‘A big problem’ – Auckland ferries cancelled amid cruise season
Auckland ferry commuters are frustrated at a recent spate of delays and cancellations and worry the problem will worsen as cruise season peaks.
Close to 100 ferry sailings were cancelled or delayed in the city in December, due to cruise ships arriving or departing Princess Wharf.
It has been one of the busiest cruise ship seasons in recent years, and arrivals are yet to peak.
And as more people return to work, commuters are worried the problem will continue to get worse.
Ports of Auckland said ferries were restricted from moving through the downtown ferry basin while cruise ships were arriving or departing from Princess Wharf.
If you are angry about cruise ships stopping Ferries, it gets worse.
Princes Wharf and Queens Wharf are supposed to be open for Aucklanders but when Cruise ships are in Port those Wharfs are closed off to the Public – there are 120 bloody cruise ships visiting Auckland this year – that’s 120 days Aucklanders can’t use their waterfront – how many bloated swine palaces are too many bloated swine palaces?
These bloated swine palaces are the perfect example of unsustainable economic growth.
Sure, they make money for the Port, there are replenishment dollars to be had, but the tourists flood downtown Auckland pushing up the store rentals at the bottom of Queen street for expensive international brand’s that locals don’t buy while the homeless sit outside the Dior and Gucci stores begging.
Isn’t that juxtaposition of beggars and luxury brands the very wrong type of Auckland we have built?
The never ending mass tourism is already causing Auckland infrastructure to groan and is turning most of our sight seeing spots around the country into never ending queues and open long drops.
In 2018 Auckland Airport received 2.72million tourists, that’s almost 3 times Aucklands entire population gridlocking that roading network.
At what point do we demand that the Tourism Tax be rapidly increased to pay for the infrastructure that locals have to tolerate and how many Tourists are too many dammit?
On a planet rapidly warming, we should be looking to limit tourism, not expand it!
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I have a lot of questions about the sustainability of the cruise ship industry. As well as your point about the need to reduce emissions, how do these massive ships treat their sewerage, and other waste? Are they accountable to anyone in this regard?
Cruise ships are not much more than human trafficking with just enough gloss to ensure those being exploited remain unaware of that unfortunate fact. And of course they’ll shit where they eat but who cares because Ka-Ching! Right?
If you want to get sunburned in a deck chair someone else previously likely, probably, almost certainly has died of old age in then do it on a sail boat to here. Get a real feel for the deep, dark, ocean.
I’ve seen cruise ships pull up here in my coastal town. They have all the outward charm of ocean going prison hospitals. Sometimes, I can see people jogging on a purpose built running track on the upper deck instead of leaping forth to spend money on junk and weak coffee. So? They come all the way to a bit shit here in a tiny, one window box just to run around in small circles? No wonder we humans in the broader context are all a bit fucked in the head.
Here’s an idea. I have many. How about the collective [we] pass a law requiring all AO/NZ multi-billionaires and multi-millionaires, specifically the ones exploiting the cruise ship industry, into forced leave from their wealth and take a cruise liner to, say, the ghettos of Liberia or Abidjan to live there for a year. I’ll be generous. I’ll give you $20 U$A as a head start on the locals.
Yes very accountable and to many many authorities worldwide, haven’t you seen NZ turning a few away lately due to environments issues?
They have some very serious treatment systems on board which do have to meet and be checked often by 3rd parties like a IACS member.
And when parked in the harbour are a huge pain in the arse.
While your thoughts are logical we have a government that only thinks about dollars now & doesn’t care about making the majority being inconvenienced as long as the few can profit.
They’re great! Auckland feels alive when there’s two liners docked not like a morgue. Besides, what about all those jobs in hospitality and suppliers to hospitality that rely on them? We need more to come all year
Yes what about all those hospitality jobs – they tend to be low paid shit jobs of course but in your eyes I guess it’s better than them annoying you buy begging on the streets. In my view it’s better to give them proper constructive jobs in areas that make our lives better.
Cruise Ships-another embarrassing failure for humanity.
Floating confinement for bored people with disposable cash to stuff themselves with food & booze 24/7.
My wife won a cruise in a quiz once. I don’t know if other people were bored, I wasn’t – but then as long as I’ve got a book I’m not easily bored. But there were people on there who spent six months of the year, I presume their winter months, cruising. Some of them didn’t even bother going ashore because they’d seen it all. They played cards instead. Must confess I felt a little out of place not having paid.
This is a bad start to the new year. I tend to agree with you @ Martyn Bradbury.
A lot of our iconic sites and infrastructure is suffering from the impacts of mass tourism and Jo or Jill taxpayer is funding this.
Doc and local council camp sites spring to mind, although reliant on an honesty box situation, in some cases these sites still don’t pay there way. There’s still rubbish to be collected and on some sites septic tanks and water infrastructure maintained.
Also I wonder if tourism/Destination NZ contribute financially to iconic places that appear in glitzy media campaigns such as Cathedral Cove( although that maybe still shut) hot water beach, Kerosene creek, Church of the good shepherd, Ohinemutu and St Faiths church etc etc.
Sure it’s great to have travelers back but at what cost. Also……
Every great second/third world country nearly always has a thriving tourist economy! Think Thailand, Bali.
“bloated swine palaces”
I like it! LOL
After years of mismanagement by the Council, then Covid lockdowns, Auckland CBD businesses need the foot traffic. So let’s take a deep breath and allow the above porcine individuals donate their dollars to our economic recovery.
Shutting down ferry terminals could not possibly be considered a “recovery.”
I wonder if that is someone taking a break, or a homeless beggar in the second picture, seated on the ground outside an elite Dior store in Auckland? If it’s the latter, then that photo is speaking a thousand very loud words as to what NZ has become!
Maybe Scottie’s are taking advantage of the publicity by setting a street side stall?
” At what point do we demand that the Tourism Tax be rapidly increased to pay for the infrastructure that locals have to tolerate and how many Tourists are too many dammit? ”
Bomber you know darn well that there is zero chance that a tourism tax is going to be seriously discussed , debated or implemented for the next three years and if this current National led government is re elected and the four year term is legislated it will be a further 4 years after that before any kind of tax increase might be looked at.
This cabal are all about indirect tax increases like with EV vehicles and other under the radar infringements that always hurt the same groups that can last afford them. They stand in the words of Willis , Luxon and Seymour as a tax cutting government.
I saw my first beggars in the US. In San Francisco there was a whole family living in a shop doorway essentially – presumably they got out of the way when the shop opened. But I thought to myself this would never happen in NZ. No sooner got back here than I saw them all over Lampton quay. This is what forty years of neoliberal government has given us – the gift that keeps on giving.
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