Final cruise ship of season to dock in Tauranga

The Golden Princess was the second to last cruise ship to visit in the 2018/2019 season. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga has welcomed more than 228,000 passengers on 115 cruise ships during the 2018/2019 season, which ends today. The final cruise ship - the Noordam - arrived early this morning and will leave at 5.30pm today.

Tourism Bay of Plenty estimated a total 228,904 passengers and 96,180 crew arrived in Tauranga this season.

Nine cruise ships stayed overnight in Tauranga, 25 arrived twice and only two arrived three times.

This year's season included an estimated 79,189 more passengers and 27,995 extra crew compared to 2017/2018. This translated to an estimated $91 million in visitor spending in the Bay of Plenty, compared with $65m the previous year.

Cruise manager Nikita Fraser said the 2018/2019 cruise season had been fantastic for the region and local tourism businesses.

"Tauranga is the only port in New Zealand where Celebrity Solstice visits overnight and we were delighted to welcome her for two overnight visits this season," she said.

James and Kathleen Shea visited Tauranga for the first time on board the Golden Princess.

"It is our first time to New Zealand," he said.

The pair had arrived from Los Angeles and have been on several cruise ships before.

James said he and his wife were retired and travelling by cruise ship was much less expensive.

"The cost of flying and finding accommodation is much more expensive," he said.

Cruise 2018/2019:
- An estimated 228,904 passengers
- An estimated 96,180 crew
- 115 ships
- 9 overnights
- 25 double days
- 2 triple days

Cruise 2017/2018:
- 149,715 passengers
- 65,225 crew
- 82 ships
- 17 double days
- 1 overnight

Source: Tourism Bay of Plenty