Sail into Reykjavik on a cruise from Scotland and the UK. Photo / Getty Images
Sail into Reykjavik on a cruise from Scotland and the UK. Photo / Getty Images
SCOTTISH SAILING SAGA
Book your luxurious cabin on a new cruise ship, Queen Anne, and cruise for 14 nights, experiencing the best of Scotland and Iceland while escaping New Zealand’s wintry weeks of July next year. Departing from Southampton, England on July 14, 2024, Queen Anne heads for historic places such as Inverness, Kirkwall, Reykjavik, Isafjordur, Akureyri, Eyjafjordur, Hrisey and Glasgow. Pay an additional $50 a day for an upgrade from an Oceanview Stateroom to a Balcony Stateroom. The cruise price starts at $5165pp. Book by February 28. Airfares from New Zealand are additional, as are transfers.
Spread across five stages along Wellington’s waterfront, Jim Beam Homegrown is about to celebrate Kiwi music for the 15th year. Alongside more than 40 acts, there will be carnival rides, interactive experiences, and a whole raft of food and beverages to purchase. Tickets are selling quickly and priced from around $50 and up for this March 18 event.
Meet executive chef Matt Jefferson for a taste of the Gold Coast. Photo / Supplied
TOAST OF THE COAST
The Gold Coast’s casual fine dining restaurant Social Eating House & Bar Executive Chef Matt Jefferson is collaborating with Auckland’s award-winning restaurant Ozone Coffee Executive Chef Joe O’Connell to take your taste buds on a tantalising journey across the Gold Coast. The collaborative affair will serve three mouth-watering courses across the evening, with each dish paired with Gold Coast’s famous Granddad Jack’s Gin cocktails. The event takes place on Friday March 10.
Relax at Mornington's Peninsula Hot Springs. Photo / Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism
MORNINGTON SPA ESCAPE
An hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is a charming and rather beautiful seaside haven, offering abundant local foods and wines, leisure and sporting activities. Four days’ car hire and three nights’ accommodation and daily breakfasts at Jackalope, nestled in a private vineyard, plus a day-spa package, are priced from $1599pp, twin-share. The hotel has 44 spacious rooms overlooking a vineyard, two award-winning restaurants, a cocktail bar, winery, cellar door, and a 30-metre infinity pool. Your 45-minute private day-spa experience is at Peninsula Hot Springs, where the pools and private baths are fed from natural thermal mineral springs. Book by February 28. Travel by November 30.
Get a deeper appreciation of Fiji's marine treasures with Dr Penny Berents with Captain Cook Cruises. Photo / Supplied
FIJI’S LIFE AQUATIC
One of Australia’s leading marine biologists, Dr Penny Berents, is a guest lecturer on a Small Expedition Cruise Ship exploring the islands and waters of Fiji’s Remote North this April. In conjunction with snorkelling and scuba diving expeditions, passengers will gain an insight into the region’s biodiversity from Dr Berents’ four decades of research. This cruise departs on April 22. Book your cabin on this seven-night cruise by March 31, and your fare will be discounted by 30 per cent. The package will then be priced from $2778pp.
See Cairo and Egypt's ancient wonders on a Nile River cruise. Photo / Getty Images
LUXOR, LAND OF WONDERS
Discover the ancient wonders of Egypt while cruising the River Nile in style. An 11-day tour takes in the highlights of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, you’ll marvel at the Pyramids of Giza and explore the mighty temple of Karnak and Pharaoh’s tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Priced from $2435pp, twin-share, booking this tour by February 20 will secure a discount of $810pp. Departures are on selected dates between May 21 and August 27. Entrance fees and airfares from New Zealand are additional.
