Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, ChristchurchNZ, and the Lyttelton Port Company recently briefed the Banks Peninsula Community Board about the likely return of cruise ships to Canterbury waters, explaining what preparations are in place for the coming 2022/23 season.

The Government has indicated that a date for the reopening of New Zealand’s marine borders will be announced within the next few weeks.

If the marine border reopens this year as expected, it is likely that about 19 cruise ships will visit Akaroa between November 2022 and March 2023.

This represents a major reduction from the 90 cruise ships that visited Akaroa during the 2019/20 season.

The new berth at Lyttelton will also be available for cruise ships for the first time this season.

Passenger numbers are subject to change, but there will be significantly fewer cruise ship passengers in Akaroa this season than there were during the 2019/20 season.

For most days of the 2022/23 season, there will be fewer than 1000 cruise ship passengers disembarking in Akaroa. On the busiest days of the season, there will be fewer than 2000 cruise ship passengers disembarking.

Regional Harbourmaster Jim Dilley said that the 2022/23 cruise ship season would allow the community to understand how a lower volume of cruise vessels affects the area. “The community can compare this season with previous years and decide if this represents a good balance,” he said.

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