Cruise Line |
Ponant |
Ship |
Le Soleal |
Destination |
South Pacific & New Zealand |
Nights |
14 |
Departure Date |
09 Dec 2021 |
Description |
14 Night Cruise sailing from Dunedin roundtrip aboard Le Soleal.
Designed in 2013 and loyal to the PONANT spirit, Le Soléal like her sisterships embodies the subtle alliance between luxury, intimacy and wellbeing which is Ponant’s signature. The elegance of her exterior and interior lines and her intimate size (only 132 staterooms and suites)make this a rare and innovative yacht on the cruise market.
Highlights in this cruise:
Dunedin
Port Chalmers is the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Although it has been a suburb since local body reorganisation in the 1980s, it is still regarded by most people throughout Dunedin as a separate town. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre.
Dunedin is the second-largest city on the south island of New Zealand. It is built in a natural harbour on a relatively small area of flat land, and is surrounded by steep hillsides. Some of its streets are very steep; Baldwin Street is claimed to be the steepest in the world.
Dunedin is known for its Victorian and Edwardian architecture; notable buildings include First Church and Larnach Castle. Other attractions include the famous Captain Cook Tavern, the local Speight's brewery and the Cadbury factory.
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage site. Ecologically, it is part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion.
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) maintains a permanent base, the Macquarie Island Station, on the isthmus at the northern end of the island at the foot of Wireless Hill. The base's residents, the island's only inhabitants, range in numbers from 20 to 40 people throughout the year.
Fauna found on the island include: Subantarctic Fur Seals, Antarctic Fur Seals, New Zealand Fur Seals and Southern Elephant Seals - over 80,000 individuals of this species. Royal Penguins and Macquarie Shags are endemic breeders, while King Penguins, Southern Rockhopper Penguins and Gentoo Penguins also breed here in large numbers.
Campbell Island
Campbell Island is a remote, sub-Antarctic island, located 700km’s south of New Zealand and the main island of the Campbell Island group. It is surrounded by numerous stacks, rocks and islets like Dent Island, Folly Island (or Folly Islands) and Jacquemart Island, the latter being the southernmost extremity of New Zealand. The Island is mountainous, rising to over 500 metres in the south. A long fiord, Perseverance Harbour, nearly bisects it, exiting to the sea on the east coast.
The island is uninhabited today, human presence is limited to periodic visits by research and conservation expeditions.
Antipodes Islands
On 26 March 1800, Captain Henry Waterhouse discovered the Antipodes. 1814-1815 was the peak of sealing, when over 400,000 animals were killed.
This group of islands consists of the two Windward Islands, the Leeward Island and the Bools Island, and are 62 sq km in size. Antipodes Island is one of the most isolated, least known and rugged of the New Zealand’s Sub Antarctic Islands.
Landings are not allowed in the Antipodes, but even if they were allowed, there would be little room for people, because of all the bird nests on the islands. The Bounty and Antipodes Islands are the only place in the world with the erect-crested penguin (200,000 pairs). The Antipodes parakeet, red-crowned parakeet, and the wandering albatross also nest there. The only species introduced to the islands, are sheep and mice.
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Itinerary |
Cruise Itinerary
Day | Date | Activity | Arrive | Depart |
1 |
09/12 |
Dunedin (Port Chalmers), New Zealand |
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04:00 PM |
2 |
10/12 |
Ulva Island, New Zealand |
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3 |
11/12 |
Dusky Sound, New Zealand |
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4 |
12/12 |
Milford Sound, New Zealand |
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5 |
13/12 |
Snares Island, New Zealand |
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6 |
14/12 |
Enderby Island |
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7 |
15/12 |
At sea |
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8 |
16/12 |
Macquarie Island, Sub Antarctic Island |
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9 |
17/12 |
Macquarie Island, Sub Antarctic Island |
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10 |
18/12 |
At sea |
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11 |
19/12 |
Campbell Island, New Zealand |
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12 |
20/12 |
At sea |
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13 |
21/12 |
Antipodes Island, New Zealand |
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14 |
22/12 |
At sea |
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15 |
23/12 |
Dunedin (Port Chalmers), New Zealand |
08:00 AM |
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All itineraries and ports of call at the discretion of the cruise line subject to local weather conditions and may change without notice.
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