Which NZ ports are tender?

[M-H-B]

Hi all

Can someone list the NZ ports that are arrived at by tender? I'm considering The Key on Royal and want to know of how benefit its likely to be during the cruise, as most other benefits are for the first day, apart from the include VOOM/Stream which is tipping the scale at the moment.

 

Thanks!

Mel

 

[nz1]

16 minutes ago, M-H-B said:

Hi all

Can someone list the NZ ports that are arrived at by tender? I'm considering The Key on Royal and want to know of how benefit its likely to be during the cruise, as most other benefits are for the first day, apart from the include VOOM/Stream which is tipping the scale at the moment.

 

Thanks!

Mel

 

Hi Mel,

 

Two that I’m aware of are Bay of Islands (far north) and Akaroa (near Christchurch in the South Island).

 

Do you have a list of your ports you can share?

 

Cheers,

 

Brendan

[M-H-B]

LOL yep, that would've been helpful to include! 🙂

 

Ports are Dunedin, Christchurch, Picton, Napier and Wellington

 

Thanks!

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, M-H-B said:

LOL yep, that would've been helpful to include! 🙂

 

Ports are Dunedin, Christchurch, Picton, Napier and Wellington

 

Thanks!

We have always docked in those ports you mention. Lyttleton is the port for Christchurch.

[M-H-B]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

We have always docked in those ports you mention. Lyttleton is the port for Christchurch.

Thanks! So are the mostly slightly outside of the main part of the city?

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, M-H-B said:

Thanks! So are the mostly slightly outside of the main part of the city?

Some yes, some no. The port for Dunedin is Port Chalmers, a 20-30 minute drive from the centre of Dunedin.

 

For Christchurch, ships will dock at Lyttleton, a 20 min or so drive from the centre of Christchurch.

 

At Picton, ships dock at a working wharf (timber loading) fairly close to the centre of the town. I seem to recall that everyone had to take a shuttle bus because pax are not allowed to walk on the dock.

 

Napier is also a working wharf - once again timber loading. Pax are not permitted to walk on the dock. Free shuttle buses take pax the 10 mins into town.

 

Wellington. The ships dock in town. It is probably a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of town, but there is usually a free shuttle bus.

[Chiliburn]

The key is not worth it unless you want a lot of private time on the onboard activities such as flow rider or iFly.

 

Save your money.

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Chiliburn

[OzKiwiJJ]

34 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Some yes, some no. The port for Dunedin is Port Chalmers, a 20-30 minute drive from the centre of Dunedin.

 

For Christchurch, ships will dock at Lyttleton, a 20 min or so drive from the centre of Christchurch.

 

At Picton, ships dock at a working wharf (timber loading) fairly close to the centre of the town. I seem to recall that everyone had to take a shuttle bus because pax are not allowed to walk on the dock.

 

Napier is also a working wharf - once again timber loading. Pax are not permitted to walk on the dock. Free shuttle buses take pax the 10 mins into town.

 

Wellington. The ships dock in town. It is probably a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of town, but there is usually a free shuttle bus.

You're not allowed to walk off the wharf in Wellington any more, you have to take the shuttle bus.

[losfp]

38 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

For Christchurch, ships will dock at Lyttleton, a 20 min or so drive from the centre of Christchurch.

For our 2018 cruise, we docked at Akaroa instead, that was a tender port I believe. But I think now they will go to Lyttleton again?

 

Other than that Bay of Islands was a tender port.

[Hogbay]

I'm a no on the Key ,keep your cash . Ovation had to tender in Auckland when the wharf was damaged a few years ago. 

[M-H-B]

The thing is that I want internet each for me and my son and at the moment that is $30 a day and the key is only $35. I know 2 devices would be slightly cheaper than $60, it just is making it less of a massive gap in price in my head.

[Hogbay]

8 minutes ago, M-H-B said:

The thing is that I want internet each for me and my son and at the moment that is $30 a day and the key is only $35. I know 2 devices would be slightly cheaper than $60, it just is making it less of a massive gap in price in my head.

Totally different question 🤔 , sign up son to teen club the first day and get one Voom and share .beware due to satellite coverage in the South Island it will be slow as .

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, losfp said:

For our 2018 cruise, we docked at Akaroa instead, that was a tender port I believe. But I think now they will go to Lyttleton again?

 

Other than that Bay of Islands was a tender port.

Before the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011 the ships used to dock in Lyttleton, but after the extensive damage to the port facilities, ships called into Akaroa, a tender port. It is about two hours' drive from Christchurch. We have been on several cruises that called there.

 

It has been reported that the port of Lyttleton that was badly damaged in 2011, is open again so ships will dock there.

 

The OP (M-H-B) isn't going to Bay of Islands.

[Chiliburn]

4 hours ago, M-H-B said:

The thing is that I want internet each for me and my son and at the moment that is $30 a day and the key is only $35. I know 2 devices would be slightly cheaper than $60, it just is making it less of a massive gap in price in my head.

That’s not a bad price but if it’s early tender you want  ,do a shore excursion through the ship.You will be the first off the ship.

The Internet on ships can be pretty woeful especially the future south you go.You will find it good to keep in touch but that’s about it.

[lyndarra]

14 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Some yes, some no. The port for Dunedin is Port Chalmers, a 20-30 minute drive from the centre of Dunedin.

 

For Christchurch, ships will dock at Lyttleton, a 20 min or so drive from the centre of Christchurch.

 

At Picton, ships dock at a working wharf (timber loading) fairly close to the centre of the town. I seem to recall that everyone had to take a shuttle bus because pax are not allowed to walk on the dock.

 

Napier is also a working wharf - once again timber loading. Pax are not permitted to walk on the dock. Free shuttle buses take pax the 10 mins into town.

 

Wellington. The ships dock in town. It is probably a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of town, but there is usually a free shuttle bus.

Missed Oban, Codfish Island.

[carlandlyn]

On 5/4/2022 at 6:34 PM, Aus Traveller said:

Some yes, some no. The port for Dunedin is Port Chalmers, a 20-30 minute drive from the centre of Dunedin.

 

For Christchurch, ships will dock at Lyttleton, a 20 min or so drive from the centre of Christchurch.

 

At Picton, ships dock at a working wharf (timber loading) fairly close to the centre of the town. I seem to recall that everyone had to take a shuttle bus because pax are not allowed to walk on the dock.

 

Napier is also a working wharf - once again timber loading. Pax are not permitted to walk on the dock. Free shuttle buses take pax the 10 mins into town.

 

Wellington. The ships dock in town. It is probably a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of town, but there is usually a free shuttle bus.

Can concur with all the above.

One more I could think of is Tauranga, its right in the middle of a small town (quite nice, but not large where you berth), can walk anywhere, but its designed to be close to Rotorua and the geothermals, which is about 90mins (from memory) on the tour bus.

[Aus Traveller]

8 hours ago, carlandlyn said:

Can concur with all the above.

One more I could think of is Tauranga, its right in the middle of a small town (quite nice, but not large where you berth), can walk anywhere, but its designed to be close to Rotorua and the geothermals, which is about 90mins (from memory) on the tour bus.

I was only giving information on the ports that M-H-B enquired about. 🙂