Covid-19 can’t stop this cruise
After cancelling several overseas holidays because of the Covid-19 pandemic, David Holland has settled for an adventure in New Zealand waters.
He can’t wait to travel around Stewart Island and Fiordland on the expedition cruise ship Spirit of Enderby.
The Russian-owned vessel, which is the first expedition or cruise ship to gain government approval to operate in New Zealand since the national lockdown, would leave Bluff at 5pm yesterday for a seven-day trip.
‘‘I was supposed to go overseas three times this year and when that didn’t eventuate, I grabbed this [trip] by the shorts,’’ Holland, of Tauranga, said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shut down expedition and cruise ships worldwide.
Holland loves the experiences on expedition cruises.
‘‘I went to Scott Base in 2004 . . . [that trip] changed my life. I’m not a greenie person per se, but it made me start to understand and respect the environment.’’
Another passenger aboard the Spirit of Enderby, Elaine Prescott, of Christchurch, has been to Antarctica and The Gala´pagos Islands on expedition cruise ships.
When Heritage Expeditions advertised it was organising a Stewart Island and Fiordland expedition cruise, Prescott jumped at the opportunity for a trip away.
‘‘On trips like this, it’s with people with similar interests,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s not the kind of thing you’d do if you haven’t got an interest in nature, wildlife and exploration.’’
The 48 passengers booked on the Spirit of Enderby met at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill yesterday for a get together and a medical check.
Passengers provided medical records for their health in the past 10 days.
Heritage Expeditions, based in Christchurch, chartered Spirit of Enderby.
Heritage Expeditions co-owner and director of operations Nathan Russ would be aboard for the Stewart Island-Fiordland trip.
Russ said the company was delighted to be the first expedition or cruise ship business to operate in New Zealand since the lockdown.
‘‘We’re ecstatic.
‘‘It’s been a long road to get to this point, waiting for many government agencies to get their approvals and confidence. It’s a great privilege to get that level of trust from the Ministry of Health, along with multiple other agencies.’’
Russ said the passengers on Spirit of Enderby were either New Zealand residents, overseas people that were in New Zealand when the country went into lockdown or had arrived from overseas and been through managed isolation facilities and passed medical checks.
Before Spirit of Enderby left Russia for New Zealand, its crew of 22 spent 14 days in quarantine aboard the vessel and passed two Covid-19 tests.
Spirit of Enderby was at sea for 29 days. On arriving at the Port of Lyttelton the crew underwent more tests which were negative.
Heritage Expeditions has 10 of its staff on the ship, including a medical advisor, two chefs and three lecturers speaking on conservation, biosecurity and other information on areas to be visited.
‘‘Heritage Expeditions is a family owned company ... we’ve been operating for 36 years out of Christchurch.
‘‘We’ve been coming in and out of Bluff for 27-28 years.’’
The company has nine expedition voyages scheduled this season, the last one leaving on March 12. It uses Bluff as a turnaround port which is a passenger pick up and drop off point.