Just before COVID struck in 2020, several cruise ships had been booked to call at Northport for what might be termed ‘exploratory’ visits to the Whangārei region. The first of these was booked for the summer of 2021 and, of course, never materialised.

Cruises to NZ re-started in the 22/23 season and calls to New Zealand ports are expected to increase to and beyond pre-pandemic levels over the next few years. We are now expected to receive our first cruise ship on 4 February 2024, Oceania Cruises’ MS Regatta, capable of hosting 684 passengers. At this stage we are scheduled to receive three cruise ship visits in the 23/24 season, six in the 24/25 season and three in the 25/26 season.

Planning for these calls is already underway, with a wide variety of excursion destinations across the region.