Cruise ship in Napier, the Grand Princess, creates city centre buzz

The Grand Princess backs into the Port of Napier on Wednesday, past container ship Rio Blanco. Photo / Warren Buckland

The first big cruise ship of the summer season rolled into Napier on Wednesday morning, providing a welcome boost in business for shop owners and “a good atmosphere” in the CBD.

The Grand Princess, which can hold around 3000 passengers, arrived at Napier Port with mainly Australian tourists about 7am.

The drizzly weather eventually turned fine as visitors like Brisbane’s Ann Connell strolled through the CBD.

“I love the way they have kept the old-world charm,” she said, pointing to buildings like The Masonic Hotel.

Her relative-in-law Jenny Jeffree, from Melbourne, agreed: “This is a lovely place. I have been taking in all the facades of the buildings.”

The pair bought goods from The Body Shop and a clothing store.

Adelaide visitor Heidi Hedger said her highlight was a walk around Clive Square.

“I loved the gardens and the bells, and the poppy garden in particular, and the water lilies.”

Visitors from a cruise ship enjoy a stroll along Emerson St in Napier on Wednesday.

She said the gardener even flicked on the bells for them to enjoy, which was very hospitable.

Her husband David Hedger said cruise officials had notified passengers of some people catching a stomach bug on board, but he said it appeared to be nothing major. The cruise staff had done well with cleaning and safety protocols, he added.

Earlier this month, the Grand Princess experienced a Covid-19 and gastro outbreak on board during a 14-day cruise off Australia.

However, the current New Zealand cruise has new passengers and set off without any illness being evident on board last week.

Davina Hoare, co-owner of the Crystal Sanctuary shop on Emerson St, said it was nice to see the shopping strip busy with cruise visitors.

“It is always a good atmosphere,” she said. “Some ships are not so much spenders, but [the passengers on this cruise are] Australians, who do seem to spend.”

The Napier i-Site visitor centre has re-opened following a renovation in time for the cruise season.

“We’re expecting 92 cruise [visits] this season. Our team is well-placed to meet this demand, with seven languages spoken among our staff,” i-Site manager Jane Libby said.

She said cruise visitors for the 2023/24 season were expected to spend around $35 million in Hawke’s Bay.

The Grand Princess was scheduled to depart around 1pm on Wednesday, with the next cruises arriving on Thursday and Sunday.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.