Kiwi David Reihana has carved out a career as a top chef with a major cruise line, writes Winston Aldworth.

A team is in New Zealand scouting shore experiences for the latest boutique cruise ship operator to arrive in this region.

The giant cruise liner Queen Elizabeth has docked at Auckland’s Queens Wharf this morning.

Queen Elizabeth proves that size does count. With its 12 decks housing more than 3000 guests and crew, multiple restaurants, bars and pools, it's no wonder cruising is so popular.

On the ship Orion, Jane Archer heads to Australia's Kimberley region to scale waterfalls, sample helicopter tours and spot man-eating beasts (from the safety of a rubber dinghy).

Auckland councillors will make a huge call behind closed doors on Thursday on whether to stand firm against further reclamation of the Waitemata Harbour for port use.

The ferry from Half Moon Bay is a kaleidoscope of Auckland on the water.

About 200 cruise ship passengers have been confined to their cabins after the norovirus bug struck the Dawn Princess while on a trip around New Zealand.

The Sun Princess arrived in Sydney this morning after returning to sea in an attempt to find a man lost overboard.

It was supposed to be an escape to the Caribbean sunshine for a week of parties, relaxation and sipping champagne. Instead Ebola crashed the party.

The cruise ship season started yesterday with the Radiance of the Seas arriving in Wellington.

Take a look at the German launch of a megaship so big that Auckland will expand its wharf for its visit

Queens and Captain Cook wharves may have to be extended at a cost of tens of millions of dollars to accommodate the new generation of cruise ships.

Building of Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas cruise ships at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Royal Caribbean boss Richard Fain is blunt about cruise ship economics - the vessels cost too much and the fares are too low.

Grant Bradley travelled to Papenburg courtesy of Royal Caribbean to tour Quantum of the Seas, the cruise company's newest ship nearing completion at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

New Zealand needs to be competitive to continue attracting cruise ship seasons worth more than $365 million, according to the national voice in the sector.

Passengers aboard the biggest ship based in this region will be able to go surfing onboard.

New Zealanders are taking cruise holidays in record numbers with the rate of increase higher than any of the main passengers markets around the world.

The wrecked Costa Concordia will be towed from the island of Giglio by the start of August - two years and eight months after it crashed into rocks with the loss of 32 lives.

Carnival will dispatch a fourth ship to China next April, escalating the battle for passengers in the fastest-growing cruise market.

Passengers on a dolphin-watching cruise remained calm as they waited to be rescued from a charter vessel that started taking on water north of Auckland this afternoon.

The announcement that norovirus was onboard a cruise ship touring NZ 'scared the s*** out of us', said one passenger as sanitation efforts continue.

Auckland could be the winner from Sydney's congested port facilities as cruise lines consider basing more cruising from this side of the Tasman.

Cunard's grand ships have dominated the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships rankings in the Large Resort Ship category.

A United States cruise industry executive says New Zealand port companies need to come up with consistent pricing to help attract more ships.

Cruise ship visits to New Zealand are set to ease from the latest bumper season, but that has not diminished hope of seeing more tourism dollars.