Kaiapoi River Queen Cruise

Kaiapoi River Queen Cruise
The Kaiapoi River Queen cruise and lunch is booked for the Sunday 2nd of May, sailing at
12.00am We will assemble at 11.30am.
The cruise will last about an hour and a half, possibly up to 2 hours.
The menu will be ham and salads or salmon and salads.
There will be a bar operating on board with spirits, wines, beers and ciders as soon as we
cast off. There will also be tea and coffee.
The cost is $50 pp.

Kaiapoi is one step closer to becoming ‘New Zealand’s Best Rivertown’ with the launch of the Kaiapoi River
Queen earlier this month.
Transported from Blenheim in November 2018 and extensively renovated, the flat-bottomed, two storey
paddle steamer replica will soon be operating daily cruises on the Kaiapoi River, as well as catered private
functions for up to 99 people. It is the first time that commercial river cruises have been available in
Kaiapoi since the demise of the MV Tuhoe in 2015.
Kaiapoi River Queen owners Dennis and Judith Andreassend relocated to Waimakariri from Marlborough to
take on the operation of the ship after they were approached by local developer and Kaiapoi River Queen
investor Jedd Pearce.
The couple hopes the boat will attract locals and visitors alike to the centre of town.
“Having the boat up and running on the river should bring a lot of people from out of town, as well as
providing another activity for the locals,” said Dennis.
District Promotions Manager at Visit Waimakariri Elizabeth Pitcorn says the feeling from local businesses is
the same.
“With the River Queen berthing right in front of The Port & Eagle Brewpub, and the newly opened
Riverview Retail Complex next door, there is a real buzz around the centre of Kaiapoi, just in time for
summer,” she said.
“The feeling among local businesses is that the River Queen will bring in more visitors, which in turn means
more customers. It’s a win-win.”
In 2018 The Waimakariri District Council accepted the Kaiapoi Town Centre Plan which seeks to turn
Kaiapoi into ‘New Zealand’s Best Rivertown’ with the provision of floating pontoons, riverside terraces,
canal and river boats around the Kaiapoi Marine Precinct.
Dennis says interest has been steady since the boat was launched