Sydney Harbor to Milford Sound: the voyage of a lifetime, twice over.
A Down Under season runs from Sydney through the austral summer: New Zealand's fiords (Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sound), the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania and the South Pacific. The New Zealand itineraries to look for are the ones with an overnight in Auckland and scenic cruising through all three fiords rather than one. Wine-focused Australian sailings loop through Tasmania and Adelaide for the Barossa. For the adventurous, longer repositioning crossings run Sydney to Honolulu by way of Fiji and French Polynesia.
The harbor is the welcome. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge frame the approach from the Pacific. Bondi Beach, the Rocks, and a ferry to Manly, all within reach before departure.
Sunrise at Bondi-to-Coogee coastal walk, then lunch at the Rocks
Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth wonder of the world. Mitre Peak rises 1,692 meters straight from the water. Waterfalls cascade from hanging valleys. It rains 200 days a year, and it's more beautiful in the rain.
Open-deck cruising through the fiord at dawn, dolphins in the bow wake
Scotland in the South Pacific. Victorian architecture, the world's steepest residential street, and the Otago Peninsula where royal albatross nest and yellow-eyed penguins waddle ashore at dusk.
Royal Albatross Centre tour and yellow-eyed penguin viewing at sunset
Gateway to Rotorua's geothermal wonders: boiling mud pools, erupting geysers, and Māori cultural performances. The Bay of Plenty coastline has some of the best beaches in New Zealand.
Wai-O-Tapu geothermal park and traditional Māori hangi feast
144 islands in subtropical waters. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds, New Zealand's founding document was signed here. The hole in the rock at Cape Brett. Dolphins in every cove.
Fast boat ride to the Hole in the Rock, with dolphin encounters en route
The City of Sails, built across two harbors and 48 volcanic cones. The Sky Tower punctuates the skyline. The Viaduct Harbour dining scene is world-class. Waiheke Island, a 35-minute ferry, is New Zealand's answer to Napa.
Ferry to Waiheke Island for a wine trail through boutique vineyards
Send your dates. We will come back with the sailings worth taking, the cabin to ask for, and what we would arrange ashore.