Seeing New Zealand with Cunard - Worth It?

I consider Philadelphia a wonderful city to live near, except maybe during the months of January, February—-and March. April can be a bit dreary as well. What I miss most during these months is sunshine.

In June, 2019, days after our spectacular cruise in the South Pacific’s Society Islands, my friend Dawn suggested we escape again to somewhere warm and sunny in January, 2020. I immediately said, “Let’s go!”

It wasn’t difficult determining a destination.

Knowing it would be summer “Down Under”, Dawn and I quickly settled on a perfect getaway; taking Cunard's Queen Elizabeth II out of Melbourne, Australia to circumnavigate New Zealand’s North and South Islands.

We booked directly with Cunard. The agent reserved a cabin said to be perfectly located (which turned out to be true). What our Cunard rep failed to do was remind us about passport rules.

Travel Tip: In most instances, you cannot use a passport that expires less than six months from your departure date. When booking an international trip, check your passport first! Also, make sure the name on your reservations matches your passport, exactly.

Eight weeks before our cruise, we discovered two major issues with Dawn’s passport. First, she had less than six months remaining on her passport before departure. In addition, Dawn had recently legally changed her name. Even if she got a new passport in time, her cruise and airline reservations would no longer match the name on her new passport. Cunard and American Airlines balked at changing Dawn's reservations. American told Dawn she would have to cancel her reservation and rebook at a much higher fare. Finally, after a grueling five hours on the phone with multiple customer service reps from both companies, the name on Dawn's cruise and flight reservations were successfully changed.

We still had the problem of getting Dawn's new passport into her hands before our departure date of January 8th. Determined, Dawn plowed through the paperwork quickly, paid the expedited fee, and received her passport with three weeks to spare.

Travelers Tip: In recent months, friends are telling me that it is taking on average 10 weeks to get a passport renewed. Check the website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html for more info.

At Cunard’s suggestion, we added two nights in Melbourne, Australia before our cruise embarkation on January 12th, 2020 to help ease the jet lag after our 15 ½ hour flight. Cunard made arrangements for us to stay at the lovely Stamford Plaza Hotel in downtown Melbourne.

What is there to do in "The Garden City"?

State Library Victoria - Spectacular

Melbourne has plenty to offer any visitor such as the incredibly beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens. The newly restored 19th century State Library Victoria is definitely worth a peek. Dawn and I grabbed a quick dinner at Betty’s Burgers before snagging last minute tickets at Her Majesty’s Theatre for a rousing rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Traveler’s Tip: Staying active is the perfect way to combat jet lag wherever you are traveling.

Getting Around by Melbourne's Trolley - A Great Way "to go"

Our two nights stay at the Stamford Plaza was quite enjoyable. By sail time on Sunday, January 12th, we felt rested and ready for adventure on the high seas.

Every day brought new places to explore such as Dunedin and Pukerangi via the Taieri Gorge Railway.

Taking a Ride on the Taieri Railway

In Akorora, Dawn and I purchased possum sweaters (possums are protected in Australia but make cozy and exceptionally soft NZ outerwear souvenirs). Akorora’s “The Giant’s House” is spectacular. The colorful mosaics filling the entire property are a feast to the mind and senses.

Mosaics at the Giants House in Akorora, New Zealand

In Wellington, we enjoyed the Botanic Gardens. Dawn and I photographed beautiful propagated roses and begonias we didn’t know could exist in nature.

Relaxing at Wellington's Botanical Gardens

Visiting the “Art Deco Capital of the World” Napier proved to be my favorite excursion (not booked through Cunard, but through Tripadvisor). After being demolished by an earthquake in 1931, Napier was restored with Art Deco inspired architecture and design. The distinctively sleek and streamlined look that defines Art Deco is visible on many of the cities’ buildings, most in near perfect condition 90 years later.

Napier's Art Deco Design Takes You Back to the 1930's

Traveler’s Tip: Napier, New Zealand hosts an annual Art Deco Festival critics say should be on every traveler’s bucket list. The next festival is scheduled for February 15-18, 2024.

