Pure New Zealand: North & South Islands

Looping around the Coromandel Peninsula, Scenic Eclipse II will arrive in Tauranga (pronounced ‘toe-run-gah’) this morning. Set along the edge of the beautiful Bay of Plenty, this is New Zealand’s busiest port, the harbour buzzing 24 hours a day with freighters, ferries and cruise ships. The city is one of the fastest growing in New Zealand, yet retains its peaceful, laid-back charm. The revamped waterfront is packed with excellent cafes, restaurants and bars. While Tauranga has its charms, it’s also the closest port for some of New Zealand’s most iconic sights. Rotorua is a natural geothermal wonderland with hot springs, bubbling mud pools and clouds of steam erupting from the ground thanks to subterranean volcanic activity. Set on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga, Mount Manganui is regularly voted the most beautiful beach in New Zealand. The extinct volcano Mauao, which is sacred to the Maori people, towers over the white sand beach and its world-renowned surf break.

Enjoy a slow start this morning. Scenic Eclipse II arrives in Gisborne at lunchtime, so you have time for a leisurely breakfast on the Yacht Club Terrace, coffee on the verandah of your suite or even a swim in the Vitality Pool. Known affectionately as Gizzy, this is the first city in the world to see the sunrise. Gisborne has a reputation for exceptional food and wine, and the surrounding countryside makes up the third-largest wine producing region in the country. Boutique vineyards produce many award-winning wines and Gisborne is known as the Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand. The city is also famous for its surfing, with beaches offering everything from baby waves for beginners to powerful barrels for the experts. History buffs will want to visit the Puhi Kai Iti Cook Landing Site, where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand in 1769, and the excellent Tairawhiti Museum, which charts the history of the East Coast Maori. A late departure tonight means you can spend some time in Gisborne after the rest of the cruise tourists have departed.

Wake up in Napier this morning and you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back almost 100 years into the past. In 1931, the centre of the town was flattened by an earthquake and then rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the day. Today, it retains all the charm and style of its heyday with the largest collection of authentic Art Deco buildings anywhere in the world. Take a walk through the compact commercial centre and you’ll feel as though you’re strolling through a carefully curated film set. Set on the edge of Hawkes Bay, Nelson also has a sunny, Mediterranean-style climate that has given rise to a thriving café culture, excellent restaurants and a population that likes to live life outside. Nearby, discover the world’s largest colony of gannets at Cape Kidnappers. Up to 25,000 of these glossy white birds with the distinctive two-metre wingspan live here, swooping and diving for fish in the ocean.

Step ashore today and you will soon see why they call this city Windy Wellington. The New Zealand capital is often named the windiest city in the world, thanks to its position on the edge of the Cook Strait, between New Zealand’s two islands, right in the middle of the Roaring Forties. On the plus side, wind turbines generate all the city’s electricity veritably making it almost pollution free. Wellington is a compact city with an attractive, easy-to-walk centre and its own distinctive sense of style. As well as the official buildings of state, like the distinctive Beehive Parliament Building, you’ll find plenty of designer boutiques, chic homewares stores, excellent restaurants, laneway cafes and buzzing craft breweries. Catch the cable car up to Kelburn Lookout for a stunning panorama over the city. Wellington is packed with museums and galleries, plus sculpture walks along the foreshore and an ever-changing crop of street art. It’s also New Zealand’s movie-making capital, thanks to “The Hobbit’ and “Lord of the Rings’ films created at the fascinating Weta Workshop, earning it a second nickname: Wellywood.

You’ll cross the Cook Strait overnight and arrive this morning on New Zealand’s South Island. Scenic Eclipse will call at two ports today, both tucked into the Tasman Bay on the northern tip of the island. Kaiteriteri is arguably New Zealand’s most beautiful beach, a perfect arc of golden sand fronting startlingly blue water. This tiny town is home to less than 500 people but has been a favourite holiday destination for Kiwis for generations. It’s also the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, a gorgeous wilderness reserve known for its sea kayaking, walks and wildlife. It’s just a short cruise into the furthest point of Tasman Bay and the city of Nelson. This is one of the sunniest cities in New Zealand and its residents love to spend as much time as they can outside. Join them at one of the many open-air cafes, bustling markets, cycling trails and the pretty Botanic Gardens. Nelson has more breweries per capita than anywhere else in New Zealand, so you might like to taste your way through some excellent craft beers. Enjoy a late departure tonight.

It’s worth waking up early this morning so you can experience the beauty of sailing into the Marlborough Sounds. Perhaps ask your butler to bring coffee to your suite so you can enjoy the mountainous vistas from your private balcony. Scenic Eclipse will dock today in Picton, a small town of around 3,000 people set on the north-east corner of the South Island. Tucked into a sheltered harbour, this picturesque town looks almost tropical with its towering palm trees and clear turquoise water. Wander the pretty waterfront promenade, lined with shops, cafes and galleries, or visit the interesting museum inside the Edwin Fox convict ship that’s dry docked just offshore. Picton is a short drive from New Zealand’s most famous wine regions, Marlborough. Producing around two thirds of the nation’s wine, it’s best known for its crisp sauvignon blanc though also pours excellent pinot noir, chardonnay and aromatic varietals like riesling and pinot gris. Continue your tasting in one of the all-inclusive nine bars on board Scenic Eclipse. Or ask your butler to bring you your favourite wine to be enjoyed as you appreciate the views from your suite’s verandah.

