Megaship to visit Tauranga on Boxing Day

The Ovation of the Seas will dock in Tauranga on Monday. Photo / Otago Daily Times

It's longer than three rugby fields, cost more than twice the annual GDP of Tonga, and it will dock in Tauranga on Monday.

The Ovation of the Seas is the fourth-biggest cruise ship in the world and believed to be the largest and most expensive object ever to visit New Zealand.

The $1.45 billion vessel has a surfing pool, skydiving simulator, rock-climbing wall, dodgem cars, circus school and an observation gondola that rises 90m above the ship on a hydraulic arm.

Its passage into Tauranga has been made possible by the dredging of the harbour earlier this year and is a milestone for the city's cruise ship industry, according to Tourism Bay of Plenty chief executive Kristin Dunne.

She described the visit as "a momentous occasion" and "a vote of confidence" in the Bay.

Mount Mainstreet manager Ingrid Fleming expected a busy Monday, not just because of the arrival of the ship's passengers and crew, but because of sightseers flocking in to see it.

"There's a lot of people very excited about this massive ship coming in," she said. "It's going to be very crowded at the Mount, and people need to be prepared for traffic."

She advised people to arrive early to find a park.

Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless is one of several city officials who have been invited on board for a presentation. He said the visit symbolised the fact that more people wanted to visit the Bay to see its attractions.

"I've never been on a cruise, and this is my chance to check out the one of these ships," Mr Brownless said. "Not to stow away, unfortunately."

The biggest cruise ships in the world are three Oasis-class vessels, each of which is 225,000 gross registered tonnes.

The Ovation of the Seas and two sister vessels are the world's fourth-largest cruise ships, each at 169,000 gross registered tonnes.

All six ships are owned by US-based Royal Caribbean International.

The Ovation of the Seas cruised around Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound on Wednesday after crossing the Tasman Sea from Tasmania. It visited Wellington yesterday.

After leaving Tauranga, the ship will head to Auckland. As it is too big to dock there, it will anchor in the harbour and ferry passengers ashore on smaller boats.

Monday's visit comes amid the Bay's biggest-ever cruise ship season, with 83 ships and 153,000 passengers expected. Five of the ships will berth overnight.

The Ovation of the Seas is scheduled to return to Tauranga on February 5, berthing next to the 114,000 tonne Emerald Princess for a "double-day" that will bring 9500 passengers to the city.

Ovation of the Seas

- Tonnage, GRT: 169,000
- Length: 348m
- Passengers: 4905 (maximum)
- Crew: 1500
- Cost: US$1 billion ($1.45 billion)
- Launched: February, 2016
- In Tauranga: 6.15am-6pm Monday