This cruise was also called ‘The Cruise to Nowhere’ in the news.
New Zealand-Bay of Plenty, Tasmania-Hobart, NSW-Eden, Sydney
Monday 20 November to Sunday 3 December 2023
Booking Number- 6L7N6N on board the Pacific Adventure Room Number 11518
On 16 November we received an email explaining the issue of some high-risk invasive species on a small, localised section of the hull and that this cleaning needed to happen in the Bay of Islands. They have also amended the itinerary to allow for cleaning. This meant that we were missing visiting land in the Bay of Islands and Auckland.
Mon 20 Nov Sydney Depart 4:30pm
Tue 21 to Thu 23 Nov At sea (Bay of Islands)
Fri 24 Nov Hull cleaning at sea Full day (Auckland)
Sat 25 Nov Tauranga Full day
Sun 26 Nov Napier Half day
Mon 27 Nov Wellington Full day
Tue, 28 Nov Lyttelton (Christchurch) Full day
Wed 29 Nov Port Chalmers (Dunedin) Full day
Thur 30 Nov Fiordland Scenic cruising
Fri 1 Dec to Sat 2 Dec At sea
Sun 3 Dec Sydney Arrive 6.30 am
On Saturday 20 November Joel picked us up at 11.30 am in Granville and drove us to White Bay Cruise Terminal in Rozelle. Our check in time was 1.00 pm. We finally got into our cabin, a balcony suite by 3.00 pm.
Our first order of business was to find something to eat as we had not had lunch yet. We found the dining area and checked out all that was available and sat by the window watching the harbour. The weather was overcast with light showers.
We headed south-east across the Tasman Sea amidst heavy rain and strong winds. New Zealand is more than a thousand nautical miles (2,000 km) from Sydney.
For our meals we used the main dining room mostly. We did have dinner in the restaurants at Dragon Lady, Waterfront and Angelos at times. The food was quite good.
On Friday 24 November we were stopped in the Bay of Plenty awaiting the hull cleaning. We watched as the divers went down, the weather was cloudy and windy. Late in the afternoon news came in, that due to adverse weather conditions the cleaning could not happen. This meant that we could not enter New Zealand. We were told that a new itinerary would be supplied.
Sat 25 to 27 Nov At sea
Tues 28 to Thur 30 Nov Hobart (Port Arthur via shuttle bus)
Fri 1 Dec At sea
Sat 2 Dec Eden
Sun 3 Dec Sydney Arrive 6.30 am
We left the waters of New Zealand and sailed toward Hobart under a cloudy sky and a light breeze. The overcast weather with light showers and at times very strong winds continued to go before us. When we arrived in Hobart we walked around the dock and up through the shopping precinct. On Wednesday we went on the Red Decker Tour, for 90 minutes, exploring Hobart, it was really great.
The plan was to sail to Port Arthur on Thursday, but due to rough seas this was cancelled and we stayed in Hobart for an extra night. On Thursday we travelled to Port Arthur on a shuttle bus with a driver/guide who gave us history of the area we were travelling through and all about Port Arthur. Dean walked around Port Arthur to see the buildings and read about their history. We also got to go on the Harbour Cruise and learn more history. This was a great adventure.
On Friday we set sail for Eden, NSW midst cloudy sky and rough seas. On Saturday we woke to sunny skies, what a lovely sight. The people of the town were very inviting and had set up a market of local artists at the dock and had also organised a shuttle bus to the town centre. Such a lovely place to visit, a welcoming town.
On Sunday we woke again to an overcast sky and we saw the shores of Sydney as we sailed to the Cruise Terminal. We had an early breakfast, packed our bags and waited to depart the ship.
We left the ship at 8.00 am and caught a bus to Central Station. We caught a train to Clyde Station and walked to Nyssa & Brad’s. We got there about 10.15 am.