Changes to Tauranga's cruise ship season

A more efficient system for picking-up and dropping-off of cruise ship visitors is the intended outcome of amendments made to the attachments to Tauranga City Council's Traffic and Parking Bylaw today.

The changes to the management of tourism passenger vehicle operations near Sulphur Wharf were proposed as part of a report that went to council. The process involved discussions with Tourism Bay of Plenty and NZTA, and consultation with affected sectors of the community, including businesses, residents, police and the Mount Ocean Sports Club.

The changes are designed to streamline drop-off and pick-up areas near the Port of Tauranga on cruise ship days to make the process safer and more efficient and to have consistency in how the tourism operators carry out their promotional activities.

The two main changes are as follows:

Creation of a designated passenger vehicle stand for tourist vehicles within Salisbury Wharf Car Park and some parking spaces located on The Mall and Salisbury Avenue.
The stand includes 30 car parks within Salisbury Wharf Car Park and 17 car parks in the immediate vicinity.
It will operate between 6am-11am on scheduled cruise ship days between 20 September and 31 May.

Creation of a loading zone at the southern end of The Mall next to the Salisbury Wharf Car Park that will be available for the 'hop-on and hop-off' bus. This zone will operate between 6am and 4pm daily.

The existing disabled person motor vehicle parks, time restricted parks and the car parks allocated to the Mount Ocean Sports Club will be retained.

Tourist vehicle operators will be required to have a permit to use the passenger vehicle stand during the cruise ship season and the new system will be monitored by Council's parking team.

Transport manager Martin Parkes said the system was the result of a collaborative approach to solving parking and access issues in the area on days when cruise ships are visiting.

"It's about allowing tourist vehicle operators to conduct their business efficiently, while maintaining public access and safety. We think a good compromise has been reached and we will work with the operators to help bed the new system in as smoothly as possible."

Bay of Plenty Tourism general manager Rhys Arrowsmith said bigger ships carrying more passengers calling more often was the future for Port of Tauranga.

"This growth will bring the constant need to adjust and improve how the free flow of passengers is managed regardless if they are taking tours or enjoying our local attractions. We are blessed to have the most accessible and the busiest tour destination Ports in New Zealand.

"Because of this we need to be very careful to manage the growth and maintain the high ranking passenger satisfaction we enjoy. Transport operators are a very important part of the passenger experience and we look forward working together for another successful cruise ship season."