The Cruise ship season has come to a successful end after the return of tourists to the port for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It is also the first season with large vessels since the Christchurch earthquakes, which caused damage to LPC wharves.

According to Phil de Joux, Chief Corporate Affairs Office at LPC, 79 cruise ships with 120,000 passengers stopped at Lyttelton during the seven-month-long season boosting the Canterbury and Lyttleton economy. 

“The return of large cruise ships to the Port has been a welcome return for Lyttelton, Christchurch and the Canterbury region after the devastating Canterbury earthquakes and COVID-19 pandemic,” said Phil de Joux. 

 The Celebrity Eclipse was the first to dock on October 27 last year and the second to last at the end of the season.  

The luxury cruise ship, carrying 2850 guests and 1200 crew, made seven stops at Lyttelton throughout the season. 

Mihai Olaeriu, the Hotel director of Celebrity Eclipse, said the guests loved the Lyttelton stop. 

“The feedback was very positive, the hospitality, the scenery, the beauty of the place,” said Mihai Olaeriu. 

“The people are very friendly, and our guests want to return,” he added. 

According to the latest electronic spending figures from Marketview shared by the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre, visitors spent $2.1m in Lyttelton in the four months from November to February this year compared with $965,000 for the previous year. 

That’s a 115% increase or $1.1m spent in Lyttelton by visitors compared to 2021/22.  

“It is fair and reasonable to equate this data to the obviously large influx of people we had into our community over cruise season”, stated the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre.  

LPC’s Phil de Joux said, “the new 148-metre purpose-built cruise berth has proved to be a valuable addition for the Lyttelton Port Company and a fantastic asset for Christchurch and Canterbury”. 

“The berth is fantastic; Lyttelton Port Company has helped us a lot,” said Mihai. 

“It’s a breeze to come here, and I would tell you the transportation that has been provided has been the best of all the stops in NZ and Australia by far,” he added.  

“The guests were eager to go out and explore, they liked the city, the restaurants and the bars.”  

Cruise ships will return to Lyttelton in October with 92 booked for the upcoming season.