Cruise passengers flock into Dunedin

About 4000 passengers from Ovation of the Seas fanned out throughout Dunedin and its hinterland yesterday, on the busiest day in the last phase of the city's cruise ship season.

A later than initially expected docking, at 9.04am, meant cruise visitors could not join the usual outbound Dunedin Railways trip, via the Taieri Gorge.

Instead, passengers travelled by bus to Pukerangi, where they joined the train shortly before noon and then travelled back to the Dunedin Railway Station.

Ovation of the Seas, which can carry 4180 passengers, departed at 5.54pm yesterday.

Only the arrival of two cruise ships - Noordam (1916 passengers) and Sun Princess (about 2000 passengers) - on April 3, will come close to matching yesterday's numbers.

After today, there will be five more cruise ship visits to the city this season, involving three ships.

Sun Princess fits in two visits, as does Radiance of the Seas.

The latter vessel makes the final cruise ship visit of the season on April 13, Port Otago schedules show.