Queen Mary 2 - Hawaii, Tahiti & New Zealand: Los Angeles to Sydney

Where this cruise calls, day by day

8 ports and 21 sea days over 28 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Los Angeles, CA

   United StatesDepart
   Los Angeles, CA port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4 · At sea

5. Day 5 · At sea

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8 · At sea

9. Day 9

   Honolulu

   United StatesPort
   Honolulu port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
10. Day 10

    Kona (Kailua-Kona)

    United StatesPort
    Kona (Kailua-Kona) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

11. Day 11 · At sea

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13 · At sea

14. Day 14 · At sea

15. Day 15 · At sea

16. Day 16 · At sea

17. Day 17

    Papeete

    French PolynesiaPort

    Papeete is the administrative and shipping capital of French Polynesia rather than the postcard version of it, and most Tahiti itineraries begin or end here. The quay is right in town, so you step off into traffic, gendarmes and a French-Polynesian city that works for a living. The scenery people came for is mostly on the other islands, or up in Tahiti's interior valleys.

    • Marche de Papeete, the two-storey municipal market for vanilla, monoi and pareu
    • Les roulottes, the food-truck park at Place Vaiete that fills up after dark
    • Point Venus and Matavai Bay, where Cook observed the transit of Venus
    • Musee de Tahiti et des Iles at Punaauia for Polynesian navigation and tattoo history

    Getting ashore

    Docked at the Quai d'Honneur in the middle of town; the market is about a block away and no shuttle is needed.

    Best months

    May-Oct (dry season)

18. Day 18

    Moorea

    French PolynesiaPort

    Moorea is 17km across the water from Tahiti and looks like what people imagine Tahiti will look like - two deep bays cut into a ridge of jagged green spires. Ships anchor off and tender in, usually near Opunohu or Cook's Bay. The interior is the draw as much as the lagoon here, because the road climbs high enough to look down on both bays at once.

    • Belvedere Lookout above the saddle between Cook's and Opunohu bays
    • Snorkelling with stingrays and blacktip sharks in the shallow lagoon
    • Magic Mountain 4WD track for the view over the barrier reef
    • Temae Beach, the island's best public stretch of sand

    Getting ashore

    Tender in to a small pier in Opunohu Bay near Papetoai, or occasionally into Cook's Bay; either landing is a minor village, with the main commercial strip at Maharepa a good 10-15km away, so arrange transport.

    Best months

    May-Oct (dry season)

19. Day 19 · At sea

20. Day 20 · At sea

21. Day 21 · At sea

22. Day 22 · At sea

23. Day 23

    Bay of Islands

    New ZealandPort

    Ships anchor off Waitangi in a scattered archipelago at the top of the North Island and tender in. This is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, so the day has real historical weight alongside the boating. Paihia and Russell face each other across the water, connected by a constant passenger ferry.

    • Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the meeting house and the ceremonial war canoe
    • Hole in the Rock boat trip through Motukokako island
    • Ferry over to Russell, once a lawless whaling port, now very quiet
    • Haruru Falls and the boardwalk through the mangroves

    Getting ashore

    Tender only - no wharf in the bay takes cruise ships. Ship's tours generally land at Waitangi Wharf and independents at Paihia; a free shuttle links the two, or it is a pleasant 25-minute beach walk between them.

    Best months

    Nov-Mar (southern summer)

24. Day 24

    Auckland

    New ZealandPort
    Auckland port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

25. Day 25 · At sea

26. Day 26 · At sea

27. Day 27 · At sea

28. Day 28 · At sea

29. Day 29

    Sydney

    AustraliaArrive
    Sydney port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore