Akjaroa asking for help as Cruising Tourists overwhelm the town

[Beanb41]

Akaroa have had enough and are seeking assistance from the Christchurch City Council to help out with infrastructure upgrades to cope with cruise ship passengers

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/88302198/christchurch-city-council-could-help-swamped-akaroa-immediately-group-says

[GUT2407]

Akaroa have had enough and are seeking assistance from the Christchurch City Council to help out with infrastructure upgrades to cope with cruise ship passengers

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/88302198/christchurch-city-council-could-help-swamped-akaroa-immediately-group-says

 

It seems Christchurch benefits greatly from the cruise $$$ so seems fair enough to ask them to kick some in.

 

But after all they've been through of late can they afford it?

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I dont blame the good people of Akaroa. They are doing a sterling job in an endeavour that was never planned for them. After the earthquake they stood up and accepted the challenge of the ships coming there instead of Lyttleton.

 

If anything or anyone is to blame it is the Port of Lyttleton who is dragging the chain by not repairing the dock for cruise ships. Christchurch needs the tourists coming so the Council should be working with the port to get them back.

 

I think the question also needs to be asked as to how much the cruise lines are putting into Akaroa. I would not like to be a local after 10,000 people have used the toilets on a busy ship day.:eek:

[MicCanberra]

I think they will need to do this as a joint effort, so the burden of fixing the issues are spread across the whole region just as the profits are spread across the region.

[The_Big_M]

I can understand the request. Akaroa was always a little hamlet, never intended as a major port.

 

They need to decide their long term strategy and focus on improvements for that, whether lyttleton or Akaroa.

[MicCanberra]

I can understand the request. Akaroa was always a little hamlet, never intended as a major port.

 

They need to decide their long term strategy and focus on improvements for that, whether lyttleton or Akaroa.

 

I agree, but in the short term, they still have issues to resolve as well.

[The_Big_M]

I agree, but in the short term, they still have issues to resolve as well.

 

Yes, but they won't want to spend big dollars just for the short term solution if they intend to bring Lyttleton back to primary as they've said.

[MicCanberra]

Yes, but they won't want to spend big dollars just for the short term solution if they intend to bring Lyttleton back to primary as they've said.

 

It will still needs to be resolved one way or the other.

[tazza_0712]

We were in Akaroa a few days ago (currently onboard Radiance) along with Carnival Legend.

 

What a mess. One of the most picturesque seaside towns became a swamp of people.

 

Thankfully we were onshore early and were able to experience the little gem of a town before it was smacked sideways by the crowds.

 

After our amazing dolphin tour, we returned to shore to be greeted with masses of people bumping into each other down the main strip and further afield.

 

Two ships in that little port is not ideal. A town of 600 swelling to 5-6000 was not great at all.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MicCanberra]

We were in Akaroa a few days ago (currently onboard Radiance) along with Carnival Legend.

 

What a mess. One of the most picturesque seaside towns became a swamp of people.

 

Thankfully we were onshore early and were able to experience the little gem of a town before it was smacked sideways by the crowds.

 

After our amazing dolphin tour, we returned to shore to be greeted with masses of people bumping into each other down the main strip and further afield.

 

Two ships in that little port is not ideal. A town of 600 swelling to 5-6000 was not great at all.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit at least before the crowding started. Population overload is never a good thing, I don't understand why they schedule two ships visiting at the same time, they should stagger the visits to help cope with the crowding.

[LokiPoki]

Ugh - after seeing the comments here I looked up the schedule for Akaroa for our March cruise - and sure enough, two ships in that day as well. Having visited on a non-ship day, I'd wondered how well they'd manage a single ship load, never mind two :eek:

[OzKiwiJJ]

We were there on Solstice in December 2015. We waited until the rush for tenders died down to go ashore. Whilst it was certainly much more crowded than it was when we last visited Akaroa, on a land trip some years previously, it didn't seem that much different than any Australian resort town at the height of summer.

 

I did notice the crowds increasing mid-afternoon as tours started arriving back, as you'd expect. We went back onboard before the rush for tenders started and were able to walk straight on to one.

 

However the town was probably at saturation point with Solstice so two ships would certainly be pushing it.

 

Akaroa does a marvellous job of catering to cruise ships and it is a delight to be able to visit there on a cruise. For me it is far nicer than Lyttleton although I do realise that many people would prefer Lyttleton for it's ease of access to Christchurch. I hope the Christchurch Council can provide the assistance that locals need so that Akaroa remains a lovely place to visit.

