Australia and New Zealand

• December 8, 2019

  White Island was a rugged cruise to an active New Zealand volcano in the South Pacific

  New Zealand’s White Island was the strangest and most exciting tour of my life. It was dangerous, and I was warned by a volcano expert.

• February 13, 2017

  A gruntled American cruises in a sea of Chinese on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation

  Ovation of the Seas moves its homeport with the seasons to Tianjin (Beijing’s seaport), Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney. Gone is Johnny Rockets. Look for noodles.

• November 12, 2014

  When lunch at a cruise port is a welcome excursion

  When you are planning a port day for an upcoming cruise, and are looking to step away from the typical tour paths, consider lunch. One way to get a feel of a port is to taste it. I look for casual spots that attract locals, have reasonable prices, and menus with regional specialties.   Lobster…

• March 27, 2014

  Australia’s island retreat for lizards and wealthy sailors

  Fourth and last in a series from Queensland, Australia Lizard Island, a beachy piece of the 1,200-mile Great Barrier Reef, is named for its primary inhabitants. They are joined, especially in Australia’s winter, by sailors, fishermen, campers, and other world travelers drawn by the reef's bounty. Beach at Lizard Island Resort, Australia (Photos by David G.…

• March 24, 2014

  From Daintree to Cooktown, Australia’s history and tropical treasures

  third in a series from Queensland, Australia Daintree National Park in Queensland, Australia, is a world treasure. Most of the huge park is tropical rainforest, some of which has existed continuously for more than 110 million years. It may be the oldest rainforest on Earth. Some plant and animal species have been found nowhere else on…

• March 20, 2014

  Cairns, Australia, where crocs keep the beaches empty

  Much of what is accessible to travelers in northern Queensland, Australia, lies between Cairns and Cooktown. The primary reason to go to Cairns is to book a snorkeling or diving boat to the Great Barrier Reef,

• March 19, 2014

  Reef, Queensland’s history, lure cruisers north in Australia

  If you are among the many travelers from the Americas headed for cruises around Australia (remember that winters here are summers there), consider a pre- or post-trip of at least several days to Queensland.

• December 19, 2012

  Sleeping in Auckland, New Zealand, where cruise ships and ferries dock

  One of my favorite overnights during the past year was at the Hilton hotel in Auckland, New Zealand, where traveler’s luck played me well. Harbor in Auckland, New Zealand No matter how detailed the travel planning, luck plays a role. The bad luck, well, you hope that Plan B works, or C or D. I…

• October 19, 2012

  Cruising Australia, New Zealand, hugging a Koala, planning an itinerary

  With the huge influx of cruise ships this fall from North America to the land Down Under, vacationing in and around Australia is destined to be cruising’s next big thing. READ MORE at TheTravelMavens.com Hugging a koala at the Cairns Tropical Zoo, Australia Koalas have a soft and cuddly look. They make a nice souvenir…

• February 20, 2012

  Walking Wellington, comfy cruise port for eating, gazing, shopping for short pants

  When travel offered me a second shot at visiting Wellington, I wasn’t going to miss a morning at Te Papa, a lunch of green-lipped mussels (right), and a pair of three-quarter pants that are all the rage in New Zealand and Australia.