Best ports to see wildlife/ scenery in NZ

[luckybecky]

Sorry, I know my thread title is overly broad. Let me explain. We are doing a cruise in March that includes several ports in New Zealand -- a bucket list destination for us. We want to get the most out of this but also have to watch our budget. We are doing a B2B totaling 25 days with many ports. Excursions could easily run into thousands of dollars.

 

So I'm looking at doing many of these ports on our own. And from my research (admittedly limited so far as we have only recently booked this cruise) it seems that many of our ports are do-able on our own. It appears that in most of these ports we could get off the ship and into city center relatively easily and find many wonderful things to do.

 

But as charming as the art deco architecture in Napier or punting on the Avon in Christchurch sound, we do not want to spend all our time in towns and never see the incredible scenery and wildlife that we have dreamed about. We are going to have to pick and choose carefully in order to maintain a reasonable budget for excursions.

 

So long story short, of the following ports, does anyone have suggestions for must see scenic tours especially wildlife tours? Is there something we just cannot miss in the following ports? FWIW, we are not into Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, and tours related to those really don't interest us.  We are relatively fit for our age (early 60s) and can handle moderately strenuous activities.

 

Our ports are Auckland (we will arrive a day or two before embarking on our cruise), Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. 

 

Any suggestions as to where it would be worth it to splurge on a scenic/wildlife excursion? And which ports would be best to save our money and DIY a city tour? 

 

Thanks very much for any suggestions. Counting embarkation and debarkation ports, we have a total of 18 ports to research/plan and it's a little overwhelming.

[Cbtours]

We’re doing Sydney NZ March 2024 on Majestic Princess. This will be 5th cruise to NZ. But couple of new ports to before. So will be watching input with great interest. Bay of Islands& Picton

[possum52]

1 hour ago, luckybecky said:

Sorry, I know my thread title is overly broad. Let me explain. We are doing a cruise in March that includes several ports in New Zealand -- a bucket list destination for us. We want to get the most out of this but also have to watch our budget. We are doing a B2B totaling 25 days with many ports. Excursions could easily run into thousands of dollars.

 

So I'm looking at doing many of these ports on our own. And from my research (admittedly limited so far as we have only recently booked this cruise) it seems that many of our ports are do-able on our own. It appears that in most of these ports we could get off the ship and into city center relatively easily and find many wonderful things to do.

 

But as charming as the art deco architecture in Napier or punting on the Avon in Christchurch sound, we do not want to spend all our time in towns and never see the incredible scenery and wildlife that we have dreamed about. We are going to have to pick and choose carefully in order to maintain a reasonable budget for excursions.

 

So long story short, of the following ports, does anyone have suggestions for must see scenic tours especially wildlife tours? Is there something we just cannot miss in the following ports? FWIW, we are not into Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, and tours related to those really don't interest us.  We are relatively fit for our age (early 60s) and can handle moderately strenuous activities.

 

Our ports are Auckland (we will arrive a day or two before embarking on our cruise), Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. 

 

Any suggestions as to where it would be worth it to splurge on a scenic/wildlife excursion? And which ports would be best to save our money and DIY a city tour? 

 

Thanks very much for any suggestions. Counting embarkation and debarkation ports, we have a total of 18 ports to research/plan and it's a little overwhelming.

For Wellington, I would suggest a visit to Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary - Visit Zealandia 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[luckybecky]

1 hour ago, Cbtours said:

We’re doing Sydney NZ March 2024 on Majestic Princess. This will be 5th cruise to NZ. But couple of new ports to before. So will be watching input with great interest. Bay of Islands& Picton

 

I see that you are from Melbourne -- which is another of our ports! I've been reading and gotten some great ideas for what to do there, but have the same problem. Should we schedule a tour or just DIY? So many lovely things to do.

 

As much as we love cruising, this exposes the drawback. With only a few hours in each port it is so hard to decide what to do. I'm hoping for some good advice from some New Zealanders who can guide us. 🙂

 

[possum52]

8 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

I see that you are from Melbourne -- which is another of our ports! I've been reading and gotten some great ideas for what to do there, but have the same problem. Should we schedule a tour or just DIY? So many lovely things to do.

 

As much as we love cruising, this exposes the drawback. With only a few hours in each port it is so hard to decide what to do. I'm hoping for some good advice from some New Zealanders who can guide us. 🙂

 

How long are you in Melbourne for? And when?

[yarramar]

5 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Any suggestions as to where it would be worth it to splurge on a scenic/wildlife excursion? And which ports would be best to save our money and DIY a city tour? 

