In October last year, Mr Kircher told the Otago Daily Times conversations had been had between the Waitaki District Council and ‘‘boutique’’ cruise ship operators about vessels anchoring off Oamaru.
While those plans were not fixed, it was becoming more of a possibility as ongoing discussions between the council and operators continued.
Mr Kircher met industry representatives at tourism industry showcase Trenz in Rotorua in May, who expressed an interest in Oamaru as a potential stop-off point.
Since then, he confirmed a representative from at least one cruise ship company and New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Kevin O’Sullivan were expected to visit Oamaru in November.
‘‘The idea of that is they can come and see what we’ve got facility-wise at the harbour, but also what the likely attractions would be for any ships stopping off here,’’ Mr Kircher said.
However, a lot of work needed to be done before ships either dropped anchor near the harbour, or, less likely, entered the harbour itself.
‘‘There [are] expedition cruise ships that are relatively small and there’s a bit of fact finding we need to do to see whether they even would be able to come into the harbour. But the main thought at this stage was the idea of anchoring ... and if the sea is calm enough tethering people in alongside the wharf and having a bit of a facility there where they get picked up from and taken on various tours.’’
While the idea did not feature in the council’s 30-year draft Oamaru Harbour master plan, it was possible it could be added at a later date before the plan was adopted by the council later this year.
‘‘It’s still early days, but it’s a discussion well worth having.’’
If the plan did go ahead it would take at least ‘‘two or three years to bed in’’.
Mr Kircher said growth in the cruise ship industry meant companies were seeking alternative destinations, with which Oamaru might fit well.
‘‘That puts us in pretty good stead for the future.’’
