It is coming to the end of Cruise Ship season. It has been a good year for visits, about 28 I think. The largest of the visitors is the Sapphire Princess, she is one big ship. She has about 2,000 passengers and has been here on a fairly regular basis. These visitors should in theory provide a big boost to the local economy but most of the passengers get whisked off by the busload to Rotorua to look at the Thermal Parks, which have natural wonders like Mud Pools and Geysers. There really only seem to be a handful of visitors who actually stay and wander round Mount Maunganui. A little market sets up with jewellery and gifts and they do a bit of business but it is not huge. The local cafes may sell a few more coffees but mot a lot happens really. It is when the ship leaves that things liven up . The locals come down of an evening to watch the ship leave. It is quite a spectacle really. The shipping channel out of the harbour is only a couple of hundred yards off the beach, it feels like you can almost shake hands with the passengers as they leave. Our cafe benefits greatly when a ship leaves, people watch it go and then come in for pizza. If you stand outside the cafe and look down the street you can see the ship go and it is an impressive sight, just have a look at the photos.
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