Ocean liner creates tourist waves

The mother of all ocean liners has paid its first visit to Northland, wrapping up a bumper cruise ship season in the Bay of Islands.
The Queen Mary 2 - the length of three-and-a-half rugby fields, the height of a 23-storey building and with a price tag  of $1.3 billion - moored midway between Waitangi and the tip of the Russell Peninsula at sunrise yesterday and sailed for Sydney at 5pm.
The world's biggest cruise ship when built in 2003, the Queen Mary 2's only previous visit to New Zealand was a one-day stop in Auckland three years ago.
The monster ship's visit has been hailed as a huge opportunity for business and a signal that the Bay of Islands is firmly on the world tourism map.
The ship's almost 3000 passengers were ferried to wharves at Waitangi and Paihia by tender because the ship is too big to come close to shore. Just under 900 had booked day trips around the Mid North, while the rest opted to explore Paihia, Russell and the Treaty Grounds.
Despite the invasion of passengers and locals wanting a glimpse of the ship, the day passed smoothly.
Traffic was diverted via Waitangi Golf Course, where a crowd gathered for the best view of the liner from dry land, and some areas were closed to cars.
Many took to the water in their own craft for a closer look or took one of the organised sightseeing trips out to the ship.
A festive atmosphere reigned in Paihia with a market on the Village Green, buskers on Williams Rd, and schoolchildren performing kapa haka.
Paihia's Community Patrol manned the pedestrian crossing while "ambassadors" answered questions and handed out maps.
Business Paihia chairman Heinz Marti said the visit was a "brilliant, positive boost for the local economy", and estimated it would pump at least $500,000 into the Bay of Islands in a single day.
He praised the atmosphere and organisation, and the way the "whole community had come together to make it happen".
If the Cunard Line was happy with the way yesterday's visit went, the Queen Mary 2 would be back and its sister ship Queen Victoria might also pay a visit.
Among the thousands of passengers were Garry and Anne Farrell of New South Wales, who had boarded in Hong Kong and were due to end their cruise tomorrow in Sydney. They had opted to visit the Treaty Grounds and wander the streets in Paihia.
"We love it," Mrs Farrell said.
"We liked Auckland too, but this is much more the pace we're used to," Mr Farrell said.

 By the time the season ends later this month, a record 35,000 cruise ship passengers will have visited the Bay of Islands this summer.