Princess Cruises new shore excursions in New Zealand features ziplining and Curtis Stone restaurant

Waiheke Island, the second largest and most populated in Hauraki Gulf (the largest is Great Barrier Island), is called the wine island for its 20-odd wineries and cellar doors, a couple of which are visited on another Princess excursion.

While syrah is the rising star on the island, chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and other bordeaux-style wines are also produced. But unlike the renowned Marlborough region, where wine-growers eke 17 bottles out of each vine, Waiheke's vines produce just one bottle due to the poor soil. But what you get in return, we're told, is intensity.

To test this theory, we head to Mudbrick Winery for tastings and lunch at the Archive Bar & Bistro. The wine is certainly top notch, but the views across to Rangitoto Island, and the food (especially the venison carpaccio) steal the show.

A few hours later we're cruising through the gulf on the biggest Princess ship to visit Antipodean waters, where our mission is to experience new excursions and sample not one but two on-board celebrity chef restaurants. There is even a chance to belt out a tune in the Voice of the Ocean talent contest, Princess's version of the popular TV show. But zip-lining is enough, I reckon.

Taking up almost half of the 16th deck, SHARE by Curtis Stone is the Australian chef and Coles ambassador's first ocean-going restaurant. Its unique layout of several dining spaces separated by stained-glass room dividers and bookshelves decorated with fascinating artefacts is a bold departure from most ship restaurants. The six-course small-plate menu, featuring dishes such as butter-poached lobster tail, duck leg confit and toffee cheesecake, is a snip at $39 for the lot, and simply delicious.

Taking a more casual approach is the Salty Dog Gastropub, where renowned US chef Ernesto Uchimura has devised what is said to be the best burger at sea (think ground rib-eye and short-rib patty together with grilled pork belly topped with a gazillion extras, including a "cave-aged" gruyere) along with a menu of delectable morsels (all for a total of $18), which are best accompanied by a beer.

Our first port is Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, for a visit to Rotorua. Over the years I'd been to several geothermal sites, but this one, officially called Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua a Wahiao, (or Whakarewarewa for "short"), is unique in that Maori families live on the huge site and have done for centuries. We wander past houses, shops and performance spaces and one series of hot pools dedicated to cooking root vegetables and others for evening communal bathing. I'm fascinated by the geothermal steam box hangi, in which meals are cooked above ground over an active vent, rather than in a pit oven. Most of the villagers still cook this way and we sample a tasty hangi pie of meat and vegies, a bit like a pasty.

From the Bay of Plenty, we cruise to Poverty Bay, so named by Captain Cook for its perceived lack of edible plants and herbs. We anchor off Gisborne, the most easterly city in New Zealand, and a new port for most passengers.

Today, Gisborne is the chardonnay capital of the country and the third-largest wine-growing region after Marlborough and Napier. But before any wine-tasting we have a date with wild stingrays and head 10 kilometres north to Tatapouri Beach to join another new Princess tour.

The plan is to walk out into the sea to a spot at the edge of the reef where several rays will be waiting for a free meal. We need to kit up in what looks like trout-fishing wading gear – a boots'n'all vinyl overall – and carry a bamboo pole that acts as a walking stick to help us balance as we walk over a rather slippery and uneven rock platform. I buddy up with a fellow passenger, who kindly offers his arm; I'm a bit worried I'll slip and lose my mobile phone to the depths as I plod along in my oversized boots. I reckon we must look like a couple from a nautical version of A Farmer Wants a Wife.

On arrival a half-dozen small stingrays and several huge kingfish swim up on cue, accompanied by squeals from our group. We are instructed to squeeze close together, forming a human wall to prevent the critters from sliding between us. Our guides hand-feed a few and it's soon a feeding frenzy, particularly among the lighting-fast kingfish, whose teeth look rather sharp. The rays, however, are fairly docile and, like kittens, they don't mind a bit of stroking. My fellow waders love it.

Life revolves around the ocean in Gisborne, not just for today's surfers but for the Maori who have inhabited the area for centuries. It was also the setting for the 2002 movie Whale Rider. One beach, simply called Whales, is named for a mass stranding in 1970 when 59 sperm whales beached and subsequently died on the shore not far from Tatapouri.

Princess has packed in plenty of experiences on board and on shore, including a behind-the-scenes private tour of Wellington's Te Papa Museum and a train ride through the spectacular Taieri George from Dunedin's stunning Flemish Revival-style railway station.

But for sheer indulgence, the Ultimate Balcony Dining breakfast, complete with champagne, smoked salmon and all manner of goodies, is hard to beat, especially when sailing into Akaroa, my favourite little town on the New Zealand coast.

No balcony? Fear not. As the sun goes down, simply pull up a deckchair on one of several tiered decks and settle in for the nightly Movies Under the Stars event. I am happy with a cosy blanket and a first-run movie, but am in heaven when a waiter arrives at my side offering free pizza and even cookies and milk. This is the way to relax after a hair-raising shore excursion or two.

TRIP NOTES

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FLY

Air New Zealand flies several times a day to Auckland from Sydney and Melbourne. See airnewzealand.com.au

CRUISE

Princess Cruises operates more than 25 cruises to New Zealand (with departures from Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland) during the summer season from September to April. The fleet's new ship, Majestic Princess, will debut Down Under in September 2018, with fares for a 13-day cruise to New Zealand starting at $2199 a person twin share. A similar cruise this coming season on Sun Princess, departing December 9, 2017, starts at around $1899 a person twin share. See princess.com.au

Caroline Gladstone travelled as a guest of Princess Cruises.

FIVE MORE NEW ZEALAND SHORE EXCURSIONS

LAUNCH

Take the new 3½ hour motor-launch cruise through the waters of the Bay of Islands, so named for its 150 islands and rock formations. It includes a visit to the seaside village of Russell and the Point Butler Whaling Museum.

KAYAK

If you want to explore the Bay of Islands under your own steam, take a four-hour Waitangi Estuary kayak trip through the sheltered waters to the Haruru Falls. Relax with refreshments on Waitangi Beach, not far from the site where the famous treaty was signed in 1840.

MIDDLE EARTH

Poke around the 44 hobbit holes and have a drink at the Green Dragon Inn on a visit to Hobbiton, the movie set of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Hobbiton (near Matamata) is less than an hour's drive from the port of Tauranga.

ARCHITECTURE

Everyone knows that Napier is an art deco gem with dozens of splendid 1930s buildings, but few may know about its long Maori history dating back more than 300 years. Take a tour that explores an ancient Maori fortress and a modern marae or meeting place.

STAY BEHIND

Been there, done that? If you've seen plenty of New Zealand ports, why not stay on board one day and reap the benefits of cut-price spa treatments and enjoy the serenity of the Lotus Spa pool.