The crash, on a tight corner in Portobello Rd shortly after 9am, tore a hole in the side of the campervan driven by a Portobello couple and smashed a passenger-side window on the bus.
No serious injuries were reported but police said two of the cruise ship tourists were transported to hospital with minor injuries after being showered in window glass.
The caravan driver, a Portobello local who had just departed on a trip to Bannockburn with his wife, said he was approaching a tight corner near Nicholas St when the Ritchies bus came around the corner, and he anticipated a collision.
He stopped his campervan close to the cliff at the road’s edge but was unable to prevent a crash, he said.
"It’s a casualty of the roadworks."
London man Karl Young arrived with wife Eleanor yesterday morning on cruise ship Majestic Princess.
Asked about his plans in Dunedin following the crash, Mr Young reckoned "a stiff drink" was on the cards.
The tourist may have got his wish shortly thereafter, when the about 30 cruise ship passengers on the bus were taken to the Portobello Hotel to await replacement buses.
Senior Constable Aaron Smith, of Portobello, said the crash should serve as a reminder for motorists to slow down and take extra care on narrow peninsula roads, especially as the busy tourist season got into full swing.
Officers from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team had launched an investigation and it was too early to determine any blame for the crash, he said.
