Rick Walden, the council officer who has overseen the Downtown Framework, yesterday told a briefing that cruise ships normally left Auckland around dusk, at the same time as thousands of people crossed the harbour on ferries, creating congestion and safety issues.
Accommodating the cruise ships was becoming a big problem, he said, particularly as the vessels were getting longer. Some ships were now more than 300m and carried more than 3000 passengers.
The Queen Mary 2 was 345m long and berthed at Jellicoe Wharf at Ports of Auckland when it visited the city.
Queens Wharf was limited to ships of 290m. Ships up to 320m berthed at Princes Wharf.
Mr Walden said the larger ships required more services, such as coaches, taxis and service vehicles, which in the case of Queens Wharf, compromised public space and activities.
He said the suggestion of building a mooring pile out from say Queens Wharf - estimated to cost about $3 million - was not the best option when dealing with large liners.
"A wharf structure makes more sense, particularly when you are looking at the providoring of these vessels and the tie-down security you require."
He said the council would probably need to make changes in the next five years to cater for larger vessels, saying the cost of extending the wharves was in the tens of millions of dollars.
The cruise industry has gone from being worth $63 million to $115.5 million to Auckland in the past five years.
Last year, 89 cruise ships visited, bringing 162,000 passengers and crew.
The widening of the Panama Canal and increasing demand for cruises by China was leading to bigger ships of 3500 to 4000 passengers in the South Pacific.
