Australia & New Zealand Cruises

Cruising down under follows the southern summer. December to February is warmest and busiest; October-November and March-April are milder and quieter. Most voyages are ten to fourteen nights out of Sydney or Auckland - New Zealand circuits, Sydney-Auckland one-ways across the Tasman, Tasmania loops, and Queensland trips toward the Great Barrier Reef - with a few expedition sailings along the Kimberley coast from Darwin or up from Bali.

Fiordland, Milford Sound above all, is the scenic peak of most New Zealand itineraries, and it is scenery you watch from the deck rather than a port you walk around. The Tasman Sea between the two countries has a reputation for rough water - the merging Pacific and Southern Ocean currents can throw up storm waves of 15 feet and more, and no month is guaranteed smooth - so the sea days on a Sydney-Auckland trip are worth planning around if you are prone to seasickness.

Paperwork is where people get caught. Anyone who isn't a New Zealand or Australian passport holder needs a visa or an NZeTA to arrive in New Zealand by ship - you count as entering even if you sleep on board - and the application adds the international visitor levy, NZ$100 per person since October 1, 2024. Australia needs its own authority: U.S. citizens, for example, apply for an ETA through the official app before travel. Both should be done before you leave home, not at the pier.

New Zealand's biosecurity rules are strict and enforced at the gangway. You cannot take fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs, honey, prepared food (sandwiches included) or plants off the ship; only bottled water, chocolate, sweets and biscuits are allowed. Leave the breakfast-buffet apple on board.

Sources: cruiseline.co.uk, customs.govt.nz, newzealand.com.au, visahq.com, improvesailing.com