Whangārei set for second cruise season

Published on 18 December 2024

Mayor Vince Cocurullo is excited to see Whangārei District building on the success of its first cruise season.

The first of this summer’s four cruise ships is booked to berth at Northport at Marsden Point on 18 January 2025, with three more coming over the summer.

“Northland Inc, NorthChamber, Northport and our Council learnt as much as we could from last summer’s visits, and we are working with tourism operators and cruise specialists to make the District’s visitor experience even better.

“Last summer’s cruise visitors were delighted by the range of activities on offer here and the local businesses were pleased with this new chapter for Whangārei,” says Mayor Cocurullo.

Visitors will be encouraged to pre-book excursions throughout the District ahead of their arrival at Northport. The remainder of passengers will travel by bus to the Whangārei Town Basin.

This year, cruise ship visitors, locals and national visitors will also get to see Northland’s first ever Kiwi Art Trail – a collection of more than 20 kiwi sculptures, which have been turned into pieces of art by talented New Zealand artists. 

The free, family-friendly public art trail will be on display across Whangārei’s central city from 6 January 2025.

Northland Inc Chief Executive Paul Linton describes the economic value of cruise ships to Northland as significant.

“Cruises added almost $70 million into our regional economy last season – supporting 457 jobs and $22.6 million in wages, primarily driven out of activity in the Bay of Islands.

“With cruises now beginning to thrive and prosper in Whangārei, we have the opportunity to share more of our region with international visitors and contribute to the local economy, with the economic benefits shared around the wider Northland region,” says Mr Linton.