Cunard cancels QM2 visit to Auckland on 2018 World Cruise

I just received an email from Cunard with this disappointing news, see extract below. I may be wrong but thought that some of the much larger Royal Caribbean ships were able to anchor in Auckland Harbour?

We were recently advised by the port authority, that the quayside at Auckland (Jellico Wharf) will now no longer be available for passenger use. As there are no other suitable berths in Auckland that can accommodate Queen Mary 2, we unfortunately have been given no option but to look at alternatives.

Having reviewed all of the options available, we will instead be making a two day call in the coastal city of Tauranga, on 4 and 5 March 2018, located to the south-east of Auckland. To accommodate this call, we shall now be arriving a few hours later to the Bay of Islands. Your full itinerary can be viewed on Voyage Personaliser.

We are endeavouring to give all our guests the opportunity to visit Auckland from Tauranga and as soon as we have further details we will be back in touch to let you know how these can be booked.

We are scheduled to sail on Royal Caribbean's Ovation in February 2019 and we have a scheduled stop in Auckland it is listed as a tender port. I think the 2 ships are about the same size. We are also scheduled to be in Tauranga the next day. Don't know why Cunard pulled the stop for the QM2.

Tauranga is gorgeous. Onevof those places we go past the local real estate agents to have a look how much a house here would cost

Tauranga is gorgeous. Onevof those places we go past the local real estate agents to have a look how much a house here would cost

Agreed. Would rather two days here than a day in Auckland. So much to do that's in reach of Tauranga than from Auckland. Lucky!

How sad ... it was always lovely to see QM2 in Auckland even though she was always rather "hidden" in the container port. I wonder if tendering is not an option because they need to provision the ship.

The QM2 has always previously berthed at Jellicoe Wharf which is a commercial dock and bused passengers to the terminal on Queens Wharf. Yes a larger ship had to anchor last year, we watched the tendering process and saw the long wait passengers had to return to the ship. The QM has previously loaded stores in Auckland, maybe they hoped to do the same this trip and now need to go to Tauranga to do so? Ports of Auckland are quiet on the issue as is Cunard. Maybe it is political?

We boarded the Diamond Princess (116000 tons) in 2013 at the cruise terminal.The Sea and Dawn Princess were berthed next to us.I dont what has gone wrong.

Hi,I just looked up the size of the QM2,I didn't realise it was that much bigger,so I'm probably wrong,cheers,Brian.

Yes that is the issue with the QM2. Until recently she has been unable to dock at Circular Quay in Sydney, they have now installed a special ?bollard to attach the bow ropes to. Auckland have said they will do the same but not until 2019. The port of Auckland expansion has been an local issue for some time now. In the recent election one party campaigned over shifting the commercial port to Northland. This is why I wonder if it is also political as the Port Authority have warned Auckland Council that if they are not allowed to cater for larger ships the ships will go elsewhere!

Tauranga is on a win. The port is an ideal set up for provisioning ships .

I dont think passengers should count on visiting Auckland from Tauranga as its a 2 1/2 hr drive at the best of times and in heavy traffic , much more.

Just perusing the Cunard forum. We're sailing on the QE WC and as far as I know have not been re-routed from Auckland (of course the QE is smaller). I understand that Auckland is in a huge uproar with massive major construction going on. May not be that wonderful a port this time around. If we were to have 2 days in Tauranga, I'd rent a car and stay over somewhere inland. Personally, I'd love to visit Hobbiton again, but going to the Maori area and the geysers, etc. is also an option. Yes, it's a long drive but it you do in two days it would be very do-able. New Zealand is a wonderful place and just to drive around would be great.

Just perusing the Cunard forum. We're sailing on the QE WC and as far as I know have not been re-routed from Auckland (of course the QE is smaller). I understand that Auckland is in a huge uproar with massive major construction going on. May not be that wonderful a port this time around. If we were to have 2 days in Tauranga, I'd rent a car and stay over somewhere inland. Personally, I'd love to visit Hobbiton again, but going to the Maori area and the geysers, etc. is also an option. Yes, it's a long drive but it you do in two days it would be very do-able. New Zealand is a wonderful place and just to drive around would be great.

hio kahtrav, you won't have any problems with the QE this year, in fact looking forward to seeing you in...(look out for me at the end of the berth at 5am to welcome you). The QM2 was cancelled by the owners (Ports of Auckland) of the berth that the QM2 usually uses. They usually have it full of second hand cars which is a bugbear with Aucklanders and are currently in the midst of a political stoush over their future in the city and they have basically thrown their toys out of the cot and said no one else can use the berth in the meantime. The option offered to the QM2 was to anchor in the Harbour as the Ovation of the Seas is having to do and Cunard quite rightly said "No thanks", we'll go somewhere else.

Fear not though because the owners of the Berth all the other ships use (and you will be at) are building a Dolphin which will then enable the bigger ships to once more berth without the behest of the Ports Company.

Auckland has some road works but it won't effect you having a fabulous day, to be honest congestion in Auckland is a bit like just a busy day anywhere else in the world. They don't say we are 20 years behind the rest of the world for nothing.

Looking forward to seeing Cunard back in Auckland.....regards Roscoe