There is spectacular scenery on the South Island. I suggest that you read some travel guides to get an idea of things to do and see. https://www.newzealand.com/int/trips-and-driving-itineraries/south-island/

What sort of wildlife are you looking for? New Zealand only has birds, insects and fish. There are no land based mammals. 

When in Melbourne do a trip to the Healesville Sanctuary for wildlife (in captivity) https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville

[dreams_of_travel]

I took a Dunedin Wildlife Harbour cruise in January.  I did enjoy it, and we did see a bit of wildlife, plus I love being out on the water on a smaller ship.  It was not a long excursion, not expensive either (under $100).  It allowed me time to go into town after the harbour trip, and enjoy walking a bit on my own. 

[dreams_of_travel]

24 minutes ago, dreams_of_travel said:

I took a Dunedin Wildlife Harbour cruise in January.  I did enjoy it, and we did see a bit of wildlife, plus I love being out on the water on a smaller ship.  It was not a long excursion, not expensive either (under $100).  It allowed me time to go into town after the harbour trip, and enjoy walking a bit on my own. 

The correct name of the excursion:  Otago Harbour Wildlife Cruise

[Over from NZ]

12 hours ago, luckybecky said:

 

I see that you are from Melbourne -- which is another of our ports! I've been reading and gotten some great ideas for what to do there, but have the same problem. Should we schedule a tour or just DIY? So many lovely things to do.

 

As much as we love cruising, this exposes the drawback. With only a few hours in each port it is so hard to decide what to do. I'm hoping for some good advice from some New Zealanders who can guide us. 🙂

 

If it is a "bucket-list" destination - skip the cruise. It's just not a good way to see things. If you want a cruise that as a bonus happens to go to a handful of places in that country.. sure.. but if it's bucket-list.. why are you bothering with a cruise that won't get you to what you want to see?? 🙂 

[Korimako]

I would second that. Not to pour cold water on your plans, but there's no way you can see our magnificent scenery on a one day ship's excursion on a day visit from any of those ports. To truly see NZ you need to do a land trip.

3 of the ports are on the North Island and the most spectacular scenery is well inland from the ports on the South Island.

Are you committed to the cruise?

[luckybecky]

Thanks everyone for the input. Some interesting responses. I'm disappointed that it will be difficult for us to see any nice scenery. Is there really nothing at all that can be recommended for these ports, aside from the Otago harbor cruise and Zealandia that were mentioned? 

 

We have relatively long port times of 10-11 hours in most ports which I had hoped would be long enough to get in some good excursions. The cruise line has some listed but they are ridiculously expensive, especially the longer tours, so we are hoping to find some providers outside of the cruise line. Renting a car for the day would not be completely out of the question but would not be our first choice.

 

As for wildlife viewing, we were thinking about seals, sea lions, penguins, etc. I believe there is an albatross center too. 

 

We are going to have scenic cruising in Milford, Dusky, and Doubtful Sounds so hopefully there will be some nice scenery along the way. 

 

As for being committed to the cruise, well, yes and no. Technically, no, because we have only a small deposit invested. It would be possible to change to something else. But we are really excited about this itinerary which includes not only NZ but several ports in Australia and then moving on to Fiji, American Samoa and other South Pacific Islands before finally ending up in Papeete Tahiti. It covers a lot of ground and all the ports are new to us except Moorea and Papeete. So, yes, in that sense we really are looking forward to the cruise. 

 

Again, thanks everyone for the feedback. We still  have a lot of time to plan the trip and appreciate everyone's expertise.

 

@possum52 We are in Melbourne on March 25, for only about 9 hours. I found a walking tour there that looks interesting and would also leave us time to explore some of the city center on our own. 

@yarramar Thanks for the links. I haven't had a chance to look at them closely yet but at a glance it looks like there is some good information there. 

[possum52]

10 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

Thanks everyone for the input. Some interesting responses. I'm disappointed that it will be difficult for us to see any nice scenery. Is there really nothing at all that can be recommended for these ports, aside from the Otago harbor cruise and Zealandia that were mentioned? 

 

We have relatively long port times of 10-11 hours in most ports which I had hoped would be long enough to get in some good excursions. The cruise line has some listed but they are ridiculously expensive, especially the longer tours, so we are hoping to find some providers outside of the cruise line. Renting a car for the day would not be completely out of the question but would not be our first choice.

 

As for wildlife viewing, we were thinking about seals, sea lions, penguins, etc. I believe there is an albatross center too. 

 

We are going to have scenic cruising in Milford, Dusky, and Doubtful Sounds so hopefully there will be some nice scenery along the way. 

