Balcony Offer: Tasmania and New Zealand

Board Royal Princess in Sydney and sail out past the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge behind you. Arrive early and walk the Royal Botanic Garden to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair for the classic harbour view before you board.

Eden sits on Twofold Bay on the far south coast of New South Wales. Visit the Eden Killer Whale Museum to hear the story of Old Tom and the orcas that helped local whalers, or walk the coastal tracks of Ben Boyd National Park.

Spend the day on the Freycinet Peninsula, where the pink granite peaks of the Hazards rise above Great Oyster Bay. Walk up to the Wineglass Bay lookout for the view over its white crescent of sand or taste fresh local oysters at Coles Bay.

Walk through the ruins of the Port Arthur Historic Site, where convicts were held until the penal colony closed in 1877. The Tasman Peninsula adds Tasman Arch, the Devil’s Kitchen and the Tessellated Pavement, with the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo nearby.

Walk Hobart’s waterfront from Constitution Dock to Salamanca Place, where sandstone warehouses now hold galleries and cafes. Battery Point’s colonial cottages are a short stroll further on.

Ferry up the Derwent River to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art. Alternatively, drive up kunanyi / Mount Wellington for the view over the city and the river.

Hobart falls behind and the Tasman Sea opens up. Start with a pastry from the Patisserie and spend the afternoon in the Library or at an art class. Fiordland is two days away.

Fiordland National Park arrives tomorrow. Settle into the Piano Lounge this evening and rise early for the best light on deck.

Spend the day on deck as the ship cruises through glacier-carved fiords. Sheer cliffs rise from the water, rainforest clings to the rock and waterfalls drop straight into the sound

Dunedin’s Scottish roots show in the Octagon, where a statue of Robert Burns watches over the city centre. Tour the Dunedin Railway Station, then head to the Otago Peninsula for Larnach Castle or the royal albatross colony at Taiaroa Head.

Dunedin is behind you and Napier comes next. Catch a show at the Limelight Theatre or warm up for Hawke’s Bay’s cellar doors at Vines Wine & Seafood Bar.

Napier rebuilt in Art Deco style after the 1931 earthquake and the streets are now a showpiece. Join a guided walk or a vintage car tour of the Deco quarter, then head into Hawke’s Bay for chardonnay and syrah at a cellar door.

Your ship berths beside Mauao (Mount Maunganui). Walk to the summit for views along the Bay of Plenty, then soak in the hot saltwater pools at its base. Rotorua’s geothermal parks and Māori cultural villages make a longer day trip inland.

Tender ashore to the birthplace of modern New Zealand, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. Walk the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to see the carved meeting house and the great war canoe, or cruise out to the Hole in the Rock at Cape Brett.

Note: Bay of Islands is an anchorage port. Passengers transfer to shore via ship’s tender.

Your voyage ends in Auckland, with Rangitoto’s volcanic cone sitting just offshore. Add a few days to ferry out to Rangitoto or to Waiheke Island’s vineyards before you head home.