A flight from Sydney returned us to the UK on Wednesday 10 December. Although we’re still suffering from jet lag with some very early starts to the day, it’s good to look back on our experiences. You may remember, I used AI to help refine our itinerary and wrote about it here. The first two weeks involved a road trip of the North Island following a figure of eight around Auckland and for the second leg, we joined a cruise. This took us to ports on the North and South Islands plus stops in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney.
Here are the highlights:
Auckland
Bay of Islands
We also visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where papers were signed in 1840 which form the basis of relationships with Māori people.
Coromandel Peninsula has some lovely beaches including Hot Water Beach where people sit in puddles to feel the warmth.
Rotorua
On our way to see the gloworms at Waitomo caves, we stopped in Taupō.
We stopped in Hamilton on our way back to Auckland and really enjoyed the themed gardens.
First port of call on our cruise was Mount Maunganui.
Napier
We wandered this fabulous Art Deco town and then hired bikes to reach Mission, New Zealand’s oldest winery where we tasted some of the wines.
We couldn’t call at Picton due to poor weather but had a brief stop in Christchurch where we saw how the cathedral was being reconstructed.
There was plenty to do in Dunedin.
It was rainy and misty during our cruise through Doubtful, Dusty and Thompson sounds.
There were fabulous, perfumed roses everywhere in Hobart.
In Melbourne, we enjoyed the graffiti on Hosier Street, the Victorian market and a visit to the immigration museum.
Sydney harbour never disappoints
I hope you’ve enjoyed this whistle-stop tour of our latest holiday. Sending all best wishes to you for Christmas and 2026.
the writer is a lonely hunter 
It looks like it was a wonderful trip, Gail. Some great pictures!