First cruise ship back since pandemic hit

New Zealand on Friday welcomed the first cruise ship to return since the coronavirus pandemic began, signaling a long-sought return to normalcy for the nation’s tourism industry. New Zealand closed its borders in early 2020 as it sought at first to eliminate COVID-19 entirely and then later to control its spread. Although the country reopened its borders to most tourists arriving by plane in May, it wasn’t until two weeks ago that it lifted all remaining restrictions, including those on maritime arrivals. The end of restrictions allowed Carnival Australia’s Pacific Explorer cruise ship to dock in Auckland on Friday morning as part of a 12-day return trip to Fiji that left from Sydney.