Covid-19 on board first cruise ship in 21⁄2 years

The first cruise ship to disembark passengers in Wellington since Covid closed New Zealand’s borders has Covid-19 on board.

The Ovation of the Seas, due in Picton this morning, was the first cruise ship in the capital yesterday morning since the small cruise ship Le Laperouse on March 16, 2020 – 953 days ago.

A spokesperson for Centreport, which runs Wellington’s port, said health authorities had confirmed Covid-19 cases were on board. The ship was carrying about 4500 crew passengers, but it was not known how many had been infected.

Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Ma¯ui, the former Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, told Hawke’s Bay Today the ship met its requirements for passengers to disembark into Napier – where it first arrived on Monday.

The ship had been in Vancouver, Seattle, Hawaii, French Polynesia, and Napier before getting to Wellington. It was expected to leave for Picton on Tuesday evening, before leaving New Zealand for Sydney, Australia.

Malaghan Institute executive director Dr Graham Le Gros, given the ship had been in the United States before New Zealand, there was a reasonable chance that the Covid on board was the BA.2.75.2 strain. The strain was already out in the community in the US.

‘‘We are watching America very closely to see if we see more hospitalisations,’’ Le Gros said.

Laboratory tests had shown that the strain could evade immunity. Le Gros said it was hoped that those who were vaccinated or previously had Covid-19 might get some immunity that did not show up in lab tests.

Public health constraints, such as stronger isolation requirements, could become needed it the strain became widespread in New Zealand, he said.

First off the ship in Wellington on Tuesday were Dianet and David Quintana, from Pennsylvania. ‘‘We are glad things are opening up and love your people,’’ Dianet said. ‘‘We are glad to be here.’’

Their cruise, taken to celebrate David Quintana’s 52nd birthday, carried them across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand, and Wellington, where they planned to go to the We¯ta¯ Cave and ride the cable car.

Passengers were welcomed into Wellington by a group from Taranaki Wha¯nui. Passengers, some in pyjamas and dressing gowns, lined balconies of the ship to watch the performance before leaving for tourist hotspots.

Cruise visits over the course of the season were expected to give the Wellington region a $30 million economic injection.

Wellingtonnz chief executive John Allen said it had been a long time between berths, and ‘‘Te Whanganui-a-tara’s sorely missed the passengers and the energy they bring over the past two summers’’.

‘‘Because Wellington’s such a compact city, when 3000 people converge on the CBD it makes an impact – a sudden shot of buoyancy is injected. The culture and colour visitors bring enhances our daily lives,’’ he said.

In 2019, cruise tourism was worth $565 million to New Zealand – a 28% increase on the previous year.

The 2018 to 2019 season was estimated to be worth $56m to the Wellington economy.