2025 World Cruise Part 2 – New Zealand & Australia…

Part 2 of our 2025 Princess World Cruise on the “Island Pricess” streets with making our 1st visit to the country of New Zealand…

Friday 2/7/2025: Bay of Islands, New Zealand

This will be our first ever stop in New Zealand and we are excited about it. We opted to take a formal tour at this port which included a stop at the Famous Kawiti Glow Worm caves followed by a long journey into the mountains to visit the protected nature rteserve called Manginangina where they have a dose forest of Kauri Trees.

New Zealand’s kauri trees (Agathis australis) are among the oldest and largest trees on Earth, revered both ecologically and culturally. Native to the northern regions of New Zealand’s North Island, these towering conifers can live for over 2,000 years and grow more than 50 meters tall with trunks exceeding 5 meters in diameter. Their straight, massive trunks and spreading canopies once formed dense kauri forests, some of which date back to the time of the dinosaurs. Suffice to say they are rare, beautiful and have special meaning to the native Maori indigenous communities in New Zealand that consider them Taonga (Treasures).

Our final stop was in the small but quaint town of Kawakawa where we explored downtown and were fortunate to get a picture with their famous rail car that goes right through downtown.

Suffice to say our first experience in New Zealnd was excellent. The people are very friendly the towns are small and quaint, and our money right now seems to go a long way when exchanged

Sunday 2/9/25: Napier, New Zealand

Our second port in New Zealand is in the Eclectic port city of Napier on the Eastern Coast of North Island. It is a beachside city with a seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lined with Norfolk pines, and extensive Art Deco architecture. For these attributes, Napier is sometimes romantically referred to as the “Nice of the Pacific”.

The Art Deco theme permeates every aspect of the city of Napier including architecture, vintage cars, boutique stores, and many time period dressed merchants and ambassadors along the streets.

While in downtown Napier we stopped in a Iphoe Repair store to have Mike’s Iphone glass screen repaired which had been damaged while we were on the helicopter in Kauai. They did a nice job fixing the phone in about 45 minutes though unfortunately Mike left his New Selfie Monopod on their counter and didn’t realize he was missing it until we got back to the boat to board. With time tight there was no way to retrieve the Monopod before our ships departure. The head of customer service tried contact the store and dock manager but there just wasn’t enough time to get to the store and back before sailing on to our next port. Mike had bought this new Delft for the trip so was disappointed but nonetheless we still had a terrific time in Napier, New Zealand.

Monday February 10. 2025 – Picton , New Zealand

Our next Port of Call is the town of Picton, New  Zealand. After looking at tours and excursions we opted to walk form th ship into the town and then take on a popular coastal hike to the point of the peninsula. The town of Picton is not big though the harbor and tourism seems central to this community. We passed the White Arched War Memorial then strolled around the Marina before crossing the Picton’s signature Coathanger Footbridge a on our way to climb to a scenic lookout one Queen Charlotte Sound. Continuing on our hike up the mountain we completed Bob’s Bay Trails and then Snout’s Trail where we were rewarded with a sweeping viewpoint of the Mountain, Water Way and Peninsula from the famous “Snout Lookout”…

Wednesday February 12, 2025 – Dunedin – Port Chalmers, New Zealand

The Island Princess docked in Port Chalmers, New Zealand today.  Interesting we were parked right next to another (larger) Princess ship that was cruising around New Zealand/Australia only. Port Chalmers is a short drive from the historic city of Dunedin where we had scheduled to do an excursion/tour of the area.

Next stop was the Clock Tower at Otago College. More beautiful pictures. A stop at Signal Hill for a view of the city from way up high and then some time at Baldwin Street (street with 19% elevation). Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, is famed for being the steepest residential street in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the steepest paved road over a continuous distance of more than ten meters, according to Facebook. The street is located in the North East Valley suburb, a short drive from Dunedin’s city center. The slope of Baldwin Street is about 1:2.86 (19° or 35%) at its maximum, about 70 metres (230 ft) from the top. It is a LEGIT STEEP climb… We walked almost to the top but when you stand in the street you pretty much lose your balance!.

Our next stop was Signal Hill where their a some great views of the city below just before we head onto Lanarche Castle. 

Larnach Castle has a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most haunted buildings, with accounts of sightings of the ghost of a bearded Victorian gentleman (presumably Larnach himself), unexplained smells of cigar smoke and port in unoccupied rooms, and visitors and workers at the castle feeling as if they have been suddenly pushed in the back. These tales have drawn paranormal investigators from both New Zealand and overseas, with the location appearing on various “ghost hunter” television programs from both New Zealand and the United States.

Completed in 1887 the resulting complex eventually contained 43 rooms and required a staff of 46 servants. The complex included 35 acres reserved for grounds, including a vinery, and a home farm of 300 acres with its own farmstead including a space for 300 cows, stables, and quarters for farm workers at the castle. The Castle and adjacent garden are impressive and the views are amazing!

Suffice to say Tim and Discover Dunedin Tours provided a super day exploring and getting and informing us about Dunedin, New Zealand.  This was a great way to spend our day here and we would highly recommend them for a tour…

Thursday February 13, 2025 Fjordland National Park of New Zealand

Welcome to the Edge of the World…

Fiordland National Park isn’t just a destination—it’s a raw, mist-draped masterpiece. Located in the southwest corner of New Zealand’s South Island, Fiordland is one of the most remote and dramatic landscapes on Earth. With towering fjords, glacier-carved valleys, ancient rainforests, and thundering waterfalls, it’s no wonder this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been called the “eighth wonder of the world.”

