Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty tour operators gearing up for cruise ship season

Sandra Conchie
By Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
7 Oct, 2016 10:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Cruising: Silver Fern Scenic Tours owner-operator Pat Lally has just entered the cruise ship tourist market. Photo/Andrew Warner.

Cruising: Silver Fern Scenic Tours owner-operator Pat Lally has just entered the cruise ship tourist market. Photo/Andrew Warner.

Bay tour operators are gearing up for the first cruise ship of the season to sail into Tauranga this weekend, with at least four new operators keen to cash in on the growing market.

This season would be the biggest on record for ship visits with 83 calling, carrying 153,000 passengers. However, last season was the largest for passengers with 164,300 visiting Tauranga.

Sun Princess is due to dock at 7.15am tomorrow and sail for Napier at 7.15pm.

On five occasions cruise ships would remain in port overnight.

Tourism Bay of Plenty head of marketing Kath Low said the organisation worked with 27 local tour operators and at least four new tour operators were coming on board: Bay of Plenty Tours, NZ Discovery Tours, Silver Fern Scenic Tours, and Royal Cruise Ship Tours.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

For the first time there would be an official visitor information centre operating under the Tauranga Cruise i-Site serviced by 17 sales staff and eight ambassadors.

Silver Ferns Scenic Tours owner-operator Pat Lally said after driving for another cruise ship tour operator for three years, he decided to go it alone four months ago.

Mr Lally, who also owns the Limelight Topiary Plants nursery in Pyes Pa, said he had budgeted for about 60 trips from Tauranga to Rotorua.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The scenic tour included taking in Moturiki blowhole, stopping off at a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard on the way to Okere Falls and Rotorua, where passengers would take in the Maori cultural show at Te Puia.

Along the way his passengers would be given a "great commentary" about what Tauranga and the Western Bay had to offer, and how important the kiwifruit industry was to the local and national economy.

Mr Lally said many people questioned why most tour operators headed to Rotorua, rather than staying in this area.

"But that is where most of our cruise ship passengers want to go. Almost all of them know about Rotorua's awesome geyserland, cultural experiences, and other gems it offers.

"It's a major drawcard particularly for Australian and Chinese visitors."

Mr Lally said one Bay operator tried launching a tour centred around the local tourist spots but it folded because there wasn't enough interest.

"Tauranga is a lovely city and beautiful but it just doesn't have as much of the wow factor that Rotorua offers visitors," he said.

Mr Lally said Silver Fern Scenic Tours also offered exclusive private tours.

Mount Mainstreet Association board chairwoman Jane Debenham said this weekend was going to be a "massive" one, with the cruise ship in port and the annual Mount Mainstreet busking competition.

"We love the cruise ships arriving. The majority of the retailers here are owner-operated and everyone has been looking forward to the season starting for months."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Retailers expect to be extremely busy," she said.

Mrs Debenham said during the cruise season Mount Mainstreet was planning a number of initiatives as part of its marketing plan to encourage more passengers to stay in the city.

That included the possibility of extending shop opening hours to 9pm on December 22 when three cruise ships would sail into Tauranga, she said.

"It's very important that we keep as many of these passengers in town. The number of new tour operators clearly means people see an opportunity to take advantage of this growing market, with lots of offerings."

This season's expected stats

83 ships to call

153,000 passengers, plus 66,000 crew

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Five ships will overnight in Tauranga

Ovation of the Seas (largest ship to berth in NZ) and Emerald Princess will bring about 9500 visitors

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM

A family wanted to be left alone to develop their land without council interference.

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP