This was published 7 years ago
Milford Sound cruise on board Azamara Journey: Is this the eighth wonder of the world?
By John Huxley
The bright Kiwi sun will accompany us for the 15-day cruise.
Its soaring mountains are capped with snow; its narrow, slow-moving waters bathed in dazzling, unseasonal sunshine. Little wonder that British writer Rudyard Kipling pronounced Milford Sound "the eighth wonder of the world".
So overwhelmed by the fine weather and the drop-dead gorgeous views, is our captain Johannes Tysse, a Norwegian who has seen many fine fjords in his lifetime that he decides to take our ship on a longer "scenic route" round the southern tip of New Zealand.
As Tysse explains excitedly over the audio system to guests, many of them standing on the top deck still dressed in their pyjamas, "You're so, so lucky. For 320 of the 365 days of the year, the sound is lashed by rain."
Little wonder that British writer Rudyard Kipling pronounced Milford Sound "the eighth wonder of the world".Credit: shirophoto
For the next few hours, the good ship Azamara Journey … no, make that the great ship Azamara Journey, which is making a welcome return to Australasian waters after undergoing a major, $US12 million make-over – seems to surf up the coast. Its 400 crew and 650 guests rejoice in the fine weather.
Remarkably, for the notoriously shaky, soaky-wet islands, the bright Kiwi sun will accompany us for the rest of the 15-day cruise. By contrast, daily news bulletins printed on board, show that on the other side of "the ditch", NSW, Victoria and Tasmania are being battered by heavy rain.
Fortunately, the rain has not arrived when we join the ship in Hobart, where guests are already gathering for one of the cruise line's free, trademark "AzAmazing" evening events: an exclusive, "after-hours" tour of the local Museum of Old and New Art.
Luxury suite on board the Azamara Journey.
So charming, so challenging, so proudly controversial are MONA's galleries and extensive gardens that many guests will return the following day for a longer, more leisurely visit.
Meanwhile, fortified by a selection of cocktails and canapes, guests gather for a concert featuring top tenor Mark Vincent, a former winner of the talent show, "Australia's got Talent".
For more than an hour, Vincent cheerfully, emotionally, entertains the audience with anecdotes, and with numbers from musical "greats" ranging from Giuseppe Verdi to Frank Sinatra.
Then there's the entertainment - starting with the amazing pool deck. Credit: Michel Verdure
It is a bravura performance, broken only briefly when, in full musical flight, Vincent's concentration is broken by a man sitting in the front row, suddenly engaged in a life-or-death struggle with a Tassie mozzie.
After roars of laughter – from Vincent, victim and the audience – normal, musical service is resumed.
It's a memorable experience: the first of many on a circumnavigation of New Zealand that, in typical Azamara style, offers guests an amazing choice of dining options, on-board activities and guided excursions of all shapes, sizes, interests and prices. Though many, especially onboard, come free.
Further afield, it runs a popular tour of Hawkes Bay wineries.Credit: tristanbnz
A "culinary journey" may be taken through several, speciality cafes, bars and restaurants, such as: the Aqualina (classic Italian and "modern touch"), Prime C (classic steakhouse), The Living Room (wine and tapas) and The Patio (a la carte, outdoors).
The "day's specials" may be Cantonese, Moroccan, Italian, Indian, Thai, Mexican or Vietnamese.
For those wanting to work off the calories, or just to stay fit, there is a deck-top walking track, a well-equipped gym and daily fitness classes. All of them are busy, seemingly round-the-clock. Indeed, there is a daily waiting list for some classes.
Then there's the entertainment. Pools and pokies. Darts and dance. Wine tasting and watercolour painting. Napkin folding and noodle making. Shuffleboard and singles' dining. Pamper parties and poolside dances. Bingo and blackjack. Abba and on-deck astronomy. The guests are up for it.
As comedian Michael Bennett at one of the nightly cabaret slots jokes cheekily, the Azarama's guests may "come in 500 shades of grey", but they are fighting fit, up for everything, both off and on the ship.
He is not the only comedian on board. Ship's master Captain Tysse draws laughs with his early-morning announcements, and runs his own, live Q and A sessions.
And his cruise director Erik De Gray, chides inattentive passengers, "I know you all get edgy when you haven't eaten for 20 minutes".
And Bennett claims to be "one of only five kids on board under 50", as guests are advised of the wide range of excursions off the ship.
For example. Jump ship in Milford Sound, and take an overnight trip to Queenstown to explore its lakes, mountains and rolling countryside.
Take a panoramic tour of Dunedin, including the city's historic sites – the university, the stately law courts, the First Church and the decorative railway station.
Head out to the Otago peninsular to check out the wild, wildlife: fur seals, sea lions, penguins and other birds, such as shag, shearwater and albatrosses.
Take a guided walking – maybe, eventually "wobbling" – tour of the historic pubs of nearby Port Chalmers, just a few hundred metres walk from where the Azarama is conveniently parked.
Moving onwards and upwards along the coast, the next stop is at Akaroa, where there are full-day excursions by four-wheel drive and jet boat to explore the rugged high country of the Southern Alps.
Another full-day trip offers a "Journey into Middle Earth" to explore the breathtaking scenery amid rolling landscape in which scenes from the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy were shot.
The ship also offers a half-day tour from Akaroa inland to Christchurch, a courageous city still struggling to recover from successive earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, and the surrounding countryside, including a working sheep farm.
