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Australia & New Zealand 2025Australia & New Zealand 2025
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We hook up with our 2023 around-the-world cruise ship, Insignia, on its 2025 ATW cruise for a segment from Perth, to Sydney, Australia before heading to New Zealand’s North Island followed by a side trip to Milford Sound on NZ’s South Island Read more

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  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025
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    Sydney, NSW,Australia-day 2

    May 18 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 59 °F

    On our second day in Sydney , we toured the Sydney Opera House and went to Hay Street Market in Chinatown. The Opera House opened in 1973 and houses 5 performance venues. The now iconic design by Danish architect (Utzon) won a competition in 1957. and took 16 years to build. After Utzon was fired, Australian Peter Hall took over and designed the inside. Incredibly there were no deaths in construction even though harnesses were not used. Queen Elizabeth opened the opera house. Although the roof appears smooth, it is actually composed of almost 1 million tiles, that are cleaned every 3-5 yrs. Main performance hall seats 2,700. For lunch, We went to an outstanding food hall within Paddy’s market to try fish and beef tacos. Once back on Insignia, Chef Fareed treated us to an Asian-themed dinner, delicious!
    As Insignia sailed out of the harbor we encountered huge waves that toppled things in the dining room. The port was closed to shipping, shortly thereafter.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025
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    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    May 20 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We were diverted to Brisbane due to a storm on the Tasman Sea. It was a delight. Often compared to Miami, FL, Brisbane has a bright, sunny feel to it with palm trees galore. Many of its buildings are brand new with the recently opened casino being a highlight.

    We shuttled from the port into the central business district where we met a volunteer for Brisbane Greeters entirely funded by the city council. Our greeter was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) but now an Australian for many years. She showed us many of the public art works on display. During the tour we chanced on the filming of Godzilla vs. Kong, where they had transformed Brisbane into a London street scene. After the tour, we walked across the river to the art museum where we enjoyed the Australian works on display.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025
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    Cruising the Tasman Sea

    May 24, Tasman Sea ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    Our ship spent 4+ days crossing from Brisbane, Australia to Wellington, New Zealand. The early part of the crossing on the Tasman Sea was rough (constant 12 ft seas with swells up to 15 ft). We each put on scopolamine patches which helped.

    The “sea days” allowed us to pose for a group photo of all the passengers who were on the 2023 Around The World on this ship, and to get together for dinner with 6 of our good friends from that ATW cruise.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025

    Wellington, New Zealand

    May 25 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    After 4+ days on the Tasman Sea crossing from Australia, we set foot in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. Located in the southeast corner of the North Island, Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world, often called windy Wellington. It’s home to the studios of Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Our first stop here was a tour of New Zealand’s parliament building, commonly known as the Beehive for its architectural design. New Zealand’s government is unique since it’s unicameral, having only a House of Representatives and no other chamber of delegates like our Senate. Here, they passed the first act in the world granting women the right to vote in 1893. Next, we rode the cable car up to the botanical gardens for fabulous views of the city below. Lastly, we toured the Te Papa Tongarewa museum, NZ’s National Museum where we saw an amazing exhibit on the Gallipoli campaign of WWI, the first time New Zealand and Australian troops fought as one unit, known as the ANZACs. There were eight human-like figures, several times normal size frozen in time. The loss of life in this infamous battle has left scars on this country’s psyche to this day.Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025
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    Napier, North Island, New Zealand

    May 26 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    This town on the east coast of the North Island fancies itself a beach town and is quaint, clean and welcoming. Only problems, the ocean currents are so strong that ‘don’t swim warnings’ dot the beaches and the city was the site of a deadly, devastating 7.8 earthquake in 1931 that killed 258 people and leveled the town. The upside was that they restored the town in art deco style and its become a tourist magnet since with interesting architecture, black sand beaches and beautiful parks with palm trees. We watched a video in the town museum of testimonials of earthquake survivors along with a lot of buildings in rubble. We were told (tongue in cheek) by our New Zealand shipmates not to miss the Hokey Pokey ice cream so we headed to “Lick This” for a lick. We decided instead to go with two other flavors!Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025

    Rotorua, New Zealand

    May 27 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    Continuing our cruise north along New Zealand’s east coast, our next to last port was Tauranga, the port of call for the geyser and mud bath-happy town of Rotorua. The latter sits in a caldera with New Zealand’s second largest lake and bubbling hot springs just beneath the surface. These springs show themselves in several forms: bubbling mud fields, geysers spraying hot water hundreds of feet in the air, and streams of burning hot water and steam. The local Māori tribes run this complex known as Te Puia including the Māori Cultural Center, geothermal park and the largest active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, Pohutu (“big splash” in Māori)

    We were entertained by the young Māori tribespeople doing songs and dances. Legend has it that the Māori people migrated from East Polynesia, specifically Tahiti. We also toured a crafts center where three Māori youths annually are given scholarships to learn traditional arts in wood, stone and metal.

    We also saw flightless Kiwi birds in a unique habitat where the diurnal pattern is reversed so you can view them going about their nightly activities.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025

    Queenstown & Milford Sound, New Zealand

    May 29 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    After disembarking our ship in Auckland, we flew to Queenstown on New Zealand’s stunning South Island—a breathtaking resort town nestled between snow-capped peaks and the sparkling waters of Lake Wakatipu. The flight in was eventful as our jet had to abort landing in Queenstown due to strong tail winds. As we circled waiting for another approach, we ran low on fuel and were diverted to Dunedin to gas up. Our next attempt was successful and only a bit over 2 hours delayed. With its vibrant restaurants and a cosmopolitan buzz from travelers around the globe, Queenstown charmed us instantly.

    But the true highlight awaited us: a journey to the legendary Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park. The 4½-hour drive was a scenic dream—winding through misty rainforests, mirror-like lakes, and dramatic alpine landscapes. Once there, we boarded a boat and glided through the Sound’s serene waters, flanked by sheer cliffs and cascading waterfalls. But nothing could have prepared us for the grand finale: a flight over the region that revealed Milford Sound in all its vast, untamed glory. From above, the fiords looked otherworldly—and no wonder, as some scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed in this very terrain.

    It was nature’s grandeur at its most cinematic—an unforgettable chapter in our New Zealand adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia & New Zealand 2025

    Auckland, New Zealand

    May 30 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    As our 4½-week adventure through Australia and New Zealand drew to a close—including 3½ unforgettable weeks at sea and a week exploring on our own—we found ourselves gently winding down in Auckland. With the thrill of exploration behind us, our last day wasn’t about sightseeing, but simply enjoying the rhythm of the city and preparing to return home.

    We spent the day on foot, wandering without urgency. While nothing in particular stood out, a stroll through Albert Park offered a final glimpse of New Zealand’s beauty—lush greenery, vibrant flowers, and a quiet charm that invited reflection. It was the perfect place to pause and absorb the journey we’d just completed.

    THE END    Read more

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