Billionaire Richard Branson’s cruise ship spotted in Wellington harbour

Richard Branson's cruise ship Resilient Lady sails into Wellington.

Billionaire Richard Branson’s cruise ship is sailing into Wellington this morning, after a rough day in Napier.

Resilient Lady, a 2,700-passenger, adults-only cruise ship, was spotted in the harbour this morning sailing towards the capital.

The ship left Napier earlier in the week after its stop-off was blighted by power outages in Napier’s CBD caused by a cable fault.

More than 200 properties were affected by the power cut.

Virgin Voyages, which runs the Resilient Lady and her sister - Brilliant Lady - has struggled with delays and cancellations to sailings of both ships, citing “global issues”.

Resilient Lady sails into Wellington.

The newest ship, Brilliant Lady, was due to sail from Miami on her maiden voyage in December last year but cancelled its sailings saying that the launch had run into unexpected issues in staffing and building.

“Despite careful planning, Virgin Voyages is facing unexpected construction, supply chain and staffing challenges that have delayed the introduction of Brilliant Lady. Virgin Voyages wants to make sure that when the ship launches, it can deliver the standards its sailors have come to expect from an award-winning brand like Virgin Voyages.”

The cruise line said it would offer any affected guests between $500 and $1000 in onboard credit or the option of a full refund.