Welcome to part three and the final post of our 31 day South Pacific cruise. We left Tahiti and we are now sailing 5 days toward New Zealand. Here are the links if you missed the first two posts: Amazing 31-day South Pacific Cruise to Australia—1 (Hawaii) and Amazing 31-day Cruise in the South Pacific—2 (French Polynesia).
On Sunday, October 13th, the 20th day of our cruise we crossed the International Date Line. When we woke up the following morning, it was Tuesday the 15th because we lost Monday the 14th. Too bad it’s not one of our birthdays, maybe we’d stay the same age for another year! Of course that also means when we fly back home we gain a day. We’ll have arrived back in Houston before we left Australia, even after flying 20+ hours!
We enjoyed another “formal” night at dinner with French food on the menu. Of course we had to order the escargots, lobster, filet and crème brûlée. This is as formal as we packed, because we only came with carry on luggage. The following day, Danny enjoyed an ice cream “snack” while watching the LSU game on his iPad. He managed to squeeze in the sundae after lunch and before the charcuterie board with chocolate truffles pre-dinner. Although the days are long at sea, there’s just not enough time for him to try out all the dining options.
We will visit 6 ports around New Zealand: Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington and Picton. It’ll be a busy week for us.
Bay of Islands
Our first port is the Bay of Islands. This area comprises 144 islands on the northern coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It was discovered over 1,000 years ago by a Polynesian navigator. Later, Captain James Cook arrived in 1769 and gave it its current name. Cook extensively charted both the North and South Island. Today, the Bay of Islands is known for its stunning beaches, water activities, beauty and history. We tendered into port as the bay is too shallow to get closer to land.
Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands with a population of about 1,700 people. The day started out overcast and misty, but cleared up just after lunch. A craft market in town displayed great local items such as these beautiful clocks made from shells and lots of knitted items using silk, wool and possum fur. Possum are not native to New Zealand, and with a lack of natural predators, they quickly became a major pest. To control this pest, the commercial use of possum fiber is encouraged. By blending the fur with lambswool and silk, it becomes an incredibly warm, strong yet soft fiber that does not pill or wrinkle and is anti-static.
We then walked around town and stopped at a pub for lunch, where Danny enjoyed a Guinness. The Mediterranean lamb pizza and fish burger were delicious!
Auckland
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with a population of 1.7 million people. There are more boats per person in Auckland, New Zealand than any other place in the world; giving Auckland its nickname “The City of Sails“. We woke up early this morning and the ship had just docked in the heart of downtown. We spent the morning exploring the Viaduct Harbor, Catholic Cathedral of St. Patrick & St. Joseph (1884) and Auckland Town Hall (1909). There are also many art deco buildings in the shopping area of Queen Street.
Sky Tower
Auckland’s Sky Tower is New Zealand’s tallest building and slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower with observation decks on the 51st and 60th floors. The views over the city are absolutely incredible. There are panoramic 360˚ views up to 50 miles in every direction including landmarks, the 53 volcanoes, harbors and other historical locations within the greater Tāmaki Makaurau (the Māori name for Auckland) area.
Sailing away from Auckland.
Mount Maunganui & Tauranga
A suburb of Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, is where the cruise ship docked for the day. Mount Maunganui is an extinct volcano and the dominant feature visible throughout the area. It’s on a peninsula on the Bay of Plenty. We walked around this small town and visited Pilot Bay Beach.
Then, we hopped on a city bus for the 4 mile ride to the city of Tauranga. Tauranga is the fifth most populous city in New Zealand and first settled in the 13th century. Downtown Tauranga features the Strand Waterfront area lined with cafes, restaurants and pubs. Although we had a walking map of downtown, there are virtually no street signs to tell you where you are, so it was a challenge to find our way at times.
We walked down the Strand and found a beautiful rose garden. We had a bit of a struggle finding the correct bus stop to return to the ship (again no signs at many of the stops). To get us back to the port, the tourist information center led us to the correct bus stop. We walked 11.5 miles today, so it’s time for a rest and a few cocktails.
