The first cruise ship arrived at Lyttelton’s newly built Cruise Wharf this morning.

The Celebrity Eclipse docked at Lyttelton Port Company’s new, purpose-built cruise berth. 

More than 2,400 passengers arrived on Lyttelton’s shores marking the return of cruise vessels to the town for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s also the first time that large vessels have berthed in Lyttelton since the Canterbury earthquakes, following damage to the Port’s Cashin Quay berths. 

LPC’s Chief Executive, Kirstie Gardener, says the return of cruise is a great milestone for the Port’s development and Canterbury’s growth. 

We’re really excited that cruise has returned to Lyttelton and LPC is ready to welcome passengers from all around the world. 

“We’ve invested significantly to futureproof the Port and make this all possible.

Our new $67 million cruise berth is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and we’re really proud to welcome its first guests onto our shores today.”

 LPC’s 148-metre-long, 10-metre-wide cruise berth can host vessels carrying up to 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew, and is built to withstand significant seismic events and ensure that vessels and passengers are safe. 

The cruise berth will not only accommodate some of the largest vessels visiting New Zealand now, but some of the largest that will come in the future.

This season the Port will welcome 85 calls from 26 different vessels from October to April 2023 – bringing around 170,000 tourists and 35,000 staff to Christchurch. The largest vessel to visit this season is the Ovation of the Seas, carrying 4,180 passengers. She is expected to call six times with her first visit on 3 November.