First ship of the season arrives at Lyttelton's new cruise berth
Kiwi-only cruises will soon get the green light to set sail, as the first passenger vessel to get a Government exemption docks in New Zealand.
Christchurch-based Heritage Expeditions flagship Spirit of Enderby arrived at the Port of Lyttelton on Monday.
The arrival marked a trifecta of firsts: the first cruise ship of the summer to arrive in New Zealand, the first captained by New Zealand’s first and only female marine pilot, Joanne Laing, and the first vessel to dock at Lyttelton’s new $67 million cruise ship berth.
Lyttelton Port Company general manager Phil de Joux said he was not expecting the berth would be used by a cruise ship so soon.
“Obviously Covid’s had a huge impact on the cruise market, so we’re just stoked really."
The Spirit of Enderby sailed directly from Vladivostok in eastern Russia, and the crew had been in isolation for 43 days now.
“They had two weeks and two Covid tests moored offshore, then 29 days of sailing.”
The crew had another test at 9am on Monday, and remained confined to the ship for now.
The 50-passenger boat will sail to Invercargill to pick up its first passengers on November 24.
It will then head out on an expedition to Fiordland and Stewart Island.
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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