About 30 miles off the coast of Tauranga is White Island Volcano. Once a popular tourist destination, it has been off limits since 2019, when a massive eruption of ash and steam killed 22 people who were visiting the island as part of a cruise excursion. Needless to say, we didn’t visit the active volcano. The extinct one we visited from this morning works just fine for me.
Napier
Napier is a coastal city set amid the wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay. It was rebuilt after a 1931 earthquake, New Zealand’s deadliest natural disaster. This city is known for its art deco architecture because the earthquake leveled the town and almost 600 aftershocks were recorded. The quake also uplifted almost 15 square miles of sea-bed to now become dry land. Along the tree-lined waterfront promenade the Marine Parade, the Pania of the Reef statue depicts a Maori maiden, a symbol of this city.
We absolutely loved this beautiful city. The weather was perfect with sunshine and a cool 62 degrees. We arrived on Sunday and there was a weekend market and antique cars driving around. The art deco architecture was amazing and the shops and streets were quaint, colorful and bustling with people. All of this surrounded by a deep blue sea made for a great day. We enjoyed an awesome seafood pizza and wandered around an antique shop. It’s already day 26 of our South Pacific cruise and the days are flying by.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. Also known as “Windy Wellington”, it’s the world’s windiest city with an overall average wind speed of 22.7 mph and an average gust speed of 51.34 mph. Another interesting fact is that in 1893, the parliament in Wellington passed the ‘Electoral Act 1893’ which made New Zealand the world’s first country to give women the right to vote. Today, it’s the 3rd largest city in New Zealand. It is a sunny, cool and breezy day today. Perfect for roaming the city.
Wellington Cable Car & Botanical Gardens
The Wellington Cable Car has been operating for 122 years and is more than just a way to get up and down the hill — it’s a piece of the city’s history! When we arrived in town, we walked straight to the cable car. I purchased tickets online from the ship and I’m glad I did as there was a long line to buy tickets at the gate. We were able to walk right in and avoid the long line. After the cable car arrived at the top, we went into the cable car museum and then took in the beautiful view over Wellington. We decided to walk down the hill through the botanical garden to get back into the city center. Along the way, we entered an old cemetery that was cut in half when they built a highway through it.
Back in the city center we spent a little time around the waterfront and the main shopping district. The Beehive is the common name for the Executive Wing of New Zealand’s Parliament Building. We took the shuttle back to the port as it was a long day of walking around another beautiful city. We may be tired, but we’re looking forward to our lobster and chateaubriand dinner on the ship this evening. But first, some champagne to “rehydrate” from the day’s activities.
Picton
Picton is our only port on the South Island of New Zealand. It’s day 28 of our South Pacific cruise and the final stop in New Zealand before we sail for 3 days and end our cruise in Sydney, Australia. This picturesque seaside town is home to great cafés, restaurants, galleries and specialty shops. This area is also a gateway to the Marlborough wine region. It boasts of its exquisite Sauvignon Blanc wine launching the country onto the international wine stage in the 1980s.
Sailing away from New Zealand and heading to Australia.
I hope you enjoyed following us as we travelled on our 31 day South Pacific Cruise aboard the Crown Princess from San Francisco to Australia. We can’t believe how quickly a month has passed. I originally thought that we had too many sea days and that the time would drag on; however, that didn’t happen.
We stayed very busy and made lots of new friends with whom to hang out. From the first day of our cruise, we met with the LGBTQ group every day. There were usually at least 12-15 of us who met for cocktails pre and post dinner. Several other guests sitting adjacent to us starting joining our group too. So we ended up with a variety of fun people. We met several couples from Houston, Cypress and Sugar Land too. There are a few in our group who are remaining on the ship when we disembark in Sydney for their second month of cruising.
The food and service were amazing on the Crown Princess and everything on board went smoothly. However, no matter how hard we tried we never were able to hit our maximum number of alcoholic drinks per day on our package. Perhaps next time!
Overall, we had a fantastic time and won’t hesitate to book another long cruise again. In fact, joining part of a world cruise does sound tempting now.
Stay tuned for more posts soon as we travel around Australia.
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