Excursions for Australia & New Zealand

[Jean C]

@OzKiwiJJ's post above is very comprehensive. Being in NZ and having seen Rotorua many times, and with Hobbiton not my thing, I can highly vouch for Mt Maunganui as a most delightful seaside town in its own right, with pleasant strolls, lovely beaches and cafes. The hot pools and Mt Maunganui tracks are worth doing, and not being a shopper, I scratch my head as to why anyone would want to go to Tauranga city itself rather than stay in Mt Maunganui 🙂

[possum52]

12 minutes ago, Jean C said:

@OzKiwiJJ's post above is very comprehensive. Being in NZ and having seen Rotorua many times, and with Hobbiton not my thing, I can highly vouch for Mt Maunganui as a most delightful seaside town in its own right, with pleasant strolls, lovely beaches and cafes. The hot pools and Mt Maunganui tracks are worth doing, and not being a shopper, I scratch my head as to why anyone would want to go to Tauranga city itself rather than stay in Mt Maunganui 🙂

I think I could live in Mt Maunganui quite easily. It is a beautiful town. I love the pohutukawa trees/bushes everywhere. At this time of the year they are fabulous.

[cruiselvr04]

On 10/30/2023 at 8:06 PM, possum52 said:

You don't need to buy Opal cards, you can just tap your credit card.

This is Sydney you’re talking about right?  Tapping a credit card on and off sounds easiest.  Is this for all public transportation including ferries?  Do we each need to use a separate credit card?  

[Port Power]

50 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

This is Sydney you’re talking about right?  Tapping a credit card on and off sounds easiest.  Is this for all public transportation including ferries?  Do we each need to use a separate credit card?  

Sydney.  All public transport: ferries, trains, buses.  Yes, a separate card per person.  A card such as a VISA debit card or a credit card.

[beatleman]

5 hours ago, Port Power said:

Sydney.  All public transport: ferries, trains, buses.  Yes, a separate card per person.  A card such as a VISA debit card or a credit card.

Opal Cards are available if you don't have enough credit cards per group. You will see the Kiosks at all terminals.

[Port Power]

7 hours ago, beatleman said:

Opal Cards are available if you don't have enough credit cards per group. You will see the Kiosks at all terminals.

I'm sure @cruiselvr04 will appreciate that information.  I have my own Opal card already and keep it topped up.

[Bayleebear]

We will be on the Carnival Splendor 1/28, stops in Napier, Auckland, Wellington, Bay of Isle, and Tauranga. I would like to do a sheep farm tour, is this possible from any of the cruise ports? 
I am also looking for things to do in Bay of Isles, other than a cruising the Bay Area, any suggestions?
Thank you

[lyndarra]

 

5 hours ago, Bayleebear said:

We will be on the Carnival Splendor 1/28, stops in Napier, Auckland, Wellington, Bay of Isle, and Tauranga. I would like to do a sheep farm tour, is this possible from any of the cruise ports? 
I am also looking for things to do in Bay of Isles, other than a cruising the Bay Area, any suggestions?
Thank you

I recall doing doing a farm tour from Tauranga some years ago. I can't remember any details.  Sorry.

[SinbadThePorter]

In the Bay of Islands make sure to get out to the Hole in the Rock.

[cruiser3775]

In Bay of Islands, you can take the shuttle bus to the wharf where the ferries depart for Russell, a lovely historical village across the bay.

[onlyslightlymad]

On 11/4/2023 at 1:10 PM, possum52 said:

I think I could live in Mt Maunganui quite easily. It is a beautiful town. I love the pohutukawa trees/bushes everywhere. At this time of the year they are fabulous.

I know this is pedantic but Mt Maunganui is not a town, it's a suburb of Tauranga.  I live in Otumoetai and work in Mt Maunganui.  It takes me 15 mins to get to work.  They are both suburbs of Tauranga.

That said, the Tauranga CBD is just dreadful at present.  Roadworks everywhere, shops empty.  I, too, would stay in the Mount and just have a wander if I was to pull in on a cruise ship.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 11/4/2023 at 10:54 AM, Jean C said:

@OzKiwiJJ's post above is very comprehensive. Being in NZ and having seen Rotorua many times, and with Hobbiton not my thing, I can highly vouch for Mt Maunganui as a most delightful seaside town in its own right, with pleasant strolls, lovely beaches and cafes. The hot pools and Mt Maunganui tracks are worth doing, and not being a shopper, I scratch my head as to why anyone would want to go to Tauranga city itself rather than stay in Mt Maunganui 🙂

I must say the Mount has improved immensely over the past ten years, especially the restaurants and cafes. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant last time we were there - Latitude 37, we just grazed on their Small Plates and had a very nice wine.