Next stop on the cruise is another, more distant, earthquake city victim: Napier, which along with neighbouring Hastings was flattened on February 3, 1931, killing 256 people. Today, it is a beautiful, thriving, spotlessly-clean, seaside city.
Once again, the ship offers an imaginative choice of excursions, to explore Napier's post-earthquake, art deco wonders, in a classic car, on the Hawkes Bay Express train, or on a walking tour togged up in elegant 1930s period garb.
Further afield, it runs a popular tour of Hawkes Bay wineries, where fine wines and hand-crafted ice creams may be sampled.
The final stop is at Tauranga, on the beautiful Bay of Plenty, where a long list of options includes biking expeditions into the wilderness area, an exploration of local Maori rock art, and a visit to another Lord of the Rings site at, well, Hobbiton.
Further afield, lies Rotorua, "the thermal wonderland of New Zealand", where visitors can see a kiwi. Take a lake cruise. Check out the hydrogen sulphide vapours. Watch Maori women demonstrate flax weaving.
And, see a performance of Kiwi songs, dances and fighting skills including, inevitably, the familiar "ka mate, ka mate", of the Haka. On-board feedback from guests – roughly 45 per cent American, 25 per cent Australian and 20 per cent British – confirm that the paid excursions are imaginative, well-organised and excellent value, especially for those unlikely to return to New Zealand.
For those guests with smaller budgets, other interests (say, like my love of old churches and seabirds), or simply a – possibly misguided – sense of adventure, the Azamara team are supportive, helpful and knowledgeable.
Each evening, at about 7pm, a copy of classy "Pursuits", a rundown of the following day's program of events, on and off the ship, mysteriously appears under each cabin door.
It provides information, not just of activities on the ship, but an historical introduction to the port of arrival, and points of interest. There are details, too, of the day's shuttle-bus services and, where necessary, ship-to-shore tenders.
All go like clockwork… except one afternoon in Dunedin when "DIY explorers" waiting downtown rushed a shuttle bus back to the ship – only to discover that the driver was on an afternoon milk-run to pick up local schoolkids.
At most ports, staff from the local tourism office either board the ship or are very handily placed onshore to provide maps, and advise independently-minded visitors on their options.
In Dunedin, we explored St Paul's Cathedral, where a stirring Trumpet Voluntary announced the start of a "Cruise Ship Organ Concert" in the Azamara's honour.
From there it is a short walk to the city art gallery – home of many old, European masters – and a long walk to the beautiful botanic gardens where, spoiled perhaps by the mouth-watering cuisine available on the Azamara, we lunched on salad sandwiches, bought from a petrol station.
Akaroa, a beautiful town of about 600 people, originally settled by the French, is eminently walkable, while the countryside around Napier is perhaps best tackled by bike, available from opposite the visitor centre.
Much of fast-growing Tauranga – our last port of call and a favourite destination for Auckland and Wellington city-dwellers from – can also be explored on foot.
For drop-dead gorgeous, 360-degree views of the whole Bay of Plenty climb Mount Maunganui. If you can! Of course you can; it's the steep descent that makes the legs ache!
Fortunately, from the base of the mountain it is only a breezy stroll to the ship, and its many delights.
FIVE MORE THINGS TO DO ON AND OFF THE AZAMARA JOURNEY
Visit Cape Kidnappers Located on spectacular, steepling cliffs ranging in age from 300,000 to 4.5 million years old, the cape is home to a top-class hotel, a demanding golf course and more than 20,000 nesting gannets.
Have a spa. The Sanctum offers everything from acupuncture to full-body seaweed wraps, rejuvenating Medi Spas to "pamper parties". Next door, is the gym where guests can work off calories while spotting albatroses.
Go to a lecture by a leading expert. No, really. Subjects vary. Ours included "Lawyers on Trial: Hired guns or Heroes?" and "New Zealand's Quest for National Identity". The search continues!
Take in a recent-release movie under the stars. Sully, about the Hudson River plane landing, went down well. Or catch the time-lapse film of how a 1200-strong team from 49 countries, worked round the clock to complete the Azamara's makeover in just 12 days. Fascinating.
Visit Ian Hope's Backyard. It contains a "private museum", boasting "the world's largest collection of British vehicles". Maybe, maybe not. But it does boast 36 Morris Minors! One for old-car enthusiasts, young and, more likely, old.
Azamara Journey will return to Australia for a second season in January 2018. She'll offer four local sailings during her season, including a brand new 18-night Bali to Sydney voyage via the West Coast of Australia departing January 21, 2018. This unique sailing offers maiden calls to Exmouth, Perth, Bunbury, Albany, Esperance, Kangaroo Island and Adelaide. Azamara Journey will also offer a 14-night Sydney to Auckland sailing, a 13-night Auckland to Sydney voyage and an 18-night Sydney to Singapore itinerary. Fares for Azamara Journey's second Australian season start from $4399 a person twin share for the 14-night Tasmania and New Zealand voyage departing Sydney on February 8, 2018. The sailing includes overnight stays in Hobart, Dunedin and Napier as well as scenic cruise through Milford Sound and calls to Akaroa, Picton and Tauranga before arriving in Auckland.
For something a little sooner, sail onboard Azamara Journey for 14-nights through Thailand & Vietnam from $3879 a person twin share. Sailing from Singapore to Hong Kong, and departing December 9, 2017, the voyage including three days in Bangkok, two days in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, and calls to Ko Samui and Hue (Danang).
John Huxley was a guest of Azamara Club Cruises
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