Supersize me

The Pacific Jewel leaves Sydney harbour. Photo / Supplied

I'll never know what mysterious force drew me from my sleep on that warm night, as we cruised past the islands of northern Vanuatu. All around was velvet dark as I stood on the balcony, listening to the hum of the ship and the splash of the waves.

Slowly, as my eyes grew accustomed to the shadows, looming shapes of land emerged from the blackness. Then, far off, I saw an eerie glow, embers hanging in the sky. I had to blink away the fog of sleep to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I called my husband and together we stared, our eyes drawn across a watery wilderness to the Cracks of Doom ...

This amazing experience was all thanks to a new friend we had made about 18 months ago. When we first met she took my husband and me away on holiday and introduced us to a whole new world, giving us a taste of exotic and unspoilt Pacific paradises; long, sunny days stretched out beside the pool; cocktails at sundown, watching the last rays disappear beyond the horizon - she even provided all our meals and did the housework without us having to lift a finger.

We had such a good time, we straight away planned another holiday with her, this time with our teenagers and a couple of older relatives tagging along - would that be okay? No problem for our mate. She organised the kids' activities and made sure there was a quiet spot where the mature travellers could relax in peace.

But sadly, this perfect relationship wouldn't last forever. Our friend was the Pacific Sun, oldest and smallest of P&O's Australasian cruise ships, and this season was to be her last sailing out of New Zealand waters.

A flash new superliner, the Pacific Pearl, would be taking her place on the Auckland run from December, but we were a bit apprehensive. Would it be the same? Does bigger always mean better?

Well, lucky us, we got the chance to find out, via an invitation to travel on the Pacific Jewel, also a superliner, just a year into her service with the P&O fleet and based in Sydney.

We met Jewel at Sydney's Wynyard Wharf - her sleek white sides sparkling in the spring sunshine - where an affable Englishman who introduced himself on the intercom as "Your Cap-tane" promised us the departure would be a treat. Oh yeah, sure, said the two old cynics, but he was right.

We were unprepared for how thrilling the experience would be. Anticipation built as the harbour bridge drew nearer, its girders looking impossibly close to the funnel, then we slipped under with only metres between the ship and and the bottom of the bridge, foghorn blasting.

Ever the perfect hostess, Jewel had arranged a great send-off: groups of bridge walkers whooped, hollered and waved at us from on high - then we watched the Opera House glide by and made our way towards the heads as the dark set in and dinner beckoned. Next morning there was a gentle roll, but nothing untoward, as the big ship cut smoothly through the North Tasman.

Time slows down at sea, there's no need to rush: if you are late for breakfast, elevenses will be along in half an hour. Forgot lunch? It's almost time for afternoon tea. Shipboard life may not be ideal for the action traveller, but there's no beating it for relaxation.

Having said that, there is a super-sized gym with all the trimmings - I spent about five minutes in there, but could see it was expansive and really well-equipped - and a boot camp programme for those who really want to get super-fit. But I charted a more sedate course, taking several turns a day around the promenade track on the top deck. It was a great way to work off the never-ending supply of food that is, undeniably, a huge part of the cruise experience.

Jewel has three restaurants: the Waterfront, where attentive waiters flit about and you can choose from any - or all - of four courses from the ever-changing menu; the Asian-themed, though rather oddly named, La Luna, where fresh, tasty dishes just keep on coming; and, for a fine-dining experience, the Salt Grill by Luke Mangan, the Aussie chef's collaboration with P&O where you can eat his upmarket dishes - think delicate crab omelettes in broth and his signature liquorice parfait - for a fraction of the price on land.

The man himself was on board for our cruise: he had the audience eating out of his hand during his hilarious cooking demonstration, and was gracious enough to serve our table at a memorable lunch.

Keeping entertained is no problem either. After dinner you can see a movie, catch one of the spectacular shows (I've been backstage and it's still a mystery how they manage the many costume changes), dance the night away in a disco or watch the moonlight on the waves. The Jewel and Pearl also have Pacific Cirque on board, and on a calm night these daredevil performers put on an awe-inspiring exhibition on the ropes high above the decks.

Floating around in your own hotel means you're always relaxed when you arrive in port: our trip this time took in Noumea, where we visited the impressive Tjibaou cultural centre; Lifou, where a native elder showed us how to hunt coconut crab; and Vila, where we toured a kastom (traditional) village and learned how to catch fish with the webs of an enormous spider.

The day-long stopovers are an ideal way of finding out which places you might like to revisit for a longer stay. Our favourite this time was the idyllic island of Wala, with its picture-postcard pristine white sands and crystal clear water, glorious for snorkelling. There's no electricity or roads and you are greeted by Wala's tiny children who have little to sell but flowers and woven circlets and proudly show off their pets - chickens, cats, turtles - in the hope of tempting you into a photograph or two. And it would be churlish not to, given they are willing to share their beautiful island with you.

And of course you find your own special moments onboard. For us it was seeing a whale spouting off Noumea, watching the glint of flying fish as they skipped away from the bow of the ship in the early morning and - best of all - that eerie, night-time glimpse of the volcano on Ambrym island.

On our last morning at sea we awoke early enough to creep up on deck and enjoy slipping back through Sydney's heads in darkness and near-silence, and gliding - without fanfare this time - under the harbour bridge.

Later that morning we reluctantly made our way from the wharf, the Jewel glinting behind us in the Aussie sun, awaiting her next lucky load of passengers.

Like her older sister, she had made us very welcome. But had this super model measured up? Well, she was super-steady, the food was superb, the staff super-friendly and super-efficient; our rooms were kept super-clean by our steward, the unflappable Regie, and we had some super memories to take home.

So we'll be adding Auckland's new superliner, the Pearl, to our string of cruises as soon as we can.

CHECKLIST

New Zealand's first superliner, Pacific Pearl, was launched in Auckland on December 21 by her "godmother", world champion boardsailor Barbara Kendall, and will sail five cruises in her maiden season to a range of destinations in the Pacific Islands - including New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Carrying 1800 passengers, and captained by Englishman Charlie Cox, the 63,500-tonne ship features a state-of-the-art LED Big Screen, a swim-up bar in one of her two pools, an acrobatic arch for aerial circus performances on deck and three restaurants including Salt Grill by Luke Mangan.

She also offers a three-storey atrium, Aqua HealthSpaFitness, seven bars and lounges, two swimming pools, whirlpool spas and four kids' clubs.

Fares on an eight-night cruise to the Pacific islands on Pacific Pearl departing January 19 2011, start from $1359 per person twin share. For more details, see pocruises.co.nz.

Isobel Marriner cruised as guest of P&O Cruises.