Expedition Cruise New Zealand’s Rugged Coast Line
New Zealand’s 15,000 kilometres of meandering coastline makes it uniquely suited to small ship expedition cruising. Access glacial fiords, walk forested trails and visit isolated villages. Journey to remote locations including Marlborough Sounds and Fiordland and the charming towns of Napier, Kaikoura, and Dunedin. Hike through Waimangu Volcanic Valley, journey deep into quiet fiords and encounter striking Maori traditions in historical Gisborne. Discover the unique character of east coast towns, admire lazing seals, pods of friendly dolphins and perhaps even the rare yellow-eyed penguin. Return to your ship after the day’s excursions to sample the country’s famed produce and wine.
Explore spectacular coastline, experience vibrant Māori culture and discover wildlife. This voyage takes you to the wine country of Hawke’s Bay, on to the wild coastlines of the South Island, and continues to the deep fiords of Murihiku (Southland). Access remote wilderness areas, visit sheltered coves and islands to find fur seals, kakapos, and pods of dolphins.
$500pp travel credit*
Departs 23 December 2023
Journey into the wilds of New Zealand’s Southern Ocean from the deep and quiet fiords of Murihiku (Southland) to the mysterious and protected wildlife reserves and remote landscapes of the sub-Antarctic Campbell and Auckland Islands. Hike through colourful fields of megaherbs and see diverse and rare endemic wildlife close up.
$500pp travel credit*
Departs 4 January 2024
Deep in the Southern Ocean, the World Heritage islands of the Australian and New Zealand sub-Antarctic are home to rare seabirds and marine mammals which have thrived in rugged isolation. Our small ship expedition, with its complement of Zodiacs and Xplorer tenders, will take guests to desolate islands – the last landfall before Antarctica.
$500pp travel credit*
Departs 31 January 2024
New Release: Embark on an unforgettable adventure through the renowned World Heritage region of the Fiordland National Park, as you explore the stunning Dusky Sound, Milford Sound, and Doubtful Sound on the remote west coast of New Zealand. This is truly one of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes.
Departs 24 December 2024
New Release: Marvel in New Zealand’s majestic Fiords and experience the renowned natural wonders of the South Island where towering mountains plunge into the deep blue glacial waters, fringed with lush rainforests and cascading waterfalls. Enjoy intimate encounters with unique marine wildlife, explore historic sites, and adventure through pristine nature reserves.
Departs 6 January 2025
New Release: Venture to the untouched World Heritage areas of the Snares Island Group, Auckland Islands, Campbell Islands, and the renowned Macquarie Island wildlife reserve were rare flora including megaherbs, mosses and lichens flourish. Explore Ulva Island’s tranquil forests and observe New Zealand’s most iconic birds.
Departs 9 December 2024 & 16 January 2025
New Zealand Voyage Excerpts
Coral Expeditions Ships In New Zealand
From the deck of Coral Geographer or Coral Adventurer, you will admire New Zealand’s captivating coastlines. These expedition ships are purpose-designed to access remote and wilderness shores. The wide open spaces on these vessels gives you ample viewing as you cruise past the NZ coastline. You will be in the company of no more than 120 passengers along with our expert expedition guides and crew as you explore this incredible region. Our lightweight dual Xplorer tenders, a trademark feature of all our vessels, extend the capabilities of the ship by allowing deeper exploration on shore excursions. These ‘safari jeeps’ of the sea are fast, sturdy, and comfortable and developed to allow easy boarding from the ship and walk-off disembarkation onto remote shores.
Launched in 2019 and is a modern expedition ship designed for remote Australian shores.
Launched in 2021 and is the sister ship to Coral Adventurer with additional bridge deck suites.
Our trademark Xplorer Tenders as well as zodiacs and kayaks
See New Zealand From A Different Perspective
Home to awe-inspiring coastal landscapes, more than 25 marine reserves, a vibrant Maori culture, quaint seaside towns and an abundance of unique wildlife, New Zealand is a truly remarkable destination. Its sprawling coastline is best accessed by small ship, revealing the dramatic beauty of Fiordland, remote Stewart Island and captivating Marlborough Sounds. It is flanked by the Pacific Ocean on one side with its white sand, bays and beaches, and the wild Tasman Sea on the west coast with rugged cliffs, weathered rocks and stretches of black sand. Get up close and personal on our expeditions with local wildlife including dolphins, seals, wekas, tuis and keas. Venture further south into the mysterious wildlife reserves of the sub-Antarctic and Auckland Islands.
