Auckland & Sydney

Auckland, New Zealand – We had a coach tour of the city highlights starting along Tamaki Drive past the Port of Auckland on our way to Bastion Point.  We saw many beautiful beaches before arriving at Parnell Village, which is New Zealand’s oldest suburb, famed for its galleries, restaurants and boutiques.  We drove through the beautiful Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park.  This 75-hectare park was developed around the cone of an extinct volcano.  The downtown area was a real mixture of old and new including the famous Sky Tower.  We crossed over the bridge to get a view from the other side before returning to the ship. 

Red-billed gull

Bay of Islands, New Zealand – The stop that didn’t happen.  We had increasingly rough seas, and since this was a tender port, the Captain made the call to pass and make our way to Sydney, the end of the voyage (for us anyway).  There were some passengers continuing on to Brisbane, but for the most part, it was the end of a 35 day cruise for many.

Sydney was our last port.  We ran from the ship, caught an Uber to the airport and managed to make our flight.  A similar run through the Vancouver airport had good results as well.  It was a great trip, but always good to get home!