 

As for being committed to the cruise, well, yes and no. Technically, no, because we have only a small deposit invested. It would be possible to change to something else. But we are really excited about this itinerary which includes not only NZ but several ports in Australia and then moving on to Fiji, American Samoa and other South Pacific Islands before finally ending up in Papeete Tahiti. It covers a lot of ground and all the ports are new to us except Moorea and Papeete. So, yes, in that sense we really are looking forward to the cruise. 

 

Again, thanks everyone for the feedback. We still  have a lot of time to plan the trip and appreciate everyone's expertise.

 

@possum52 We are in Melbourne on March 25, for only about 9 hours. I found a walking tour there that looks interesting and would also leave us time to explore some of the city center on our own. 

@yarramar Thanks for the links. I haven't had a chance to look at them closely yet but at a glance it looks like there is some good information there. 

In Melbourne, you are not here long enough to do many of the local tours unfortunately. 

Melbourne Tours

Melbourne Tours 2

Private Tours for Cruise Passengers. From this one, I would suggest the Dandenong Ranges tour which gets you out of the city and into some amazing scenery. 

If you are interested in sport, a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is interesting. You can easily walk from the city centre to the Melbourne sports precinct which includes the MCG, Melbourne Park where the Australian Open Tennis is played, and AAMI Park where soccer and rugby is played. You walk along the bank of the Yarra River. 

 

Melbourne central business area (CBD) has some great parkland and gardens surrounding it which are worth a walk to. It is also very easy to get around the CBD, either walking or by tram which is free. You can catch a tram from near Station Pier where your ship will be docked into the CBD. This does cost but you can usually buy the myki card at the cruise ship terminal. If you're only travelling in the Free Tram Zone (CBD) you don't need a myki.

[Over from NZ]

2 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Thanks everyone for the input. Some interesting responses. I'm disappointed that it will be difficult for us to see any nice scenery. Is there really nothing at all that can be recommended for these ports, aside from the Otago harbor cruise and Zealandia that were mentioned? 

 

We have relatively long port times of 10-11 hours in most ports which I had hoped would be long enough to get in some good excursions. The cruise line has some listed but they are ridiculously expensive, especially the longer tours, so we are hoping to find some providers outside of the cruise line. Renting a car for the day would not be completely out of the question but would not be our first choice.

 

As for wildlife viewing, we were thinking about seals, sea lions, penguins, etc. I believe there is an albatross center too. 

 

We are going to have scenic cruising in Milford, Dusky, and Doubtful Sounds so hopefully there will be some nice scenery along the way. 

 

As for being committed to the cruise, well, yes and no. Technically, no, because we have only a small deposit invested. It would be possible to change to something else. But we are really excited about this itinerary which includes not only NZ but several ports in Australia and then moving on to Fiji, American Samoa and other South Pacific Islands before finally ending up in Papeete Tahiti. It covers a lot of ground and all the ports are new to us except Moorea and Papeete. So, yes, in that sense we really are looking forward to the cruise. 

 

Again, thanks everyone for the feedback. We still  have a lot of time to plan the trip and appreciate everyone's expertise.

 

@possum52 We are in Melbourne on March 25, for only about 9 hours. I found a walking tour there that looks interesting and would also leave us time to explore some of the city center on our own. 

@yarramar Thanks for the links. I haven't had a chance to look at them closely yet but at a glance it looks like there is some good information there. 

I agree with Korimako. Without being rude.. you're missing the point. If it's just a nice cruise you want.. then sure, do it. Any cruise can be fun. If it's "bucket-list" stuff.. then nah. If you asked NZ'ers to give you a top-10 list of what to see.. you would be lucky if you saw 1 or 2 of them on a cruise. Most of what would be suggested to see or do.. you won't access from the ports at all. 

[luckybecky]

12 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

I agree with Korimako. Without being rude.. you're missing the point. If it's just a nice cruise you want.. then sure, do it. Any cruise can be fun. If it's "bucket-list" stuff.. then nah. If you asked NZ'ers to give you a top-10 list of what to see.. you would be lucky if you saw 1 or 2 of them on a cruise. Most of what would be suggested to see or do.. you won't access from the ports at all. 

 

Yes, I get your point. But this is a cruising forum, after all. I'm disappointed that we might miss the most exceptional sights. But my question has been from the start, what CAN we do from these ports? Is there absolutely nothing worth our time? A day trip that can be done in 8-10 hours? Nothing? I can't believe all ports are that devoid of anything at all worth seeing. 

 

I really do appreciate your input and that of others. I understand what you are saying and sorry to discover that the ports aren't more exciting.  But if we do go ahead with the cruise, which we probably will, then we would like to make the most of it and not have to spend up to $400 per person / per excursion for ship excursions. That's what I was asking for help with. 

