Aukland to Sydney odyssey 2016

[demainmann]

Has anyone been on this cruise? We were considering a land tour but hate the thought of packing and packing so many times. Did you "see enough" on the cruise. Did you travel anywhere else after the debark action in Sydney - further north in Australia? Thanks

[tsavorite]

We did this in 2013. It is a very

 

I spent 4 days in Melbourne on my way to Auckland for family reasons. But I think it would have been better to spend 3-4 days based in Auckland before sailing, which would have allowed for fuller visit to Rotorua and other sites in the North Island. There are other things to do from Tauranga, if you have done Rotorua properly already. And I also see you are not docking at Waitangi, which is well worth a visit and easy to do by car from Auckland.

 

I notice that your cruise is not doing any of the big wine areas (although there are always smaller ones to be found in NZ). That's a shame, as making arrangements to visit one of the top producers (best with a hired car) is a great way to spend a day.

 

Milford Sound is, of course, amazing. And the dolphins in Akaroa are very compliant in giving you a performance.

 

So the answer to your question is that you can see quite a lot of NZ and Aus from day trips from the ship. But to get a full picture of the country, a few days in Auckland/North Island is a good idea before you sail.

 

The Hilton Auckland on Princes Wharf is a very good location. Seeing the ship come in at dawn through the Bay to dock within touching distance of your balcony is a great experience. And the check in point is right next to the hotel.

 

Had to fly home from Sydney for work reasons, so can't comment about going north in Aus.

[demainmann]

Thanks for all your help. We plan to go to Aukland for 4-5 days prior to embarking on the cruise. I will look into a winery close to Aukland and also some of the other cities you suggested. This will be our first Seabourn..is this your favorite cruise line?

[secoma4]

If you want to "do" Australia it's just a question of time, money and priorities. Unless you have lots of time, then flying between major areas is the only real option. If you know your time availability then a good TA experienced in the country can advise. If you have less than 5 days don't bother trying to go much beyond your port of disembarkation. If you are disembarking in Sydney and want to go north eg Great Barrier Reef or south (Melbourne, Adelaide etc) then you would be better of flying out of those regions rather than having to get back to Sydney.

[Roxburgh]

We did Auckland to Sydney about 18 months ago. We spent three days in Auckland prior to the cruise. That is the maximum you want to do. The city itself is not all that interesting. However, we spent a day at Waiheke which was fantastic and then rented a car for another day and went to Rotorua which was also a great day out.

 

The cruise itself was great and we enjoyed visiting a number of different places and all the way down to Stuart Island. We had wonderful weather and were able to do some hiking at Picton, shopping in Wellington, and whale watching at Kaikoura. The only Seabourn tour we did was at Stuart Island to visit a bird sanctuary. Would I visit New Zealand again? In a heartbeat! But I would rent a car and do hotels and bed and breakfasts. I would not do another cruise. Not that there was anything wrong with the cruise but there is so much to see and do and the cruise cannot cover it all.

 

In Australia we did a private tour in Melbourne, Loved Geelong and disembarked in Sydney. We went from Sydney up to Hamilton Island for three days and then back to Sydney for three days and to visit with family.

[Roxburgh]

Thanks for all your help. We plan to go to Aukland for 4-5 days prior to embarking on the cruise. I will look into a winery close to Aukland and also some of the other cities you suggested. This will be our first Seabourn..is this your favorite cruise line?

 

Go to Waiheke Island. Lots of wineries and some very nice restaurants.

[demainmann]

Hi..thanks for your response. Did you use a specific website for your private tours? Can you share them? After debarking in Sydney, we are planning to fly and travel north for a while..suggestions? Thanks, Cathy

[Roxburgh]

Hi..thanks for your response. Did you use a specific website for your private tours? Can you share them? After debarking in Sydney, we are planning to fly and travel north for a while..suggestions? Thanks, Cathy

 

For the whale watching in Kaikoura, check out this web site:

 

http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/?gclid=CJ_ks8bvncACFQaCMgodnAEAXA

 

The local tourist office was also set up where we disembarked and they were selling the tours as well. Very nice people and very helpful! But it may be worth booking in advance as they do get busy. We were lucky and saw dolphins, pilot whales, a sperm whale and killer whales all in one two hour trip.

 

For Melbourne the private tour was organized by someone else in our group and I don't have those details.

 

For the other stuff, we just disembarked and did our own thing. The hiking ("tramping" in NZ) trails in Picton were well marked and offered glorious views of the Queen Charlotte Sound.

