New Zealand's South Island & Chatham Islands

Board Le Laperouse for a brand-new 9-dayexpedition cruise to explore the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, which offers wildlife and magical landscapes in one of the world's most unspoiled environments. Your ship will depart from Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and set sail for the impressive Marlborough Sounds. This vast network of submerged valleys, where 1,200 km (745 miles) of coastline form a maze of peninsulas and hilly islands, will offer you an experience suspended in time, between enchanting small bays and inlets flooded by the sea.

Your ship will then proceed...read more to the east coast of the South Island. You will sail to the rocky peninsula of Kaikoura to admire the country's rich biodiversity. Heading east, the ChathamIslands will appear to you, adding new breath-taking landscapes to your expedition, from isolated beaches to sheer ochre-coloured cliffs covered in verdant nature. The 80-million-years-old archipelago is comprised of 10 islands that boast various endemic species of birds and plant that you will be able to see, guided by your team of passionate expedition experts.

Then the Banks Peninsula will reveal wonderful landscapes of lush hills and rugged coasts during your calls in the bay of Akaroa, an ancient, flooded volcano crater. There you will experience a unique mix of Maori, French and European cultural heritage. Disembarkation will be in Dunedin, along the stunning Otago Peninsula, which is rich with wildlife and picturesque hinterland. The wildlife encounters described above illustrate possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed.