Sailing to New Zealand- We Visit Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin, and the Magnificient Fiordland

Our first day at sea was not good. As soon as we had passed the headlands at the mouth of the Parramatta River, the seas started to get rough.

Skyline & Opera House from the river

By the next morning it was worse. We had 25-40 kt. winds with seas around 10-12 ft., but what made it bad was that everything was coming from the north and we were on an ESE course taking those big rollers right on the port beam and rocking the ship back and forth hard. We saw several people with sea sickness and wondered if that might not be misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal illness that had put the ship under norovirus sanitary precautions. We had heard that the staff were not reporting sickness like they often do in a norovirus outbreak.

The Tasman Sea was not kind to us

To pass the time we explored the ship and Jane took some craft classes (watercolor painting and jewelry making), while Capt. Larry worked on the blog, organized photos, read, and watched football. These conditions continued into the next day, finally abating by the afternoon of the third day as the cold front passed and the winds shifted to the SSW.

Wellington's cable car

Compared to our crossing of the Drake Passage into Antarctica, we found the Tasman Sea to be far more challenging. Of course, we also realize that we were really lucky in the Drake Passage.

The morning of our arrival into Wellington, we were once again experiencing really lousy weather and seas. It was cloudy and raining with winds running 20-30 kts. and 7-10 ft. seas, but with the waves coming right on the bow, the ride was relatively smooth.

Overview of Wellington and its harbor

Overall it didn’t look like a very good day to sightsee Wellington. New Zealand’s capital, Wellington is often compared to San Francisco for its many hills, cable cars, and narrow streets lined with Victorian homes.

Pubbing with Keith & Sheila

We didn’t purchase a shore excursion for Wellington, deciding instead to take the shuttle down to the central business district where we could catch a cable car to the trendy hilltop suburb of Kelburn for a view of the city and its beautiful harbor.

The rain had stopped as we were docking and we started to think that the day might be somewhat pleasant, but that hope was dashed with the rain returning as we disembarked.

Akaroa Harbor

Jane struck up a conversation with two Aussies, Keith and Sheila, who she became acquainted with in her painting class. As we were standing in line awaiting a shuttle, it started raining really hard and we were getting soaked.

Tendering into Akaroa

The 50-degree temperatures and very windy conditions only compounded the misery. We exited the shuttle and found the cable car that would take us on a 5-minute ride to Kelburn. At the hilltop we found a restaurant and decided to have some beers. We took some photos of the city and harbor and descended to the business district. Keith asked a local where we might find a pub, and he obliged us with a number of choices (never a shortage of pubs in AUS/NZ!).

War memorial in Akaroa

We made our way to Monteith’s pub and had some more beers and fun conversation. We were drinking with Aussies, but we really weren’t scared! We found the shuttle pickup point and made our way back to the ship.

Old Catholic church in Akaroa

We didn’t do a lot in Wellington, but considering the weather, we were happy with our time and can also say we’ve been to New Zealand.

The next morning we found the ship anchored offshore in Akaroa Harbour. Today we would be tendering into the town of Akaroa to see the sights. Since none of the ship’s shore excursions excited us enough to purchase them, we would be sightseeing on our own again. After a leisurely breakfast, we gathered our things and proceeded to the tender deck for our boarding and 15-minute ride to the docks.

Akaroa lighthouse and harbor

We were pleased that the sun was shining, the wind had died down, and the temperature was where it should be for this time of year, as this looked like another of the 2 or 3 really great weather days we had seen since we arrived in AUS/NZ.

Pretty flowers in Akaroa

We rode the tender through the placid, picturesque harbor and immediately got the feeling that this was going to be one of those special places we sometimes come upon.

Akaroa sits on the Banks Peninsula, named after the English naturalist Sir Joseph Banks after the first European sighting by Captain Cook in 1770.

The Banks Peninsula was formed following violent eruptions of 3 volcanoes (New Zealand is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which experiences considerable volcanic activity). Craters from these volcanoes nurse the harbors of Akaroa and Lyttleton Harbours with smaller bays indenting the rest of the coastline.