"Our morning began with a walk to Motuara Island Lookout for some beautiful views over Queen Charlotte Sound - we were lucky enough to spot a rare saddleback along the way. A few of us joined the walk from Ship Cove to Resolution Bay, part of the Queen Charlotte track. It was a long walk with beautiful views and some pristine New Zealand forest. Throughout the day, there was also the opportunity to join a waterfall walk, enjoy some time strolling around ship cove, or join a guided kayak tour of the area."
- Expedition Leader Alistair Kent, 26 Jan 2023
#CoralAdventurer #NewZealand #ShipCove #NZMustDo #Travel #expeditioncruise #explore #cruise #MotuaraIsland #nature
Jan 27
"The views were beautiful this morning, sailing in with the sunrise as we arrived at Otago Harbour. Our first activity for the day was the city tour, stopping at Signal Hill Lookout for some spectacular views of the city and surrounding area - the railway station, the university, and a few other spots of historical significance. We also had the opportunity to go on the nature tour heading out to the peninsula, where we did a drive-by of some of the city’s historical sites before going to Larnach Castle for a tour of the gardens. From there, we made our way to the penguin reserve, where we saw penguins in rehabilitation and learnt about the threats these adorable birds face."
- Expedition Leader Alistair Kent, 23 Jan 2023
🚢 See our website to discover New Zealand
#CoralAdventurer #NewZealand #Dunedin #NZMustDo #Travel #expeditioncruise #explore #cruise
Jan 25
Coral Adventurer had a great day in Milford Sound, cruising alongside Stirling Falls for some spectacular and very close views of this beautiful waterfall.
🚢 Visit our website for more New Zealand expeditions
#CoralAdventurer #NZMustDo #NewZealand #MilfordSound #StirlingFalls #expeditioncruie #travel #cruise #expedition #explore
Jan 23
Our new year is off to a great start - Coral Geographer completed the first voyage of her Indian Ocean Series, Coral Adventurer explored rarely visited islands Wallis & Futuna on her way to New Zealand, and Coral Discoverer followed the Sydney to Hobart yacht race to Tasmania where she will operate for her 9th season in the region.
Discover our voyages: https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/cruises/
#CoralExpeditions #expeditioncruise #travel #newyear #explore
Jan 5
"Another beautiful morning at sea starting with a Pilates session. We then joined Jacqui for her insightful presentation. In the afternoon everyone got into the Christmas spirit starting with a crafternoon - we enjoyed painting and putting our own twist on some Christmas decorations before then helping the crew decorate the ship and putting up the Christmas tree. To continue the Christmas festivities, we indulged in a premium wine tasting with Sarah, which was also paired with some lovely canapes that our chefs put together." - Expedition Leader Ashleigh Peters, 20 Dec 2022
🚢 Discover our New Zealand voyages: bit.ly/New_Zealand_itineraries
#CoralAdventurer #NewZealand #WallisandFutuna #expeditioncruise #travel #discover #atsea #Christmasspirit
Dec 22
"As the sun rose we joined on the Bridge Deck for a morning of Qi Gong and stretching to warm up the body before breakfast. During the day we partook in a chart plotting workshop where we learnt how to plot two positions and then draw a line between the two showing the course travelled and current position."
- Expedition Leader Ashleigh Peters, 18 Dec 2022
🚢 Expedition: An Expeditionary Voyage to Wallis & Futuna
#CoralAdventurer #NewZealand #WallisandFutuna #expeditioncruise #travel #discover #chartplotting
Dec 19
Unwind and enjoy the adventure of an expedition voyage during the holiday season.
Spend your Christmas cruising the Bulu River spotting rare wildlife or uncovering ancient histories in the South Pacific, snorkelling at Tufi in Papua New Guinea or being immersed into the culture and flavour of New Zealand’s East Coast, even watching a Yacht Race from Sydney Harbour. We invite you to embark on a memorable voyage to celebrate the Christmas season on one of our expeditions departing December 2022 and 2023.
🎅 Discover Our Christmas Voyages on our website.
#ChristmasCruise #FestiveCruise #ChristmasOnboard #ChristmasAtSea #HolidayIdeas #Travel #Cruise #LoveCruise #CoralCrew
Jul 23
One of the highlights of our Expeditionary Voyage to Wallis & Futuna, is learning about the varied cultural influences and traditions of these remote island communities. Be one of few to visit Wallis and encounter the island’s multicultural history on our inaugural journey this December.
