Cruise ship makes Timaru its New Zealand home

February 3, 2026

An investment of at least $1.5 million in cruise ship infrastructure is paying off with an international ship making Timaru’s PrimePort its home for New Zealand voyages.

The luxurious Scenic Eclipse II’s overnight stay on Wednesday last week was a first for Timaru’s port, with its “turnaround’’ stopover undertaken in very few ports outside of the Port of Auckland, PrimePort Timaru chief executive Phil Melhopt said.

Being named as the ship’s home port meant the ship completed a full passenger exchange and a partial crew exchange. It took on bunkers (fuel), was loaded with provisions and freshwater, and discharged garbage while it was here, he said.

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