Cruising is back! At any given time, on any given day, at any given port, a cruise ship is slipping its moorings heading for the open sea.
So many ships, so many ports, so many choices — after years of being in the doldrums, cruising has become one of the fastest growing sectors of international travel.
Today it’s Auckland’s turn. On a warm summer’s day at the height of the cruise season, berthed alongside Queen’s Wharf is one of Holland America’s growing fleet of ships, preparing to sail off into the sunset en route to Sydney.
On board MS Noordam are 1972 passengers made up of 91 Kiwis, 243 Australians, AMD the balance predominantly American followed by a small contingent of Canadians and Asians.
This tall and sophisticated vessel comes with indescribable luxury that is light years away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. With 770 crew from 40 different countries, this is United Nations at its best, ready and willing to spoil all those on board
Checking in is simplicity itself and while our luggage was being whisked away to our cabin by the ship’s stewards, we gave the ship’s photographer an obligatory smile on our way to a compulsory muster-station drill before getting the urge to explore the irresistible.
Such is the popularity that 127 cruise ships will berth in Auckland this year alone.
While most Kiwis have a special affinity with the sea, when one thinks of taking a cruise, cruising around New Zealand is not a destination that readily springs to mind. But for first-timers this is probably the best opportunity to experience what life is really like on board a floating five-star resort.
Relaxation starts the moment you set foot on board and the sense of space is liberating so you will never feel crowded.
There’s something remarkably liberating about cruising; freedom from time restraints plays a big part — as does testing yourself each day to see how much food you can eat in any one sitting in any one of six restaurants!
Noordam comes with an army of 200 chefs who prepare 9000 meals a day.
We learn the average weight gain put on by passengers over a 14-day cruise is between four to eight kilos. We ponder: eat up and be merry, or diet?
In contrast the dining rooms on decks two and three are more formal, with the option of open dining or at a time to suit.
For a small cover charge you can also opt for Pinnacle, a much smaller silver-service grill with its specialty of 15-ounce steaks, Tamarind, an Asian-inspired pop-up eatery, or Canaletto, an experience in Italian suave and sophistication, notably famous for its home-made pastas. Whatever your choice, you will not be disappointed.
Food and wine play a big part of daily life on board, and are taken seriously by the ship’s owners.
Day two comes all too quickly with our arrival into Tauranga. For most of the afternoon we walk casually around Mount Maunganui, indulging in some much-needed retail therapy. Later our fellow passengers who visited Rotorua recalled their frustration when the coach driver locked the keys in the bus and they spent two hours standing in the rain until a replacement key was delivered.
Napier calls; it’s hugely atmospheric, with its Art Deco buildings and its lush orchards and vineyards that contribute to some undeniably fine cuisine.
They’re a hospitable lot, and as we disembark the Dixie band is belting away — it’s all rather festive and an opportunity to stroll around the city with its gleaming vintage cars and their proud owners bedecked in resplendent clothing from a bygone era.
Port Chalmers is our next port of call and the gateway to Dunedin, famous for its university students, brewery, Scottish heritage and former chocolate factory. The port itself invites you to explore its architectural heritage, a mixture of charming shops, cafes and hotels.
The following morning, much to everyone’s disappointment, captain Mark Zoll advises passengers that, owing to extreme gale force winds and potential 40-foot swells, entering Milford Sound has been cancelled. With the extra day gained, a change of course was ordered to miss the storm, but not without 25-foot swells, which proved to be a testing time for many of the passengers.
We now turn towards Tasmania — it will be two days before we sight land again. By now we are truly relaxed and long past being worried about getting cabin fever. Sleep does not come easily for many passengers crossing the Tasman until safely moored at Hobart. We opt for a hop-on, hop-off, 90-minute tour of Hobart, ending with a relaxing espresso and muffin at Coffee Roasters immediately across the road.
The next day we arrive at Melbourne. Most go ashore but we catch up on emails and relax in the library until noon before going on a one-hour walking tour of the city.
On the list of other things that Noordam does well are the daily activities and promotions delivered to your cabin each evening. From 7am to 11pm, everything from tai chi to team trivia to bingo is covered in detail.
Our final night at sea was notable for two things — a mood of finality, not one of sadness, and a realisation that it was soon to end. Land feels odd and, for those still to experience cruising, they might surely look down on us with resentment.
But MS Noordam is enjoying a new golden age of cruising and is back in business with luxury cruises that are as popular as ever with packaged holidays bigger and better than the last one.
Airport transfers: Con-X-ion www.cxn.com.au
