Ponant

Daily Itinerary

1. Day 1

   Dunedin, New Zealand

   Depart 19:00

   New Zealand

   

   Dunedin is New Zealand's Scottish-founded southern city, home to the Southern Hemisphere's most beautiful railway station, the world's only mainland royal albatross colony, and rare yellow-eyed penguin nesting sites on the Otago Peninsula. Visit November through March via Seabourn or Oceania Cruises for wildlife encounters, Victorian architectural grandeur, and a university-town culture that punches far above its weight.

2. Day 2

   Oban, Stewart Island

   New Zealand

   

   Oban on Stewart Island is New Zealand's southernmost settlement, gateway to Rakiura National Park's pristine native forest and some of the world's best wild kiwi viewing. Must-dos include an evening kiwi-spotting excursion to Ocean Beach, birdwatching on predator-free Ulva Island, and eating blue cod at the South Sea Hotel. Visit December to February for the warmest weather or March to May for Bluff oyster season and southern lights.

3. Day 3

   Doubtful Sound

   New Zealand

   

   Doubtful Sound is Fiordland's vast, silent fiord — three times longer and ten times larger than Milford Sound, yet virtually untouched by tourism, with resident dolphins, Fiordland crested penguins, and thousands of rain-fed waterfalls. Must-dos include cruising through the narrow entrance from the Tasman Sea, listening to the profound silence, and watching for dolphins in the mirror-still water. November through March offers the best weather, with rain creating the most spectacular waterfall displays.

4. Day 3

   Dusky Sound

   New Zealand

   

   Dusky Sound is the largest and most remote of Fiordland's fourteen fjords, penetrating forty kilometers into pristine temperate rainforest where resident bottlenose dolphins, Fiordland crested penguins, and rare deep-water corals thrive in extraordinary isolation. Must-do experiences include Zodiac exploration of the fjord's branching arms, observing the unique freshwater lens ecosystem, and absorbing the profound silence of untouched wilderness. December through February offers the warmest conditions, though Fiordland's legendary rainfall makes waterproof gear essential year-round.

5. Day 4

   Milford Sound

   New Zealand

   

   Milford Sound is a glacier-carved fiord in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, where sheer granite walls rise 1,200 meters from dark, still water beneath cascading waterfalls and the iconic pyramid of Mitre Peak. Must-dos include scenic cruising the full length of the fjord, watching for dolphins and rare Fiordland crested penguins, and experiencing the dramatic Tasman Sea entrance. November through March offers the best weather, though rainy days create the most spectacular waterfall displays.

6. Day 5

   Snares Islands

   New Zealand

   

   The Snares Islands are a strictly protected UNESCO World Heritage seabird sanctuary two hundred kilometres south of New Zealand, home to six million breeding seabirds including the endemic Snares crested penguin. No landings are permitted, but Zodiac cruising along the coast reveals extraordinary penguin colonies and millions of shearwaters streaming to roost at dusk. Visit November through February during the Sub-Antarctic breeding season via expedition ships from New Zealand's South Island.

7. Day 6

   Enderby Island, Auckland Islands

   New Zealand

   

   Enderby Island is the jewel of the Auckland Islands sub-Antarctic archipelago, where hundreds of rare New Zealand sea lions share beaches with yellow-eyed penguins and the crimson-blooming rata forest shelters extraordinary mega-herb gardens. Must-do experiences include walking among sea lion colonies on Sandy Bay, observing yellow-eyed penguins from the boardwalk, and witnessing the spectacular rata bloom against the sub-Antarctic sky. December and January offer the best weather and peak flowering, with all visits managed under strict conservation protocols on expedition cruises from New Zealand's South Island.

8. Day 6

   Enderby Island, Auckland Islands

   New Zealand

   

   Enderby Island is the jewel of the Auckland Islands sub-Antarctic archipelago, where hundreds of rare New Zealand sea lions share beaches with yellow-eyed penguins and the crimson-blooming rata forest shelters extraordinary mega-herb gardens. Must-do experiences include walking among sea lion colonies on Sandy Bay, observing yellow-eyed penguins from the boardwalk, and witnessing the spectacular rata bloom against the sub-Antarctic sky. December and January offer the best weather and peak flowering, with all visits managed under strict conservation protocols on expedition cruises from New Zealand's South Island.

9. Day 7

   At Sea

   

10. Day 8

    Macquarie Island, Australia

    Australia

    

    Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Southern Ocean, the only place on Earth where mantle rocks are exposed above sea level, and home to staggering concentrations of penguins, elephant seals, and albatrosses. The must-see experience is the royal penguin colony at Sandy Bay, with hundreds of thousands of birds on a single beach. Expedition ships visit between November and March, with December and January offering the mildest conditions.