 

Thanks again. 

[Over from NZ]

22 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

Yes, I get your point. But this is a cruising forum, after all. I'm disappointed that we might miss the most exceptional sights. But my question has been from the start, what CAN we do from these ports? Is there absolutely nothing worth our time? A day trip that can be done in 8-10 hours? Nothing? I can't believe all ports are that devoid of anything at all worth seeing. 

 

I really do appreciate your input and that of others. I understand what you are saying and sorry to discover that the ports aren't more exciting.  But if we do go ahead with the cruise, which we probably will, then we would like to make the most of it and not have to spend up to $400 per person / per excursion for ship excursions. That's what I was asking for help with. 

 

Thanks again. 

I hear you. Cruising is fun.. otherwise we wouldn't be here. But it's a rubbish way to travel if wanting to see places and what you're looking for doesn't match up with what you're going to see. But hey.. glass half-full. 🙂  There's nothing wrong with those ports. Those ports - all of them you can safely book excursions direct rather than pay the inflated prices the ships offer. However, being brutally honest and realistic; the ports are too far away from the type of stuff you're really wanting to see (the postcard type scenery).. so the suggestion would probably be to just do the usual things cruise passengers do in them.. go punting on the Avon, ride the Tram.. go up the Cable car in Wellington to the Gardens and Zealandia, do the Te Papa Museum etc. Go to Hobbiton (honestly, even if not into the movie - the scenery on that excursion is pretty cool). Still a lot of fun.. just not the instagram type stuff haha. Christchurch you could get away with a day-trip to Akaroa - I think it's average.. (but I grew up with family holidays there every year lol), but cruise passengers used to love it when the ships were docking there instead of Lyttleton. It's a nice wee French-themed holiday town.. about an hour and a half drive. Dunedin, the view from Larnach castle over the harbours is pretty cool. The castle and grounds are nice. There is a train-ride (hellish expensive), but being honest.. the scenery on it is just ok. 

[possum52]

From Tauranga, I would suggest a trip to Rotorua and visit the thermal springs. We did an excursion there from Tauranga that included the Maori cultural village and springs. Very interesting. 

 

Dunedin has the tour mentioned above and other similar ones. Most of the NZ wildlife are birds or sea animals such as the kiwi (a nocturnal bird), kākāpō another nocturnal bird and very rare, 

 

 

[yarramar]

9 hours ago, luckybecky said:

But if we do go ahead with the cruise, which we probably will, then we would like to make the most of it and not have to spend up to $400 per person / per excursion for ship excursions. That's what I was asking for help with. 

 

Thanks again. 

Have a look through these. https://www.bookatour.co.nz/cruise-ship-tours

There are other companies which offer excursions but they will be similar.

The good news is that New Zealanders are incredibly hospitable and you will get excellent value for whatever money you spend without fear of being ripped off. Plus you don't need to tip anyone, the price of your excursions is all you need to pay.

[aamechs2]

We are hoping to see some wildlife too so we’ve booked the Pukekara Blue penguin tour from Port Chalmers ( Dunedin) and also an Akaroa kayaking tour thru Leisure tours from Lyttelton/Christchurch. We’re excited about both of these. Plus there will be some gorgeous scenery from the ship. Don’t let the naysayers dissuade you from the cruise, it will be wonderful

[sailing canary]

I don't wish to appear rude, but why would your opinion on where to see spectacular NZ scenery be more relevant than the responses from people who actually live there and actually know what they're talking about?

[Karaboudjan]

11 hours ago, sailing canary said:

I don't wish to appear rude, but why would your opinion on where to see spectacular NZ scenery be more relevant than the responses from people who actually live there and actually know what they're talking about?

 

It's only their opinion too...  Have those people explored every square mile of New Zealand?  Just living somewhere does not make you an authority on all things concerned about the place.  I'm sure there are places to see spectacular scenery and wildlife within 100 miles of my home that I am completely unaware of.

[frantic36]

On 10/14/2023 at 8:37 AM, sailing canary said:

I don't wish to appear rude, but why would your opinion on where to see spectacular NZ scenery be more relevant than the responses from people who actually live there and actually know what they're talking about?

I have been to New Zealand a few times via cruise ship and I must admit I was taken aback by some of the negativity from New Zealand posters. Yes you will see a lot more scenery if you take a land trip but we saw a lot on our port days. New Zealand is not know for wildlife apart from mainly a variety of birds. 

 

The last time we went was in 2016 and we will be back in February but mainly focus on the North Island and Wellington.

