Royal Caribbean Cruises wants certainty ahead of flash facilities as the cruise ship superpower expands its presence in New Zealand.

Royal Caribbean Australia managing director Gavin Smith said the company had followed the debate over plans for Queens Wharf – which included turning it into “party central” for the Rugby World Cup and building a modern terminal for cruise ships.

“We’d be more interested in a third berth than a redeveloped, integrated destinational facility because we want the flexibility to be able to see three ships in here regularly,” Smith said.

“We want to know with great certainty that there’ll be a wharf, whether it’s got restaurants and shops and cafes is less material.”

Infrastructure development was a sensitive issue around the world as the cruise industry grew both in volume and the size of its ships, he said.

“What the cruise industry would struggle to do is if the Government spent $50 million redeveloping the pier and then said we’re going to quadruple your costs.”

Auckland was one of the few ports in the world still offering a downtown wharf, which was very attractive to customers, Smith said.

“Because they can turn up, see the port immediately and they can purchase all the touring programmes without having to spend an hour on a bus to get there.”

Royal Caribbean, which is listed in New York and Oslo, said it was opening a dedicated office in Auckland to cater for the growing number of New Zealanders taking cruise holidays.

The company said that according to the International Cruise Council nearly 40,000 New Zealanders took a cruise in 2008, up from 30,215 in 2007.

Smith estimated Royal Caribbean’s market share for New Zealand customers was about 12-13 per cent.

“It gives us a greater sense of ownership of that responsibility of taking New Zealanders overseas on holiday,” he said.

The new office was expected to be fully operational from April 1 and would support the commercial and operation activities of the company, which uses predominantly travel agents to re-sell its cruises.

“If you go into a travel agent there’s 3500 products and what we want to give is personality to that.”

The company would introduce a second ship to the region towards the end of next year and expected to bring about 25,000 visitors to New Zealand in 2011, compared to about 10,000 this year, he said.

New Zealanders taking a Royal Caribbean cruise would still have to fly to Sydney to join their ship but the company could eventually board passengers in Auckland.

“In an ideal world we will further expand to have product that originates out of New Zealand, out of Auckland, and I would hope that we’re able to make announcements to that effect in the coming months,” Smith said.

By Owen Hembry | Email Owen

The Queens Wharf design competition has been placed on hold while the project’s three sponsors, the New Zealand Government, Auckland Regional Council and Auckland City Council review the timing and scope of the development.

Govt considers short-term Queens Wharf revamp

By Edward Gay and Bernard Orsman at NZ Herald

A short-term solution to revamping Queens Wharf could be on the cards if Auckland cannot get its act together.

Prime Minister John Key said a short-term option is being looked at and could cost between $15 million and $20m but half of that will be capital expenditure which can be used in the final design.

He said the wharf was an important part of Auckland’s waterfront and the design needed to reflect that.

“If it is in fact too rushed to reach a conclusion on a quality development for the site in the long-term perspective then the Government will have no qualms about erecting a good short-term live-site solution for the Rugby World Cup,” Mr Key said at a press conference this afternoon.

He said the Queens Wharf was important both for the Rugby World Cup and the long-term development of Auckland, namely an international passenger terminal.

Meanwhile, a larger and more expensive revamp of Queens Wharf has been labelled a last-minute kneejerk reaction to the Rugby World Cup by Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney.

“When are we going to stop and take a longer-term view on the way we develop our city?” he asked.

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully is pressing Auckland leaders to adopt a grander vision for the historic wharf than was proposed in the much-maligned design contest dumped in November.

This would push the cost of redeveloping the wharf from $47 million at the design contest stage to about $100 million.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee is keen to proceed with a cruise ship terminal in time for the cup if a new design appeals to the public.

He is at odds with Auckland City Mayor John Banks, who wants to spruce up the wharf for the cup and wait for the Super City when a plan can be put in place for the entire waterfront.

Mr Swney said the city needed to provide “party central” at Queens Wharf for the cup but also commit to a long-term masterplan.

“We need a plan that sees ports rationalisation, the freeing up of Bledisloe Wharf – a far superior site for a cruise ship terminal – and a plan that integrates the Tank Farm to the west with Queens, Captain Cook and Bledisloe wharves to the east,” he said.

Labour’s Auckland issues spokesman Phil Twyford said the Government’s determination to bully Aucklanders into an inadequate quick-fix solution seemed to be driven by Prime Minister John Key’s desire to create “party central” for the rugby cup.

“We are only 10 months away from a newly elected mayor and council for Auckland. It seems appropriate to wait to determine the future of the waterfront and cruise ship terminal until this occurs and decisions can be made in a democratic and accountable way,” he said.

Mr McCully said the Government explained in November an intention to step back, check the assumptions and look at all the options for Queens Wharf in conjunction with Auckland leaders early this year. He said some extra work had been done on the contest-winning design by architects Jasmax and Architectus. There were four or five other proposals on the table, but he declined to say what they were.

One option being considered by Auckland City Council is to spruce up Queens Wharf at a cost of $18 million, plus or minus $2 million, to provide services, safety, lighting and dress up the two 1912 cargo sheds for the rugby cup.

Mr McCully indicated the process was being driven by the need for a cruise ship terminal, expected to cost more than $50 million.

The other $50 million would be spent on strengthening the wharf and providing public open space. He said the cruise ship industry was worth $400 million a year.

By Edward Gay and Bernard Orsman

P&O Cruises’ Pacific Pearl will be re-christened in the Waitemata Harbour next year.

P&O Cruises plans to base its newest superliner in New Zealand. The 1800-passenger Pacific Pearl will be re-christened in the Waitemata Harbour on December 19, 2010. Auckland will be the ship’s home port and from here it will travel to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Craig Harris, chairman of Cruise NZ, said basing the Pacific Pearl in Auckland “is a real coup for New Zealand”. He said the industry already had bookings for the 2010 summer season and expected around 135,000 passengers. Mr Harris said cruise passengers were the fourth-largest group of inbound travellers.

Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia and New Zealand, said it chose New Zealand as the base because the country was driving much of the company’s growth. “Cruising has proven remarkably recession-resistant. As the world economy starts to recover, I believe we are in for sustained growth,” she said. “If New Zealand is to capitalise on that growth, it needs the right infrastructure and planning in place.”

FACTS

Built: 1989, renovated for P&O in 2010.
Weight: 69,500 gross tonnes.
Length: 247 metres.
Width: 32 metres.
Decks: 11.
Speed: Maximum 21.5 knots.
Passenger cabins: 839.
Facilities: Three restaurants, six bars and lounges, spa, fitness centre and gym, two swimming pools, multi-level show lounge, cinema, casino, duty-free shopping boutiques. Click for images