Dunedin railway station

Originally inhabited by Maori natives, the French captain, Jean Langlois of the whaling ship Cachalot, negotiated with the local Maori chief to buy Banks Peninsula in 1838. Returning to France, Langlois organized a company of emigrants to return to New Zealand and form a colony. However, by the time Langlois and the emigrants returned in August, 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed and New Zealand became an English colony. Because of these developments, Akaroa still maintains a French heritage.

Coming into Dunedin

After a very short walk along the docks, we found ourselves in the heart of the Akaroa business district. Walking along the harbor’s edge, we found numerous bistros and cafés, gift shops, outfitter and adventure establishments, and hotels and restaurants all catering to the tourist. Sheep farms sprinkle the hillsides surrounding Akaroa, and industrial jobs can be found in Christchurch about a 1.5 hours’ drive away, but tourism seems to be the anchor or Akaroa’s economy.

Old Dunedin prison

We left the central area and walked along the harbor’s edge until we came to a memorial we believe was dedicated to those who died in war (there were no signs or plaques indicating the structure’s purpose, just names engraved on the walls of the memorial). Moving on we entered the traditional French area of the town replete with French flags, signs, and various French businesses.

Getting that good spring water

We found a postal substation, so we bought some postcards and mailed them. We walked to the end of town then made our way back through the central business district and on to a lighthouse at the other end of town. Having seen about everything that had been mentioned in the shore excursion guide, we returned to the dock and caught the next tender back to the ship.

Copper fermenting vats

Akaroa was a quaint, charming little village and one we could envision returning to for an extended stay.

During the evening the ship was repositioned to our last New Zealand port of Dunedin. Although the Otago Peninsula, on which Dunedin is situated, had early European inhabitants from whaling and sealing interests, it was the arrival of Presbyterian Scots escaping religious persecution in 1848 that gave rise to the settlement.

Line 'em up. We're ready for a taste!

Named Dunedin, Scottish Gaelic for “Edinburgh on the hill,” the town was designed to resemble the capital of Scotland. The discovery of gold in the surrounding rivers and hills brought the town tremendous wealth that is reflected in the opulent Victorian architecture found throughout the city.

Our ship passed through a relatively narrow channel, lined on both sides with mud flats and wading birds, to get to the terminal. Because Dunedin was so far from the terminal (we went as far as we could go), we purchased a shore excursion to maximize our time in the city.

In the Guiness Book of Records

We boarded our bus and were whisked off to begin our tour. We were taken to a park overlooking the city and harbor for a photo shoot, and then off to Speight’s Brewery for a brewery tour. Speight’s is New Zealand’s largest brewery, but very little of its production is exported (except to Hawaii and Fiji).

One steep baby!

Deciding to expand operations, the canning and bottling operations were moved to Christchurch with the intention of expanding exports. In 2011 an earthquake hit Christchurch and destroyed all of the brewery’s infrastructure setting these plans aback. However, recent wins in beer competitions in Colorado and Germany has the company on track to expand exports.

In the botanic garden

As a community service, Speight's shares the spring water the brewery sits upon with the public, and locals can be seen filling water bottles at a tap located outside the brewery walls. We viewed the equipment used to brew the beers and then headed to the bar to sample their products. According to Capt. Larry’s palate, all of the brews were quite excellent in their own category.

Cloudy sunset leaving Dunedin

His recommendation is that if you happen to see Speight’s at your local beer mart, give it a try. You probably won’t be disappointed.

Dunedin headland and lighthouse

After the brewery tour, our driver took us to Baldwin Street, “the steepest street in the world.” And it was STEEP. So steep that it’s hard to imagine how anyone can navigate it.

