The Coral Princess will visit Taranaki on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.
The reduction in scheduled cruise ship visits to New Zealand for the 2025-26 season will also impact Taranaki, with one vessel confirmed for next summer.
The 294m Coral Princess, which has capacity for 2,000 guests and 900 crew, will visit the region on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.
Nationally, scheduled cruise visits for 2025-26 are down steeply as increasing costs and biosecurity regulation pressures impact the industry.
“Every region across the country is experiencing a hit and, unfortunately, Taranaki is not immune,” Port Taranaki general manager commercial Ross Dingle said.
“The majority of cruise vessels that come to New Zealand travel along the east coast, with a smaller number then coming over to the west coast. So, if overall numbers are down then Taranaki, as a west coast region, tends to suffer more.
“There’s still the possibility of additions or unscheduled visits, such as if there are congestion or weather issues at other ports. We pride ourselves on being flexible and adaptable to customer needs, so if the call goes out for a replacement port of call during the season, we’ll put our hand up.”
Mr Dingle said he was confident Taranaki was attractive to cruise lines and cruise passengers.
“All the cruise visitors and vessels that have come to Port Taranaki and the region have marked us very highly in terms of the visitor experience and attractions, and engagement with the community, so we’re very confident we’re providing a great product and Taranaki is seen as a fantastic place to visit.
“The only challenge we’re presently facing, is that many vessels simply aren’t visiting New Zealand at all this coming season.”
He said “a tremendous amount of work” had been put in by Taranaki stakeholders in recent years to attract more cruise vessels to the region and provide interesting tourist experiences. This included the development of the Taranaki Cruise Strategy, which had an aspirational target of sustainably increasing cruise ship visits to 28 by 2028.
“We have a broad group, including Port Taranaki, Venture Taranaki, Ngāti Te Whiti hapū, the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, New Plymouth iSite, New Plymouth District Council, retailers, and tourism operators (businesses), who meet regularly and work together to make sure the region is ‘cruise-ready’ each season.
“Because of events outside our control, the strategy’s aspirational aim of ‘28 for 28’ appears further away, but that doesn’t change our focus and determination to sustainably grow cruise in Taranaki.”
Brylee Flutey, GM Destination at Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki, supported this sentiment.
“The decline in cruise ship visits is not unexpected given the challenges the cruise sector is currently facing nationwide. However, we are committed to ensuring the region is well positioned to benefit when the sector rebounds.
“There are also positive signals for the industry, with the recent Government announcement supporting cruise in the Milford Sound, with more than $15 million in funding allocated to infrastructure and conservation upgrades.
“Along with Port Taranaki, we will be attending the New Zealand Cruise Conference this August to help promote the region, strengthen our relationships with the cruise industry and ground handlers, and hear directly from industry experts to understand the evolving dynamics beyond this coming season and how we need to position ourselves to capitalise on future growth,” Ms Flutey said.
“On the ground, we’re also continuing to support our local trade-ready tourism operators, helping them to refine or develop cruise offerings that align with what cruise liners and their passengers are looking for.”
