Cruise Australia & New Zealand (2024)

A huge advantage of the cruise ship not being docked at the most popular downtown quays is that we got to see more of the city while sailing away. Here we are passing the Barangaroo Reserve towards the Harbour Bridge near the community of Barangaroo in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Almost there! Where? Well, here we are passing Dawes Point after leaving the city of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. About to pass the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the iconic Opera House a little further. Sydney really is one of the best harbours when it comes to arriving or leaving by cruise ship.

Passing the Opera House while sailing away from the city of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The opera house is definitely one of the most iconic buildings in this magnificent city. The view is always awesome from wherever you look at it.

Passing Fort Denison while sailing through Sydney Harbour, leaving the city of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dark clouds kind of ruined the sunset but the Harbour Bridge still looks magnificent in this light.

We loved this idyllic beach near Hosier Road in the town of Eden in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Totally unclear how to get on there if even possible, but I'm sure that once you are there it's amazing.

A layer of red rocks lining up all along the coastline of Twofold Bay near the town of Eden in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Eagles were roaming the skies as well. We can definitely recommend a boat trip in this magnificent bay.

High waves hitting the coast while on a boat tour in Twofold Bay near the town of Eden in the state of New South Wales, Australia. This is where the relatively quiet waters in the bay hit the wild waves of the ocean.

While docked in the town of Eden in the state of New South Wales, Australia we decided on a boat tour across Twofold Bay. Amazing nature everywhere but we truly loved these red rocks at Red Point.

We loved the morning boat tour on Twofold Bay near the town of Eden in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Amazing red rocks, lots of wildlife and lovely spots like this tucked away beach.

Enjoying some time on the beach near the small town of Boat Harbour Beach in the state of Tasmania, Australia. According to the tour guide this was the best beach in the world and although it looked really pretty, it most certainly was not. Loved the glistening sand though when the water retreated.

Spending some time on deck of the cruise ship Norwegian Spirit after having had a wonderful day on Tasmania in Australia. Being the only ones outside I had some time getting creative at sunset by using the ship's railing.

Crossing Light Rail line #109 while walking around in the city of Melbourne, capital of the state Victoria in Australia.

Sailing away from Port Melbourne in the city of Melbourne, capital of the state Victoria in Australia. After having visited this city during our road trip a few weeks earlier we did not do much else than admire the city from the comfort of the ship. We did have a lovely lunch with friends though.

A little after sunrise on the cruise ship Norwegian Spirit while sailing on the Tasman Sea on our way to New Zealand.

After having spent two days at sea crossing the Tasman Sea we were glad to have reached the Milford Sound in New Zealand. Upon entering the fjord we passed Copper Point.

We really looked forward to cruising the Milford Sound in New Zealand and as such it was a little disappointing that the weather wasn't all that good. But occasionally, like here, the clouds moved away and gave us some amazing views. We really liked that lonely cloud just hanging there.

Passing Stirling Falls while cruising in the Milford Sound, New Zealand. This is just one of the many waterfalls and beautiful views in this magnificent fjord a.k.a. sound. The weather could have been a bit better and certainly warmer but we had an amazing time regardless.

Passing The Spit next to the small settlement of Aramoana near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. The Aramoana Spit is a stretch of land extending into the harbour. While entering the harbour of Dunedin, the captain had to navigate the various sand bars and salt marshes.

One of the best nature tours we were ever on is the Natures Wonders tour at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. The tour brought us to this unique location with a large colony of fur seals. We were lucky as the young pups were just born and learning to cope with their environment. This one seems to wonder why is everyone looking at it.

Kisses for mommy from this adorable little seal pup. Scenes like these were all over this awesome location where we were taken by the Natures Wonders tour at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand.

A young seal pup manoeuvring the rocks at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. The Natures Wonders tour gave us such a beautiful insight in the lives of fur seals in this part of the world. Lovely to see how the young pups were learning to cope with their environment.

We saw so many fur seals on the Natures Wonders tour at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. Here's one that was soaked after a swim.

This adorable seal pup was so curious to see what all these people were doing there, it came towards us. It really melted our hearts with its innocent look. We're glad we went on the Natures Wonders tour at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand.

We loved hanging out with the seals and their pups and couldn't get enough of them. Here's a cute one scratching away. We can definitely recommend the Natures Wonders tour at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand.

A yellow-eyed penguin flapping its wings at Harington Point near the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. We were told the chances of actually seeing them were slim, but I guess we were lucky.

It took over an hour from the city of Wellington to get to Pencarrow Station in the area known as Lower Hutt in New Zealand. Apart from being an active sheep farm it also provides some amazing views of the Cook Strait between the Northern and Southern islands. We were really amazed by this astonishing coastline.

We loved our visit to the sheep farm at Pencarrow Station in the area known as Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It took over an hours drive from the city of Wellington to get to Pencarrow Head where the owner explained everything that had to do with sheep farming in New Zealand. Part of the visit was a really nice demonstration. Here we see one of the sheep dogs chasing the sheep towards the pen.

Whenever a cruise ship is entering or leaving the harbour it has to be guided by a so-called pilot ship. Here we were guided by the 'Kaweka' while leaving the harbour of the city of Napier in New Zealand.

Our visit to Mount Eden in Auckland left us in awe. This dormant volcano, surrounded by lush greenery, offers panoramic views of the city and its twin craters. The sense of tranquility and the captivating scenery make it a must-visit spot. It's a bit of a climb up but the views over downtown Auckland are truly magnificent.

As part of a city tour in Auckland, New Zealand our guide took us to the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park. We really loved spending some time here. The views are good and the gardens are absolutely beautiful, being well laid out and carefully maintained. A great tribute to a key historical figure.