Hosting fourteen day cruises from Sydney to Auckland and Auckland to Sydney, Holland America’s Statendam presents the opportunity to be on-top of the world when you’re curiosity and your desire for luxury and adventure takes you down under.  Both the north and south islands of New Zealand  www.newzealand.com are included in this unique itinerary as are a thousand of miles of Australia’s coastline.  But when sailing aboard the Statendam this is just the beginning.  Port calls and the accompanying shore excursion opportunities insert those visiting this area of the world into venues such as in Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound, Mercury Islands and Queen Charlotte Sound.  Also enjoyed are visits to less visited places such as Burnie, Australia where outstanding views of the beautiful waterfalls found here yield awe inspired responses and where visiting provincial novelties such as a cheese factory are equally fascinating.  However, the icing on the cake with this New Zealand/Australia Statendam cruise includes two other unique components, the culinary arts demonstrations presented by world renown chef Michael Bloise of Miami’s South Beach and the pre and post cruise add-on interior land adventure packages that take you to destination like Great Barrier Reef, Alice Springs and Ayers Rock and beyond. 

Visiting both New Zealand islands includes stops at six ports of call (Christchruch (photo to right), Tauranga, Dunedin, Wellington, Picton and Napier).  Ports visited in Australia include Brisbane, Whitsunday Island, Cairns and Darwin www.australia.com  .  A broad assortment of fun adventures offered during these stop can include swimming with dolphins, kayaking, enjoying guided tours and wine tasting through Auckland’s virgin wine country or going deep into the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps during a visit to Mount Cook National Park.  And for the lover of unique and precious items who enjoys obtaining same through good, old fashioned bargaining, the Statendam’s port calls permit time sufficient so there is ample time to engage the shop keepers in cities like Sydney and Brisbane. 

Aboard the Statendam unique opportunities await those who enjoy 5-Star dining.  This experience can include elegant pool side dining as well as formal five course affairs.   Every Holland America ship features their world renown elegant main dining room, their sophisticated Pinnacle Grill and two casual indoor-outdoor eateries, the Lido Restaurant and the Terrace Grill.  However, for those whose passion it is to practice and refine their culinary arts and skills, Holland America presents a very unique and unusual opportunity to do that as well.  For example on the Statendam Australia/New Zealand cruise that departs on November 4, Holland American has invited and will bring on board Michael Bloise, the executive chef of Wish, a Five Star restaurant on Miami’s South Beach.  Bloise’s skills are presented as part of Holland America’s quest enrichment program.  Bloise will perform cooking demonstrations, conduct cooking classes and host gourmet tastings.  A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Michael Bloise was named executive chef of Wish in 2003 after serving served as executive chef of Miami Beach’s Tantra restaurant, executive sous chef at Gaucho Room and prior to that the executive sous chef at the Wish.  In 2005 Bloise was citied as one of the rising star chefs by “Restaurant Hospitality.”

Bloise’s guest appearance aboard this Australia/ New Zealand Statendam sailing complements Holland America’s Culinary Arts Center which is part of their passenger enrichment program featured onboard all  thirteen of their ships.  These first-class at-sea show kitchens are presented by Food & Wine magazine and are exact clones of the show kitchens that are used by celebrity chefs on today’s popular television cooking shows where culinary demonstrations and hands on cooking classes are showcased.  Each Culinary Arts Center features a theater style venue with large plasma video screens that display in real time up-close and high resolution presentations of the food preparation activities in progress.  Each Culinary Arts Center also includes a display counter where guests can sit immediately adjacent to the celebrity chef as they demonstrate their culinary skills and arts.  

The fourteen day Australia/New Zealand cruise includes three relaxing days at sea.  When not immersed in the luxury and opulence of your beautifully appointed stateroom you can stroll the spacious common areas and enjoy the more than $2 million worth of art and artifacts.  The Statendam’s interior décor features a theme of Dutch life that is augmented by the Van Gogh Theater where inside computerized fiber optic lighting and a state-of-the-art sound system complements Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings “The Starry Night” and “Irises.“

The Holland America website is www.hollandamerica.com.  Happy Traveling.