Anthem of the Seas - New Zealand Fiordland from Sydney

Where this cruise calls, day by day

6 ports and 4 sea days over 9 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Sydney

   AustraliaDepart

   Two terminals, and which one you get changes the day completely. The Overseas Passenger Terminal sits on Circular Quay east of the Harbour Bridge, with no air-draft limit and the Opera House directly opposite the gangway. White Bay, out at Rozelle, only takes ships that fit under the bridge, and it has no train, no ferry and no bus at the gate. Berths are assigned by availability, so nobody can promise you one.

   • Sydney Opera House backstage or architectural tour
   • The Bondi to Coogee clifftop walk, or just the Bondi Beach bus
   • BridgeClimb over the Sydney Harbour Bridge
   • Ferry across to Manly or Taronga Zoo for the harbour view back

   Getting ashore

   Docked either at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, five minutes' walk from Circular Quay's trains and ferries, or at White Bay about 6km out, which is taxi or rideshare only - 15-25 minutes to the CBD.

   Best months

   Oct-Apr (southern spring to autumn)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Fiordland National Park (Scenic Cruising)

   New ZealandPort

   This is a morning spent on deck rather than a port. The ship turns in off the Tasman Sea and works its way into one or more of the fiords cut into New Zealand's southwest corner, where glaciated rock walls go up more than a kilometre straight out of black water. Rain is the normal condition and it improves things - every wall starts running with temporary waterfalls.

   • Mitre Peak standing over the entrance to Milford Sound
   • Stirling Falls and Bowen Falls, both fed straight off the tops
   • Fur seal colonies on the rock shelves near the fiord mouths
   • Bottlenose dolphins, which regularly run alongside inside the fiords

   Getting ashore

   No landing - the ship transits the fiords and turns around; the whole call happens from the open decks.

   Best months

   Oct-Apr (cruise season; expect rain in any month)

5. Day 5

   Dunedin (Port Chalmers)

   New ZealandPort

   Port Chalmers is a small deepwater port at the mouth of Otago Harbour, roughly 13km short of the Scottish-founded city it serves. There is a strip of cafes and galleries by the berth, but Dunedin proper and the wildlife of the Otago Peninsula both need transport. Between the albatross colony and the penguins, this is one of the better wildlife port days in New Zealand.

   • Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head, the only mainland albatross breeding colony
   • Larnach Castle and its gardens on the Otago Peninsula
   • Dunedin Railway Station and the scenic train up the Taieri Gorge
   • Yellow-eyed penguin and sea lion viewing on the peninsula beaches

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Port Chalmers, 20 minutes from Dunedin's Octagon by shuttle bus or taxi - the shuttle is a paid one; some smaller ships instead continue up the harbour and berth about a kilometre from the city centre, so check which berth your ship has.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (southern summer)

6. Day 6

   Wellington

   New ZealandPort

   New Zealand's capital sits in a wind tunnel at the bottom of the North Island, wrapped around a harbour with hills coming down to the water on every side. Most ships tie up at Aotea Quay, a container berth a couple of kilometres north of the centre with a shuttle laid on; a lucky few get Queens Wharf downtown. It is a compact, walkable, coffee-obsessed city once you reach it.

   • Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum, free and genuinely good
   • Wellington Cable Car up to the Botanic Garden and walk back down
   • Weta Workshop tour out at Miramar
   • Zealandia, a fenced valley sanctuary with kaka, takahe and tuatara

   Getting ashore

   Almost always docked at Aotea Quay, a working commercial berth you cannot walk out of - the shuttle loop is effectively the only way ashore, covering the 2km to downtown; the rare Queens Wharf berth is a straight walk into town.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (southern summer)

7. Day 7

   Napier

   New ZealandPort

   An earthquake flattened Napier in 1931 and the town was rebuilt over the following few years, which is why an entire small city centre is coherent 1930s Art Deco. It is a genuinely unusual thing to walk around. The port is a working breakwater terminal a few kilometres out, and Hawke's Bay's vineyards start almost immediately behind the town.

   • Art Deco walking tour around Emerson Street and Tennyson Street
   • Hawke's Bay wineries - Mission Estate, Church Road, Te Mata
   • Cape Kidnappers gannet colony by tractor-trailer along the beach
   • Te Mata Peak lookout over the plains

   Getting ashore

   Docked at Napier Port, which since the 2022 Te Whiti wharf takes very large ships; town is only about 2km but walking on the wharf is prohibited, so everyone takes the free shuttle to the drop-off where the local operators wait.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (southern summer)

8. Day 8 · At sea

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10

    Sydney

    AustraliaArrive

    Two terminals, and which one you get changes the day completely. The Overseas Passenger Terminal sits on Circular Quay east of the Harbour Bridge, with no air-draft limit and the Opera House directly opposite the gangway. White Bay, out at Rozelle, only takes ships that fit under the bridge, and it has no train, no ferry and no bus at the gate. Berths are assigned by availability, so nobody can promise you one.

    • Sydney Opera House backstage or architectural tour
    • The Bondi to Coogee clifftop walk, or just the Bondi Beach bus
    • BridgeClimb over the Sydney Harbour Bridge
    • Ferry across to Manly or Taronga Zoo for the harbour view back

    Getting ashore

    Docked either at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, five minutes' walk from Circular Quay's trains and ferries, or at White Bay about 6km out, which is taxi or rideshare only - 15-25 minutes to the CBD.

    Best months

    Oct-Apr (southern spring to autumn)