New Zealand & Australia 2016 part 1
We flew with Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand in premium economy class. We were lucky to be given lounge access to the new Cathay Pacific lounge at London Heathrow, which was amazing. One of the staff members (Christina) went beyond customer service when I did a stupid thing and left my mobile phone in the car. She managed to retrieve my phone for me - without me having any stress.
We flew straight to Auckland via Hong Kong with just a change of aircraft which was easy, and we arrived in Auckland two days later, due to time difference. We took the city bus to our hotel where we stayed at Auckland City Oaks for four nights on bed and breakfast basis. We stayed in apartment number 708 where we were given a daily boxed breakfast, consisting of a sandwich, a piece of fruit and juice. Our view from the apartment was overlooking the police station, so we would suggest asking for a view at the front of the hotel as a better choice, although it could be noisy as then you would overlook a main road? However, the hotel was in a central location to the shops and restaurants, which was very convenient.
Whilst in Auckland we took a tour of Devonport which is a suburb of Auckland. We found it to be really pretty away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland. We both agreed if we ever moved to New Zealand, we would like to move to Devonport. The tour was interesting, as it gave us the history on Devonport plus there are some lovely shops in this area.
An absolute must-do is the Sky Tower - just wow! We also went to another suburb, Watson Bay, which was again very nice.
After four nights in New Zealand it was time to board our cruise. We sailed with Celebrity cruise on Solstice ship Concierge ocean balcony cabin number 2111 on deck 12. The port of Auckland seems quite small for the Solstice ship.
We were allowed to board early, as we booked Concierge class which enabled us to have lunch and have a look around the ship. Our cruise was for 14 nights with a drink package plus five-day speciality dinner package. The cruise was full as it was very popular itinerary with Chinese and American tourists.
Our cruise had the following itinerary:- FRI 09 DEC AUCKLAND SAT 10 DEC TAURANGA Tauranga Highlights - Including Mission Station (Morning Tour)
After meeting our guide just outside the port gate, we departed along Pilot Bay where we saw great views across Tauranga harbour to the city and Matakana Island. We passed Mount Maunganui, the iconic landmark of this area where you can see evidence of the early Maori settlements around the base of the mountain.
Traversing the narrow strip of land between harbour and ocean, passing the new high-rise hotels and apartments, we reached the famous Mount Ocean beach, site of many major surfing competitions, a popular spot for locals and visitors to enjoy the beach front cafes and restaurants.
We continued along the very affluent "Marine Parade" where some of New Zealand's most expensive homes are located and when we saw the view out across the Pacific Ocean we realized why this is one of our most popular summer holiday destinations. Leaving the Mount Maunganui suburb, we headed across the harbour bridge to Tauranga City, first settled by English missionaries in the 1830's.
Our first stop on the tour is at a very popular local arts and crafts centre on the waterfront in Tauranga where we had time to browse the exhibits and talk with some of the local artists at the restored historic Cargo Shed.
We then took a short drive north to the outskirts of the city to a Kiwifruit orchard where our guided tour gave us a short talk on this most iconic New Zealand fruit. After the orchard visit we then headed up into the hills which surround Tauranga to a lookout point where we saw stunning views of the city, the harbour and the surrounding region and our cruise ship visible at the base of The Mount.
Our final stop on the tour is the Elms Mission Station, one of New Zealand's most important historic buildings. Here, after a short introduction by one of the volunteer guides, we were able to walk through the grounds and learn about the life of the area's earliest settlers, the Reverend Brown and what a significant part the Mission Station played in the history of Tauranga. We then boarded the coach for the short drive back over the harbour bridge to the ship.
SUN 11 DEC TAURANGA As we overnighted on Tauranga, I decided to explore on my own the next day while my wife relaxed on board. I went to the beach then explored the town of Tauranga before walking around the base of Mount Maunganui.
MON 12 DEC AT SEA