Crew member Jenny Hughes helps passengers off the Island Adventurer. PHOTO / Peter de Graaf
An upturn in the New Zealand economy plus a surge in international arrivals has prompted tourism company Fullers GreatSights to double its range of day cruises in the Bay of Islands.
The firm is using its 34-seat semi-rigid inflatable, Island Adventurer, to offer three niche cruises focussing on hiking, heritage and island scenery.
The new cruises started at Labour weekend and operate daily for a four-passenger minimum.
Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands general manager Charles Parker said the company had managed, with careful planning, to double its cruise portfolio with one vessel.
With three long-established "general interest" cruises - Hole in Rock/dolphin spotting, the Cream Trip and dolphin swimming - Mr Parker said the firm decided to target niche markets for its new trips.
In the Walking Tour, clients are collected at Paihia or Russell and taken to Motuarohia or Moturua Island (depending on conditions or passenger requests) for a short hike before they are dropped off on 208ha Urupukapuka Island.
They can then explore the island's extensive track network and archaeological sites before making their way to Otehei Bay to be picked up by Fullers' big catamaran at noon or 4pm.
The Heritage Tour travels to Marsden Cross via the Black Rocks, then drops passengers at Kerikeri's Stone Store where they have an hour and a half to explore before a coach returns them to Paihia via Makana chocolate factory and Akeake vineyard.
The commentary focuses on the Bay's rich pre-Treaty history. It is tide dependent so operates ten days a fortnight.
The shortest option, Caves and Cliffs, focuses on the contrast between the seaward and sheltered sides of the islands. Passengers are taken into a sea cave and climb to the top of Motuarohia or Waewaetorea Island before returning on the Island Adventurer.
Mr Parker said response to the new cruises had been positive.
"Numbers are still light but we're happy with the way they're building. We finally feel it's time to return to growth in the Bay of Islands, so it's about using the boat to double the cruises we offer."
The firm's optimism was due to a combination of economic recovery in New Zealand and the best international tourist numbers in five years. In Northland most of the growth was in the traditional markets of North America, the UK and Europe.
"Everybody's feeling buoyant and more positive than they've been in a long time," he said.
The tours range from $79 to $89 per adult passenger. The Island Adventurer used to be the Excitor, which offered high-speed trips to Hole in the Rock, but has since been rebuilt and reconfigured.
Ipipiri seeks new horizons
A $12 million overnight cruise ship built for the Bay of Islands is now plying Auckland waters after winter passenger numbers proved too low to keep the service afloat.
The catamaran Ipipiri was built for Fullers GreatSights, part of the Intercity Group, and launched by Prime Minister John Key in 2009.
The vessel left Opua every afternoon, explored the islands and anchored overnight in an isolated bay before returning the following morning.
The vessel is still owned by Intercity but is now based at the Viaduct Basin for overnight and lunch cruises in the Hauraki Gulf.
Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands general manager Charles Parker said seeing Ipipiri go was "very disappointing".
"The issue was the long winter and the very seasonal nature of the industry in this area. We felt we'd be less exposed with Ipipiri in Auckland," he said.
The departure of Ipipiri comes despite the current tourism boom and a doubling of Fuller's day cruises in the Bay.
Originally the catamaran was to have been sold to an Australian-based charity for use as a hospital ship in Papua New Guinea. The deal fell over when the charity was unable to secure the funding it had expected.
Ipipiri, the Maori name for the eastern Bay of Islands, is 46m long and five storeys high with 30 state rooms, a sundeck and a 70-seat restaurant and bar.