A family holiday on a narrow boat offers up some challenges but all is forgiven with the introduction of gorgeous countryside and a more relaxed pace of life, writes Danielle Murray.

P&O has ordered a 17-deck monster cruise ship costing nearly $1 billion. It will be the largest built for the British market.

Eat, drink - and learn to cook - aboard the Pacific Pearl, writes Kerri Jackson.

If a cruise seems like an old-age holiday, think again. By Chris Marriner.

Go local and have a blast exploring the wonders of your own backyard in style.

The Foveaux Strait ferry is not for the faint-hearted, says Chris Samsara.

Hunted no more, whales still bring in the dollars, writes Shandelle Battersby.

Rising at dawn is something I know more about in theory than in practice.

Cruise ships have been flocking to Auckland in recent months, reviving calls for the city to build a flash new terminal, preferably capable of catering for two ships at the same time.

Jill Worrall embarks on a cruise through Patagonia from Chile's southernmost city.

It's OE with a difference - Kiwi sailor Mark O'Connor shares the highs and lows of working on the yachts of the super-wealthy.

Alice Neville enjoys a hedonistic preview of the amazing luxuries that can be found aboard a cruise ship during the launch in Miami of the ultra-swanky Celebrity Eclipse.

The Queen Elizabeth, the newest luxury liner of that name, arrived in Auckland today.

Images from inside Cunard's Queen Elizabeth luxury cruise ship.

The luxury liner glided into Waitemata Harbour this morning on its first ever visit to Auckland.

They call it luxury cruising for a reason - butler services and non-stop champagne.

Geoff Cumming was lured to France on the promise of a cruise down the Rhone through sun-drenched countryside and beautiful vineyards.

There's plenty to do on and off a cruise ship, finds Shandelle Battersby, and the attentive staff make cruising even better.

A lavish new yacht modelled on a section of Monte Carlo gives new meaning to the term 'floating city'.

It's hard to resist comparisons to the movies when you're on a ship like the Sore Larsen, writes Bronwyn Sell.

I'll never know what mysterious force drew me from my sleep on that warm night, as we cruised past the islands of northern Vanuatu.

The largest cruise ship ever to be based in New Zealand arrived in Auckland at dawn on Saturday, December 18, 2010. The 63,500-tonne liner is the fourth ship in P&O's fleet and will carry 1800 passengers.

The Pacific Pearl's captain can't wait to let his superiors know how quickly P&O Cruises' newest superliner cuts through the seas.

Kiwis can now go for an ocean cruise without having to find their passport.

The largest cruise ship ever to be based in New Zealand arrived to a foggy Auckland welcome as it sailed into the harbour at dawn.

Holidays aboard cruise ships are no longer the domain of the elderly, discovers Heather Wright.

New Zealand businesses are enjoying the fruits of a booming cruise ship industry, as tonnes of food and drink are loaded aboard for luxury-loving passengers.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world.