That's exciting news you'll be coming to New Zealand in November (health permitting).

Are you still thinking about doing the Holland America cruise from Sydney to NZ?

I can tell you what it's like for cruise ship passengers arriving in Dunedin. Small cruise ships dock at the waterfront in central Dunedin. Otherwise cruise ships dock at Port Chalmers, a suburb of Dunedin, which is about a 15-minute drive from central Dunedin. From there, passengers board cruise ships buses to downtown Dunedin, or are met by rental car agencies (for those renting cars to explore on their own for the day) or tour operators (which must be arranged well ahead of time). Some passengers travel no farther than Port Chalmers.

The buses leave passengers off at the Octagon, the town square, from where you can walk to many attractions. The city center is much busier when the cruise ships are in, with the Octagon filling with stalls and often buskers. The last of the buses depart between 5 and 6 p.m. to return to Port Chalmers.

In November, it'll only be one cruise ship on a given day (in peak cruise ship season, Jan. to mid-March, there can be two ships on a given day).

Your sixth trip to FP! Always on the Paul Gauguin? How fabulous. I've been to FP only twice, and thought it's one place where I'd love to take a cruise.

Good luck with your plans.

bookmarking