16-night Australia cruise: Auckland to Melbourne on Azamara Pursuit
The New Zealand & Australia Holiday Cruise: Wellington, Hobart & Sydney is a 16-night Australia cruise aboard Azamara Pursuit, operated by Azamara. Departing Auckland on December 19, 2026 and arriving in Melbourne on January 4, 2027, the voyage visits 9 ports including Tauranga, New Zealand, Napier, New Zealand, Wellington. Fares start from $7,409 per person.
Fixed editorial images from the places on this itinerary. They stay stable each time you return to this sailing.
Auckland
Adorned with a harbor and a spectacular bridge, the largest and most populous city in New Zealand is also one of the most beautiful. Auckland will be the next stop on your MSC World Cruise, for an extraordinary vacation in the "City of Sails", named as such for its beautiful bays and its passion for water sports and yachting.
Its superb location, on a narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, is made even more attractive by the lush subtropical forests that surround the nearby hills and the volcanic landscapes of the surrounding islands. Another stop on your trip with MSC Cruises that can not be missed is the Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere. At 328 meters in height, this tower offers breathtaking sights: out of its glass windows, the view stretches for 80 kilometers in every direction.
To find out all about the Maori culture and the origins of life in the ocean, you can visit the Auckland Museum, with a section dedicated to the Second World War. Here you can not only enjoy the collections on the local traditions, but also
watch live vocal performances and dances by the local people. The National Maritime Museum instead will reveal the secrets of sailing in New Zealand, and at Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World aquarium, you can see fish of all kinds, alternating with the recreation of fantastic arctic excursions.
The city has a lot to offer in terms of art galleries, festivals and events of all kinds, related to music, cooking, wine and adventure, such as bungee jumping, skydiving, kayaking, swimming with dolphins and diving or shellfish. Thanks to your MSC cruise ship, you will experience unique moments in one of the most amazing cities in the world.
Tauranga, New Zealand
These “sheltered waters”, the meaning of the name Tauranga in Maori, will also shelter you while on an MSC World Cruise in New Zealand.
The city extends along a narrow peninsula dotted with parks and gardens lying behind a vibrant promenade, The Strand. Tauranga is a delightful city in which you can spend half a day wandering around between shops, restaurants and art galleries. If you miss the ocean, you can take a taxi to Mount Maunganui, the name of both the mountain that protects the port of Tauranga and the district overlooking the Pacific, with its long sandy beach and surfers.
One of the city's main attractions is the Tauranga Art Gallery, which opened in 2007. The gallery is housed in a former bank that was transformed inside by creating large exhibition spaces; the exterior is completely sheathed with metal panels, similar to those of medieval armour. On The Strand, there is an ad hoc structure that houses the Te Awanui, a 14-metre long carved Maori war canoe used during ritual ceremonies; it is a truly remarkable example of New Zealand’s indigenous art. If you want
to relax, seek out the roses and Begonias in Robbins Park, or if you prefer to dive into the past of Tauranga, there’s nothing better than a visit to the immaculate Elms Mission House, one of New Zealand's oldest standing houses, built between 1835 and 1847 for the first missionaries. A visit to this house, which still has its original furniture, is part of an MSC tour that ensures that you don’t miss out on anything in Tauranga.
If you want to go further afield, about 70 km inland you can visit Tudor-style spa bath houses and the Government Gardens near the town of Rotorua, which are well worth a visit, as are the Glow-Worm Waitomo Caves and the Hobbiton Movie Set, where Peter Jackson reconstructed J.R.R Tolkien’s County for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Napier, New Zealand
Where Vineyards meet the Ocean
As soon as you set foot in New Zealand on your MSC World Cruise, you will see just how charming and relaxing Napier is, the most populous city in Hawke's Bay.
New Zealanders love it for its climate, very similar to that in the Mediterranean, the low cost of living and its well preserved Art Deco buildings, built after the earthquake of 1931.
Enjoy walking around the city centre, where the streets are named after great English writers like Shakespeare or Dickens. Napier's main street is Emerson Street, which connects Marine Parade and the city’s beach (not suitable for bathing) to Clive Square.
About 5 km from the centre, on the north side of Bluff Hill, there is the original Maori village of Ahuriri, where there are now clothes shops, cafes and trendy restaurants.
From Napier, an MSC day trip will take you to visit the surrounding area, which is famous for its vineyards; there is also the New Zealand Wine Centre in the city if you want to find out more about the history of wine in this country.
You can independently visit the National Aquarium of New Zealand, where the ocean marine fauna includes species from Africa, Asia and Australia.
If you are passionate about architecture, a visit to the Art Deco district is a must. Inspired more by Californian than European architecture, the architects who rebuilt Napier after 1931 imitated their colleagues in Santa Barbara by using Mayan, Egyptian and Maori motifs to adorn the facades of buildings. Established forty years ago, the Art Deco Trust protects the buildings by restoring the original decorative elements (don't miss the ASB Bank, the former Hotel Central, the Daily Telegraph building, the Masonic Hotel or the Municipal Theatre).
For lovers of adventure and outdoor activities, there is an MSC day trip which offers you the possibility to raft down the Mohaka River rapids, just 90 km from Napier.
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The launch of Azamara PursuitSM in 2018 opened the seas to maiden ports, new itineraries, and the opportunity to provide our guests with even more unforgettable, unique, and immersive experiences than ever before. Like our sister ships, Azamara Pursuit offers some of the most extraordinary adventures on Earth, to places you’ve always dreamed of. Or, perhaps, only just heard about.
New-to-Azamara destinations include Antofagasta (Chile), Lima (Peru), and the Beagle Channel—and those are just some of our South American maiden destinations. Not only do we now take you to 15 unique ports and a whole host of bucket-list locales, but we also stay longer in each one, so you have more time to experience the world’s many wonders in a truly AzAmazing way.
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