When our Canadian cousins announced they were planning a trip to New Zealand and Australia, we suggested the perfect way to travel between the two countries was aboard a luxury cruise ship … with us!

They loved our left-field idea and within days of spotting a Scenic Eclipse II discovery cruise from Auckland via the Great Barrier Reef to Cairns, we booked two Grand Deluxe Verandah Suites.

We were excited to experience Scenic Eclipse II, which only launched in 2023 and carries just 228 passengers, with a guest-to-crew ratio of close to 1:1 and butler service for every cabin. The ship has surprisingly spacious public areas for its size and features an impressively wide selection of restaurants that serve everything from burgers to haute French cuisine, alongside stylish bars stocked with more than 130 whiskies, Champagne and an extensive wine list.

The ship also offers a spa, yoga and Pilates studio, gym, outdoor vitality pools, cabanas, two helicopters, one submersible, four Seabobs and a fleet of Zodiacs, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.

Stepping aboard Scenic Eclipse II for the first time was a dazzling experience, as the vessel has been designed to offer six-star luxury at every turn, from its spacious suites and balconies to its bottomless, inclusive Champagne (Chassenay d’Arce Cuvee on our voyage) service.

It was unforgettable to stand with a glass of pink bubbles on the front deck with Captain Erwan Le Rouzic and his crew as we sailed out of Auckland Harbour on our 11-night journey, ‘Along the East Coast of Australia: Beaches & the Great Barrier Reef’.

Our excitement continued as we sat down to dinner at the Italian-influenced Elements restaurant, where we enjoyed delicacies including grilled scallops before heading to the main bar to order Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned cocktails.

We woke the next morning in the beautiful Bay of Islands region, where we learned how to paddle a Māori war canoe. The experience was hosted by Taiamai Tours and took us up the Waitangi River to a picturesque waterfall.

The tour featured explanations of the history and traditions of the region and also delved into the struggles the Māori people have encountered since explorers arrived in the area.

It was stunning to sail out of the Bay of Islands in the late afternoon to spend three days at sea filled with beautiful sunrises, stretch and bliss yoga classes, wine appreciation sessions and fabulous food.

Among our favourite dining experiences was the Sushi & Sake Bar @ Koko’s, where we perched on stools gazing out to sea as we sampled Japanese delicacies, including amazing hand rolls served in Champagne glasses!

We also enjoyed an exceptional dinner at a restaurant called Night Market, which seats only eight guests per session around a giant hotplate while the chefs deftly work.

We were served an array of modern Filipino dishes, including Lucing’s Gift (pork belly with chicharron and calamansi), Naughty Adobo (beef short ribs with peanut butter and coconut) and Duck Paella with spicy mayo.

Other memorable moments included an extravagant afternoon tea featuring croquembouche towers and a piano-shaped cake filled with macarons, and asking our butler to deliver a bottle of Champagne to our balcony at dusk.

After a smooth crossing of the Tasman Sea we arrived in Brisbane to clear Australian immigration, then headed north to visit Great Barrier Reef islands including Lady Elliott, Great Keppel, Percy and Magnetic.

One of our favourite aspects of expedition cruising is having the opportunity to visit remote, hard-to-access places. While some stops on the cruise such as Magnetic Island were only a 25-minute ferry ride from the mainland, others such as Percy Island require a 12-hour yacht ride to experience their magic.

It was our second visit to Lady Elliott Island after enjoying a wonderful weekend there in 2018, which involved flying from Sydney to Hervey Bay then boarding a second, tiny plane to get there. This time around we simply climbed aboard zodiacs from the ship and landed on the island a few moments later for a snorkelling expedition featuring manta rays and turtles.

The next day we stepped onto the beach at Great Keppel Island for a water aerobics class, followed by a day of kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and seabobbing.

Our cousin Dave declared participating in his first-ever aqua aerobics class on a Great Barrier Reef island to be one of his top three highlights of the cruise, while we thought whizzing around on the Seabobs was also fantastic fun – make sure to try them out if you happen to be aboard a Scenic Eclipse vessel. The electrically powered, emission-free underwater scooters allow you to easily traverse the water surface and also dive under to explore the sea life below.

Our next stop was Percy Island for a day of kayaking and and exploration. The island is located 130km south east of Mackay and is maintained by a handful of volunteers who live there off-grid for extended periods of time. There’s also an A-frame “Percy Yacht Club”, filled with yachtie memorabilia from the many vessels that have visited over the years.

It was a serenely beautiful experience to kayak into the island’s mangrove-lined lagoon, which is only accessible at high tide. Afterwards, our cousin Gillian was lucky enough to enjoy a private yoga class on the sand with Scenic Eclipse’s wellness coach.

Later in the afternoon we sat on the top deck of the ship sipping Margaritas and cooling off in the pool as a pair of dolphins undulated past and gorgeous islets surrounded us.

The next morning dawned rainy in Airlie Beach. We promenaded along the boardwalk and went shopping in the boutiques that line the main street before returning to the ship for lunch and another lazy afternoon in the top deck cabanas.

Our final stop on the voyage was Magnetic Island, another return visit following a holiday there in 2022. Coincidentally our cruise excursion was aboard the same yacht as we’d booked on our previous trip: Pilgrim.

The team at Pilgrim Sailing are amazing – they take such good care of their passengers. We sailed to Radical Bay and went ashore for a lunch of fresh Moreton Bay bugs and prawns, a fruit and cheese platter featuring the most stunning local Gallo macadamia cheese, and locally baked brownies.

The wines served aboard Pilgrim are from NSW organic winery Tamburlaine and feature labels designed by my talented artist friend Michele Heibel, while the yacht is owned by friends of my late Aunty Barb. We hugged and reminisced about what a special woman Barb had been and how much we missed her.

When we arrived back at our cabin we discovered a bottle of Champagne on ice and card from the Captain, as it was the eve of my birthday.

Our final night aboard was celebrated with pre-dinner bubbles at Lumiere’s Champagne Bar, followed by a seven-course degustation dinner in the adjacent French restaurant, accompanied by fabulous Chateau Neuf de Pape wine served by our knowledgeable sommelier Alex.

The lavish menu included lobster bisque with saffron foam, beef tartare, Burgundy snails with parsley foam, duck breast with potato gratin and apple tart with cinnamon gelato.

It was such a special way to conclude our cruise.

All too soon it was time to disembark from Scenic Eclipse II in Cairns and return to the real world. While our itinerary was short on days, it was long on relaxation and we felt very pampered and zen as we made our way to the airport.