Explore More Offshore

Ever been a cruise before?  Ever been on a cruise around New Zealand (and by implication, Australia)?

If you haven’t, go down to your local travel agent and book one.  Sure, it’s in our DNA to travel as least as far as Rarotonga if we’re going abroad on holiday, but have a think about a cruise around here.  In fact, I reckon that every single New Zealander needs to see New Zealand from the sea, and every New Zealander needs to see New Zealand through the eyes of the Yanks.   Terry and I have now done about six cruises in New Zealand waters.  And, I was born a Yank but am now a true blue Kiwi.  So, I’m the perfect person to tell you all about it.

Boarding our trans-Tasman cruise ship, I try not to give away my American accent too much.  My biggest fear is meeting someone who knew me when I was a kid growing up in New Jersey.  No, I don’t necessarily want to become best friends with them right away.  So, I put on my non-attributable accent and when asked where I’m from, I say “here.”  The Yanks look quizzically at me, and repeat, “here”?  “Yes,” is my reply.  The conversation then invariably goes something like this:

Them:    “You live here?”
Me:    “Yes.”
Them:    “People actually live here?”

The implication is that the Yanks’ conception of New Zealand is that it is full of Hobbits (as I hope it is for a long time to come) and that no one actually lives here, on these magnificent isles full of rainforests and wee people running up and down looking for a ring.

As we set sail, I’ll go up on the open deck just to listen to the “oohs” and “ahs” of my fellow passengers who are indulging in the privilege of seeing New Zealand from the sea.  The cliffs, the beaches, the sea life, the sky – a magnificence which each and every New Zealander needs to see and cherish.

When we get to Wellington and come back on board in the late afternoon, people asked what we did during our day in port.  “The laundry!,” I emphatically announce.  Again, looks of disbelief.  Well, yes!  You see, we have a apartment in Wellington, and besides doing errands and having lunch with friends, we will go to our apartment with all the stuff we no longer need on board, and do the laundry.  The last time that happened, our tales of the ordinary became the talk of the ship that night.  People really do live in New Zealand and do ordinary things!

That brings up the next principle of cruising – that to some extent, cruising is about doing ordinary things in extraordinary places.  Laundry, playing a round of golf 10,000km from home, sitting on the beach for a few hours…and of course, shopping.

There is, however, another reason we do the Australia/New Zealand cruises as frequently as we do.

For us, an Australia/New Zealand cruise has become less about sightseeing, and more about a great way to visit friends and family along the way.  With Terry’s and my global family, we now try to pick cruises which will give us opportunity to see as many people as we can.  In this part of the world, a cruise is extremely cost effective transportation for our catching-up visits to such places as Sydney, Melbourne and Christchurch.

New Zealand cruising for New Zealanders?  Absolutely.