Bluff set to host its biggest cruise ship

Ship enthusiasts are in for a treat, with the largest cruise ship ever to call into Bluff arriving this week.

Bluff is becoming a regular stop-off for cruise vessels, with two expected to berth at South Port in Bluff this week.

Bremen is expected to be in port today, and Artania, which will be the biggest ship to date to call into South Port, is expected on Friday.

South Port operations manager Geoff Finnerty said Artania holds up to 1200 passengers.

‘‘She is 231 metres in length and will be the largest cruise vessel to call at Bluff,’’ he said.

It will be a short visit for those on board the ship, with a stay of about 12 hours.

Bremen will have a slightly longer visit of just, just over 24 hours, for about 160 people on board.

This season, there had been an influx of vessels, with larger passenger numbers calling in, Finnerty said.

South Port vessels calling has had cruise in for years but most had been ‘‘smaller boutiquesized’’ vessels carrying between 50 and 100 passengers, he said.

Those ships were mainly used to undertake subantarctic excursions, he said.

This season, 12 other cruise vessels had called into South Port but most of those calls were vessels with fewer than 100 passengers, Finnerty said.

Venture Southland tourism team leader Warrick Low said the visits would be short stops for both ships for passengers to get a taste of New Zealand’s ‘‘unique’’ ture.

‘‘What they are attracted to is a taste of New Zealand culture and the people.’’

Bremen had come from the Auckland Islands then Snares Islands before reaching Bluff, and will go to Fiordland then Stewart Island, Low said.

Artania has visited Wellington, Lyttelton, Akaroa and Port Chalmers before Bluff.

Venture Southland had liaised with crew on Artania to prepare cul- local German-speaking Low said.

Having cruise ships interested in Bluff provided an opportunity to investigate whether providing cruise ship guides was a viable long-term activity, he said.

Low said he was optimistic for opportunities in the future and he was looking at discussing ways to grow the sector with his team. guides,