Cyclone Hale’s approach is causing problems for the Holland America line cruise ship, NOORDAM, which is sailing around New Zealand. The vessel has already missed several ports, and due to the cyclone, more problems are expected.
The vessel set sail from Sydney on 2nd January for a 12-night cruise to New Zealand. It arrived in New Zealand on January 5th and after calls to Fjordland National Park and Dunedin, the ship docked in Wellington on January 7th.
The ship was supposed to sail the very next day but the cyclone brought in 18-foot swells, powerful gale winds, heavy downpours, and treacherous conditions along the coastline of New Zealand. Hence the ship was forced to stay at Wellington and miss its port call to Picton.
In the coming 24 hours, the cyclone is expected to hit with full force at the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga. This means yet another port of call in the ship’s itinerary looks to be uncertain.
It is not uncommon for itineraries of cruise ships to be altered due to adverse weather conditions. The CORAL PRINCESS, which is also in Wellington is also being forced to miss its planned stops. While the cruise ship, AZAMARA QUEST has been forced to dock at Timaru as the cyclone approaches closer to the North Island.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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