The New Zealand coastal port of Dunedin is the first in the country to have dredging works approved which will enable the city to host visits by mega-ships such as Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The NZ$30 million project at Port Otago will also allow the facility to accept...
The New Zealand coastal port
of Dunedin is the first in the
country to have dredging works
approved which will enable the
city to host visits by mega-ships
such as Royal Caribbean’s Ovation
of the Seas.
The NZ$30 million project
at Port Otago will also allow
the facility to accept the next
generation of container ships.
Port Otago ceo Geoff Plunket
said the “Next Generation Port
Otago” project would include
simulation exercises to ensure
Quantum-class cruise ships like
Ovation could enter the harbour.
Speaking to Cruise Weekly at
the TRENZ trade show in Rotorua
this week, Dunedin Marketing’s
manager of travel trade sales, Gil
Abercrombie said the city was
thrilled at the approval.
Dunedin, which sits at the
bottom of NZ’s South Island, is
usually the first or last port of call
for ships visiting New Zealand.
Abercrombie said as well as
making the channel deeper,
modifications may be required
to enable the mega-ships to
manoeuvre within the port.
However, she said Dunedin is
only part of the puzzle, because other NZ ports may also require
modification to accept the larger
ships and allow vessels such as
Ovation to undertake a full New
Zealand itinerary.
Cruising has transformed the
Dunedin tourism sector, with a
range of attractions springing up
over the last few years to service
shore excursion requirements.
For example, the popular
Cadbury World chocolate
experience is being significantly
enhanced for the upcoming
season, with a completely new
tour which will allow visitors to
interact more with the yummy
stuff – in contrast to the previous
tour which kept them separate
from the manufacturing facilities.
Dunedin will also welcome
a new five star hotel in Oct
this year, with the 121-room
Distinction Hotel located in the
city’s former post office building.
During the 2015/16 summer,
Dunedin will have its busiest ever
season with arrivals including
Azamara Club Cruises, which will
undertake the port’s first ever
overnight stay, allowing cruise
passengers to experience some of
NZ’s nocturnal wildlife.
