Australia / New Zealand
Recent America's Cup and Olympics events created the
incentives and the infrastructure for Australian and New Zealand to become top
cruising destinations. Australia offers many cruising options, including the
Sydney Harbor environs and the Whitsunday Islands, the Great Barrier Reef and
adventurous cruising along the country's northern shore.
Sydney Harbour is home to a number of sport fishermen and yachts that offer
a variety of boating experiences. It's also common to combine a few days aboard
a yacht with trips to the continent's breathtaking interior.
The real gem of Australian cruising is on the Great Barrier Reef. Jet service to
this area is through Cairns or Port Douglas on the mainland or via Hamilton
Island, the largest and most developed of the Whitsunday Islands.
Of the 93 islands in the group, just a dozen or so are inhabited. Nestled
inshore of the buffering Great Barrier Reef, this group stretches about 100
miles between Cairns and McKay. The Whitsundays are wholly within a national
park, a designation that limits development and has helped maintain an
extraordinary diversity of wildlife. The size and quantity of game and reef
fishes will astonish anglers and sport divers. All the diversity is not under
the water as these islands teem with unique birds and even salt water
crocodiles.
For those beginning their
cruise at Hamilton Island, the first stop might be Whitehaven beach, an
undulating strip of white sand some three miles long backed by a brilliant green
tropical forest.
At the other end of the Whitsundays' spectrum is the five-star Hayman Island
Resort. For fine dining and luxury amenities, this is the place. The grounds are
elegant and the restaurants and facilities are superb.
The eco-resort of Lizard Island, 27 miles off the Queensland coast, is an
excellent base on the reef. Diving enthusiasts should visit the famous, nearby
Cod-Hole to spot Maori wrases and hand-feed the giant potato cod that grow to
600 pounds. The more adventurous can cruise to the outer reefs where underwater
visibility routinely exceeds 150 feet. Outside the reef line, 1,000-pound black
marlin are plentiful from August to December. Nine hundred miles to the east, the
three-island nation of New Zealand, or Aotearoa as the Maoris call it, offers
excellent fishing and cruising in a land that has everything from snow-capped
mountains in the south to bubbling mud baths in the north and about 40 million
sheep in between.
Among the country's most popular cruising grounds are the Bay of Islands, a
warm-water paradise on the northeast corner of the North Island. Perfect for all
water sports, this enormous bay and its accompanying islands are famous for
their proximity to world-class marlin fishing grounds.
The Hauraki Gulf and its myriad islands are sporting new megayacht facilities
courtesy The America's Cup. Nowhere in the Gulf is an anchorage more than two
hours from Auckland via an impressive network of high-speed ferries. Auckland is
a world-class city in miniature with upscale shopping, quaint artsy
neighborhoods, great museums and an up-and-coming wine region just an hour out
of town.
To get an understanding of
the Maori culture, you must travel to the North Island's volcanic interior.
Rotorua is the cultural center and the best place to partake in a traditional
Hangi concert dinner. Flyfishermen also sprint to the interior for a chance to
temp trophy-size rainbow and brown trout in the region's many rivers and lakes.
A top destination is the ultra-exclusive Huka Lodge at Lake Taupo.
On the South Island, cruising centers on the remarkable Marlborough Sounds. From
the air, the Sounds resemble fiords carved from emeralds and blocks of jade.
Unimaginably pristine, this area is home to the world's rarest dolphins and tiny
blue penguins. No trip to the South Island, and indeed New Zealand would be
complete without a tour of the expansive wine region, which spreads out from
Blenheim.
The South Island is paradise for adventurers. Bungee jumping was invented here.
Whitewater rafting, kayaking, flyfishing, mountain climbing and skiing
expeditions are all easily available and just a short plane or helicopter ride
away.