Entering Dusky Inlet

We took some pictures while some crazy Chinese dudes started charging up the hill to see how far they could get. It wasn’t far! Next we rode to the Octagon, Dunedin’s central business district. With $100 NZ remaining in Kiwi money and only 30 minutes before we moved on, Capt. Larry charged Jane with the task of buying some souvenirs.

Dusky Sound

Jane, not used to shopping hurriedly, almost cracked under pressure!

Beautiful Dusky

Down to her last $7 and spotting something that cost $10, a vendor in an open air market took pity on her and made her a deal. Our last point of interest was Dunedin Botanical Garden. Being spring everything was blooming.

Entering Doubtful Sound

Ready to view the sounds

Our time was limited, but we snapped as many photos as we could. We were returned to our ship and spent the rest of our afternoon relaxing.

We left Dunedin and traveled through the night arriving at New Zealand’s famed Fiordland National Park.

Located on New Zealand’s southwestern tip, the park covers 3.1 million acres (nearly 5% of New Zealand’s land area), is a UNESCO World Heritage Area, and is home to 14 spectacular fiords along New Zealand’s rugged west coast.

Doubtful Sound

Beginning 500 million years ago, intense heat and pressure deep in the Earth’s crust formed gneiss, schist, and granite rock that was thrust upwards by folding of the Earth’s crust. In the past two million years glaciers have periodically covered the area gouging, deepening and rounding the U-shaped valleys that are now the park’s fiords and lakes.

Another shot of Doubtful

The park’s 14 fiords reach up to 25 miles inland and extend along 125 miles of rugged coastline.

The park’s climate is typical of a temperate rainforest with up to 300 inches of rain annually with flora and fauna typical for such an environment.

Sheer granite peaks of Milford

This heavy rainfall creates a unique marine environment with a 130 foot layer of freshwater lying upon the sea water within the fiords in which virtually all marine life is found. Originally, the area was inhabited only by birds, plants, and trees.

Breathtaking Milford Sound

However, non-native species introduced by European settlers upset the balance and 50% of native species were wiped out.

Today we are very fortunate to visit 3 of the sounds- Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford. Although they were classified and named as sounds by Captain Cook and his crew in 1773, scientists recognize they are truly fiords, but Cook’s categorization remains since that was the name first laid down on nautical charts.

Milford Sound

We entered Dusky Sound just after 0800. The views were breathtaking.

Steep peaks and drizzle in Milford

The sounds are all noted for an abundance of wildlife, but we didn’t see any evidence of this in any of the sounds; just the beauty of the towering peaks rising from the crystal blue water and waterfalls tumbling back into the sea.

One of Milford's many waterfalls

After making our way through Dusky Sound, we returned to the fury of the Tasman Sea with 20-25 kt. winds and 10-12 foot seas. Around 1030 we tucked into the inlet of Doubtful Sound and into sheltered, calm conditions. And spectacular scenery again. While different, Doubtful was just as remarkable as Dusky.

Jane & Milford's Elephant Falls

Doubtful is best known for its black coral trees which occur in unusually shallow water for what is normally a deep water species. We left Doubtful and sailed back into the Tasman tempest, on our way to Milford Sound, the crown jewel of Fiordland. Arriving at the Milford inlet around 1500, we were stunned by the raw, unspoiled beauty that looked like a sculpted work of art.

Tourist boat at a Milford waterfall

Milford receives the largest amount of rainfall and is adorned by an assortment of magnificent waterfalls. We followed the fiord to Elephant Falls and the town of Milford, a small community with a hotel and home base to a number of sound tours.

End of the road- the town of Milford

We couldn’t navigate the sound any further so we turned around and headed back to the Tasman Sea where we set a WNW course for Melbourne, Australia. Our captain, Master Juan “Hell-bent” Carangid, announced that a low pressure system would descend upon us during the night and we would experience worsening conditions with northerly winds to 50 kts. and 12-14 ft. seas. Somehow the weather forecast didn’t seem to cause “Hell-bent” to slow down and we rock and rolled all through the night while maintaining our course and 18-19 kt. speed for Australia.