Holland America Line - MS Volendam
Fast Facts - Ms Volendam
Cruise Line: Holland America Line
Vessel: ms Volendam
Star Rating: 4
Tonnage: 61,136
Max Passenger Capacity: 1,432
Total Crew: 588
Entered Service: 1999
Passenger Deck: 9
Facilities: 716 staterooms (22 wheelchair accessible), show lounge, dining room/restaurant/upmarket grill, piano/ocean/sports bars, caf, meeting room, fitness centre and spa facility, indoor and outdoor pool, casino, children's club, library, cinema, self-service launderette.
MS Voledam
Discover the other great south land on a cruise that visits some of the world's most spectacular ports and places.
When the ship comes in to New Zealand, it really comes in. Making her maiden voyage to the other great southern land and to Sydney via Burnie and Melbourne, ms Volendam attracted a good deal of attention wherever she went. For harbours that have a hosted such iconic vessels as Captain Cook's Endeavour and Robert Scott's Antarctic explorers Discovery and Terra Nova, you'd think the appearance of a mere cruise liner would barely raise en eyebrow. Not so. In the smaller ports, such as Tauranga in NZ's northeast and Picton, gateway to the south island, the not so little Volendam's arrival was greeted with the full backing of local tourism operators and substantial column inches in the local press.
From the curious onlookers coming to see the 2,000-person ship docked in their hometown to businesses offering passengers special dining and shopping deals, it was clearly no ordinary arrival.
If I'd wondered what all the fuss was about, I quickly found out after poking my head into the otherwise nondescript Creek Pottery store at Picton (population about 5,000). Asking the owners about the effects of a cruise on the local economy simply wasn't possible, given that they were flat chat ringing up register sales, so I got my answer anyway.
Sure, the Kiwis might know which side of their bread the Vegemite goes on, but don't for a minute think they are mercenaries. Hospitality here comes from the heart. The fact they do so well out of tourism is a by-product of being a country that is arguably one of the best destinations in the world.
From the fine wineries and classic Art Deco buildings of Napier to the English gardens and rolling plains of Christchurch, New Zealand packs plenty into an area not much bigger than Victoria. While the larger cities of Auckland and Wellington have their attractions, the real surprise in terms of major ports is Dunedin. Often overlooked in favour of the party pre-occupied Queenstown, the second-biggest city in the South Island is a curious but successful mix of art, architecture, beaches and bohemia - with university students making up about a quarter of the 120,000 residents.
It's a yin-yang kind of place, with claims to fame such as the world's steepest street and a rugby ground known colloquially as 'the House of Pain' balanced against the stunning hinterland, historic buildings such as Dunedin Railway Station, and rare wildlife such as the yellow-eyed penguin and the northern royal albatross.
Making the j-loop from Dunedin to the South Island's fjords is supposed to be the highlight of the trip, but when you are visiting one of the wettest places on earth (with almost 700 centimetres of annual rainfall) it pays not to be too cocky.
We entered Dusky and Doubtful Sounds under a silver-lined sky and things got a bit hairy from there. The Tasman Sea, not always known for its benevolence, was in fine form as force nine winds lashed the waterway. Volendam punched through the swell with gusto and it meant an adjustment to the schedule. The gorgeous fjord of Milford Sound, one of the country's most fabled attractions, was off the agenda.
It was a disappointment to be sure, but one that was unavoidable given the 4-metre swell that greeted us. The rough seas, coupled with a bug that laid low a number of passengers, meant three testing days ahead as we crossed to Tasmania. The staff handled the situation with aplomb. While the pools shut down and a number of onboard activities were curtailed I remained oblivious, eating my way through a season's worth of salmon, devouring almost as many books and occasionally going to the gym as penance.
An hour after docking into the Tasmanian port of Burnie, Volendam was a veritable ghost ship. Three days of bashing through hearty swells will do that. The port has much to offer as a thoroughfare to places such as the World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain, and indeed in its own right. A dot on the map compared to the bigger cities of Hobart and Launceston, Burnie's bona fides rest at least in part on the fact that its north-coast location enables cruise ships to comfortably reach Melbourne overnight.
Once simply known for its paper mill, it has re-invented itself as a tourist town with about 20,000 fulltime residents. Burnie's mayor, Alvwyn Boyd, and CEO of Burnie Sport and Events, Stephen Hite, can be credited with much of the turnaround. Through clever politicking and no doubt some equally smart economics, the pair has managed to ensure the town now gets the 20-plus cruises that come through the port each season. Nearby Devonport, which used to get the liners stopping at the north coast, now has none. Boyd follows through on this conviction by visiting every cruise ship that stops in Burnie.
But even with less than a day at my disposal it is hard to pass up the chance to visit Cradle Mountain. About two hours' drive by coach from Burnie, it affords some of the most spectacular scenery on the island.
From the crystal-clear waters of Dove Lake, hundreds of kilometres of walking tracks lead to the snow-capped tips of the eponymously named peak, Cradle Mountain in the Lake St Clair National Park. It's a 161,000-hectare nature-lovers dream. And, what's more, today is a humdinger, one of about 60 days a year when the mountain is bathed in blue sky and sunshine.
While a visit of few hours doesn't do justice to the magnificent National Park, it's soon time to set sail for Melbourne, where some shopping and a relaxed day awaits before we arrive in Sydney. With a warm day ahead in the harbour city, my thoughts turn to beaches that can be enjoyed without a wetsuit for at least half the year. It occurred to me that if our Kiwi cousins could come up with another island that offered just that, New Zealand might indeed be the best country in the world.
Highs: Wonderfully attentive staff; superb dining throughout; excellent hygiene standards (which may be a negative if constantly sanitising your hands is likely to grate on you); terrific range of things to do in a short period of time in NZ; great pricing over summer.
Lows: Mark-ups on land-based activities if booked through HAL; crossing the Tasman in near gale-force conditions and subsequently missing going into Milford Sound.
Written by Glenn Cullen - Issue 34 Summer 08