 

We hired cars and drove for miles to see glorious mountains and lakes. We took private tours to including to Rotorua hot springs and did a nature walk, or tramping as they call it outside of Christchurch. We did a jet boat on one of the rivers. Splurged and did a helicopter flight that landed on a mountain top, no snow that time. We went on a yacht in the Bay of Islands and stopped at a few of the smaller islands to swim and hike. In Russell we went out on a fishing vessel and saw multiple albatross close up, that was a ship tour.

 

This time in January we are planning to hike Mt Manganui, we have an overland in Auckland so will hire a car and stay in Waitomo overnight so we can explore that region and the glow worms plus Russell. So there is lots to do it is just there is always so much more. And since I don't like living out of a suitcase I am okay doing it by cruise ship.

 

So as mentioned the people who live there have their opinion but it isn't the only one. So @luckybeckyhere is another person's opinion and ideas.

[luckybecky]

Thanks again, everyone. I had no idea that simply asking what to see in our various ports would be so divisive. FWIW, I don't have an opinion on what to see. That is why I asked!  My question was from the start: here are our ports, do you have any suggestions for what to see? I have to admit I was a bit taken aback to be told, essentially, that I shouldn't even bother. I mean, this is a cruising forum. We love cruising and were excited to go to New Zealand. We still are. But I have been surprised at the negativity for such a simple question. And IMO, it's never good to start with "I don't want to be rude, BUT...". 

 

So with that said, I won't continue this thread. I appreciate everyone who gave constructive suggestions. I don't want to continue contributing to any negativity so I'll just leave it at this. I'm here to learn and just enjoy cruising.  I hope that we will in fact be able to do this cruise and that I'll be able to report back later that we had a marvelous time. 

 

Happy sailing to all! 🛳️

 

 

[frantic36]

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

In Russell we went out on a fishing vessel and saw multiple albatross close up, that was a ship tour.

 

I was having a brain freeze. I meant we did the Albatross tour from Oban on Stewart Island. 

 

@luckybecky a few quick ideas: And I do understand so don't feel the need to reply.

 

Auckland take the 30 minute ferry across to Waiheke Island. The ferry leaves right near the cruise port and town. If you enjoy good wine and lovely scenery there are many private tour operators and you can join a small group or do it privately. You can also do tours or use the local bus if you don't want to do the wine tour.

 

Wellington: the cable car up to the botanic gardens and if you are moderate fitness you can walk back down. Te Papa museum is one of the most interesting museums with lots of visual and written history on New Zealand especially Maori culture and the walk back to the ship along the waterside was great for people watching. 

 

Tauranga: take a tour or hire car to the thermal hot springs and just the scenery to get there is good. Otherwise Mt Maunganui is in walking distance from the port.

https://www.newzealand.com/au/mount-maunganui/

 

Christchurch: is actually a drive inland from the port and the road is quite winding. I would visit because the countryside is lovely and the city interesting but maybe best to get a local to drive you.

 

Dunedin: We hired a car but that's because Steam Punk fascinates me and I wanted to visit Oamaru the Steam Punk capital in NZ 😅. Thankfully my husband indulges me and the scenery was lovely on the way. Again a very winding road.

 

Julie

 

 

[Over from NZ]

4 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Thanks again, everyone. I had no idea that simply asking what to see in our various ports would be so divisive. FWIW, I don't have an opinion on what to see. That is why I asked!  My question was from the start: here are our ports, do you have any suggestions for what to see? I have to admit I was a bit taken aback to be told, essentially, that I shouldn't even bother. I mean, this is a cruising forum. We love cruising and were excited to go to New Zealand. We still are. But I have been surprised at the negativity for such a simple question. And IMO, it's never good to start with "I don't want to be rude, BUT...". 

 

So with that said, I won't continue this thread. I appreciate everyone who gave constructive suggestions. I don't want to continue contributing to any negativity so I'll just leave it at this. I'm here to learn and just enjoy cruising.  I hope that we will in fact be able to do this cruise and that I'll be able to report back later that we had a marvelous time. 

 

Happy sailing to all! 🛳️

 

 

C'mon smile 🙂 Don't run away lol. You've taken it all out of context. You've been given constructive suggestions. It's just that you initially suggested it was a bucket-list to see the country and the scenery. There's a number of good ideas above if cruising NZ is what you want to do. 

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@luckybecky

 

My reading is that you want to see "wildlife" and scenery from the ports your ship will visit at an inexpensive price.

 

Sorry "no can do"!

 

Tours that would give you what you are looking for would be LONG days and VERY expensive.

 

Use the cruise to see the cities and come back to do a land tour to see what you "need"