Taranaki is gearing up to welcome the region’s sole cruise ship visitor for the 2025-26 season.

The Coral Princess will bring more than 1,800 passengers from the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Australia, plus about 900 crew, to the region on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.

“It’s exciting. The Coral Princess is a big vessel – 294m long, 62m in height with 15 decks – so she’ll look pretty impressive coming into port and berthed alongside Blyde Wharf,” Port Taranaki general manager commercial Ross Dingle said.

“We’re really looking forward to having her visitors here in Taranaki and helping them discover some of the fantastic experiences, culture, and hospitality the region has to offer.”

Mr Dingle said although Taranaki’s cruise season had been quiet, which was in line with the reduction in cruise ship visits nationally this summer, a key group of stakeholders had been carefully planning and preparing for the visit.

“Every cruise ship visit is important, whether there’s one or a handful during the season. We want to really showcase our region and ensure our visitors have a positive and memorable experience, which starts from the moment the vessel docks at port to the time she leaves later in the day.

“We have a great cruise operations team, including Port Taranaki, Venture Taranaki, Ngāti Te Whiti hapū, Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, New Plymouth iSite, New Plymouth District Council, retailers, and tourism operators, which works together to make sure the visits are a success so that cruise lines and passengers are encouraged to visit again.”

Venture Taranaki agreed, noting that while the number of cruise ship visits this season is lower, the opportunity for the visitor economy remains strong.

“The decline in cruise ship visits is not unexpected given the challenges the cruise sector is currently facing nationwide. While there are fewer vessel visits this season, overall passenger numbers are still broadly comparable year on year, with Coral Princess bringing more than 1,800 high-value passengers, plus crew, to the region, helping to deliver concentrated economic benefit to our local retailers, hospitality, and tourism operators,” said Janet Reynolds, GM Destination, Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki.

“Tourism helps to support the vibrancy of our region and our economy, and we remain committed to positioning and promoting Taranaki as an appealing destination for visitors as they seek out new and unique destinations.

“On the ground, we continue to work with our local tourism businesses, helping them to develop or refine their offerings to meet the cruise market and ensure that we deliver an exceptional visitor experience to help retain Taranaki on schedules as the sector stabilises and grows again.”

Following a warm wharfside welcome from Ngāti Te Whiti, representatives from Port Taranaki, Venture Taranaki and New Plymouth iSite will provide Coral Princess passengers with information, maps of the city and help with directions.

Those visitors who have booked excursions around the region will be bused from the wharf, while shuttles will be available for those keen to head into the city and explore the shops, cafes, walkway and Pukekura Park. The Seaside Market will operate at Puke Ariki during the visit.

Janet Reynolds said despite the reduction in cruise vessel visits nationally this season, recent economic analysis by the New Zealand Cruise Association showed that cruise tourism remained valuable to New Zealand.

The second annual Cruise Industry Economic Impact Analysis found that for the 2024-25 financial year, despite a 13.9% reduction in ship visit days, cruise tourism in New Zealand created $1.23 billion in total economic output (both directly and indirectly). The industry supported 8,253 jobs and generated $384.2 million in wages for New Zealand workers.

Cruise visitors spent an average $313 per day while on shore in New Zealand, creating a total direct passenger expenditure of $393.7 million, while crew members spent an average of $86 a day for a total crew spend of $17.6m.

Coral Princess visit details

Arrival date: Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Sailing from: Picton

Arrival: Off the coast of New Plymouth just before 6.30am. Entry to port from about 7am. Docking at Port Taranaki approximately 8am.

Departure: Approximately 6pm bound for Fiordland.