Oceania Ports in New Zealand

[sabrefan]

Booked for Sydney to Auckland cruise for February 2015. Just wondering if the ports of Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier & Rotorua where passengers disembark are interesting and walkable? Any input would be helpful.

[LAexNY]

Wellington is a city and there was a shuttle from the ship to downtown. Nice walkable city. I recommend the cable car up to botanical gardens.

 

Napier is a wonderful Art Deco town. Big earthquake in the '30s destroyed most buildings and they were re-built in the Art Deco era. More art deco buildings than any city other than L.A. They are proud of their history - lots of old cars and people in '30s costume. There was a shuttle to the town from the ship.

[OzAbroad]

Booked for Sydney to Auckland cruise for February 2015. Just wondering if the ports of Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier & Rotorua where passengers disembark are interesting and walkable? Any input would be helpful.

 

 

Dunedin is a small city and worth a visit. Many Scots settled the place and you can tell. There are some interesting excursions you can do out of the town including a penguin sanctuary if I recall correctly, and a large historical home in a faux castle style. It has a small but pleasant art gallery right in the centre. Some interesting architecture including the rail station.

 

Akaroa is an hour or so from Christchurch and a pretty sea side village often referred to as french, although a strong french influence is something that I have missed on both visits. Its very pleasant and good for a wander around, have lunch, a drink or coffee and has craft/touristy shops.

 

I agree with the comments on Wellington and Napier. Both are very enjoyable ports. Check out the museum on the water in Wellington "Te Papa". Napier also has an aquarium and is a wine centre.

Edited November 6, 2013 by OzAbroad

[jpalbny]

Agree with the previous poster's comments about Dunedin. There is a wildlife sanctuary out beyond town (Nature's Wonders) where they take you to see some interesting wildlife, including the Blue-eyed penguin. Also, the Royal Albatross center is interesting. And Larnach Castle is, I believe, the place that OzAbroad described.

 

We visited all three on our own via a rental car. Be forewarned that if you try this, it may be tricky to get spots on the tour because the ship also visits these places and buys up most of the available slots. We did it, but not without some scheduling gymnastics.

 

One very important comment about Dunedin that may not be obvious - it is situated at the far end of a narrow, shallow inlet. Ships can't make it all the way to the city; you actually dock in Port Chalmers which is probably 12K from Dunedin. So while the city itself is walkable, you can't walk there from the docking point.

 

Furthermore, all three sites I mentioned are on the OTHER BANK of the inlet, so you have to drive from Port Chalmers through Dunedin then out the other side of the inlet. Well worth it, but some may find it easier to go with the ship's tours. Luckily, our rental car offered to meet us at Port Chalmers.