New Zealand / End of Cruise

Little Blues are the smallest species of penguin. They grow to an average of 33 cm (13 in) in height and 43 cm (17 in) in length. We were able to see them close up, like this one, at a rehab facility in Napier, New Zealand. In the wild they are very shy and will dive out...

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Australia

We left the South Pacific Islands for the final leg of the cruise, to Australia and New Zealand. The cruise from Vancouver to Auckland is a “Collector’s Voyage” by Holland America Lines. That means that there a number of cruises that could be enjoyed independently that have been joined together into...

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New Caledonia / Vanuatu

The next South Pacific port of call on our cruise from Vancouver to Auckland was New Caledonia and it was a shiny gem. Currently, New Caledonia is an overseas territory of France. There will be a referendum in the next couple of years to determine if they will become independent. In the meantime, there...

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Fiji

It was a short hop across the International Date Line to our two ports in Fiji. First stop was Suva, Fiji, the largest town in the South Pacific. It was a gritty place, but, interesting and we really felt like we had arrived somewhere different. Even though we were in a big town, there were still natural...

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