The other day it actually wasn’t raining and I was able to go skating around my favourite area, the waterfront. It was the day the ginormous cruise ship Sapphire Princess came to town and Wellington was buzzing. Literally. Three helicopters were on the go, arriving and departing from their spot on the harbour, tourists were walking and being taken around by coach, locals were heading off to see the big ship. I was among the latter group, camera in hand.
Features of this monster include:
- 113,000-tons.
- 18 decks.
- 951 feet long.
- 2,670 passengers.
- Diesel and gas turbine powered electric propulsion.
- 4 swimming pools and children’s splash pool.
- Large theatre for Broadway and Las Vegas-style productions.
- Casino.
- Wedding chapel.
- Show lounge features 42 high-definition video screens.
- One of the largest Internet cafes at sea with 29 computer stations.
- Nine-hole golf putting course and two computerized golf simulators.
- Sports deck.
The picture above (thumbnail opens into a new window) shows the ship tied up at Aotea Wharf, beside the Stadium and the piles of logs heading for export. It goes on behind the stadium for a looong way. It has to tie up down there as the other wharves, closer to the city centre, are all too small and shallow. Still, it’s only a few minutes walk to town and there were buses and taxis galore to deliver tourists to their various destinations.
The next post talks about the helicopters.
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