New Zealand Cruise - from Fremantle - Perth - 135646

Fremantle was founded in 1829 and was the capital of western Australia in the early 19th century. For many migrants, the harbour represented the gateway to the land "Down Under" and Fremantle developed into a multicultural town. It is most famous for its market.

Albany is the oldest town in Western Australia located on the King George Sound. It was founded in 1826 as a prison settlement. Today, the town is best known for being the holiday and tourist centre of the Great Southern Region. Sights include: the Mount Clarence monument, the Residency Museum, the Old Post Office and the gorge known as "The Gap".

Adelaide, with a population of 1.08 million, is the capital of South Australia. It proudly calls itself the "Festival City", since it hosts the largest cultural festical in the entire Asia Pacific region every other year in February/March. The streets of the inner city of Adelaide have a grid -iron layout. The most important street in the city is "Rundle Street" which has a large number of department stores, small shops, boutiques and restaurants. But there are still lovely old houses at Adelaide's port, like the police station dating from 1860, a warehouse (1865) and numerous historic residential buildings. Other sights include: "Old Parliament House" dating back to 1855, the Migration Museum, the Australian Museum and two universities (founded in 1847 and 1966).

The small isle of Phillip Island, the capital of which is Cowes, is off the South coast of Australia and is known primarily for the main attraction, the fairy penguins. They are the smallest of the 18 species of penguin and the only ones that breed off the Australian coast. Visitors can watch from platforms as the penguins return to their nests each evening. The koala sanctuary, a veterinary and breeding centre for koalas, is also well worth a visit. Here, visitors can observe these cute marsupials in their natural habitat. There is also a wildlife park with kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, dingos, tasmanian devils, emus, cockatoos and wombats.

Melbourne is an Australian metropolis founded by settlers in 1835. Unlike Sydney or Hobart, Melbourne was never a prison colony. The city has an individual tradition with beautiful architecture and enchanting art and culture. As well as the settlers, you will also encounter the indigenous people of Austrialia, the Aborigines, in the city. Melbourne has a large number of shopping, cultural, sport and recreational facilities, making it extremely attractive to visitors. Sights include: the city's tram system, the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne University, the Convention Centre and Carlton District Crown.

With a population in excess of 1 million, Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand. It lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasmanian See. It got its nickname the "City of Sails" on account of the "thousand ships" moored in its harbour. The city spans an 11 km wide sound of volcanic rocks and is a paradise for watersports fans. To the North of Auckland, Leigh Marine Reserve provides plenty of opportunity for every imaginable kind of underwater activity. The main cultural attraction is the Auckland Museum.

'The harbour town of Tauranga lies 200 km South-East of Auckland at the Bay of Plenty. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century on peninsulae connected by bridges. The bustling focal point of the town is the beach promenade with the Coronation Pier, from where pleasure boats and ferries set off for the neighbouring town of Mount Maunganui, which was built at the foot of a 232 metre high volcano, from where you can enjoy a fantastic view of white beaches and the harbour. Tauranga's greatest attraction is the Tauranga District Museum and Historic Village, where you can see 85 reconstructed and restored buildings from the time of Colonialism, including a Maori village, a pioneer settlement and military barracks dating from the territorial wars. 5 km to the East of Tauranga, Kiwifruit Country, a Disneyland-style funpark is also a great magnet for tourists.

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is surrounded by an untouched mountain landscape. It has excellent shopping facilities, a professional theatre and cafés and restaurants to suit every taste. Wellington is just two kilometres wide and, as such, can be easily explored on foot. 'Te Papa', New Zealand's National Museum, is located directly by the harbour. The city is home to both the parliament building and many historic buildings and museums that bring New Zealand's history to life.

Dunedin, the Gaelic name for the port city of Edinburgh, is famous for its historic buildings. The city's architecture is mainly Victorian, Edwardian and Flemish in style. The second-largest city on South Island with a population of roughly 120,000, was founded by the Scots in the mid-19th century. The city centre is at the "Octogon", an eight-sided town square surrounded by lots of cafés and museums. Sights include: the oldest university in New Zealand with a stylised clock tower, the Dominican Prioriat, the whisky distillery, and Otago Early Settler Museum.

The seafarers' town lies at the mouth of the Derwent River at the foot of Mount Wellington. The capital of the smallest Australian state (Tasmania) was founded in 1803 as a prison colony. Nowadays, Hobart's image is shaped by houses from the colonial era and spacious parks. The town is also home to the 'tasmanian devil'. Sights include: Anglesea Barracks, the parliament building and the "Cascade" brewery.

Port Arthur in Tasmania was built as a prison colony for particularly dangerous criminals in 1830. There is not a single known case of a successful escape from the peninsula, which is connected to the mainland by a thin strip of land. Until 1877, Port Arthur held more than 12,500 inmates, including children and juveniles. Today, visitors can take a tour of the ruins and the 'island of the dead', the prison graveyard. The museum has various items from daily prison life on display, e.g. the chains that bound the prisons. The two-hour ghost tour by torchlight is particularly creepy. Not far from Port Arthur Historic Site is 'Bush Mill', a reconstructed pioneer settlement of the turn of the 20th century with a railway track and an old sawmill.