Rescheduled cruise ship passengers may be suprised by Timaru, tourism agency says

While it whitethorn not beryllium described arsenic simply irresistible, Timaru should not beryllium discounted by cruise vessel passengers caught up successful an itinerary swap with Stewart Island, the district’s tourism bureau says.

The Pacific Explorer, with up to 1998 guests, was scheduled to sojourn New Zealand’s third-largest island successful November. However, a precocious alteration to the itinerary means those hoping to spot the quality reserve volition present question to Timaru instead.

Marketing for Stewart Island says the land “offers a peculiar acquisition - a glimpse into a simpler, slower lifestyle, successful bushed with the oversea and the tides, attuned to the earthy satellite of bush and beach’’.

Earlier this twelvemonth Timaru came retired tops successful a Stuff study examining the 11 regions without a metropolis, according to the unemployment rate, lodging affordability, gross home merchandise (GDP) per capita, and sunshine hours.

The alteration prompted immoderate of those impacted to stock their disappointment connected societal media, but Venture Timaru operations and destination manager Di Hay said passengers could beryllium amazed by what they recovered astatine the alternate stop.

Hay said Timaru’s “unique’’ selling constituent for visitors was Te Ana Māori Rock Art tract tours, which were mostly tally arsenic vessel excursions.

Venture Timaru besides promoted Caroline Bay, the Trevor Griffith Rose Garden, the Botanic Gardens, coastal tracks and the region’s eateries to cruise vessel passengers connected its website.

“Plus we person heaps of large buying – past play we saw tons of buying bags from our section stores going backmost connected committee the ships. The planetary visitors peculiarly liked the merino and possum clothing,’’ Hay said.

Hay said a rider unexpectedly diverted to Timaru connected a vessel past season, spoke to her astir her experience.

“She said she had been disappointed astir the abrupt change, and hadn’t known what to expect successful Timaru, but ended up loving her sojourn here, particularly the friendly, welcoming locals. She near ranking it arsenic 1 of the highlights of her cruise, which was beauteous cool.’’

She said Venture Timaru was sharing accusation with affected passengers connected assorted societal platforms, “to fto them cognize the visitant offerings truthful that they find retired what they tin bash here, and links to accusation astir Timaru and our region”.

She said it was “business arsenic usual’’ and the passengers would beryllium treated the aforesaid arsenic those from immoderate different cruise ship.

“The vessel volition connection excursions to passengers, determination volition besides beryllium our autarkic tours connected offer, shuttles volition beryllium tally to instrumentality the passengers into the CBD, the marketplace volition beryllium running, and we’ll beryllium letting our CBD assemblage cognize astir the sojourn truthful that they’re acceptable to invited passengers to their businesses.’’

Hay said much autarkic tours were being worked connected truthful much options could beryllium added by the clip the archetypal vessel sojourn arrived for the play successful mid-November.

“We tin recognize however immoderate of the passengers are disappointed astir the alteration to their itinerary, but the world is for cruise passengers that astatine times the cruise lines bash person to alteration their schedules, and determination tin beryllium a assortment of reasons for this,’’ Hay said.

A P&O Cruises Australia spokesperson confirmed the Pacific Explorer would nary longer sojourn Stewart Island arsenic portion of the Kiwi Explorer voyage, departing Auckland connected November 20.

“P&O Cruises Australia strives to present itineraries arsenic published. However, owed to a scope of reasons, this isn’t ever possible,’’ they said.

“This alteration has been communicated to guests, and we admit their understanding.’’

The Pacific Explorer’s sojourn meant 12 ships were scheduled to stop successful Timaru betwixt November 2023 and March 2024.

Last play Timaru had a record-breaking 14 cruise vessel stops – a monolithic leap from the 3 to 4 ships that visited the municipality each summertime anterior to Covid-19.

Timaru was expected to get 12 past season, but a further 2 visits were added to the schedule, aft 1 of the ships was restricted from entering definite ports for not cleaning its biofouling.