Welcome to New Zealand! Start your journey in Auckland, the country's largest city. Auckland is a vibrant and modern city situated around two grand harbors. Upon boarding the Scenic Eclipse II, you are welcomed with a glass of Champagne. Settle into your comfortable suites, meet your butlers and fellow travelers, and raise a toast to your exciting journey ahead.

Please book your flight to arrive in Auckland before 02:00 PM.

Looping around the Coromandel Peninsula, Scenic Eclipse II will arrive in Tauranga (pronounced 'toe-run-gah') this morning. Set along the edge of the beautiful Bay of Plenty, this is New Zealand's busiest port, the harbor buzzing 24 hours a day with freighters, ferries, and cruise ships. The city is one of the fastest growing in New Zealand yet retains its peaceful, laid-back charm. The revamped waterfront is packed with excellent cafes, restaurants, and bars.

While Tauranga has its charms, it's also the closest port to some of New Zealand's iconic sights. Rotorua is a natural geothermal wonderland with hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and clouds of steam erupting from the ground thanks to subterranean volcanic activity. Set on a peninsula to the northeast of Tauranga, Mount Manganui is regularly voted the most beautiful beach in New Zealand. The extinct volcano Mauao, sacred to the Maori people, towers over the white sand beach and its world-renowned surf break.

Enjoy a slow start this morning. Scenic Eclipse II arrives in Gisborne at lunchtime, so you have time for a leisurely breakfast on the Yacht Club Terrace, coffee on your suite's verandah, or even a swim in the Vitality Pool.

Known affectionately as Gizzy, this is the first city in the world to see the sunrise. Gisborne has a reputation for exceptional food and wine, and the surrounding countryside makes up the third-largest wine-producing region in the country. Boutique vineyards produce many award-winning wines, and Gisborne is known as the Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand. The city is also famous for its surfing, with beaches offering everything from baby waves for beginners to powerful barrels for the experts. History buffs will want to visit the Puhi Kai Iti Cook Landing Site, where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand in 1769, and the excellent Tairawhiti Museum, which charts the history of the East Coast Maori.

A late departure tonight means you can spend some time in Gisborne after the rest of the cruise tourists have departed.

Wake up in Napier this morning and feel like you’ve stepped back almost 100 years into the past. In 1931, the center of the town was flattened by an earthquake and then rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the day. Today, it retains all the charm and style of its heyday with the largest collection of authentic Art Deco buildings anywhere in the world. Walk through the compact commercial center and feel like you’re strolling through a carefully curated film set. Set on the edge of Hawkes Bay, Nelson also has a sunny, Mediterranean-style climate that has given rise to a thriving café culture, excellent restaurants, and a population that likes to live outside.

Nearby, discover the world’s largest colony of gannets at Cape Kidnappers. Up to 25,000 of these glossy white birds with the distinctive two-meter wingspan live here, swooping and diving for fish in the ocean.

Step ashore today and see why they call this city Windy Wellington. The New Zealand capital is often named the windiest city in the world, thanks to its position on the edge of the Cook Strait, between New Zealand’s two islands, right in the Roaring Forties. On the plus side, wind turbines generate all the city’s electricity veritably, making it almost pollution-free.

Wellington is a compact city with an attractive, easy-to-walk center and distinctive style. In addition to the official state buildings, like the distinctive Beehive Parliament Building, you can find plenty of designer boutiques, chic homewares stores, excellent restaurants, laneway cafes, and buzzing craft breweries. Catch the cable car to Kelburn Lookout for a stunning panorama over the city.

Wellington is packed with museums and galleries, sculpture walks along the foreshore, and an ever-changing crop of street art. It’s also New Zealand’s movie-making capital, thanks to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films created at the fascinating Weta Workshop, earning it a second nickname: Wellywood.

Cross the Cook Strait overnight and arrive on New Zealand's South Island this morning. Scenic Eclipse will call at two ports today, tucked into the Tasman Bay on the island's northern tip.

Kaiteriteri is arguably New Zealand's most beautiful beach, a perfect arc of golden sand fronting startlingly blue water. This tiny town, home to less than 500 people, has been a favorite holiday destination for Kiwis for generations. It's also the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, a gorgeous wilderness reserve known for its sea kayaking, walks, and wildlife.

It's just a short cruise into the furthest point of Tasman Bay and the city of Nelson. This is one of the sunniest cities in New Zealand, and its residents love to spend as much time outside as they can. Join them at one of the open-air cafes, bustling markets, cycling trails, and the pretty Botanic Gardens. Nelson has more breweries per capita than anywhere else in New Zealand, so you might like to taste your way through some excellent craft beers. Enjoy a late departure tonight.

It's worth waking up early this morning to experience the beauty of sailing into the Marlborough Sounds. Ask your butler to bring coffee to your suite so you can enjoy the mountainous vistas from your private balcony.

