Port of Tauranga will host the giant cruise ship Ovation of the Seas in its maiden voyage to New Zealand in the summer of 2016/2017.
Mark Cairns, Port of Tauranga Chief Executive , said the cruise ship visit will be made possible by the dredging project about to start in Tauranga Harbor.
The work, for which tenders close in June, will be completed by August next year, in plenty of time for the arrival of the Ovation of the Seas.
The Royal Caribbean vessel is 348 meters long, more than 50 meters high and can host nearly 5,000 passengers and 1,500 crew.
With a price tag of USD$1 billion, it boasts onboard entertainment such as a skydiving simulator, an aerial observatory and a bar staffed by robots.
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