To cruise or not to cruise?

With 15,000km of coast – the ninth-longest shoreline in the world – New Zealand should suit cruising. A circumnavigation will unveil the variety of its awesome edges, from deep fiords to plunging sea cliffs, golden sands, surf beaches, archipelagos and wildliferich marine reserves.

That said, most NZ cruises are roundtrips or one-ways from Australia. These can be great value – for instance, cruise.co.uk is currently offering an 18-night Princess Cruises Ultimate New Zealand voyage in February, in and out of Sydney, from £2,499pp, including flights. Other itineraries combine New Zealand with the South Pacific or even sub-Antarctic isles.

For a 100 per cent New Zealand cruise, try local-based Heritage Expeditions, which offers an array of itineraries aboard its 140-berth expedition vessel. For example, the 15-day Best of New Zealand trip, which sails Queenstown to Auckland, explores much of North, South and Stewart islands, and includes all shore excursions, such as visits to Abel Tasman National

Park, Dunedin, Napier, the Canterbury winelands and offbeat Great Barrier Island. From £5,500pp, excluding flights (00 64 3365 3500; heritageexpeditions.com).

Many country highlights are accessible from the sea, especially if you take full-day excursions from your ports of call. But if you are worried about missing out on the hinterland, tag on extra time before or after your cruise. For instance, if your cruise begins in Queenstown you might fly into Auckland and spend a week or more travelling south via inland highlights such as Tongariro National Park and the Southern Alps, using one-way car hire or a mix of tour buses and NZ’s scenic trains.

Another option is incorporating a short cruise into a longer overland trip for the best of both worlds. Heritage Expeditions offers a five-day voyage, on its intimate 18-passenger yacht, exploring Fiordland’s Doubtful and Dusky Sounds – some of the country’s most isolated and pristine reaches, only reachable by boat (from £2,675pp).