Napier and Picton Shore Excursions

[PandasRUs]

Does anyone have suggestions on what to do in Napier and Picton? We are interested in history and scenery. We know the areas are known for their wines, but that is not of interest to us. Thanks for suggestions.

[jean's friend]

We were diverted to Picton this past year after Cyclone Pam didn't allow us to go to our scheduled port.

 

We also are not interested in wine so none of the shore excursions appealed to us. Cunard ran a shuttle into town and people working for the tourist office were waiting and were very helpful. A web search for the tourist office would probably let you know what they offered. I know some people from our ship did do trips with them.

 

We did some hiking in the area out to Bob's Harbor (or maybe it was bob's cove). Anyway it was nice to stretch our legs and see the area. The town is small. We did try hokey pokey ice cream and it was delicious you have to try this New Zealand ice cream flavor using honeycomb.

[Floridiana]

Napier is a cute and unique town. We took the shuttle from the pier to the town and walked around. Took lots of pictures! The shuttle end point in town had people offering tours.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Floridiana

[acruisergirl]

Does anyone have suggestions on what to do in Napier and Picton? We are interested in history and scenery. We know the areas are known for their wines, but that is not of interest to us. Thanks for suggestions.

 

We are cruising to Australia/NewZealand in January and have contacted Hawkes Bay Scenic Tours who offeres a 4.5-5 hour scenic tour of Napier. We chose not to include a winery stop. Great company to deal with. Website: http://www.hbscenictours.co.nz.

 

In Picton we are doing something different, a Magic Mail Boat Cruise. It is a cruise that takes you on a boat to deliver mail and goods to the local community. Website: http://www.shoretripsandtours.com.

 

Hope this helps.

Pat:)

[PandasRUs]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

We have looked at the Hawkes Bay Scenic Tour and may still consider that.

 

However, at this point we are thinking of just waiting on both ports to see what is there. We have only done 2 cruises and have always had something set before we got to port. That's the way we do all vacations - plan down to the detail (part of the fun for us). It doesn't always go as planned, but I feel better having some sort of plan. This will be a new adventure for us doing it this way.

 

Thanks again.

[TLCOhio]

Napier is a cute and unique town. We took the shuttle from the pier to the town and walked around. Took lots of pictures! The shuttle end point in town had people offering tours.

 

Agree that Napier is a cute and nice town. Have not been to Picton. BUT, the real "SUPER STAR" near Napier is Cape Kidnapper and the amazing Gannets there. You can see lots more on my full live blog for Napier, plus other key locations in Australia and New Zealand. Below are a few sample visuals for what we enjoyed. On page ten around post #190 of the live/blog, you can see more details for what we loved at Cape Kidnapper. Let me know if you need any more details and/or specifics.

 

What a day in and around Napier. Not many ships dock here. It is a great town and area, but this was the first time for our Captain and as I understand the Celebrity Solstice to be docked here. This is the second busiest port for NZ. Huge amounts of timber on the docks here going out to China, plus so much else being exported from this area. The call it the "Bay of Plenty" with good reasons. Lots of nice wineries here. Saw a wide range of crops and fruits being grown in this area that generally has very good weather. Never gets too cold here, even in their winter. Rainfall amounts are not too heavy in this part of NZ.

 

DETAILED CAPE KIDNAPPERS SUMMARY:

We had super high expectations here due to the advance research, checking Bing.com pictures, etc., but those big hopes were vastly and dramatically exceeded by the real life experiences of yesterday. WOW!! Times five, plus more.

 

1. Get off of the ship and met by our experienced guide, Jo and Joanna. Great, warm, funny, sharing person who has lived her whole life here. Her family owned "The Farm" before Tiger Fund billionaire Julian Robinson bought the nearly 6,000 acres that compose Cape Kidnappers. She knows this territory so well, can answer every little question, etc., etc. As departed the ship, the Captain was there and agreed to do a picture with some of the ladies in our group. We congratulated him on the docking in this tight, challenging port.

 

2. Drove through quaint Napier town, along the shore area in going towards Cape Kidnappers, seeing and learning so much of interest about the agriculture, weather, economy, etc. for this great NZ region.

 

3. There were fourteen of us in our private group from Central Ohio. We were in a large (but not too large) of a four-wheel drive bus that took us throughout the private gates to enter this protected area. We drove through great stands of forests, deep ravines, up to scenic hilltop areas, over challenging terrain, etc. We went this morning to the first of seven different gannet nesting areas. We were up close and personal to see (and smell) thousands and thousands of these super cute and interesting birds. Only about 100-200 people each day get to come back here. We feel so super fortunate to be here and have a guide who knew ALL of the background and details. You'll see the pictures soon and then you will understand why I am so glowing in these comments. We went to several other vista points, learned more about Captain Cook, his experience here in 1769 (as I recall the date) and why it is named Cape Kidnappers.