Sailing south along the east coast of the South Island, you’ll arrive in Kaikoura early this morning. This tiny town sits in a spectacular natural environment, flanked by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the snow-capped Seaward Kaikoura Range on the other. The town of Kaikoura began life as a whaling station in the mid 1800s. It’s an ideal place for wildlife encounters, from whales, fur seals and dolphins that live permanently in these waters, to the impressive array of seabirds that fill the air, including the mighty albatross. Scenic Eclipse II will depart early afternoon. You may taste some of local delights before enjoying lunch in one of the dining venues on board. The town is famous for its crayfish (lobster) – in fact, in the local Maori language, “kai’ means food and “koura’ means crayfish. There’s also excellent fish, oysters, scallops and mussels at a huge range of cafes and stylish restaurants.

Port Chalmers is the port for the city of Dunedin, the oldest European settlement in New Zealand, which was founded in 1848. Both sit at the end of a long, fjord-like inlet off the south-eastern tip of the South Island. Ask your butler to bring coffee to your suite this morning so you can sit on your verandah and experience Scenic Eclipse sailing down the narrow channel, before arriving in port around 11am. Dunedin is New Zealand’s most Scottish town – in fact, Dunedin is the old Gaelic name for Edinburgh and the city here dates back to 1848. Stroll the well-preserved streets to admire the grand Victorian and Edwardian architecture which hark back to a time when the city was flush with money from its own gold rush. Steel yourself for the climb up Baldwin Street, the steepest in the world. Outside town, the surrounding Otago Peninsula is regarded as one of the country’s top wildlife and eco-tourism destinations. See the northern royal albatross in its natural habitat, be charmed by the tiny Little Blue and Yellow-eyed penguins and watch fur seals and sea lions snooze on the beach.

You will be familiar with New Zealand’s two main islands, but did you know it is actually made up of around 600 islands in total? The third largest of these is Stewart Island, sitting just 30km off the southern tip of the South Island. It is one of the last inhabited outposts before you reach Antarctica, with its only settlement, the tiny village of Oban, clinging bravely to the northern shore and entirely off the grid. Remarkably remote, Steward Island is also a place of spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. The island is a haven for many birds, including the cute and curious brown kiwi, who outnumber humans and are active day and night. The Maori name for Stewart Island is Rakiura, which means the land of glowing skies.

Wild and remote, the rugged West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island offers some of the country’s most stunning scenery. Home to a myriad of natural wonders, including Dusky, Doubtful and Milford sounds, the beauty of these sounds with their snow-capped peaks, lush green cliffs, and gushing waterfalls will inspire and be a standout of this region. You’ll be cruising through the Fiordland National Park, which covers more than 1.2 million hectares of granite peaks, shimmering lakes, deep black fiords and spectacular waterfalls. And the best part is, you can experience it all from the 6-star ultra-luxury comfort of Scenic Eclipse. At the south-eastern tip of the island is Dusky Sound, one of the largest fjords in New Zealand. Stretching for 40 kilometres, the spectacular sound is dotted with more than 350 small islands and is a refuge for birds and wildlife. It’s accessible only by air or sea, meaning very few tourists ever get to experience its majesty. The name was given by Captain Cook, who sailed through in 1770 just as the sun was setting. Scenic Eclipse II will continue sailing onto Doubtful Sound, further north along the coast. Cook also named this one; he chose not to sail in because the entrance looked too small and so dubbed it “doubtful’. Over the centuries, it has kept its stunning beauty well-hidden and even today remains a place of serenity. In fact, the Maori name for the sound is Patea, which means “place of silence’. You’ll get to sail nearby craggy cliffs rising from the water, looking out for bottlenose dolphins and the Fiordland Crested Penguin.

Awake this morning in Milford Sound and enjoy your coffee on the Observation Terrace. Few words can capture this dramatic landscape, with its inky black water and mountain peaks rising from the depths, frequently shrouded in mist and soft rain. Rudyard Kipling described Milford Sound as the “eighth wonder of the world’. It’s arguably New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination, and you’ll easily see why. Disembark Scenic Eclipse II in the morning to follow your onward journey by land to Queenstown, where you’ll enjoy your final overnight stay.

After spending your final night of the tour on land, it’s time to farewell New Zealand. If you want to continue your journey of wonder, stay a few extra nights at your own leisure and explore Queenstown, the adventure capital of the nation. As you head home, take with you, fond memories of your time in the Land of the Long White Cloud and the most indulgent moments on board Scenic Eclipse. The itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons. As such Scenic cannot guarantee the cruise will operate unaltered from the itinerary stated above. Please refer to our terms and conditions for further information.