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Chooseyour own adventure on board a luxury cruise liner

BY PETRA O'NEILL

Ewalked briskly around the Promenade Deck countingdie number of laps,I would look omon the horizon.

ach morning as I .

On this day theTasmanSea was quirescill whensuddenly a female humpback whale, followed by her young calf, on the migracory path back to the Antarctic Ocean, leapt our of the water. On other days I saw an albatross, bottle nose dolphins, sea lions, fur seals and penguins. There is perhaps no more pristine a sea than theTasman to be found anywhere in the world.

I wason board theDiamond Princess, amega2670 passenger cruise ship, for 58 days.W/ecompleted fomcruises betweenSydney andAuckland and I was theretota.lJ< on tbedestinations visited and provide directions. To do that I had to learn the layoutof 18 decks without gettinglost, bur I did that quite a lot. On Deck 2 was a vast laundrytbesize of a footbal.lfield and, after entering a fire escape, Ieventualll' exitedin the gal.ley - much co the annoyance of the head chef. As the days passed by the ship felt more like home. On boardI met Ray and BarbaraKingfromTasmania who spend most of their time at sea having taken over 200 cruises.

A cruise iseasy.You unpack once, and getlooked after Cruise ships offer a varietj'of dining venues fromfine dining cobuffers, sushi,pizzas andburgers availablepoolside. Activities include a gym andspaforluxuriousindulgences to yoga, bingo, bridge, zumba, art auctions, ice sculptures and cooking classes. Lecnires andBroadway-style shows are offered in the theatre,while inthelounges you'll find apianist or musicians.

The journey beganwith ussailingout of SydneyHarbour,oneof d1e world'smost breatlitakingly snmning harbours,Aanked bythe Harbour Bridgeand theOpera House.As wefollowedthecoasdine and day mtnedconight,twinklinglights came intoview. With aclay inbod1Melbourne andHobartwethen spent two days at sea crossing theTasman when atdaybreak the clouds parted to reveal the majestic peaks of NewZealand's MilfordSound. On d1e South Island we visited Dunedin, a city with a strongScottish heritageshowcased bysrrilcingcathedrals,graciousterraces andthe steepest street in theworld.You can visitL arnachCasde,Speight'sBrewery, with reputedly d1e world'sbestbeer, geeup close with fur seals and rareyel.low eyed penguins, andjoin tlieTaieriGorgeRailway travellingooaseries of steepviaductspast stunningmountainousscenery.

NearbyAkaroais apretty seaside rown with the quirky Giant's House,brightly paintedcraftshops,cafes and arrgalleries. You can also explore d1e scenic lush countryside of theBanks Peninsula, visit Christchurch or swimin the bay with playful Hector's dolphins.

On the NorthIsland,Taurangahas beautiful beaches or you can view the bubbling mud and geysers at Rotorua. The cruise ended inAuckland, a friendly vibrant city wedged between twoharbours, with neat timber houses, boutiques, restaurants and many attractions. And whilemany passengers disembarked here,I still had many more days to enjoy at sea.

,, A cruise is easy. Youunpack once, and get looked after. There are avarietyof dining venues on offer, and activities include a gym and spafor luxurious indulgences to yoga, bingo, bridge, zumba, art auctions, ice sculptures and cooking classes ,,

Decideon andwhethercruisingisthebestway toexplore.From Octoberto Marchshipsofall sizesvisitourshores. Ifyou haven'tcruisedbeforeconsiderasamplercruise. Cruisest-0Australian ports, theSouth Pacific,Asia and NewZealandarethe mostpopular. CruisingtoNewZealandprovidesanexcellentoverviewwiththe best itineraryincludingtheBayofIslands andMilfordSound. Avoidschool holidaysandtimesofyearwhen monsoon orinclement weatherislikely. Wet.blustery dayswithan oceanswell arenofun. r. · , asgratuities, beveragesandexcursions all add tothecostofthecruise ....,...,._.....""""""""".............Steerclearofnoisytheatres, restaurants, elevators,stairwells, promenades, laundry, enginesandanchorchains.Be incloseproximityto placesyou'll visitoften. Ifyouare prone toseasickness choosemidshipforgreaterstability. Balconies arebestbutobstructed oceanviewcabins aregreatvalue.I would avoidinteriorcabins.

, MorethanonemillionAustralianstakeacruise everyyear,withmanyshipstochoosefrom.Theyinclude P&OandCarnival, RoyalCaribbean, Princess. Celebrity, Azamara, HollandAmerica, Oceania, Regent, Crystal, Silversea andSeabournaswellasexpeditioncruiseships. Criticaltoyourenjoymentistravellingwithlike minded people. Consultan accreditedCUAtravel agenttohelpyouchoose.

Formustsee , bookin advancebutdon't berestricted bytheship'schoices. Research localtouroperatorsor, ifyouwanttoself explore, haveyourdayplanned outwithamap,transportoptions(shuttle busesare usuallyprovided), local currency, alistofplacestosee, andthe portagent'scontactandterminal details in caseyougetlost.Terminalsthat areinthe citycentre-Auckland,Sydney, Hobart andAkaroa-areperfectfor selfexploration. In NewZealandandAustraliastrictquarantinerulesapply. Donottakefoodofftheship.

,is amustastheship'smedical centreisexpensive. Ensureyou'vehad arecentdental check-up Bringall medications,including travelsicknesstablets, withyou.

Dressappropriately. Considertheship'sdress codeand numberofformal nights, andforexcursionsthinkaboutwhatmightbe neededtovisitreligioussitesetc.On-board laundriesmeanyoucan pack lighter.Forfootwear, wearflatshoeswith nonslip soles. Packashawlfor chillyair-con andcarryatotebag. Take awaterbottlethatyou canrefill. Wearalanyardtoholdyouraccesscarcl

Arrivepreferablyatleastonedaybeforeyourcruise departsto overcome jetlag,acclimatise andallowforanyflightdelays........,.....,._....., avoidpeak timeusually12-2. Dropoffyourbagswithluggagelabelsand returnlater orqueue early. Keepyourvaluables andfragile itemswithyou.Haveyour passport,creditcard andcruisedocumentation (checkingin onlinewillsave time)readytoshowplusa completed customsform. exploretheshiptogetyourbearings. Usingtheship's map,visitalItheareasthatyouarelikelytouse.GototheIibrarytoborrow a bookasthegood onessoon disappear. Ensureeverythinginyourcabin worksand ifyouhaveanycauseforcomplaintreferitwithout delaytothe ship'spurser. Choosethatday'sactivities andbookadiningvenue. During thecruise,don'teatand drinktoomuch,establish aroutine, exerciseto maintainyourfitnessandgettoknowkeystaffbyname.Wheneveryouuse a restaurantusethe handsanitiser.

- alwaysgivethankstothecrewandpasson anypositivefeedback.Exchangecontactdetailswithnewfriends.As debarkation is always early, planyourtimebeforeyourflighthome. Consider anexcursionbookedthroughthecruise linesothatyougettosightseewhile yourbagstravelwithyouonthecoach.