Cruising Down Under, Australia and New Zealand

Big ships invade Australia, New Zealand with strategies, itineraries, meat pies

An American hugs a Koala at Cairns Zoo

For cruisers, Australia is the next big thing. Among ships headed to the South Pacific are Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, Celebrity Solstice, Diamond Princess, Carnival Spirit, and Holland America’s Oosterdam. Bargains will be available. READ MORE

You, too, can hug a kuola at the zoo near the cruise port of Cairns, Queensland. READ MORE

Carnival Spirit newly Aussified for Sydney

Messages from Down Under: Aussies despise American coffee. They won’t drink the beer. They insist on a better cut of bacon. And nobody — not a barman, a steward, or a waiter — will be paid a tip. Carnival Cruise Lines says it got the messages, and by the time Carnival Spirit pulls into Sydney harbor... READ MORE

Mating grounds, geysers top cruise

One of the more difficult decisions for a first cruise in Australia and New Zealand is choosing an itinerary to visit all the ports you want to see. Don’t worry. You can’t. Unless your time and budget are nearly unlimited, these countries are far too big for one visit. One itinerary, which worked for me, is to cruise from Sydney on a ship that spends a majority of time in New Zealand waters. READ MORE

 

Nesting gannets at Cape Kidnappers near Napier, New Zealand (Photo by David G. Molyneaux, TheTravelMavens.com)

Walking Wellington, comfy cruise port for eating, gazing, shopping for short pants

On a return visit to Wellington,  I wasn’t going to miss a morning at Te Papa, a lunch of green-lipped mussels, and a pair of three-quarter pants that are all the rage in New Zealand and Australia. READ MORE

Rotorua, standing on the thinnest crust of the Earth

The Ring of Fire is a series of volcanos and plate movements that ring the Pacific Ocean, providing about 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes. In Rotorua, New Zealand, near a cruise ship port stop, the inferno says hello. Steam streams from natural exhaust holes in the ground. Sulphur-laden geysers shoot skyward on irregular cycles. Mud burps with gas. Pools of scalding water bubble day and night. READ MORE

 

Comments

[green coffee Capsules]

Thanks very interesting blog!

[Evelyn Wangari]

Great post