NZBetsa Archives – All Things Cruise

Our final morning: Winds cause a missed call

November 30, 2011November 18, 2011 by Editor

November 18, 2011: Our final day It’s happy birthday to Nicole Donahoe, and Chef Mabee has carved an elaborate apple swan for the breakfast bar in her honor. One gift given, another taken away. We’re hoping to make landfall on Tiritiri Matangi, a remarkable island of conservation. The once-eroded farms are now sanctuary for some of New Zealand’s rarest birds: the flightless takahe and kokako, which was nearly extinct. But the southwesterlies intrude again, making the tender …

After some rough seas, we visit an exotic mansion on Kawau Island

November 30, 2011November 17, 2011 by Editor

November 17, 2011 Reluctantly, Capt. Vince heads us out of Smokehouse Bay west for Kawau and the Victorian fantasy world of Sir George Grey. Twice governor of New Zealand, Grey took over the home of a mining executive in the 1860s, plowing in a fortune to take it to 30 lavish rooms and transform the gardens into his private Eden He brought in Chinese pheasants, New Guinea tree kangaroos and South African monkeys. Zebras pulled his carriage. …

We learn how they make Barrier Gold balms and oils

November 30, 2011November 16, 2011 by Editor

November 16, 2011 Day two in our perfect little harbor off Great Barrier Island, but suddenly the sun and warmth are gone. We bundle up for the short jaunt over to shore and the quirky homestead of Trish and Sven Stellin. For more than 18 years, they’ve been making Barrier Gold balms and oils from the manuka and kanuka plants, better known in the States as tea trees. The plants, once reviled as weeds, now are the …

A visit to the Glendern Sanctuary on Great Barrier Island

November 30, 2011November 15, 2011 by Editor

November 15, 2011 The sun and warmth of a real spring day help carry us over to Port Fitzroy on Great Barrier Island, heart of an inspiring conservation tale. I’ve been to Kapiti Island off Wellington, which is a predator-free haven for New Zealand’s endangered native birds. This bit of land jutting into the Hauraki Gulf is now the Kotuku Peninsula Sanctuary, which is also trying to give native birds one last chance. The late Tony Bouzaid …

Our day at Waiheke features tastings from three wineries

November 30, 2011November 14, 2011 by Editor

November 14, 2011 We tender over to Waiheke Island this morning, forced by southwesterly winds to land on shore rather than the harbor. At sandy Oneroa Bay, we time the waves to make a beach landing, hopping off in rhythm with the surf. It’s a morning of wine tastings at three of Waiheke’s best vineyards. This once sleepy island was a hippie haven until vintners discovered its climate was a match for Bordeaux’s, and the first vines …

SATW president begins her New Zealand cruise aboard the Island Passage

November 30, 2011November 13, 2011 by Editor

November 13, 2011 After a week in Wellington, New Zealand, it’s time to hop the hour flight back to Auckland and link up with the Island Passage. I find the low-slung catamaran at her little berth along Princes Wharf, just a few blocks from the Victorian Ferry Building that is the icon of Auckland Harbour. Auckland Harbour I’m too early to board, but don’t fancy carrying all my gear around Auckland. Who should appear to save the …

Award-Winning Journalists

Heidi Allison, Editor-In-Chief, writes for numerous travel publications and has worked extensively as a consultant to the career and travel industries.

Gerry Barker is a life-long journalist, and he has been on more than a dozen cruises, from Barcelona and Rome to the Panama Canal.

Dennis Cox is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who has visited over one hundred countries on all seven continents.

Judi Cuervo is a New York City native who has been writing about travel for over 20 years.

Jackie Sheckler Finch has cruised on large and small vessels on numerous rivers and oceans.

Alexander & Rachel Garrett are experienced world travelers with a young and fresh point of view.

Renee Goyeneche is our Research Editor, and a writer and contributor to several prominent travel websites.

Julie Hatfield is a freelance travel writer and an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).

Cynthia Boal Janssens is the award-winning editor of ATC. She has cruised extensively and loves small ships.

Debi Lander is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in travel, food and lifestyle.

David Molyneaux has cruised on more than 50 ships and is president of the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Bryce Sanders has traveled the world extensively and is now concentrating on writing about his adventures.

Judy Zimmerman has been a travel editor and award-winning freelance travel writer for 27 years. She’s been to over 100 countries and has taken 65 cruises.

See all writers…