'Pacific Pearl' cruises in and out of Auckland
22 Dec 2010
Auckland’s waterfront has a major new addition in the form of the super liner Pacific Pearl which will be based out of New Zealand during the cruising season.
The 63,500-tonne Pacific Pearl arrived in New Zealand at the weekend, and since then has been a hub of activity with an official Maori welcome, a naming ceremony and public celebrations.
Queens Wharf was packed last night (21.12.2010) with thousands of people as the cruise liner’s owners staged a huge Pacific Island Family Christmas Festival and fireworks spectacular to celebrate the naming.
Major refit
Sailing under the flag of P&O Cruises, Pacific Pearl is the first cruise super liner to call New Zealand home, and the largest ship ever based in the country.
The super liner has just come from a multi-million dollar refit in Singapore.
On-board facilities include 11 passenger decks, several pools, multiple bars and restaurants, and a giant poolside entertainment screen. There is even a troupe of acrobats on board to entertain the ship's 1800 passengers.
Fresh New Zealand produce and wine will feature on restaurant menus.
Australian celebrity chef Luke Mangan, who has restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne and Tokyo, has put his personal stamp on the Salt Grill - an intimate fine dining experience.
On an average cruise, Pacific Pearl passengers will consume 80 tonnes of food and drink - 8600 meals a day served on 13,000 plates, using 10,000 glasses and 15,000 pieces of cutlery.
Kiwi godmother
Along with its new Auckland home, the Pacific Pearl has also acquired a Kiwi ‘godmother’ - triple Olympic boardsailing medallist Barbara Kendall.
Guest of honour at last night’s on-board launch party, Godmother Kendall renamed the ship from a trapeze swing on the ship’s top deck.
As 600 guests watched Kendall swing above the deck, a magnum of New Zealand bubbles smashed across the bow and a fireworks extravaganza lit up the harbour.
NZ cruise ship tourism
The Pacific Pearl’s New Zealand presence is an indication of the growing importance of the cruise market.
Cruise New Zealand said 138,000 cruise ship passengers pulled into NZ ports during 2010, and around 200,000 passengers will visit in 2011.
The Pacific Pearl is the fourth ship in P&O’s fleet, and Carnival Australia chief executive Anne Sherry said the ship’s arrival was testament to past growth and the potential of the New Zealand cruise industry.
"P&O Cruises is very excited to bring New Zealand its first home-ported superliner - it really is a mark of how much the cruise industry has grown in this country over the past few years," Sherry said.
"Not only is New Zealand becoming a more popular destination on the international cruise calendar, more and more New Zealanders are taking a holiday at sea each year."
The Pacific Pearl departed Auckland today on her eight-night maiden voyage to New Caledonia.
More information
Cruise ships increase New Zealand visits
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