Cruise: 15-Day Australia, New Zealand Packages

Day 1 (D)
Start off in Sydney -- a world-class city that offers style and sophistication. Fringed by numerous bays and beaches and presided over by the glistening Opera House, Sydney unveils a great photo opportunity at every turn. With its Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the zoos and lively neighborhoods, Darling Harbour -- Sydney is just delightful. Board your ship for epic south seas voyage.

Cruise sights include: Circular Quay, The Rocks, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Museum of Contemporary Art, Oxford Street, Bondi Beach

Day 2 (B,L,D)
Today is at sea.

Day 3 (B,L,D)
Dock in Melbourne, the cultivated sister of brassy Sydney. The city is known for its winding lanes, cafe culture and chic sense of style. Built on a coastal plain at the top of the giant horseshoe of Port Phillip Bay, the city center is an orderly grid of streets where the state parliament, banks and splendid Victorian buildings that sprang up in the wake of the Gold Rush now stand. This is Melbourne's heart, which you can explore at a leisurely pace on foot or aboard Melbourne's civilized streetcars.

Cruise sights include: Cook’s Cottage, Federation Square, National Gallery of Victoria, Flinder’s Lane, Chapel Street, Melbourne Cricket Grounds

Day 4 (B,L,D)
Today is at sea.

Day 5 (B,L,D)
Pull into Hobart, Tasmania. Straddling the Derwent River at the foot of Mt. Wellington's forested slopes, Hobart is the second-oldest city in the country after Sydney. And it certainly rivals its mainland counterpart as Australia's most beautiful state capital. Close-set colonial brick-and-sandstone shops and homes line the narrow, quiet streets, creating a genteel setting. Life revolves around the broad Derwent River port, one of the deepest harbors in the world. Here warehouses that once stored Hobart's major exports of fruit, wool, and corn, and products from the city's former whaling fleet still stand alongside the wharf. 

Cruise sights include: Brooke Street Pier, Maritime Museum, Salamanca Place, Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Arthur’s Circus, Parliament House, Port Arthur

Day 6 (B,L,D)
Today you’re off crossing the Tasman Sea.

Day 7 (B,L,D)
Continue crossing the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.

Day 8 (B,L,D)
Slide along the epic shoreline of New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park. Pull into Milford Sound, the most famous and accessible of the grand, glacier-carved fjords. Sea cliffs rise vertically from the dark waters, mountain peaks scrape the sky and waterfalls cascade down sheer rock faces. Milford is home to bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, and Fiordland crested penguins. Dusky Sound is beautiful but remote, only accessible by sea, air and multi-day hike.

Day 9 (B,L,D)
Head to Stewart Island, some 20 miles (32 kilometres) from the mainland, and separated from South Island by the Foveaux Strait. The island’s attractions lie in its virtually untouched beauty and unhurried pace. There are few cars, few roads and little tourist development. You could say that Stewart Island is less a destination than a way of life. 

Day 10
Today it’s up the South Island coast to Dunedin. If any region can bring out the bird-watcher in you, this is it; the area is home to the giant Royal Albatross and fascinating yellow-eyed penguins.

Cruise sights include: Larnach Castle, Otago Peninsula, Taiaroa Head, Penguin Places, Speight’s Brewery, Taieri Gorge Railway

Day 11
Sail into Akaroa. Sheep graze almost to the water's edge in the many small bays indenting the coastline of Banks Peninsula, the nub that juts into the Pacific east of Christchurch. On the southern side of the peninsula, in a harbor created when the crater wall of an extinct volcano collapsed into the sea, nestles the fishing village of Akaroa (Māori for "long harbor"). The little town on shore was founded by French settlers. But apart from the rue (street) names, a few family surnames, and architectural touches, there is little sign of a French connection anymore.

Cruise sights include: Maori and Colonial Museum, Pohatu Reserve penguins, harbor cruise, wineries

Day 12 (B,L,D)
Sail through the magnificent Malborough Sounds to the small port town of Picton. Rolling green hills here capture the sea into tranquil bays and inlets. Explore the area’s stunning landscapes up close. Or head inland for a taste of the famous Marlborough Wines at an area vineyard. Try a delicious Sauvignon Blanc or maybe a Pinot Noir.

Cruise sights include: Edwin Fox Maritime Museum, Marlborough Sound cruise, Marlborough wineries, Blenheim

Day 13 (B,L,D)
Head up to Napier. In 1931, an earthquake leveled this small city. In response, citizens rebuilt their city in the art deco style of the day. Now a walk through the art deco district is a stylistic immersion. But no trip to this part of New Zealand would be complete without a bit of wine-touring in the Hawke's Bay region, which produces some of New Zealand's best wines.

Cruise sights include: Daily Telegraph Building, Hawke’s Bay Museum, Cape Kidnappers. Brookfields Vineyard, National Aquarium

Day 14 (B,L,D)
Today you’re in Tauranga. The star of the Bay of Plenty, Tauranga is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing cities and one of its sunniest towns. The excellent waves at neighboring Mount Maunganui always draw surfers and there's also a fun café scene. Just inland lies the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua, well worth a day tour.

Cruise sights include: Mt Maunganui, Rotorua, Maori Art and Crafts Institute, Te Wairoa, dolphin swimming, rafting and kayaking, Elms Mission House

Day 15 (B,L,D)
Finish your cruise by docking in Auckland. The city’s scenery is commanded by some of the city's 46 volcanic hills, their grass kept closely cropped by those four-legged lawn mowers known as sheep. But this city of about 1.1 million is also a cosmopolitan mix of Polynesians, Asians, and Europeans. (In fact, Auckland has the world's largest single population of Pacific Islanders.) Literally topping things off is the 1,082-foot Sky Tower, dwarfing opened early in 1996.

Cruise sights include: Albert Park, Auckland Art Gallery, Parnell Village, Rangitoto Island, Ponsonby Street