Dawn’s and my 8th deck Britannia Club Level accommodations, located mid-ship, proved perfectly situated for easy access to dining and activities. The spa, gym, and spacious locker room were steps away. Each morning, a full breakfast was delivered by our steward to our “living room”. On our private balcony, we were thrilled by the eye-popping views during our sail through Fiordland Park. Every day proved more fun than the last.

Breakfast delivered is a great way to start the day!

Our time on the ship was spent dancing, dining, enjoying shows, and relaxing in the spa. I especially enjoyed the sauna and resting on the “hot rock” (couch) after succumbing to a terrible cold the moment I stepped on QE II in Melbourne.

Traveler’s Tip: It’s a great idea when traveling anywhere to include along with your usual medications, your favorite cold remedies and over the counter (OTC) analgesics. I went through every cold tablet in my possession along with most of what Dawn brought with her. Some OTC meds are available in the ship’s gift shop but please be aware that a trip to see the ship doctor does cost extra. On Cunard, it’s around $100 a visit.

In January 2020, there were horrific fires burning in the Northern Territory and northern areas of Western Australia and Queensland. During our cruise, Cunard hosted a silent auction to raise relief funds for Australian’s impacted by the devastating fires.

Dawn and I bid on and won what turned out to be the highlight of my entire trip; Sailaway Cocktails on the Captain’s Balcony. Essentially, we won a private cocktail party with Captain Love, Deputy Captain Matthew, the head of housekeeping, and the ship's Entertainment Chair, Kat. Our winning bid included an invitation to invite two other passengers of our choosing for the cocktail hour.

We invited Michael, a professor and dance instructor from Sydney who helped us improve our dance steps each evening. In addition, we asked Greg, an Australian sheep rancher, traveling alone, whom we met during our bus trip to Napier.

The cocktail event felt magical from the moment we were escorted to the captain’s quarters at 1800 hours, sharp! (6 pm). Not knowing what to expect, we were blown away upon entering Captain Love’s living room. Tables were filled with canapes, cheeses, and tiny glasses filled with various sweets of fruit and chocolate.. In addition, we had our own bartender, his bar filled with an array of libations. Fortunately, there was plenty of champagne on hand because this fairy tale moment deserved bubbles.

Cocktails with the Caption - Definitely a Champagne Occasion

Captain Love and his crew members graciously entertained us with stories and a bit of biography about themselves making the four of us feel like we’d known them for a lot longer than 60 minutes.

Each night, Dawn and I enjoyed the company of several Scots at our table. The food on every Cunard cruise I've enjoyed has been wonderful! Also, you won't find better dining service anywhere.

When we docked again in Melbourne, both Dawn and I disembarked rested, happy, but also sad to see the cruise end “so soon”. Again, Cunard met every one of my expectations and more.

During our last day in Melbourne, Dawn and I walked the city more. We stopped to enjoy, at a distance, Australian Open tennis matches being played on its signature Cerulean blue courts. The January "summer" heat felt blissfully therapeutic.

A beautiful day for the Australian Open in late January 2020

Walking back to our hotel, we couldn’t help but notice an entire flight crew emerging from their airport limo van. Every person was wearing a mask. I wasn’t sure what that was about but I felt glad I hadn’t been to wherever they had come from.

I didn’t give it another thought until I picked up a “hot off the press” copy of the Melbourne Herald Sun dated Sunday, January 26, 2020.

The headline, in huge, bold print read something like -

CORONA IS HERE!!

“Whatever is Corona?”, I thought to myself as I began reading.

Finishing the article, I returned the newspaper to the rack, trying to wrap my head around what I had just read.

Walking over to where Dawn was waiting for our own airport van, I remember declaring,

“Dawn, we need to GO!”

We flew back to Philadelphia, arriving at 0500 on January 27th, 2020 - four days after Wuhan, China locked down.

And four days before I departed for another international destination, never dreaming it would be my last for a very long time.