 

4. On our way to lunch, one person in our party wanted to stop at the golf course pro shop to look at some shirts from this location to buy for a family member. Did I mention a golf course? YES!!! This is only the 22nd best golf course in the whole, complete WORLD!! From the outside, this structure looks like a marginal exterior of an old farm building. BUT, the inside is so nice, well done in a hyper tasteful manner. Plus, having free wi-fi, rest rooms, etc. Great, highly enjoyable extra stop. The pictures will tell more. By the way, this is a public golf course, but you need to check and book ahead. To stay here, the most basic of the 23 rooms and suites here start at $1000 a night for a couple. You can spend lots more, if you want the better accommodations.

 

5. Next to have lunch. Not McDonalds here. There are four chefs working on lunch for us and the two other tables of visitors here this day at this scenic location's lodge building. First, the General Manager, Hannah Butler, greets us and give us a personal tour of this facility that is styled and decorated in an understated, highly-tasteful manner. Class? It does not get any better than this location or the three-course meal we enjoyed. WOW, again and again!! The fourteen of us are seating at a large table in a special, glassed-in, but open area with views out to the Pacific Ocean, seeing all of the scenic hills and great terrain. It just us, the views, great food, etc. This golf course and lodge/dining facility opened only six years ago in 2007. The pictures will prove all that I am saying.

 

6. In doing a private tour, the key advantage is the ability to adjust and adapt our schedule/plans as we deal with a world-class location and a perfect, sunny day that was also very cool and comfortable. We decided to head towards Napier with its special art-decco buildings for shopping and walking around in their compact and enjoyable down. Good plan. Plus more time to drive out through this 6,000 acre farm with its sheep, woods, sights, views, nature, etc.

 

7. BUT, Jo tossed out a nice, added option. She is an excellent artist in oils. One of her large paintings was hanging at The Farm's Lodge, plus many are in galleries in Napier. Would we like to stop and see her studio? She lives in a beach-front house in the town just north of Cape Kidnappers. Our answer? Yes! It was super worth it. Lots of interesting plants on her grounds, nice to see more of her work, look at her section of the beach, etc. This all added to the "personal touch", learning more about life here, etc.

 

8. Napier was wonderful and charming. Great stop, took lots of pictures, stopped in a local bank (with free wifi), talked with the local pharmacy owner, etc. Our ladies didn't buy too much here. There was a special local ice cream they got here and we enjoyed. About 45 minutes to enjoy this great little town with such character and charm as it re-built after its devastating earthquake and fire of 1931.

 

9. Back to the ship where a bunch of old 1930's cars and a jazz-style band was there to greet us, thank us for visiting Napier. YES!! We super liked this port stop. More details with all of the pictures to come in the upcoming posts. Plus more on why the great combination of an excellent travel agent, plus smart, focused research by the traveler personally in advance makes the best, winning combination to create days like yesterday in Napier.

 

Sorry for being so long in this summary, but when we have had this good fortune during a day, it is fun to share.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 123,339 views for this posting.

 

 

Here we are starting to be driving through thick woods on part of “The Farm” where Cape Kidnapper is located southeast of Napier. This is all private lands, nearly 6,000 acres.:

 

 

 

Here are some of the famed gannets at this Napier location. This is just one small sampling of many big groups of these super cute birds at this location. Since we were so close, we could BOTH see . . . and SMELL them very vividly!! At twelve miles SE of Napier, this area hosts a protected breeding site for over 6,500 pairs of Australasian gannets. These birds (takapu) are one of three species of gannet belonging to the booby family. They have been nesting at Cape Kidnappers since the 1870's. This location is the largest and most accessible mainland colony in the world. This headland was named after an attempt by local Māori to abduct the servant of a member of Captain Cook's crew aboard HMS Endeavour, during a landfall there in October 1769.:

 

 

 

Here is one of the soaring birds here at Cape Kidnappers that I captured with my camera. Is there a better-looking bird that this one?:

 

 

 

Here is our expert guide/driver, Jo, traveling along the ridge near the water (on the Pacific Ocean) as we go to see more of the nesting areas along this super scenic coast.:

 

 

 

These two birds are playing and enjoying whatever it is that they do for “togetherness”!! It was nice to be so close, with help from my Nikon telephoto lens, to these birds.:

 

 

 

Here are members of our 14-person group enjoying our scenic and dramatic setting at a private, outdoor-viewing location for our three-course, gourmet lunch this day.:

 

[erewhon]

PandasRUs,

 

Have you seen this website? http://www.visitpicton.co.nz

 

There may be something helpful on the site.

[sandysu]

We were in Picton recently - the ship was only in port from 8am to 5pm and you had to take shuttles on and off the dock, so there wasn't a lot of option for long tours.

We hired a car and drove to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre and (at the same location) Omaka Classic Cars. Both were quite interesting; if you go to the Aviation Heritage centre it's possibly worth paying extra for a guide; they have lots of stories to tell.

Then we drove to Makana Confections, which seems to appear on almost every ship's tour of the area. Honestly I was a little disappointed because I had gotten the idea that there would be a bit more of a tour of the chocolate making part of the business, but the chocolate itself is absolutely delicious - my credit card took more of a hit here than I expected!

Then we went into Blenheim and had lunch - a "small" lunch at a Turkish Restaurant which in fact was huge (and delicious). We followed that up with a leisurely drive back to Picton.

