New Zealand Cruise Association is promoting Bluff to US cruise companies

Friday, 15 November 2019

The Caledonian Sky cruise ship spent the night in Bluff at South Port, before leaving on Friday morning for Stewart Island then Dunedin. It is the first cruise ship of the season for the south.

The New Zealand Cruise Association hopes to draw more ships to Bluff after promoting it as an 'up and coming' port for cruise liners from the United States.

The Caledonian Sky from Australia was the first of five cruise ships to dock in Bluff this season.

The ship made its first stop in New Zealand for a routine customs and MPI check on Thursday night. It arrived just before 11pm and was back at sea by 10am on Friday morning.

The Caledonian Sky will make stops up and down New Zealand over the next three months.

* Caledonian Sky cruise ship wrecks one of Indonesia’s best coral reefs

* Largest vessel to ever berth at Bluff heading to South Port**

It's currently carrying 83 passengers and 77 crew members.

South Port general manager Geoff Finnerty said the port had worked with Great South and the New Zealand Cruise Association to promote Bluff and Southland to the cruise industry.

The association's CEO Kevin O' Sullivan said the organisation had visited cruise companies on the east and west coast of the United States to promote South Port as a top cruise destination in New Zealand.

'There's so many things happening in Invercargill and the expectation is that there will be a pick up in numbers,' he said.

Stewart Island had seen a big rise in cruise visitors with more than 20 ships due to dock there this season, O' Sullivan said.

The next ship to stop in Bluff will be the Antarctic expedition vessel Spirit of Enderby which is due to arrive on December 13 and December 23.

Silversea's 213-metre long Silver Muse will arrive with close to 600 passengers as the last ship of the season on March 23, 20.

The cruise season typically starts in October and runs until April.