One of the largest cruise liners in the world visits Tauranga

Ovation of the Seas, one of the world's largest cruise liners making return visit to Tauranga today. Photo /File

It will be a busy day in the city as one of the biggest cruise liners in the world is making a return visit Tauranga.

The 168, 666-tonnes Ovation of the Seas with 4000-plus passengers on board docked at the Port of Tauranga at 4.30am and is expected to depart at 4.45pm.

The Ovation of the Seas, the world's fourth-largest cruise ship, will make seven visits during the season to Tauranga.

Also in port today is the 82,897 tonnes cruise ship the Noordam which arrived at 5am, also making another return visit to Tauranga.

The Noordam has at least 2000 passengers on board is due to depart at 4.30pm today.

People are invited to farewell the cruise ships at Pilot Bay.

On Tuesday, three more cruise ships are also visiting Tauranga, the Majestic Princess, the
Caledonian Sky and the Spirit of New Zealand.

The Majestic Princess, which is the largest liner in the Majestic fleet, made its maiden voyage to Tauranga on October 5.

More than 200,000 passengers and 94,000 crew on 110 cruise ships are expected to visit the city during the 2018-2019 season, with $91m injected into the local economy.