Itinerary Spotlight: Multisport Adventure Cruise With Backroads and Ponant

With so many things to do and see in New Zealand, it’s nice to find an option that covers a lot of ground in an efficient manner. One such option, I quickly learned, is an expedition sailing with adventure operator Backroads and French luxury expedition cruise line Ponant. 

The partnership between Ponant and Backroads was launched in late 2017 in a bid to expand on the success of the latter’s partnership with AmaWaterways on Rhine and Danube itineraries. Backroads, which began in 1979 with a single bike tour, now features a brochure packed with hundreds of getaways worldwide. Its menu of trips ranges from glamping and family vacations to multisport adventures and hardcore cycling routes for even the most avid bikers.

And the company’s collaboration with Ponant provides an ideal way for first-time visitors to experience the wild side of New Zealand, a country well-known for its bounty of outdoor activities. 

I joined Backroads in Auckland, New Zealand, for a 10-day sailing on Ponant’s luxury expedition ship Le Laperouse, and the voyage included days of hiking, biking, kayaking and wine tasting as we made our way south toward Dunedin on the country’s South Island.

Backroads calls this its New Zealand by Sea Ocean Cruise Multi-Adventure Tour. The Backroads group on my cruise was composed of 24 members, and we were led by a trio of young, energetic guides: Katie, Brandon and Max. Our group represented a small sub-charter on the luxury ship, and we traveled alongside some 140 other passengers who were taking part in the more traditional cruise experience. Onboard Le Laperouse, cruisers experience gourmet cuisine, well-appointed cabins, open decks for scenic sailing views and niceties such as an open bar, live music and other onboard entertainment, and a spa with a sauna and massage therapists.

Get Active
Beginning in Auckland, we eased into our adventure with a ferry ride over to Waiheke Island for a short hike and farm-to-table lunch at Cable Bay Vineyards. Waiheke Island is known for its high density of vineyards, and tourists come to hike or bike from vineyard to vineyard, sampling famous New Zealand varieties — especially its sauvignon blancs — along the way.

The pace quickened the next day in Tauranga, a coastal city located north of Rotorua in the country’s Bay of Plenty region. We headed out to a park in the countryside for a 20-mile morning bike ride, passing pretty horse farms as we pedaled the hilly roads out and back. After a picnic lunch, it was onto Lake McLaren for a three-hour kayaking session that wrapped up just before sunset and took us into secluded duck-filled lakes and an emerald-colored narrow canyon.

It’s in these moments that we could fully appreciate the natural beauty of New Zealand, a country with a population of just about 5 million that saw an explosion in tourism interest after the release of the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” films, which were shot at locations throughout the country.

Other activities during our journey included seeing White Island (an active volcano where travelers feel as if they have stepped onto a foreign planet); coastal biking in Napier; visiting Dusky Sound on the South Island; and taking Zodiac rides and kayak tours in the Fjordland National Park region at Milford Sound, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We also enjoyed a challenging 9-mile hike along Queen Charlotte Track during a visit to Picton and Marlborough sounds. In the country’s capital of Wellington, our guides set up a schedule that included a short hike, a picnic lunch and plenty of free time in port to explore the bustling city.

Cultural Enrichment
Backroads programming also includes cultural enrichment. Our guides gave talks on the unique and colorful New Zealand currency, as well as the varieties and significance of honey in the diets of New Zealanders. A Maori song and dance group also performed during the cruise.

For clients who crave active travel, the Backroads experience in New Zealand is an ideal fit, especially for a first-time visitor to the region. I especially liked that although the voyage touched down at spots all over the country, I only had to unpack once.

Note: Backroads’ New Zealand by Sea Ocean Cruise Multi-Adventure Tour sails roundtrip routes from Auckland to Dunedin, with time spent in cities, small coastal towns, rich wine regions and idyllic fjords. This itinerary has departures set for January and March 2020, in addition to January, February and December 2021.

The Details
Backroads
www.backroads.com

Ponant
en.ponant.com