By Scott Linde

 There’s a new ship in town and we had the opportunity to experience a cruise on her recently. The Island Passage is in its inaugural year and operates out of Auckland, New Zealand. Its regular cruising ground is the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, a broad area around Auckland Harbor, an area rich in scenic beauty and nature with numerous inhabited and uninhabited islands.

One special advantage of the Island Passage is their helicopter which can ferry passengers to and from Auckland to customize the length of their cruise or for shore excursions off the ship. My hosts picked me up at the airport in the helicopter and took me to the hotel where I spent the night, just a few hundred feet from the ship for easy boarding the next day.        

Everywhere I looked in Auckland there were boats. In fact, Auckland is known as the “City of Sails” and boasts more watercraft per capita than any other city in the world. The population of Auckland is 1.5 million, making the city the largest in New Zealand, home to a total of approximately 4 million people. Auckland is located on the Waitema Harbor, which is a part of the larger Hauraki Gulf that contains the Marine Park and the more than 40 unique islands with boating havens, beaches, camping spots, historical sites and wildlife sanctuaries. The area is also alive with marine life, making it a popular destination for divers and fisherman.

It is this area that Island Passage calls home. She is outfitted for soft expedition cruising and carries a maximum of 24 guests and a crew of 8. Measuring 138 ft. in length with a beam of 40 ft., she is quite large for that number of passengers. There is a roomy salon and dining room area as well as a large aft deck for relaxing. There is also a well-stocked library. The ship is serviced by three large and two small tenders so the daily activities are as varied as the guests’ desires. Passengers can be split up to pursue different interests such as fishing, hiking, and visiting historical sites. On board for this cruise are mostly fishermen as Island Escape Cruises has advertised this particular cruise as a snapper fishing event. The fishermen were men and women, and professions ranged from kiwi farmer to bank president.  

Island Passage also carries kayaks and mountain bikes and has wireless internet service.

 The cabins are quite spacious with cabins available in configurations from triple occupancy to super-king suite. All cabins feature an entertainment system with flat-screen TV and DV player complete with 250 movie titles. 

There is a superb chef onboard and meals are served either family style or in individual servings. Dinners ranged from lamb shank to salmon and of course, if luck is on your side, fresh fish caught daily from off the ship. Lunch is often prepared on the aft deck built-in barbeque grill.

 On the first night we made our way to a sheltered cove near Kawau Island. Kawau is best known for the lavish gardens on the estate of former Governor Sir George Grey, originally constructed in the mid-1800s. Later we will move to Great Barrier Island where some of the best fishing occurs. A typical day aboard Island Passage has her cruising for 3 or 4 hours in the morning and then mooring in a quiet spot for an afternoon of exploration and an overnight stay.

On Great Barrier Island we went for a 4-wheel drive guided tour. The island is home to some 700 full-time residents and that number goes up substantially in the summer. We drove over winding roads through the mountains and were treated to stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and long white sand beaches. Great Barrier Island, known commonly as “the Barrier”, is home to a wide variety of bird species and we spotted a pair of rare Brown Teal Ducks. Hiking is one of the popular activities here and there are more than 60 miles of trails. Kayaking and mountain biking are also favorite pastimes. The terrain is quite varied and there are sheep and cattle farms. The Barrier is known for the Kauri tree, prized for its use in ship building. The trees were logged until the mid-1900s and are now protected as almost all of them were harvested. 

 On my last day the ship was in the Mokohinau Islands, another hot fishing area, also known for its nature reserves. On other cruises, not focused on fishing, other port calls usually include a visit to the Coramandel Peninsula for a coastal walkway hike or a scenic heli-tour. On the other cruises guests also visit the Tiritiri Matangi Island nature preserve where you can see some of New Zealand’s most endangered birds in the wild in addition to spectacular views of the Hauraki Gulf plus the opportunity to inspect the historic lighthouse and old Maori pa sites. 

 Fishing is handled by the three large tenders with each one carrying a maximum of five anglers and a guide. The boats went out at 7:00 AM for about 4 hours and then back to the ship for a casual lunch and then back out for a few more hours of fishing. Some passengers were ferried ashore for land-based fishing. Fishing on this trip was hot and cold, but we all ate snapper more than once and everyone took fish home. We were fishing primarily for snapper, but also caught sea trout, grouper, barracuda, and John Dory. I had not heard of John Dory before … it is an ugly fish that is highly prized for its pure white fillets. On my last day I caught the largest of those brought aboard this trip and the chef cooked it up for me for my afternoon tea before departing the ship on the chopper. The twin-engine helicopter is a major distinguishing feature of Island Passage. It is a luxury usually found only on private megayachts. It makes it possible for Island Escape to run basically custom cruise lengths by ferrying people to and from Auckland via the chopper.

 If you spend some time in Auckland before or after the cruise, be sure and visit the Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 1,000 ft. tall. It has clear glass panels in the floor of the observatory, and people actually bungee-jump from it. I had trouble just getting courage to look down while walking across the glass floor. 

Island Passage can also be chartered for day trips in Auckland Harbor and the inner Hauraki Gulf with a capacity for up to 200 day-guests. The ship can be used for weddings and it is also ideal for corporate retreat events such as team-building, meetings, and incentives.

 For more information on Island Escape Cruises and the Island Passage you can go to their website at islandescape.co.nz or contact Small Ship Cruises .