Whangārei’s new cruise ship industry is forecast to boom with as many as 45,000 passengers arriving annually by 2044.
This comes with a corresponding increase in the number of cruise ships.
About 30 are expected to visit Whangārei annually by that time. This compares with just three for the destination’s inaugural 2023/2024 season.
The sector’s potential for Whangārei has been highlighted in a Whangārei District Council (WDC) commissioned economic impact report, after that inaugural season.
Its figures show the coming 2024/2025 cruise ship season could pump close to $1 million into Whangārei, roughly double the inaugural season that started on February 4.
Four cruise ships are expected into Northport at Marsden Point, about 35km from Whangārei city, between January and March. New Zealand’s summer cruise ship season typically runs from about October to April.
The report by Infometrics forecast 80% more Whangārei cruise ship visitor numbers this season with more than 3000 visitors and crew expected to come ashore.
This compares with 1633 passengers and crew coming ashore for Whangārei’s inaugural season.
Whangārei’s fourth cruise ship visitor will kick off the 2024/2025 season on January 18, with a maximum of 770 passengers.
The Azamara Pursuit will be followed by the Azamara Onward on Waitangi Day with the same number of passengers. The Seven Seas Voyager will arrive four days later with a maximum of 705 passengers. Nautica, the season’s final cruise ship, is scheduled for March 24 with a maximum of 685 passengers.
The coming season’s individual vessel passenger numbers are up to more than 30% higher than for Whangārei’s first cruise ship arrival, M.S. Regatta which arrived in February with 580 passengers on board.
The May 2024 Whangārei District Council Infometrics cruise ship report estimated each visitor from Whangārei’s first cruise season spent $276. This included purchases by passengers and crew as individuals, along with ships’ goods and services such as berthage.
This spend was 17% higher than the $235 corresponding Bay of Islands figure.
Whangārei’s first cruise ship season brought $420,600 to the district. These earnings came from passenger spending and cruise ship restocking.
It said passenger spending could be increased by attracting more passengers to go on excursions.
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said the cruise ships brought significant opportunity.
More than 90% of the inaugural season’s 1526 passengers came ashore – among the 1633 visitors in total; 1435 passengers and 198 crew.
That spend is expected more than double to $976,400 for the 2024/2025 season.
Whangārei District Councillors earlier this year endorsed the council’s involvement in supporting the fledgling industry, for now.
They heard the cost of the council doing so for the first season had not meant rates increases.
Its involvement had been in staff time, part of the council’s existing operations.
The same would prevail for the coming season.
Whangārei isite visitor centre staff are based at the Town Basin on cruise ship visiting days.
The council has put together a web page for cruise ship visitors, its content including highlighting local Māori culture.
The Infometrics report used Nelson as base for calculating Whangārei’s visitor spend, because both were transit ports or major resupply points, but did have a reasonable depth of marine support services.
Whangārei’s cruise ship industry is embryonic. It is dwarfed by one of New Zealand’s biggest cruise ship destinations in the Bay of Islands. Seventy cruise ships and 130,000 passengers are expected to bring a $20 million boost for the Far North economy this season.
The biggest visiting ship into the Bay of Islands will once again be the Ovation of the Seas, with 4819 passengers for each of four visits. The Bay of Islands cruise ship season started in August and runs until May.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air