Cruise to the Tropics in Winter

Sail away party leaving Auckland

Who doesn't dream of warm weather and blue skies when the temperatures are falling? A cruise to some tropical islands in the South Pacific sounds wonderful, doesn't it? And when the cruise leaves from and returns to your home port, it is even better. P&O's 'Pacific Pearl' ship is now based in Auckland to take passengers on tropical itineraries.

   With the approach of winter in the southern hemisphere, a break away from the cloudy skies of Auckland is a real tonic.       

   Last year we escaped for 10 days on a P&O cruise that was a round trip from Auckland, New Zealand. With the wharf being only an hour's drive from home, it was great not to have to fly anywhere.
   The cruise was called the 'Bounty Discovery'. From Auckland, the cruise itinerary featured Norfolk Island, then  Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, Lifou in the Loyalty Islands, Port Vila in Vanuatu and Mystery Island. We chose this cruise as it would take us to places we hadn't been before.

  Over the coming days I'll post more in-depth features about each destination to give you practical information about arriving in each port, and things to do and see when you go ashore.