Aussie cruise ship turned away from NZ over biosecurity issues

Thousands of passengers on an Australian cruise ship set for a cruise around NZ are on their way to Tasmania instead after their trip came to an abrupt halt.

The 13-day ‘Kiwi Adventure’ on board the Pacific Adventure left Sydney on Monday. but came to an abrupt halt.

Thousands of passengers on an Australian cruise ship set for a cruise around New Zealand are on their way to Tasmania instead after the vessel was turned away from NZ for biosecurity reasons.

The 13-day ‘Kiwi Adventure’ on board the Pacific Adventure left Sydney on Monday. but came to an abrupt halt after a planned hull cleaning exercise off NZ’s Bay of Islands was cancelled due to poor weather.

In a statement, P&O Cruises Australia said the conditions were too dangerous for divers to clean the hull as per biosecurity requirements and the ship wasn’t cleared to enter the country.

Biosecurity New Zealand’s northern regional commissioner Mike Inglis told NZ TV there had been “concerning levels of biofouling” on the Pacific Adventure vessel.

“Our biosecurity rules are in place to protect us against pests such as exotic caulpera, which can impact New Zealand’s environment, unique marine ecosystems, aquaculture industry, and economy,” he said.

He said the pictures sent by the ship’s operators showed “high risk organisms” which “could pose a risk to New Zealand if the ship cruised in our waters.”

“We appreciate that cleaning the hull of a cruise ship is a difficult and complex task often dictated by the weather,” he said.

A P&O spokesman told The Australian passengers had been warned before the cruise there might be changes to the itinerary, and had been offered compensation.

“In lieu of sailing around New Zealand, Pacific Adventure is on her way to Tasmania, and we hope guests will enjoy their time in Hobart, Port Arthur and Eden,” they said.

However passengers are unimpressed, with some taking to social media to demand a return to Sydney.

“This is just a turd covered in gold glitter. My husband has requested ET bring him home. Wish us luck,” one person wrote.

“P&O Australia really didn’t clean [their] hull and stopped us from going to NZ [New Zealand]. 2922 guests booked for NZ. Now they get Hobart, Eden and 9 seas days,” another person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Get me off this boat and give me a full refund,” another guest commented.

Nearly a third of all cruise ships entering NZ fall foul of the country’s strict biosecurity rules, but most are either allowed in after an off-shore clean, or are given a limited itinerary.