centres have their own individual charms. The harbours of Wellington and Auckland nicely frame their cities and allow them to shine.
One thing that stands out when seeing these places in quick succession as a tourist, is that the image of Australia and New Zealand as no more than sports-mad and outdoors-focused sells both well short. There was so much heritage and creative energy on display: in old and new buildings; parks and gardens; street design and cafes; museums and galleries; and murals and sculptures.
Aside from getting the time to notice it all, a trip like this also gives you a licence to try some typical tourist activities in your own backyard. Gondola riding, jet boating, cycling through the countryside while also visiting wineries, seeing Weta Workshop, scenic cruising, or making a trip to see wildlife.
This trip with its varied menu gives tourists a tasty sample of what the country can offer and Kiwi travellers along for the ride get to feel good about it.
If the Holland America shore excursions I went on are a guide, the New Zealand tourism operators are generally giving visitors a friendly, funny, and informative glimpse of the country with their individual authentic voices. They dispense old and recent history and some economic and conservation data to visitors but don’t dig into the baggage of our complicated current affairs: such as replacing Cook Strait ferries or the fallout from Covid and climate-charged storms.
As is often the case with these excursions, you learn a lot you didn’t know. The onboard tourist expert, a Kiwi, held popular, entertaining previews for passengers in the ship’s World Stage at each stop and his presentation on Māori culture was nuanced, moving, and well received by the audience.
Passengers on the medium-sized ship (which has just under 2000 passenger capacity) get handy sheets of info in their staterooms before each stop, which includes highlights, a map, and emergency contact data.
It’s a reliable fixture of the Holland America fleet, there to enable the itinerary but with all the restaurants, shows and comforts passengers want for a relaxing voyage - from a gym, spa treatments and pools, to WiFi, room service, shops, casino, and bars.
SYDNEY
There’s a lot to see on George Street, nearby lanes and the Circular Quay area: great for a long walk or two before cruise departure day. Especially in the morning with the light twinkling across the water from behind the Opera House sails, joggers raising a sweat, and people casting lines under the mighty harbour bridge. Don’t miss the smashed car street art on a roundabout at Dawes Point (Still Life with Stone). Westerdam departs from White Bay cruise terminal in the afternoon with people in deck chairs or leaning on the rails watching the skyscrapers recede in a sun-burned haze.
MELBOURNE
The walking tour ‘Arcades and Alleyways’ includes tram rides to and from the city centre and a peek into the city you couldn’t get roaming solo. Our guide tells us about the city’s history as we wander past old buildings and through busy laneways.
We pass the Royal Arcade, established in 1870 and a beautiful former bank on Little Collins St; the Block Arcade, featuring tea rooms first opened in 1892 and a 1920 hat shop named Hatters. Metro Bar, with its Outback kangaroo burger, crocodile fillets, and emu tenderloin offerings, sits incongruously next to the elegant stationery shop Il Papiro.
In one passageway office staff line up several deep for sandwiches, while in another construction workers lie in the shade to escape the 36C heat. I get a ‘magic coffee’ - a short, smooth double ristretto with steamed milk - and pastry at Laurent.
Shore tours include Melbourne sights, Blue Dandenongs, wildlife and winery, gold rush history, shopping, cycling, Healesville Sanctuary, Yarra River cruises.
HOBART
Visiting Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania gives you a chance to scratch a wallaby’s chin, get squawked at by parrots, and try to photograph the Tassie Devil. It’s a rescue centre supported by about 600 volunteers. Many of the animals have been injured on the state’s roads. Later I get a fast ferry to see the Museum of Old and New Arts, interesting for its punk attitudes – the people taking the ferry are split into ‘plebs’ and ‘posh’ based on how much they’ve paid, and there’s thought-provoking graffiti on board. The museum collection is mixed, with some real standouts but also stunt art that has little to say.
Shore tours include Huon Valley and Tahune Forest air walk, Mt Field, Port Arthur, Tasman Island wildlife, Bruny Island, Anglesea Barracks, historic Hobart, Coal Valley wineries.