🗺️ https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/destinations/new-zealand/wallis-futuna/
#WallisAndFutuna #WallisAndFutunaIslands #SouthPacificCruise #CoralAdventurer
Jul 18
Expedition Leader Ash Peters shares her knowledge about the geology we will encounter on "An Expeditionary Voyage to Wallis & Futuna". This voyage will be sailing from Cairns to Auckland over 21 nights, departing 16 December 2022.
🗺️ Join us > https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/destinations/new-zealand/wallis-futuna/
#WallisAndFutuna #WallisAndFutunaIslands #WallisEtFatuna #SouthPacificCruise #NiueIsland #AdventureCruise #ExpeditionCruise
Jul 16
Expedition Leader Ash Peters shares her passion for expedition cruising, and excitement to visit the remote islands of Wallis & Futuna in December this year.
Discover the voyage > https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/destinations/new-zealand/wallis-futuna/
#WallisandFutuna #WallisandFutunaIslands #wallisetfutuna #wallisandfutunaisland #SouthPacificCruise #ChristmasCruise #AdventureCruise #ExpeditionCruise #CoralAdventurer
Jul 13
📍 Wallis Island & The Kingdom of Tonga
Long disputed by the Samoans, the French and the Tongans, Wallis Island has historical ties with the Kingdom of Tonga. The Kingdom of Tonga became the only remaining kingdom in the Pacific in 1875, with the present king of Tonga, Tupou VI, beginning his reign in 2012.
Some archaeologists surmise that Tonga’s settlement traces back at least 3,000 years and the that the first Polynesian arrivals occurred in circa 500 BC. When Captain Cook first discovered Tonga aboard HMS Endeavour, he coined the nickname for the region ‘the friendly islands’ in response to the welcoming nature of those he encountered while visiting.
Be one of few to visit Wallis and encounter the island’s multicultural history on our inaugural journey into the South Pacific, ‘An Expeditionary Voyage to Wallis and Futuna’. 🗺️ https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/destinations/new-zealand/wallis-futuna/
#WallisetFutuna #WallisIsland #FutunaIsland #Niue #Cruise #SouthPacific
Jul 12
Have you heard of remote Wallis Island dotted in the South Pacific Sea? 🏝 It is believed that Wallis islands’ civilisation was of Austronesian origin due to archaeological excavation discoveries dating back to 1400 B.C. It is understood that, during the 15th century, settlements from Tonga arrived at the island and the legendary battles of the Tu’i Tongan warriors took place. Later, in 1767, Captain Samuel Wallis’ visit aboard HMS Dolphin marked the European discovery of Wallis – and earned the island its name. It wasn’t until the 1820s that contact with Europeans began taking place on the island.
Join us in December to explore the rarely visited island of Wallis, home to vibrant Polynesian culture and remarkable historic and archaeological sites set against a pristine natural backdrop.
#WallisetFutuna #SouthPacificCruise
May 19
New Release: This December, Coral Adventurer will cast off from Cairns for an inaugural expeditionary voyage to the remote islands of Wallis and Futuna, located 2,000 nautical miles into the South Pacific.
#SouthPacific #WallisetFutuna #ExpeditionCruise
May 13
Join us in New Zealand to kick off the new year as we explore over 7,000km of New Zealand’s spectacular coastline while experiencing vibrant Maori culture & discovering wildlife species in their natural habitats.
Our New Zealand Voyages > https://www.coralexpeditions.com/au/destinations/new-zealand/
#NewZealandCruise #CoralGeographer
Jul 13
NEW RELEASE: New Zealand 2021/22 season aboard Coral Geographer.
We have developed 3 new itineraries to showcase remote attractions of the region including exploration of rarely seen Subantarctic islands: Snares, Auckland & Campbell.
View itineraries on our website.
#NewZealand #MilfordSound #Expedition #NZ #VisitNewZealand #NZmustDo #DoSomethingNewNZ
Nov 21
During WWI, ANZAC biscuits were baked in the thousands for fundraising efforts on the home-front. The oaty biscuits became a symbol of the resilience of our Australian and New Zealand soldiers and the love and support for them at home. Baked at this time each year they are one of the ways we remember the spirit and sacrifice of the soldiers who inspired their name.
Lest we forget.
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👨🏼🍳 Baked by Steve onboard Coral Discoverer.
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#LetsCookTogether #CoralDiscoverer #LeatWeForget #ANZACbiscuits
Apr 24
Articles About New Zealand
Voyage Log: New Zealand Fiordland and The South Coast – Coral Adventurer
Preparing for an Unforgettable Voyage: Anticipating our Inaugural Subantarctic Island Adventure