Scenic Eclipse will dock today in Picton, a small town of around 3,000 people on the northeast corner of the South Island. Tucked into a sheltered harbor, this picturesque town looks almost tropical with its towering palm trees and clear turquoise water. Wander the pretty waterfront promenade, lined with shops, cafes, and galleries, or visit the interesting museum inside the Edwin Fox convict ship that's dry-docked just offshore.

Picton is a short drive from one of New Zealand's most famous wine regions, Marlborough. Producing around two-thirds of the nation's wine, Marlborough is best known for its crisp sauvignon blanc. However, it also pours excellent pinot noir, chardonnay, and aromatic varietals like riesling and pinot gris.

You can continue tasting in one of Scenic Eclipse's nine all-inclusive bars. Or ask your butler to bring you your favorite wine to enjoy as you appreciate the views from your suite's verandah.

Sailing south along the South Island's east coast, arrive in Kaikoura early this morning. This tiny town sits in a spectacular natural environment, flanked by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the snow-capped Seaward Kaikoura Range on the other. The town of Kaikoura began life as a whaling station in the mid-1800s. It's an ideal place for wildlife encounters, from whales, fur seals, and dolphins that live permanently in these waters to the impressive array of seabirds that fill the air, including the mighty albatross.

Scenic Eclipse II will depart early afternoon. You may taste some local delights before enjoying lunch in one of the dining venues on board. The town is famous for its crayfish (lobster). In the local Maori language, 'kai' means food, and 'koura' means crayfish. There's also excellent fish, oysters, scallops, and mussels at many cafes and stylish restaurants.

Port Chalmers is the port for Dunedin, the oldest European settlement in New Zealand, founded in 1848. Both sit at the end of a long, fjord-like inlet off the southeastern tip of the South Island. Ask your butler to bring coffee to your suite this morning so you can sit on your verandah and experience Scenic Eclipse sailing down the narrow channel before arriving in port around 11 a.m.

Dunedin is New Zealand’s most Scottish town—in fact, Dunedin is the old Gaelic name for Edinburgh, and the city here dates back to 1848. Stroll the well-preserved streets to admire the grand Victorian and Edwardian architecture, which harks back to when the city was flush with money from its gold rush. Steel yourself for the climb up Baldwin Street, the steepest in the world.

Outside town, the surrounding Otago Peninsula is considered one of the country’s top wildlife and eco-tourism destinations. Here, you can see the northern royal albatross in its natural habitat, be charmed by the tiny Little Blue and Yellow-eyed penguins, and watch fur seals and sea lions sleep on the beach.

Be familiar with New Zealand’s two main islands, but did you know it is made up of around 600 islands? The third largest is Stewart Island, just 30km off the southern tip of the South Island. It is one of the last inhabited outposts before you reach Antarctica, with its only settlement, the tiny village of Oban, clinging bravely to the northern shore and entirely off the grid.

Remarkably remote, Steward Island is also a place of spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. The island is a haven for many birds, including the cute and curious brown kiwi, who outnumber humans and are active day and night. The Maori name for Stewart Island is Rakiura, which means the land of glowing skies.

Wild and remote, the rugged West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island offers some of the country’s most stunning scenery. Home to a myriad of natural wonders, including Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford sounds, the beauty of these sounds, with their snow-capped peaks, lush green cliffs, and gushing waterfalls, will inspire and be a standout of this region. Cruise through the Fiordland National Park, which covers over 1.2 million hectares of granite peaks, shimmering lakes, deep black fiords, and spectacular waterfalls. And the best part is you can experience it all from the 6-star ultra-luxury comfort of Scenic Eclipse.

At the southeastern tip of the island is Dusky Sound, one of the largest fjords in New Zealand. Stretching for 40 kilometers, the spectacular sound is dotted with more than 350 small islands and is a refuge for birds and wildlife. It’s accessible only by air or sea, meaning very few tourists can experience its majesty. The name was given by Captain Cook, who sailed through in 1770 just as the sun was setting.

Scenic Eclipse II will continue sailing onto Doubtful Sound, further north along the coast. Cook also named this one; he chose not to sail in because the entrance looked too small and dubbed it ‘doubtful.’ Over the centuries, it has kept its stunning beauty well hidden and remains a place of serenity. The Maori name for the sound is Patea, which means ‘place of silence.’ Sail nearby craggy cliffs rising from the water, looking out for bottlenose dolphins and the Fiordland Crested Penguin.

Awake this morning in Milford Sound and enjoy your coffee on the Observation Terrace. Few words can capture this dramatic landscape, with its inky black water and mountain peaks rising from the depths, frequently shrouded in mist and soft rain. Rudyard Kipling described Milford Sound as the 'eighth wonder of the world.' It's arguably New Zealand's most famous tourist destination, and you can easily see why.

Disembark Scenic Eclipse II in the morning to follow your journey by land to Queenstown, where you can enjoy your final overnight stay.

After spending your final night of the tour on land, it's time to farewell New Zealand. If you want to continue your journey of wonder, stay a few extra nights at your leisure and explore Queenstown, the nation's adventure capital.

As you head home, take fond memories of your time in the Land of the Long White Cloud and the most indulgent moments on board Scenic Eclipse.