 

When in Auckland, there is a sales office for boat trips out to the islands (inc. Waiheke) by the Ferry Building. There are different formats. We did a 'round the island' bus tour for a couple of hours and then had lunch on the island before walking back to the ferry. We also found car rental to be reasonably priced in NZ. We rented from Hertz and booked the car from the USA so it was waiting for us.

 

After disembarking in Sydney, we flew up to Hamilton Island which is in the Whitsundays. From there you can get all day tours out to the Barrier Reef or to Whitehaven Beach, etc. Hamilton Island is quite well set up for hotels, restaurants, etc. and was recommended by my Australian cousin over places such as Cairns. Our travel agent booked the hotels and flights for this.

[Winner]

Unless you plan to return to Australia, I would urge you to see the Outback, especially Alice Springs (great dawn hot-air balloon ride above galloping herds of kangaroos on open land as far as the eye can see).

 

And please spend at least one night at Uluru (Ayer's Rock) in Sails of the Desert. The experience is almost other-worldly, dining under a completely different sky and hearing tales of the aboriginals. Climbing the Rock is no longer allowed but just seeing it and the cave drawings is unforgettable.

 

I love both islands but treasure the days in the Outback the most. Nowhere else on Earth is comparable.

[ailmarsh]

Hi Demainmann,

 

We did Auckland to Bali in Feb/March this year.

Like you we pondered a land NZ but the cruise won and we are SO happy with our decision. We visited friends on the Gold Coast beforehand and drove with them into the Outback as we had done the beautiful coast area, north & south of Brisbane before. Didn't get as far as Uluru but still thought the Outback was awesome!

We spent 5days in Auckland precruise, hired a car for 2 of them and explored the beautiful area north of the city & visited the amazing 'Hobbiton' film set area on the other. The city HopOn HopOff bus tour is excellent and the National Museum was so interesting we went twice!

Definitely yes to Waiheke Island which we did with Ananda Tours - took the Gourmet Tour so we had nibbles/tapas at each stop - including oysters!

We also hired a car and did Rotorua on our own from the ship.

In Akaroa I did the 'swim with dolphins' & my husband came along as a non swimmer for a very cheap price. Black Cat was the company.

From Port Chalmers we did an independent tour by boat out past the Otago peninsula (dolphins, tiny blue penguins, nesting Albatross, 2 additional types of Albatross flying, giant Petrel and much more!) Tour took us back along the peninsula by small coach and dropped us by request, in Dunedin which we explored on foot before catching the free Seabourn shuttle back 'home'.

Cruising Milford Sound was spectacular .....a highlight in what was a totally amazing journey.

Like a previous poster said, if we were to return we would do a land tour but you will not be disappointed if you decide to cruise :-)

 

Happy travels!

[MrsWaldo]

 

And please spend at least one night at Uluru (Ayer's Rock) in Sails of the Desert. The experience is almost other-worldly, dining under a completely different sky and hearing tales of the aboriginals. Climbing the Rock is no longer allowed but just seeing it and the cave drawings is unforgettable.

 

Not strictly true,

 

Climbing the rock is allowed, however it is discouraged for both safety and cultural reasons. Also be aware that during the summer months e.g. Dec-Mar (yes i know Mar is Autumn) and sometimes even earlier in November walks etc may close due to heat.

 

The better place to stay is Longitude 131 (also much pricier though), however all activities and food/wine are included.

 

 

http://longitude131.com.au/files/2014/06/Longitude-131-Fact-Sheet.pdf

[Winner]

Mrs. Waldo, I stand corrected. It was many moons ago when we were at Sails in the Desert and it was the only (I think) place to stay and quite wonderful. Obviously things have changed.

 

I climbed partway up the Rock and have a "certificate" to prove so, although my neat sweatshirt is faded and gone. I read somewhere that climbing was discouraged due to environmental damage and cultural objections. Again, thank you for updating my (mis)information.

 

Someday I will return to Oz and the Outback. It is a magical experience.

 

Winnie

[MrsWaldo]

Winnie,

 

it truly is

 

my first visit was nearly 30 years ago camping by the rock… dingos took babies in those days

 

 

Sails is now like staying in the upmarket section of Disney world, Sounds of Silence is a buffet (Tali Wiru is the equivalent of what you did if more than 10 years ago)

 

Times unfortunately change but the essence of Uluru still stays