PORT CHALMERS (DUNEDIN)
Having seen the main sights around Dunedin before, I opted to travel to and from the port by local bus and wander around. I got a better appreciation for the architecture and appeal of the city, from the historic Olveston house and gardens, through stretches of bush, to its beautiful churches, and stopped at a couple of cafes. Tourists were busy trying pies and cheese rolls. Port Chalmers had a market under way and there were nice gift shops including The Flying Whale with its unique art.
Shore tours include Dunedin sights, seals and albatrosses, Larnach castle, Taieri Gorge train, craft breweries.
LYTTLETON (CHRISTCHURCH)
Zooming along the Waimakariri in a jet boat excursion with frequent turns, twists, and semi-somersaults was a blast. Later in Christchurch, I found that apart from the always beautiful Botanic Gardens, the river and its bridges, and the sad remains of the cathedral; there was a lot that was new, at least to me. Te Kaha Stadium, impressively designed buildings in the centre, the art gallery, new Regent St, the Margaret Mahy playground, many murals. And trams are a class act for a city where ever you see them.
Shore tours include Christchurch sights, high country off-road, Waipara wine, The Lord of the Rings Edoras location, Hamner Springs.
PICTON (MARLBOROUGH)
There’s a purple glow in the air and gold tickling the ranges as we arrive at dawn to Picton. It becomes a perfect sunny day for a boat excursion across Queen Charlotte Sound, tying up at Mistletoe Bay for a walk soundtracked by the click and hum of cicadas, and then relaxing with coffee and biscuits on the return journey. A leisurely time with those essential elements of the Kiwi outdoors: sun, water, and bush.
Shore tours include Wines of Marlborough, Omaka aviation museum, kayaking, farm experience, Kaipupu Sanctuary, cycling, train tour, paua pearls.
WELLINGTON
On the way to a seal colony, our ‘Seal Coast Safari’ excursion guide tells us about the Capital Kiwi Project and its use of traps to eliminate predators in the area and allow the release of kiwi. Access to the seals is via a 4WD through a sheep, cattle, and wind turbine farm, and some classic rolling hill scenery. Quite a few seals lounge on rocks and it’s a glorious, isolated spot that would make a great public reserve.
Shore tours include Te Papa, Zealandia, cable car, Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, the storm coast, Shenandoah kiwi experience, The Lord of the Rings film locations and Weta Workshop.
NAPIER
The ship’s stay in Napier is short, a half day, but my shore excursion here - ‘E-bikes and Wine’ - is great fun. Riders, some athletic and some (like me) a lot less so, chewed through about 14km in an hour and a half on (admittedly) flat terrain. The tracks follow the coast then through farm wetlands, past canals, a lake loaded with birds, some tight gates and over a long narrow wooden (nerve-racking) bridge. The reward was a view of Mission Estate and a wine tasting at Church Road.
Shore tours include Cape Kidnappers and gannets, Mohaka River rafting, art deco drive and walk, aquarium, Hawke’s Bay food and wine.
TAURANGA
For the first time in years, I walked around the Mount. It was a Saturday and busy with people getting exercise. Others were out swimming, kayaking, fishing, or zipping by in marine Ferraris in the harbour. In the afternoon a paddleboarder and kayaker made their way out to a sandspit shaped like the map of New Zealand - mostly an oasis for sea birds. The maunga looks magnificent as Westerdam heads out, with people watching from a beach as the wind whips up.
Shore tours include Māori cultural experiences, Tauranga sights and tastes, glow worm kayaking, Rotorua and Polynesian spa, Te Puia geyser, Waihi, kiwi hatchery and agrodome, Skyline gondola and luge, Rangitāiki rafting, Lake Rotoiti cruise.
AUCKLAND
Auckland’s great width is apparent from lights on all sides, its central area a sparkling crown, as the ship powers quietly through the harbour towards Queens Wharf before dawn. Clouds unload light rain as Westerdam nears dock. It’s a slow process edging next to the wharf. There’s the bright lights of the Sky Tower ahead and The Lighthouse to the right. Back home.
Holland America Line’s 14-day Australia and New Zealand cruise is priced from $3575 pp twin share. It also departs in reverse order from Auckland. Herald journalist Nicola Lamb travelled on the cruise, courtesy of Holland America.
A friendly crew, decent food, and a surprise midnight coffee break.