Christchurch ready to do it all again after cruise brings boon for businesses

Thursday, 27 October 2022

The Celebrity Eclipse arrived in Lyttelton Harbour at dawn.

Christchurch’s first cruise ship in more than a decade was a boon for local businesses and a thrill for thousands of visitors.

Now it’s set to do it all again, with a second international cruise liner – the Grand Princess – carrying about 2600 passengers, set to arrive in Lyttelton on Friday.

The Celebrity Eclipse docked at Lyttelton’s new $67 million berth with around 3000 passengers on board on Thursday morning, the city’s first big, international cruise ship in 11 years.

The ship marked a new beginning after the February 2011 earthquake destroyed the town’s cruise terminal. In the years since, cruise ships had been rerouted to Akaroa – a one-and-a-half-hour drive away.

Passengers commented on how much the city had changed since the Canterbury earthquakes.

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ChristchurchNZ’s general manager of destination and attraction Tracey Wilson said it had been a great day for the city.

Picton was humming on Wednesday as the port town welcomed back its first cruise ship since March, 2020.

“It’s been super exciting to see so many visitors experience the range of attractions we have to offer in both Lyttelton and Christchurch.”

From 8.30am, the central city had been a hive of activity, she said, with queues all day for tastings at Riverside Market and tram rides, as well as booked out cultural experiences like Waka On Avon and International Antarctic Centre tours.

“Our team of volunteer cruise ambassadors were kept busy handing out maps, making recommendations and answering questions.”

Wilson said cruise visitors had a range of options when they arrived. Many had pre-booked tours, while others just had ideas in mind – like heading to the gondola – and found their own way.

Some took the opportunity to stretch their legs and wander around, enjoying local hospitality and retail offerings, she said.

While ChristchurchNZ didn’t have any data yet on how much had been spent throughout the course of the day, based on modelling from past visitor numbers it estimated the monthly cruise passenger spend was $43 million – $260m for the whole season through to April 10.

Mons Royale store manager Hazel Semple says the rise in foot traffic and revenue has been a boost, and “hopefully it can only get better”.

“We are confident that after a successful first day of the cruise season, the second will be even smoother as city tour operators, ground travel operators, retailers and hospitality businesses will have had a chance to test their processes and capacity today.

“All round, we’re happy with the first day of cruise visitors returning at scale, and we are confident that together we can deliver positive outcomes for visitors and residents alike.”

Riverside Market general manager Rachel Gould said this was what the market had been waiting for since it first opened three years ago.

“[It was] such a buzz, there were smiling faces everywhere… It was just such a happy, positive vibe.”

Tenants’ stores had been busy since 9am, she said.

Cruise ship passengers explore the Christchurch CBD with help from pink-vested volunteers.

They had been given Friday’s schedule of when visitors would start trickling in in advance, “to make sure we’re open and ready to give them a great experience”.

Cashel St was alive at lunchtime with people looking at maps, taking photos and taking time to break away into stores.

One of those stores was New Zealand’s own Mons Royale, where retail store manager Hazel Semple said foot traffic had “definitely gone up” and she’d had a “spike” in revenue.

“It’s very much busier … Hopefully it can only get better.”

Freshly-minted Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger heralded the arrival of the first large cruise ship in more than a decade as a “turning point” for the city and its businesses.

Celebrity Eclipse passengers Barbara Clements and Alan Maginn from the UK prepare for a wine tour in Canterbury after their overnight sail from Dunedin.

“Everyone that walks off there is going to buy a coffee, or a pie, or a beer,” Mauger said after a ceremony to welcome the ship to the port, adding that he was “over the moon” at its arrival.

“More people in town – that’s what we desperately need.”

Passengers seemed pleased with what the city had to offer, and how much Christchurch had progressed since the earthquakes.

A couple from the group said they stayed in the city centre just weeks before the February 2011 earthquake and the area had definitely changed since.

“I couldn’t recognise anything until I got to Cathedral Square – it’s so different.”

Hopping off and on the tram while stopping for “coffee and cake” and souvenirs, Rob and Sue Holland from Devon, England, said Christchurch was “beautiful, absolutely lovely”.

Two Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship performers from the UK, Hayley Bater and Molly Aldridge, said the city centre “reminds us of home”, comparing Riverside Market to London markets. They visited the Botanical Gardens before having lunch and doing a spot of shopping, they said.

A wine tour was on the cards for Barbara Clements and Alan Maginn, from Essex in the UK.

As they looked down the main street of Lyttelton, Clements said she was “just waiting for the cowboys to come”, a reference to the old-style store facades.

“People have been so lovely,” she said, though the welcome in Christchurch paled in comparison to the “amazing” fanfare the passengers received in Dunedin, where dockers clapped, cheered and waved banners as they disembarked.