A cruise ship dubbed the "most luxurious" to ever grace the ocean is set to arrive in Auckland for the first time next month.
The 224m Seven Seas Explorer will arrive in Dunedin on January 6 after crossing from Australia's Tasmania.
It will then visit ports around New Zealand including Lyttleton, Napier and Russell before completing its maiden voyage to Auckland and docking in the City of Sails on January 12.
A spokesperson for Regent Seven Seas Cruises said the ship took "cruising to the next level… starting from the state-of-the-art deluxe fittings and finishes, including 473 chandeliers, a US$7 million art collection (NZ$11 million), including pieces by Chagall and Picasso, and more than 4262sqm of marble".
Activities on the ship included cabaret shows in the ship's constellation theatre, blackjack and poker tournaments in the on-board casino and cooking classes in the culinary arts kitchen.
There's also a spa, boutique shops, live music and 13 eateries spread over the ship's 10 passenger decks.
The ship can carry 732 passengers and more than 500 crew members.
New Zealand earlier this year celebrated the return of cruise ships after a more than two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic, cruise ships pumped more than $500 million into the country's economy.
