A young man is beckoning me, ‘Have you ever seen a Stitchbird?’ He asks, pointing. I’m not a birder, but this enthusiasm is infectious. I peer into the thick undergrowth, anxious to spot it. Ah, yes, there it is. And look, there’s another. He turns and points behind us. Another bird has caught his eye.
‘This is my favourite spot as birds come here to feed.’ He tells me. ‘Here’ is in Zealandia, a huge wildlife reserve near Wellington that’s protected by high fences specially designed to keep out invasive predators that have been introduced over the years and are destroying the country’s native species.
It’s just one of many unexpected finds on this cruise around New Zealand’s north and south islands. There’s Napier, dubbed the art-deco capital of the world; Christchurch, with its trendy bars and punts on the Avon River (punters in straw boaters, of course); and Milford Sound with its tall peaks dwarfing the sightseeing planes flying along the fjord.
I’m here with Princess Cruises, sailing on Crown Princess, the ship that featured in the first article I ever penned for Blue Horizons. That was in 2006; how better to celebrate my - and the ship’s - 20th anniversary than by hopping back on board.
Two decades might have passed since it launched, but little has changed. The décor, piazza-style atrium, cabins, Explorer’s Lounge, and theatre are all as I remember. As for dining out in the Crown Grill steakhouse and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, both are still the spoils they ever were.
But what’s this? There’s a new Irish pub, O’Malley’s, and a Reserve restaurant open for breakfast, lunch (on sea days) and dinner for those in suites and mini-suites. I’m dining there, looked after by the wonderful Alberto and his team, who surprise me with a glass of fizz and a 20th anniversary cake one evening! Good Spirits, a top spot for a lunchtime bevvy, is new in the atrium, and we certainly didn’t have a Princess Medallion 20 years ago.
If you’ve sailed with Princess since 2021, you’ll be familiar with this nifty gadget, the size of a 10p coin, that unlocks cabin doors and acts as an on-board payment card. It also enables staff to recognise guests so they can offer a more personalised service, and if, like me, you happen to lose one, guest services can locate it on their computer (‘it’s in the cabin, ma’am’). How cool is that?
The cruise, from Brisbane, Australia, starts with three sea days, which is great for getting over jetlag and being ready for the first port of call in Auckland. I loved this city, with all its bars, restaurants, and green spaces, and an excellent museum showcasing New Zealand culture and its role in world conflicts.
In Tauranga the next day, I join a tour to Rotorua’s Te Puia geothermal park, home to steaming rocks, bubbling mud pools, and the Pohutu geyser, which erupts up to 20 times a day, shooting water 100 feet into the air. It’s a brilliant day out, packed with a Maori cultural show, a close-up of the steaming rocks and lunch. I even see two kiwis, which is very special as they are nocturnal creatures.
From Port Chalmers, the nearest ships can reach Dunedin. I join the historic Taieri Gorge Train and travel deep into Central Otago. It’s a spectacular journey, past hilly landscapes and forests, alongside the Taieri River, over impressive viaducts and through tunnels dug by hand.
Along the way, Robert, our train guide, tells us stories of the whalers and sealers who came here in the 1830s and the Scots who arrived a decade later (Dunedin means Edinburgh in Gaelic). ‘They came all this way to an unknown land, but at least the weather was familiar,’ he jokes. It has certainly been very changeable, sunny one day, overcast the next.
He also tells us about the thousands of prospectors who reached here, some from as far away as California, after gold was found in Otago in 1861. In the first year alone, just over 11,000kg of gold was discovered, worth AUD$960 billion at current day values. Wow!
I’d never even heard of a New Zealand gold rush. Another unexpected gem. I am already planning a return next year to discover more.
