First cruise ships set to return to Bay of Islands this week

Majestic Princess on her maiden voyage to New Zealand in 2018. Photo / NZME

Cruise ships are returning to the Bay of Islands from Monday after a Covid-enforced absence of more than two years.

Majestic Princess, with up to 3560 passengers on board, is due to anchor off Tapeka Pt at 7am and will depart around 4pm. It will be followed on Wednesday by the 2850-passenger, Celebrity Eclipse.

In total, 53 ships are expected to visit the Bay in a season that ends on June 1.

They will vary in size, from the 106-berth National Geographic Orion to the giant 4180-passenger Ovation of the Seas, and will carry a total of just under 94,000 passengers.

The ships' return is being welcomed by a tourism sector starved of international arrivals since early 2020 - but some Bay of Islands residents worry about the vessels' environmental impact.

Others recall how the Bay dodged a bullet when the Ruby Princess cancelled its March 2020 visit and instead sailed directly back to Sydney, where it subsequently triggered one of Australia's worst Covid-19 outbreaks, with more than 900 cases and 28 deaths.

However, Far North Holdings cruise representative Irwin Wilson said a lot of planning had been undertaken ahead of the ships' return.

A series of hui had brought together government agencies, the cruise industry and local hapū and businesses to discuss issues including health, biosecurity and environmental protection.

Prior to Covid-19, the cruise industry brought economic benefits which rippled across the region, he said.

During the 2018-19 season, 65 cruise ships injected an estimated $21 million into the Northland economy.

A record 74 ships were expected in 2019-20 but that season was cut short, with 19 unable to visit.

Wilson said the cruise industry had committed to giving back to local communities through destination management and renewing previous support of environmental restoration projects, such as Bay Bush Action and Project Island Song.

The chairman of Waitangi's Te Tii Marae, Ngati Kawa Taituha, said his hapū appreciated the ongoing conversations in the lead-up to the ships' return.

"We have expressed the importance of protection of te taiao (the environment) and looking after our people. We look forward to extending our manaakitanga with a pōwhiri to welcome visitors to our shores on Monday," he said.