Australia and New Zealand

Worth seeing: beautiful seascapes and onshore sceneries

As island countries in the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have very long coastlines. Besides, their main big cities and famous scenic spots on fiordlands are in the coastal area. Therefore, the two countries have distinct advantages for cruise travel. The Australia-New Zealand route involves beautiful beaches, boundless seas, attractive onshore sceneries, long history and colorful culture.

Hot sights: Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Fiordland National Park, Tauranga, and Hobart

Cruises on this route: Golden Princess, Noordam, Explorer of The Seas, Voyager of The Seas, Legend of The Seas, and Celebrity Solstice

Introduction to scenic spots on the route:

Pulau Bintan

Pulau Bintan is the largest one of Indonesian Bintan Islands. As early as the 15th century, Zheng He, a Chinese voyager in the Ming Dymasty, had mentioned Pulau Bintan in his recordings. It takes only 45 minutes to set out from the island by ferry to Singapore. The Singaporean regard it as a back garden which has attracted so many travelers from Singapore. Since it is close to the equator, Pulau Bintan enjoys sufficient sunlight all the year round. Its annual average temperature is around 26℃. Pulau Bintan boasts pellucid and blue seawater, white and clean beaches and abundant marine ecology.

If you want to learn about local customs, you can visit yellow pear fields of the aborigines, watch how they get gel from rubber trees, and watch how local women weave handbags and other handicrafts with pandanus leaves. If you want to seek adventure, you can ride speedboats down river channels surrounded by mangroves for several hours, appreciating plants and watching venomous snakes, lizards and kingfishers at a short distance.

Bali Island

Wide beaches in Sanur, Nusa Dua and Kuta have the most beautiful seaside resorts on Bali Island, with fine sand and blue and clear seawater. Each year, travelers come to this wonderful island one after another.

Lombok Island

“Lombok” means “chili” in Indonesian. Sceneries on Lombok Island are as beautiful as those on Bali Island. Besides, Lombok Island has convenient accommodation and traffic conditions.

Fiordland National Park

Located at the southwestern end of southern New Zealand Island, Fiordland National Park ia close to the Tasman Sea. In 1986, the park was listed as World Cultural Heritage. In 1990, it was recognized by UN as World Heritage Protection Site and called Te Wahipounamu (meaning “the Place of Emerald”). Covering an area of 12,120 square kilometers, the park is the largest one in New Zealand. It is also one of the largest parks in the world. Its unique coastal topography is created by 14 huge gaps due to the glacial force. Towering snow-topped peaks are reflected on the blue sea which extends to dense forests of the park.

Eureka Tower

Eureka Tower owns the highest observation platform in the South Hemisphere. It is a landmark in Melbourne. It takes less than 40 seconds to reach the observation platform which is on the 88th floor. Here, you can overlook all the beautiful sceneries in Melbourne.

(Source: Internet)