Stepping aboard a Ponant small ship for the first time is an unforgettable moment. Waiters line the stylish reception area holding trays filled with glasses of champagne and the pampering continues until you disembark at the end of your adventure.

We fell in love with luxury cruising during an unforgettable trip to the Kimberley in 2021 and were eager to return to the seas. We were enticed to join Ponant’s Le Laperouse earlier this year for a repositioning cruise followed by a ‘Natural Treasures of New Zealand’ voyage.

I was drawn to the itinerary because it included the opportunity to visit New Zealand’s remote Fiordland, which we fell in love with after taking an overnight cruise on Milford Sound pre-COVID-19.

The weather during that first trip was very wet and wild, but it was spectacular to see literally hundreds of waterfalls cascading down its cliffs.

While Milford Sound can be accessed by road, Dusky and Doubtful Sounds require either a 10-day hike or arrival by helicopter or boat, which made seeing the fiords on a cruise ship a very tempting prospect.

Our Ponant adventure began with an ocean voyage aboard Le Laperouse from Hobart to Christchurch. Read more about that memorable adventure here.

The ship anchored in nearby Lyttelton and we caught a bus into town to explore the CBD and grab barista-made coffees – one of our few quibbles with Ponant is the lack of good coffee – then we caught another bus to the Christchurch Gongola where we were treated to spectacular views of the city, surrounding lagoons and harbour.

Back aboard the ship, we settled onto our cabin’s balcony to admire the amazing colour of the water in the Harbour and watch the scenery glide past as we journeyed down the coast.

We cruised into beautiful Dunedin Harbour the next morning to the sight of a huge sea lion lazing on the beach. Our shore excursion on the Tataki Gorge train had unfortunately been cancelled so we headed into town for Singapore Noodles and dumplings instead.

Over lunch we decided to book seats on an independent wildlife cruise called Port-to-Port, which was magnificent. We spotted four different sorts of albatross and numerous other sea birds as they swooped in the ocean. One albatross even landed in the water beside the boat, giving us an up-close view of his massive size.

We also saw numerous fur seals and pups lounging on the rocks and the aforementioned sea lion taking a dip in the ocean.

Back on board Le LaPerouse we spent a glorious hour on deck while the ship wended its way out of Dunedin Harbour as we sipped the Cocktail of the Day – white port with tonic water, rosemary and fresh orange slices.

The next afternoon was grey and overcast as we entered Dusky Sound. Captain Cook discovered Dusky Sound on his first voyage to New Zealand and named it “duskey bay” because he’d been looking for an anchorage and wasn’t sure if he could reach it before dark. On his second voyage through the region he spent two months in the fiord repairing his boat and botanising.

Dusky Sound is 40km long and dotted with more than 350 small islands. Its waters are dark and deep and we were fortunate enough to see a pod of Dusky dolphins while we were there, which are regarded as the most acrobatic species of dolphin. The dolphins put on an amazing show for us, leaping in the air and doing backflips as we watched in delight.

Later the ship cruised into Doubtful Sound, which is sometimes called the ‘Sound of Silence’ because of its remote serenity. The skies cleared as we entered the fiord and we were dazzled by its lush majesty.

My eyes welled over how fortunate I was to see something so beautiful. The ship anchored in a cove for the night and we enjoyed dinner on the open deck surrounded by surreal beauty.

We arrived in Milford Sound the next morning and marvelled at how different the scenery was compared to Doubtful Sound. Only two waterfalls were cascading down the cliffs on this visit, but it was still a stunning experience to stand on deck gazing at Stirling Falls, followed by lunch at the outdoor grill as we cruised out through the heads.

After a lazy day at sea we sailed into the Marlborough Sound district at dawn for a lovely few hours in Picton and a Queen Charlotte Sound cruise.

We climbed aboard a boat that provides the only official licensed New Zealand Post Rural Delivery Service by water. While our cruise was purely scenic, the skipper spends his afternoons delivering post bags, groceries and freight to the residents who call the Queen Charlotte Sound waterways home.