[OzKiwiJJ]

8 hours ago, onlyslightlymad said:

I know this is pedantic but Mt Maunganui is not a town, it's a suburb of Tauranga.  I live in Otumoetai and work in Mt Maunganui.  It takes me 15 mins to get to work.  They are both suburbs of Tauranga.

That said, the Tauranga CBD is just dreadful at present.  Roadworks everywhere, shops empty.  I, too, would stay in the Mount and just have a wander if I was to pull in on a cruise ship.

Yes, the Mount is just a suburb now but originally it was a separate borough. 

[frantic36]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant last time we were there - Latitude 37, we just grazed on their Small Plates and had a very nice wine.

 

Thank you for this suggestion. We will be in Tauranga in February and planned to climb Mt Maunganui and then have lunch nearby. Looking at the website Latitude 37 sounds like an excellent choice.

[MMDown Under]

14 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

In Bay of Islands, you can take the shuttle bus to the wharf where the ferries depart for Russell, a lovely historical village across the bay.

I did this, after a lovely walk along the edge of a golf course. 

[onlyslightlymad]

7 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, the Mount is just a suburb now but originally it was a separate borough. 

The old people who have lived there since birth still think of it as a separate town which is fair enough.

We have had an influx of rich Aucklanders in the last few years though who refuse to say that they live in Tauranga but instead live at 'the Mount".  I always want to pop their balloon.

[MMDown Under]

5 minutes ago, onlyslightlymad said:

The old people who have lived there since birth still think of it as a separate town which is fair enough.

We have had an influx of rich Aucklanders in the last few years though who refuse to say that they live in Tauranga but instead live at 'the Mount".  I always want to pop their balloon.

I understand I feel the same way.  It is "the Coast" to locals, only differentiated between South or North.

Anglers Paradise, such a perfectly named suburb name, suffered the indignity of becoming a place name in Runaway Bay (Sounds like a TV show)

[lyndarra]

11 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I must say the Mount has improved immensely over the past ten years, especially the restaurants and cafes. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant last time we were there - Latitude 37, we just grazed on their Small Plates and had a very nice wine.

Our first time in the Mount we found a fantastic dairy where we had the best thick shakes ever (IIRC mine was Jaffa - yummo). On our next cruise we went looking for the same dairy and it was under new ownership and moved upmarket(?) to a hipster, cafe. We tried one of their shakes and we were very disappointed.

[onlyslightlymad]

5 hours ago, lyndarra said:

Our first time in the Mount we found a fantastic dairy where we had the best thick shakes ever (IIRC mine was Jaffa - yummo). On our next cruise we went looking for the same dairy and it was under new ownership and moved upmarket(?) to a hipster, cafe. We tried one of their shakes and we were very disappointed.

It's worth trying the ice cream at Mount Made.  It's a little further down Maunganui Road.  Lovely handmade ice cream and very nice people too

[MMDown Under]

On 1/2/2024 at 2:29 PM, onlyslightlymad said:

It's worth trying the ice cream at Mount Made.  It's a little further down Maunganui Road.  Lovely handmade ice cream and very nice people too

Thanks  I will any recommendations for flavour?

[onlyslightlymad]

13 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Thanks  I will any recommendations for flavour?

I'm afraid I'm a very dull person because I like vanilla

[Port Power]

On 12/31/2023 at 11:48 AM, Bayleebear said:

We will be on the Carnival Splendor 1/28, stops in Napier, Auckland, Wellington, Bay of Isle, and Tauranga. I would like to do a sheep farm tour, is this possible from any of the cruise ports? 
I am also looking for things to do in Bay of Isles, other than a cruising the Bay Area, any suggestions?
Thank you

Prinsy Tours do several tours out of Napier. I usually get a group together through Cruise Critic. However, the sheep farm visit that they run is usually just available as a ship excursion.

[cruiselvr04]

On 12/31/2023 at 6:34 PM, cruiser3775 said:

In Bay of Islands, you can take the shuttle bus to the wharf where the ferries depart for Russell, a lovely historical village across the bay.

This is our plan for the day with lunch at the Duke of Marlborough.