scheduled to visit different regions. These include Kapiti Island, a nature sanctuary around the coast from New Zealand’s capital, Wellington and New Zealand’s ecological equivalent of Galapagos Island. Another is Whitianga on the famed Coromandel Peninsula, home to the picturesque Cathedral Cove. New Plymouth, located on the west of the North Island and home to Mount Taranaki, which has become a popular film location, including Tom Cruise’s film The Last Samurai, along with Whangaroa, located in the Bay of Islands, are other regions. “New Plymouth and the Taranaki region is one of our rising stars for cruises,” said Summers. “Port Taranaki welcomed three cruise ships last season and is working hard to develop its facilities to increase the number of ships arriving. The Lonely Planet named Taranaki as one of the best
“NEW ZEALAND HAS BEEN A WONDER DESTINATION FOR VISITORS FOR MANY YEARS, AND NOW IT HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT DESTINATION FOR CRUISE SHIPS…” – Debbie Summers, Chair, Cruise New Zealand
places to visit in 2017, with its Len Lye Centre labelled Taranaki’s answer to the Guggenheim in New York.” “We’re welcoming four new ships to New Zealand in the 2017-18 cruise season including the Viking Sun, which will visit New Zealand on its maiden season,” she continued. “P&O is also returning to winter cruising with not only a larger capacity ship, but also with more voyages than it has ever sailed in New Zealand before.” MAINTAINING CRUISE GROWTH Summers says the industry’s focus is on maintaining cruise growth: “As cruise ships get larger and as more players enter the market, the challenge for us in New Zealand is to evolve with the needs of the industry by providing adequate infrastructure, more efficient processes and the ability to showcase more New Zealand ports.” THIRD QUARTER 2017 | TRAVEL & CRUISE 65