 

But why on earth are they allowing two ships to visit there at a time. That is totally crazy. i wonder if the powers-that-be that make those decisions actually consult with local representatives about the issues of having two ships in the harbour, with two sets of tenders running. Or whether it's just a financial decision on behalf of the ports authority - more ships equals more dollars! :rolleyes:

[Opua Kiwi]

The scheduling of non-critical ports such as Akaroa would, I expect, be mainly a result of critical port bookings such as SYD OPT made years in advance.

 

EG: 1 ship leaving SYD heading to NZ (Fiordland first) will be in Akaroa 5 days after leaving SYD.

Another ship heading to SYD (Fiordland last) will be in SYD 5 days after leaving Akaroa.

 

Once those SYD dates are set there is not a great deal of flexibility on that southern NZ route; so overlaps will occur at non-critical ports such as Akaroa.

 

There were / are 11 days this season with double ship visits to Akaroa.

Edited January 17, 2017 by Opua Kiwi

[Beanb41]

With ships anchoring in the harbour there is little the authorities can do regarding limiting access. With respect to the infrastructure which is designed to cater for 600 permanents and perhaps a similar amount at holiday time I think they are doing a fabulous job. 6000 extras in one day is enough to tax anybody. If anyone has been to the Greek island of Santorini one can appreciate how difficult life and infrastructure can be when multiple cruise ships turn up at once. As a visitor one just has to wait and wait and wait

[OzKiwiJJ]

I wonder if Timaru could handle the smaller ships? That would be a great location for day trips to Aoraki / Mt Cook.

[The_Big_M]

It will still needs to be resolved one way or the other.

 

Yes, that's right. I didn't say otherwise. :confused:

[OzKiwiJJ]

With ships anchoring in the harbour there is little the authorities can do regarding limiting access. With respect to the infrastructure which is designed to cater for 600 permanents and perhaps a similar amount at holiday time I think they are doing a fabulous job. 6000 extras in one day is enough to tax anybody. If anyone has been to the Greek island of Santorini one can appreciate how difficult life and infrastructure can be when multiple cruise ships turn up at once. As a visitor one just has to wait and wait and wait

 

The cruise lines still have to make arrangements with the port authorities and pay port fees, even for a tender port. A ship that size can't just turn up and anchor.

 

There are probably similar issues in the Bay of Islands, although that area has always drawn more tourists than Akaroa.

[The_Big_M]

I think two large ships in that port at one day is too much.

 

I still remember being the first large ship that visited Akaroa and had to anchor in the harbour. They were impressed then! Doubt that's still the case now!

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think two large ships in that port at one day is too much.

 

I agree!

[MicCanberra]

With ships anchoring in the harbour there is little the authorities can do regarding limiting access. With respect to the infrastructure which is designed to cater for 600 permanents and perhaps a similar amount at holiday time I think they are doing a fabulous job. 6000 extras in one day is enough to tax anybody. If anyone has been to the Greek island of Santorini one can appreciate how difficult life and infrastructure can be when multiple cruise ships turn up at once. As a visitor one just has to wait and wait and wait

 

Good example using Santorini, the place gets swamped and nearly everyone has to go thorough the cable cars or use the donkeys. The only real alternative is to water taxi through to Oia and even then you need to be at the bottom of the cable cars for the tenders..:D

[MicCanberra]

I agree!

 

Ditto.

[MMDown Under]

I hope the NZ Government is looking at the Big Picture re overkill with too many cruise ships visiting small ports at once.

 

I saw what the cruise industry did to Alaska with too many ships being in port at once during the summer season.

 

I thought Akaroa was absolutely beautiful when our small ship, Century, visited. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to disembark, even though the seas were smooth.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I hope the NZ Government is looking at the Big Picture re overkill with too many cruise ships visiting small ports at once.

 

I saw what the cruise industry did to Alaska with too many ships being in port at once during the summer season.

 

I thought Akaroa was absolutely beautiful when our small ship, Century, visited. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to disembark, even though the seas were smooth.

 

So do I!

 

It's a catch-22 situation though, we all want plenty of choice for cruising, competitive prices, and great itineraries but too many ships will make the ports unpleasant to visit. Also many people want the mega-ships for all the added facilities onboard but those ships swamp the smaller ports. It is a worry with most cruise lines building bigger and bigger ships.

Edited January 17, 2017 by OzKiwiJJ

[NSWP]

I am sure the Akaroa Tour Operators and retailers are not complaining about pedestrian congestion. They are making a lot of serious money.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I am sure the Akaroa Tour Operators and retailers are not complaining about pedestrian congestion. They are making a lot of serious money.

 

No they are not.

The so called cream is being swooped up by out of town operators , leaving the locals to build and pay for all the overheads of operating year round.