11. Day 9

    Macquarie Island, Australia

    Australia

    

    Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Southern Ocean, the only place on Earth where mantle rocks are exposed above sea level, and home to staggering concentrations of penguins, elephant seals, and albatrosses. The must-see experience is the royal penguin colony at Sandy Bay, with hundreds of thousands of birds on a single beach. Expedition ships visit between November and March, with December and January offering the mildest conditions.

12. Day 10

    At Sea

    

13. Day 11

    Campbell Island

    New Zealand

    

    Campbell Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Sub-Antarctic island six hundred kilometres south of New Zealand, home to nesting southern royal albatrosses with three-metre wingspans and extraordinary megaherb wildflower displays. The island's remarkable ecological recovery after rat eradication makes it a global conservation success story. November through February is the expedition visiting season, with strict biosecurity protocols protecting this remote and spectacularly recovered ecosystem.

14. Day 12

    At Sea

    

15. Day 13

    Antipodes Island

    New Zealand

    

    The Antipodes Islands are among Earth's most remote and pristine sub-Antarctic islands, home to unique species found nowhere else including the endemic Antipodes Island parakeet and breeding colonies of erect-crested penguins. Key experiences include observing rare wildlife from Zodiac craft, witnessing albatross courtship displays on windswept ridgelines, and encountering mega-herb gardens of extraordinary scale. The expedition season runs November through February, with landings subject to weather conditions in these notoriously wild Southern Ocean waters.

16. Day 14

    At Sea

    

17. Day 15

    Dunedin, New Zealand

    New Zealand

    

    Dunedin is New Zealand's Scottish-founded southern city, home to the Southern Hemisphere's most beautiful railway station, the world's only mainland royal albatross colony, and rare yellow-eyed penguin nesting sites on the Otago Peninsula. Visit November through March via Seabourn or Oceania Cruises for wildlife encounters, Victorian architectural grandeur, and a university-town culture that punches far above its weight.

Cabin Categories

Deluxe Stateroom

balcony

D

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: One king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) A bathroom with shower A private 4 m² balcony A window and panoramic glazed swing door

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Prestige Deck 4

balcony

1

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: One king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) A bathroom with shower A private 4 m² balcony A panoramic sliding bay window

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Prestige Deck 5

balcony

2

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: One king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) and TV A bathroom with bath A private 4 m² balcony A panoramic sliding bay window

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Prestige Deck 6

balcony

3

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: One king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) A bathroom with bathtub (except staterooms 605 and 625: with shower) A private 4 m² balcony A panoramic sliding bay window

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Superior Stateroom

outside

6

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: One king-size bed or two single beds (180 x 200 cm) A bathroom with shower A window (except for stateroom 300: a round porthole only)

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Deluxe Suite

suite

DS

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: Priority boarding (depending on port of embarkation) Champagne and fruit basket upon arrival Butler service An assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and fruit basket every day One king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) An armchair and sofa (167 x 70 cm) A bathroom with shower A private 5 m² balcony A panoramic sliding bay window

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Owner's Suite

suite

OS

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: Private return transfer Priority boarding (depending on port of embarkation) Champagne and fruit basket upon arrival Butler service An assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and fruit basket every day A bedroom with one king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) A living/dining room with a sofa, armchair, second TV, 4-seater table, and sliding courtesy door A bathroom with shower and Balneo bathtub A one-hour spa treatments per person (for 2 people) in the well-being space, chosen from the facial and body treatments on offer Included premium pass: access to a selection of premium spirits at the bar A private 9 m² balcony Two panoramic sliding bay windows

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Prestige Deck 5 Suite

suite

4

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: Champagne and fruit basket upon arrival An assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and fruit basket every day A bedroom with king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) A lounge with convertible sofa to a king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), armchairs, second TV, and sliding courtesy door Two bathrooms: one with a shower and one with a bath A private 8 m² balcony Two panoramic sliding bay windows

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Prestige Deck 6 Suite

suite

5

In addition to the common services provided to all our suites and staterooms: Priority boarding (depending on port of embarkation) Champagne and fruit basket upon arrival Butler service An assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and fruit basket every day A bedroom with king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) A lounge with convertible sofa to a king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), armchairs, second TV, and sliding courtesy door Two bathrooms: one with a shower and one with a bath A private 8 m² balcony Two panoramic sliding bay windows

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