Whether you’re trekking the iconic Milford Track, cruising through the shadowy depths of Doubtful Sound, or just taking in the mist rising from the rainforest, Fiordland is an experience you feel as much as see. Knowing all this we have been anticipating our visit here since we booked this Worls Cruise Adventure. We expect this could be one of the high point of the 4 months on the Isl;and Princess.

Having talked to several others passengers it appears enthroning is so weather dependent that the last 2 World cruises they have had to skip this stop given the winds and weather. We were so hoping this wouldn’t be our case.

The morning we awoke to a very overcast day but the Captain said things would eventual clear later in the day so he continued on his trek into Fjordland. Many ships cannot enter the Park because of their size and also many ships need to be inspected before entering because of the fear of ocean contaminants entering this pristine natural wonder. Fortunately the Island Princess is a small ship and was prepared for the day…

The most special visit in fjordland National Park is the saying in Milford Sound. Located within 1.2 million hectares of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park and at the end of the spectacular Milford Road, Milford Sound Piopiotahi is Fiordland’s jewel in the crown. We have had many people take to us about it though until you actually sail through it you can’t understand the vastness and breathtaking scenery this wonder of nature hosts….

Joanne and I both agreed that our day sailing through Fjordland National Park is the best day on a cruise ship we have ever experienced. Having sailed now for over 200 days on cruises around the world this is the most incredible day we have witnessed nature from a cruise ship!

Friday 2/14 – Saturday 2/15/2025 (A few Sea Days which we usually LOVE!)

(The Tasman Sea)

February 15, 2025 (Continuing across the Tasman Sea)

We had read that the sea over night would get pretty rough so around 3 am when we were rocking and rolling we weren’t too surprised. This is probably the roughest seas we have ever cruised through. In Australia, “the ditch” is slang term for the Tasman Sea, which separates Australia and New Zealand. It’s used colloquially to refer to travel between the two countries, often implying a challenging journey. We can personably vouch for the claim “The Ditch ” is no joke when it comes to maritime seas… Joanne’s stomach is a mess for a couple of days so we are looking for/and snatching some saltines at the buffet to help settle it a bit. Tin addition the outside doors are all roped off, so it will be an indoor day for us for sure! Fortunately the weather does get better as the day goes on and once Joanne puts a small sandwich in her belly it’s a better day! We get a game in for the afternoon and a nap and then it’s already dinner time!

We are excited about being in Sydney tomorrow; hoping for a better night sleep!

Wednesday 2/18/25

Melbourne

We are not too sure what to expect for Melbourne. We have heard it is as pretty big city. Originally we had two free guided walking tours reserved. Several weeks ago our afternoon tour got cancelled. Then we read that we wouldn’t dock until 10:00 and the morning tour began at 10:30. We didn’t think we would be able to get to the start of the tour, in the center of town in time, so we cancelled that one ourselves. We don’t really have much of a plan. No excursion planned but Joanne has done some research and planned our own day. As we get of the ship we find a footpath that leads directly to the heart of the city.

 

Some people have opted to stick close to the port where it looks like there are some small shops and cafe’s and maybe some nice quiet walks. We choose the footpath into the city center. We walk the path and find it to be quiet and nice. There’s is a young woman walking her dog and we fall into step with her. She gives us some hints of things about the city before parting ways about a mile later.  our walk has us turning at The Crown Hotel and walk alonging the river to the Train station. Beautiful building so we snap some pics.

Next up we walk to the marketplace and walk through the all fresh foods displayed by a myriad of vendors. It is fun to see but with being on the cruise ship we can’t really bring any meats / fish… back onboard. Still fun to walk through.

As the 80’s song says “We come from a land down under, where woman glow and men plunder, Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder, you better run, you better take cover….” We didn’t realize our time in Melbourne would reward us with a real life rain/thunder moment as our time in Melbourne came to a perfect end…

Up next, one more stop in Australia to go.  We have 5 sea days before we get to Fremantle/Perth. Yes the land down under is BIG going from West to East is nearly 1800 nautical miles…

Friday 2/20/25

At sea

Another 3 days of inside time because of the rough sea’s, wind, and rain. But that’s OK. With workout classes, games, informative talks we are able to keep ourselves pretty busy. It’s the trying not to eat / drink too much that is challenging! So far we feel like we are doing OK. Our clothes still all fit. We made a promise to each other that we would not eat desserts or dinner rolls and try to stay off the carbs as much as possible.So far doing pretty good with that. Some nights we have chosen to just head to the buffet for a big salad instead of the MDR for a big dinner. We have even skipped the show a few nights as we were just too tired to go. But 117 days of getting dressed for dinner and shows is a lot and we knew we would make choices dependent on our day or how we felt.

We wander down the street to a Discount Chemist store and pick up some Kleenex and Phiosiocreme. When we come out of that store there are a few other people from the ship also waiting for tour so we feel like we are in the right place.

We head back to the bike store and eventually someone comes to unlock the door and raise the metal screens on the windows. They help some people get bike rentals then get everyone in our tour group set with our e-bikes. Once we have all done a practice run down the block,  we all set off. The first few stops are all in the city proper and it’s a bit of a choppy ride down sidewalks and across some street intersections. But once we get out of the city closer to the beach the legs get longer and easier to manageWE make stops at The Round House (a prison), The Fremantle War Memorial, Fishing Boat Harbour, Bather’s Beach. It’s a great ride along the water; although our guide himself is not the best guide we’ve had we do enjoy the tour. One of the last stops is at a pub located on a strip on the water and share a beverage with others in the group. Lastly we stop to get pics at the “Containbow”; a bunch of colorful freight containers made into an arch. Then return the bikes and finish our day with a walk back to the WA Maritime Museaum (free), the Roundhouse (and walk through the tunnel) and finish at Cicerello’s Fish and Chips. We share a platter and a beer before we head back to the ship.