Really though, it seemed to us that wineries were everywhere - if we were real wine drinkers we'd probably still be there. Apart from that, there wasn't a lot for us in the time we had available (and more to the point - within the distance we felt comfortable driving in that time).

If we went back there again - I'd probably get the shuttle into Picton, go for one of the nearby scenic walks and also spend some time in Picton itself.

[erewhon]

We were in Picton recently - the ship was only in port from 8am to 5pm and you had to take shuttles on and off the dock, so there wasn't a lot of option for long tours.

We hired a car and drove to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre and (at the same location) Omaka Classic Cars. Both were quite interesting; if you go to the Aviation Heritage centre it's possibly worth paying extra for a guide; they have lots of stories to tell.

Then we drove to Makana Confections, which seems to appear on almost every ship's tour of the area. Honestly I was a little disappointed because I had gotten the idea that there would be a bit more of a tour of the chocolate making part of the business, but the chocolate itself is absolutely delicious - my credit card took more of a hit here than I expected!

Then we went into Blenheim and had lunch - a "small" lunch at a Turkish Restaurant which in fact was huge (and delicious). We followed that up with a leisurely drive back to Picton.

Really though, it seemed to us that wineries were everywhere - if we were real wine drinkers we'd probably still be there. Apart from that, there wasn't a lot for us in the time we had available (and more to the point - within the distance we felt comfortable driving in that time).

If we went back there again - I'd probably get the shuttle into Picton, go for one of the nearby scenic walks and also spend some time in Picton itself.

 

Thanks for your comments.

Where did the shuttle from the ship drop you in Picton? Was it near the Interisland Ferry Terminal?

Do you remember how long on the shuttle?

[jean's friend]

Thanks for your comments.

Where did the shuttle from the ship drop you in Picton? Was it near the Interisland Ferry Terminal?

Do you remember how long on the shuttle?

 

 

Hopefully the person you asked will answer as well but since we took the shuttle in Picton as well I thought I would answer as well.

 

The Cunard shuttle dropped us downtown, a couple of easy blocks (if that) from the ferry. It was met by the local travel office people who will direct you.

 

It was maybe 5 minutes on the bus itself. It actually would have been walkable had we not docked in a lumber yard! I assume all the lumber was waiting for a ship to carry it out. With all the blind corners it would not have been safe to walk. The port area did have a gate with guards as well.

Edited October 17, 2015 by jean's friend

[erewhon]

Hopefully the person you asked will answer as well but since we took the shuttle in Picton as well I thought I would answer as well.

 

The Cunard shuttle dropped us downtown' date=' a couple of easy blocks (if that) from the ferry. It was met by the local travel office people who will direct you.

 

It was maybe 5 minutes on the bus itself. It actually would have been walkable had we not docked in a lumber yard! I assume all the lumber was waiting for a ship to carry it out. With all the blind corners it would not have been safe to walk. The port area did have a gate with guards as well.[/quote']

 

Thank you for your help.

Did you have to take government issued photo ID with you? e.g. passport, or drivers licence?

[jean's friend]

Thank you for your help.

Did you have to take government issued photo ID with you? e.g. passport, or drivers licence?

 

I honestly don't recall. If the ship suggested we have our passports with us, then we would have done it. I always have a copy of my passport on me if needed it regardless and I always carry my driver's license just in case I'm in an accident or something and need to be identified.

 

Of course I have my ship's ID with me as well.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your reply.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thank you for your help.

Did you have to take government issued photo ID with you? e.g. passport, or drivers licence?

 

From memory, when we came back on the ports shuttle at Napier ,the Security Guard on the gate just checked that we all had a cruise card.Napier is a working port so you cannot walk out. Everyone is shuttled to the Information Centre which is only about 5 mins from the port gates.

[erewhon]

From memory, when we came back on the ports shuttle at Napier ,the Security Guard on the gate just checked that we all had a cruise card.Napier is a working port so you cannot walk out. Everyone is shuttled to the Information Centre which is only about 5 mins from the port gates.

 

On two separate occasions in Napier, Security staff removed cruise passengers who did not have photo ID from the shuttle, and drove them to the ship.

[sandysu]

Thank you for your help.

Did you have to take government issued photo ID with you? e.g. passport, or drivers licence?

 

So sorry I didn't respond to the earlier question - as erewhon says it's all very close and the enforced use of the shuttle seems to be a safety issue rather than an issue of distance.

As far as ID is concerned I'm pretty sure that they recommended taking govt issued photo ID into all ports in NZ, and Picton was one of the places where they actually asked to see it on the shuttle.

[erewhon]

So sorry I didn't respond to the earlier question - as erewhon says it's all very close and the enforced use of the shuttle seems to be a safety issue rather than an issue of distance.

As far as ID is concerned I'm pretty sure that they recommended taking govt issued photo ID into all ports in NZ, and Picton was one of the places where they actually asked to see it on the shuttle.

 

Thanks for responding.

We have returned from the cruise, government issued photo ID was required both at Picton and Napier.

At Napier, Security Staff removed two people from the shuttle we were on, and transported them back to the ship.

From our balcony we saw several folk returning to the ship with Security staff, who escorted the passengers up the gangway.