It is a gorgeous part of the world and we scored brilliant sunny weather for our boat ride, which we followed with a visit to a waterfront cafe called Toastie for excellent takeaway coffees.

Then we headed back to the ship to cross the Cook Strait to the North Island, which has a reputation for being very tumultuous. Due to its ever-changing conditions, it is considered one of the most unpredictable and dangerous waters in the world. Fortunately we scored a glassy flat crossing and were treated to a stunning sunset as we dined al fresco on Deck 3.

Our run of great weather continued the following morning in Napier. As the New Zealand tourism website describes it: “Street after street of stunning and beautifully-restored Art Deco buildings have made Napier famous as one of the most complete collections of Art Deco buildings in the world. In 1931 a massive earthquake rocked Hawke’s Bay for more than three minutes, killing nearly 260 and destroying the commercial centre of Napier.

“Rebuilding began almost immediately, and new buildings reflected the architectural styles of the times – Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission and Art Deco. Napier is often referred to as a 1930s film set.”

As an art deco fan from way back, I was very excited to wander the atmospheric streets. We enjoyed excellent coffee in a gorgeous cafe called The Tennyson, then we went exploring and were lucky enough to happen upon the weekly farmer’s market.

Next we wandered to the waterfront to photograph Napier’s black sand beach, then we enjoyed lunch in a local Malaysian restaurant for a hit of spice after 10 days of French cuisine.

Our next stop was Whakatane, where Le Laperouse was the first-ever cruise ship to visit the town. Excited locals lined the shore waving as our tender arrived and a red carpet was rolled out for us when we stepped ashore.

I asked a locals where to find the best coffee in town and we ambled there while we waited for our sister-in-law, who lives in nearby Tauranga, to arrive.

While the ship offered a shore excursion to Rotorua, Sally kindly offered to take us on a personal tour of the region.

She drove us to Rotorua for Vietnamese food and a visit to the local public park, Kuirau, which is filled with pools of vigorous geothermal activity, including bubbling mud, steamy ponds and other sulphur-spewing spectacles.

While it is a gentler experience than some of the big theme-park-style attractions in the area, it has been known to put on the occasional spectacular show. In 2001 mud and rocks the size of footballs were hurled 10 metres into the air as a new steam vent spontaneously announced its arrival.

Our next stop was the RotoVegas sign at the top of the local gondola ride, then the Redwoods Treewalk experience – suspended high above the forest floor, eco-suspended bridges and platforms take you on a walk among 75-metre-tall redwoods. A very zen experience.

All too soon it was time to dash back to Whakatane to catch the last tender back to the ship. Here’s a local Facebook post about our visit:

Our final port on the cruise was Auckland, where we enjoyed a gala dinner on the deck with the bright lights of the city as our backdrop. We dined with two new-found friends, Aileen and Derek, while drinking delicious French wine.

Aileen’s stories about representing Australia in figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics were fascinating.

On Tuesday at 9am we grudgingly disembarked from our fantasy holiday and re-entered the real world.

Our verdict on the experience? We loved that Ponant cruising is all-inclusive – every meal and drink is included in your fare and free excursions have been added since we sailed. Cabins are spacious and modern, with well-sized bathrooms and the luxurious amenities of a fine hotel.

We also enjoyed the intimacy of the ship – there are only 92 cabins on Le Laperouse, which makes shore excursions a breeze.

The downsides? As first-timers we didn’t realise that we weren’t on an expedition cruise, which was disappointing in Fiordland. We know now to look for a monstera leaf beside the cruise name, which indicates it will include opportunities to kayak and snorkel, as well as the opportunity to explore destinations up close on Zodiacs. 

It’s also not the cruise for anyone seeking on-board entertainment. There were no lavish shows on our ship, just a low-key duo and a DJ.

We loved our Ponant experience so much we’ve already booked two expedition voyages with the cruise line, this time aboard Le Soleal.