Ship passengers great for business

The arrival of the three cruise ships made for a bustling main street in Mount Maunganui yesterday.
About 5000 passengers and staff walked off three cruise ships - Dawn Princess, Volendam and Orion - and spent time in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga.
It was the first time three cruise ships had berthed on the same morning in the Port of Tauranga although Orion was a boutique ship carrying just 100 passengers and 65 crew. The Dawn Princess was the largest of the three with 1950 passengers and 830 crew, while The Volendam had 1432 passengers and 588 crew.
Mount Mainstreet manager Leanne Brown said main street businesses had a busy day.
"It's such a fantastic atmosphere, there's people everywhere," she said.
"This is our shoulder season and to have large numbers of people here at this time, it's great for the morale and great for business.
Mount Maunganui business owner, Ian New from Kiwiana Gifts and Souvenirs, also had a busy day.
"It's always good to hear that people are enjoying themselves ... I've had a lot of positive feedback lately."
Mr New said the free shuttles to Mount Maunganui and Tauranga CBD were "a great idea" and extremely valuable for business owners in the two shopping areas.