PONANT has launched its New Zealand season, aboard two of its luxury expedition vessels. Le Soleal will be joined by Le Jacques Cartier in the region this year, for her first season in NZ. The ships will embark on eight departures through to Mar, visiting 23 ports of call, and...
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PONANT has launched its New Zealand season, aboard two of its luxury expedition vessels.
Le Soleal will be joined by Le Jacques Cartier in the region this year, for her first season in NZ.
The ships will embark on eight departures through to Mar, visiting 23 ports of call, and offering guests a rare opportunity to discover the hidden treasures of New Zealand and its surrounding regions.
There will also be two sailings down to Antarctica from Dunedin.
Le Jacques Cartier will first sail to New Zealand from Tasmania on 02 Jan, where she will explore both the North and South Islands, before she sets off on a brand-new 15-night voyage, from Auckland to Cairns on 25 Jan.
Highlights of the cruise will include the Bay of Islands, Norfolk Island, and Vanuatu.
Meanwhile, Le Soleal kicked off Ponant’s NZ season last week, starting with two expeditions sailing south to explore the country’s Subantarctic Islands.
Guests will have the opportunity to sail alongside destination experts including ornithologists, and get up close with the wildlife sanctuaries of Campbell Island, the Snares Islands, as well as Australia’s Macquarie Island.
Le Soleal’s next sailing will be a brand-new 15-night New Year’s cruise from the South Island to the North Island, featuring scenic immersion into New Zealand’s fjords, with time spent venturing through Doubtful, Milford and Dusky sounds, as well as visits to Stewart Island, a new destination for Ponant.
The ship will then head north to Akaroa, Kaikoura, Wellington, the Bay of Islands, and Auckland, making a number of calls along the way.
Ponant will venture even farther south in Feb, offering a once-in-a-lifetime 21-night expedition to Antarctica, sailing round trip from Dunedin aboard Le Soleal.
The itinerary will travel with lecturer and guide Jonathan Shackleton, descendant of Ernest Shackleton, and historian Lucy Scott, great-granddaughter of Robert Falcon Scott.
“We are proud to continue our operations in the region with this new summer season,” Chief Executive Deb Corbett said.
“Our included shore excursions and tours are providing guests with authentic NZ experiences and continue to contribute to support local communities and their economies,” she added. MS
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