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1460 days ago

First ship of the season arrives at Lyttelton's new cruise berth

Jake Kenny Reporter from Community News

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.

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More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.

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22 hours ago

It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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3 days ago

Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.

This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.

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Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
  • 84.6% Yes
    84.6% Complete
  • 14% No
    14% Complete
  • 1.4% Other - I'll share below
    1.4% Complete
1593 votes