New Zealand Intensive Cruise: Auckland, Dunedin & Kaikoura

The only city in the world built on an active basaltic volcanic field, Auckland’s warm, coastal climate allows for surfing at black-sand beaches, picnics in secluded coves, wine tasting and horseback riding.

A subtropical micro-region, the Bay of Islands is known for its beauty and history and is a popular golfing, fishing and sailing destination, where you can take advantage of its relaxed marine lifestyle.

An island surrounded by pristine waters and marked by endless green hills, Norfolk Island pines, dramatic cliffs, and calm reef-protected waters.

Under the snow-capped Mount Taranaki unfolds the vibrant city of New Plymouth. Midway between Auckland and Wellington, this active Kiwi city offers adventure from its crowning peaks to its coastal plains.

A haven for artists and outdoor enthusiasts, Nelson is a sunny, stunning, and sophisticated city in the center of New Zealand marked by beautiful beaches, national parks, wineries and other charms.

The maritime township of Picton (population 4,000) lies at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound and is the arrival point for ferries from the North Island, as well as a growing number of international cruise ships. It plays a major role in providing services and transport by water taxi to a multitude of remote communities in the vast area of islands, peninsulas, and waterways that make up the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park. There's plenty to do in town, with crafts markets in summer, historical sights to see, and walking tracks to scenic lookouts over the sounds. The main foreshore is lined by London Quay, which looks up Queen Charlotte Sound to the bays beyond. High Street runs down to London Quay from the hills, and between them these two streets make up the center of town.

A seaside town situated in the Marlborough region and close to the head of Queen Charlotte Sound, Picton is a great jumping off point for wine tours, fishing, swimming, bird watching and great local seafood.

Named for the Māori word for “Long Harbor”, Akaroa is a village situated in the heart of an ancient volcano and is home to great surf, beaches, and a variety of wildlife including the world’s rarest dolphin.

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street and home to the annual "gutbuster" race, in which people run up it, and the "Jaffa" race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. The city's Scottish roots are still visible; you'll find New Zealand's first and only (legal) whisky distillery, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and more kilts, sporrans, and gillies than you can shake a stick at! The Scottish settlers and local Māori came together in relative peace, but this wasn't true of the European whalers who were here three decades before, as places with names such as Murdering Beach illustrate.Dunedin has always had a reputation for the eccentric. Wearing no shoes and a big beard here marks a man as bohemian rather than destitute, and the residents wouldn't have it any other way. The University of Otago was the country's first university and has been drawing writers ever since its founding in 1871, most notably Janet Frame and the poet James K. Baxter. Dunedin also has a musical heritage, which blossomed into the "Dunedin Sound" of the 1970s and '80s.

Bordered by the Tasman Sea, the Scottish-influenced city of Dunedin features many beautiful, white sandy beaches, the Otago Peninsula and wildlife unique to the area like the Little Blue Penguin and the Kiwi.

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street and home to the annual "gutbuster" race, in which people run up it, and the "Jaffa" race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. The city's Scottish roots are still visible; you'll find New Zealand's first and only (legal) whisky distillery, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and more kilts, sporrans, and gillies than you can shake a stick at! The Scottish settlers and local Māori came together in relative peace, but this wasn't true of the European whalers who were here three decades before, as places with names such as Murdering Beach illustrate.Dunedin has always had a reputation for the eccentric. Wearing no shoes and a big beard here marks a man as bohemian rather than destitute, and the residents wouldn't have it any other way. The University of Otago was the country's first university and has been drawing writers ever since its founding in 1871, most notably Janet Frame and the poet James K. Baxter. Dunedin also has a musical heritage, which blossomed into the "Dunedin Sound" of the 1970s and '80s.

Bordered by the Tasman Sea, the Scottish-influenced city of Dunedin features many beautiful, white sandy beaches, the Otago Peninsula and wildlife unique to the area like the Little Blue Penguin and the Kiwi.

The “we can’t believe how beautiful this is” town of Kaikoura is situated on a rocky peninsula with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. The Māori name of Kaikoura translates to “meal of crayfish” (kai = food, koura = crayfish) for which the region is famous. And it’s this abundance of crayfish, combined with a complex marine system and rich habitat, which draws so many visitors here—humans and animals alike. In fact, you could call Kaikoura a marine mammal mecca, where sperm whales, fur seals, and dolphins live permanently, while migrating species like the rare Hector’s dolphins, humpback whales, and orca pop by for visits.

The earthquake that struck Napier at 10:46 am on February 3, 1931, was—at 7.8 on the Richter scale—the largest quake ever recorded in New Zealand. The coastline was wrenched upward several feet. Almost all the town's brick buildings collapsed; many people were killed on the footpaths as they rushed outside. The quake triggered fires throughout town, and with water mains shattered, little could be done to stop the blazes that devoured the remaining wooden structures. Only a few buildings survived (the Public Service Building with its neoclassical pillars is one), and the death toll was well over 100.The surviving townspeople set up tents and cookhouses in Nelson Park, and then tackled the city's reconstruction at a remarkable pace. In the rush to rebuild, Napier went mad for art deco, the bold, geometric style that had burst on the global design scene in 1925. Now a walk through the art deco district, concentrated between Emerson, Herschell, Dalton, and Browning streets, is a stylistic immersion. The decorative elements are often above the ground floors, so keep your eyes up.

In Napier you can visit Pania of the Reef (one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country), take a guided city walk, explore Cape Kidnappers or enjoy the day wine tasting at local vineyards.

The only city in the world built on an active basaltic volcanic field, Auckland’s warm, coastal climate allows for surfing at black-sand beaches, picnics in secluded coves, wine tasting and horseback riding.