Climate Liberation Aotearoa activist Bruce Mahalski led about 40 protesters up George St in Port Chalmers — from directly outside Port Otago — about 3pm yesterday.
One protester held a sign saying: "Your fun holiday, our climate hell".
Participants in the silent protest handed out leaflets to passers-by.
Cruise ship passengers walked past and took photos.
Mr Mahalski said the protest was addressing visiting cruise ship Celebrity Edge, which was "a giant luxury floating hotel".
Climate Liberation’s requests were the same as they were two years ago, he said.
The group wanted to see international shipping and aviation emissions counted in climate targets such as the Dunedin Carbon Zero 2030 plan, for the community to stop subsidising big cruise ship companies and to block big cruise ships from visiting "extremely sensitive, unique and vulnerable ecosystems" such as Milford Sound, Ulva Island and Antarctica.
"We are in the middle of a massive ecological catastrophe which is in danger of destroying absolutely everything."
Mr Mahalski and 14 others proceeded to kayak and canoe out to the front of Celebrity Edge when it was about to leave at 6pm.
He said they wanted to "make their presence known" but did not try to stop the ship.
When they were asked to move, they moved because their goal was to raise awareness and not to do anything silly.
Celebrity Edge is on a New Zealand cruise from March 12 to 25.
It left Dunedin for Lyttelton yesterday and is due in Wellington tomorrow.
